Patent ID: 7252657

Claim:
A disposable wearing article, comprising: front and rear end portions extending in a transverse direction of said article and transversely opposite side portions, said front and rear end portions defining therebetween a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending between said waist regions in a longitudinal direction of said article, a liquid-previous topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet, a pair of liquid-impervious first leak-barrier sheets laid on said transversely opposite side portions so as to extend in the longitudinal direction, and a liquid-absorbent core interposed between said topsheet and backsheet so as to extend between said front and rear end portions, wherein said first leak-barrier sheets respectively comprise: proximal portions extending in the longitudinal direction between said front and rear end portions, distal portions extending in the longitudinal direction along said proximal portions, fixed longitudinally opposite end portions laid on said front and rear end portions and collapsed in the transverse direction, and stretchable first elastic members extending in the longitudinal direction and contractibly attached to the distal portions of said first leak-barrier sheets to bias said distal portions to rise up above said topsheet, an area of said rear waist region in which said core extends is divided into a first area lying on a side of said rear end portion and a second area lying on a side of said crotch region, said second area is formed in a transversely middle zone thereof with a through-hole extending through an entire thickness of said core so that a flexural stiffness of said core is lower in said second area than in said first area, said proximal portions of said first leak-barrier sheets as well as longitudinal end portions of said first elastic members lie in said first area of said rear waist region; and a contracting force of the first elastic elements is sufficient to pull the first area toward the crotch region and to a position above the second area and said crotch region, as viewed in a thickness direction of said article, wherein said first area, said second area and said crotch region define a Z-shape in a cross section taken in said longitudinal direction, and said second area forms at least one of (a) a barrier extending in the thickness direction of said article and (b) a pocket opening toward said crotch region.