Abstract:
In a method for alerting the wearer of an absorbent article to the wearer&#39;s release of liquid body waste to the article, a flow control layer is placed between a liner and an absorbent body of the article to substantially retard the flow of liquid body waste from the liner to the absorbent body. Liquid body waste is pooled adjacent the liner whereby the pooled liquid body waste flows back through the liner and contacts the wearer&#39;s skin to thereby alert the wearer to the release of liquid body waste.

Description:
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/016,892 Dec. 14, 2001 U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,668. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles, such as those used as personal care products, and more particularly to such a disposable absorbent article which provides an indication of wetness to the wearer upon the release of liquid body waste into the article. 
     Disposable absorbent articles find widespread use as personal care products such as diapers, children&#39;s toilet training pants and other infant and child care products, adult incontinence garments and other adult care products, sanitary napkins and other feminine care products and the like, as well as surgical bandages and sponges. These articles absorb and contain body waste and are intended to be discarded after a limited period of use; i.e., the articles are not intended to be laundered or otherwise restored for reuse. Conventional disposable absorbent articles comprise an absorbent body disposed between an inner layer adapted for contacting the wearer&#39;s skin and an outer layer for inhibiting liquid waste absorbed by the absorbent body from leaking out of the article. The inner layer of the absorbent article is typically liquid permeable to permit body waste to pass therethrough for absorption by the absorbent body. 
     For example, children&#39;s toilet training pants serve as a training aid as a child transitions from diapers to underpants. Conventional toilet training pants are three-dimensional articles, similar to underpants in appearance, but constructed with a liquid permeable inner layer and an absorbent body to provide the absorbent function of disposable absorbent articles. An initial step in the toilet training process is for the child to recognize when urination occurs. However, where the training pants quickly and effectively draw urine away from the skin and retain the urine in the absorbent body, the inner layer of the pants remains dry and comfortable against the child&#39;s skin. As a result, there is little or no recognizable indication to the child that he or she has urinated. To this end, it is desirable to provide some indication to the child that the child has urinated in the training pants. 
     Therefore, despite advancements in the construction of disposable absorbent articles, there continues to be a need for relatively easily constructed disposable absorbent articles capable of indicating to the wearer that a release of liquid body waste has occur 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In general, a method for alerting the wearer of an absorbent article to the wearer&#39;s release of liquid body waste to the article generally comprises placing a flow control layer between a liner and an absorbent body of the article to substantially retard the flow of liquid body waste from the liner to the absorbent body. Liquid body waste is then pooled adjacent the liner whereby the pooled liquid body waste flows back through the liner and contacts the wearer&#39;s skin to thereby alert the wearer to the release of liquid body waste. 
     Other aspects and features of this invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side perspective of children&#39;s toilet training pants of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan of the training pants of  FIG. 1  with the pants shown unfastened and laid flat and portions of the pants broken away to reveal internal construction thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic, separated cross-section of the training pants of  FIG. 1  taken transversely through a crotch region of the pants; and 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic, separated cross-section taken transversely through a crotch region of children&#39;s toilet training pants of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. 
