Absorbent chassis and belt elastic configuration and absorbent article having a weak path

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an absorbent article comprising a first belt and a second belt, the absorbent article may include a frangible path including a frangible line. The belt may also include elastic strands positioned between and connected to the first substrate and the second substrate. The elastic strands may be severed by the frangible line, and the severed elastic strands may be continuously joined between the first substrate and the second substrate. The arrangement of the frangible path relative to the belt elasticity position herein may be configured to help ensure that the belt can be relatively easily torn along the frangible path without the need to also tear the uncut elastic strands.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to an absorbent article, and more particularly to an absorbent article having a belt elastic structure in the anterior and / or posterior lumbar region, including one or more vulnerable pathways. [Background technology]

[0002] Some absorbent articles have components including an elastomer laminate. Such an elastomer laminate may include an elastic material bonded to one or more nonwoven fabrics. The elastic material may include an elastic film and / or elastic strands. In some laminates, multiple elastic strands are bonded to a nonwoven fabric while the strands are stretched, and as a result, when the elastic strands relax, the nonwoven fabric forms folds, thereby creating corrugations and wrinkles. The resulting elastomer laminate is stretchable to the extent that the elastic strands can be stretched by the corrugations.

[0003] Furthermore, the absorbent article in the form of a diaper pants may be constructed using an absorbent chassis connected to front and rear elastic belts, where the opposing end regions of the front and rear belts are connected to each other at the side seams. In some examples, the elasticity of the front and rear belts may be removed in the region where the absorbent chassis is connected to the belts. Thus, in some conversion configurations adapted to assemble such diaper pants, an elongated elastic strand is bonded between two continuous nonwoven webs to form an elastic laminate. Then, each region of the elastic strand may be intermittently deactivated along the length of the elastic laminate by cutting the elastic strand in the area connected to the chassis, which is sometimes called a tummy elastic cut.

[0004] Some caregivers of older infants or toddlers with incontinence may prefer closed-pants-type disposable absorbent items to allow application and removal from the child while the child is standing. One drawback of this product form is that removal and disposal of the fecal-containing product can be unsanitary and inconvenient. For example, pulling down the product may cause feces to soil the user's legs. In another example, the caregiver may use force to tear open the bound sides. The force used may lead to a rapid release of energy from the diaper, causing the caregiver to lose control of the product and feces to spill out. In contrast, removal and disposal of conventional open-type or tape-type diaper forms with fasteners can be easily achieved while the child is lying on their back. In this case, the fasteners are opened, the diaper is removed from under the child and rolled up into a nearly cylindrical shape, and the fasteners are then secured around the rolled-up soiled diaper, closing the leg openings for sanitary disposal.

[0005] To avoid having to remove soiled diaper pants from the wearer by sliding them off their legs or tearing the joined side seams, some diaper pants may be constructed with a tear line on the front or back belt. Such a tear line may include perforations that allow caregivers to more easily separate the belt along the perforation line. Once the belt is separated, the diaper pants can be removed from the wearer more easily without having to slide them off their legs, similar to conventional open-tape diaper designs. However, diaper pants with tear lines may present various challenges. For example, some elastic belts may contain several elastic strands, and therefore, there may be challenges related to cutting the elastic strands at the location of the perforation line. There may also be challenges related to ensuring that all elastic strands extending through the tear line are also cut consistently. If uncut elastic strands extend through the tear line of the diaper pants' waistband, such uncut elastic strands need to be ruptured when the diaper pants are removed from the wearer. Such uncut elastic strands may be very difficult to rupture or tear, which may cause the tear to propagate away from the intended path, requiring the caregiver to restart the tear at the site of the tear deviation. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] As a result, it would be beneficial to create a pant-type product that provides caregivers with the ability to remove and dispose of soiled products in the same manner as conventional open-type diapers. In addition, a pant-type diaper with a fragile pathway within an elastic belt extending through consistently cut elastic strands would be beneficial. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one embodiment, the absorbent article comprises: a first belt including an inner wearer-side surface and an outer garment-side surface, further including a transversely extending inner edge and a transversely extending outer edge, the outer edge being located longitudinally outward of the inner edge; a second belt, the transversely opposing end portion of the second belt being connected to the transversely opposing end portion of the first belt at the first and second side seams to form a waist opening; a top sheet; a back sheet; and an absorbent core positioned between the top sheet and the back sheet, comprising: a first longitudinally extending side edge; a first end edge; and a second end edge longitudinally separated from the first end edge. A chassis comprises a first belt and a second belt, the end regions of which are longitudinally opposed to each other, and the chassis is connected to the first belt and the second belt, wherein a portion of the chassis overlaps with the inner wearer-side surface of the first belt to define a chassis overlap region, and a vulnerable path within the first belt extends across the overlap region between the proximal end on the inner edge and the distal end on the outer edge of the first belt, and the first vulnerable path includes a first tear zone extending from the overlap region to the distal end and a second tear zone extending from the overlap region to the proximal end, the distal and proximal ends being positioned laterally between the first side edge and the first side seam of the chassis. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a diaper pants in a pre-assembled configuration. [Figure 1A] This is a perspective view of a diaper pants with a continuous outer cover in a pre-fastened configuration. [Figure 2A] This is a plan view of a diaper pant, with the diaper portion facing away from the wearer facing the observer. [Figure 2B] This is a plan view of a diaper pant, with the part of the diaper facing the wearer facing the observer. [Figure 2C]This is a plan view illustrating the first and second belt size and shape characteristics of a diaper pant, where the diaper portion facing away from the wearer is directed towards the observer. [Figure 2D] This is a plan view illustrating the first and second belt size and shape characteristics of a diaper pant, where the diaper portion facing away from the wearer is directed towards the observer. [Figure 2E] This is a plan view illustrating the first and second belt size and shape characteristics of a diaper pant, where the diaper portion facing away from the wearer is directed towards the observer. [Figure 2F] This is a plan view of a diaper pant with a continuous outer cover, where the diaper portion facing away from the wearer is directed towards the observer. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the diaper pants of Figure 2A along line 3-3, showing first and second elastic belts having panel layers. [Figure 3A] This is a detailed cross-sectional view of a first belt having panel layers, where one panel layer is folded over another panel layer. [Figure 3A1] This is a cross-sectional detail view of another exemplary configuration, where the first belt has panel layers, and one panel layer is folded over another panel layer. [Figure 3A2] This is a cross-sectional detail view of another exemplary configuration, where the first belt has panel layers, and one panel layer is folded over another panel layer. [Figure 3B] This is a detailed cross-sectional view of a second belt, which has panel layers, with one panel layer folded over another. [Figure 3C] This is a cross-sectional view of the diaper pants of Figure 2F along line 3C-3C, showing first and second elastic belts having panel layers and a continuous outer cover. [Figure 4A] This is a perspective view of a diaper pant with a vulnerable pathway in the front belt, adjacent to the absorbent chassis. [Figure 4B] Figure 4A is a perspective view of the diaper pants showing the front belt torn along one of the vulnerable pathways. [Figure 4C]Perspective view of a diaper pant of FIG. 4A showing a front belt torn along two vulnerable paths. [Figure 5A] View showing the diaper pant of FIG. 4C rolled up on itself in the longitudinal direction. [Figure 5B] View showing the diaper pant of FIG. 5A where a fastening component is connected to the backsheet of the chassis to maintain the diaper pant in a discarded configuration. [Figure 6A] Perspective view of a diaper pant having a vulnerable path. [Figure 6B] Front plan view of the diaper pant of FIG. 6A. [Figure 6B1] Front view of another configuration of a diaper pant having a vulnerable path with distal and proximal ends positioned on the side seam. [Figure 6C] Front view of the diaper pant of FIG. 6B when the first vulnerable path is torn. [Figure 6D] Front view of the diaper pant of FIG. 6C after the first vulnerable path is completely torn. [Figure 6E] Front view of the diaper pant of FIG. 6D when the second vulnerable path is torn. [Figure 6F] Front view of the diaper pant of FIG. 6E after the second vulnerable path is completely torn. [Figure 7A] Detailed view of a fastening component configuration. [Figure 7AA1] Cross-sectional view of the fastening component along line 7AA-7AA of FIG. 7A. [Figure 7AA2] Cross-sectional view of the fastening component along line 7AA-7AA of FIG. 7A where the fastening component is integrally formed from a belt component. [Figure 7B] Detailed view of another fastening component configuration. [Figure 7C] Front view of a diaper having another configuration of a fastening component, an accessible opening, and a vulnerable path. [Figure 7D] Detailed view of the fastening component configuration shown in FIG. 7C. [Figure 7E]Figure 6B is a front view of the diaper pants when the first vulnerable pathway is torn. [Figure 7F] This is a front view of a diaper with a different configuration of vulnerable pathways. [Figure 8A] Figure 6B is a front view of the diaper pants, showing various positional relationships with the chassis belt bonding zone. [Figure 8B] Figure 6B is a front view of the diaper pants, showing various additional positional relationships with the chassis belt bonding zone. [Figure 8C] This is a schematic diagram of the diaper pants assembly process. [Figure 9] Figure 6B is a front view of the diaper pants, showing various positional relationships with the elastic material within the first belt. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] definition The following glossary of terms may be useful in understanding this disclosure.

[0010] "Absorbent articles" refer to devices that absorb and contain bodily exudates, and more specifically, devices that are placed in contact with or near the wearer's body to absorb and contain various exudates discharged from the body. Examples of absorbent articles include diapers, training pants, pull-on diapers (i.e., diapers with pre-formed waist and leg openings as shown in U.S. Patent No. 6,120,487), refastened diapers or diaper-type diapers, incontinence briefs and underwear, diaper holders and liners, panty liners, absorbent inserts, and feminine hygiene clothing such as menstrual pads.

[0011] "Body side" and "clothing side" refer to the relative position of an element, its surface, or a group of elements, respectively. "Body side" indicates that the element or surface is closer to the wearer when worn than any other element or surface. "Clothing side" indicates that the element or surface is further away from the wearer when worn than any other element or surface (i.e., the element or surface is closer to the wearer's clothing that may be worn over a disposable absorbent article).

[0012] The terms “elastic,” “elastomer,” or “elastomerous” refer to materials that exhibit elastic properties, including any material that, when a force is applied to its initial relaxed length, can be stretched or elongated to a length exceeding 10% of its initial length, and which substantially returns to approximately its initial length when the applied force is released. Examples of elastomer materials include elastomer films, scrims, nonwovens, ribbons, strands, and other sheet-like structures.

