Patents by Inventor Etsuko Tagami

Etsuko Tagami has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7438708
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sanitary napkin having extensions, parts of which are to be folded back and fixed on an undergarment in use. The sanitary napkin includes: a liquid-permeable topsheet disposed on one side of the sanitary napkin to cover a central region thereof; a backsheet; an absorbent layer disposed therebetween; and leakage preventing portions disposed on laterally opposed side portions of the topsheet and extending in a longitudinal direction of the sanitary napkin. Joints between the respective leakage preventing portions and the topsheet are formed to extend in the longitudinal direction. The extensions are portions of the sanitary napkin extending laterally outwardly beyond the joints. Each extension includes a flexible region for facilitating folding thereof, which is spaced laterally outwardly apart from corresponding one of the joints and has a stiffness lower than that of a region between the flexible region and the corresponding joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Kashiwagi, Wataru Yoshimasa, Etsuko Tagami
  • Patent number: 6805691
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hygiene product including a sanitary napkin, a release sheet and a packaging sheet. Wing portions of the sanitary napkin are folded back against a body surface of a main body portion of the sanitary napkin, and pressure sensitive adhesive layers of the wing portions are covered with the release sheet. A stack of the packaging sheet, the sanitary napkin and the release sheet are so folded into the hygiene product that only the packaging sheet is exposed externally. A portion of the packaging sheet protruding rearwardly from a rear end of the sanitary napkin is bonded to an exterior surface of the release sheet at a position spaced rearwardly away from the pressure sensitive adhesive layers of the wing portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Kashiwagi, Etsuko Tagami
  • Patent number: 6761955
    Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core positioned between the topsheet and the backsheet, and having leakage-preventing side walls on a liquid-receiving side of the article. The leakage-preventing side walls extend in a longitudinal direction of the article and lie opposite one another in a width direction of the article. At least a liquid-receiving face of each leakage-preventing side wall is made of a fibrous sheet that contains hydrophobic fibers thermally bonded to one another and hydrophilic fibers shorter than the hydrophobic fibers. At least a part of the hydrophilic fibers form aggregates which are dispersed in the fibrous sheet and are bonded to the hydrophobic fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizutani, Makoto Suekane, Etsuko Tagami, Kazuya Nishitani
  • Patent number: 6730068
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sanitary napkin having extensions. The sanitary napkin includes: a liquid-permeable topsheet disposed on one side of the sanitary napkin to cover a central region thereof; a backsheet; an absorbent layer disposed therebetween; and leakage preventing portions disposed on laterally opposed side portions of the topsheet and extending in a longitudinal direction of the sanitary napkin. Joints between the respective leakage preventing portions and the topsheet are formed to extend in the longitudinal direction. The extensions are portions of the sanitary napkin extending laterally outwardly beyond the joints. Each extension includes: a flexible region for facilitating folding thereof, which is spaced laterally outwardly apart from corresponding one of the joints: and a buffer region of a predetermined width between the flexible region and the corresponding joint. The compression energy of the buffer region in its thickness direction is in a range of 0.4 to 1.0 (N·m/m2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Kashiwagi, Wataru Yoshimasa, Etsuko Tagami
  • Patent number: 6673985
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sanitary napkin having a longitudinal rear portion. The sanitary napkin includes: a main absorbent region having a main absorbent core between a back sheet and a surface sheet; side regions on both sides of the main absorbent region; and boundary regions having leakage-preventing side walls and positioned between the main absorbent region and the side regions. In the rear portion, the main absorbent region has a stiff portion, and the side regions are protruded laterally to form rear flaps each having an auxiliary absorbent core between the back sheet and another sheet. In the rear portion, a portion of the main absorbent region having the stiff portion therein, the boundary region and the rear flap have different longitudinal stiffnesses according to the following relationship: the portion having the stiff portion therein>the boundary region>the rear flap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizutani, Etsuko Tagami, Kazuya Nishitani, Makoto Suekane
  • Publication number: 20030198784
    Abstract: There is disclosed an absorbent article including an absorbent layer and a liquid-permeable surface sheet placed on a liquid-receiving side of the absorbent layer for introducing excreted liquid from the human body to the absorbent layer. The surface sheet is of a corrugated configuration to have valleys and peaks extending in a longitudinal direction of the article and alternately arranged in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Each valley has a connecting part raised to connect between two adjacent peaks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Publication date: October 23, 2003
    Applicant: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizutani, Etsuko Tagami
  • Publication number: 20030130642
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hygiene product including a sanitary napkin, a release sheet and a packaging sheet. Wing portions of the sanitary napkin are folded back against a body surface of a main body portion of the sanitary napkin, and pressure sensitive adhesive layers of the wing portions are covered with the release sheet. A stack of the packaging sheet, the sanitary napkin and the release sheet are so folded into the hygiene product that only the packaging sheet is exposed externally. A portion of the packaging sheet protruding rearwardly from a rear end of the sanitary napkin is bonded to an exterior surface of the release sheet at a position spaced rearwardly away from the pressure sensitive adhesive layers of the wing portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2002
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Applicant: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Kashiwagi, Etsuko Tagami
  • Patent number: 6586076
    Abstract: There is disclosed an absorbent article including an absorbent layer and a liquid-permeable surface sheet placed on a liquid-receiving side of the absorbent layer for introducing excreted liquid from the human body to the absorbent layer. The surface sheet is of a corrugated configuration to have valleys and peaks extending in a longitudinal direction of the article and alternately arranged in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Each valley has a connecting part raised to connect between two adjacent peaks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizutani, Etsuko Tagami
  • Publication number: 20030055392
    Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including: a main body portion having longitudinally opposed front and rear edges; and a surface structure having an ability to absorb and retain a liquid. The surface structure extends longitudinally of the main body portion and is fixed on a body surface of the main body portion through a bond. The bond extends longitudinally of the main body portion to have longitudinally opposed front and rear edges. The surface structure is longitudinally sectionalized into a front portion having the bond therein and a rear free portion extending beyond the rear edge of the bond toward the rear edge of the main body portion. A width of the rear free portion is smaller than a width of the main body portion and also smaller than a width of the front portion of the surface structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2002
    Publication date: March 20, 2003
    Applicant: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuko Tagami, Satoshi Nozaki
  • Publication number: 20030028167
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sanitary napkin having extensions, parts of which are to be folded back and fixed on an undergarment in use. The sanitary napkin includes: a liquid-permeable topsheet disposed on one side of the sanitary napkin to cover a central region thereof; a backsheet; an absorbent layer disposed therebetween; and leakage preventing portions disposed on laterally opposed side portions of the topsheet and extending in a longitudinal direction of the sanitary napkin. Joints between the respective leakage preventing portions and the topsheet are formed to extend in the longitudinal direction. The extensions are portions of the sanitary napkin extending laterally outwardly beyond the joints. Each extension includes a flexible region for facilitating folding thereof, which is spaced laterally outwardly apart from corresponding one of the joints and has a stiffness lower than that of a region between the flexible region and the corresponding joint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: UNI-CHARM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Kashiwagi, Wataru Yoshimasa, Etsuko Tagami
  • Publication number: 20030023221
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sanitary napkin having extensions. The sanitary napkin includes: a liquid-permeable topsheet disposed on one side of the sanitary napkin to cover a central region thereof; a backsheet; an absorbent layer disposed therebetween; and leakage preventing portions disposed on laterally opposed side portions of the topsheet and extending in a longitudinal direction of the sanitary napkin. Joints between the respective leakage preventing portions and the topsheet are formed to extend in the longitudinal direction. The extensions are portions of the sanitary napkin extending laterally outwardly beyond the joints. Each extension includes: a flexible region for facilitating folding thereof, which is spaced laterally outwardly apart from corresponding one of the joints: and a buffer region of a predetermined width between the flexible region and the corresponding joint. The compression energy of the buffer region in its thickness direction is in a range of 0.4 to 1.0 (N·m/m 2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Applicant: UNI-CHARM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Kashiwagi, Wataru Yoshimasa, Etsuko Tagami
  • Patent number: 6436082
    Abstract: An absorbent article including an absorbent layer and a liquid-permeable surface sheet placed on a liquid-receiving side of the absorbent layer for introducing excreted liquid from the human body to the absorbent layer. The surface sheet is of a corrugated configuration to have valleys and peaks extending in a longitudinal direction of the article and alternately arranged in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Each peak is formed with spares parts and dense parts alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction. The surface sheet has a lower fiber density in the sparse parts than in the dense parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizutani, Etsuko Tagami
  • Publication number: 20020064624
    Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core positioned between the topsheet and the backsheet, and having leakage-preventing side walls on a liquid-receiving side of the article. The leakage-preventing side walls extend in a longitudinal direction of the article and lie opposite one another in a width direction of the article. At least a liquid-receiving face of each leakage-preventing side wall is made of a fibrous sheet that contains hydrophobic fibers thermally bonded to one another and hydrophilic fibers shorter than the hydrophobic fibers. At least a part of the hydrophilic fibers form aggregates which are dispersed in the fibrous sheet and are bonded to the hydrophobic fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2001
    Publication date: May 30, 2002
    Applicant: UNI-CHARM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizutani, Makoto Suekane, Etsuko Tagami, Kazuya Nishitani
  • Publication number: 20020062116
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sanitary napkin having a longitudinal rear portion. The sanitary napkin includes: a main absorbent region having a main absorbent core between a back sheet and a surface sheet; side regions on both sides of the main absorbent region; and boundary regions having leakage-preventing side walls and positioned between the main absorbent region and the side regions. In the rear portion, the main absorbent region has a stiff portion, and the side regions are protruded laterally to form rear flaps each having an auxiliary absorbent core between the back sheet and another sheet. In the rear portion, a portion of the main absorbent region having the stiff portion therein, the boundary region and the rear flap have different longitudinal stiffnesses according to the following relationship: the portion having the stiff portion therein>the boundary region>the rear flap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2001
    Publication date: May 23, 2002
    Applicant: UNI-CHARM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizutani, Etsuko Tagami, Kazuya Nishitani, Makoto Suekane
  • Patent number: 6365795
    Abstract: There is disclosed an absorptive article including a liquid-permeable surface material on a liquid receiving side. The surface material is formed of a nonwoven fabric including an upper layer to face the skin of a wearer, and a lower layer positioned under the upper layer. At least the fibers forming the upper layer contain titanium oxide. The fibers forming the lower layer have a lower elongation percentage and a higher tensile strength, as measured according to the JIS L 1013, than those of the fibers forming the upper layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Suekane, Satoshi Mizutani, Katsushi Tomita, Etsuko Tagami
  • Patent number: 6362391
    Abstract: A disposable body fluids absorbent article which includes a topsheet made of nonwoven fabric, the topsheet being formed with a plurality of pleats extending substantially in one direction. Crests and troughs of the pleats have a relatively high density and side walls defined between the crests and the troughs have a relatively low density. The article having such a topsheet enables the absorption capacity of an absorbent core of the article to be utilized as efficiently as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizutani, Etsuko Tagami