     DEFINITIONS 
     Within the context of this specification, each term or phrase below will include the following meaning or meanings:
         (a) “Bonded” refers to the joining, adhering, connecting, attaching, or the like, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be bonded together when they are bonded directly to one another or indirectly to one another, such as when each is directly bonded to intermediate elements.   (b) “Film” refers to a thermoplastic film made using a film extrusion and/or foaming process, such as a cast film or blown film extrusion process. The term includes apertured films, slit films, and other porous films which constitute liquid transfer films, as well as films which do not transfer liquid.   (c) “Hydrophilic” describes fibers or the surfaces of fibers which are wetted by aqueous liquids in contact with the fibers. The degree of wetting of the materials can, in turn, be described in terms of the contact angles and the surface tensions of the liquids and materials involved. Equipment and techniques suitable for measuring the wettability of particular fiber materials or blends of fiber materials can be provided by a Cahn SFA-222 Surface Force Analyzer System, or a substantially equivalent system. When measured with this system, fibers having contact angles less than 90 are designated “wettable” or hydrophilic, and fibers having contact angles greater than 90 are designated “nonwettable” or hydrophobic.   (d) “Layer” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single element or a plurality of elements.   (e) “Liquid impermeable” when used in describing a layer or multi-layer laminate means that liquid body waste, such as urine, will not pass through the layer or laminate, under ordinary use conditions, in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the layer or laminate at the point of liquid contact.   (f) “Liquid permeable” refers to any material that is not liquid impermeable.   (g) “Meltblown” refers to fibers formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usually circular, die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converging high velocity heated gas (e.g., air) streams which attenuate the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Butin et al. Meltblown fibers are microfibers which may be continuous or discontinuous, are generally smaller than about 0.6 denier, and are generally self bonding when deposited onto a collecting surface. Meltblown fibers used in the present invention are preferably substantially continuous in length.   (h) “Non-woven” and “non-woven web” refer to materials and webs of material which are formed without the aid of a textile weaving or knitting process.   (i) “Pliable” refers to materials which are compliant and which will readily conform to the general shape and contours of the wearer&#39;s body.   (j) “Spunbond” refers to small diameter fibers which are formed by extruding molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality of fine capillaries of a spinnerette having a circular or other configuration, with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidly reduced by a conventional process such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,817 to Matsuki et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,338,992 and 3,341,394 to Kinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,763 to Hartmann, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,538 to Peterson, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,615 to Dobo et al., each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Spunbond fibers are generally continuous and often have average deniers larger than about 0.3, more particularly, between about 0.6 and about 10.   (k) “Superabsorbent” refers to a water-swellable, water-insoluble organic or inorganic material capable, under the most favorable conditions, of absorbing at least about 15 times its weight and, more desirably, at least about 30 times its weight in an aqueous solution containing 0.9 weight percent sodium chloride. The superabsorbent materials can be natural, synthetic and modified natural polymers and materials. In addition, the superabsorbent materials can be inorganic materials, such as silica gels, or organic compounds such as cross-linked polymers.   (l) “Surface” includes any layer, film, woven, non-woven, laminate, composite, or the like, whether permeable or impermeable to air, gas, and/or liquids.   (m) “Thermoplastic” describes a material which softens when exposed to heat and which substantially returns to a non-softened condition when cooled to room temperature.   (n) “Three dimensional” refers to a garment similar to underwear, shorts or pants in that it has continuous leg and waist openings that are bounded by material of which the garment is made. The garment may or may not have manually tearable seams.       

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 1 , a disposable absorbent article of the present invention is shown in the form of children&#39;s toilet training pants and is indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral  21 . As used herein, a disposable absorbent article refers to an article which may be placed against or in proximity to the body (i.e., contiguous to the body) of the wearer to absorb and contain various liquid waste discharged from the body. Such articles are intended to be discarded after a limited period of use instead of being laundered or otherwise restored for reuse. It is understood that the present invention is applicable to various other disposable absorbent articles, such as diapers and other infant and child care products, adult incontinence garments and other adult care products, sanitary napkins and other feminine care products and the like, as well as surgical bandages and sponges, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     By way of illustration only, various materials and methods for constructing training pants  21  are disclosed in PCT Patent Application WO 00/37009 published Jun. 29, 2000 by A. Fletcher et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,389 issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Brandon et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     The training pants  21  of the illustrated embodiment generally comprise a central absorbent assembly  23  extending longitudinally from an anterior region  25  of the training pants through a crotch region  27  to a posterior region  29  of the training pants. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the central absorbent assembly  23  is generally rectangular and has laterally opposite side edges  31  and longitudinally opposite front and rear waist edges, respectively designated  33  and  35 . Front and rear side panels  37 ,  39 , respectively, are secured to the central absorbent assembly  23  as will be described later herein and extend laterally outward therefrom respectively at the anterior and posterior regions  25 ,  29  of the training pants  21 . 
