Absorbent article with central pledget and deformation control

An absorbent article having a target zone, a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a vertical direction substantially normal to both the longitudinal and transverse directions, and a body side, the absorbent article comprising;

• a) a liquid impervious backsheet;
• b) a lower absorbent member disposed above the backsheet;
• c) a horizontal wicking barrier disposed over the lower absorbent member, the wicking barrier having a width in the target zone;
• d) a middle absorbent member disposed above the wicking barrier and having a maximum width in the target zone;
• e) an upper absorbent member disposed above the middle absorbent member having a width in the target zone no less than the maximum width of the middle absorbent member in the target zone, the upper absorbent member being predisposed to deflect upward during laterally inward compression of the absorbent article;
• and
• f) a topsheet connected to the backsheet,
• wherein the middle absorbent member is at least in part adjacently disposed above the horizontal wicking barrier.

An absorbent article having a target zone, a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a vertical direction substantially normal to both the longitudinal and transverse directions, and a body side, the absorbent article comprising:

• a) a liquid impervious backsheet;
• b) a lower absorbent member disposed above the backsheet;
• c) a horizontal wicking barrier disposed over the lower absorbent member, the wicking barrier having a width in the target zone;
• d) a middle absorbent member disposed above the wicking barrier and having a maximum width in the target zone;
• e) an upper absorbent member disposed above the middle absorbent member having a width in the target zone no less than the maximum width of the middle absorbent member in the target zone, the upper absorbent member being predisposed to deflect upward during laterally inward compression of the absorbent article;
• and
• f) a topsheet connected to the backsheet,
• wherein the lower absorbent member comprises pair of spaced apart crease lines extending in the longitudinal direction.

An absorbent article having a target zone, a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a vertical direction substantially normal to both the longitudinal and transverse directions, and a body side, the absorbent article comprising:

• a) a liquid impervious backsheet;
• b) a lower absorbent member disposed above the backsheet;
• c) a horizontal wicking barrier disposed over the lower absorbent member, the wicking barrier having a width in the target zone;
• d) a middle absorbent member disposed above the wicking barrier and having a maximum width in the target zone;
• e) an upper absorbent member disposed above the middle absorbent member having a width in the target tone no less than the maximum width of the middle absorbent member in the target zone, the upper absorbent member being predisposed to deflect upward during laterally inward compression of the absorbent article;
• and
• f) a topsheet connected to the backsheet,
• wherein the horizontal wicking barrier comprises a pair of spaced apart longitudinal upward projections with a distance therebetween equal to or greater than the width of the upper absorbent member in the target zone, the longitudinal upward projections being adapted to engage the longitudinal sides of the upper absorbent member when the article is compressed laterally inward in the target zone and
• wherein the lower absorbent member is contiguous in the target zone.

A method for producing an absorbent article having a longitudinal centerline and a transverse centerline substantially normal to the longitudinal centerline comprising:

• a) providing a backsheet;
• b) disposing a substantially planar lower absorbent member above the backsheet, the lower absorbent member having a width along the transverse centerline of the article and comprising longitudinal crease lines therein;
• c) disposing a horizontal wicking barrier over the lower absorbent member;
• d) disposing a middle absorbent member over the horizontal wicking barrier, the middle absorbent member being substantially centered about the longitudinal centerline of the article and having a width substantially less than the width of the lower absorbent member along the transverse centerline of the article;
• e) disposing an upper absorbent member over the middle absorbent member, the upper absorbent member having a width along the transverse centerline of the article greater than the width of the middle absorbent member;
• f) disposing a topsheet above the upper absorbent member and the lower absorbent member;
• and
• g) securing the topsheet to the backsheet,
• wherein the middle absorbent member is at least in part adjacently disposed over the horizontal wicking barrier.