A diaper insert has a liquid impermeable external surface, an inner surface, and an absorbency area adjacent the inner surface. The absorbency area has at least one absorbent layer. The diaper insert has a distal end, an attachment end, and a midsection between the distal end and attachment end. The midsection has opposing sides that are in general mirror images to one another about a vertical line. A width of the midsection is less than or equal to a width of the attachment end, and a width of the midsection is less than or equal to a width of the distal end.

The invention relates to an incontinence diaper (2) with a main part (4), which comprises a front region (12), a rear region (16), and a crotch region (20) arranged between the front region and the rear region, and with rear lateral sections (22) which are joined to the rear region (16) on both sides, which extend outwards in the transverse direction (10) of the incontinence diaper (2) over the rear lateral longitudinal edges (18) of the main part (4), and each of which has at least one closure means (28), whereas no lateral sections (22) are joined to the front region (14). Each of the rear lateral sections (22) can be placed around the body of the user in order to close the incontinence diaper (2) and can be brought into overlapping arrangement with a front region (12) exterior, to which the lateral sections can then be removably adhered via the respective closure means (28). The rear lateral sections (22) have an extension (Q) in the transverse direction (10) over the respective rear lateral longitudinal edge (18) and an elastic or elasticized region (42) which extends in the transverse direction (10) and in the longitudinal direction (8). The invention is characterized in that the rear lateral sections (22) are folded together about at least two lateral section folding axes (46, 48) running in the longitudinal direction (8) by the manufacturer, and folded together sub-regions (50, 52, 54) of the rear lateral sections (22) are defined and delimited by means of the lateral section folding axes (46, 48). An outer sub-region (54) in the transverse direction (10) is designed to be substantially unstretchable, and at least 50% of the surface of a sub-region (52) which adjoins the outer sub-region (54) inwards is unstretchable starting from the outer folding axis (48) running in the longitudinal direction.

An absorbent article includes a front waist portion, a back waist portion and a crotch portion between the front waist portion and the back waist portion. A one-side end portion of the back waist portion on a one side in a lateral direction is joined to a one-side end portion of the front waist portion on the one side in the lateral direction. The back waist portion includes a fastening portion on another side in the lateral direction. The back waist portion includes an elastic region in at least an upper end portion. A lateral distance between a one-side end of the elastic region on the one-side and the center of the crotch portion is smaller than a lateral distance between an other-side end of the elastic region on the other side and the center of the crotch portion.

Absorbent articles of the present disclosure may have Relaxed Product Waist Widths, Relaxed Product Hip Widths, and Product Hip-to-Waist Silhouettes as disclosed herein. And, arrays of the present disclosure may have Array Average Product Hip-to-Waist Silhouettes and Array Average Product Hip-to-Waist-to-Weight Ratio as disclosed herein.

In one embodiment, an array of packages may comprise two or more different sizes of disposable absorbent articles. The Product Waist-to-Side Silhouette of a second absorbent article may be equal to or greater than a Product Waist-to-Side Silhouette of a first absorbent article. And, an Array Average Product Waist-to-Side Silhouette of first and second packages of the array may be from about 1.7 to about 6.0.

In one embodiment, an array of packages may comprise two or more different sizes of disposable absorbent articles. The Product Waist-to-Side Silhouette of a second absorbent article may be equal to or greater than a Product Waist-to-Side Silhouette of a first absorbent article. And, an Array Average Product Waist-to-Side Silhouette of first and second packages of the array may be from about 1.7 to about 6.0. In another embodiment, a disposable absorbent article has a Product Waist-to-Side Silhouette from 1.7 to about 6.

A disposable absorbent undergarment assembly includes briefs that include a front panel and a rear panel attached along lateral edges and a bottom edge to form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. Each of the lateral edges has a break therein extending through each of the waist opening an adjacent one of the leg openings. Closures are used for selectively opening or closing each break. An absorbent area is defined in a central area of the front and rear panels. An elastic band forms a continuous loop that is free of any breaks. The elastic band has an upper edge and a lower edge. A first mating member is attached to the lower edge and a second mating member is attached to the briefs adjacent to the waist opening. The first and second mating members releasably attach the elastic band to the briefs.

An apparatus for joining substrate portions includes substrate portions being positioned such that the substrate portions overlap at an overlap area. The substrate portions each have a melting temperature and an outer surface. A fluid is heated to a temperature sufficient to at least partially melt the substrate portions. A jet of the heated fluid is directed from a fluid orifice onto the substrate portions at the overlap area. The heated fluid penetrates at least one of the outer surfaces of the substrate portions. The substrate portions are at least partially melted using the heated fluid. The substrate portions are compressed using a pressure applying surface adjacent the fluid orifice to join the substrate portions together at the overlap area.

The present invention aims to provide a disposable pull-on diaper improved so that the diaper may be conveniently put on the wearer's body. Each of leg side flaps of a crotch panel has an outer side region and an inner side region. In the lowest region of the crotch region, the outer side region and the inner side region respectively have a dimension of at least 10 mm in a transverse direction wherein the inner side region extends in a longitudinal direction and the outer side region extends in the transverse direction from the inner side region.

In this diaper (1A), both lateral side edge portions (2a, 2b) of an outer cover (2) to which an absorbent assembly (3) is fixed are bonded together, so as to form a pair of side seals (4). In a fixing part (7) where the outer cover (2) and the absorbent assembly (3) are fixed, the outer cover (2) has a weak-functioning region (WT) in which the elastic function is reduced. In each outer lateral side of the weak-functioning region (WT) and in each side seal (4), a lateral-side adhesion region (IT) and a side-seal adhesion region (OT) are formed, respectively, in each of which elastic members (24) are fixed between an outer sheet (22) and an inner sheet (23) by an adhesive (8). In each lateral-side adhesion region (IT) and each side-seal adhesion region (OT), the basis weight of the adhesive (8) in a section (IP, OP) where the elastic member (24) is arranged is higher than the basis weight of the adhesive (8) in a section (IN, ON) between a pair of adjacent elastic members (24), and sections with high and low basis weights in adhesive (8) alternate repeatedly in the Y direction.