[0013] As used herein, the term “joined” includes configurations in which one element is directly attached to another element by directly adhering it to that element, as well as configurations in which one element is indirectly attached to another element by adhering it to an intermediate member(s) and then adhering that intermediate member(s) to another element.

[0014] As used herein, the term “distal” is used to describe a position that is placed away from the center or attachment point of the body, and the term “proximal” is used to describe a position that is placed closer to the center or attachment point of the body.

[0015] In this specification, the term “substrate” is used to describe a material that is primarily two-dimensional (i.e., in the XY plane) and whose thickness (in the Z direction) is relatively small (i.e., 1 / 10 or less) compared to its length (in the X direction) and width (in the Y direction). Non-limiting examples of substrates include webs, layers (one or more) or fibrous materials, nonwoven fabrics, polymer films or films and foils such as metallic foils. These materials may be used individually or may consist of two or more layers laminated together. Therefore, a web is a substrate.

[0016] In this specification, the term “nonwoven fabric” refers to a material made from continuous (long) filaments (fibers) and / or discontinuous (short) filaments (fibers) by processes such as spunbonding, meltblowing, and carding. Nonwoven fabrics do not have a woven or knitted filament pattern.

[0017] In this specification, the term “machine direction” (MD) is used to refer to the direction of material flow through a process. In addition, the relative arrangement and movement of materials can be described as flowing in the machine direction, from upstream to downstream of a process.

[0018] In this specification, the term “cross direction” (CD) is used to refer to a direction substantially perpendicular to the machine direction.

[0019] "Pre-strain" refers to the strain imposed on an elastic or elastomer material before it is combined with another element of an elastomer laminate or absorbent article. Pre-strain is calculated using the following equation: Pre-strain = ((Elongation length of the elastic material - Relaxation length of the elastic material) / Relaxation length of the elastic material) * Determined by 100.

[0020] Decitex, also known as Dtex, is a measurement used in the textile industry to measure yarn or filament. 1 decitex = 1 gram per 10,000 meters. In other words, if a yarn or filament weighs 500 grams per 10,000 linear meters, then that yarn or filament has 500 decitex.

[0021] The term "tape-type diaper" (also known as "open-type diaper") refers to a disposable absorbent article having an initial anterior lumbar region and an initial posterior lumbar region that are not fastened, pre-fastened, or connected to each other when packaged and before being applied to the wearer. Tape-type diapers may be folded along the transverse centerline with the inner surface of one lumbar region in contact with the inner surface of the opposite lumbar region, without the lumbar regions being fastened or joined together as a single unit. Examples of tape-type diapers of various suitable configurations include U.S. Patent Nos. 5,167,897, 5,360,420, 5,599,335, 5,643,588, 5,674,216, 5,702,551, 5,968,025, 6,107,537, 6,118,041, 6,153,209, 6,410,129, and 6,426. This is disclosed in U.S. Patent Applications Nos. 444, 6,586,652, 6,627,787, 6,617,016, 6,825,393, and 6,861,571, as well as in U.S. Patent Publications 2013 / 0072887(A1), 2013 / 0211356(A1), and 2013 / 0306226(A1), all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0022] In this specification, the term “pants” (also referred to as “training pants,” “pre-closed diapers,” “diaper pants,” “pants-type diapers,” and “pull-on diapers”) refers to a disposable absorbent article designed for an infant or adult wearer, having a continuous outer-edge waist opening and continuous outer-edge leg openings. Pants may be constructed to have a continuous or closed waist opening and at least one continuous closed leg opening before the article is applied to the wearer. Pants may be pre-formed or pre-fastened by a variety of techniques, including but not limited to joining parts of the article together using any refastening and / or permanent closing member (e.g., seams, heat bonding, pressure welding, adhesives, adhesive bonding, mechanical fasteners, etc.). Pants may be pre-formed at any location along the outer periphery of the article in the waist region (e.g., sides fastened or joined, front waist fastened or joined, rear waist fastened or joined). Examples of diaper pants in various configurations are found in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,940,464, 5,092,861, 5,246,433, 5,569,234, 5,897,545, 5,957,908, 6,120,487, 6,120,489, 7,569,039, and U.S. Patent Application Publications 2003 / 0233082(A1) and 2005 / 010776. Disclosed in Nos. 4(A1), 2012 / 0061016(A1), 2012 / 0061015(A1), 2013 / 0255861(A1), 2013 / 0255862(A1), 2013 / 0255863(A1), 2013 / 0255864(A1), and 2013 / 0255865(A1), all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0023] "Closed configuration" means that, during packaging, the lumbar regions on opposite sides are joined either permanently or in a re-fastening manner to form continuous lumbar and leg openings.

[0024] "Open configuration" means that the lumbar regions on opposite sides are not joined in the initial state to form a continuous lumbar and leg opening, but include closing means such as a fastening system for joining the lumbar regions to form a lumbar and leg opening before or during application of the article to the wearer.

[0025] This disclosure relates to absorbent articles comprising an elastic laminate, and more particularly to absorbent articles having an elastic laminate in an anterior lumbar region and / or a posterior lumbar region with a vulnerable path. In some configurations, the absorbent article may comprise a first belt and a second belt. The first belt may comprise an inner wearer-side surface and an outer garment-side surface, a laterally extending inner edge, and a laterally extending outer edge, the outer edge being located longitudinally outward of the inner edge. Laterally opposing end portions of the second belt may be connected to laterally opposing end portions of the first belt at a first side seam and a second side seam to form a lumbar opening. The absorbent article may also further comprise a chassis comprising a top sheet, a back sheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet. The chassis may comprise a first longitudinally extending side edge and a second longitudinally extending side edge that is laterally separated from the first side edge by a first end edge and a second end edge that is longitudinally separated from the first end edge. The longitudinally opposing end regions of the chassis are connected to the first and second belts, and a portion of the chassis overlaps with the inner wearer-side surface of the first belt to define a chassis overlap region. A vulnerable path within the first belt may extend across a portion of the overlap region between the proximal end on the inner edge and the distal end on the outer edge of the first belt. The vulnerable path may comprise a vulnerable line. The first vulnerable path may also comprise a first tear zone extending from the overlap region to the distal end and a second tear zone extending from the overlap region to the proximal end. The distal and proximal ends may be positioned laterally between the first lateral margin and the first side seam.

[0026] As will be discussed in more detail below, the first belt may also comprise elastic strands positioned between the first and second substrates and connected to them. The weakening line may cut some elastic strands, and the cut elastic strands may be continuously joined between the first and second substrates. The weakening line may also cut all elastic strands extending through a first tear zone between the first side edge and the distal end of the chassis, and the weakening line may cut all elastic strands extending through a second tear zone between the first side edge and the proximal end of the chassis. The weakening line cuts at least one elastic strand extending through the first or second tear zone at at least one location between the first side edge and the second side edge of the chassis. The weakening line may not cut at least one elastic strand extending between the first side edge and the second side edge of the chassis. As described below, the arrangement of weak paths relative to the belt elastic positions in this specification may be configured to help ensure that the belt can be torn relatively easily along the weak paths without having to tear any uncut elastic strands.

[0027] Figures 1 to 2B show an embodiment of an absorbent article 100 in the form of a diaper pants 100P, which may include components constructed according to the configuration disclosed herein. Specifically, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a diaper pants 100P in a pre-fastened configuration. Figure 2A shows a plan view of the diaper pants 100P with the portion of the diaper facing away from the wearer facing the observer, and Figure 2B shows a plan view of the diaper pants 100P with the portion of the diaper facing the wearer facing the observer. The diaper pants 100P includes a chassis 102 and an annular elastic belt 104. As will be further detailed below, a first elastic belt 106 and a second elastic belt 108 are joined together to form the annular elastic belt 104.

[0028] Referring to Figures 1 to 2B consecutively, the diaper pants 100P and the chassis 102 each include a first waist region 116, a second waist region 118, and a crotch region 119 positioned between the first and second waist regions. The chassis 102 may also be described as including a first end region 116a, a second end region 118a, and a crotch region 119 positioned between the first and second end regions 116a and 118a. The first waist region 116 may be configured as a front waist region, and the second waist region 118 may be configured as a rear waist region. The diaper 100P may also include a front waist edge 121 extending laterally in the front waist region 116, and a rear waist edge 122 facing longitudinally and extending laterally in the rear waist region 118. To provide a reference framework for this study, the diaper 100P and chassis 102 in Figures 2A and 2B are shown including a longitudinal axis 124 and a transverse axis 126. In some embodiments, the longitudinal axis 124 may extend through the front waist edge 121 and through the rear waist edge 122. The transverse axis 126 may extend through a first longitudinal or right edge 128 and a second longitudinal or left edge 130 of the chassis 102. As described above, the longitudinal axis 124 extends perpendicularly through the front waist edge 121 and the rear waist edge 122, and the transverse axis 126 extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis 124. When the diaper pants 100P are worn, the longitudinal direction may extend from the wearer's front waist through the crotch to the wearer's rear waist. To provide a further framework for this study, the diaper 100P is shown in Figures 2A, 2B, and 18B, where the first elastic belt 106 includes a longitudinal centerline 124a and a transverse centerline 126a, the second elastic belt 108 includes a longitudinal centerline 124b and a transverse centerline 126b, and the chassis 102 includes a longitudinal centerline 124c and a transverse centerline 126c. The longitudinal centerlines 124a, 124b, and 124c are perpendicular to the transverse centerlines 126a, 126b, and 126c.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 to 2B, the diaper pants 100P may include an inner, body-facing surface 132 and an outer, clothing-facing surface 134. The chassis 102 may include a backsheet 136 and a topsheet 138. The chassis 102 may also include an absorbent assembly 140, which includes an absorbent core 142 disposed between a portion of the topsheet 138 and the backsheet 136. As will be described in more detail below, the diaper 100P may also include other features such as leg elastics and / or leg cuffs to enhance the fit around the wearer's legs.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2A, the periphery of the chassis 102 may be defined by a first longitudinal side edge 128, a second longitudinal side edge 130, a first laterally extending end edge 144 located within the first waist region 116, and a second laterally extending end edge 146 located within the second waist region 118. Both the side edges 128 and 130 extend longitudinally between the first end edge 144 and the second end edge 146. As shown in Figure 2A, the laterally extending end edges 144 and 146 may be located longitudinally inward from the front waist edge 121 which extends laterally in the front waist region 116, and longitudinally inward from the rear waist edge 122 which extends laterally in the rear waist region 118. In some configurations, the laterally extending edges 144 and 146 may be adjacent to or longitudinally outward from the laterally extending front waist edge 121 in the front waist region 116 and the laterally extending rear waist edge 122 in the rear waist region 118. When the diaper pants 100P are worn on the wearer's lower torso, the front waist edge 121 and rear waist edge 122 may surround the wearer's waist. At the same time, the side edges 128 and 130 may surround at least a portion of the wearer's legs. The crotch region 119 may also be generally positioned between the wearer's legs, and the absorbent core 142 extends from the front waist region 116 through the crotch region 119 to the rear waist region 118.

