Patent ID: 8715257

Claim:
A disposable absorbent article having a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a lateral centerline generally defining longitudinal front and back regions of the article, said article having a front end, a back end, a front portion, a back portion, and a middle portion interconnecting the front and back portions, said article comprising: a liner adapted for contiguous relationship with a wearer's body; an outer cover in generally opposed relationship with the liner, the outer cover having a length and a width and being stretchable along substantially the entire length of the outer cover; the article having a surface area defined at least in part by said outer cover; and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and the outer cover and having a width, a length, a thickness, a front edge, a back edge, and a surface area defined by the width and the length, the surface area being less than 50% of the surface area of the article, the absorbent core being disposed at least in said front portion and said middle portion of the article, the surface area of the absorbent core being greater in said front portion of the article than in said back portion and said middle portion, the surface area of the absorbent core being greater in said middle portion of the article than in said back portion, the front edge of the absorbent core being in a closer proximity to the front end of the article than the back edge of the absorbent core is to the back end of the article, at least a portion of the absorbent core being bonded to said outer cover, wherein reducing the surface area of the absorbent core increases the surface area of the article that is uninhibited by an attachment point of the absorbent core.