Patent ID: 8318071

Claim:
A method for imparting elasticity to a laminate comprising at least one elastic film having a width and at least one ply of non-woven material secured to the film, comprising the steps of: unrolling a laminate comprising at least one elastic film having a width and at least one ply of non-woven material secured to the film in a longitudinal machine direction, directing the laminate between a set of first and second toothings, of which the teeth engage in each other in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the laminate, imparting a constant tension in the longitudinal machine direction to the laminate between two points, one point upstream of the set of toothings and another point downstream of the set of toothings, and stretching the laminate in the width direction by engagement by each other of the teeth of the toothings to impart elasticity to the laminate on an activated width that is less than or equal to said width of said elastic film so that the laminate has an elasticity increasing from a first edge of the activated width over at least a part of said activated width and decreasing over at least a part of said activated width towards a second edge opposite said first edge.