Patent ID: 6869424

Claim:
An absorbent garment defining a major plane surface with a transverse or X axis laying in the plane of the article and a longitudinal or Y axis laying in the plane of the article and generally perpendicular to the X axis when the garment is laid flat, comprising: a) a stretchable outer cover material having a major plane surface area dimension and transversely opposed side edges; b) an absorbent core having a major plane surface area dimension of lesser dimension than the stretchable outer cover material surface area and having a first surface and a second surface laying generally parallel to the major plane surface of the garment, the absorbent core second surface facing the stretchable outer cover material; c) a non-stretchable bodyside liner having transversely opposed side edges and a major plane surface area dimension of lesser dimension than the stretchable outer cover material major plane surface area dimension, and a greater dimension than absorbent core major plane surface area dimension, the absorbent core first surface facing the non-stretchable bodyside liner, d) the non-stretchable bodyside liner bonded to the stretchable outer cover material so as to contain the absorbent core between the stretchable outer cover material and the non-strechable bodyside liner; and e) at least two stretchable side panels attached to the bodyside liner along the length of the transversely opposed side edges of the bodyside liner and further bonded to areas of the stretchable outer cover material outside of the non-stretchable bodyside liner; and wherein the outer cover has a percentage transverse stretch and the at least two side panels have a percentage transverse stretch equal to at least one-half the percentage transverse stretch of the outer cover times a width of the outer cover divided by a total width of the at least two side panels.