     To form the three-dimensional training pants  21 , corresponding front and rear side panels  37 ,  39  (e.g., the front left side panel and the rear left side panel) are refastenably secured together, using fastening assemblies  41 , along generally vertical seams  43 . Alternatively, the front and rear side panels  37 ,  39  may be permanently secured together, such as by ultrasonic bonding, or they may be formed integrally with each other and with the central absorbent assembly  23 . Securing the side panels  37 ,  39  together provides a central waist opening  45  and a pair of laterally spaced leg openings  47  of the training pants  21 . The training pants  21  are worn by inserting the wearer&#39;s feet through the waist opening  45  and the respective leg openings  47 ; grasping the training pants near the waist opening; and then pulling the pants up along the wearer&#39;s legs until the crotch region  27  of the training pants fits snugly against the crotch of the wearer. 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , the central absorbent assembly  23  of the training pants  21  comprises an outer cover, generally indicated at  49 , a bodyside liner  51  and an absorbent body  53  disposed between the outer cover and the liner. The outer cover  49  can be elastic, stretchable or non-stretchable and is desirably a multi-layered laminate structure of which at least one of the layers is liquid impermeable. For example, the outer cover  49  of the illustrated embodiment is of two-layer construction, including an outer layer  55  constructed of a liquid permeable material and an inner layer  57  constructed of a liquid impermeable material joined together by a laminate adhesive  59 . Suitable laminate adhesives, which can be applied continuously or intermittently as beads, a spray, parallel swirls, or the like, can be obtained from Findley Adhesives, Inc., of Wauwatosa, Wis., U.S.A., or from National Starch and Chemical Company, Bridgewater, N.J., U.S.A. It is understood that the outer cover  49  may instead be constructed of a single layer of impermeable material without departing from the scope of this invention. 
     The liquid permeable outer layer  55  of the outer cover  49  can be any suitable material and is desirably one that provides a generally cloth-like texture. One example of such a material is a 20 gsm (grams per square meter) spunbond polypropylene non-woven web. The outer layer  55  may also be constructed of the same materials from which the bodyside liner  51  is constructed as described later herein. Also, while it is not a necessity for the outer layer  55  of the outer cover  49  to be liquid permeable, it is desired that it provide a relatively cloth-like texture to the wearer. 
     The liquid impermeable inner layer  57  of the outer cover  49  can be either vapor permeable (i.e., “breathable”) or vapor impermeable. The inner layer  57  is desirably manufactured from a thin plastic film, although other flexible liquid impermeable materials may also be used. The liquid impermeable inner layer  57  (or the liquid impermeable outer cover  49  where the outer cover is of a single-layer construction) inhibits liquid body waste from leaking out of the pants and wetting articles, such as bed sheets and clothing, as well as the wearer and care giver. A suitable liquid impermeable material for such use is a 0.02 millimeter polyethylene film commercially available from Huntsman Packaging of Newport News, Va., U.S.A. 
     Where the outer cover  49  is of single-layer construction, it can be embossed and/or matte finished to provide a more cloth-like appearance. As earlier mentioned, the liquid impermeable layer of the outer cover  49  can permit vapors to escape from the pants  21  while preventing liquids from passing therethrough. A suitable liquid impermeable, vapor permeable material is composed of a microporous polymer film or a non-woven fabric which has been coated or otherwise treated to impart a desired level of liquid impermeability. A suitable microporous film is a PMP-1 film material commercially available from Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, or an XKO-8044 polyolefin film commercially available from 3M Company, Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.A. 
     Leg elastic members  61  are secured between the outer and inner layers  55 ,  57  of the outer cover  49 , such as by being bonded therebetween by the laminate adhesive  59 , generally adjacent laterally outer edges  63  of the inner layer of the outer cover. Alternatively, the leg elastic members  61  may be disposed between the outer cover  49  and the bodyside liner  51 , or between other layers of the pants  21 . A wide variety of elastic materials may be used for the leg elastic members  61 . As is well known to those skilled in the art, suitable elastic materials include sheets, strands or ribbons of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or thermoplastic elastomeric polymers. The elastic materials can be stretched and secured to a substrate, secured to a gathered substrate, or secured to a substrate and then elasticized or shrunk, for example with the application of heat, such that elastic retractive forces are imparted to the substrate. For example, one suitable elastic material is a dry-spun coalesced multifilament spandex elastomeric thread sold under the trade name LYCRA® and available from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., U.S.A. 
     The absorbent body  53  is somewhat rectangular and is desirably constructed to be generally compressible, pliable, non-irritating to the wearer&#39;s skin and capable of absorbing and retaining liquid body waste, such as urine. The absorbent body  53  may be composed of hydrophillic fibers, such as a web of cellulosic fluff, mixed with particles of a high-absorbency material commonly known as superabsorbent material. More particularly, the absorbent body  53  may be composed of a matrix of wood pulp fluff and superabsorbent hydrogel-forming particles. Alternatively, the absorbent body  53  may be composed only of cellulosic pulp fluff, only of superabsorbent materials, or a combination of both and/or other absorbent or non-absorbent materials. 
