Patents by Inventor Tomomi Oku
Tomomi Oku 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: 9211215Abstract: A disposable diaper includes a side flap and a tape fastener. The tape fastener includes a tape attaching part attached to the side flap and exposed at an outer side face of the side flap. The side flap includes a leg periphery side region positioned closer to a leg of a wearer than the tape attaching part. The leg periphery side region is foldable upwardly to cover at least partially an end portion of the tape attaching part adjacent the leg of the wearer in response to a stress generated when the tape fastener is engaged, while being pulled, with the other end portion of the inner part in the longitudinal direction.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2010Date of Patent: December 15, 2015Assignee: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Hideki Matsushima, Satoru Sakaguchi, Tomomi Oku
-
Patent number: 9192525Abstract: On the back sheet side, back-side recessed portions recessed toward the top sheet are provided in a surface of the absorber of the disposable diaper. The back-side recessed portions include multiple grooves, which are continuous in the longitudinal direction L of the absorber. The back-side recessed portions is visible from an outside of the back sheet in a state before the disposable diaper is used, and when the absorber absorbs liquid, the depth D of the back-side recessed portions is made smaller than that before the absorber absorbs liquid. When the hydrophilic fiber and the particulate SAP swells, and thereby the absorber expands in at least the thickness direction thereof, the back-side recessed portions seems to disappear from the outside.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2010Date of Patent: November 24, 2015Assignee: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Tomomi Oku, Satoru Sakaguchi, Hideki Matsushima
-
Patent number: 9186279Abstract: A disposable diaper includes: a main body having a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable outer sheet an absorber provided between the topsheet and the outer sheet, and a gather. The gather includes a plurality of elastic members arranged in a width direction outboard of the absorber. The elastic members are fixed to the gather in a state where the elastic members are stretched in a longitudinal direction. A side flap is located in one of end portions of the main body in the longitudinal direction and projects outwardly beyond at least one of end portions of the main body in the width direction. A joint portion joins the side flap and the main body. In a spread-out state of the disposable diaper, an outermost elastic member among the elastic members is arranged outboard of the joint portion in the width direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2010Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Satoru Sakaguchi, Tomomi Oku, Hideki Matsushima
-
Patent number: 9161861Abstract: A method of manufacturing an absorbent article includes forming a pair of side flap-folded sections by folding a continuous sheet such that end sections in a width direction of the continuous sheet are folded inwardly in the width direction, while the continuous sheet is being transported in a continuous direction of the continuous sheet, producing a flap segment by segmenting the continuous sheet at a predetermined pitch in the continuous direction, joining the flap segment to a continuous body of absorbent main bodies in an overlapped manner, while the continuous body of absorbent main bodies is being transported in a transport direction corresponding to a continuous direction of the continuous body, and dividing the flap segment into a section having the pair of first side flaps and a section having the pair of second side flaps by segmenting the continuous body of absorbent main bodies.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2010Date of Patent: October 20, 2015Assignee: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Satoru Sakaguchi, Yoshikazu Ogasawara, Noriaki Ito, Tomomi Oku
-
Patent number: 9114045Abstract: In a hook-and-loop fastener, the female member includes a plurality of lines of fiber dense portions in which the fibrous material has a high basis weight, a plurality of lines of fiber sparse portions provided between the plurality of lines of fiber dense portions, the fibrous material in the fiber sparse portions having a basis weight lower than that in the fiber dense portions, and pressed portions intersecting the plurality of lines of fiber dense portions and the plurality of lines of fiber sparse portions. Further, since the rib portions are pressed by the pressed portions obtained by the embossing process, the rib portions change shape from lines where the rib portions intersect the pressed portions, and curve toward the peeling direction shown by arrow a to be a convex shape.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2010Date of Patent: August 25, 2015Assignee: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Satoru Sakaguchi, Tomomi Oku, Hideki Matsushima
-
Patent number: 9011626Abstract: In a step of performing a stretching process performed by using an embossing roll mechanism, a continuous body of an exterior sheet is conveyed in a state in which strand-shaped members are joined with each of an end region and an end region of the continuous body of the exterior sheet, along a conveyance direction of the continuous body of the exterior sheet; and the strand-shaped members joined with the end region are sandwiched by tooth units of a first embossing roll and interdental units of a second embossing roll corresponding to the end region side, and the strand-shaped members joined with the end region are sandwiched by the tooth units of the first embossing roll and the interdental units of the second embossing roll positioned at the end region side.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2010Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Unicharm CorporationInventors: Noriaki Ito, Yoshikazu Ogasawara, Satoru Sakaguchi, Tomomi Oku
-
Patent number: 8894798Abstract: In a case where components such as side flaps and crotch portions are arranged on multiple webs which are being conveyed while being arranged side by side in the width direction of the webs, articles in various sizes can be handled easily by a web conveying step of conveying a front waistline web 11A and a back waistline web 11B the webs being arranged side by side in a width direction of the webs, a flap attaching step of attaching side flaps 30 onto the web 11 of the front waistline web 11A or the back waistline web, a web gap changing step of changing a gap between the front waistline web 11A and the back waistline web 11B by a web gap changing mechanism 500 and a crotch member attaching step of attaching a crotch member 20 between the front waistline web 11A and the back waistline web 11B, wherein the web gap changing step is performed between the flap attaching step and the crotch member attaching step.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2009Date of Patent: November 25, 2014Assignee: Uni-Charm CorporationInventors: Satoru Sakaguchi, Yoshikazu Ogasawara, Tomomi Oku, Noriaki Ito
