Patent ID: 7737324

Claim:
A disposable diaper comprising: a chassis having a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region between the waist regions, a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, laterally opposing side edges, longitudinally opposing front and back waist end edges, an interior surface and an exterior surface; the chassis including a water-impermeable backsheet; the chassis also including laterally opposing side flaps formed by laterally inwardly folded portions of the chassis in at least the crotch region, each side flap having longitudinally distal ends and a proximal edge, each side flap being attached to the interior surface adjacent to the longitudinally distal ends and having a longitudinally extending elastic gathering member attached adjacent to the proximal edge; the chassis also including laterally opposing deployable chassis ears formed by portions of the side flaps in at least one of the waist regions, each chassis ear being held laterally inwardly folded by a frangible line of attachment until being deployed by being detached at the frangible line and each side flap portion, in its entirety, being unfolded laterally outward so as to form the chassis ears projecting laterally outward beyond the respective side flap; an absorbent assembly attached to the interior surface of the chassis; wherein the absorbent assembly is attached to the chassis in a cruciform pattern of attachment having a longitudinally extending portion intersecting a laterally extending portion; wherein a portion of the chassis underlying the absorbent assembly and lying outside the cruciform pattern is laterally extensible; and wherein the extensible portion of the chassis comprises a formed web material including at least two distinct laterally extending embossed regions each containing a pattern of generally longitudinally oriented alternating ridges and valleys created by an embossment and also containing an unembossed region located between the embossed regions, such that the portion of the chassis can be laterally extended to a given extent with the application of relatively less force than that required to laterally extend the same portion of the chassis to the same given extent before the embossment.