Patent ID: 7811273

Claim:
An article having a surface fastening system and a primary direction of load bearing, the article comprising a longitudinal centerline; and a lateral centerline, first and second waist regions, a crotch region between said first and second waist regions and opposite side panels connected to said second waist region, the surface fastening system including: at least one first fastening element connected to said first waist region, the first fastening element including: at least one retaining element; an attached portion joined to the article, said attached portion being fully or intermittently attached to the article; at least one liftable portion extending from the attached portion, said liftable portion being adapted to be lifted away from the article; and at least one hinge line positioned between the attached portion and the liftable portion, wherein the hinge line is disposed at an angle less than 90 degrees relative to the primary direction of load bearing wherein the hinge line intersects said at least one retaining element and the longitudinal centerline and the lateral centerline of the article; and at least one second fastening element affixed to at least one of said opposite side panels of said article and at least a portion of the second fastening element is configured to be releasably engageable with at least a portion of the liftable portion of the first fastening element, wherein when said first and second fastening element are engaged and encountering a load substantially in a z-direction said liftable portion lifts away from said article, wherein the z-direction is defined by an axis which is generally perpendicular to an x-axis and a y-axis, wherein the x-axis is generally oriented along the primary direction of load bearing, wherein the y-axis is generally perpendicular to the x-axis and generally oriented within a plane of the article.