CA2079511C - Method of making absorbent article having flaps and zones of differential extensibility - Google Patents

Abstract

A method is disclosed for making an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin, having flaps and zones of differential extensibility for relieving the stresses that develop in the flaps when the flaps are folded down along the edges of crotch of the wearer's undergarments.

Description

2~

METHOD OF MAKIHG ABSORBENT ARTICLE HAVIHG FLAPS
AND ZONES OF DIFFERENTIAL EXTENSIBILITY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present lnventlon relates to ~ethods of mak1ng absorbent art1cles such as fe~ale san1tary napklns adult 1ncontlnence dev1ces and the llke. St111 ~ore partlcularly the present lnventlon concerns methods of mak1ng absorbent art1cles havlng flaps whlch prov1de ~ones of d1fferent1al extenslblllty for retlev1ng the stresses that develop in the flaps when the flaps are folded down and under a wearer s undergar~ent.

BACKGROUND OF TNE INVENTION

All manner and varlety of absorbent art1cles conf19ured for the absorpt10n of body flulds such as ~enses ur1ne and feces are, of course well known. Absorbent art1cles parttcularly san1tary napk1ns hav1ng ~1ngs or flaps are d1sclosed ln the 11terature and are available ln the marketplace.

Generally the flaps extend laterally fro a central absorbent means and are 1ntended to be folded around the edges of the ~earer s pant1es 1n the crotch reg10n. Thus, the n aps are d1sposed between --- 2 2 ~ L

the edges of the wearer's pantles ln the crotch reglon and the wearer's thlghs. Commonl~, the flaps are provlded wlth an attachment means for aff1xlng the flaps to the underslde of the wearer's pantles.

The flaps serve ~t least two purposes. F1rst, the flaps prevent exudates whlch otherw1se would so11 the edges of the wearer's pantles from dolng such. Second, the flaps help stablllze the napk1n from sh1ftlng out of place, espec1ally when the flaps are afflxed to the unders1de of the pant1es.

Sanitary napk1ns havlng flaps of the var1Ous types are dlsclosed 1n U.S. Patent ~,687,~78, ent1tled ~Shaped San1tary Hapk1n ~lth flaps~, whlch 1ssued to Van T11burg on August 18, l987, U.S.
Patent 4,608,04~, entltled ~Sanltary Napkln Attachment Means~, ~h1ch 1ssued to Matt1ngly on August 26, 1986, U.S. Patent ~,589,876, ent1tled ~Sanltary Napk1n~, wh1ch 1ssued to Van Ttlburg on ~ay 20, 1986, U.S. Patent ~,285,3~3, ent1tled ~San1tary Napk1n~, ~h1ch lssued to McNa1r on August 25, 1981, U.S. Patent 3,397,697, ent1tled ~D1sposable Sanltary Shleld for Undergarments~, whtch lssued to Rlckard on August 20, 1968, and U.S. Patent 2,787,271, ent1tled ~Sanltary Napk1n~, wh1ch lssued to Clark on Apr11 2, l95~.

~ h11e s~n1tary napk1ns hav1ng flaps are commonly vlewed as prov1d1ng better protect1On aga1nst so111ng ~s compared to sanltary napklns w1thout flaps, the flapped napk1ns commonly exper1ence problems that keep them from belng opt1mally effect1ve. ~hese problems generally result fro~ the stresses exerted on such flaps when the sanltary napk1ns are worn.

When the flaps are folted down along the edges of the wearer's pant1es, stresses are created 1n the flaps. ThQ stresses are espec1ally h1gh along the fold 11ne at the edges of the wearer's pant1es where the flaps are bent from the bodys1de of the pant~ to the unders1de of the panty. ~hese stresses are caused by f1tt1ng a flap around the curved outl1ne of a panty crotch. ~hese stresses are magn1f~ed when a wearer s1ts or crouches because the edges of 3 2 ~ 5 L~l the pantles are pulled outward agalnst the flaps thus lncreaslng the forces agalnst thls fold llne. ~hen the stresses become too hlgh the flaps may become detached from the panty and some portlon of the aforementloned beneflts of the flaps may be lost. In addltlon even ~f the stresses are not sufflclent to detach the flaps they may still be sufftclent to cause the flaps to bunch longltudlnally lnward. Thls effectlvely reduces the slze of the flaps and the area of the wearer s undergarments that the flaps are able to cover.
Thus there ~s a commerclal need for a way of ellmlnatlng or at least reduc~ng the stresses that develop ln the flaps when folded so as to prevent the~ from becomlng detached f~o~ the wearer s pantles and losing ablllty to cover a g1ven area of the pant1es.

A number of varlatlons on the types of flaps descrlbed above have been presented ln an attempt to solve var10us problems. U.S.
Patent 4 900 320 lssued to ~cCoy on Februar~ 13 l990 dlscloses a sanltary napkln having flaps afflxed at po1nts lnward from the longltud1nal edge of the napkln. U.S. Patent ~ 911,701 lssued to Mavlnkurve on Harch 2~ 1990 t1scloses a sanltary napkln havtng elast1c means for provldlng greater convex shape to the body-fac1ng port~on of the central absorbent and for enabl1ng adhes1ve--ree placement of the flaps of the napk1n. U.S. Patent ~ 940 462 lssued to Salerno on July IO l990 d1scloses a san1tary napkln w1th long1tudlnally expandable flaps. A sanltary napkln hav1ng flaps w1th stress rel1ef means ln the for~ of a notch or a sllt ls descr1beJ ln U.S. Patent ~ 917 697 wh1ch lssued to Osborn III, et al. on Apr11 17 I990. Although thls latter sanltar~ napk1n works qulte well the search for san1tary napklns having 1mproved flaps has cont1nued.

The stresses descrlbed above can also unduly 11mlt the s1ze of the flaps used w1th an absorbent artlcle s1nce the stresses are typlcally greater ln products havlng large flaps (that 1s flaps hav1ng a relat1vel~ large longltud1nal d1~enslon). There 1s thus also a need for absorbent art1cles wlth an lmproved stress rel1ef means for rellevlng the stresses that develop 1n the flaps that does not limit the size of the flaps that can be used, and methods for making such absorbent articles.
Therefore, it is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide a method for making an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin, having flaps that provide the absorbent article with zones of differential extensibility for relieving the stresses that develop in the flaps when they are folded down along the edges of the crotch of the wearer's undergarments and affixed to the underside of the undergarments.
It is an additional object of an aspect of the present invention to provide a method of making an absorbent article having flaps that provides the absorbent article with zones of differential extensibility that allow larger flaps to be used on the absorbent article, than those of prior products.
These and other objects of an aspect of the present invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE lNv~NLlON
The present invention is directed to a method of making an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin, having flaps and zones of differential extensibility for relieving the stresses that develop in the flaps when the flaps are folded down along the edges of the crotch of the wearer's undergarments.
Aspects of the invention are as follows:
A method of making an absorbent article having flaps and zones of differential extensibility, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an absorbent article comprising a main body portion, said main body portion having a body-facing side, a garment side, a principal longitudinal centerline, a principal transverse centerline, two spaced apart longitudinal edges, said main body portion ~ ., A-4a 2 0 7 9 5 1 1 comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet, and an absorbent core positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent core having a pair of spaced apart longitudinal side edges that define a widest portion of said absorbent core at least at one place between said longitudinal side edges of said absorbent core, said absorbent article comprising:
(i) a pair of flaps, said flaps having a garment side, and each flap being associated with said main body portion at a juncture and extending laterally outward beyond a longitudinal edge of said main body portion, said junctures each having a pair of ends, said flaps being divided into a front half and a back half by a flap transverse centerline, and having a fastener located on the garment side of said flaps for attaching each flap to the underside of an undergarment or to the other flap; and (ii) two corner regions for each flap, said corner regions being located in the regions of the ends of each juncture, wherein portions of said flaps lie along said flap transverse centerline and portions of said flaps lie in said corner regions, and the portions of said flaps that lie along said flap transverse centerline lie transversely further outward from the principal longitudinal centerline than the longitudinal side edges of the absorbent core at the widest portion of said absorbent core and are disposed further outward in the transverse direction from the longitudinal said edges of said main body portion than the portions of said flaps located in said corner regions; and (b) forming zones of differential extensibility in said corner regions of said absorbent article, said zones comprising portions of at least one of said topsheet, backsheet, absorbent core, and flaps, said zones of differential extensibility being capable of greater A
,c~. ' 4b 207q 5 1 1 extensibility outward in a generally transverse direction than the surrounding portions of said absorbent article whereby said zones of differential extensibility provide material to cover a wearer's undergarment to prevent exudates from soiling the wearer's undergarment through said zones of differential extensibility.
A method of making an absorbent article having flaps and zones of differential extensibility, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an absorbent article comprising a main body portion, said main body portion having a body-facing side, a garment side, a principal longitudinal centerline and a principal transverse centerline, said main body portion having two spaced apart longitudinal side edges, said main body portion comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet, and an absorbent core positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent core having a pair of spaced apart longitudinal side edges that define a widest portion of said absorbent core at least at one place between said longitudinal side edges of said absorbent core;
(b) providing at least one component in the form of a pair of flaps, said flaps each having a garment side, a flap transverse centerline, a proximal end, a distal end, two corner regions, said corner regions being located in portions of said flaps that are at the proximal ends of said flaps and spaced away from said flap transverse centerline, and a fastener located on the garment side at the distal end of said flaps for attaching each flap to the underside of an undergarment or to the other flap wherein portions of said flaps lie along said flap transverse centerline;
(c) forming zones of differential extensibility in said corner regions of said flaps, said zones comprising portions of at least one of said topsheet, backsheet, absorbent core, and flaps, said zones of differential A

~ 4c 207951 1 extensibility being capable of greater extensibility outward in a generally transverse direction than the surrounding portions of said flaps while the portions of the flaps that lie along the flap transverse centerline have a greater dimension in the transverse direction from the proximal ends of said flaps than the portions of the flaps located in the corner regions whereby said zones of differential extensibility provide material to cover a wearer's undergarment to prevent exudates from soiling the wearer's undergarment through said zones of differential extensibility; and (d) attaching said at least one component that comprises said flaps to said main body portion so that the proximal ends of said flaps are affixed at a juncture with the main body portion, said flaps each extend laterally outward beyond a longitudinal edge of said main body portion and lie transversely further outward from the principal longitudinal centerline than the portions of the longitudinal side edges of the absorbent core at the widest portion of said absorbent core.
A method of making a sanitary napkin having flaps and a zone of extensibility, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a sanitary napkin comprising:
a main body portion comprising an absorbent core, said absorbent core having two spaced apart longitudinal side edges that define a widest portion of said absorbent core at least at one place between said longitudinal edges of said absorbent core;
a pair of flaps extending laterally outward from a juncture with said main body portion to a distal edge, said flaps each having a garment side with a fastener thereon, a flap transverse centerline, and points along said flap transverse centerline at the distal edge of said flaps, wherein said points along said flap transverse centerline lie transversely outboard of L~ ' 4d 207951 1 the longitudinal side edges of the widest portion of said absorbent core; and (b) forming a zone of extensibility in said sanitary napkin, said zone of extensibility comprising portions of said flaps that are spaced longitudinally away from said flap transverse centerline, said zone of extensibility having slack therein and being capable of greater extensibility outward in a generally transverse direction than the points of said flaps located along said flap transverse centerline whereby said zones of differential extensibility provide material to cover a wearer's undergarment to prevent exudates from soiling the wearer's undergarment through said zones of differential extensibility.
A method of making a sanitary napkin having flaps and a zone of extensibility, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a sanitary napkin comprising:
a main body portion comprising an absorbent core, said absorbent core having two spaced apart longitudinal side edges that define a widest portion of said absorbent core at least at one place between said longitudinal edges of said absorbent core;
a pair of flaps extending laterally outward from a juncture with said main body portion to a distal edge, said flaps each having a garment side with a fastener thereon, a flap transverse centerline, and points along said flap transverse centerline at the distal edge of said flaps, wherein said points along said flap transverse centerline lie transversely outboard of the longitudinal side edges of the widest portion of said absorbent core; and (b) forming a zone of extensibility in said sanitary napkin, said zone of extensibility comprising portions of said flaps that are spaced longitudinally away from said flap transverse centerline, said portions of said flaps comprising material that is extensible and A-''J''' -~ 5 207951 1 capable of greater extensibility outward in a generally transverse direction than the points of said flaps located along said flap transverse centerline whereby said zones of differential extensibility provide material to cover a wearer's undergarment to prevent exudates from soiling the wearer's undergarment through said zones of differential extensibility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a preferred sanitary napkin embodiment made by the method of the present invention.
Figure lA is a lateral cross-sectional view taken along line lA-lA of Figure 1 through the corner region of one of the flaps of the sanitary napkin.
Figure lB is a lateral cross-sectional view taken along line lB-lB of Figure 1 through the center portion of one of the flaps.

, .
A~

Flgure 2 ls a top plan vlew of a sanltary napkln havlng flaps wlth an alternatlvely preferred type of ~ones of d~fferentlal extenslblllty.