     One suitable type of wood pulp fluff is identified with the trade designation CR1654, available from U.S. Alliance, Childersburg, Ala., U.S.A., and is a bleached, highly absorbent sulfate wood pulp containing primarily soft wood fibers. However, the wood pulp fluff can be exchanged with other hydrophillic fiber materials, such as synthetic, polymeric, or meltblown fibers or with a combination of meltblown fibers and natural fibers. Suitable superabsorbent materials can be selected from natural, synthetic, and modified natural polymers and materials. The superabsorbent materials can be inorganic materials, such as silica gels, or organic compounds, such as cross-linked polymers. Suitable superabsorbent materials are available from various commercial vendors, such as Dow Chemical Company located in Midland, Mich., U.S.A., and Stockhausen GmbH &amp; Co. KG, D-47805 Krefeld, Federal Republic of Germany. 
     The absorbent body  53  may or may not be wrapped or encompassed by a suitable wrapping (not shown) which maintains the integrity and/or shape of the absorbent body. The absorbent body  53  overlays the inner layer  57  of the outer cover  49 , extending laterally between the leg elastic members  61 , and is secured to the inner layer, such as by being bonded thereto with adhesive  65 . However, it is understood that the absorbent body  53  may free from securement to the inner layer  57  of the outer cover  49  without departing from the scope of this invention. 
     A surge layer  67  lies between the bodyside liner  51  and the absorbent body  53  to help decelerate and diffuse surges or gushes of liquid body waste penetrating the liner. Desirably, the surge layer  67  can rapidly accept and temporarily hold the liquid body waste prior to slowly releasing the liquid body waste to flow toward the absorbent body. The surge layer  67  can include various types of fabrics, such as spunbond fabrics, meltblown fabrics, bonded carded webs, through-air bonded carded webs, knit fabrics, woven fabrics, airformed fabrics and the like, as well as combinations thereof. The fabrics can be composed of various types of fibers, such as polyolefin fibers, polyester fibers, bicomponent fibers, conjugate fibers, and the like, as well as combinations thereof. 
     For example, one suitable material from which the surge layer  67  can be constructed has a basis weight of about 50 gsm, and includes a through-air-bonded-carded web of a homogeneous blend of 60 percent 3 denier bicomponent fiber including a polyester core/polyethylene sheath, commercially available from KoSa Corporation of Salisbury, N.C., U.S.A., and 40 percent 6 denier polyester fiber, also commercially available from KoSa Corporation. Other examples of suitable surge layers  67  are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,486,166; 5,490,846; 5,562,650; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,382, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in a manner that is consistent herewith. The surge layer  67  desirably has a permeability in the range of about 2000-4000 darcies. 
     The surge layer  67  of the illustrated embodiment has an inner surface  69  generally facing the bodyside liner  51  and secured thereto, such as by being bonded thereto with a suitable adhesive  71 . It is understood, though, that the surge layer  67  need not be secured to the liner  51 . An outer surface  73  of the surge layer  67  generally faces the absorbent body  53 . The surge layer  67  has a generally ovate opening  75  ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ) formed therein generally at the crotch region  27  of the pants  21  and extending through the full thickness of the surge layer from its inner surface to its outer surface. However, it is contemplated that the surge layer opening  75  may be other than ovate, such as circular, square, triangular, irregular-shaped, etc., without departing from the scope of this invention. It is also contemplated that the surge layer opening  75  may extend from the inner surface  69  of the surge layer  67  toward the outer surface  73  thereof without extending through the full thickness of the surge layer. It is further contemplated that the surge layer  67  may have two or more openings formed therein. The surge layer opening  75 , or collective openings, is desirably in the range of about five percent to about forty percent of the surface area of the inner surface  69  of the surge layer  67 . 
     As an example, the surge layer  67  may be about 2.5 inches wide and have a length in the range of about ten inches to about twelve inches. The opening  75  formed in such a surge layer  67 , or the openings collectively if more than opening is formed in the surge layer, may be about two inches wide and about five inches long, and more particularly may be about 1.5 inches wide and about 2.5 inches long. The cross-sectional dimensions of the surge layer opening  75  are desirably generally uniform throughout the depth of the opening. However, the cross-sectional dimensions of the opening  75  may instead gradually decrease as the opening extends from the inner surface  69  of the surge layer  67  toward the outer surface  73 . 
