1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article to be applied, when worn, to a region including the wearer's crotch.
2. Description of the Background Art
Most disposable absorbent articles have elastic members attached in a stretched state along leg-side edges in order to prevent leakage of bodily discharges such as urine through the leg openings. However, the greater the contractile forces of the elastic members, the higher the degree of shrinkage of the leg openings. Then, it may be difficult for the wearer or care giver to pull the absorbent article up and down. In addition, excessively great contractile forces of the elastic members attached along the leg-side edges may give the wearer an excessively tight and uncomfortable fit. Particularly in the case of a garment-type absorbent article, it is difficult for the wearer to insert his/her legs into the leg openings, if they shrink excessively due to the contractile forces of the elastic members attached along the leg-side edges.
For example, to prevent leakage of bodily discharges such as urine and to ensure the absorbing capacity of an absorbent core, the crotch region needs to have a width to a certain degree. Accordingly, the crotch region of the absorbent article is likely to be wide in the lateral direction when worn, so that pulling the absorbent article up and down may become difficult. If the crotch region of the absorbent article is excessively wide in the lateral direction, it may provide a discomfort for the wearer. Particularly in the case of a garment-type absorbent article, if the crotch region is excessively wide in the lateral direction, it reduces the left and right leg openings in size, thus making it difficult to insert the wearer's legs into the leg openings.
A conventional disposable absorbent article with elastic members provided along the leg-side edges is described in, for example, European Patent Publication No. EP 1834617 A2. The absorbent article disclosed in this document has front and rear elasticated sections (38) along the leg-side edges of the absorbent article, with part of the elasticated sections (38) being cut up (cf. paragraph [0025] and FIG. 1). Accordingly, unelasticated sections (46) are provided at two each positions on the left and right sides along the leg-side edges of the absorbent article. In addition, since the front and rear elasticated sections (38) cross the crotch region of the absorbent article while being spaced from each other in the front-to-rear direction, unelasticated peripheral sections (49) are also provided along the leg-side edges at locations corresponding to the crotch region. By the presence of these unelasticated sections (46) and (49), the portions of the absorbent article along the leg-side edges provide a soft feeling to the wearer, and offer improved breathability.
In the absorbent article described in the above document, however, the front and rear elasticated sections (38), crossing the crotch region of the absorbent article while being spaced from each other in the front-to-rear direction, may exert insufficient contractile forces on the crotch region in the lateral direction. With such insufficient lateral contraction on the crotch region, the crotch region is more likely to be widened in the lateral direction, and the front and rear elasticated sections (38) do not exert their contractile forces on the left and right portions of the crotch region. This may result in clearances formed between the crotch region of the absorbent article and the wearer's crotch region, causing leakage of bodily discharges such as urine through the clearances.
Another conventional absorbent article is arranged such that front and rear elastic members provided along the leg-side edges overlap each other in the crotch region. With this arrangement, the crotch region is expected to receive sufficient contractile forces in the lateral direction. However, the elastic members, provided continuously along the leg-side edges, may produce an excessively tight fit.