Figure 2A ls a lateral cross-sectlonal vlew taken along llne 2A-2A of Flgure 2 through one of the flaps of the sanltary napkln.

Flgure 3 ls a perspectlve vlew of the crotch portlon of a women s pantles.

Figure ~ ls the same perspectlve vlew of the women s pantles shown ln Flgure 3 wlth the sanltary napkln of Flgure l belng placed thereln for use.

Flgure 5 ls a top plan v1ew of an alternatlvely preferred sanltary napkln made by the method of the present lnventlon.

Flgure 6 ls a cross-sectlonal vlew of the sanltary napkln shown ln Figure 5 taken along llne 6-6 of Flgure 5.

Flgure 7 ls a cross-sectlonal vlew taken from an angle slm11ar to that of Flgure 6 of a san1tary napk1n hav1ng a pleat ~olned to its backsheet made by the method of the present lnvent10n.

Flgure 8 ls plan vlew of a sanltar~ napk1n showlng a curved pattern of ~o~nlng the flap to the maln body portlon of the sanltary napk1n.

Flgure 8A ls plan vlew of another san1tary napk1n showlng a curved pattern of ~olntng the flap to the ma1n body portlon of the sanitary napkln.

Flgure 8B 1s a plan vlew of a ~ethod of mak1ng flaps for the embod1ment shown ln Flgure 8A.

Flgures 8C - 8E are varlous top and bottom plan vlews of still another sanltary napkln ln whlch the flaps are ~olned to the maln body portlon of the sanltary napkln along a curved ~uncture.

Flgure 9 ls a top plan vle~ of a sanltary napkln ln whlch the maln body portion of the sanltary napkln ls folded.

Flgure lO ls a slmpllfled cross-sectlonal vlew of the sanltary napk~n shown 1n Flgure 9 taken along 11ne 9-9 of Flgure 9.

F19ure 11 ls a bottom plan vlew of the santtary napkln shown 1n Flgure 9.

Flgure 12 ls a slmpllfled transverse cross-sectlonal vle~ of another alternatlvely preferred sanltary napk1n ln whlch the ~a1n body port10n ls folded only once.

Flgure 13 ls a slmpllfled transverse cross-sectlonal vlew of another sanitary napk1n 1n ~h1ch the ~a1n body portlon conta1ns mult1ple folds.

Flgure 1~ ls an exploded perspecttve v~ew show1ng the asse~bly of a san1tar~ napk1n wh1ch contalns a preferred absorbent core and panty fastening adheslve pattern for use 1n the present lnvent10n (but whlch does not 1nclude flaps and the zones of dlfferent1al extens1b111ty provlded b~ the the method of the present lnventlon).

Flgure 15 1s a d1agram whlch 111ustrates some of the ter~s and concepts descr1bed ln Table 1.

Flgure 16 ls a top plan vlew of a san1tary napk1n havlng flaps provlded w1th an opt10nal barrler feature.

DETAlLFn DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED _MBaDl~F~TS

The present 1nvent10n relates to ~ethods of maklng absorbent art1cles such as female san1tary napk~ns. ~ore part1cularly the 2~1f ~

present lnventlon relates to ~ethods of maklng absorbent artlcles havlng flaps ~hlch provlde 20nes of dlfferentlal extenslblllt~ for rel1eYlng the stresses that develop ln the flaps when the~ are folded down along the edges of the crotch of the wearer's undergarments and attached to the underslde of the underganments.

~ he term ~absorbent artlcle~, as used hereln, refers to artlcles wh1ch absorb and contaln body exudates. More speclflcally, the term refers to art1cles whlch are placed agalnst or ln proxlmlty to the body of the wearer to absorb and contaln the ~arlous exudates d1scharged from the body. The term ~absorbent artlcle~ ls lntended to 1nclude san1tary napklns, pantlllners, and lncontlnent pads (and other artlcles worn ln the crotch region of a garment). The ten~
~dtsposable~ refers to artlcles wh~ch are lntended to be d1scarded after a s1ngle use and preferably recycled, composted, or otherwlse d1sposed of ln an environmentally compatlble ~anner. (That ls, the~
are not lntended to be laundered or otherwlse restored or reused as an absorbent artlcle.) In the preferred embodlment lllustrated, the absorbent artlcle ls a sanltary napkln des1gnated 20.

The term ~sanltary napkln', as used hereln, refers to an artlcle wh1ch 1s worn by females ad~acent to the pudendal reg~on that ls lntended to absorb and contaln the varlous exudates whlch are dlscharged from the body (e.g., blood, menses, and urlne). ~he method of the present lnvent10n, however, 1s not llmlted to the product10n of the partlcular types or conflguratlons of absorbent artlcles shown ln the drawlngs.

A preferred embodlment of a sanitary napkln 20 made by the present lnventlon ls shown ln Flgure 1. As shown ln F~gure 1, the sanltary napkln 20 bas k all~ comprlses an absorbent means represented by central absorbent pad (or ~maln body portlon') 22, and two flaps 2~. (In the d1scuss10n that follows, unless otherw1se noted, the sanitary napkln descrlbed here1n wlll have two flaps.
~h11e lt ls not necessary that the napk1n have two flaps, two flaps are preferred over one flap. Also, wh11e ~t 1s not necessar~ that the flaps be m1rror lmages of one another, they preferably are.

2 ~

Thus, the descrlptlon of one flap wtll be a descrlptlon of the other, and, for clarlty, dlscusslon of the second flap ~ay be omltted.) ~ he sanltary napkln 20 has two centerllnes, a prlnclpal longttudlnal centerllne l and ~ pr1nc1pal transverse centerllne t.
The term ~longltudlnal~, as used hereln, refers to a 11ne, axts or dlrectlon ln the plane of the san1tary napk1n 20 that ls generally allgned wlth (e.g., approxlmately parallel to) a vertlcal plane whlch blsects a standtng wearer tnto left and rtght body halves when the santtary napktn 20 ls worn. The terms ~transYerse' or ~lateral~
used hereln, are ~nterchangeable, and refer to a llne, ax1s or dlrectlon whlch lles wtthln the plane of the sanltary napkln 20 that 1s generally perpendlcular to the long1tud~nal dtrect10n.

The san1tary napkln 20 1s compr1sed of a topsheet ~0, backsheet 42, an absorbent core 4~, and a pa1r of flaps 2~. At least a part of the topsheet 40, backsheet 42, and absorbent core comprlse the maln body portlon 22. The flaps 24 shown tn Flgures l and lA are compr1sed of separate pteces of materlal wh1ch ~re attached to the maln body portton 22. (In alternattve embodtments, such as those shown tn U.S. Patent 4,917,697 lssued to Osborn, the flaps 24 may be tntegral wtth the ma1n body portton 22. In such a case, the topsheet 40 ma~ form one surface of both the n aps 2~ and the matn body port10n 22, and the backsheet 42 may form the other surface of the same. In addttton, the absorbent matertal of the santtary napk1n 20 m-y extend tnto the flaps 24 to form ~ flap absorbent core, as descr1bed ln greater deta11 1n U.S. Patent 4,917,697.) The flaps 24 are each assoctated wtth ma1n body portton 22 along a ~uncture. Th1s ts typ1cally a 10ng1tudtnally-ortented (or ~longttudtnal~) ~uncture, such as ltnes of ~uncture 30. As used heretn, the terms ~uncture~ (or ~ltne of ~uncture~) refer to regtons where the flaps 2~ extend fro~ or are ~otned to the ~n body portlon 22. These regtons can be any of var~ous curved or stratght ltnes, but they are not ltmtted to llnes. Thus, these 2~f~
- lo reglons can comprlse flanges strlps lntermlttent llnes and the llke. In the sanltary napkln 20 lllustrated ln flgure 1 llne of ~uncture 30 ls ~ rel~tlvely stralght llne.

The flaps 2~ have a proxlmal edge 32 ad~acent the l~ne of Juncture. A dlstat edge (or ~free end~) 34 1s remote fro~ the llne of ~uncture 30. As shown ln Flgure l each flap 2~ 1s dlvlded lnto a front half 26 and a back half 28 b~ a flap transverse centerllne tI. The flap transverse centerllne tl m~y cotnclde wlth the pr1nclpal transverse centerllne t of the san1tary napk1n but thls ls not absolutely requ1red. The flap transverse centerllne tl extends through the pr1nclpal longltudlnal centerllne l to dlvlde the sanltary napk1n 1nto four quarters A B C and D.

The quarters comprlse a flrst portlon or zone (such as Al Bl Cl and Dl) ad~acent at least a port10n of the prlnclpal longltudlnal centerllne l and the flap transverse centerllne tl. A
second portlon or zone (A2 B2, C2 and D2) ls outboard of and complementary ~th the f1rst port10n. (The ter~s ~outboard~ or ~outward~ as used hereln mean generally spaced ln ~ d1rectlon away from these centerl1nes. ~he ten~ ~co~plementary- ~s used here1n means that the f1rst and second port10ns form an ent1re quarter.) The san1tary napk1n 20 has at least one zone of d1fferentlal extens1blllty (or ~zone of extenslb111ty~ or s1mply ~zone~) 50.
Preferably as sho~n 1n Flgure l the san1tary napkln 20 has four zones of d1fferent1al extenslbll1ty 50 one ~n each quarter of the san1tary napk1n 20. The zones of d1fferentl-1 extens1btllt~ 50 relleve the stresses wh1ch tevelop ln the flaps 2~ when the~ are folded around a panty crotch. S1nce the zones of dlfferentlal extenslb11ity 50 rel1eve stresses 1n the flaps they may be referred to hereln as a type of ~stress rellef means~.

The ter~ ~zone of d~fferentl~l extens1b111ty~ as used herein refers to a port10n of the san1tary napk1n 20 ~h1ch 1s capab1e of extendlng ~ d1ffer1ng amount (preferably ~ greater a~ount), th~n surroundlng port10ns of the san1tary napk1n 20. These ~surround1ng portlons~ of the sanltary napkln comprlse the flrst portlons of the ~uarters. The zones of dtfferent1-1 extenslblllty 50, thus, comprtse the second portlons of each quarter.

The zones of d1fferent1al extenslblllty 50 ~re preferably prlmarlly extenslble 1n a greater amount generally outward ln the transverse dlrectlon. Thls ls generally 1n the dlrectlon of the arrows shown ln Flgure 1. As used here1n, ~generally ln the transverse dlrect10n~ means that the extenslb111ty has a transverse component. All of the extenslon, however, need not be exactly parallel to the pr1nc1pal transverse centerllne of the san1tary napkln. The extenslb11lty ls preferably or1ented more ln the transverse dlrectlon than ln the long1tudlnal dlrect10n.

The zone(s) of dlfferent1al extenslb11tty 50 can compr~se any structure capable of extendtng a greater amount 1n the transverse dlrectlon than the surround1ng port10ns of the sanltary napkln. The d1fferentlal extens1b11ity referred to here1n, however, must be elast1cless. That 1s, 1t must be accompl1shed w1thout the use of separate elastlc pteces, strands, or mater1als to contract one or more port10ns of the sanltary napktn. The zones of d1fferent1al extens1btl1ty must also be accompltshed ~tthout sl1ttlng or notch1ng portlons of the san1tar~ napk1n that cover the wearer's undergarments. Th1s w111 have the advantage that exudates w111 not be able to travel through the s11ts or notches to so11 the wearer's underqarments.

Su1table structures for the zones of dlfferentlal extenslbl1ty lnclude, but are not llm1ted to zones of mater1al that are mechan1cally stratned, corrugated, ~r1ng rolled~, folded, pleated, or ~olned along a curved ~uncture. These structures (although sometlmes shown only as be1ng part of the flaps 2~), can compr1se portlons of the matn body port10n 22, portlons of the n aps 2~, or both. They can be tntegral parts of these components of the san1tary napk1n, or separate elements, such as p1eces of mater1al, ~otned to the san1tary napk1n.

--- 12 2a?~3~ ~

~ he ~ones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty 50 are more speclflcally located 1n the corner reglons 52 of the san1tary napkln 20. (~hus, the second porttons A2, B2, C2, and ~2 Of the quarters preferably comprise the corner reg10ns 52 of the san1tary napkln 20.) ~he sanltary napkln 20 preferably has four corner reglons 52 (two by each flap, and one 1n each quarter).

