Patent ID: 6676649
Filing Date: 2004-01-13
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
A sanitary napkin comprising:a liquid-pervious topsheet; a liquid-impervious backsheet; and a lower and an upper liquid-absorbent core each disposed between the topsbeet and the backsheet, said sanitary napkin being contoured byapair of opposite side edges extending longitudinally of said napkin and a pair of opposite ends extending between said pair of opposite side edges, said topaheet being dimensioned so as to have a width that is larger than a width of said backsheet, opposite side portions of said topsheet being folded back inwardly along longitudinally extending fold lines to form folded portions, said folded portions being further folded outwardly so as to form a pair of pleats, said opposite side portions further extending outwardly from said pair of pleats to the respective side edges of said napkin along which said topsheet is bonded to said backsheet, said lower absorbent core being placed on an inner surface of said backsheet and extending between said opposite side edges and between said opposite ends of said napkin, said upper absorbent core being longitudinally and laterally shorter than said lower absorbent core, said upper absorbent core being bonded to an inner surfacc of said topaheet so that said upper absorbent core is spaced apart from the opposite ends of said napkin and said pair of pleats lie between transversely opposite side edges of said lower absorbent core and transversely opposite side edges of said upper absorbent core, and at least portions of said topsheet provided along said opposite side edges of said upper absorbent core are resiliently stretchable longitudinally and produce an elastic pulling force that pulls the upper absorbent core upward and thereby causes the upper absorbent core to separate and be spaced apart from the lower absorbent core.