Patent ID: 7682350

Claim:
A disposable absorbent article for wearing about the lower torso of a wearer, the disposable absorbent article having a chassis, a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region disposed between the front and back waist regions, a front waist edge and a back waist edge, wherein the chassis has a periphery that is defined by longitudinal edges and the front waist edge and back waist edge, the disposable absorbent article further comprising: a topsheet; a backsheet attached to at least a portion of the topsheet; an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein the absorbent core does not extend to the front waist edge and the back waist edge; and an elastically extensible waist member, a pair of front side panels extending outward from the front waist region and a pair of back side panels extending outward from the back waist region, wherein the pair of front side panels and the pair of back side panels are capable of attaching to each other, thereby forming a waist opening, wherein the waist member is attached to each of the pair of front side panels and back side panels and extends to the outer side edges of the front side panels and back side panels, and wherein the waist member extends beyond the periphery of the chassis outward from the front waist edge or the back waist edge, such that at least a region of the waist member is visible from a vantage point external to the disposable absorbent article, thereby providing the appearance of a finished front waist edge or the appearance of a finished back waist edge.