The ten~ ~corner reglons~ 52, as used hereln, refers to portlons of the san~tary napk1n 20 th~t are generally located ~long or ad~acent a portlon of the long1tudlnal ~uncture of each flap 24.
The corner regions 52 for each flap 24 are located ln two areas ln the reglons of the ends 30a and 30b of each ~uncture 30. One corner reg10n 52 ls located ad~acent the longltudinal ~uncture 30 ln the front half 26 of the flap 2~. The other ls ad~acent the longltudlnal ~uncture 30 ln the back half 28 of the flap 2~. The corner reglons 52 are preferabl~ at least part1-11y d1sposed longltudlnally away from the flap transverse centerl1ne tl ln each d1rectlon. (Thus, the corner reg10ns 52 may be descr1bed as be1ng longitudlnally ~remote~ fro~ the flap transverse centerl1ne tl.) In the most preferred case (as ~111 be subsequently descr1bed ln greater detall), the zones of d1fferentlal extens1b111ty 50 are located along a port10n of the fold 11ne where the flaps 2~ are folded around the wearer's panty crotch. The fold 11ne w111 typ1cally be located along or ad~acent the long1tud1nal ~uncture 30 of each flap 2~. S1nce the terms ~portions~, ~zones~, and ~reg10ns~, as used here1n, refer to general areas, the zones of different1al extens~b111ty 50 and the corner reg10ns 52 are, thus, not llm1ted to po1nts wh1ch 11e prec1sely on the 11nes of ~uncture 30. Typ1cally, they w~ll 1nclude both those po1nts wh1ch 11e on the 11nes of ~uncture 30 as well as the surround1ng areas of the san1tary napk1n 20 (wh1ch 1nclude the aforement10ned fold 11nes).
The long1tudlnal ~unctures, thus, typlcallr serve as good approxlmat10ns for the locat10n of the zones of d1fferent1al extenslb111ty 50.

_ 13 2 ~f~ L

The corner reglons 52 are deslgnated as such because they typlcally lnclude the ~corners~ formed ~long the perlphery 23 of the sanltary napkln 20. The ~corners~ occur where the edges 35 of the flaps 24 lntersect wlth the longltudlnal slde edges 22- of the maln body port~on 22 when the sanltary napkln 20 ls shown ln a plan vlew.
It ts not necessary for there to be a sharp angle formed at the 1ntersectlon of these edges or for llnes of demarcatlon to deslgnate the same however. (Another ~ay to descr1bQ the corner reglons 52 ls wlth reference to U.S. Patent 4 917 697 lssued to Osborn III, et al. The corner reglons 52 descrlbed hereln are typlcally comprlsed at least of those areas shown as hav1ng sllts or notches in the Osborn et al. patent. (For slmpllclty these areas may be referred to hereln as ~notch reglons~). However the corner reglons 52 ln the present lnventlon preferably encompass a larger area than the sllts or notches shown ln the Osborn patent.) The portlons of the flaps 2~ ln the corner reg10ns 52 of the sanltary napkln 20 may be referred to as the ~corner reg10ns of the flaps or ~flap corner reglons~. These ~a~ be separately deslgnated 52 although they are st111 consldered to comprtse the corner reglons 52 per se.

Flgures l and lA show a sanltary napkln 20 whlch has one preferred type of zones of d1fferent1al extenslb11lty 50. In the sanltary napk1n 20 shown 1n F1gures l and lA the zones of d1fferent1al extens1b111ty 50 comprlse portlons of the san1tary napkln 20 that have slack provlded thereln. These port10ns of the sanltary napk1n 20 comprlse at least the flap corner reg10ns 52 .

The slack 1s prov1ded to the san1tary napk1n 20 1n the embodlment shown 1n Flgures l and lA by pre-stretch1ng (or ~pre-straln1ng~) the corner reg10ns of the flaps 52 . Th1s can be accompl1shed by heat1ng and then stretchlng the flap corner reglons generally ln the transverse d1rect10n. Th1s heat1ng and stretchlng 1ncreases the s1ze of the flap corner reglons 52'. Thus when the sanltary napk1n ls la1d out as shown ln Flgures 1 and lA wlth the flaps 2~ extended there 1s excess mater1al 1n the flap corner 2 ~7 ~ J~L

reglons 52'. Thls excess materlal (as described ln greater deta11 below) allows the flaps 24 to be folded around the crotch of the wearer's pantles w1thout stresses being created ln the corner reg1ons 52.

Any known method of stretch~ng mater1als can be used to pre-stretch the corner reg10ns 52. (It ls expressly not adm1tted, however, that the use of zones of differentlal extens1bll1ty 50 1n the corner reglons of an absorbent artlcle ls known or the method of mak1ng an absorbent artlcle hav1ng zones of d1fferentlal extensibll1ty 1s known.) Any suitable process that stretches the mater1al of the corner reglons 52 beyond the1r polnt of plast1c deformatlon to permanently deform (or elongate) the corner reglons 52 can be used. For lnstance, lt ls not necessary for the corner reglons 52 to be heated pr10r to stretchlng the same. Heatlng may make the stretchtng eas1er, however. In add1t10n to pre-stretchlng, a number of alternatlve ways of prov1ding 20nes of d1fferent1al extenslbll1ty are descrlbed ln greater detall belo~ 1n con~unctlon ~ith the embodl~ents shown 1n the remalning dra~1ng f19ures.

The 1ndlvldual components of the san1tary napk1n 20 ~111 flrst be looked at 1n greater deta11.

The topsheet 40 1s 11qu1d permeable and when the san1tary napk1n 20 ls 1n use, the topsheet 40 1s 1n close prox1m1ty to the sk1n of the user. The topsheet ~0 ls compl1ant, soft feel1ng, and non-1rr1tat~ng to the user's sk1n. It can be made from any of the mater1als convent10nal for th1s type of use. Nonllm1t1ng examples of sultable mater1als that can be used as topsheet 40 are ~oven and nonwoven polyester, polypropylene, nylon, and rayon and formed thermoplastlc f11ms, ~1th formed f11ms belng preferred.

Su1table formed f11ms are descr1bed 1n U.S. Patent 3,929,135, ent1tled ~Absorptlve Structure H~vlng Tapered Cap111~r1es~, ~hlch 1ssued to Thompson on December 30, 1975, U.S. Patent 4,324,426, ent1tled ~D1sposable Absorbent Art1cle Hav1ng A Sta1n-Res1stant Topsheet~, ~h1ch 1ssued to ~ullane and Sm1th on Apr11 13, 1982, U.S.

Patent ~ 3~2 31~ ent1tled ~Resltlent Pl~stlc ~eb Exhlbltlng Flber-Llke Propertles~ whlch lssued to R~del ~nd rhompson on August 3 1982 and U.S. Patent ~ 463 0~5 entltled ~Macroscoplcally Expanded ~hree-Dlmenslonal Pl~stlc ~eb Exhlb1tlng Non-610ssy Vlslble Surf~ce and Cloth-Llke ~act11e Impresslon~ wh1ch 1ssued to Ahr Louls Mullane and Ouellette on July 31 1984. Formed fll~s are preferred for topsheet ~0 because they are perY10us to 11qulds and yet non-absorbent. Thus the surface of the formed fll~ ~hlch ls ln contact wlth the body rema1ns dr~ ~nd 1s more co~fortable to the wearer.

In one partlcularly preferred embod~ment (shown ln Flgure l~
wlthout the ~ones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty of the present 1nventlon) the sanltary napk1n 20 1s comprlsed of components that are extenslble (l.e. capable of stretchlng part1cularly 1n the longltudlnal dlrect10n) when the sanltar~ napktn ls ~orn.
Preferably the sanltary napkln 20 ls capable of elongatlng between about 15X and about ~OX of lts unstretched length. ~h1s extens~blllty prov~des better ln-use flt comfort, and decreased sta1n1ng. In other embodl~ents onl~ l~mlted port10ns of the components of the s~nltary napkln 20 are c~pable of stretch1ng.

A part1cularly preferred topsheet ~0 for use ln such an embodlment ls one wh1ch 1s mad~ ln accord-nce w1th U.S. Patent ~ 63 0~5 and r1ng rolled to prov1de 1t ~lth ~ degree of longltud1nal extenslblllty. Sultable processes for r1ng roll1ng or ~pre-corrugatlng~ are descr~bed ln U.S. Patent ~ l07 36~ lssued to Sisson on August 15, 1978, U.S. Patent 4,834,741 issued to Sabee on May 30, 1989 and in co-pending, commonly assigned Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 2 103 822 entitled "Improved Method And Apparatus For Incrementally Stretching A Zero Strain Stretch T ~mi n~te Web To Impart Elasticity Thereto" filed by Gerald M. Weber et al. on January 28, 1992, Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
2 101 277 entitled "Improved Method And Apparatus For Incrementally Stretching Zero Strain Stretch Laminate Web In A Non-Uniform Manner To Impart A Varying Degree of Elasticity Thereto" filed by Kenneth B. Buell et al. on January 28, 1992, and Canadian Patent Application _~, , .
A.

16 2 0 7q5ll Serial No. 2 104 236 entitled "Improved Method And Apparatus For Sequentially Stretching Zero Strain Stretch T.~mi nAte Web To Impart Elasticity Thereto Without Rupturing The Web" filed by Gerald M. Weber et al. on January 28, 1992. The fold lines in the corrugations of the topsheet ~hould run in the transverse direction so the topsheet is longitudinally extensible.

Such a topsheet is described in greater detail in the following patent applications which were filed on July 24, 1992: Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
2 073 815 entitled "Absorbent Articles, Especially Catamenials, Having Improved Fluid Directionality, Comfort and Fit" filed in the names of Thompson, et al.;
Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 2 073 849 entitled "Fluid Handling Structure for Use in Absorbent Articles"
filed in the names of Thompson, et al.; and, Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 2 113 416 entitled "Absorbent Core for Use in Catamenial Products" filed in the names of Buenger, et al. These patent applications may be referred to collectively as the "Capillary Channel Fiber" patent applications.
- In add1t10n 1n preferred san1tary napk1n embod1~ents at least a port10n of the outer surface 40a of the topsheet ~0 1s treated w1th a surf~ctant. It 1s preferred that the surfactant be substant1ally evenly and completel~ d1stributed across at least the port10n of the outer surface ~Oa of topsheet 40 that overla~s the ma1n body portton 22. Th1s can be accompl1shed b~ ~n~ of the common techn1ques well known to those sk111ed 1n the art. For example the surfactant can be appl1ed to topsheet 40 by spraylng by paddtng or by the use of transfer rolls.

Treat1ng the outer surface ~Oa of the topsheet ~0 w1th a surfactant ~endeYs the surface of the topsheet ~0 more h~droph11tc.
Th1s results 1n 11qu1d penetrat1ng the topsheet ~0 faster than tt would lf the surface ~ere not treated. Thts d1m1n1shes the ltkel1hood that menstrual n u1ds wlll flow off topsheet ~0 r~ther than be1ng absorbed b~ the absorbent core ~. Preferably an~
porttons of the topsheet ~0 that overlay the n aps 2~ are not treated w1th the surfactant. Thts w111 mtn1-1ze an~ tendenc1es ~ ,;., flulds may have to spre-d laterally across the flaps ~nd to come ln contact wlth the wearer's thlghs and other parts of the wearer's body.

In preferred embodlments, the lnner surface ~Ob of topsheet 40 ls secured ln contactlng relatlon wlth the absorbent core ~ h1s contactlng relatlonshlp results ln llquld penetratlng topsheet ~0 faster than 1f the topsheet ~0 were not ln contact ~lth absorbent core U . The topsheet ~0 can be malntalned ln contact wlth absorbent core 44 by applylng adheslve to the lnner surface ~Ob of the topsheet 40. Sultable adheslves useful for thls purpose are descrlbed ln U.S. Patent ~,917,697. The adheslves can be applled by the same methods as the surfactant ls applled to the outer surface 40a of the topsheet 40.

The absorbent core U ls poslt~oned between the topsheet ~0 and the backsheet ~2. The absorbent core ~ provldes the means for absorblng menstrual fluld. The absorbent core 44 need not have an absorbent capaclty much greater than the total amount of menstrual flu1d antlc1pated to be absorbed. The absorbent core U 1s generally compress1ble, conformable, and non-lrr1tatlng to the user's skln. It can compr~se any materlal used ln the ~rt for such purpose. Examples lnclude comm1nuted wood pulp whlch ls generally referred to as a1rfelt, creped cellulose wadd1ng, absorbent foams, absorbent sponges, synthet~c staple flbers, poly~erlc f1bers, hydrogel-form1ng polymer gelllng agents, peat moss, or any equ1valent materlal or comb1nat10ns of mater1als.

Polymer1c gelllng agents are those materlals wh1ch, upon contact wlth flulds (1.e., llqulds) such as water or body flu1ds, lmblbe such flulds and thereby for~ hydrogels. In th1s manner, flulds d1scharged lnto the absorbent core U can be acqulred and held by the polymer1c gelllng agent, thereby prov1d1ng the art1cles hereln w1th enhanced absorbent capac1ty and/or lmproved fluld retentlon performance.

_ l8 207951 1 ~ he polymerlc gelllng ~gent ~hlch 1s employed 1n the absorbent core U ~111 gener~ comprlse partlcles of ~ substant1ally ~ater-lnsoluble sl~ghtl~ cross-ltnked, partl~lly neutr~ ed hydrogel-formlng polymer ~ater1~ he ter~ ~part1cles~ as used here1n can refer to part1cles 1n any for~ such as tn the fon~ of pellets flakes or f1bers. ~he characterlst1cs of the ~bsorbent core U (1nolud1ng but not 11mlted to the preferred types of polymer mater1als used thereln and types of methods wh1ch can be used for prepar1ng these polymer part1cles) are descr1bed 1n greater deta11 1n U.S. Patent 5 009 653 1ssued to Osborn.