[0031] As described above, the diaper pants 100P may include a backsheet 136. The backsheet 136 may also define the clothing-side surface 134 on the outside of the chassis 102. The backsheet 136 may also include a woven or nonwoven material, a polymer film such as a polyethylene or polypropylene thermoplastic film, and / or a multilayer or composite material including a film and a nonwoven material. The backsheet may also include an elastomer film. An example backsheet 136 may be a polyethylene film with a thickness of about 0.012 mm (0.5 mil) to about 0.051 mm (2.0 mil). Furthermore, the backsheet 136 can prevent excrement from passing through the backsheet 136 while allowing vapor to escape from the absorbent core (i.e., the backsheet is breathable).

[0032] As mentioned above, the diaper pants 100P may also include a top sheet 138. The top sheet 138 may also define all or part of the wearer-side surface 132 on the inside of the chassis 102. The top sheet 138 may be liquid permeable, allowing liquids (e.g., menstrual blood, urine and / or liquid feces) to permeate through its thickness. The top sheet 138 may be made from a wide range of materials, such as woven and nonwoven materials, perforated or hydroformed thermoplastic films, perforated nonwovens, porous foams, mesh foams, mesh thermoplastic films, and thermoplastic scrims. Woven or nonwoven materials may be made from natural fibers such as wood fibers or cotton fibers, synthetic fibers such as polyester, polypropylene or polyethylene fibers, or combinations thereof. If the top sheet 138 contains fibers, the fibers may be treated by spunbonding, carding, wet processes, meltblown processes, water entanglement, or other methods known in the art. The top sheet 138 may be selected from bulky nonwoven top sheets, perforated film top sheets, and perforated nonwoven top sheets. Exemplary perforated films may include those described in U.S. Patents No. 5,628,097, No. 5,916,661, No. 6,545,197, and No. 6,107,539, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0033] As described above, the diaper pants 100P may also include an absorbent assembly 140 joined to the chassis 102. As shown in Figure 2A, the absorbent assembly 140 may have a front edge 148 extending laterally in the front waist region 116, and a rear edge 150 facing longitudinally and extending laterally in the rear waist region 118. The absorbent assembly may have a right edge 152 extending longitudinally, and a left edge 154 facing laterally and extending longitudinally, and both the side edges 152 and 154 of the absorbent assembly may extend longitudinally between the front edge 148 and the rear edge 150. The absorbent assembly 140 may additionally include one or more absorbent cores 142 or absorbent core layers. The absorbent core 142 may be at least partially disposed between the top sheet 138 and the back sheet 136, and may be formed in various sizes and shapes suitable for the diaper. Exemplary absorbent structures for use as the absorbent core of this disclosure are described in U.S. Patents 4,610,678, 4,673,402, 4,888,231, and 4,834,735, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0034] Some embodiments of the absorbent core may include a fluid storage core containing a reduced amount of cellulosic air felt material. For example, such a core may contain about 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 5%, or even less than about 1% of cellulosic air felt material. Such a core may primarily contain an absorbent gel material in an amount of at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or even about 100%, in which case the remainder of the core contains a microfiber adhesive (where applicable). Such cores, microfiber adhesives, and absorbent gel materials are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,599,335, 5,562,646, 5,669,894, and 6,790,798, and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2004 / 0158212(A1) and 2004 / 0097895(A1), all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0035] As described above, diaper 100P may also include an elastic leg cuff 156. The leg cuff 156 may be a leg band, side flap, barrier cuff, elastic cuff, or gasketing cuff, and should be understood to be referred to as such in some cases. The elastic leg cuff 156 may be constructed in a variety of ways that help reduce leakage of body exudate in the leg area. Exemplary leg cuffs 156 may include those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,860,003, 4,909,803, 4,695,278, 4,795,454, 4,704,115, 4,909,803, and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2009 / 0312730(A1), all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0036] As described above, the diaper pants may be manufactured to have an annular elastic belt 104 and may be provided to consumers in a packaged configuration with the front waist region 116 and the rear waist region 118 connected to each other before being applied to the wearer. Thus, the diaper pants may have a waist opening 110 with a continuous outer edge and a leg opening 112 with a continuous outer edge, as shown in Figure 1. The annular elastic belt may be formed by joining a first elastic belt to a second elastic belt using a permanent side seam or using an openable and re-closeable fastening system located on or adjacent to the laterally opposing sides of the belt.

[0037] As described above, the annular elastic belt 104 may be defined by the first elastic belt 106 connected to the second elastic belt 108. As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the first elastic belt 106 extends between the first longitudinal side edge 111a and the second longitudinal side edge 111b, defining the first and second opposing end regions 106a, 106b and the central region 106c. The second elastic belt 108 extends between the first longitudinal side edge 113a and the second longitudinal side edge 113b, defining the first and second opposing end regions 108a, 108b and the central region 108c. When measured in an extended state, the distance between the first longitudinal side edge 111a and the second longitudinal side edge 111b defines the pitch length PL of the first elastic belt 106, and the distance between the first longitudinal side edge 113a and the second longitudinal side edge 113b defines the pitch length PL of the second elastic belt 108. The central region 106c of the first elastic belt is connected to the first waist region 116 or the first end region 116a of the chassis 102, and the central region 108c of the second elastic belt 108 is connected to the second waist region 118 or the second end region 118a of the chassis 102. As shown in Figure 1, the first end region 106a of the first elastic belt 106 is connected to the first end region 108a of the second elastic belt 108 at the first side seam 178, and the second end region 106b of the first elastic belt 106 is connected to the second end region 108b of the second elastic belt 108 at the second side seam 180, defining the annular elastic belt 104 and the waist opening 110 and leg opening 112. It should be understood that the first belt 106 and the second belt 108 may be permanently or refastenably connected to each other at the first side seam 178 and the second side seam 180. The side seams 178 and 180 may include permanent connections such as thermal, pressure, or adhesive connections, or they may be releasable connections such as mechanical or adhesive fasteners.

[0038] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the first elastic belt 106 also defines a laterally extending outer edge 107a and a laterally extending inner edge 107b, and the second elastic belt 108 defines a laterally extending outer edge 109a and a laterally extending inner edge 109b. The outer edge 107a of the first belt 106 is located longitudinally outward of the inner edge 107b, and the outer edge 109a of the second belt 108 is located longitudinally outward of the inner edge 109b. Thus, as shown in Figure 1, the outer edge 112a of one leg opening can be defined by the laterally extending inner edge 107b of the first elastic belt 106, the laterally extending inner edge 109b of the second elastic belt 108, and the portion of the first longitudinal or right-side edge 128 of the chassis 102. Furthermore, the outer edge 112b of the other leg opening may be defined by a laterally extending inner edge 107b, a laterally extending inner edge 109b, and a portion of the second longitudinal or left-side edge 130 of the chassis 102. The laterally extending outer edges 107a and 109a may also define the front waist edge 121 and the laterally extending rear waist edge 122 of the diaper pants 100P.

[0039] It should be understood that the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt 108 may define different sizes and shapes. In some configurations, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may define a curved profile. For example, the inner lateral edges 107b and 109b of the first and / or second elastic belts 106 and 108 may include nonlinear or curved portions in the opposing end regions of the first and second. Such a curved profile may help define a desired shape for a leg opening 112, such as a relatively rounded leg opening. In addition to having a curved profile, the elastic belts 106 and 108 may include elastic strands 168 extending along a nonlinear or curved path that may coincide with the curved profile of the inner lateral edges 107b and 109b.

[0040] Figure 2C shows a configuration in which both the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt 108 define a generally rectangular shape. For example, as shown in Figure 2C, the laterally extending outer edge 107a of the first elastic belt 106 may include a laterally width W1D, and the laterally extending inner edge 107b may include a laterally width W1P, where W1D and W1P are equal or substantially equal. In addition, the laterally extending outer edge 109a of the second elastic belt 108 may include a laterally width W2D, and the laterally extending inner edge 109b may include a laterally width W2P, where W2D and W2P are equal or substantially equal.

[0041] In some configurations, at least one of the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt 108 may include lateral edges having different lengths. For example, Figure 2D shows a configuration in which the first elastic belt 106 defines a substantially rectangular shape, as described with reference to Figure 2C, and the second elastic belt 108 has a laterally extending outer edge 109a and a laterally extending inner edge 109b of different lengths. As shown in Figure 2D, the laterally extending outer edge 109a of the second elastic belt 108 may include a lateral width W2D, and the laterally extending inner edge 109b may include a lateral width W2P, where W2D is greater than W2P.

[0042] In some configurations, both the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt 108 may include lateral edges having different lengths. For example, Figure 2E shows a configuration in which the laterally extending outer edge 107a and laterally extending inner edge 107b of the first elastic belt 106 have different lengths, and the laterally extending outer edge 109a and laterally extending inner edge 109b of the second elastic belt 108 have different lengths. As shown in Figure 2E, the laterally extending outer edge portion 107a of the first elastic belt 107 may include a laterally extending width W1D, and the laterally extending inner edge portion 107b may include a laterally extending width W1P, where W1D is greater than W1P. The laterally extending outer edge portion 109a of the second elastic belt 108 may include a laterally extending width W2D, and the laterally extending inner edge portion 109b may include a laterally extending width W2P, where W2D is greater than W2P.

