Patent ID: 7931635

Claim:
A method of making oversized adult incontinence diapers, comprising the steps of: (a) providing machinery forming a manufacturing line for assembling components into diapers, wherein the machinery has a maximum widthwise capacity for handling components equal to or less that a corresponding maximum component width; (b) providing an elongate sheet-like open-width web of indeterminate continuous length for use as an outer layer component of diapers, wherein the web has a fully-open widthwise dimension which exceeds the maximum component width; (c) pre-forming the web with at least one folded pleat extending along a laterally outward margin of the web, the at least one pleat reducing the widthwise dimension of the web to equal to or less than the maximum component width; (d) temporarily tacking the web sufficiently to retain the pleat against unfolding while the web is handled by the machinery but yieldable to release the tacking to unfold the web without damage thereto into fully-open width in response to exertion of an unfolding force against the pleat when a diaper made with the web is donned for wearing; (e) delivering the pre-formed pleated web to the machinery, and (f) operating the machinery to incorporate the web into a plurality of diapers.