In one preferred embod1ment the absorbent core ~ 1s lam1nate compr1sed of a l~yer of superabsorbent pol~er ~ater1~1 such as 1n the fon~ of part1cles d1sposed between two a1r-1~1d t1ssues f1rst and second t1ssue la~ers (or ~upper- and ~lower~
t1ssue l~yers). The f1rst and second t1ssue l~yers prov~de contalnment of the super~bsorbent polymer ~aterl~ prove lateral w1ck1ng of the absorbed exud~tes throughout the absorbent core U
and prov1de a degree of ~bsorbency.
A suitable laminate is the superabsorbent laminate WATER-LOCK~ L-535 available from the Grain Processing Corporation of Muscatine, Iowa (WATER-LOCK registered TM
by Grain Processing Corporation). Such superabsorbent laminates are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,467,012, entitled "Composition For Absorbent Film and Method Of Preparation", which issued to Pedersen et al. on August 21, 1984, and U.S. Patent 4,260,443, entitled "T,~m; n~ted Absorbent Process", which issued to Lindsay et al. on April 7, 1981.

In a part~cularly preferred embod1ment the absorbent core ~4 ~s a lam~nate as descr1bed abovc wh~ch ~s s11tted or part1ally sl1tted for long~tud1nal extenslb~l1ty as shown ~n FI6. 1~ ~n the accompany~ng dra~1ng f~gures. ~h1s sl1tted or part1~11y sl~tted core 1s descr1bed ~n greater deta~l 1n the Cap~llary Channel F1ber patent appl1cat10ns.

As.

2 ~7 ~ L

The backsheet 42 ls lmpervlous to ltqulds and thus prevents menstrual fluld from solllng the clothlng of the user. Any materl~l used ~n the art for such purpose can be ut~llzed hereln. Sultable materlals ~nclude embossed or nonembossed polyethylene fllms and laminated tlssue. A sultable polyethylene f11m ls ~anufactured by Monsanto Chemlcal Corporatlon and marketed ln the trade as Fllm No.
8020.

In one alternat1ve embodlment of the sanltary napkln 20 (typlcally ln whlch the topsheet 40 overlays only the maln body portlon 22 and does not extend out to form the top surface of the flaps) the backsheet 42 ~ay be comprlsed of two layers. In such a case the backsheet 42 0ay comprlse a flrst layer of lofted mater1al d1sposed on the core-faclng slde 42a of the backsheet. The purpose of the flrst layer ls to provlde a comfortable non-1rr1tattng surface aga1nst the body of the wearer. The lofted layer ~ay be comprlsed of any su1table materlal such as a nonwoven mater1~1.
Preferably the lofted layer compr1ses a hydrophob1c nonwoven material. ~he second layer may be dlsposed on the gan~ent slde 42b of the backsheet 42 and ~ay comprlse a flu1d l~perv10us fllm. A
low denslty polyethylene matertal about 0.01 to about 0.05 milllmeters ln thlckness preferably about 0.02 m1111meters ln thlckness has been found to work well as th1s second layer. A
polyethylene f11m such ~s 1s sold by the Ethyl Corporat10n Vlsqueen D1v1s10n under ~odel XP-3938S has been found part1cularly well suited for this second layer. The backsheet 42 ~ay also be made of a soft cloth-llke mater1al wh1ch 1s hydrophob1c relat1ve to the topsheet 40. A polyester or polyolefln1c flber backsheet 42 has been found to work well. A part1cularly preferred soft cloth-llke backsheet 42 materlal ls a lamlnate of a polyester nonwoven mater1al and a f11m such as descrlbed ln U.S. Patent 4 476 180 1ssued to ~nuk on ~ctober 9 1984.

A part1cularly preferred extens1ble backsheet 42 ls an extended adheslve fllm Formula tl98-338 manufactured by the F~ndley Adhes1ves 2 ~ 7~ L

Company of ~auwatosa, ~lsconsln ~hlch ls descr1bed ln greater detall ln the Caplllary Channel Flber patent appllcatlons.

As shown ln Flgures l and lA, the topsheet 40 ls secured to backsheet ~2 along a flrst seam, such as seam 36. The seam 36 can be formed by any means commonly used ln the art for thls purpose such as by glulng, crlmplng, or heat-seallng. The sea~ 36 ls lllustrated ln Figure l as extendlng completely around the perlphery of the maln body portlon 22. Thls ls a preferred embodlment for ease of constructlon. (Other means of unlt1ng the var10us elem~nts can be used.) The maln body portlon 22 ls the portlon of the san1tary napkln 20 that conta1ns an absorbent means, such as absorbent core U . The ma1n body portlon 22 has a llqu1d pervlous body contact1ng surface (represented ln Flgure lA by topsheet ~0) and an opposed 11qu1d lmperv10us surface (represented ln F~gure lA by backsheet ~2). It ls to be understood that the embod~ment 111ustrated 1s only one posslble embodlment, albe~t a preferret one. Other poss1ble embod~ments 1nclude one ~n ~h1ch an absorbent core U 1s essentlally completely wrapped wlth topsheet before lt ls placed on a backsheet.
The ma1n body port10n 22 can also compr1se an absorbent core ~h1ch possesses suff1c1ent 1ntegrlty to stand alone and 1s 11qu1d perv10us on one surface wh11e the other surface has been treated to render 1t 11qu1d 1mperv10us.

The ma1n body port10n 22 may be relat1vely th1ck or relatlvely narrow and th1n. A narrow ma1n body port10n 22 may be effect1ve because the overall conf1gurat10n and use of san1tary napk1n 20 results 1n ma1n body port10n 22 be1ng ma1nta1ned 1n close prox1m1ty to the body. Such prox1m1ty of ma1n body port10n 22 places tt prec1sely where 1t should be: very near the boty at the vag1nal open1ng. The ma1n body port10n 22 can then absorb the vast ~a~or1ty of the menstrual flu1d (menses) before 1t has an opportun1ty to flo~
along the s1tes of the ma1n body port10n 22. A thln ma1n boty port10n may also be des1red because 1t 1s typ1cally comfortable to the user.

2~

F~gures 1 and lA ~lso show the fasteners, such ~s adheslve attachment means, centr~l p~d adhes~ve 5~ and flap adhesive 56, whlch are adapted to secure the sanltary napk1n 20 to the crotch region of an undergarment.

The central pad adhes1ve 5~ provldes an adheslve attachment means for securlng maln body portlon 22 ln the crotch portlon of a panty. The outer surface of flap 2~, adJacent the dlstal edge 3~ of the flap, 1s preferably coated w1th a flap adhes1ve 56. The flap adhes1ve 56 1s used to ass1st 1n matntaln1ng the flap 2~ 1n pos1t10n after lt ls wrapped around the edge of the crotch portton of the panty as descr1bed below. The flaps 24 can be malnta1ned ln pos1t10n by attach1ng the flaps 2~ to the undergarment, or to the oppos1ng flap. Su1table adhes1ve fasteners are descrtbed ln greater detatl ~n U.S. Patent ~,91~,69~.

The fasteners used w1th the absorbent artlcles made b~ the method present lnvent10n are not ltm1ted to adhes1ve attachment means. Any type of fastener used 1n the art can be used for such purpose. For example, the san~tar~ napktn 20 could be secured to the wearer's undergarment b~ the fastener descrtbed ln U.S. Patent 4,946,527 entltled ~Pressure-Senstt1ve Adheslve Fastener and Method of Hak1ng the Same~ lssued to Battrell on August 7, l990. For s1mpltc1ty, however, the fasteners w111 be descr1bed ln ter~s of adhes~ve attachment means.

The adhes1ve attach~ent means are respect1vely covered by removable release 11ners, central pad release ltner and flap release 11ner, both des1gnated S8. The pressure-sens1t~ve adhestves should be covered w1th release ltners 58 to keep the adheslves from st1ck1ng to extraneous surfaces pr10r to use. Su1table release 11ners are descr1bed 1n U.S. Patent ~,917,697.

~ htle a preferred san1tary napk1n e~bodtment has been descr1bed, numerous other san1tary n-pktn embod1~ents hav1nq flaps are avatlable and are d1sclosed 1n the ltterature. These could be prov1deJ w1th the zones of d1fferent~al extens1bll1ty b~ the ethod of the present invention. In particular, sanitary napkins having flaps are disclosed in Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 2,028,288 entitled "Sanitary Napkin Having Laterally Extensible Means for Attachment to the Undergarment of the Wearer", filed October 25, 1990 in the name of Osborn, et al., U.S. Patents 5,009,653 and 4,950,264, both ent1tled ~h1n ~lex1ble San1tary Napk1n ~h1ch 1ssued to Osborn on Apr11 23 l991 and August 21 1990 respect1vel~ U.S.
Patent 4 9~0 ~62 ent1tled ~San1tary Napkln ~1th Expandable Flaps~
wh1ch 1ssued to Salerno on Jul~ l0 1990 U.S. P~tent ~ 91~ 697 ent1tled ~San1tary Napk1n Hav1ng ~laps and Stress Rel1ef Means~
wh1ch 1ssued to Osborn III, et al. on Aprtl l~, l990, U.S. P~tent ~ 91l 70l entltled ~Sanltar~ Napk1n Hav1ng Elast1c Shap1ng Heans~
whlch 1ssued to Mav1nkurve on March 2~ 1990 U.S. Patent ~ 900 320 ent1tled ~San1tary Napk1n ~1th Pant~ Gather1ng Flaps- ~h1ch 1ssued to McCoy on February 13 1990 U.S. Patent ~ 68~ ~8 ent1tled ~Shaped San1tary Napk1n ~lth Flaps , ~hlch 1ssued to Van ~11burg on August 18 l98~ U.S. Patent ~ 608 0~ ent1tled ~San1tary Napk1n Attachment Means- wh1ch 1ssued to ~att1ngl~ on August 26 1986 U.S. Patent ~ 589 876 ent1tled ~S-n1tary Napk1n~ ~h1ch 1ssued to Van ~1lburg on Ma~ 20 1986 U.S. Patent ~ 285 3~3 entltled ~San1tary Napk1n- ~h1ch 1ssued to ~cNa1r on August 25 1981 U.S.
Patent 3 397 697 ent1tled ~D1sposable San1tar~ Sh1eld For Undergarments~ ~h k h lssued to R1ckard on August 20 1968 and U.S.
Patent 2 78~ 2~1 ent1tled San1tary Napk1n~ ~h1ch 1ssued to Clark on Apr11 2 195~.

Su1table absorbent artlcles 1n the for~ of pant111ners ~re dlsclosed 1n U.S. Patent ~ ~38 6~6 ent~tled ~Pant111ner~ 1ssued to Osborn on Apr11 19 l988. Su1table absorbent art1cles at least some of which are in the form of adult incontinence products, are described in Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 2,098,502 entitled "Absorbent Article Having Rapid Acquiring Wrapped Multiple Layer Absorbent Body"
filed by Barry R. Feist, et al. on December 20, 1991.

, .
A i~.

The characterlst1cs of the flaps 2~ w111 now be looked ~t ln greater deta11. The general constructlon of flaps 24 su1table for use 1n the present 1nvent10n (w1thout the zones of d1fferent1al extens1b111ty) 1s descr1bed 1n greater deta11 1n the patents lncorporated by reference here1n.

The overall slze of the flaps 2~ can be read11~ selected by those sk111ed 1n the art. Prefer-bly, the flaps 2~ ~re s1zed so that the san1tary napk1n 20 1s fro~ ~bout lO to ~bout 23 centlmeters wide between the d1stal edges 3~ of the flaps at the1r greatest separat10n. Preferably each flap 2~ 1s from about 5 to at least about 19 cent1meters long 1n the d1rect10n par~llel to the pr1nc1pal long1tud1nal centerl1ne ~ of the san~tary napkln.

~ he shape of the flaps 2~ can be selected b~ those sk111ed 1n the art. Preferabl~ not only are the flaps 2~ m1rror 1mages of each other the two halYes of each fl ~p 26 and 28 are also symnetr1cal about the flap transverse centerl1ne tl. (It should be understood th-t the shape and or1entat10n of the flaps descr1bed here1n are those of a preferred embod1ment. ~hey are not mandatory des1gn features.) In the preferred embodlment 111ustrated 1n F1gure l the flaps 24 are pos1t10ned s11ghtl~ fon~ard of the pr1nc1p~1 transYerse centerl1ne t of the san1tar~ napk1n. (In such a case the flap transverse centerl1ne tl toes not co1nc1de w1th the pr1nc1p~1 transverse centerl1ne t of the san1tar~ napk1n 20.) ~he flaps 2~
however are preferabl~ evenl~ spaced from the pr1nc1p~1 long1tud1nal centerl1ne 1 of the san1tar~ napk1n.

";

2~

The flaps 2~ can be ~ssoclated wlth the maln body portlon 22 ln a number of dlfferent manners. Many of the dlfferent ways a component (such as the flaps 2~) can be ~olned to~ or ~assoclated w1th~ etc. another component whlch are set forth ln the def1nltlons of these terms cont~lned ~n U.S. Patent S 00~ 906 entltled ~Decoupled San1tary Hapk1n~ wh1ch lssued to Osborn et al. on Aprll 16 l991. ~hen the flaps comprlse separ-te elements they can be ~olned to the maln body portlon 22 by any techn1ques known to those skllled 1n the art. Such techntques 1nclude but are not ltmlted to adhes1ves heat and/or pressure ultrasonlcs etc.