[0043] Referring to Figures 2C to 2E, the first elastic belt 106 may have a longitudinal length LT1 extending between a transversely extending outer edge 107a and a transversely extending inner edge 107b, and the second elastic belt 108 may have a longitudinal length LT2 extending between a transversely extending outer edge 109a and a transversely extending inner edge 109b. In some configurations, LT1 may be equal to LT2. In some configurations, LT1 may be less than or greater than LT2. Referring again to Figures 2C to 2E, in some configurations, W1D may be equal to W1P, or W1D may be different from W1P. In some configurations, W2D may be equal to W2P, or W2D may be different from W2P. In some configurations, W1D and / or W1P may be equal to or different from W2D and / or W2P.

[0044] Referring to Figures 2A, 2B, and 3, the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt 108 may also each include a first base material 162 and a second base material 164. The first base material 162 may be oriented to define at least a portion of the garment-side surface 115a and garment-side surface 117a of the first elastic belt 106 of the second elastic belt 108, and the second base material 164 may be oriented to define at least a portion of the wearer-side surface 115b of the first elastic belt 106 and the wearer-side surface 117b of the second elastic belt 108. The first base material 162 may extend over a maximum length L1 from the proximal edge 162b to the distal edge 162a, and the second base material 164 may extend over a maximum length L2 from the proximal edge 164b to the distal edge 164a. It should be understood that the distal edge 162a and / or proximal edge 162b of the first base material 162 may be linear and / or curved, and / or parallel or non-parallel to each other. Similarly, it should be understood that the distal edge 164a and / or proximal edge 164b of the second base material 164 may be linear and / or curved, and / or parallel or non-parallel to each other. Therefore, the maximum length L1 refers to the longest longitudinal distance between the distal edge 162a and proximal edge 162b of the first base material 162, and the maximum length L2 refers to the longest longitudinal distance between the distal edge 164a and proximal edge 164b of the second base material 164. In some configurations, L1 may be equal to, less than, or greater than L2. In some configurations, L1 may be less than or equal to LT1, and L2 may be less than or equal to LT2. In some configurations, the distal edge 162a of the first base material 162 may define at least a portion of the anterior waist edge 121 and / or at least a portion of the posterior waist edge 122, and / or the distal edge 164a of the second base material 164 may define at least a portion of the anterior waist edge 121 and / or at least a portion of the posterior waist edge 122. Therefore, in some configurations, the distal edge 162a of the first base material 162 and / or the distal edge 164a of the second base material 164 may define at least a portion of the waist opening 110.

[0045] It should also be understood that the first base material 162 and / or the second base material 164 may extend continuously from the first belt 106 to the second belt 108. For example, the first base material 162 may be configured to define a continuous outer cover 162' that extends continuously from the first waist edge 121 to the second waist edge 122, as shown in Figures 1A, 2F, and 3C. It should also be understood that the diaper pants 100P having a continuous outer cover as shown in Figures 1A, 2F, and 3C may also be configured to include various embodiments of the vulnerable pathways and fastening components described herein.

[0046] It should be understood that the first base material 162 and the second base material 164 may define various lateral widths that are equal or unequal. For example, as shown in Figure 2B, the first base material 162 may extend laterally between the first longitudinal edge 162e and the second longitudinal edge 162f to define the first lateral width W1, and the second base material 164 may extend laterally between the first longitudinal edge 164e and the second longitudinal edge 164f to define the second lateral width W2.

[0047] In some configurations, the proximal edge 162b of the first substrate 162 and / or the proximal edge 164b of the second substrate 164 may extend laterally across the backsheet 136. As shown in Figures 2A to 3, the first substrate 162 includes a garment-side surface 162c and an opposite wearer-side surface 162d, and the second substrate 164 includes a garment-side surface 164c and an opposite wearer-side surface 164d.

[0048] In some configurations, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may include at least a folded portion of the first base material 162 and / or the second base material 164. For example, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may include a folded portion 162g of the first base material 162 that extends longitudinally between the fold 162h and the transverse edge 162i of the first base material 162. Thus, the folded portion 162g of the first base material 162 may be connected to the wearer-side surface 164d of the second base material 164. In some configurations, the folded portion 162g of the first base material 162 may also be connected to and / or overlap the chassis 102. Therefore, the folded portion 162g of the first base material 162 may also be connected to the wearer-side surface 162d of the first base material 162. In some configurations, a portion of the folded portion 162g of the first base material 162 may be left unconnected to the chassis 102 and / or the second base material 164 to form a pocket having an opening oriented toward the transverse centerline 162c of the chassis 102. In another example, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may include a folded portion of the second base material 164 that extends longitudinally between the fold and the transverse edge of the second base material 164. Therefore, the folded portion of the second base material 164 may be connected to the garment-side surface 162c of the first base material 162. Therefore, in some configurations, the fold of the first base material 162 and / or the fold of the second base material 164 may define at least a portion of the waist opening 110. It should be understood that various lumbar configurations may be used. For example, as shown in Figure 3A1, the folded portion 162g may be sandwiched between the second base material 164 and the backsheet 136. In another example shown in Figure 3A2, the second base material 164 may be sandwiched between the folded portion 162g and the backsheet 136. Figures 3A1 and 3A2 show the configuration of the first belt 106, but it should be understood that such a configuration can also be applied to the second belt 108.

[0049] It should be understood that the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt 108 may contain the same material and / or have the same structure. In some embodiments, the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt may contain different materials and / or have different structures. It should also be understood that the components of the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt 108, such as the first base material 162 and / or the second base material 164, can be constructed from a variety of materials. For example, the first and / or second belts may include the first base material 162 and / or the second base material 164, which may be manufactured from materials such as plastic film; perforated plastic film; natural materials (e.g., wood fibers or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (e.g., polyolefin, polyamide, polyester, polyethylene or polypropylene fibers), or woven or nonwoven webs made of a combination of natural and / or synthetic fibers; or coated woven or nonwoven webs. In some configurations, the first and / or second belts may include a first base material 162 and / or a second base material 164, which include a synthetic fiber nonwoven web, and may also include an extensible nonwoven fabric. In some configurations, the first and second elastic belts may include an inner hydrophobic nonstretchable nonwoven material and an outer hydrophobic nonstretchable nonwoven material. It should be understood that the belts may be constructed in various ways, such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022 / 0142828(A1) and Chinese Patent Application No. 2021 / 077843, both of which are incorporated by reference.

[0050] The elastic material 167 may be positioned between the wearer-side surface 162d of the first substrate 162 and the garment-side surface 164c of the second substrate 164. It should be understood that the elastic material 167 may include one or more elastic elements extending along the length of the elastic belt, such as strands, ribbons, elastic films, or panels. As shown in Figures 2A and 3, the elastic material 167 may include a plurality of elastic strands 168. In some configurations, the elastic material 167 may be an elastic film used to form a zero-strain elastic laminate, which includes an elastic film bonded to one or more nonwoven layers and subsequently subjected to sufficient mechanical deformation or activation to weaken the nonwoven layers and allow the laminate to elastically stretch and recover.

[0051] It should also be understood that the first base material 162, the second base material 164, and / or the elastic material 167 of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may be joined together and / or to other components such as the chassis 102 by adhesive and / or mechanical bonding. It should also be understood that adhesive and mechanical bonding methods may be used individually or in combination with each other.

[0052] In some configurations, when assembled to form a first elastic belt 106 and / or a second elastic belt 108, an adhesive may be applied to at least one of the first substrate 162, the second substrate 164, and / or the elastic material 167. In some configurations, when assembled to form a first elastic belt 106 and / or a second elastic belt 108, a mechanical bonding device may apply a mechanical bond to at least one of the first substrate 162, the second substrate 164, and / or the elastic material 167. Such a mechanical bond may be applied using heat, pressure, and / or ultrasonic devices. In some configurations, the mechanical bonding device may apply a bond that bonds the first substrate 162, the second substrate 164, and / or the elastic material 167 together, and / or act to capture or fix separate lengths of contracted elastic strands within the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108.

[0053] The first substrate 162, the second substrate 164, and / or the elastic material 167 are all incorporated herein by reference by U.S. Patent Application Publications 2018 / 0168878(A1), 2018 / 0168877(A1), 2018 / 0168880(A1), 2018 / 0170027(A1), 2018 / 0169964(A1), 2018 / 0168879(A1), 2018 / 0170026(A1), 2018 / 0168889(A1), 2018 / 0168874(A1), and 2018 / 01 It should also be understood that various elastomer laminates can be formed by bonding using various methods and apparatus as described in Nos. 68875(A1), 2018 / 0168890(A1), 2018 / 0168887(A1), 2018 / 0168892(A1), 2018 / 0168876(A1), 2018 / 0168891(A1), 2019 / 0070042(A1), 2019 / 0070041(A1), 2021 / 0282797A1(A1), and 2021 / 0275362(A1).

[0054] It should be understood that the components of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 can be assembled in various ways and in various combinations to produce various desirable features that may differ along the transverse width and / or longitudinal length of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108. Such features may include, for example, Dtex value, joint pattern, hole arrangement, elastic positioning, average Dtex value, average pre-strain value, wrinkle frequency, wrinkle wavelength, height value, and / or contact area. It should be understood that different features may be imparted to various components, such as the first base material 162, the second base material 164, and the elastic material 167, before and / or during the assembly stage of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108.

[0055] It should be understood that the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may include belt elastic material 167 of various configurations arranged relative to each other and relative to the first substrate 162 and the second substrate 164. As described above, the elastic material 167 may include a configuration of one or more elastic elements such as strands, ribbons, films, or panels positioned in various arrangements. In some configurations, the elastic material 167 is incorporated herein by reference in all of the following: Nos. 2018 / 0168889(A1), 2018 / 0168874(A1), 2018 / 0168875(A1), 2018 / 0168890(A1), 2018 / 0168887(A1), 2018 / 0168892(A1), 2018 / 0168876(A1), 2018 / 0168891(A1), 2019 / 0298586(A1), 2019 / 0070042(A1), 2018 / This may include various elastic bodies, elastic characteristics and structures, and processes for assembly, as described in Nos. 0168878(A1), 2018 / 0168877(A1), 2018 / 0168880(A1), 2018 / 0170027(A1), 2018 / 0169964(A1), 2018 / 0168879(A1), 2018 / 0170026(A1), 2019 / 0070041(A1), 2021 / 0282797(A1), and 2021 / 0275362(A1). It should also be understood that the elastic material 167 described herein may be composed of the same or different colors at various different locations on the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108.

