Method and apparatus for making prefastened and refastenable pant with desired waist and hip fit

A process for making a prefastened and refastenable pant, comprising:

• providing a plurality of discrete articles, each article having first and second waist regions, a crotch region interconnecting the waist regions, a longitudinal centerline, first and second fastening components disposed in the first and second waist regions respectively and adapted to refastenably engage one another, the first waist region having opposed side panels;
• providing an activatable retractive material in at least one of the waist regions;
• obtaining position control of the opposed side panels;
• activating at least a portion of the retractive material causing retraction of the retractive material;
• folding each article through the crotch region;
• folding the opposed side panels parallel to the longitudinal centerline to overlap at least portions of the first and second fastening components;
• engaging the first and second fastening components;
• and
• maintaining position control of the opposed side panels until the fastening components are engaged.

An apparatus for making a prefastened and refastenable pant, comprising:

• a pant assembly unit adapted to provide a plurality of discrete articles, each article having first and second waist regions, a crotch region interconnecting the waist regions, a longitudinal centerline, first and second fastening components disposed in the first and second waist regions respectively and adapted to refastenably engage one another, the first waist region having opposed side panels, the pant assembly unit further adapted to provide an activatable retractive material in at least one of the waist regions;
• a product folding mechanism adapted to fold each article through the crotch region;
• a side panel folding mechanism adapted to fold the opposed side panels parallel to the longitudinal centerline to overlap at least portions of the first and second fastening components;
• a fastener engaging mechanism adapted to engage the first and second fastening components;
• and
• an activating mechanism adapted to activate at least a portion of the retractive material and cause the retractive material to retract subsequent to engagement of the fastening components.

An apparatus for making a prefastened and refastenable pant, comprising:

• a pant assembly unit adapted to provide a plurality of discrete articles, each article having first and second waist regions, a crotch region interconnecting the waist regions, a longitudinal centerline, first and second fastening components disposed in the first and second waist regions respectively and adapted to refastenably engage one another, the first waist region having opposed side panels, the pant assembly unit further adapted to provide an activatable retractive material in at least one of the waist regions;
• a position control mechanism adapted to obtain position control of the opposed side panels;
• an activating mechanism adapted to activate at least a portion of the retractive material and cause the retractive material to retract;
• a product folding mechanism adapted to fold each article through the crotch region;
• a side panel folding mechanism adapted to fold the opposed side panels parallel to the longitudinal centerline to overlap at least portions of the first and second fastening components;
• and
• a fastener engaging mechanism adapted to engage the first and second fastening components;
• wherein the position control mechanism maintains position control of the opposed side panels until the fastening components are engaged.

A prefastened and refastenable pant, comprising:

• a chassis defining a first waist region having opposed side panels, an opposite second waist region, a crotch region disposed between and interconnecting the waist regions, and a longitudinal centerline, the waist regions together defining a waistband and a hip section;
• at least one first fastening component disposed in the first waist region;
• at least one second fastening component disposed in the second waist region and adapted to refastenably engage the first fastening component;
• a retractive material disposed in at least the waistband;
• wherein the pant is folded through the crotch region and folded through the opposed side panels so that portions of the waist regions overlap, the first and second fastening components are engaged with one another to maintain the pant in a prefastened condition, and the pant has a waistband-to-hip circumference ratio of about 95 percent or less which results from activation of the retractive material after the fastening components are engaged to one another.