~ he flaps 24 are assoc1ated wlth the ma1n body portton 22 along 11nes of ~uncture 30. The llnes of ~uncture can be concave stralght (or but preferably not convex) relatlve to the prtnclpal longitudlnal centerllne l. The ltnes of ~uncture 30 m~y compr1se those llnes or areas where separate flap elements are ~olned to the ma1n body portlon 2~. Alternat1Yely when the flaps 2~ ~re lntegral wlth the matn body port1On 22 the ltnes of ~uncture 30 may represent llnes of demarcatlon between the maln body portlon 22 and the flaps 2~ (although lt ls not necessary that there be a prec1se llne of demarcatlon).

It ls also not necessary that the flaps 2~ extend from (or be ~olned along) the longttudlnal edges 22a of the matn body portlon 22. The flaps 24 can ~ o1ned tnward (or ~tnboard~) fro~ the longttudtnal edges 22a toward the longltudtnal centerltne such as 1s shown 1n U.S. Patent ~ 900 320 lssued to McCoy on February 13 1990.
The flaps 24 can thus each be ~otned to the maln bod~ portlon 22 along the pr1nctpal long1tud1nal centerltne l or along the long1tud1nal edges 22a of the matn body port~on 22 or at any place between the prtnc1pal longttudtnal centerltne l and the longttudtnal edges 22a of the maln body portton 22. The flaps 24 wtll of course generally be on oppos1te stdes of the prtnctpal longttud1nal centerltne l.

Hav1ng now descr1bed some sanltary napktns that can be provlded wtth zones of dtfferenttal extens1bll1ty by the ~ethod of the present lnventlon these sanltary napklns wlll now be descrlbed ln greater detall wlth relatlon to the functlon of the same ln the wearer s underganments.

flgure 3 ls a deplctlon of the crotch portlon 1~ of an undergarment 11 of the type commonly worn by many women and well known as a panty. A panty 11 comprlses a front sect10n 10 a back sectlon 12 and a crotch portlon 1~ whlch ~olns the front and back sectlons. The crotch portlon 1~ compr1ses two s1de edges l6 and center crotch portlon 18.

The san1tary napkln 20 ls ut11lzed by removlng the release llners 58 and placlng ~he sanltary napkln 20 ln a panty 11 as shown ~n Flgure ~. The center of maln body portlon 22 1s placed ~n crotch portlon 1~ of the panty wlth one end of ma1n body port10n 22 extendlng towards the front sect10n lO of the panty and the other end towards the back sectlon 12. The backsheet ~2 1s placed 1n contact wlth the lnner surface of center crotch port10n 18 of the panty. Central pad adheslve 54 ~atnta1ns ma1n body port10n 22 1n posltlon. ~he dlstal portlons of flaps 2~ are folted around the slde edges 16 of the panty. The flap adhes1ves secure the n aps 2 to the underside of the panty.

~ hen the flaps 2~ are folded down around the edge 16 of the crotch portlon l~ of the pant~ stresses are developed 1n the ~ aps part1cularly 1n the corner reg10ns 52 of the same. These stresses are magnlf1ed when the flaps 24 are folded under the panty and attached to the panty s underslde. The stresses are further magn1fled when the panty 1s pulled up lnto pos1t10n and the elast1cs ln the panty edges 16 force the folded port10n of the flaps 1nto the uppermost part of the wearer's crotch and th19h.

The stresses are most h1ghly concentrated along the fold 19 where the flap 2~ changes from belng d1sposed on the bodys1de of the panty to be1ng located on the unders1de of the panty. In other words the stresses are concentrated at the edge 16 of the crotch port10n l~ of the panty 11. The stresses ln the flaps 2~ generally 2~'~ t ~e~'ff 1 follow the arc formed by the edges 16 of the crotch portlon l~.
~hese stresses may cause the corner reglons 52 of the flaps 2~ to bunch longltudlnally lnward. ~h1s reduces the area of the wearer's undergarments the flaps ~re able to cover. If the stresses are great enough the flaps 2~ can become detached from the panty and the flaps 2~ wlll be less than optlmally effectlve. Dependlng on the deslgn of the sanltary napk1n the arc of concentrated stresses may or may not co1nclde wtth the llnes of ~uncture 30 between the flaps 2~ and the maln body port10n 22.

In order to ellmlnate, or at least reduce these stresses the sanltary napkln 20 ls prov1ded w1th zones of d1fferent1al extensib111ty 50. The zones of d1fferentlal extenslb111ty 50 preferably reduce the stresses along the fold 19 to such a degree that the flaps 2~ wlll rema1n attached to the unders1de of the panty and wlll not lose thelr ab111ty to cover a g1ven area of the wearer s undergarments.

Referr1ng agaln to Flgure l one preferred t~pe of zone of dlfferentlal extenslb111ty 50 whlch was descr1bed br1efly above compr1ses the slack ln the corner reg10ns 52 of the flaps. ~he characterist1cs of the zones of d1fferent1al extens1b111ty 50 are descr~bed ln greater deta11 below. That ls followed by a dtscuss10n of some alternat1vely preferred types of zones of d1fferent~al extenslbll1ty.

~ he zones of d1fferent1al extens1bll1ty S0 are as noted above most preferably located at those po1nts where the edges 35 of the flaps 2~ 1ntersect the edges 16 of the panty when the san1tary napk1n 20 1s worn.

The po1nts of lntersect10n can generally be determ1ned by hav1ng a person wear a part1cularly des19ned napk1n havlng n aps and a fa1rly commonly des1gned panty. Commonly pant1es have a crotch wldth of about 5.0 to about 9.0 cent1meters. Marks can then be made on the bottom surface of the san~tary napk1n 20 where the sanitary napk1n 20 1ntersects the panty. ~he po1nts of 1ntersect10n between 2~

the flap 2~ and the edge l6 of the panty generally colnclde wlth the ends of the fold l9. Assumlng the napkln has two flaps, the four marks ~lll mark the gener~l loc-tlons for the zones of dlfferentlal extenslb11tty SO. ~he zones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty 50 m~y be located along the llnes of ~uncture 30, outboard of the llnes of ~uncture ln the flaps 2~, or lnboard of the llnes of ~uncture.
Commonly, the zones of differentlal extenslblllty SO wlll begln at a polnt located between the area of the flap transverse centerllne tl and about l.S centlmeters 1n the longltudlnal dlrectlon fro~ the flap transverse centerllne tI.

The zones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty SO may be of any shape.
Typlcally, they wlll for~ a three-slded flgure (roughly tr1angular, ple-shaped, or fan-shaped) ln plan vlew when they are fully extended. Often, the flgure deflned by the zones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty wlll have two sldes that are of approx1mately equal length and a shorter slde. The edge 35 of the flaps 2~ usually forms the shorter s1de. It should be understood, however, that the prec1se shape of the zones of dlfferentl?l extenslblllt~ 50 1s not always as cr1t1cal as the locatlon and extens1b111ty propertles of the same. L1kew1se, lt ls not crlt1cal for there to be preclse llne of demarcatlon that marks the boundrles of the zones of dlfferentlal extensiblllty SO (or the boundr1es of the complementary f1rst portlons of the quarters of the sanltary napkln). Thus, there can be a gradual trans1t10n bet~een the zones of dlfferent1al extenslblllty SO and the f~rst portlons of the quarters of the san1tary napkln.

The zones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty SO may be bounded on one s~de by the 11ne of ~uncture 30. Alternatlvely, the boundary may be ad~acent the llne of ~uncture 30. If the zones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty SO are provlded ln the ma1n body port~on 22 (for lnstance, tf they are for~ed by a fold made through the ma1n body portlon 22 (as descr~bed belo~)), however, th~s boundar~ eay be as far lnboard as the pr1nc1pal long1tudlnal centerl1ne 1. The zones of dlfferent1al extens1b111ty 50 are typlcally bounded ~t the ends by at least a portlon of the edge 35 of the flap 2~. ~h1s ls 23?

often a curved l~ne. (~he ~ones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty 50 can also be bounded at the ends by a portlon of the longltudlnal edges 22a of the maln body portlon and/or transverse or end edges 22b of the maln body portlon 22.) The thlrd slde of the zones of dlfferent~al extens~blllty ls typlcally formed by a boundary 51 whlch may be an lmaglnary llne that runs from the po~nt of the zone of d~fferentlal extenslblllty 50 whlch ls elther located on the flap transverse centerllne tl (or nearest to the same), to a po1nt on the edge 35 of the flap 2~.

The total area covered by the zones of dlfferent1al extens~b~l~ty 50 can vary w1dely. The area can cover a relat1vely large port~on of the sanltary napkln, prov1ded there rematn so~e port10ns of the sanltary napkln ad~acent at least portlons of the princlpal longltudlnal centerllne and the flap transverse centerl1ne that are less extens1ble. The zones of dlfferent1~1 extens1b111t~
50 can be provlded along the ent1re ~uncture 30 of the flaps 2~ w1th the ma1n body port10n 22. In alternatlve embodlments, the zones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty 50 can be prov1ded throughout the ent1re flap (for lnstance, lf the ent~re flap ls pleated ~1th longltudlnally-orlented pleats). Preferabl~, however, ln the present lnventlon, zones of dlfferentlal extenslblllt~ 50 ~re not provlded elther along the ent1re ~uncture 30 or throughout the entlre flap. There are several reasons for th1s.

f~rst, due to the curvature of the panty crotch, all port10ns of the flaps are not stressed the same amount when the flaps are wrapped around a panty crotch. Typ1cally, the port10n of the n aps located ad~acent the flap transverse centerllne tl (the center portlon 27 of the flap) w111 not be sub~ected to stresses that are as great as those exerted on the flap corner reglons 52'. Thus, 1t 1s posslble that the center portlon 27 of the flaps (and poss1bly also the ad~acent reg10ns of the ma1n body portlon 22) could ~e constructed so that lt ls not provlded w1th any extenslb111ty propert1es. Alternatlvely, the center port10n 27 (and ad~acent reg10ns) could merely be less extens1ble than the corner reglons 52 of the san1tary napk1n.

~r~

Second, lt ls prefer~ble that the corner reglons 52' of the flaps 2~ stretch a greater dlstance ln the transverse dlrectlon than the center portlon 2~ of the flaps for thè best f~t and for the flaps 2~ to adapt properl~ to the curvature of the crotch of the wearer's undergarments. Thls allo~s the boundary 51 deflned by the zones of dlfferentlal extens1blllt~ to correspond to the conflguratlon of the edges of the crotch of the wearer's pantles.

Thlrd, dependlng on the process used to create the ~ones of d1fferentlal extens~blllty 50, 1t may be less expenslve to prov1de dlfferentlal extenslblllty ln only certaln portlons of the san1tary napklns.

The amount of dlfferent1al extens1blllt~ needed can vary dependlng on a number of factors. ~hese lnclude, but are not llmlted to the slze and conflguratlon of the wearer's pantles, the s1ze and conf1gurat10n of the flaps, etc. Any a~ount of d1fferentlal extenslb111ty tn the corner reglons 52 ~111 prov1de some beneflt versus a sanitary napk1n that ls not prov1ded ~th zones of dlfferentlal extenslb111ty. The amount of dlfferent1al extens1blllty should not be so great, however, that the excess mater~al that compr1ses the zones of dlfferentlal extenslb111ty 50 causes the sanltary napkln to f1t slopplly ad~acent the ~earer's pant~es and her body.

Preferably, the amount of d1fferentlal extenslblllt~ 1s suff1clent to substant1ally reduce the stresses on the flaps when the sanltary napk1n ls ~orn. Typ~cally " conservatlvely conflgured zone of dlfferentlal extenslblllty 50 ~s one wh~ch when fully extended, deflnes a llnear boundary 51 (1.e., one wh1ch fonms a stralght llne) that runs from the lntersectlon of the flap transverse centerllne tl and the l~ne of ~uncture 30 to the po~nt on the edge 3S of the flap 2~ ~here the flap 2~ lntersects the edge 16 of the panty crotch. A ~one of d1fferent1al extenslbll1ty 50 ~1th a 11near conflguratlon 1s sa1d to be conserv~t1vely conflgured because lt w111 ordlnarlly prov1de a suff1c1ent amount of extens1b111t~ 1n ~ost cases to rel1eve the stresses ~n the flaps 2~. In an 1deal 2~

case the boundary 51 ~111 correspond to the conflgur-tlon of the edges l6 of the crotch of the wearer s pantles.

Flgures 2 and 2A show a san1tary napkln havlng another type of zone of dlfferentlal extenslblllt~. The sanltary napkln 20 shown ln Figures 2 and 2A has flaps wlth corner reglons 52 that have been prov1ded w1th dlfferent1al extenslblllty by rlng rolllng these corner reglons ln accordance ~lth the above-descrlbed rlng rolllng patents and patent appllcatlons. The rlng rolllng (or pre-corrugat1ng) should be appl1ed so that the fold llnes 60 ln the corrugatlons are orlented generally ln the longltudlnal dlrectlon.
The phrase ~generall~ ln the longltud1nal dlrectlon~ (and s1m11ar phrases) as used hereln means or1ented more ln the longltudlnal dlmenslon than ln the transverse dlmens10n. Thus the fold 11nes 60 may angle awa~ from the prlnclpal longltudlnal centerllne l. Th1s wlll also provlde the deslred transverse dlrectlon extenslblllty.

