Patent ID: 7988682

Claim:
A prefastened absorbent product, said absorbent product comprising: a rear portion, a front portion, and a crotch portion extending therebetween, wherein said rear portion includes at least two rear side flaps, each presenting an inner surface and an outer surface, and said front portion includes at least two front side flaps, each presenting an inner surface and an outer surface, the rear and front portions each includes a waist edge extending in a lateral direction of the absorbent product, a releasable fastening means, wherein one member of said releasable fastening means is disposed on an end portion of each of said rear side flaps and is disposed on each of said front side flaps, respectively, the members of said releasable fastening means on said front and said rear side flaps, respectively, being in contact with one another to thereby form a reclosable connection therebetween, wherein each of said front side flaps is fixedly attached by a weld to a respective one of said rear side flaps in an overlapping relationship such that the outer surface of each one of said front side flaps lies against the inner surface of each respective rear side flap, wherein the weld in each of said rear side flaps lies inwardly along the lateral direction with respect to the releasable fastening means positioned on said respective rear side flap such that the overlapping relationship between the end portion of said rear side flap and said front side flap is defined between at least the releasable fastening means and the weld, wherein at least a part of the weld in each of said rear side flaps overlays the releasable fastening means positioned on said respective rear side flap, when viewed in a lateral direction of the absorbent product and from a laterally outer edge of said respective rear side flap, wherein each of said front and said rear side flaps includes an elastic portion, and said weld is positioned proximate a laterally outer edge of the elastic portion of at least one of said front and said rear side flaps, and wherein said rear side flaps each comprise a first portion fixedly attached to an absorbent product chassis member at a first attachment location, and a second portion fixedly attached to said first portion at a second attachment location, said second attachment location being positioned laterally outward, with respect to said rear portion, of said first attachment location, wherein one said member of said releasable fastening means is fixedly attached to said second portion and said first portion includes the elastic portion of said rear side flap.