Patent ID: 7338479

Claim:
An absorbent article comprising: a back sheet including a front portion, a rear portion, a crotch portion, and a pair of leg fitting portions formed at opposite sides of said crotch portion between said front portion and said rear portion; an absorbent member bonded to said crotch portion of said back sheet on a skin-side surface of said back sheet; a pair of raisable flaps secured to said crotch portion of said back sheet at opposite sides of said absorbent member; and a pair of elastic members respectively bonded to said raisable flaps along front and rear directions of said back sheet in an expanded state; wherein each of said raisable flaps has multiple layers including a base end layer and a free end layer; wherein each of said raisable flaps has an adhesive portion provided on an underside of said base end layer to bond said base end layer relative to said absorbent member; wherein each of said elastic members is bonded to a respective one of said free end layers of said raisable flaps; wherein said base end layer of each of said raisable flaps has a base end layer inner edge, and a base end layer outer edge disposed outwardly of said base end layer inner edge; wherein said free end layer of each of said raisable flaps has a free end layer inner edge, and a free end layer outer edge disposed outwardly of said free end layer inner edge; wherein said multiple layers of each of said raisable flaps are configured in an accordion form so as to be movable between a folded condition in which said multiple layers are collapsed toward one another and in which said free end layer and said based end layer are both generally parallel with said back sheet, and a raised condition in which said multiple layers are separated relative to one another; wherein, for each of said raisable flaps when in said folded condition, said free end layer inner edge is disposed outside away from said base end layer inner edge; and wherein, for each of said raisable flaps when in said folded condition, an innermost edge of said adhesive portion is disposed outside away from said base end layer inner edge.