The Procter Gamble Company

Yuka Furutani

Nicholas Albert Ahr

Jerry Edward Carstens

Ronald Bosman Visscher

Deborah Catherine Schmitz

Nona Jane Redwine

The present invention relates to undergarments that have close body fit. The undergarment of the present invention includes an elasticized waistband, a front region, a rear region, a crotch region and a pair of elasticized leg openings. The front and rear regions are preferably elastically extensible in both the longitudinal and lateral directions. The crotch region is disposed between the front and rear regions and has greater resistance to stretching in the longitudinal direction than the front and rear regions. The crotch region is further provided with a longitudinal stretch control member that is disposed along the longitudinal centerline of the undergarment and a plurality of angled stretch control members that extend from the longitudinal stretch control member to the leg elastics at an acute angle to the longitudinal stretch control member. The stretch control members limit the stretch of the crotch region in both the longitudinal and the lateral directions that causes the crotch region to conform to a wearer's skin surface. The rear region is provided with a lifting member that cooperates with the rear region, the front region and the longitudinal stretch control member to provide a &ldquo;z-direction&rdquo; biasing force along the longitudinal stretch control member. This biasing force, which is greater than the body contact force in adjacent portions of the crotch region, causes the crotch region, and any absorbent article that may be disposed thereon, to be lifted into close bodily contact when the undergarment is worn.

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Nishinomiya, Japan

Yuka Furutani