Disposable absorbent garment having improved appearance and sustained fit

A pre-closed disposable absorbent article for fitting about a wearer's body to contain excreta and/or bodily exudates, the wearer's body having a lower abdomen, hip joints, a small of the back, and a diagonal support zone lying across the small of the back over the hip joints and across the lower abdomen, the absorbent article comprising:

• a) a containment assembly having a longitudinal centerline, a lateral centerline, a front waist region, a back waist region opposed to the front waist region, a crotch region disposed between the front waist region and the back waist region, a front end edge, a back end edge, side edges, a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed at least partially between the topsheet and the backsheet;
• b) at least one side panel in the back waist region extending laterally outwardly from the longitudinal centerline farther than the crotch region extends laterally at the lateral centerline and having a laterally extending edge forming a portion of the back end edge;
• c) at least one waist feature disposed substantially adjacent either the front end edge or the back end edge, at least a portion of the waist feature elastically extensible at least laterally;
• and
• d) at least one diagonal support member having a first end and a second end defining a major diagonal axis oriented nonparallel to the lateral centerline and nonparallel to the laterally extending edge of the at least one side panel when the absorbent article is in a flat uncontracted condition, the diagonal support member disposed such that when the absorbent article is worn the diagonal support member lies at least partially in the diagonal support zone of the wearer's body and closer to the lateral centerline than the nearer of the front end edge and the back end edge, the first end lying substantially adjacent the back waist region and the second end lying substantially adjacent the lower abdomen and closer to the lateral centerline than the first end.

A pre-closed disposable absorbent article for fitting about a wearer's body to contain excreta and/or bodily exudates, the wearer's body having a lower abdomen, hip joints, a small of the back, and a diagonal support zone lying across the small of the back over the hip joints and across the lower abdomen, the absorbent article comprising:

• a) a containment assembly having a longitudinal centerline, a lateral centerline, a front waist region, a back waist region opposed to the front waist region, a crotch region disposed between the front waist region and the back waist region, a front end edge, a back end edge, side edges, a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed at least partially between the topsheet and the backsheet;
• b) at least one side panel in the back waist region extending laterally outwardly from the longitudinal centerline farther than the crotch region extends laterally at the lateral centerline and having a laterally extending edge forming a portion of the back end edge;
• c) at least one waist feature disposed substantially adjacent either the front end edge or the back end edge, at least a portion of the waist feature elastically extensible at least laterally;
• d) at least one diagonal support member having a first end and a second end defining a major diagonal axis oriented nonparallel to the lateral centerline and nonparallel to the laterally extending edge of the at least one side panel when the absorbent article is in a flat uncontracted condition, the diagonal support member disposed such that when the absorbent article is worn the diagonal support member lies at least partially in the diagonal support zone of the wearer's body and closer to the lateral centerline than the nearer of the front end edge and the back end edge, the first end lying substantially adjacent the back waist region and the second end lying substantially adjacent the lower abdomen and closer to the lateral centerline than the first end;
• at least a portion of the diagonal support member elastically extensible at least in a direction substantially parallel to the major diagonal axis;
• e) at least one side covering panel disposed adjacent at least a portion of the diagonal support member, the side covering panel covering at least a portion of the wearer's body which the diagonal support member is substantially adjacent when the absorbent article is worn;
• f) at least one lateral reinforcement member having a first reinforcement member end and a second reinforcement member end, the lateral reinforcement member disposed between the front end edge and the lateral centerline of the containment assembly such that at least either the first reinforcement member end or the second reinforcement member end lies substantially adjacent the second end of the diagonal support member when the absorbent article is worn, at least a portion of the lateral reinforcement member elastically extensible at least laterally;
• and
• g) at least one front covering panel disposed between the lateral reinforcement member and the front end edge, the front covering panel covering at least a portion of the wearer's body which the front waist region is substantially adjacent when the absorbent article is worn.