Patent ID: 7618404

Claim:
A disposable diaper having a front waist region, a back waist region, a crotch region between the waist regions, a longitudinal axis, and a lateral axis, and comprising: an absorbent assembly comprising an absorbent core, a lower covering sheet, a front edge, a back edge, laterally opposing side edges extending between the front edge and the back edge, an exterior surface, and an interior surface; wherein laterally opposing longitudinally extending portions of the lower covering sheet are folded interiorly laterally inward to form the side edges of the absorbent assembly and laterally opposing side flaps having proximal edges, the lower covering sheet being doubled by folding and thereby having first and second layers for at least a portion of the distance between each of the proximal edges and the respective side edges; wherein each of the side flaps are attached adjacent to its longitudinally distal ends to the interior surface and wherein each of the side flaps have a longitudinally extending elastic gathering member sandwiched between the first and second layers adjacent to its proximal edge; and two laterally opposing longitudinally extending backsheet strips attached to the exterior surface of the lower covering sheet.