# US 11,432,975 B2 · Array of wearable articles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,432,975 B2 - Document ID: US11432975B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/632,436 - Filed: 2017-06-26 - Published: 2017-10-12 - Granted: 2022-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-25 - Assignees: The Procter & Gamble Company - Applicants: The Procter & Gamble Company - Inventors: Koichi Morimoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11432975B2 ## CPC - A61F 13/64: Straps, belts, ties or endless bands ({A61F13/5605, A61F13/5622}, A61F13/66 take precedence) - A61F 13/15593: {having elastic ribbons fixed thereto; Devices for applying the ribbons} - A61F 13/49011: {the elastic means is located at the waist region} - A61F 13/496: in the form of pants or briefs - A61F 13/55105: {packaging of diapers} - A61F 13/49: specially adapted to be worn around the waist, e.g. diapers or nappies - A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C) ## Abstract Disclosed is an array 1 of wearable articles 20, each article comprising a main body 38 and a ring-like elastic belt 40 comprising a front belt and a back belt wherein at least the front belt or the back belt is an elastic member having an elastic member width in the transverse direction and a non-elastic region; wherein a first elastic member of a first article comprises a first non-elastic region; a second elastic member of a second article comprises a second non-elastic region; a third elastic member of a third article comprises a third non-elastic region; wherein the elastic member width of the first, second, and third elastic members are the same; and the first, second, and third non-elastic regions are different from each other. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An array of wearable articles, each article continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, comprising a main body and a ring-like elastic belt comprising a front belt and a back belt wherein at least the front belt or the back belt is an elastic member, the center of the front belt is joined to a front waist panel of the main body, the center of the back belt is joined to a back waist panel of the main body, the front and back belt each having a left side panel and a right side panel where the main body does not overlap, and the transverse edges of the front belt and the back belt are joined by a seam to form a waist opening and two leg openings, the elastic member formed by a plurality of elastic bodies running in the transverse direction sandwiched between an inner sheet and an outer sheet; each front belt and back belt having transversely continuous proximal and distal edges, the proximal edge being located closer than the distal edge relative to the longitudinal center of the article, the elastic member comprising an elastic member width defined by a width of the inner and outer sheets in the transverse direction in the uncontracted condition, and the elastic member further comprising a non-elastic region; wherein a first elastic member of a first article comprises a first non-elastic region; a second elastic member of a second article comprises a second non-elastic region; a third elastic member of a third article comprises a third non-elastic region; wherein the elastic member width of the first, second, and third elastic members are the same; and the first non-elastic region is larger than the second non-elastic region, and wherein the second non-elastic region is larger than the third non-elastic region; wherein the first, second, and third articles are size variations wherein a first article size is larger than a second article size, and the second article size is larger than the third article size. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The array of claim 1 wherein the non-elastic region is made by the steps of a) adhering the elastic bodies between the inner sheet and outer sheet wherein at least a certain portion of some of the elastic bodies are left unadhered, the unadhered portion being an elastic cut window; and b) cutting the elastic bodies at the elastic cut windows; wherein the first elastic member of the first article comprises a first set of elastic cut windows; the second elastic member of the second article comprises a second set of elastic cut windows; the third elastic member of the third article comprises a third set of elastic cut windows; wherein the first, second, and third sets of elastic cut windows are different from each other. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The array of claim 2 wherein the front belt and the back belt of each article are elastic members, the first article comprising a first front elastic member which is the first front belt and a first back elastic member which is the first back belt, the second article comprising a second front elastic member which is the second front belt and a second back elastic member which is the second back belt, the third article comprising a third front elastic member which is the third front belt and a third back elastic member which is the third back belt. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The array of claim 3 wherein the set of elastic cut windows of the front belt and back belt of each article is different. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The array of claim 3 wherein the set of elastic cut windows of the front belt and back belt of each article is the same. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The array of claim 1 wherein the length of the articles along the longitudinal axis are in the range of from 350 mm to 570 mm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The array of claim 1 wherein each article has an Initial Gauge Circumference and a Full Stretch Circumference according to the Whole Article Force Measurement herein, wherein each article of the array is configured such that the percentage of the Initial Gauge Circumference to the Full Stretch Circumference of the ring-like elastic belt is from 28% to 40%. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The array of claim 7 comprising a fourth article comprising a fourth elastic member comprising a fourth non-elastic region. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The array of claim 2 wherein the main body of each article comprises an absorbent core, the absorbent core overlapping at least a portion of the front belt and the back belt. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The array of claim 9 wherein the set of elastic cut windows of each article overlaps the absorbent core. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The array of claim 10 wherein at least one elastic member of at least one article has a set of elastic windows having a transverse width which is shorter than the transverse width of the absorbent core. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The array of claim 9 comprising at least one article having an elastic cut window formed at regions where the absorbent core does not overlap. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The array of claim 12 wherein the elastic cut window is formed on the front belt longitudinally distal from the absorbent core. ### Claim 14 (depends on 3) The of array of claim 3 wherein the elongation of the elastic bodies disposed on the front belt and the back belt of the same distance from the distal edge are substantially matched. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) The array of claim 7 wherein any article is disposed of a total of no more than 60 elastic bodies. ### Claim 16 (depends on 7) The array of claim 7 wherein the Waist Circumference Force according to the Whole Article Force Measurement herein of any article is no more than 10 N. ### Claim 17 (depends on 7) The array of claim 7 wherein, for any article, each of the proximal edges and the distal edges of the front belt and the back belt are substantially parallel, the longitudinal length of the back belt being longer than that of the front belt, wherein the distal edge of the front belt is aligned with the distal edge of the back belt, and the proximal edge of the front belt is not aligned with the proximal edge of the back belt. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The array of claim 1, wherein the elastic members of at least two of the first, second, and third absorbent articles comprises: a same number of elastic strands. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The array of claim 18, wherein the elastic strands comprise an identical dtex. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The array of claim 19, wherein the elastic strands comprise an identical prestretch. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The array of claim 1 wherein the elastic members of all of the first, second, and third absorbent articles comprises elastic strands comprising an identical dtex.