Absorbent article which includes superabsorbent material located in discrete, elongate pockets placed in selected patterns

An absorbent article, comprising:

• a first, liquid-permeable carrier layer and at least a second carrier layer;
• carrier attaching means for securing together said carrier layers to provide substantially attached zones and substantially unattached zones thereof, said substantially unattached zones providing a plurality of pocket regions and said substantially attached zones located between said pocket regions;
• and
• high-absorbency material located within said pocket regions to provide an absorbent laminate having a laminate length and a laminate width;
• wherein
• said water-sensitive carrier attaching means provides a wet strength adequate to hold said carrier layers together when wet, and said wet strengths is less than a separating force imparted by a swelling of said high-absorbency material when said high-absorbency material is exposed to an aqueous liquid;
• said plurality of pocket regions are included within a dispersed pocket array;
• said pocket array includes elongate pocket regions which have major and minor axes thereof and are arranged in a non-contiguous and staggered configuration;
• a first plurality of said elongate pocket regions are located in an intermediate section of said article with the major axes thereof cooperatively arranged in a convergent pattern relative to a longitudinal line of said laminate;
• and
• a second plurality of said elongate pocket regions are located in at least one waistband section of said article with the major axes thereof substantially aligned along a cross-direction of said article.

An absorbent article, comprising:

• a first, liquid-permeable carrier layer and at least a second carrier layer;
• carrier attaching means for securing together said carrier layers to provide substantially attached zones and substantially unattached zones thereof, said substantially unattached zones providing a plurality of pocket regions and said substantially attached zones located between said pocket regions;
• and
• high-absorbency material located within said pocket regions to provide an absorbent laminate having a periphery with curvilinear regions thereof;
• wherein
• said water-sensitive carrier attaching means provides a wet strength adequate to hold said carrier layers together when wet, and said wet strength is less than a separating force imparted by a swelling of said high-absorbency material when said high-absorbency/material is exposed to an aqueous liquid;
• said plurality of pocket regions are included within a dispersed pocket array;
• said pocket array includes elongate pocket regions which are arranged in a non-contiguous and staggered configuration and have major and minor axes thereof;
• said pocket array includes peripheral elongate pocket regions located adjacent said curvilinear regions of said periphery, said peripheral elongate pocket regions selectively arranged with major axes thereof aligned substantially parallel with respectively adjacent portions of said laminate periphery;
• and
• said pocket array includes a first plurality of said elongate pocket regions which are located in an intermediate section of said article with the major axes thereof cooperatively arranged in a convergent pattern relative to a longitudinal line of said laminate.

An absorbent article, comprising:

• a first, liquid-permeable carrier layer and at least a second carrier layer;
• carrier attaching means for securing together said carrier layers at substantially attached zones thereof, said carrier layers having substantially unattached zones providing a plurality of pocket regions with said substantially attached zones located between said pocket regions;
• and
• high-absorbency material located within said pocket regions to provide an absorbent laminate having a laminate length and a laminate width;
• wherein
• said water-sensitive carrier attaching means provides a wet strength adequate to hold said carrier layers together when wet, and said wet strength is less than a separating force imparted by a swelling of said high-absorbency material when said high-absorbency material is exposed to an aqueous liquid;
• said plurality of pocket regions are included within a dispersed pocket array;
• said pocket array includes a plurality of elongate pocket regions which have major and minor axes thereof;
• and
• said elongate pocket regions are arranged in a non-contiguous and staggered configuration with immediately adjacent pocket regions of said staggered configuration having a separation distance of at least about 15% of a width dimension of said immediately adjacent pocket regions.