[0056] In some embodiments, the elastic material 167 may be configured as elastic strands 168 arranged longitudinally at regular intervals. In other embodiments, the elastic strands 168 may be arranged longitudinally at different intervals. In some configurations, the Dtex value of the elastic strands 168 may be constant along the longitudinal direction or may vary. In some configurations, the stretched elastic material 167 may be sandwiched and bonded between non-shrinking substrate layers. When the elastic material 167 is relaxed, it returns to its non-stretched state, causing the substrate layers to shrink. The elastic material 167 may provide a desired change in shrinkage force within the area of ​​the annular elastic belt. It should be understood that the chassis 102 and elastic belts 106, 108 may be configured in ways different from those depicted in the accompanying figures. It should also be understood that the elastic material 167 may be bonded to the substrate continuously or intermittently along the interface between the elastic material 167 and the substrate. In some configurations, the elastic strand 168 may be in the form of an extruded elastic strand, which may also be bonded to the first substrate 162 and / or the second substrate 164 in a pre-corrugated configuration, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 5,681,302, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0057] For example, as described above with reference to embodiments with reference to Figures 2A and 3, the elastic material 167 considered herein may be in the form of elastic strands 168. In some configurations, the elastic strands 168 may be parallel to each other and / or to the transverse axis 126. It should be understood that the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may be configured to contain varying amounts of elastic strands 168. In some configurations, the elastic strands 168 may be grouped into pairs. In some configurations, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may contain about 10 to about 1500 elastic strands 168. The elastic strands 168 described herein may include various Dtex values, strand spacing values, and pre-strain values, and such elastic strands 168 may be used together with other elastic strands to produce first and second elastic belts 106, 108 including elastic strands 168 with various combinations of Dtex values, strand spacing values, and pre-strain values. For example, in some configurations, the average Dtex of one or more elastic strands 168 may be greater than 500. In some configurations, the average Dtex of one or more elastic strands 168 may be about 10 to about 1500, and all 1 Dtex increments within the above range and all ranges formed therein are specifically listed. In some configurations, multiple elastic strands 168 may include an average strand spacing of 4 mm or less. In some configurations, multiple elastic strands 168 may include an average strand spacing of about 0.25 mm to about 4 mm, and all 0.01 mm increments within the above range and all ranges formed therein are specifically listed. In some configurations, the multiple elastic strands 168 may include an average strand spacing greater than 4 mm. In some configurations, the average pre-strain of each of the multiple elastic strands may be approximately 50% to approximately 400%, and all 1% increments within the above range and all ranges formed therein are specifically enumerated. In some configurations, the elastic strands 168 include an average strand spacing of approximately 0.25 mm to approximately 4 mm and an average Dtex of approximately 10 to approximately 500.In some configurations, the elastic strand 168 may have an average pre-strain of approximately 75% to approximately 300%.

[0058] In some configurations, the first set of elastic strands may contain a first mean pre-strain of about 75% to about 300%, and the second set of elastic strands may contain a second mean pre-strain greater than the first mean pre-strain. In some configurations, the first set of elastic strands may contain an average strand spacing of about 0.25 mm to about 4 mm and an average Dtex of about 10 to about 500, and the second set of elastic strands may contain an average strand spacing greater than about 4 mm and an average Dtex greater than about 450.

[0059] In some configurations, as shown in Figure 2A, the elastic strands 168 may be referred to herein as the outer waist elastic body 170 and the inner waist elastic body 172. The elastic strands 168 (e.g., the outer waist elastic body 170) may extend continuously laterally between the opposing first end regions 106a and second end regions 106b of the first elastic belt 106, and between the opposing first end regions 108a and second end regions 108b of the second elastic belt 108. Some elastic strands 168, such as the inner waist elastic body 172, may be configured with discontinuities in areas where the first and second elastic belts 106, 108 overlap with a portion of the chassis 102, such as the absorbent assembly 140.

[0060] As shown in Figure 2A, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may be configured with a low-stretch zone 701 and a high-stretch zone 703. The first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may include a first high-stretch zone 703a and a second high-stretch zone 703b separated laterally by the low-stretch zone 701. Parts of the chassis 102, such as the backsheet 136 and the absorbent assembly 140, may be connected to the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 in the low-stretch zone 701 of the first lumbar region 116 and / or the second lumbar region 118. The high-stretch zone 703 may be elasticized by elastic material 167 such as elastic strands 168, 172, and the low-stretch zone 701 may include cutting lines separating the elastic material 167 such as elastic strands 168, 172. In some configurations, the elastic material 167 may be cut in unbonded regions where the elastic material is not bonded to the first substrate 162 and the second substrate 164. Thus, the elastic material 167 recedes from the unbonded regions, forming a low-stretch zone 701. In some configurations, the elastic material 167 may be cut into several separate pieces. The low-stretch zone 701 then defines regions of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108, which have relatively lower elasticity than the high-stretch zone 703. The separate pieces of elastic material 167 that are cut and elastically contracted do not add a corresponding amount of elasticity to the low-stretch zone 701. Thus, when a force is applied, the high-stretch zone 703 stretches longer than the low-stretch zone 701. As defined above, the terms “elastic,” “elastomer,” or “elastomerous” refer to materials exhibiting elastic properties, including any material that, when a force is applied to its relaxed initial length, can be stretched or elongated to an extended length exceeding 10% of its initial length, and which substantially returns to approximately its initial length when the applied force is released. In some configurations, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may consist of an elastic high-elongation zone 703 and a non-elastic, i.e., “inelastic” low-elongation zone 701.

[0061] As described above, the diaper pants 100P described with reference to Figures 1 to 3C may include one or more fragile paths within the first belt 106 and / or the second belt 108. For example, Figures 4A to 4C show an exemplary diaper pants 100P having a first belt 106 including a fragile path 700. The fragile path 700 may be configured to allow the first elastic belt 106 to be torn relatively easily along the fragile path 700, such as when removing the diaper pants 100P from the wearer. Figure 4B shows a diagram of the diaper pants 100P from Figure 4A, showing the first belt 106 after being torn along the fragile path 700 through both the outer edge 107a and the inner edge 107b that extend laterally in the outer longitudinal direction of the first belt 106. Thus, the first elastic belt 106 shown in Figure 4B is separated by opposing tear lines 705. It should be understood that the first elastic belt 106 may be torn along both weak paths 700 in Figure 4B. For example, Figure 4C shows the diaper pants of Figure 4A with the front belt torn along the two weak paths 700. As shown in Figure 4C, the central region 106c of the first elastic belt 106 may remain attached to the chassis 102 even after the first and second opposing end regions 106a, 106b are separated from the central region 106c by tearing the elastic belt 106 along the weak paths 700.

[0062] As will be described in more detail below, the fragile path 700 includes a plurality of fragile lines 704 configured such that all elastic strands 168 in the first elastic belt 106 are detached at least once within the fragile path 700. Detachment of the elastic strands 168 in the fragile path 700 helps to make it relatively easy to tear the first elastic belt 106 along the fragile path 700. For example, when the elastic strands 168 are detached, the first base material 162 and the second base material 164 of the first elastic belt 106 only need to be torn, and the uncut elastic strands 168 do not need to be torn either. It should be understood that the diaper pants 100P may include varying amounts of fragile paths 700, which can be located in various places, define various shapes, and extend to various lengths. For example, the first elastic belt 106 may include a first belt length defined by the longitudinal distance between the proximal edge 107b and the distal edge 107a, and the vulnerable path 700 may extend over the entire length from the outermost edge of the vulnerable line 704 closest to the proximal edge 107b of the first belt 106 to the outermost edge of the vulnerable line 704 closest to the distal edge 107a of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the vulnerable path 700 may extend over a length greater than, equal to, or less than the first belt length. In some configurations, the vulnerable line 704 may extend over a length from a first end to a second end, and the sum of all lengths of the vulnerable lines 704 in the vulnerable path 700 may be greater than the entire length of the vulnerable path.

[0063] In some configurations, the diaper pants 100P may be configured such that one or both of the first elastic belt 106 and the second elastic belt 108 include one or more vulnerable paths 700. The vulnerable paths 700 may be located at various locations on the first and second elastic belts 106, 108. For example, as shown in Figures 4A to 4C, the vulnerable paths 700 may extend to overlap with the chassis 102. In some configurations, the vulnerable paths 700 may extend linearly and / or curved and / or have curved portions. In some configurations, the vulnerable paths 700 may extend longitudinally over the entire length or less than the entire length of the first belt 106 and / or the second belt 108. In some configurations, the vulnerable paths 700 may be located laterally, partially or entirely, between the first and second side seams 178, 180 and the chassis 102.

[0064] In some configurations, the vulnerable path 700 may be configured and / or positioned to provide access to and / or function with other feature parts, such as a feature part for disposal. For example, the diaper pants 100P shown in Figures 4A to 4C includes a fastening component 707 positioned on the wearing-side surface 115b of the first elastic belt 106. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be positioned between the first elastic belt 106 and the chassis 102. The fastening component 707 may be configured to be refastened to other parts of the diaper pants 100P, such as the first elastic belt 106, the second elastic belt 108, or the clothing-side surface of the chassis 102. Therefore, when the first elastic belt 106 is torn along the fragile path 700, the diaper pants 100P may be removed from the wearer and rolled up or folded for disposal, and the fastening component 707 may be connected to another part of the diaper pants 100P to help maintain the diaper pants 100P in a disposal configuration. For example, Figure 4C shows the diaper pants 100P after the first elastic belt 106 has been torn along two fragile paths. Figure 5A shows the diaper pants 100P of Figure 4C with the chassis 102 rolled up longitudinally over itself. Also, Figure 5B shows the diaper pants 100P of Figure 5A with the fastening component 707 re-fastened to the backsheet 136 of the chassis 102 to maintain the diaper pants 100P in a disposal configuration. In some configurations, when tearing the elastic belt along the weak path 700, the tearing process may begin by tearing from the outer edge 107a or the inner edge 107b of the elastic belt 106. As will be discussed in more detail below, in some configurations, the first elastic belt 106 may also include fastening components 707 and openings such as slits located adjacent to or near the weak area 700 to help facilitate the initiation of tearing the weak path 700 in the longitudinal region of the elastic belt 106 between the outer edge 107a and the inner edge 107b.

