Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kenneth James Quella

Michael Donald Sperl

Michael Lee Lohoff

Jeffrey Alan DeBroux

Daniel Mark Duhm

Anita Marie-Nanette Gilgenbach

Darin Allen Engelhart

James Richard Schermerhorn

Luis Alberto Tenorio

David Kyle Stankewicz

An absorbent article having a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region extending between and interconnecting the front and back waist regions. The article comprises an outer cover, a body-side liner, an absorbent assembly between the outer cover and the body-side liner, and leg and flap elastic composites including a containment flap portion and a gasket portion. Each of the composites are attached to the liner such that one of the composites is disposed adjacent one side edge of the liner and the other composite is disposed adjacent the other side edge of the liner, each of the composites extend longitudinally from the front waist region to the back waist region, and each of the composites have a deadened portion in the front waist region or the back waist region. The article further includes a waist elastic member extending longitudinally between the deadened portions.

Leg and flap elastic composite for an absorbent article and method of manufacturing same

A method of manufacturing a liner/composite web for use in an absorbent article includes joining a leg elastic member to a web moving in a machine direction and joining a flap elastic member to the web. The flap elastic member is spaced from the leg elastic member. The web is folded to form a leg and flap elastics composite including an outer side edge. The web is joined to a substrate to form the liner/composite web. The liner/composite web is joined to a web of material such that the outer side edge of the leg and flap elastics composite is coterminous with one of a pair of laterally opposing side edges of the web of material.

A method of manufacturing a leg and flap elastics composite for use in an absorbent article includes joining a leg elastic member to a web moving in a machine direction. A flap elastic member is joined to the web and spaced from the leg elastic member. The web is fed to a chopper assembly wherein portions of the leg and flap elastic members are rendered less elastic at spaced-apart intervals to define deadened portions of the leg and flap elastic members.

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Appleton, WI, United States of America

Kenneth James Quella