Patent ID: 7156832

Claim:
An absorbent article having a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, said absorbent article comprising: a front portion, a rear portion, and a crotch portion located between the rear portion and the front portion, an absorbent element and a liquid-tight layer, and a stiffening element which is intended to contribute to a three-dimensional shape of the article during its use, wherein the stiffening element is in a flat, two-dimensional planar state before use of the article said stiffening element extends in the longitudinal direction of the article over a substantial part of the front, crotch, and rear portions of the article extending rearward from the crotch portion, wherein the stiffening element is foldable and the stiffening element has at least one elongate through-hole which extends in the longitudinal direction along the centre line over substantially the entire rear portion of the article, as a result of which the article during use is provided, by virtue of lateral forces arising in the rear portion of the article, with a a plurality of stacked curvilinear folds spaced apart from one another by a length and said folds extending in a longitudinal direction from the rear portion to the crotch portion of the article along said through-hole, said folds extend into the cleft between the buttocks of the wearer during use of the article and in this way stabilizes the article in position on the wearer; and wherein the at least one elongate through-hole is pointed at an end next to the crotch portion, and the width of the elongate through-hole is pointed at an end next to the crotch portion, and the width of the elongate through-hole is pointed at an end next to the crotch portion, and the width of the elongate through-hole increases continuously from said end in the backward direction, as a result of which the height of the fold increases continuously in the same direction during use of the article.