Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Sarah A O'Brien

Seul Gee Lee

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cooke

KueYoung You

MinJae Lee

Jiyoung Haley Jung

DaeGun Kim

Sangwook Lee

SiOn Choi

Jin Chen

Marcela Rendon

An absorbent article includes bond seams that are positioned forwardly towards the article central longitudinal direction from the lateral-most side edges of the article, and which are aligned with the highest point of high-rise leg openings on the article. The absorbent article is conformable on both front and back panels, with the front panel being narrower in dimension than the back panel. The bond seams and leg openings can be seen on the front surface of the relaxed and flattened absorbent article. Such absorbent article may be manufactured along the article transverse direction by use of differential tension during manufacture, or differential retractive properties of elastic base materials.

Method of making an absorbent article having stretchable panels

An absorbent article includes bond seams that are positioned forwardly towards the article central longitudinal direction from the lateral-most side edges of the article, and which are aligned with the highest point of high rise leg openings on the article. The absorbent article is conformable on both front and back panels, with the front panel being narrower in dimension than the back panel. The bond seams and leg openings can be seen on the front surface of the relaxed and flattened absorbent article. Such absorbent article may be manufactured along the article transverse direction by use of differential tension during manufacture, or differential retractive properties of elastic base materials.

Absorbent article having stretchable panels and method of making same

A feminine care absorbent article having fluid barrier and decolorizing structures is described. Such structures can prevent the spread of menses fluid towards the edges of the article and can also decolorize stains so that the stains are less noticeable. The article includes a liquid permeable topsheet having a central layer positioned adjacent opposing side layers. The side layers can include a separating region that at least partially separates a decolorizing agent carrier material treated with a decolorizing agent from an absorbent core. At least one of the side layers can also include at least one fluid barrier region that can prevent or slow the spread of fluids from the center of the article to the edges. The combination of the separating and fluid barrier regions can allow the decolorizing agent to sufficiently decolorize a fluid insult that may have spread to the lateral edges of the article.

Absorbent article with side barriers and decolorizing agents

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Neenah, WI, United States of America

Sarah A O'Brien