Patent ID: 8870732

Claim:
A method for tucking first and second opposing side panels into a chassis of a pant diaper, the chassis including an absorbent core having opposing longitudinal side edges defining a lateral width, the chassis further including an inner surface and an outer surface, the chassis having longitudinally opposing first and second waist regions, longitudinally opposing first and second waist end edges disposed in the first and second waist regions adjacent to the respective waist end edges, a crotch region longitudinally intermediate of the first and second waist regions, the first and second side panels connecting the first waist region with the second waist region to form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings, the method comprising the steps of: positioning the chassis between a first conveyor having a first vacuum zone and a second conveyor having a second vacuum zone; applying a first vacuum force from the first vacuum zone to the first waist region and applying a second vacuum force from the second vacuum zone to the second waist region, wherein the first vacuum zone and the second vacuum zone each define lateral widths that are smaller than the lateral width of the absorbent core; holding the first waist region of the chassis apart from the second waist region of the chassis using opposing vacuum forces from the first and second vacuum zones; advancing the chassis in a machine direction with the first and second conveyors; moving a first air nozzle in the machine direction adjacent the first side panel and moving a second air nozzle in the machine direction adjacent the second side panel; intermittently discharging air from the first air nozzle against the first side panel and from the second air nozzle against the second side panel to push the first side panel and the second side panel a distance laterally inward toward each other; and creating longitudinal folds in the chassis at the outer longitudinal edges of the absorbent core.