-
Publication number: 20140324010Abstract: A disposable diaper has a diaper main body including a plurality of elastic members arranged in an extended state along a longitudinal direction of the absorber, at outer sides in a widthwise direction with respect to the absorber, a dorsal side flap protruded toward outer sides in the widthwise direction with respect to the diaper main body, at an outer end in the longitudinal direction of the diaper main body; and a joining unit configured to join the side flap and the diaper main body. The elastic member positioned at outermost sides in the widthwise direction out of the plurality of elastic members are overlapped in an extended state in the longitudinal direction, with the joining unit in a thickness direction of the disposable diaper.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2012Publication date: October 30, 2014Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Tomomi Oku, Hideki Matsushima
-
Publication number: 20140107604Abstract: In a method of manufacturing an absorbent article, an absorbent article 1 is manufactured in which backsheets are in continuation, in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1 corresponds to the conveyance direction MD of a continuous body 120. The method the absorbent article includes: a step of pressing the continuous body 120 in a thickness direction T of the continuous body 120 by a pair of embossing roll mechanisms 520, a step of expanding the continuous body 120 that has been pressed towards outside a widthwise direction CD of the continuous body 120 until it becomes flat, by a pair of expansion roll mechanisms 600, and a step of joining a absorber 30 with the continuous body 120 of the backsheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2013Publication date: April 17, 2014Applicant: UNI CHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Tomomi Oku, Satoru Sakaguchi, Yoshikazu Ogasawara, Noriaki Ito
-
Patent number: 8574212Abstract: An absorptive article has an absorptive article body, a pair of side flaps, and a pair of waist flaps provided in the rear region so as to extend outward from the side flaps in the lateral direction of the absorptive article body. Each of the pair of waist flaps has formed thereon a waist stretchable region extended so as to reach that edge of the waist flap which is on the belly side. The waist stretchable regions are adapted such that the dimension of the waist stretchable region stretched at the end thereof on the belly side in the lateral direction of the absorptive article body is greater than the dimension of the waist stretchable region stretched at the end thereof on the rear side in the lateral direction of the absorptive article body.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2009Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Uni-Charm CorporationInventors: Tomomi Oku, Satoru Sakaguchi
-
Publication number: 20130020017Abstract: In a step of performing a stretching process performed by using an embossing roll mechanism, a continuous body of an exterior sheet is conveyed in a state in which strand-shaped members are joined with each of an end region and an end region of the continuous body of the exterior sheet, along a conveyance direction of the continuous body of the exterior sheet; and the strand-shaped members joined with the end region are sandwiched by tooth units of a first embossing roll and interdental units of a second embossing roll corresponding to the end region side, and the strand-shaped members joined with the end region are sandwiched by the tooth units of the first embossing roll and the interdental units of the second embossing roll positioned at the end region side.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2010Publication date: January 24, 2013Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Noriaki Ito, Yoshikazu Ogasawara, Satoru Sakaguchi, Tomomi Oku
-
Publication number: 20130020736Abstract: A manufacturing method for an absorptive article includes a sheet-stretching step of performing a stretching process to stretch a continuous body of the exterior sheet in a widthwise direction while conveying a continuous body. In the step of performing the stretching process, the continuous body is stretched by a stretching apparatus including a first roll and a second roll. An axial core of the first roll and an axial core of the second roll are correspond to the widthwise direction of the continuous body. The first roll and the second roll have surfaces each provided with columns of tooth units and untoothed units.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 7, 2011Publication date: January 24, 2013Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Tomomi Oku, Satoru Sakaguchi, Yoshikazu Ogasawara, Noriaki Ito
-
Publication number: 20120245549Abstract: A disposable diaper includes: a main body having a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable outer sheet an absorber provided between the topsheet and the outer sheet, and a gather. The gather includes a plurality of elastic members arranged in a width direction outboard of the absorber. The elastic members are fixed to the gather in a state where the elastic members are stretched in a longitudinal direction. A side flap is located in one of end portions of the main body in the longitudinal direction and projects outwardly beyond at least one of end portions of the main body in the width direction. A joint portion joins the side flap and the main body. In a spread-out state of the disposable diaper, an outermost elastic member among the elastic members is arranged outboard of the joint portion in the width direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2010Publication date: September 27, 2012Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Satoru Sakaguchi, Tomomi Oku, Hideki Matsushima
-
Publication number: 20120245548Abstract: A disposable diaper includes a side flap and a tape fastener. The tape fastener includes a tape attaching part attached to the side flap and exposed at an outer side face of the side flap. The side flap includes a leg periphery side region positioned closer to a leg of a wearer than the tape attaching part. The leg periphery side region is foldable upwardly to cover at least partially an end portion of the tape attaching part adjacent the leg of the wearer in response to a stress generated when the tape fastener is engaged, while being pulled, with the other end portion of the inner part in the longitudinal direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2010Publication date: September 27, 2012Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Hideki Matsushima, Satoru Sakaguchi, Tomomi Oku