     A flow control layer  81  lies between the outer surface  73  of the surge layer  67  and the absorbent body  53 , generally underlying the surge layer opening  75 , to inhibit the release of urine from the opening to the absorbent body. The flow control layer  81  is desirably sized slightly larger than the surge layer opening  75 , but smaller than the entire surge layer, to extend laterally beyond the peripheral edges of the opening. For example, the flow control layer  81  of the illustrated embodiment has a width of about two inches and a length of about three inches to extend at least about 0.25 inches beyond the periphery of the surge layer opening  75 . The flow control layer  81  is secured to the outer surface  73  of the surge layer  67 , such as by being bonded thereto with suitable adhesive  83  and is also secured to the absorbent body  53 , such as by being bonded thereto with additional adhesive  85 . However, it is understood that the flow control layer  81  need not be secured to absorbent body  53  and/or to the surge layer  67  to remain within the scope of this invention. 
     It is also understood that the flow control layer  81  may be sized smaller than the surge layer opening  75 , or it may be sized equal to or larger than the surge layer to extend up to or beyond the edges of the surge layer. Also, while not shown in the drawings, it is contemplated that the flow control layer  81  may also, or may alternatively, line the side wall of the surge layer opening  75  without departing from the scope of this invention. Instead of lying between the surge layer  67  and the absorbent body  53 , the flow control layer may lie between the liner and surge layer, overlaying the surge layer opening  75 . In such an embodiment, the flow control layer  81  may be sufficiently sized to allow the flow control layer to sag into the surge layer opening  75  for pooling urine therein upon the release of a surge of urine by the wearer of the pants  21 . The flow control layer  81  may also lie within the surge layer  67  itself, or be sandwiched between two surge layers, and remain within the scope of this invention. 
     The flow control layer  81  may be constructed of either an impermeable material or a permeable material, it being understood that the rate at which urine passes from the surge layer opening  75  to the absorbent body  53  is generally a function of the permeability of the flow control layer. In any event, the permeability of the flow control layer  81  is desirably less than the permeability of the surge layer  67 . As an example, a suitable impermeable material from which the flow control layer  81  may be constructed is a polyolefin film that blocks the flow of urine from the surge layer opening  75  therethrough to the absorbent body  53 . Urine in the surge layer opening  75  is instead directed by the flow control layer  81  to migrate laterally and/or longitudinally outward (e.g., within the surge layer  67 ) toward the peripheral edges of the flow control layer and then around the edges thereof to the absorbent body  53 . It is contemplated that the film may also be treated, such as by being embossed or subjected to other suitable processing, to provide a textured surface over which urine flows toward the peripheral edges of the flow control layer  81 . As another example, a suitable permeable material from which the flow control layer  81  may be constructed is a meltblown hydrophobic non-woven layer which retards, but does not prevent, urine in the surge layer opening  75  from penetrating through the flow control layer and flowing to the absorbent body  53 . 
     Still referring to  FIG. 3 , the bodyside liner  51  overlays the absorbent body  53  to isolate the wearer&#39;s skin from liquid body waste retained by the absorbent body and is secured to at least a portion of the absorbent body, such as by being bonded thereto with adhesive  85 . The liner  51  further extends beyond the absorbent body  53  to overlay a portion of the inner layer  57  of the outer cover  49 , particularly in the crotch region  27  of the pants  21 , and is secured thereto, such as by being bonded thereto by adhesive  65 , to substantially enclose the absorbent body between the outer cover and the liner about the periphery of the absorbent body. Although the bodyside liner  51  shown in  FIG. 3  is slightly narrower than the outer cover  49 , it is understood that the liner and outer cover may be of the same dimensions, or the liner may be sized larger than the outer cover, without departing from the scope of this invention. It is also contemplated that the liner  51  may not extend beyond the absorbent body  53  and may not be secured to the outer cover  49  and/or to the absorbent body  53 . The bodyside liner  51  is desirably compliant, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer&#39;s skin and can be less hydrophilic than the absorbent body  53  to provide a relatively dry surface to the wearer and permit liquid body waste to readily penetrate through its thickness. 