In var1atlons of the embodlments of the present 1nventlon (such as the embodtment shown ln Flgure 2 and 2A) the amount of extenslbll1ty provlded can be var1ed throughout dlfferent port10ns of the zones of d1fferent1al extens1b11lty 50. For lnstance the number or amplltude of the corrugatlons formed by the rlng roll1ng could be var1ed so that elther or both these characterlstlcs are greater further from the flap transverse centerllne tl. Thls w111 allow the sanltar~ napk1n to be provlded wlth dlfferent1al extens1b11lty charactertst1cs that most closely match the conflguratlon of a panty crotch.

F1gures 5 and 6 sho~ another varlatlon of the sanltary napk1n made by the method of the present 1nvent10n. The san1tary napk1n 20 shown 1n F1gures 5 and 6 has been prov1ded ~1th zones of dlfferent1al extenslb111ty 50 by pleatlng and then gather1ng 1n port10ns of the flaps.

The flaps 2~ are pleated or folded ~1th generally long1tud1nally-or1ented fold llnes 62. The fold 11nes 62 can run along and/or outboard (or even 1nboard) of the ~uncture 30 of the _ 3l flaps and the maln body portlon 22. The pleats preferably run the length of the Juncture 30. ~he pleated sectlons of the flaps (the ~pleats-) 6~ are preferably folded on top of each other (th-t ls stacked perpend1cular to the plane of the sanltary napk1n). In alternatlve embodiments they may be folded and arranged s~de-by-s~de. The pleated sect10ns are gathered 1n or restra1ned from openlng by a flap pleat restra1nt 66 located along the flap transverse centerllne tl Th1s prov1des the san1tary napkln and part1cularly the flaps 2~ w1th corner reg10ns wh1ch arc extenslble 1n the transverse dlrect10n and w1th center port10ns 27 (along the flap transverse centerllne tl) wh1ch are not.

In such a pleated embodlment the flaps 24 can be provlded w1th any number of fold llnes. For lnstance ln the most baslc for- of the pleated embodlment the flaps can slmply be folded lnward toward the prlnclpal longltud1nal centerl1ne 1 along a s1ngle llne along the ~uncture 30 and tacked to the ~aln body port10n 22 at a po1nt 1nboard of the ~uncture 30 (wh1ch 1s preferably 1n the are~ of the flap transverse centerllne tl). Typ1cally however as sho~n 1n Flgure 6 the flaps w111 have at least two pleat fold llnes 62.

The flap pleat restralnt 66 can be any su1table type of element capable of keep1ng a port10n of the pleated mater1al from unfoldlng.
~he flap pleat restra1nt 66 can be located along the flap transverse centerllne tI or lt can be spaced some d1stance away from the flap transverse centerl~ne tl. The flap pleat restralnt 66 ls ho~ever preferably located at some place along the flap transverse centerl1ne tl. Th1s creates flaps with pleats whlch are able to open up an equal amount ln both the front and back halves 26 and 28 for a preferred f1t around the panty crotch. The flaps 2~ can have two flap pleat restra1nts 16 one located along (or spaced some dlstance away from) the flap transverse centerllne tl for each flap or they can have a s1ngle flap pleat restra1nt that spans froa one flap to the other.

2~r~ ~1 The flap pleat restr-lnt 66 shown ln Flgure 6 1s an ~lnterlor~
restralnt l.e. ~t ls located ln between two ple-ted or folded sectlons 6~ of the flaps 2~. In alternatlve embodl~ents the flap pleat restralnt 66 can be of a type whlch secures the pleated sectlons 6~ of the flaps 2~ from outslde (or exterlor) of the pleated sections.

The flap pleat restralnt 66 may be of any si~e provlded lt ls no larger than the length of the ~uncture 30. Th1s allows the pleated sectlons 64 of the flaps 2~ to open properl~. Thls ls the case slnce the pleated sect10ns 64 of the flaps 2~ w111 typ1cally open from the ends 30a and 30b of the llnes of ~uncture to the flap pleat restralnt 66. It may therefore be preferable for the flap pleat restraint 66 to be as small as posslble to m1n1m1ze lnterference wlth the openlng of the pleated sect10ns 64. The flap pleat restralnt 66 should also be located at a polnt on the pleated sectlon 6~ that ls relat1vely close to the pr1nc1pal longltudlnal centerllne l. Th1s w111 ensure that the pleat w111 not unfold ~nd lose lts effecttveness.

The flap pleat restra1nt 66 can be of any sultable construct1on. Su1table flap pleat restralnts 66 lnclude but are not limlted to adhes1ves ultrason1c bonds heat and/or pressure bonds tapes etc. These dlfferent types of flap pleat restralnts can be ln an unl1m1ted number of conf1gurat10ns. Such conf1guratlons can 1nclude spots l~nes patches etc.

The dlmens10ns of some sultable pleats for embod1ments such as those shown ln F~gures 5 and 6 are set forth 1n the followlng Table 1:

TABLE l -- PLEAT SIZES
Length of Flap ~ldth of Pleat Effectlve Pleat ~ln ) (ln ) S~ze ~ln ) 3 0 ~3 0 1~

0 ~3 0 40 ~ 1 11 0 86 8 1 40 1 2~

The d~menslons ln Table 1 are non-llm1t1ng examples of the slzes of pleats ~hlch may be useful ln provldlng ~ san1tary napk1n wlth sultable zones of differentl-l extenslb111t~ 50 The d1menslons are based on a sanltary napkln embodlment whlch has a pleat 9 lnches long The length of the pleat (des1gnated Pl ln Flgure 15) ls measured from one end of the llne of ~uncture to the other (from 30a to 30b) tn a d1rect10n parallel to the prlnclpal longltudlnal centerllne 1 The length of the flaps 2~ referred to 1n Table 1 ls measured along the ple-t 11ne 62 that ls closest to the dlstal edge 3~ of the flap 2~ ~hen the pleat restr-lnt 66 ls removed and the flap 1s unfolded The dlstance bet~een these t~o po1nts 62a and 62b 1s deslgnated Fl ln Flgure 15 The ~ldth of the pleat Pw ls the d1stance between fold llnes 62. The ~effect1ve pleat slze- refers to a number calculated by multlplylng the ~ldth of the pleat t1mes the ratlo def1ned by the length of the flap over the length of the pleat The effectlve pleat slze serves as an approx1mat10n of the amount the pleat ~111 open ln the corner reg10ns 52 of the san1tar~ napkln. Flgure lS shows thls schemat1call~. The 11ne deslgnated 0 ln Flgure I5 represents the approx1mate locat10n of Z3~ t q~
_ 3~

edges of the pleated sectlons when the pleat ls ln a fully opened or extended conflguratlon. Flgure lS shows that ln thls embodlment the polnts on the pleated sectlons spaced longltudlnally farthest from the flap transverse centerllne tl wlll generally fan open fully (approxlmately to po1nt ~l) ~h11e the polnts such as 62- ln the corner reglons 52 of the sanltary napkln wlll only open partlally (to po1nt ~2)- ~he effectlve pleat slze recognlzes that the lesser amount whlch the pleated sectlons wlll open ln the corner reglons ls dlrectly proportlonal to the relatlonshlp between the length of the flaps and the length of the pleat (l.e. perhaps better understood and more speclflcally as belng proportlonal to the ratlo deflned by 1/2 F
over 1/2 Pl)-The wldth of the pleat and the number of folds ln the pleats determlnes the amount of extenslblllt~ of the pleated materlal.
The amount of extenslblllty (or slack mater1al) ln the corner reglons 52 can, thus be calculated by multlplylng the number of folded sectlons of the pleated sectlon tlmes the effectlve pleat s1ze. Thus ln embodlments shown ln Flgure 15 hav1ng two folded sectlons 6~a and 6~b the amount of slack ln each corner reglon 52 ls approx1mately equal to tw1ce the effectlve pleat s1ze.

In add1tlon to belng useful for determ1n1ng the amount of extenslb111ty ln thc corner reglons of pleated sanltary napkln embodlments, the effectlve pleat s1ze and other measurements provided here1n can even be used more broadly. The effectlve pleat slze flgures provlded can be used as guldellnes for determ1nlng the amount of extens1blllty for the embodlments descr1bed hereln havlng d1fferent types of zones of d1fferent1al extenslblllty. The relatlonsh1p between the d1mens10ns of the pleats provlded above and the d1mens10ns of 1nterest 1n the other embod1ments descr1bed here1n can be arrlved at b~ one sk111ed ln - 35 2 ~?~ ~3 ~ 3L

the art. (for example flgure lS sho~s ~n example of the use of pleat ~ldths. The curved dotted llne shown ln Flgure 15 represents a suttable loc~tlon for the curved ~uncturc ln the embodlment (descrlbed below) ln whlch zones of dlfferent1al extenslblllty 50 are provlded by ~ttachlng the flaps 2~ along a curved ~uncture. The curved ~uncture curves lnward ln an amount equal to the wldth of the pleat.) Flgure ~ shows an ~lternat1ve embodlment of a san1tary napkln havlng pleated flaps ln whlch the f1~ps 2~ are pleated folded oYer and secured to the garment slde 20b of the san1tary napkln 20 rather than the body-faclng slde 20a (as 1n the embod1ment shown ln Flgure 6).

Flgure 8 shows an alternattve embodt~ent of a sanltary napk1n 20 made by the method of the present tnvent10n 1n wh1ch the ~ aps 2~ are attached ~long 11nes of ~uncture that are curved concave lnward toward the prtnc1p~1 longitudln~l centerl1ne 1. ~hen the flaps 2~ ln such an embodl~ent are folded outward excess fl~p material ls present 1n the corner reg10ns 52.

In th1s embodl~ent the san1tar~ napk1n 20 may have two longltudlnal ~unctures such as 30 and 30 adJacent e~ch longltudinal edge of the ma1n body port10n.

The san1tar~ napk1n 20 can have a ftrst long1tud1nal ~uncture (or an ~outboard~ longltudlnal ~uncture) 30 where the flap 2~ 1s attached to or extends from the ma1n bod~ port10n 22. A second long1tudlnal ~uncture can be present (or ~lnboard~ long1tudlnal ~uncture) 30 that 1s used to prov1de the santtary napkln 20 wlth the des1red zones of d1fferentlal extenslb111ty 50.

The flrst longltudlnal ~uncture 30 1s shown as be~ng a curved ltne ln Flgure 8. However, 1t need not be curved. It can be 1n any form descr1bed above as be1ng su1table for the l~nes of ~uncture. The second longttud1nal Juncture 30' h~ ve. ~tl 2~

generally always be curved concave lnward toward the prlnclpal longltudlnal centerllne l.

rhe sanltary napkln 20 shown ln F~gure 8 can be made fro~ any sanitary napk~n that ls provlded wlth flaps. A securement means such as a llne of adheslve 68 ls lald down on elther the body-faclng s~de 20a or the garment slde 20b of the sanltary napkln ln the pattern deslred for the second longltudlnal ~uncture (or ~curved ~uncture-) 30 . ~he flaps 2~ are then folded over onto the aforementloned slde of the sanltary napkln and sealed by the securement means. The securement means can comprlse any means known ln the art for securlng such materlals together lncludtng but not l~mlted to heat and/or pressure seallng ultrason1cs and of course adhes1ves.

In a preferred embod1ment the excess flap ~atertal betweem the flrst and second long1tud1nal Junctures 30 and 30 can be trlmmed to provlde the sanltary napkln 20 ~1th curved longltudlnal slde edges. The format10n of the zones of d1fferent1al extenslblllty ln th1s manner allows locat10n and curvature of the curved ~uncture 30 to be controlled. In a preferred e~od1~ent the curvature of the curved ~uncture 30 can be establ1shed to colnclde ~lth the curvature of the panty crotch.

F1gure 8A shows an example of a sanltary napk1n that employs another ~ay of attach1ng the flaps 2~ along a curved 11ne of ~uncture 30.

In the embod1ment shown 1n Flgure 8A the flaps 2~ are only attached along a s1ngle curved ~uncture 30. As shown 1n F1gure 8A the longltud1nal s1de edges 22a of the ma1n bod~ port10n 22 are curved concave 1nward toward the pr1nc1pal long1tud1nal centerllne l. The flaps 2~ are attached along the s1ngle ~uncture 30 that runs along the curvature of the long1tudlnal s~de edges 22a of the ma1n body port10n 22.

