Method and apparatus for briefs with pad support panel

Apparatus for fabricating an undergarment assembly having an inner pad support member superposed on and attached to spaced areas of a unitary rear panel portion and to a front panel portion having a reclosable opening, said apparatus including:

• means to position first and second web supply rolls on transversely spaced centerlines,
• said first and second webs each having a width substantially equal to one half the product width plus an amount for overlap,
• means to advance said first web along a first path,
• means to advance said second web along a second path,
• a first means to apply bonding agent to a longitudinally spaced area on at least one of said webs, said area facing the other of said webs,
• means to partially superpose said second web and said first web in partially overlapped relationship along a conjoined path to form an assembly having innermost and outermost webs,
• means to bond spaced apart overlapped areas of said first web to said second web, said spaced bonded areas forming the unitary rear panel,
• means to advance, cut, and attach pairs of tapes, each having a portion extending from opposite sides of the undergarment assembly,
• means to advance, cut, and apply a release coated cover strip to each of said extending tape portions, said cover strips for removal by user before said extending tape portions are manually folded over to connect said rear panel to said front panel,
• means for attaching a portion of a closure tape to the first half width web, said closure tape extending beyond the overlapped margin of said first web and protruding over said second half width web for attachment of said frist and second half width webs to form the connected front panel portion of said undergarment assembly,
• means to cut curvilinear leg opening portions along non-overlapped side margins of said conjoined first and second web asssemby,
• a second means to apply adhesive to spaced receptor areas on the inner surface of the innermost half width web,
• means to apply spaced dots of adhesive on at least two tensioned elastic strands and bonding the tensioned strands along margins of a third support panel web,
• means to advance and bondably attach the third support panel web to said spaced adhesive receptor areas on said innermost half width web,
• means to cut said bonded rear panel and connected front panel into the undergarment assembly,
• means to remove said undergarment assembly from said conjoined path.