Patent ID: 6391013
Filing Date: 2002-05-21
Classification: A61F,Y10T

Abstract:
An absorbent article comprising:a main body having a waist hole and first and second leg holes each having a front end and a rear end, said main body comprising a top sheet for facing toward a wearer's body, a back sheet disposed outwardly of the top sheet, and an absorbent core interposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, said top sheet, back sheet and absorbent core secured together to form an integral absorbent article; a waist gather disposed along the waist hole; said top sheet comprising dual-layered sheet material, and two sets of elastic members interposed between the dual sheet material to provide a leg gather disposed along each of the leg holes, with a first set of the two sets of elastic members extending along a periphery of the first leg hole from the front end thereof to a midpoint thereof, and extending continuously therefrom to a midpoint of the second leg hole to form a crossover portion having a central section intermediate said leg holes, and further extending to the front end of the second leg hole, a second set of the two sets of elastic members extending along a periphery of the first leg hole from the rear end thereof to the midpoint thereof, crossing said first set adjacent to the first leg hole at a first intersecting portion, extending continuously therefrom to the midpoint of the second leg hole to form a crossover portion having a central section intermediate said leg holes, crossing said first set adjacent the second leg hole at a second intersecting portion, and further extending to the rear end of the second leg hole, so that the two sets of elastic members are arranged to define an X-shaped configuration, said elastic members being bonded in a stretched state to said sheet materials along areas that extend along the leg holes so as to exclude the central sections of the crossover portions from the bonding, said elastic members being cut at the central sections of the crossover portions so that they can snap back toward said first and second intersecting portions to define unstretched tail portions extending from the cross portions.