     The bodyside liner  51  can be manufactured from a wide selection of web materials, such as synthetic fibers (for example, polyester or polypropylene fibers), natural fibers (for example, wood or cotton fibers), a combination of natural and synthetic fibers, porous foams, reticulated foams, apertured plastic films, or the like. Various woven and non-woven fabrics can be used for the bodyside liner  51 . For example, the liner  51  can be composed of a meltblown or spunbonded web of polyolefin fibers. Alternatively, the liner  51  can be a bonded-carded web composed of natural and/or synthetic fibers. The bodyside liner  51  can also be composed of a substantially hydrophobic material, and the hydrophobic material can, optionally, be treated with a surfactant or otherwise processed to impart a desired level of wetability and hydrophilicity. For example, the material can be surface treated with about 0.45 weight percent of a surfactant mixture including AHCOVEL® N-62 available from Uniqema, Inc., a division of ICI of New Castle, Del., U.S.A, and GLUCOPON® 220UP available from Cognis Corporation of Ambler, Pa., U.S.A, in an active ratio of 3:1. The surfactant can be applied by any conventional means, such as spraying, printing, brush coating or the like. The surfactant can be applied to the entire liner  51  or it can be selectively applied to particular sections of the liner. 
     A particularly suitable bodyside liner  51  is constructed of a non-woven bicomponent web having a basis weight of about 27 gsm. The non-woven bicomponent can be a spunbonded bicomponent web, or a bonded-carded bicomponent web. Suitable bicomponent staple fibers include a polyethylene/polypropylene bicomponent fiber available from CHISSO Corporation, Osaka, Japan. In this particular bicomponent fiber, the polypropylene forms the core and the polyethylene forms the sheath of the fiber. Fibers having other orientations, such as multi-lobe, side-by-side, end-to-end may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Also, although the outer cover  49  and bodyside liner  51  of the central absorbent assembly  23  can include elastomeric materials, it is contemplated that the central absorbent assembly may instead be generally inelastic, wherein the outer cover, the bodyside liner and the absorbent body  53  are composed of materials which are generally non-elastomeric. 
     The front and rear side panels  37 ,  39  of the training pants  21  are bonded to the central absorbent assembly  23  at the respective anterior and posterior regions  25 ,  29  of the pants and extend outward beyond the laterally opposite edges  31  of the assembly. For example, the front side panels  37  of the illustrated embodiment are secured to the inner layer  57  of the outer cover  49 , such as by being bonded thereto by adhesive (not shown), by thermal bonding or by ultrasonic bonding. These side panels  37  may also be secured to the outer layer  55  of the outer cover  49 , such as by being bonded thereto by adhesive (not shown), by thermal bonding or by ultrasonic bonding. The rear side panels  39  are secured to the outer and inner layers  55 ,  57  of the outer cover  49 , at the posterior region  29  of the training pants  21 , in substantially the same manner as the front side panels  37 . Alternatively, the side panels  37 ,  39  may be formed integrally with the central absorbent assembly  23 , such as by being formed integrally with the outer cover  49 , the bodyside liner  51  or other layers of the pants  21 . 
     For improved fit and appearance, the side panels  37 ,  39  desirably have an average length measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the training pants  21  that is about 20 percent or greater, and more desirably about 25 percent or greater, of the overall length of the training pants, also measured parallel to the longitudinal axis. For example, for training pants  21  having an overall length of about 54 centimeters, the side panels  37 ,  39  desirably have an average length of about 10 centimeters or greater, and more desirably an average length of about 15 centimeters. Each of the side panels  37 ,  39  can be constructed of one or more individual, distinct pieces of material. For example, each side panel  37 ,  39  can include first and second side panel portions (not shown) joined at a seam (not shown), with at least one of the portions including an elastomeric material. Alternatively, each individual side panel  37 ,  39  can be constructed of a single piece of material folded over upon itself along an intermediate fold line (not shown). 