_ 37 f~gure 8A also shows that the curved Juncture 30 only needs to be curved concave lnward ln the central reglon lO4 of the sanltary napkln. (The s~me ls true for vlrtually all of the curved ~uncture embodlments descrlbed hereln.) The curved ~uncture 30 can be ln any sultable conflguratlon ln the end reglons of the sanltary napkln. For lnstance the Juncture 30 can be stralght or (as shown ln Flgure 8A) curved convex outward ln the end reglons lO0 and l02. (The terms ~central reglon~ and ~end reglons~ are deflned ln U.S. Patent ~ 690 680 lssued to Hlgglns on September l 198~.) In fact the ~uncture 30 need not be curved at all to provlde some of the deslred beneflts obtalned when uslng a curved ~uncture. The ~uncture 30 only needs to haYe some polnts such as 106 ln the central reglon lO~ of the sanltary napkln that are more lnwardly dlposed than the polnts such as lOB that lle along the ~uncture 30 ln the end reglons 102 and 104 of the san1tary napkln. Thus the ~uncture 30 could be formed by two or more stralght llnes or segments (and/or curved segments). The llnes wlll typlcally be angled lnwardl~ toward the prlnclpal longltudlnal centerllne l as they approach the central reglon 10 of the sanltary napkln. Curved ~unctures are preferred however because they correspond most closely to the shape of the edges of the panty crotch.

The proxlmal edges 32 of the flaps 2~ shown ln flgure aA are either on or slightly laterally outboard of the securement ~eans 68. The proxlmal edges 32 of the flaps 2~ can be of varlous dlfferent conflguratlons as long as thls relat1Onshlp ls malntalned. Preferably the curvature of the proxlmal edges 32 of the flaps 2~ closely matches the curvature of the longltudlnal slde edges 22a of the maln body portlon 22.

~ he flaps 2~ can be attached to e1ther slde (20a or 20b) of the sanltary napkln 20 (as ln the case of many of the embod1~ents descrlbed hereln). Preferably however the flaps 2~ are attached to the body-faclng slde 20a of the sanlt~ry napkln. Thls has the 38 2~ J~

advantage that the sanltary napkln can be placed ln the wearer s underganments ~ith the flaps 2~ ln the folded lnward conflguratlon shown ln F~gure 8A. ~he user does not have to unfold or otherwlse man1pulate the flaps 2~ before ~ttach1ng the ma1n body portlon 22 to the panty crotch. The flaps 24 are then folded back outward around the edges of the panty crotch and attached to the underslde of the panty. Preferably ln cases such as th1s where the flaps are lnltlally ortented 1nwardly they are compr1sed of a materlal sufflclently flex1ble that the flaps wlll not tend to fold back lnward when they need to be folded back for attach~ent to the underslde of the wearers pantles.

Flgure 8A also prov1des an example of flaps 2~ that can be manufactured wlth a mlnlmu~ of wasted mater1al. Th1s ts partlcularly lmportant ln cases where the flaps are made of a relatlvely expens1ve materlal.

The flaps 2~ for the embodlment shown ln f19ure 8A ~re preferably cut pr10r to the attachment of the same to the ~1n body portlon 22. As shown 1n Flgure 8B the flaps 2~ are preferably both cut from the same web of materlal 110. The web of materlal 110 need only be as w1de as the lateral wldth of one flap (or only sllghtly w1der than the wldth of a flap). The edges of the web of mater1al or1ented 1n the mach1ne d1rect10n can be tr1mmed to the des1red curvature for the prox1~al edges of the flaps. After the edges are tr1~ed the edges 35 of the flaps can be formed by cutt1ng the web along a slnuso1dal path.

The s1nuso1dal cutttng path can have an amplltùde that extends from one edge of the web to the other. ~he s1nuso1dal cuttlng path fonms flap p1eces wh1ch are ~nested~ wlth each other.
The cutt1ng path can thus, s1multaneously fon~ the edges of two d1fferent flaps. For 1nstance the web of flap mater1al can be cut so that the mater1al fonu1ng the port1on of the edges des1gnated 35 and 35 " 1s abutt1ng and the slnuso1dal cutt1ng path forms both flap edges.

Z ~ A ~
.

F~gures 8C - 8E show an example of ~ sanltar~ napkln that employs st111 another wa~ of attachlng the flaps 2~ along curved llnes of ~uncture 30 to create sl~ck ln the corner reglons 52.
~he attachment ls acco~pllshed ln the follow1ng ~anner.

In the embodlment shown ln Flgures 8C - 8E the san1tary napkin 20 flaps 2~ that comprtse separate pleces attached to the backsheet ~2 (these p1eces could of course be attached to another component of the sanitary napkln 20). ~he longltudlnal side edges 22a of the ma1n body portlon 22 of the sanltary napkln prlor to the attachment of the flaps 24 are relatlvely stralght.

A plece of ~aterlal extenslon 70 ls provlded whlch 1s attached along each longltudlnal edge 22a of the ~aln body portlon 22. The extenslon 70 extends the longltudlnal slde edges 22a of the maln body port10n 22 of the san1tary napk1n 20 outward fro~
the dlrectlon of the pr1nc1pal longltudlnal centerl1ne l. The extenslon 70 can be any sultable matertal. Preferabl~ the extens10n co~prtses backsheet materlal. In one preferred embodlment the extenslon 70 comprlses ~ nonwoven/fluld lmpervlous fll~ laminate slmllar to that descr1bed above as be1ng sultable for use as the backsheet.

~ he extens10n 70 h~s two long1tud1nal edges 70a and two transverse edges 70b. ~he long1tud1nal edges 70a comprlse proxtmal long1tudlnal edge (or s1mply ~prox1mal edge-) 70a and a d1stal longltudtnal edge (or s1mply ~dtstal edge~) 70a . ~n the embodlment shown the proxlmal edge 70a of the extens10n 70 ts preferably a relat1vely stra1ght 11ne and the dtstal edge 70a 1s curved concave lnward toward the pr1nc1pal longltudlnal centerltne l of the sanltary napktn. ~he rad1us of curvature of the dtstal edge 70a ls des1gnated ln Ftgure 8F as the flrst rad1us of curvature. rl-~ he transYerse edges 70b of the extens10n 70 can be of anysu1table conflguratton. Preferably the transverse edges 70b are of a curved convex outward conf1gurat10n sl~llar to that shown ln the drawlngs so that they wlll present a comfortable shape for the wearer ~ he flaps 2~ are proYlded ln the for~ of separate crescent-shaped pleces of mater1al 72. The crescent-shaped p1eces 72 each have two curved edges 72a and 72b. One of the edges 72a has a smaller radlus of curvature (second r~d~us of curvature r2) than the other edge 72b (whlch has a thlrd radlus of curvature r3). The edges 72a w1th the smaller radlus of curvature r2 (l.e.
the edge ~ith more curvature) form the d1stal edge 3~ of the flaps 24. The edges 72b wlth the larger radlus of curvature r3 fon~ the proxlmal edges 32 of the flaps.

The radti of curvature are establlshed so the th1rd radlus of curvature r3 ~s less than the radlus of curvature rl (the radtus of curvature of the dlstal edge 70a ' of the extenslon p1ece 70.) There ls a zone along the edge 72b w1th the larger radlus of curvature that has a plural1ty of spaced apart notches 76 cut lnto lt (shown ln Flgure 80). The zone comprlses the fl-nge 7~ of the flaps 2~. The flange 7~ can be of any su1table d1mens10ns wh1ch allows the flaps 2~ to be attached to the extens10n 70. In the embotlment shown the flange 1s about 1/~ lnch (about 0.6 m .) 1n wldth. The notches 76 are preferably about 0.2 1nch (about 0.5 m~.) ln depth and ~bout 0.15 1nch (about 0.~ ~a.) 1n w1dth at the1r w1dest polnt. The notches 76 allow the flange 7~ to spread out suff1clently so that the flrst and th1rd rad11 of curvature rl and r3 become approx1mately the same. Th1s allows the flaps 2~ to be attached along the flange 7~ to the edge of the extenslon plece 70 ~lthout pucker1ng etc.

The flange 7~ can be attached to the extens10n 70 by any su1table securlng element or attachment ~eans. for 1nstance as shown tn Flgure 80 the secur1ng element used to ~ttach the flaps 2~ to the extens10n 70 can 1nclude but 1s not llm1ted to a plurallty of spaced apart p1eces of double-slded tape 80 th-t are placed along those areas of the n ange 7~ des1gnated 78 that 11e . ~1 between the notches 76 (~he double-slded tape pleces are placed along the unnotched portlons of the flange ) In an alternatlve embodlment whlch ls some~hat preferred over the embodlment descrlbed above the extenslon ~0 can be made lntegral wlth the ma~n body portlon 22 ~hat ls rather than attachlng a separate extenslon plece to each longltudlnal slde edge of the sanltary napkln 20, the longltudlnal slde edges of the ma1n body portlon 22 (or a component thereof such as backsheet ~2) could merel~ be extended further outboard away fro~ the prlnclpal longltudlnal centerl1ne l ~he longltudlnal slde edges 22a of the ~aln body portlon 22 could then be cut to form a curved edge slmllar to that of the dlstal edge 70a" of the extenslon ~0 descrlbed above Flgures 9-11 show st111 another alternatlve embodlment of a sanltary napkln 20 ~ade by the method of the present lnventton In thls embodlment the entlre sanltary napk1n 20 ls folded or pleated through the ~a1n body port10n 22 of the san~tary napk1n ~he sanltar~ napkln 20 ls folded or pleated ~long two long1tud1nal llnes 90 one of whlch 1s located on each slde of the pr1nc1pal longltudlnal centerllne l The pleated sect10n of the ma1n body portlon 22 ls restralned from openlng along the flap transverse centerllne tl.
-~ hls also creates ~ones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty S0 (orslack) ln the corner reglons 52 of the sanitary napk~n 20 The zones of dlfferent~al extenslbtl1ty 50 are formed 1n the fl-ps 2~, as well as ln port10ns of the ma1n body portlon 22 partlcularl~
those portlons wh~ch 11e between the corner reglons of the flaps 52 and the prlnc1pal long1tud1nal centerllne l ~he zones of d1fferentlal extenslb111ty 50 are for~ed because the port10ns of the components of the san1tary napk1n 20 are all gathered 1n along the flap transverse centerl1ne tl (shown best 1n F1gure 10) ~h11e the port10ns of the components of the san~tary napk~n spaced long~tudlnally away fro~ the flap transverse centerl1ne tl are gathered 1n to a lesser extent the farther they are spaced 2 ~7 ~e~
~2 tongltudlnally awa~ fro~ the flap transverse centerllne tl. (Note that the cross-sectlon of Flgure 10 ls not taken through the ~ones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty S0).

The foldlng or pleattng of the sanltary napk~n 20 also forms a hump 92 1n the center of the ma~n bod~ port10n 22. ~hls hump 92 (although not necessar11y drawn to scale ln the drawlng flgures) ls preferably made of such a sl~e and shape that lt 1s capable of f~ttlng ln the space between the wearer s labla.

In the embodlment shown ln Figures 9-ll the pleated sectlon of the sanltary napk~n 20 (or hump) 1s gathered ln and restra1ned by a pad restralnt 9~. ~he pad restralnt 9~ ls preferably relatlvel~ lnextens1ble so that lt prov1des the deslred zones of d1fferent1al extens1b111t~ 50 1n the corner reg10ns 52 of the san1tary napk1n 20. The pad restra1nt 9~ ma~ be 1n dlrect contact w1th the gathered ln portlons that form the hump or lt may brldge the hump. In the latter case, the pad restralnt 9~ na~ extend outward as far as the proxlmal edges 32 of the flaps and restraln the gathered ln portlons laterally outs1de the hu~p.

The pad restra1nt 9~ can be made of an~ su1table ~ater1al.
Some non-llm1t1ng examples of su1table materlals 1nclude paper (prov1ded the same ls not located where 1t can be wetted) tapes nonwoven mater1als and p1eces of pol~eth~lene fll-. The pad restralnt 9~ can also lnclude any type of restr~lnt descrlbed above as be1ng suitable for the flap pleat restra1nt 66 and v1ce versa.

The san1tar~ napkln 20 as shown ln F1gures 9-11, can also have opt1cnal elastlcs 96 on or ad~acent lts flaps 2~. ~n a preferred embodlment the elastlcs 96 are located along the llnes of ~uncture 30 ad~acent the center port10n 2~ of the flaps 2~.
These elast1cs 96 are attached to the sanltar~ napkln 20 (preferabl~ on the backsheet ~2) ln an elast1call~ contract1blQ
condlt10n. The elast1cs 96 ass1st the unrestralned pleated port10ns of the san1tary napk1n 2~ ln openlng so that the pleats ~3 are fully effectlve. ~he zones of dlfferentlal extenslblllty 50 created ln such an embodlment are st111 cons1dered to be ~elastlcless.~ ~he elastlcs 96 are not used to gather ln portlons of the san1tary napk1n to create the zones of dlfferentlal extenslbll1ty 50 only to asslst the unrestralned pleated portlons ln open1ng.

