An absorbent article includes a novel design printing portion suitable for a stretchable region. An absorbent article has an elastic film stretchable structure, in which an elastic film is stacked between a first sheet layer and a second sheet layer. The first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are bonded together directly or through the elastic film by a large number of sheet bonded portions arranged at intervals. A region having the elastic film stretchable structure includes a stretchable region. The stretchable region is contracted in a stretchable direction by a contraction force of the elastic film is extensible in the stretchable direction. A design printing portion is provided in a portion located in the stretchable region in the elastic film.

Disclosed is a wearable article continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction comprising a center chassis and a ring-like elastic belt comprising a front belt and a back belt; the front and back belt each formed by a laminate comprising a plurality of elastic bodies running in the transverse direction, an inner sheet, an outer sheet, and an outer sheet fold over, wherein at least one of the front belt and the back belt has: a) the longitudinal edge of the center chassis distal than, preferably at least about 10 mm distal than, the outer sheet fold over proximal edge, and b) in the left and right side panels: b-1) at least one elastic body, preferably at least 2 elastic bodies, disposed between the outer sheet and the outer sheet fold over in regions where the inner sheet does not overlap in the thickness direction; and b-2) the remaining elastic bodies disposed between the outer sheet and the inner sheet in regions where the outer sheet fold over does not overlap in the thickness direction.

A pant-like absorbent articles having handles on side panels of the article for ease of removal and donning of the absorbent garment is disclosed. The article includes a front waist region, a back waist region, and a chassis extending longitudinally between and interconnecting the front and back waist regions attached by at least one side panel. Formed within the side panel is at least one handle. The handle includes an aperture formed through the side panel. The handle further includes a reinforcing material operatively joined to the at least one side panel adjacent distal side edges of the aperture.

An absorbent article includes bond seams that are positioned forwardly towards the article central longitudinal direction from the lateral-most side edges of the article, and which are aligned with the highest point of high rise leg openings on the article. The absorbent article is conformable on both front and back panels, with the front panel being narrower in dimension than the back panel. The bond seams and leg openings can be seen on the front surface of the relaxed and flattened absorbent article. Such absorbent article may be manufactured along the article transverse direction by use of differential tension during manufacture, or differential retractive properties of elastic base materials.

An absorbent article includes an absorbent core, a top sheet provided on a skin-side of a thickness direction of the absorbent core, and a second sheet arranged between the absorbent core and the top sheet in the thickness direction and to be placed in a wearer's inseam. The top sheet has a plurality of protrusions formed along a longitudinal direction and spaced apart in a horizontal direction. The second sheet is smaller than the top sheet in the horizontal direction. The top sheet has an overlapping region overlapping with the second sheet in the thickness direction and both end regions separated by a predetermined distance outward from the overlapping region in the horizontal direction and provided to overlap with the overlapping region in the longitudinal direction. A horizontal pitch of the protrusions in the overlapping region is larger than a horizontal pitch of the protrusions in the two end regions.

A method of producing an underpants-type disposable diaper includes forming an outer member having a non-stretchable region disposed in an intermediate region in the width direction and stretchable regions disposed on the two sides of the non-stretchable region in the width direction by: fixing elastic members to an inner sheet layer and an outer sheet layer in at least two edge portions of portions to be the stretchable regions without fixing the elastic members to the inner sheet layer nor the outer sheet layer in a portion to be the non-stretchable region; disposing a graphic sheet and disposing a no-extra-sheet region between the inner sheet layer and the outer sheet layer in the side portion of the non-stretchable region; cutting the elastic members and leaving cut marks and idle elastic members over the no-extra-sheet region; and leaving the elastic members in a region overlapping with the graphic sheet uncut.

An absorbent article (20, 20′) comprising a topsheet (58), a backsheet (42,60), and an absorbent core (62), and at least one nonwoven-nonwoven adhesive bond other than a core stabilization bond, wherein the adhesive of the adhesive bond has a Toughness of at least 11 MJ/m.sup.3, a Yield Stress of at least 0.7 MPa. The adhesive may further have a storage modulus G′ of at least 7.5 MPa. These are as measured at 37° C. according to the methods described herein. The adhesive comprises at least 5% by weight of the adhesive of a tackifier.

An absorbent article includes a novel design printing portion suitable for a stretchable region. An absorbent article has an elastic film stretchable structure, in which an elastic film is stacked between a first sheet layer and a second sheet layer. The first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are bonded together directly or through the elastic film by a large number of sheet bonded portions arranged at intervals. A region having the elastic film stretchable structure includes a stretchable region. The stretchable region is contracted in a stretchable direction by a contraction force of the elastic film is extensible in the stretchable direction. A design printing portion is provided in a portion located in the stretchable region in the elastic film.

An ultrasonic welding device includes a support device configured to support a work piece along a predetermined conveyance surface; a welding machine including an oscillator for generating a high-frequency electric signal, a transducer for converting the high-frequency electric signal to a mechanical vibration, and a horn to which the mechanical vibration is transmitted, the horn being disposed to face a part to be welded of a work piece supported along the conveyance surface, and the mechanical vibration being imparted via the horn to the part to be welded, whereby the part to be welded is welded; a detector for detecting an abnormality in the part to be welded, the detector being disposed upstream in the conveyance direction of the work piece than the support device; and a protective device for prohibiting the welding machine from welding the part to be welded in which an abnormality is detected by the detector.

Elastomeric laminates of the present disclosure may comprise closely spaced (e.g., Average-Strand-Spacing less than 4 mm), fine elastomeric strands (Average-Dtex less than 400), and laminates may be deformed via MD activation and/or aperturing. Further, the laminates of the present disclosure may comprise elastomeric strands having different polymer compositions. The laminates of the present disclosure may be used for disposable absorbent article components (including pant belts).