A disposable absorbent article may comprise a chassis and an ear. The chassis comprises a liquid permeable topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and backsheet. The ear comprises an elastomeric material and a first substrate joined to the elastomeric material. The ear has a first void region adjacent the proximal edge of the ear. The ear is joined to the chassis by at least one mechanical bond that engages the elastomeric material.

A fastening member has inboard and outboard ends, a panel region, an end region, and a stiffening element. The panel region is disposed adjacent to the inboard end and has first and second layers. The first and second layers are joined in a face-to-face orientation. The end region is disposed adjacent to the outboard end and has a fastening element zone and an intermediate zone. The intermediate zone is disposed between the fastening element zone and the panel region adjacent an interface between the panel and end regions. The stiffening element is disposed in the end region and has a stiffness of greater than about 200 N/m. A portion of the stiffening element is disposed between the first layer and the second layer and is joined to the first layer and the second layer. The portion is disposed adjacent to the interface between the panel region and the end region.

A fastening member having a reinforced region is disclosed. The fastening member may have a first layer formed of a nonwoven and a second layer at its reinforced region formed of either a polymeric film or another nonwoven, bonded to the first layer by a plurality of bond sites arranged in a pattern. The polymer(s) forming the fibers of the first layer and the polymer(s) forming the film or fibers of the second layer may be of like chemistry to enhance thermal bonding between the layers at the bond sites. The fastening member may be imparted with enhanced appearance and tear resistance attributes and may be suitable for use as a fastening member of a wearable article such as a disposable diaper.

A modified diaper for allowing its top edge to be pulled back without placing one's finger inside the diaper. The modified diaper includes a diaper base that includes an edge tab. The diaper base defines a conventional disposable baby diaper. The edge tab defines an exterior flap which extends around the circumference of a top edge of the diaper base to form a finger slot that extends from around the entire exterior circumference of the diaper base. A user can insert their finger into this finger slot in order to pull the adjacent section of the top edge of the diaper base, and the portions of the diaper base adjacent to that top edge section, away from the waist of a wearer of the modified diaper without needing to stick their finger into the area between the wearer and the modified diaper.

Absorbent articles that include elastics in multiple layers are disclosed herein.

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles comprising belts comprising one or more pluralities of tightly spaced (less than 4 mm, less than 3 mm, less than 2 mm, and less than 1 mm) and/or low decitex (less than 300, less than 200, less than 100 dtex) and/or low strain (less than 300%, less than 200%, less than 100%) elastics to deliver low pressure less than 1 psi (according to the conditions defined by the Pressure-Under-Strand Test in the Method below) under the elastics, while providing adequate modulus of (between about 2 gf/mm and 15 gf/mm), resulting in a Product Hip-to-Waist Silhouette from about 0.8 to about 1.1 and a Product Waist-to-Crotch Silhouette from about 0.8 to about 2.0 to provide for the advantages described above.

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles comprising belts comprising one or more pluralities of tightly spaced (less than 4 mm, less than 3 mm, less than 2 mm, and less than 1 mm) and/or low decitex (less than 300, less than 200, less than 100 dtex) and/or low strain (less than 300%, less than 200%, less than 100%) elastics to deliver low pressure less than 1 psi (according to the conditions defined by the Pressure-Under-Strand Test in the Method below) under the elastics, while providing adequate Section-Modulus of (between about 2 gf/mm and 15 gf/mm), resulting in a Product Length-to-Waist Silhouette that is within from about 0.3 to about 0.3 of the Target Body Length-to-Waist Silhouette to make the article conform better to the body of the wearer at a lower Pressure-Under-Strand, even with a loaded core (holding at least 50 mls of liquid), to provide for the advantages described above.

An absorbent article includes a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core positioned at least partially intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet is presented. The absorbent article includes a first waist region having a first waist edge, a second waist region having a second waist edge, a crotch region extending between the first waist region and the second waist region, and one or more lines of perforations disposed in the first waist region and configured to form an umbilical cord notch when the one or more lines of perforations are torn. The absorbent article further includes a fully removable fastening member configured to join a portion of the first waist region to a portion of the second waist region.

The present disclosure relates to one or a combination of an absorbent article's chassis, inner leg cuffs, outer leg cuffs, ear panels, side panels, waistbands, and belts that may comprise one or more pluralities of tightly spaced and/or low Average-Dtex and/or low Average-Pre-Strain elastics to deliver low Pressure Under Strand, while providing adequate Section-Modulus to make the article easy to apply and to comfortably maintain the article in place on the wearer, even with a loaded core, to provide for the advantages described above. Further, the elastomeric laminates of the present disclosure outperform existing laminates currently used for disposable absorbent articles as it relates to one or more key parameters (including Percent Contact Area, 2-98% Height Value, Pressure-Under-Strand, Air Permeability, Water Vapor Transmission Rate, Caliper, Caliper Retention Value, Cantilever Bending, Open Area, Section-Modulus, Rugosity Wavelength, Rugosity Frequency, Graphic Distortion Ratio).

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for stretching, transferring, and bonding elastic parts under tension to an advancing carrier substrate during the assembly of absorbent articles. A continuous carrier substrate may be advanced in a machine direction at a first speed, and a discrete elastic part may be cut from a continuous elastic substrate having a direction of stretch in a cross direction. The speed of the discrete elastic part is changed from a second speed to the first speed, and the central region of the discrete elastic part is stretched in the cross direction. The discrete elastic part is bonded with the continuous carrier substrate such that the stretched central region extends in the cross direction between the first and second longitudinal edges of the continuous carrier substrate. The discrete elastic part may also be bonded with the carrier substrate with adhesive and/or mechanical bonds.