[0065] It should also be understood that the fastening component 707 may be composed in various ways, such as a hook, loop, and / or adhesive. For example, the fastening component 707 may include a hook element or adhesive that is designed to be refastened to another surface of the diaper pants 100P. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may include a loop element that is designed to be refastened to a hook surface on the diaper pants 100P. The fastening component 707 may be a separate element connected to the elastic belt 106 in various ways, such as mechanical bonding, adhesive bonding, or both. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be integrally formed from the material of the elastic belts 106, 108. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be printed and / or may include materials of various different colors so that the fastening component 707 is visible from the outside of the diaper pants 100P.

[0066] As previously mentioned, the fastening component 707 may include a hook material that can be refastened to a base material, such as a nonwoven fabric, on the outer surface of the diaper pants 100P. For example, the fastening component 707 may include a base material containing a hook, which is bonded to elastic belts 106, 108, such as a second base material 164, which may be in the form of a nonwoven fabric. It should be understood that the base material may be bonded to the elastic belts 106, 108 in various ways, such as mechanical bonding, thermal bonding, ultrasonic bonding, and / or adhesive bonding, or a combination thereof. In some configurations, the hook may be integrally formed from the second base material 164, which may be in the form of a nonwoven fabric. The fastening component 707 may include one material, or a combination of two or more materials arranged in at least partially overlapping configurations. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may include other types of fasteners known in the art.

[0067] It should be understood that the fastening component 707 may include any of the many different shapes, including rectangular or other polygonal shapes, circular, elliptical shapes, shapes having external protrusions or recesses or combinations thereof, or one or more lines or geometric shapes forming an array. It should be understood that the fastening component 707 may include various sizes. For example, in some configurations, the fastening component 707 may have a lateral width of about 5 mm to about 100 mm, specifically including all 0.1 mm increments within the above range and all ranges within or formed therein. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may have a longitudinal length of about 10 mm to about 100 mm, specifically including all 0.1 mm increments within the above range and all ranges within or formed therein. The fastening components 707 may be aligned parallel to the transverse centerlines 126a, 126b of the elastic belts 106, 108, or oriented at an angle of 0 to 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal centerlines 126a, 126 of the elastic belts 106, 108. The fastening components 707 may include an array of two or more spaced fastening elements. The fastening components 707 may have a color that is visible through any layer of the elastic belts 106, 108 on which the fastening components 707 are located. The elastic belts 106, 108 and / or chassis 102 may include printing or other markings that highlight to the caregiver the location, function, and / or use of the fastening components 707. The coupling or coupling pattern that attaches the fastening components 707 to the elastic belts 106, 108 may be visually or tactilely distinct from the surrounding belt material to provide the caregiver with a signal or mechanical gripping advantage.

[0068] It should also be understood that the weak path 700 may include weak lines 704, which are composed in various ways, positioned in various locations and orientations relative to each other, defined by various shapes, and extending over various lengths. For example, in some configurations, the weak lines 704 include discrete cutting lines that penetrate some or all of the layers of the elastic belt 106. In some configurations, the weak lines 704 include discrete joints where the materials of the first substrate and the second substrate are fused to each other. In some configurations, the weak lines 704 may be linear, curved, or have regular or irregular geometric shapes, and may include one or more of the following: perforations, joints, apertures, or mechanically thinned areas of material such as nonwoven fabric, or a combination thereof. It should also be understood that the weak lines 704 may be formed at different lengths and intervals to achieve different separation forces.

[0069] As described above, the absorbent article 100, such as the diaper pants 100P, may be configured to have a fragile path 700, which includes a fragile line 704 configured and arranged in various ways, to help improve the caregiver's ability to remove the soiled diaper pants 100P from the wearer without having to remove the soiled diaper pants from the wearer by sliding them off the wearer's legs. As described above, the fragile path 700 may be configured to allow the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 to be torn relatively easily along the fragile path 700, such as when removing the diaper pants 100P from the wearer. In addition, the fragile path 700 may also be configured to provide access to a fastening component 707 that can be used to help hold the soiled product in a disposal configuration. The following provides a consideration of exemplary embodiments of the fragile path 700 on the diaper pants 100P in the context of the above description of various details of the absorbent article 100, the fastening component 707, the fragile path 700, and the fragile line 704. It should be understood that the discussion of vulnerable paths 700 in the first elastic belt 106 in this specification may also apply to vulnerable paths 700 in the second elastic belt 108.

[0070] It should be understood that the vulnerable pathways 700 may be located in various locations and / or orientations relative to other components of the absorbent article 100 and / or may be configured to function in various ways to facilitate the removal of the diaper pants from the wearer. For example, the diaper pants 100P shown in Figures 6A and 6B may include one or more vulnerable pathways 700 extending between the distal end 808 on the outer edge 107a of the first belt 106 and the distal end 810 on the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the diaper pants 100P includes a first vulnerable pathway 700a and a second vulnerable pathway 700b within the first belt 106. The first vulnerable path 700a may extend between the first distal end 808a on the outer edge 107a of the first belt 106 and the first proximal end 810a on the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. The second vulnerable path 700b may extend between the second distal end 808b on the outer edge 107a of the first belt 106 and the second proximal end 810b on the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. It should be understood that the first and second vulnerable paths 700a and 700b may include the vulnerable line 704 as described above.

[0071] It should be understood that the first distal end 808a and the second distal end 808b may be located at various lateral positions on the outer edge 107a of the first belt 106. For example, in some configurations, the first distal end 808a and / or the second distal end 808b may be located in the central region 106c of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the first distal end 808a and / or the second distal end 808b may be located laterally between the first longitudinal edge 128 and the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the first distal end 808a and / or the second distal end 808b may be located in the first end region 106a and / or the second end region 106b of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the first distal end 808a and / or the second distal end 808b may be positioned laterally outward from the first longitudinal edge 128 and the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the first distal end 808a and / or the second distal end 808b may be positioned laterally between the first longitudinal edge 128 and the first side seam 178 of the chassis 102, and / or between the second longitudinal edge 130 and the second side seam 180 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the first distal end 808a may be laterally aligned with the first longitudinal edge 128 of the chassis 102 or the first longitudinal side edge 111a of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the first distal end 808a may be positioned laterally between the first longitudinal edge 128 of the chassis 102 and the first longitudinal side edge 111a of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the second distal end 808b may be aligned laterally with the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102 or the second longitudinal side edge 111b of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the second distal end 808b may be positioned laterally between the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102 and the second longitudinal side edge 111b of the first belt 106.

[0072] It should also be understood that the first proximal end 810a and the second proximal end 810b may be positioned at various lateral locations on the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. For example, in some configurations, the first proximal end 810a and / or the second proximal end 810b may be located in the central region 106c of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the first proximal end 810a and / or the second distal end 810b may be located laterally between the first longitudinal edge 128 and the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the first proximal end 810a and / or the second proximal end 810b may be located in the first end region 106a and / or the second end region 106b of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the first proximal end 810a and / or the second proximal end 810b may be positioned laterally outward from the first longitudinal edge 128 and the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the first proximal end 810a and / or the second proximal end 810b may be positioned laterally between the first longitudinal edge 128 and the first side seam 178 of the chassis 102, and / or between the second longitudinal edge 130 and the second side seam 180 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the first proximal end 810a may be laterally aligned with the first longitudinal edge 128 of the chassis 102 or the first longitudinal side edge 111a of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the first proximal end 810a may be positioned laterally between the first longitudinal edge 128 of the chassis 102 and the first longitudinal side edge 111a of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the second proximal end 810b may be aligned laterally with the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102 or the second longitudinal side edge 111b of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the second proximal end 810b may be positioned laterally between the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102 and the second longitudinal side edge 111b of the first belt 106.

[0073] It should be understood that the first distal end 808a and the second distal end 808b may be positioned at various longitudinal positions between the outer edge 107a and the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. Also, the first proximal end 810a and the second proximal end 810b may be positioned at various longitudinal positions between the outer edge 107a and the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. For example, in some configurations as shown in Figure 6B1, the first distal end 808a and / or the first proximal end 810a may be positioned on the first side seam 178 at longitudinally inward positions of the outer edge 107a and longitudinally outward positions of the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6B1, the second distal end 808b and / or the second proximal end 810b may be positioned on the second side seam 180 at longitudinally inward positions of the outer edge 107a and longitudinally outward positions of the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. Thus, completing the tearing process of the first belt 106 may also require tearing portions of the first and / or second side seams 178, 180.

[0074] Continuing to refer to Figure 6B, the first belt 106 may also include a gripping area 801 that provides a place where a user can grasp a portion of the first belt 106 and initiate the process of tearing the first belt along the vulnerable path 700. The gripping area 801 may also include an accessible opening 802 within the first belt 106, and a fastening component 707 positioned adjacent to the accessible opening 802. The accessible opening 802 may include a slit and / or opening within the first belt 106 and may penetrate some or all of the layers of the first belt 106. It should be understood that such a slit or opening may be curved and / or straight. The accessible opening 802 may also be considered part of the vulnerable path 700.

[0075] As shown in Figure 6B, the diaper pants 100P may include within the first belt 106 a first gripping area 801a including a first accessible opening 802a and a second gripping area 801b including a second accessible opening 802b. The first and second accessible openings 802a, 802b may be located between the outer edge 107a and the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. The first and second accessible openings 802a, 802b may also be located within the central area 106c of the first belt 106, and may be located between the first longitudinal edge 128, the second longitudinal edge 130, and the first transverse edge 144 of the chassis 102. In addition, the first fastening component 707a may be positioned adjacent to the first accessible opening 802a, and the second fastening component 707a may be positioned adjacent to the second accessible opening 802a. The first vulnerable path 700a includes a first tear zone 813a extending from the first accessible opening 802a to the first distal end 808a, and a second tear zone 813b extending from the first accessible opening 802a to the first proximal end 810a. The second vulnerable path 700b includes a first tear zone 813a extending from the second accessible opening 802b to the second distal end 808b, and a second tear zone 813b extending from the second accessible opening 802b to the second proximal end 810b. As will be described in more detail below, the accessible opening 802 may help a caregiver or wearer access and / or grasp the fastening component 707 in the gripping area 801 with their fingers or thumb. The caregiver or wearer may then pull the gripping area 801 to begin tearing the first belt 106 on the fragile path 700. In some configurations, the tear line may propagate simultaneously along the first tear zone 813a and the second tear zone 813b, laterally outward from the central area 106c of the first belt 106 toward the distal end 808 and the proximal end 810. It should also be understood that some diaper pants 100P in this specification may be configured to include a fragile path 700 extending through or around the fastening component 707 without an accessible opening.Next, the user can initiate a tearing process along the vulnerable path 700 by pinching and / or pulling the belt in which the vulnerable path 700 is located on or adjacent to the fastening component 707.

