Patent ID: 6923797

Claim:
A disposable undergarment, comprising: a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and backsheet; a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending longitudinally of said undergarment between the front and rear waist regions, said crotch region having transversely opposite side edges curving inward transversely of said undergarment to define peripheral edges of leg-openings of said undergarment; said core including a front end zone, a rear end zone, and a middle zone extending longitudinally of said undergarment between the front and rear end zones, said middle zone being completely located in said crotch region, said front end zone extending from said middle zone toward said front waist region, and said rear end zone extending from said middle zone toward said rear waist region; a first elastic member extending transversely of said undergarment, along a front end portion of one of said transversely opposite side edges of said crotch region, across said front end zone of said core, and along a front end portion of the other of said transversely opposite side edges of said crotch region; a second elastic member extending transversely of said undergarment, along a rear end portion of one of said transversely opposite side edges of said crotch region, across said rear end zone of said core, and along a rear end portion of the other of said transversely opposite side edges of said crotch region; wherein a stiffness of said core is lower in the front and rear end zones than in the middle zone; said first elastic member has a central portion underlying said front end zone of said core and being attached under tension to said backsheet; and said first elastic member further has end portions on opposite sides of said central portion, each of the end portions of said first elastic member extending along the front end portion of one of said transversely opposite side edges of said crotch region, a tensile stress of said first elastic member being greater in the end portions than in the central portion.