Patent ID: 7291138

Claim:
A disposable absorbent article including an absorbent article body which comprises a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet, an absorbent core disposed between said liquid-permeable topsheet and said liquid-impermeable backsheet, and a cover sheet attached to the outer surface of said liquid-impermeable backsheet, wherein; said absorbent article body has a rear waist region, a crotch region, and a front waist region, which are integrally arranged in the longitudinal direction of said absorbent article body, said rear waist region and said front waist region adapted to be respectively located at the rear and front waist side of a wearer, and said crotch region has leg opening portions at both lateral side edges thereof; by joining each side edge portion of said rear waist region and the corresponding side edge portion of said front waist region, a waist opening becomes formed around the waist of the wearer and a pair of leg openings become formed around the upper thighs of the wearer; said absorbent article body also has; one or more waist opening elastic members extending circumferentially around said waist opening, a plurality of rear waist elastic members that are stretchable in the widthwise direction of said absorbent article body, and a plurality of front waist elastic members that are stretchable in the widthwise direction of said absorbent article body; said rear waist elastic members form a rear elastic area in said rear waist region; said front waist elastic members form a front elastic area in said front waist region; a greater number of rear waist elastic members are provided than front waist elastic members; and said rear elastic area is broader than said front elastic area with respect to the longitudinal direction of said absorbent article body; said rear waist elastic members are arranged so that the distance between each rear waist elastic member and its adjacent rear waist elastic member is approximately equal to the distance between each front waist elastic member and its adjacent front waist elastic member and that, when each side edge portion of said rear waist region and the corresponding side edge portion of said front waist region are joined, both ends of some but less than all of said rear waist elastic members are respectively connected to the ends of the corresponding front waist elastic members; said distance between said waist opening elastic members and the portion of said rear waist elastic members closest to said waist opening elastic members is approximately equal to the distance between said waist opening elastic members and the portion of said front waist elastic members closest to said waist opening elastic members, and said absorbent core is ranged so as not to overlap said front elastic area while overlapping at least a part of said rear elastic area.