[0076] As shown in Figure 6B, the vulnerable path 700 may be configured to extend laterally inward from the distal end 808 and / or the proximal end 810. Next, each portion of the vulnerable path 700 may extend to define an angle of less than 90 degrees with respect to the outer edge 107a and / or inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. Thus, the vulnerable path may define an overall length longer than the longitudinal length LT1 of the first belt 106 and / or the longitudinal length LT2 of the second belt 108 as described above with reference to Figures 2C to 2E.

[0077] It should be understood that the gripping area 801 and the accessible opening 802 may be located at various positions within the first end area 106a, the second end area 106b, and / or the central area 106c of the first belt 106. The gripping area 801 and the accessible opening 802 may be located between the first longitudinal side edge 111a, the second longitudinal side edge 111b, the outer edge 107a, and the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. For example, the first accessible opening 802a and / or the second accessible opening 802b may be located entirely laterally between the first longitudinal edge 128 and the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the first accessible opening 802a may be positioned laterally between the first longitudinal side edge 128 of the chassis 102 and the first longitudinal side edge 111a of the first belt 106 and / or the first side seam 178. In some configurations, the second accessible opening 802b may be positioned laterally between the second longitudinal side edge 130 of the chassis 102 and the second longitudinal side edge 111b of the first belt 106 and / or the second side seam 180. In some configurations, the first accessible opening 802a and / or the second accessible opening 802b may be longitudinally positioned between the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102 and the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106, and / or longitudinally positioned between the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102 and the outer edge 107a of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the first accessible opening 802a may extend across the first longitudinal edge 128 and / or the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102, and / or the second accessible opening 802b may extend across the second longitudinal edge 130 and / or the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102.

[0078] It should also be understood that the accessible opening 802 may be positioned at various locations relative to the fastening component 707. For example, in some configurations, the accessible opening 802 may be positioned longitudinally between the fastening component 707 and the outer edge 107a of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the accessible opening 802 may be positioned longitudinally between the fastening component 707 and the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the accessible opening 802 may be positioned laterally inward of the fastening component 707. It should also be understood that two or more accessible openings 802 may be positioned adjacent to the fastening component 707. As will be discussed in more detail below, the accessible opening 802 may also be configured to extend partially or completely through the fastening component 707, dividing the fastening component 707 into two or more parts.

[0079] As described above, the accessible opening 802 may have slits and / or openings in the first belt 106, and may be curved and / or straight. It should also be understood that the accessible opening 802 may be oriented in various ways. For example, the accessible opening 802 may be oriented approximately perpendicular to the outer edge 107a and / or inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the accessible opening 802 may be oriented approximately parallel to the outer edge 107a and / or inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. In some configurations, the accessible opening 802 may include slits extending along a transverse line that define angles of approximately 0 to approximately 45 degrees with respect to the outer edge 107a and / or inner edge 107b of the first belt 106, specifically including all of the 1-degree increments within the range described above, and all ranges within or formed thereof. In some configurations, the accessible opening 802 may have a length dimension ranging from approximately 5 mm to approximately 50 mm, specifically including all 0.1 mm increments within the aforementioned range, and all ranges within or formed thereby.

[0080] As described above, the diaper pants 100P may include one or more fastening components 707 that are re-fastened to at least one other component of the diaper pants 100P in the disposal configuration. It should be understood that the fastening components 707 may consist of various shapes and sizes and may be positioned in various locations relative to the other components of the diaper pants 100P. As shown in Figure 7A, the fastening components 707 may include a lateral centerline 126d oriented substantially parallel to the lateral centerline 126a of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the lateral centerline 126b of the second elastic belt 108 and / or the lateral centerline 126c of the chassis 102. The fastening component 707 may include a longitudinal centerline 124d oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal centerline 124a of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the longitudinal centerline 124b of the second elastic belt 108 and / or the longitudinal centerline 124c of the chassis 102.

[0081] As shown in Figure 7AA1, in some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be positioned on and connected to the wearer-side surface 115b of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 in the region where the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 overlap with the chassis 102. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be sandwiched between the second base material 164 of the first elastic belt 106 or the second elastic belt 108 and the backsheet 136 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, such as those shown in Figure 7AA1, the fastening component 707 includes a hook 715 protruding from a base 717, the hook 715 extending from the first belt 106 toward the backsheet 136. The fastening component 707 may be configured as a separate individual element that can be connected to the wearer-side surface 115b of the first belt 106 in various ways. For example, as shown in Figure 7AA1, the adhesive 716 may connect the base 717 of the fastening component 707 to the wearer-side surface 115b of the first belt 106. It should be understood that the fastening component 707 may be connected to the first belt 106 by mechanical bonding in addition to or instead of adhesive. It will be recognized that the base 717 can be configured in various ways. For example, the base 717 may include a thermoplastic film. In some configurations, the base 717 may include a laminate having various layers bonded together, such as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0045931(A1). For example, the base 717 may include a thermoplastic film layer bonded to a nonwoven fabric layer. It should be understood that such layers may be bonded together in various ways, such as adhesive, mechanical bonding, and / or extrusion bonding. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be integrally formed from the material of the first belt 106, as shown in Figure 7AA2, for example, or it may be integrally formed from the material and attached to the first belt.

[0082] To help prevent the fastening component 707 from coming into contact with the wearer's skin while the diaper pants 100P are being worn, the fastening component 707 may be positioned on and connected to the wearer-side surface 115b of the first elastic belt 106 and / or the wearer-side surface 117b of the second elastic belt 108 in the area where the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 overlap with the chassis 102. For example, the fastening component 707 may be sandwiched between the wearer-side surface 115b of the first belt 106 and the chassis 102. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be sandwiched between the second base material 164 of the first elastic belt 106 or the second elastic belt 108 and the backsheet 136 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be positioned laterally between the first longitudinal side edge 128 and the second longitudinal side edge 130 of the chassis 102. The fastening component 707 may also be positioned longitudinally between the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102 and the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. As shown in Figure 7A, the fastening component 707 may be positioned adjacent to the vulnerable path 700. An accessible opening 802, which can be considered part of the vulnerable path 700, may be positioned adjacent to the fastening component 707. Thus, the vulnerable path 700 can partially surround the fastening component 707. In some configurations, such as those shown in Figure 7B, the vulnerable path 700 may extend through the fastening component 700, effectively dividing the fastening component 707 into a first fastening portion 707' and a second fastening portion 707''.

[0083] In alternative configurations shown in Figures 7C, 7D, and 7E, both the vulnerable path 700 and the accessible opening 802 may extend through the fastening component, effectively dividing the fastening component 707 into a first fastening portion 707' and a second fastening portion 707''. The accessible opening 802 shown in Figure 7C may include a slit that is generally oriented longitudinally. In addition, the accessible opening 802 may extend through the fastening component 707 and be entirely located within the outer edge of the fastening component. It should be understood that such a slit may be linear and / or curved. In some configurations, the longitudinally extending accessible opening 802 may specify a length dimension in the range of about 10 mm to about 30 mm, specifically including all 0.1 mm increments within the aforementioned range and all ranges within or formed therein. In addition, in some configurations, the longitudinally extending accessible opening 802 may also be curved to extend laterally in a range of approximately 2 mm to approximately 20 mm, specifically including all 0.1 mm increments within the aforementioned range, and all ranges within or formed therein.

[0084] In an alternative configuration shown in Figure 7F, the diaper pants 100P may include a fastening component 707 joined to the wearer-side surface 115b of the first belt 106 at a location overlapping with the longitudinal centerline 124c of the chassis 102. The longitudinal centerline 124d of the fastening component 707 may coincide with or be near the longitudinal centerline 124c of the chassis 102. The vulnerable path 700 can divide the fastening component 707 into a first fastening component 707a and a second fastening component 707b of substantially similar size and shape. The accessible opening 802 may be located on or near the longitudinal inner lateral edge of the fastening component 707. The vulnerable path 700 may extend longitudinally and laterally to the waist edge 121 and inner edge 107b of the first belt 106, longitudinally outward from the lateral edge of the fastening component 707. The caregiver or wearer can access and grasp the fastening component 707 through the accessible opening 802, and then separate the vulnerable path 700 into the first fastening component 707a and the second fastening component 707b.

[0085] As described above, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second belt 108 can be relatively easily torn along the fragile path 700, for example, when removing the diaper pants 100P from the wearer. As will be described later with reference to Figures 6A to 6F, the fragile path 700 may be configured to allow a caregiver or wearer to begin and / or completely tear the first belt 106 and / or the second belt 108 with one hand when removing the diaper pants 100P from the wearer. In addition, the first belt 106 may be separable along the first fragile path 700a and the second fragile path 700b so as to define the first belt zone 831, the second belt zone 832, and the third belt zone 833 located laterally between the first belt zone 831 and the second belt zone 832.

[0086] Referring here to Figures 6A and 6B, when removing the diaper pants 100P from the wearer, the user may grasp the first belt 106 within the gripping area 801 by inserting one or more fingers and / or thumbs into the accessible opening 802 and grasping a portion of the first belt 106 and fastening component 707. For example, referring to Figures 6B and 6C, the caregiver may insert a finger or thumb through the first accessible opening 802a and grasp the first belt 106 and the first fastening component 707a with their first hand. The caregiver's opposite second hand may be used to help stabilize the wearer. For example, the caregiver's opposite second hand may apply a holding or stabilizing force to the wearer in the central area 106c of the first belt 106. Next, the user's first hand may apply a tensile force F to the first gripping area 801a of the first belt 106 so as to move outward from the wearer in order to initiate tearing of the first belt 106 along the first vulnerable path 700a, as shown in Figure 6C.

