Patent ID: 7189219

Claim:
An absorbent article including a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-retentive absorbent core having side portions interposed between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent article being substantially vertically elongated and having an upstanding gather, wherein said topsheet has a liquid shut-off region in a linear shape over the longitudinal direction, which prevents liquid migration within said topsheet beyond the liquid shut-off region, and said liquid shut-off region is located at an area outside the periphery of said absorbent core and is formed independent of a joined section between said topsheet and a sheet material for forming said upstanding gather, wherein said topsheet is not thermally bonded to other sheet materials at said liquid shut-off region, wherein the sheet material for forming the upstanding gather is disposed inward of the diaper from each side edge in the longitudinal direction of the diaper, wherein a basal end of the upstanding gather is formed by joining the sheet material to the topsheet at an upper part of each side portion of the liquid-retentive absorbent core, wherein said topsheet extends outward beyond a basal end of said upstanding gather, at least a part of an extended section of said topsheet, which is beyond the basal end of said upstanding gather, is joined to the sheet material for forming the upstanding gather, and said liquid shut-off region is located on a portion of the extended section of said topsheet where the sheet material for forming the upstanding gather joins the topsheet, and wherein at least part of the extended section of said topsheet is joined to said backsheet.