Patent ID: 7530972

Claim:
An absorbent article having a front portion and a rear portion and comprising an outer sheet that provides an outer surface of the absorbent article, an inner sheet disposed on the inner side of the outer sheet, and a plurality of elastic members for making below-waist gathers disposed between the outer sheet and the inner sheet, wherein a patterned sheet having a pattern is disposed between the outer sheet and the inner sheet in the widthwise middle area of at least one of the front portion and the rear portion, the elastic members each have: (a) a portion contributory to elastic extensibility and contractibility in each of the regions outside the lateral sides of the patterned sheet; and (b) a portion substantially non-contributory to elastic extensibility and contractibility that are cut fragments of adjacent elastic members that contribute to elastic extensibility and contractibility, and which are separate and distinct fragments from the adjacent elastic member from which they are cut, disposed between the patterned sheet and the inner sheet in the region inside the lateral sides of the pattered sheet; and wherein the cut fragments of elastic members are formed by pressing elastic members of continuous length together with the patterned sheet and the outer sheet with a pressing member having projections providing dots.