Sanitary absorbent article with an adhesive positioning system covered by release strips linked to one another and method and apparatus for packaging the absorbent article

A disposable sanitary absorbent article for adhesive securement to an undergarment of a wearer, said absorbent article comprising:

• a main body that includes:
• a) a body contacting liquid-pervious cover layer;
• b) an absorbent core underneath said body contacting liquid-pervious cover layer, said absorbent core being in liquid-communicative relationship with said cover layer, whereby liquid discharged on said cover layer is transferred to said absorbent core for storage therein;
• c) a liquid-impervious barrier layer beneath said absorbent core, said barrier layer preventing liquid entrapped in said absorbent core from egressing said main body from a garment facing surface thereof;
• a positioning tab laterally projecting from respective longitudinal sides of said main body, each said tab being flexible and being capable of being folded about a respective edge of the undergarment on which said absorbent article is to be installed;
• an adhesive securement system for releasably retaining said absorbent article to the undergarment, said adhesive securement system including;
• a) a first adhesive zone on the undergarment facing surface of said main body;
• b) a second adhesive zone on the undergarment facing surface of one of said positioning tabs;
• c) a third adhesive zone on the undergarment facing surface of the other one of said positioning tabs, said first, second and third adhesive zones being in a spaced apart relationship;
• d) a peelable protective layer covering said adhesive zones, said peelable protective layer being removable from said absorbent article and including:
• i) a primary release strip extending generally longitudinally on said main body and being releasably attached to said first adhesive zone;
• ii) a secondary release strip extending generally transversely on said main body and having a transverse dimension sufficient to span from one of said laterally projecting positioning tabs across said main body to the other one of said laterally projecting positioning tabs and being releasably attached to said second and third adhesive zones, said release strips crossing each other.