Patent ID: 7229515
Filing Date: 2007-06-12
Classification: A61F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of producing refastenable side scams in an absorbent garment, comprising the following sequence of steps: aligning a plurality of garment assemblies joined in a machine direction, wherein the garment assemblies are joined together front-to-front and back-to-back such that a front waist edge of a first garment assembly is joined to a front waist edge of a second garment assembly, and a back waist edge of the second garment assembly is joined to a back waist edge of a third garment assembly; forming two front side panels and two back side panels on each garment assembly by bonding a single piece of material to each side of a chassis front region of two adjoined garment assemblies and bonding a single piece of material to each side of a chassis back region of two adjoined garment assemblies, such that the back side panel material and the front side panel material are each bonded to and extending from a composite structure, wherein the front and back side panel materials are elastic from a waist end edge to a leg end edge and have greater elasticity than the composite structure, and a first material is used to form the front side panels and a second material different from the first material is used to form the back side panels; bonding a fastening component to each of the front side panels of each garment assembly; bonding a mating fastening component to each of the back side panels of each garment assembly; separating adjacent garment assemblies from one another and thereby separating adjoining front side panels and adjoining back side panels from one another; folding the garment assemblies longitudinally such that an inner surface of each garment is inside the folded garment; and folding two of the side panels of each garment assembly while two of the side panels of each of the garment assemblies remain unfolded, and aligning each of the fastening components with a corresponding mating fastening component thereby forming two refastenable seams joining the front and back waist regions, wherein the refastenable seams are each refastenable from a waist opening to a leg opening.