Individual, Expandable Wrapper For A Hygiene Product

An article having a longitudinal length, a width, and a thickness, the article comprising:

• a fresh personal care product in a substantially unsoiled condition;
• and
• a pouch having a pouch volume that operatively encloses the fresh product, the pouch including
• a front panel region;
• a back panel region operatively connected to the front panel region;
• and
• at least one expansion section which is operatively connected between the front panel region and back panel region, wherein the expansion section is operatively held in a substantially unexpanded, closed position when the fresh personal care product is enclosed in the pouch;
• wherein the expansion section is movable to an open position after a removal of the fresh personal care product from the pouch;
• and wherein the open position of the expansion section is configured to provide an expanded disposal volume that can operatively contain the personal care product when the personal care product is in a used and soiled condition;
• wherein at least a portion of the front panel and at least a portion of the back panel are provided by a primary web layer, and wherein a supplemental web layer is configured to overlie at least a portion of the primary web layer to provide a composite web operatively turned about an appointed turn-region;
• the expansion section includes a first gusset member operatively interconnected between a first side-edge region of the primary web layer and a first side-edge portion of the supplemental web layer, a second gusset member operatively interconnected between a second side-edge region of the primary web layer and a second side-edge region of the supplemental web layer, and a base end region of the supplemental web layer operatively connected to a base end region of the primary web layer to form a disposal container;
• wherein a pair of companion portions of a first side region of the composite web are releasably attached together, and a pair of companion portions of a second side region of the composite web are releasably attached together, thereby holding the expansion section in a substantially unexpanded, closed position;
• wherein the personal care product has been separately folded prior to engagement with the front and back panels of the pouch;
• and wherein the article further includes a pouch closure mechanism that is configured to operatively hold the pouch in a closed configuration that encloses the fresh personal care product.