Patent ID: 8206365

Claim:
A pant-type absorbent article, said article comprising a core region comprising an absorbent core and a chassis, said chassis comprising a front panel, a back panel and an elastic waistband, each of the front and back panels having a waist edge, a crotch edge and a pair of side edges wherein the front and back panels are joined to each other along two opposite side edges to define a waist-opening and a pair of leg-openings, at least one of the front and back panels comprises an elastic web material constituting the sole component of at least part of the front and/or back panels, the elastic waistband being joined to the waist edge of at least one of the front and back panels, wherein the elastic waistband comprises a first ply and a second ply of substantially non-elastic web material enclosing between them at least one elongate elastic member, said article having a longitudinal and a transverse direction, said first ply of substantially non-elastic web material being secured to one side of said elastic web material at the waist edge of at least one of the front and back panels and said second ply of substantially non-elastic web material being secured to the opposite side of said elastic web material just opposite said first ply, the first and second plies being secured to the elastic web material while the elastic web material is in a stretched condition having a length which exceeds at least 10% of its untensioned length, the first and second plies of substantially non-elastic web material with said elastic web material held there between forming a waistband seam, wherein the first and second plies of substantially non-elastic material form gathers along said waistband seam when said elastic web material is in a relaxed position.