S~mllarly posltloned elastlcs can be used for the same purpose ln the other sanltary napkln embod1ments descr1bed here1n.
~he use of elast1cs 96 1n the embodlment shown 1n Flgures 9-11, however ls partlcularly lmportant because lt opens the unrestralned pleated port1On of the napk1n 20 prlor to the attachment of the sanltary napkln 20 to the wearer s undergarments wlth the central pad adhes1ve 5~. (If the elastlcs 96 were not used the central pad adheslve 54 may tend to remaln ln the fon~
of two parallel strlps rather than two concave lnwardly orlented strlps as shown 1n F~gures 9 and 11. If the strlps of adhes1ve are parallel when they are attached to the wearer s undergan~ents, the effect of pleatlng and the gatherlng 1n the restralned port1On of sanltary napk1n 20 ~ould be negated.) flgure 12 shows an alternat1ve embod1ment of the san1tary napk1n 20 of the present lnventlon ln wh1ch the san1tary napkln 20 ls folded or pleated only along one long~tudlnal llne 90. In th1s case the fold 11ne 90 should preferably run along the pr1nc1pal long1tud1nal centerl1ne 1.

Flgure 13 shows an alternatlve embod1ment of the san1tary napk1n 20 ln whlch the san1tary napkln 20 ls folded or pleated along a plurallty of fold llnes 90. In thls case the fold 11nes 90 are centered about the pr1nclpal longitudlnal centerllne 1.

It should be apparent to one sk111ed 1n the art that ln st111 other alternat1ve embod1ments the flaps 2~ (rather than the ma1n body port1On 22) could bc prov1ded ~1th a s1ngle fold or mult~ple folds. For 1nstance the flaps 2~ could be prov1ded ~lth folds s1m11ar to the folds through the ent1re pad shown 1n F1gures 12 ~ 2a~ J~ ~L

and l3. It ls also apparent that ln other ~lternatlve embodlments the zones of d1fferentlal extenslblllty 50 of the sanltar~ napkln 20 rather than belng lntegral ~lth the less extenslble flrst port10ns of the sanltar~ napk1n 20 could comprlse separate pleces of mater1al (such as separate slack materl-l or rlng rolled corrugated or pleated materlal) assoclated wlth the sanltary napkln.

Flgure 16 shows an alternatlve embod1ment 1n whlch the sanltary napkln 20 1s prov1ded w1th a barrler 98 along the proxlmal edges 32 of the flaps 2~. ~he barrler 98 stands up to serve as a wall to retaln exudates flowlng ln the transverse dlrectlon toward the flaps 24 (shown ln the flap 24 located near the top of the sheet contalnlng flgure 16). ~he barrler 98 may stand up before (and after) the san1tary napk1n 1s placed 1n the wearer s undergarments or 1t ~ay 1n1t1ally 11e relat1vely ftat agalnst the topsheet and use the forces exerted b~ fold1ng of the flaps down under the wearer s undergan~ents to stand up. In other alternatlve embodlments the barrler 98 may have 1ts ends tacked down near the ends of the ~unctures so that 1t slants 1nwardly durtng use rather than stand1ng stra19ht up.

The barr1er 98 may be provlded on ~ost of the embodtments descr1bed here~n. (The barr1er may also be prov1ded on other sanltary npak1n embod1ments. For 1nstance the flaps of the san1tary napk1n 20 shown are completely extens1ble. In add1t10n the san1tary napk1n could even be prov1ded w1th such a barr1er 98 lf 1t dld not have flaps 24.J The barrler 98 may be constructed 1n any su1table manner. F1gure l6 shows one preferred construct10n 1n wh1ch the barr1er 98 ~s formed b~ prov1d1ng ~ aps 24 that compr1se non-1ntegral (or separate) elements. ~he barr~er 98 1s formed by prov~d1ng these flap elements w1th an extens10n of excess mater1al 1nboard of the ~unctures 30. ~he barr~er 98 ~y be made of the same mater1al as the rema1nder of the flaps 2~.
Alternat1vely ~t may (and/or the port~ons of the n aps ad~acent the barr1er) may be made of a stlffer materlal to a1d the barr1er 1n stand1ng up.

~5 2 ~ c~-4~ ~L

In stlll other alternatlve embodlments the sanltary n~pk1n could be provlded ~lth addltlonal components. For lnstance the sanltary napkln could be provlded wlth the ~et-lald tlssue and/or the llquld permeable ~lpe acqu1sltlon sheet descr1bed ln greater detall ln U.S. Patent 5 009 653 lssued to Osborn. In addlt1On such sanltary napk1ns could be prov1ded w1th add1tlonal types of stress rel1ef means such as those descrlbed 1n U.S. Patent 917 697 at varlous locatlons around the perlphery of the sanltary napkln.

Thus the present lnventlon provldes a method of mak1nq a sanltary napkln havlng flaps and ~ones of dlfferent1al extens1b111ty for relievlng the stresses that develop ln the flaps when the flaps are folded down and under a ~earer s undergan~ent.

~ h11e partlcular embodlments of the present 1nventlon have been lllustrated and descr1bed lt would be obv1Ous to those sk111ed 1n the art that var1Ous other changes ~nd ~cd1flcat1Ons can be made ~1thout depart1ng from the sp1r1t and scope of the lnventlon.

~ hat ls clal~ed 1s:

Claims (12)

1. A method of making an absorbent article having flaps and zones of differential extensibility, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an absorbent article comprising a main body portion, said main body portion having a body-facing side, a garment side, a principal longitudinal centerline, a principal transverse centerline, two spaced apart longitudinal edges, said main body portion comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet, and an absorbent core positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent core having a pair of spaced apart longitudinal side edges that define a widest portion of said absorbent core at least at one place between said longitudinal side edges of said absorbent core, said absorbent article comprising:
(i) a pair of flaps, said flaps having a garment side, and each flap being associated with said main body portion at a juncture and extending laterally outward beyond a longitudinal edge of said main body portion, said junctures each having a pair of ends, said flaps being divided into a front half and a back half by a flap transverse centerline, and having a fastener located on the garment side of said flaps for attaching each flap to the underside of an undergarment or to the other flap; and (ii) two corner regions for each flap, said corner regions being located in the regions of the ends of each juncture, wherein portions of said flaps lie along said flap transverse centerline and portions of said flaps lie in said corner regions, and the portions of said flaps that lie along said flap transverse centerline lie transversely further outward from the principal longitudinal centerline than the longitudinal side edges of the absorbent core at the widest portion of said absorbent core and are disposed further outward in the transverse direction from the longitudinal said edges of said main body portion than the portions of said flaps located in said corner regions; and (b) forming zones of differential extensibility in said corner regions of said absorbent article, said zones comprising portions of at least one of said topsheet, backsheet, absorbent core, and flaps, said zones of differential extensibility being capable of greater extensibility outward in a generally transverse direction than the surrounding portions of said absorbent article whereby said zones of differential extensibility provide material to cover a wearer's undergarment to prevent exudates from soiling the wearer's undergarment through said zones of differential extensibility.

2. The method of Claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises the step of stretching the material comprising said corner regions beyond its point of plastic deformation.

3. The method of Claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises ring rolling or corrugating said corner regions so that corrugations with generally longitudinally-oriented fold lines are formed in said corner regions.

4. The method of Claim 1 wherein said flaps each have a proximal end adjacent the longitudinal side edges of the main body portion of said absorbent article and an oppose distal end, and the step (b) comprising the steps of:
(i) folding portions of said flaps which lie outboard of said juncture toward said principal longitudinal centerline;
(ii) securing said folded portion of said flaps in the area of said flap transverse centerline to form secured portions of said flaps so that the material in said secured portions is unable to unfold and so that said flaps are secured a sufficient distance transversely inward from the distal ends of said flaps so that when said flaps are unfolded, the distal ends of the flaps have a dimension measured in the transverse direction that is far enough transversely outward from the longitudinal edges of said main body portion so that said flaps may be folded under the wearer's undergarment, and leaving portions of said flaps in said corner regions unsecured so these unsecured portions may unfold; and (iii) folding the portions of said flaps located along said flap transverse centerline back outward away from said longitudinal centerline so that the distal ends of said flaps are disposed transversely outward of the longitudinal side edges of the main body portion and the corner regions of said absorbent article.

5. The method of Claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises the steps of (i) folding portions of said main body portion with longitudinally oriented fold lines along said principal longitudinal centerline, and (ii) securing said folded portion of said main body portion in the area of said flap transverse centerline so that the material comprising the secured portion is unable to unfold and leaving the remaining portions of said absorbent article unsecured so these remaining portions are capable of extension in a generally transverse direction.

6. The method of Claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises joining at least one of said flaps to said main body portion such that at least one of said junctures is oriented so that portions of said juncture in the area of said flap transverse centerline are closer to the principal longitudinal centerline than the portions of said juncture near the ends of said juncture.

7. The method of Claim 6 wherein said at least one juncture is curved concave inward toward said principal longitudinal centerline in at least a portion of the central region of said absorbent article.

8. The method of Claim 7 wherein the absorbent article in step (a) further comprises an absorbent article having a main body portion with longitudinal side edges said that are curved concave inward in said central region, said longitudinal side edges having a first radius of curvature, and separate flap elements that may be attached to said main body portion, said flap elements having proximal edges with a similar radius of curvature than said first radius of curvature, and step (b) comprises (i) providing a plurality of notches in said proximal edge of said flap elements so that the radius of curvature of said proximal edges of said flap elements approaches said first radius of curvature, and (ii) attaching said proximal edges of said flap elements on top of the longitudinal side edges of said main body portion.

9. The method of Claim 1 wherein the main body portion of said absorbent article provided in step (a) further comprises a fastener on said garment side for attaching said absorbent article to the crotch of an undergarment.

10. A method of making an absorbent article having flaps and zones of differential extensibility, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an absorbent article comprising a main body portion, said main body portion having a body-facing side, a garment side, a principal longitudinal centerline and a principal transverse centerline, said main body portion having two spaced apart longitudinal side edges, said main body portion comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet, and an absorbent core positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent core having a pair of spaced apart longitudinal side edges that define a widest portion of said absorbent core at least at one place between said longitudinal side edges of said absorbent core;
(b) providing at least one component in the form of a pair of flaps, said flaps each having a garment side, a flap transverse centerline, a proximal end, a distal end, two corner regions, said corner regions being located in portions of said flaps that are at the proximal ends of said flaps and spaced away from said flap transverse centerline, and a fastener located on the garment side at the distal end of said flaps for attaching each flap to the underside of an undergarment or to the other flap wherein portions of said flaps lie along said flap transverse centerline;
(c) forming zones of differential extensibility in said corner regions of said flaps, said zones comprising portions of at least one of said topsheet, backsheet, absorbent core, and flaps, said zones of differential extensibility being capable of greater extensibility outward in a generally transverse direction than the surrounding portions of said flaps while the portions of the flaps that lie along the flap transverse centerline have a greater dimension in the transverse direction from the proximal ends of said flaps than the portions of the flaps located in the corner regions whereby said zones of differential extensibility provide material to cover a wearer's undergarment to prevent exudates from soiling the wearer's undergarment through said zones of differential extensibility; and (d) attaching said at least one component that comprises said flaps to said main body portion so that the proximal ends of said flaps are affixed at a juncture with the main body portion, said flaps each extend laterally outward beyond a longitudinal edge of said main body portion and lie transversely further outward from the principal longitudinal centerline than the portions of the longitudinal side edges of the absorbent core at the widest portion of said absorbent core.

11. A method of making a sanitary napkin having flaps and a zone of extensibility, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a sanitary napkin comprising:
a main body portion comprising an absorbent core, said absorbent core having two spaced apart longitudinal side edges that define a widest portion of said absorbent core at least at one place between said longitudinal edges of said absorbent core;
a pair of flaps extending laterally outward from a juncture with said main body portion to a distal edge, said flaps each having a garment side with a fastener thereon, a flap transverse centerline, and points along said flap transverse centerline at the distal edge of said flaps, wherein said points along said flap transverse centerline lie transversely outboard of the longitudinal side edges of the widest portion of said absorbent core; and (b) forming a zone of extensibility in said sanitary napkin, said zone of extensibility comprising portions of said flaps that are spaced longitudinally away from said flap transverse centerline, said zone of extensibility having slack therein and being capable of greater extensibility outward in a generally transverse direction than the points of said flaps located along said flap transverse centerline whereby said zones of differential extensibility provide material to cover a wearer's undergarment to prevent exudates from soiling the wearer's undergarment through said zones of differential extensibility.

12. A method of making a sanitary napkin having flaps and a zone of extensibility, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sanitary napkin comprising:
a main body portion comprising an absorbent core, said absorbent core having two spaced apart longitudinal side edges that define a widest portion of said absorbent core at least at one place between said longitudinal edges of said absorbent core;
a pair of flaps extending laterally outward from a juncture with said main body portion to a distal edge, said flaps each having a garment side with a fastener thereon, a flap transverse centerline, and points along said flap transverse centerline at the distal edge of said flaps, wherein said points along said flap transverse centerline lie transversely outboard of the longitudinal side edges of the widest portion of said absorbent core; and (b) forming a zone of extensibility in said sanitary napkin, said zone of extensibility comprising portions of said flaps that are spaced longitudinally away from said flap transverse centerline, said portions of said flaps comprising material that is extensible and capable of greater extensibility outward in a generally transverse direction than the points of said flaps located along said flap transverse centerline whereby said zones of differential extensibility provide material to cover a wearer's undergarment to prevent exudates from soiling the wearer's undergarment through said zones of differential extensibility.