-
Publication number: 20120245550Abstract: In a hook-and-loop fastener, the female member includes a plurality of lines of fiber dense portions in which the fibrous material has a high basis weight, a plurality of lines of fiber sparse portions provided between the plurality of lines of fiber dense portions, the fibrous material in the fiber sparse portions having a basis weight lower than that in the fiber dense portions, and pressed portions intersecting the plurality of lines of fiber dense portions and the plurality of lines of fiber sparse portions. Further, since the rib portions are pressed by the pressed portions obtained by the embossing process, the rib portions change shape from lines where the rib portions intersect the pressed portions, and curve toward the peeling direction shown by arrow a to be a convex shape.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2010Publication date: September 27, 2012Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Satoru Sakaguchi, Tomomi Oku, Hideki Matsushima
-
Publication number: 20120238977Abstract: On the back sheet side, back-side recessed portions recessed toward the top sheet are provided in a surface of the absorber of the disposable diaper. The back-side recessed portions include multiple grooves, which are continuous in the longitudinal direction L of the absorber. The back-side recessed portions is visible from an outside of the back sheet in a state before the disposable diaper is used, and when the absorber absorbs liquid, the depth D of the back-side recessed portions is made smaller than that before the absorber absorbs liquid. When the hydrophilic fiber and the particulate SAP swells, and thereby the absorber expands in at least the thickness direction thereof, the back-side recessed portions seems to disappear from the outside.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2010Publication date: September 20, 2012Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Tomomi Oku, Satoru Sakaguchi, Hideki Matsushima
-
Publication number: 20120238989Abstract: A disposable diaper includes: a main body, a side flap, and a pair of fastening tapes. The main body includes a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable outer sheet, and an absorber between the topsheet and the outer sheet. The side flap covers one of edge portions of the main body in a longitudinal direction and has a greater dimension in a width direction than the main body. The fastening tapes are attached to respective edge portions, in the width direction, of the side flap and configured to be fastened onto a fastening portion on an opposite one of the edge portions of the main body. One of edge portions of the absorber in the longitudinal direction is located inboard of an outer imaginary line connecting outermost points of the fastening tapes in the longitudinal direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2009Publication date: September 20, 2012Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Tomomi Oku, Satoru Sakaguchi, Hideki Matsushima
-
Publication number: 20120208688Abstract: A method of manufacturing an absorbent article includes forming a pair of side flap-folded sections by folding a continuous sheet such that end sections in a width direction of the continuous sheet are folded inwardly in the width direction, while the continuous sheet is being transported in a continuous direction of the continuous sheet, producing a flap segment by segmenting the continuous sheet at a predetermined pitch in the continuous direction, joining the flap segment to a continuous body of absorbent main bodies in an overlapped manner, while the continuous body of absorbent main bodies is being transported in a transport direction corresponding to a continuous direction of the continuous body, and dividing the flap segment into a section having the pair of first side flaps and a section having the pair of second side flaps by segmenting the continuous body of absorbent main bodies.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2010Publication date: August 16, 2012Applicant: UNI-CHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Satoru Sakaguchi, Yoshikazu Ogasawara, Noriaki Ito, Tomomi Oku
-
Publication number: 20120130333Abstract: In a method of manufacturing an absorbent article, an absorbent article 1 is manufactured in which backsheets are in continuation, in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1 corresponds to the conveyance direction MD of a continuous body 120. The method the absorbent article includes: a step of pressing the continuous body 120 in a thickness direction T of the continuous body 120 by a pair of embossing roll mechanisms 520, a step of expanding the continuous body 120 that has been pressed towards outside a widthwise direction CD of the continuous body 120 until it becomes flat, by a pair of expansion roll mechanisms 600, and a step of joining a absorber 30 with the continuous body 120 of the backsheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2010Publication date: May 24, 2012Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Tomomi Oku, Satoru Sakaguchi, Yoshikazu Ogasawara, Noriaki Ito
-
Publication number: 20120101466Abstract: An absorbent article includes: a belly waistline portion to be fitted to a belly waistline of a wearer; a rear waistline portion to be fitted to a rear waistline of the wearer; a crotch portion to be fitted to a crotch of the wearer; a central portion in a width direction of the absorbent article. The central portion includes an absorber; and a lateral portion located outside the central portion in the width direction of the absorbent article. The backsheet includes a stretched portion stretched by stretch processing in the width direction of the absorbent article perpendicular to a belly-to-rear direction extending from the belly waistline portion to the rear waistline portion, and a unstretched portion not stretched by the stretch processing. The stretched portion includes a central stretched portion located in at least part of the central portion within the crotch portion, and a lateral stretched portion located in at least part of the lateral portion within the crotch portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2010Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: UNICHARM CORPORATIONInventors: Tomomi Oku, Satoru Sakaguchi