     The side panels  37 ,  39  desirably include an elastic material capable of stretching laterally. Suitable elastic materials, as well as one described process for incorporating elastic side panels  37 ,  39  into training pants  21 , are described in the following U.S. Pat. No.: 4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,405 issued Jul. 6, 1993 to Pohjola; U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,116 issued Apr. 14, 1992 to Pohjola; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,272 issued Sep. 10, 1991 to Vogt et al.; all of which are incorporated herein by reference. As an example, suitable elastic materials include a stretch-thermal laminate (STL), a neck-bonded laminate (NBL), a reversibly necked laminate, or a stretch-bonded laminate (SBL) material. Methods of making such materials are well known to those skilled in the art and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,220 issued May 5, 1987 to Wisneski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,992 issued Jul. 13, 1993 to Morman; and European Patent Application No. EP 0 217 032 published on Apr. 8, 1987 in the names of Taylor et al.; all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, the side panels  37 ,  39  may include other woven or non-woven materials, such as those described above as being suitable for the outer cover  49  or bodyside liner  51 , or stretchable but inelastic materials. 
     Containment flaps, generally indicated at  91 , are secured to the body side liner  51  in generally parallel, spaced relation with each other laterally inward of the leg openings  47  to provide a barrier against the flow of urine to the leg openings. The containment flaps  91  extend longitudinally from the anterior region  25  of the training pants  21 , through the crotch region  27  to the posterior region  29  of the pants. Each containment flap  91  comprises a non-woven layer  93  and a film layer  95  secured to the non-woven layer, such as by being bonded thereto by adhesive  97 . Flap elastics  99  are secured by suitable adhesive  101  between the non-woven layer  93  and the film layer  95  generally at a distal end  103  of the flap  91 , with the non-woven layer  93  being folded over the flap elastics  99  and the film layer  95  at the distal end  103 . The flap  91  is secured to the bodyside liner  51  by a seam of adhesive  107  to define a proximal end  109  of the flap. 
     The flap elastics  99  of the illustrated embodiment comprise three individual strands of elastomeric material extending longitudinally along the distal end  103  of the flap  91  in generally parallel, spaced relation with each other. One suitable elastic strand is a LYCRA® T151 940 decitex elastic which can be obtained from E. I. du Pont de Nemours Co. of Wilmington, Del. The elastic strands are secured between the non-woven layer  93  and the film layer  95  while in an elastically contractible condition such that contraction of the strands gathers and shortens the distal end  103  of the containment flap  91 . As a result, the elastic strands bias the distal end  103  of each flap  91  toward a position spaced from the proximal end  109  of the flap so that the flap extends away from the liner  51  in a generally upright orientation of the flap, especially in the crotch region  27  of the training pants  21 , when the pants are fitted on the wearer. It is understood, however, that the containment flaps  91  may be omitted from the training pants  21  without departing from the scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a second embodiment of training pants  121  similar to the training pants  21  of the first embodiment including a surge layer  167  having an opening  175  therein extending from an inner surface  169  of the surge layer through the full thickness thereof to an outer surface  173  of the surge layer, and a flow control layer  181  for inhibiting the flow of urine from the surge layer opening to the absorbent body  153 . The surge layer  167  of this second embodiment is constructed of a pair of surge layer elements  311  spaced laterally from each other along the full length of the surge layer, with the spacing between the surge layer elements defining the surge layer opening  175 . For example, the two surge layer elements  311  of the illustrated embodiment are spaced laterally from each other by a distance of about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches, and more desirably about 0.75 inches. The flow control layer  181  underlying the surge layer opening  175  is sized to extend laterally beyond the periphery of the opening by at least about 0.25 inches. 
     In use, when the wearer of the training pants  21 ,  121  urinates therein, urine penetrates the liner  51 ,  151  for flow to the inner surface  69 ,  169  of the surge layer  67 ,  167 , and more particularly to the opening  75 ,  175  formed in the surge layer. When the initial surge of urine impacts the flow control layer  81 ,  181 , urine can back-splash through the liner  51 ,  151  to contact the wearer&#39;s skin. The flow control layer  81 ,  181  also retards the flow of urine through the surge layer opening  75 ,  175  to the absorbent body  53 ,  153 , resulting in pooling of urine in the surge layer opening. This pooling facilitates the flow back of urine through the liner  51 ,  151  to provide a prolonged (as compared to conventional training pants) feeling of wetness against the wearer&#39;s skin for indicating that the wearer has urinated in the pants. Eventually, urine in the surge layer opening  75 ,  175  flows therefrom around (e.g., where the flow control layer  81 ,  181  is constructed of an impermeable material) and/or through (e.g., where the flow control layer is constructed of a permeable material) the flow control layer to the absorbent body  53 ,  153  for absorption thereby to again provide a dry, comfortable feeling to the wearer. 
     When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. 
     As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.