Absorbent article having folded side flaps
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorKaren K. Leeker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An absorbent article having a main body portion and a pair of flaps joined to the main body portion. The flaps are folded over the garment side of the main body portion such that the flap adhesives and the central pad adhesives can be covered by a single release liner. The flaps may or may not be used while the absorbent article is being used, i.e., the absorbent article may be used by wrapping the flaps around the edges of the crotch region and securing the flap adhesives to the underside of a user's panty; alternatively, the flaps may be left in their folded configuration on the garment side of the main body portion and the flap adhesives may be secured, along with the central pad adhesive, to the inner crotch region of the panty.
Claims17
An absorbent article in a folded configuration having an adhesive side and a non-adhesive side, said absorbent article comprising:
- a main body portion comprising an absorbent assembly, a body-facing side, a garment side, and a periphery comprising longitudinal edges and transverse edges;
- and
- a pair of flaps, each of said flaps being joined along a line of juncture to said main body portion, and each flap comprising a proximal edge adjacent to the line of juncture, a distal edge disposed away from the line of juncture, a body-facing side, and a garment side, each said flap being folded to be over the garment side of said main body portion to form a first flap portion and each said flap being folded again to form a second flap portion having a body-facing side and a garment side, said garment side of said second flap portion facing away from said garment side of main body portion such that, in the absorbent article's folded configuration, said garment side of said main body portion and said garment side of each said second flap portion all face opposite said body-facing side of said main body portion, and
- a flap securement member joined to said garment side of said second flap portion of each said flap whereby at least a portion of said flap securement member on said second flap portion overlays said main body portion such that each said flap securement member forms at least a portion of said adhesive side of the absorbent article.
A method for making an absorbent article in a folded configuration comprising an adhesive side, a non-adhesive side and flaps with flap adhesives which form at least a portion of the adhesive side of said absorbent article, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an absorbent article comprising a garment side, a body-facing side, a main body portion, and a pair of flaps joined to said main body portion along a line of juncture, said main body portion comprising an absorbent assembly, each of said flaps comprising a proximal edge adjacent the line of juncture, a distal edge disposed away from the line of juncture;
- (b) folding each said flap over said garment side of said absorbent article,
- (c) folding each flap a second time such that a portion of the garment side of each of said flaps overlays and faces away from the garment side of said main body portion to form an adhesive receiving portion on each of said flaps;
- (d) Applying an adhesive to at least said adhesive receiving portions of each of said flaps to form flap securement members;
- (e) providing a wrapper comprising a release strip overlaying the adhesive portions of each said second flap portions and at least a portion of the adhesive side of the main body portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.