Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sanitary napkin having an adhesive portion and which does not need disposal of release paper. Background of the Invention

Sanitary napkins provided with an adhesive portion for fixing the napkin to underwear are widely used to prevent displacement of the napkin. Release paper is generally adhered to the adhesive portion to protect the adhesive until the sanitary napkin is used. When the napkin is used, the release paper must be removed and disposed of. Such disposal of the release paper can be inconvenient.

To overcome this problem, for example, Japanese Patent Application Kokai (Laid-Open) No. Hei 01-72218 discloses a sanitary napkin bearing adhesive which requires no release paper. As shown in Figure 7 of this specification, release treated surfaces 14, 14 are formed of a release agent on the surface of a tape support member and adhesive treated surfaces 13, 13 are formed on portions of the support member where the release treatment surfaces are not formed to provide the tape. The thus-arranged tapes are placed at the opposite ends of the napkin and the napkin is folded in such a manner that the release treated surface of one of the tapes just overlaps the adhesive surface of the other tape. With this arrangement, a release paper for protecting the adhesive surface is not needed. However, such an arrangement of the tape is complex and difficult to be produced, the napkin must by folded by a method different from conventional ones, and a highly precise positioning is required when the napkin is folded.

Brief Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sanitary napkin having an adhesive portion for adhering the napkin to an undergarment comprising a napkin body, an adhesive portion on a surface of the napkin body, and a release member covering the surface of the adhesive portion and adhered thereon, wherein an end in the longitudinal direction of the release member is fixed on the napkin body or on the adhesive portion. This provides a sanitary napkin which does not require disposal of the release paper and which can be easily produced. Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. l is a partial plan view shown in cross- section of a sanitary napkin according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view shown in cross- section of a sanitary napkin according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view shown in cross- section of a sanitary napkin according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view shown in cross- section of a sanitary napkin according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a partial plan view shown in cross- section of a sanitary napkin according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a top view showing the placement of an adhesive portion according to the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a top view of a prior art sanitary napkin. Detailed Description of the Invention

The adhesive may be applied to the napkin by the use of tape such as double coated adhesive tape, double coated adhesive tape without a support member, i.e., transfer tape, and the like. One face of the tape

is adhered to the napkin body and the other face is available to fix the napkin to an undergarment. The adhesive can also be provided by thermal-fusion, e.g., a hot melt adhesive may be simultaneously used, adhesion by high frequency fusion, and other means well-known to those skilled in the art. The adhesive can be used as a means for fixing an end of the adhesive portion or the ends of the adhesive portion and the support member thereof. Suitable adhesives include, for example, silicone adhesives, rubber-based adhesives and acrylic adhesives.

The release member may be, for example, a film release sheet or a paper release sheet. The release member may be coated with a release agent such as a silicone release agent and the like.

In the sanitary napkin having the above arrangement according to the present invention, disposal of the release member is not needed and convenience is provided. In manufacture of the napkin, the napkin can be folded by any method without the need of a special folding method, and thus a napkin which can be folded with various methods can be made.

Further, when an adhesive tape is used, that is, when a release member has an adhesive which is incompatible, i.e., non-adhesive, to an adhesive portion and disposed on the surface of the adhesive portion side thereof or when the adhesive portion and the support member thereof sequentially laminated on the surface of a release treated portion is an adhesive tape, the adhesive portion serves to adhere to an undergarment in such a manner that the adhesive tape is released from the napkin body and turned by 180°.

When the end in the longitudinal direction of the release member which is on the side opposite to the portion thereof fixed on the napkin projects beyond the end of the adhesive portion disposed on a napkin body, the projected end serves as a finger-lift portion to

provide for easy release of the release member. The same effect can be also obtained when the ends in the longitudinal direction of an adhesive portion and the support member thereof which are on the side opposite to the portion thereof fixed on a napkin projects beyond the end of the release treated portion and can be used as a finger-lift portion. In this case, when the adhesive portion at the ends is folded inward by being rounded to prevent hand contact therewith, transfer of adhesive to the hand can be avoided and thus a better result can be obtained.

Example 1

As shown in FIG. 1, a sanitary napkin according to the present invention has an adhesive portion 2, the entire surface of which is fixed on napkin body 1, and a release member 3, the inner surface of which is treated with a release agent 5. The release member is adhered to the adhesive portion and one end thereof in a longitudinal direction is fixed on the napkin by a silicone adhesive. The other end in the longitudinal direction of the release member projects beyond the end of the adhesive portion to form a finger-lift portion 12. Example 2

As shown in Figure 2, sanitary napkin body 1 of this example is made in a manner similar to that of Example 1 except that the extreme end of release paper 3 is folded inward and a fixed portion 4 is composed of the non-release surface of the release member 3 and an adhesive portion 2 fixed on a napkin body. Exam le 3

This example shows the arrangement between an adhesive portion and a release treated portion which provides an effect similar to that of Examples 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 3, a napkin body is partially subject to a release treatment 6 or a single coated adhesive tape 6 ¹ , the back surface of which is release treated, is adhered to the napkin body, and an adhesive tape 7, one

end of which is fixed on the napkin body by the adhesive portion 8 thereof, is adhered to the release treated surface. A finger-lift portion 12 is also formed as in Example 1. The adhesive portion at the end is folded inward to prevent hand contact therewith. Example 4

As shown in Figure 4, the sanitary napkin of this example is made in a manner similar to that of Example 3 except that a fixing portion 4 is fixed in such a way that the end of an adhesive tape 7 is inserted between a single coated adhesive tape 6 and a napkin body at the end of the tape 6. Example 5

As shown in FIG. 5, the entire surface of an adhesive portion is fixed on the napkin body and an adhesive tape is adhered to the adhesive surface with one end thereof fixed on a napkin body by an adhesive similar to that of the Example l. Adhesive 11, used on adhesive tape 10, is incompatible with the exposed adhesive of adhesive portion 2. A double coated tape having an acrylic-based adhesive on each surface thereof is used for adhesive portion 2. Example 6

The sanitary napkin of this example, shown in FIG. 6, is made in a -manner similar to that of Example 5 except that a fixed portion 4 is provided as in Example 2. The sanitary napkin is used in such a manner that after a package thereof has been opened, the adhesive surface of the napkin is exposed by releasing the release member which has one end fixed or the adhesive treatment portion and the support member thereof sequentially laminated on the surface of the release treated portion, and the napkins can be instantaneously used. In addition, since one end of the release member or the adhesive portion and the support member thereof is fixed, it is not necessary to dispose of the release member.

In the present invention, the size and position

of the adhesive portion, release member, release treated portion, and the like on the napkin are not limited.

However, the adhesive portion and the release member are preferably attached in such a manner that the length in the longitudinal direction thereof is one fourth or less the entire length of the napkin and the release member or release treated portion can be released by being spread in the longitudinal direction thereof toward the edge of the napkin. As described above, with the sanitary napkin of the present invention, disposal of a release paper can be omitted and thus a sanitary napkin which is convenient to use can be provided.