[0087] Continuing to refer to Figure 6C, a force F, generally represented by the arrow, is applied to the first gripping region 801a, generally toward the first end region 106a of the first belt 106 and / or outward away from the first belt 106 and the wearer. When force F is applied, the first tear line 705a and the second tear line 705b can propagate simultaneously along the first tear zone 813a and the second tear zone 813b, respectively. The first tear line 705a may propagate longitudinally and transversely from the first accessible opening 802a along the first tear zone 813a of the first vulnerable path 700a, around the first fastening component 707a, and then propagate from the central region 106c of the first belt 106 towards the first distal end 808a in the first end region 106a of the first belt 106 in a generally transverse and longitudinally outward direction D1. Simultaneously, the second tear line 705b may propagate from the first accessible opening 802a along the second tear zone 813b of the first vulnerable path 700a in a generally transversely outward and longitudinally inward direction D2 from the central region 106c of the first belt 106 towards the first proximal end 810a in the first end region 106a of the first belt 106. Similar to the diagram shown in Figure 6C, Figure 7E shows a front view of the diaper pants in Figure 7C when the first vulnerable path 700a is torn. As shown in Figure 7E, the first fastening portion 707' separates from the second fastening portion 707'' when the vulnerable path is torn.

[0088] As shown in Figure 6D, the first belt 106 may be separable along the first vulnerable path 700a to define the first belt zone 831. For example, the first belt zone 831 may be formed after the first tear line 705a propagates through the first distal end 808a and the second tear line 705b propagates to the first proximal end 810a. As shown in Figure 6D, the first edge 831a of the first belt zone 831 is formed by tearing the first vulnerable path 700a. In addition, the first edge 833a of the third belt zone 833, which will be discussed in more detail below, is also formed by tearing the first vulnerable path 700a. The first belt zone 831 may extend from the first edges 831a of the first and second tear lines 705a, 705b to the first side seam 178 or the first longitudinal side edge 111a of the first belt 106. In addition, the first belt zone 831 may include the first fastening component 707a.

[0089] With the first belt zone 831 defined by tearing the first belt 106 along the first vulnerable path 700a, the user may proceed to define the second belt zone 832 by tearing the first belt 106 along the second vulnerable path 700b. Referring here to Figures 6D and 6E, the caregiver may insert a finger or thumb through the second accessible opening 802b and grasp the first belt 106 and the second fastening component 707b with the first hand. The caregiver's opposite second hand may be used to help stabilize the wearer. For example, the caregiver's opposite second hand may apply a holding or stabilizing force to the wearer in the central region 106c of the first belt 106. Next, the user's first hand may apply a tensile force F outward toward the wearer toward the second gripping area 801b of the first belt 106 in order to initiate tearing of the first belt 106 along the second vulnerable path 700b, as shown in Figure 6E.

[0090] Continuing to refer to Figure 6E, a force F, generally represented by the arrow, is applied to the second gripping region 801b, generally toward the second end region 106b of the first belt 106 and / or outward away from the first belt 106. When force F is applied, the first tear line 705a and the second tear line 705b can propagate simultaneously along the first tear zone 813a and the second tear zone 813b, respectively. The first tear line 705a may propagate longitudinally and transversely from the second accessible opening 802b along the first tear zone 813a of the second vulnerable path 700b, around the second fastening component 707b, and then propagate from the central region 106c of the first belt 106 towards the second distal end 808b in the second end region 106b of the first belt 106 in a generally transverse and longitudinally outward direction D1. Simultaneously, the second tear line 705b may propagate from the second accessible opening 802b along the second tear zone 813b of the second vulnerable path 700b, from the central region 106c of the first belt 106 towards the second proximal end 810b in the second end region 106b of the first belt 106 in a generally transversely outward and longitudinally inward direction D2.

[0091] As shown in Figure 6F, the first belt 106 may be separable along the second vulnerable path 700b to define the second belt zone 832 and the third belt zone 833. For example, the second belt zone 832 may be formed after the first tear line 705a has propagated through the second distal end 808b and the second tear line 705b has propagated to the second proximal end 810b. As shown in Figure 6F, the first edge 832a of the second belt zone 832 is formed by tearing the second vulnerable path 700b. In addition, the second edge 833b of the third belt zone 833 is also formed by tearing the second vulnerable path 700b. The second belt zone 832 may extend from the first edge 832a of the first and second tear lines 705a, 705b to the second side seam 180 or the second longitudinal side edge 111b of the first belt 106. In addition, the second belt zone 832 may include a second fastening component 707b. The third belt zone 833 may extend laterally between the first edge 833a and the second edge 833b and may remain connected to the chassis 102. When the tearing operation is completed with the configuration shown in Figures 7C to 7E, the first belt zone 831 and the second belt zone 832 include the first fastening component 707', and the third belt zone 833 includes the second fastening component 707'' which was separated from the respective first fastening component 707' during the tearing of the weak path 700.

[0092] The tearing process has been described above with reference to Figures 6A to 6F, where the first belt 106 is torn along the first vulnerable path 700a before the first belt is torn along the second vulnerable path 700b. However, it should be understood that the tearing of the first belt 106 along the vulnerable paths 700 may be carried out in various different orders and in different ways. For example, the first belt 106 may be torn along the second vulnerable path 700b to define the second belt zone 832 before the first belt 106 is torn along the first vulnerable path 700a to define the first belt zone 831. In another example, the first belt 106 may be torn simultaneously along the first vulnerable path 700a and the second vulnerable path 700b to define the first belt zone 831, the second belt zone 832, and the third belt zone 833.

[0093] Once the first belt 106 is torn along the fragile path 700, defining the first belt zone 831, the second belt zone 832, and the third belt zone 833, the diaper pants 100P can be removed from the wearer in a manner similar to that of a conventional tape-type diaper. After being removed from the wearer, the diaper pants 100P may be placed in the disposal configuration described above with reference to Figures 5A and 5B by rolling and / or folding the chassis 102 over itself longitudinally. The first belt zone 831 and the second belt zone 832 may be used to further roll the diaper pants 100P over itself. Additionally, fastening components 707 on the first belt zone 831 and the second belt zone 832 can be connected to other parts of the diaper pants 100P to help maintain the diaper pants 100P in the disposal configuration.

[0094] It should be understood that various types of adhesive arrangements may be used to connect the chassis 102 to the first belt 106 and the second belt 108. As will be described later, such arrangements of adhesive may be configured to help ensure that the chassis 102 remains connected to the first and second belts 106, 108 during use, and at the same time reduce the impairment to the user's ability to initiate and complete tearing of the first belt 106 and / or the second belt 108 along the vulnerable path 700 when removing the diaper pants 100P from the wearer.

[0095] For example, as shown in Figure 8A, a portion of the chassis 102 overlaps with the inner wearer-side surface 115b of the first belt 106, defining a chassis overlap region 850. Thus, the chassis overlap region 850 may extend laterally between the first longitudinal edge 128 and the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102, and longitudinally between the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102 and the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106. The chassis overlap region 850 may also include an adhesive region 852 where the adhesive 854 is located between the backsheet 136 of the chassis 102 and the inner wearer-side surface 115b of the first belt 106. Therefore, the adhesive 854 within the adhesive region 852 can permanently bond the chassis 102 to the first belt 106. "Permanent bonding" refers to the joining of two or more elements or parts of elements in a manner in which the elements are not intended to separate during normal use. It should be understood that permanent bonding in the bonding area 852 can be formed, for example, by applying molten adhesive or polymer between substrates; mechanical and / or thermal bonding; ultrasonic welding; mechanical entanglement using needle punching or hydrojet; suturing; and any other means common in the art used to connect substrates or clothing. Separation of such permanent bonding will result in the deterioration of at least a part of the element, not just the attachment point. It should be understood that the adhesive 854 may be applied to the bonding area 852 in a variety of ways. For example, the bonding area 852 may include transversely extending stripes of adhesive 854 separated longitudinally from each other. In some configurations, the bonding area 852 may include a continuous layer of adhesive 854.

[0096] Continuing to refer to Figure 8A, the adhesive region 852 may include a first adhesive zone 856, a second adhesive zone 858, and a third adhesive zone 860. The first adhesive zone may be located adjacent to the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106, and the second adhesive zone may be located adjacent to the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102. The third adhesive zone 860 may be located longitudinally between the first adhesive zone 856 and the second adhesive zone 858. In some configurations, the first adhesive zone 856 may be adjacent to the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106, or it may be spaced outward in the longitudinal direction from there. In some configurations, the second adhesive zone 858 may be adjacent to the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102, or it may be spaced inward in the longitudinal direction from there. In some configurations, the first bonding zone 856 and / or the second bonding zone 858 may be adjacent to the first longitudinal edge 128 and / or the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102, or they may be spaced laterally inward from there.

[0097] It should be understood that the first adhesive zone 856, the second adhesive zone 858, and the third adhesive zone 860 may include various relative longitudinal lengths and widths. For example, the first adhesive zone 856 may include a first transverse width LW1 and a first longitudinal length LL1, the second adhesive zone may include a second transverse width LW2 and a second longitudinal length LL2, and the third adhesive zone may include a third transverse width LW3 and a third longitudinal length LL3. In some configurations, the first transverse width LW1 and / or the second transverse width LW2 may be greater than the third transverse width LW3. In some configurations, the first transverse width LW1 may be equal to or different from the second transverse width LW2. In some configurations, the first longitudinal length LL1, the second longitudinal length LL2, and the third longitudinal length LL3 may be equal to or different from each other. In some configurations, the third longitudinal length LL3 may be greater than the first longitudinal length LL1 and the second longitudinal length LL2, and the first longitudinal length LL1 may be greater than or equal to the second longitudinal length LL2.

[0098] As shown in Figure 8A, the first vulnerable path 700a and the second vulnerable path 700b extend across the overlapping region 850 in opposite directions laterally outward from the third adhesive zone 860. Therefore, the first vulnerable path 700a and the second vulnerable path 700b do not have to extend across the third adhesive zone 860. In addition, the first fastening component 707a, the first accessible opening 802a, and a portion of the first vulnerable path 700a may be positioned laterally between the third adhesive zone 860 and the first longitudinal side edge 128 of the chassis 102, or longitudinally between the first adhesive zone 856 and the second adhesive zone 858. The second fastening component 707b, the second accessible opening 802b, and a portion of the second vulnerable path 700b may be positioned laterally between the third adhesive zone 860 and the second longitudinal side edge 130 of the chassis 102, or longitudinally between the first adhesive zone 856 and the second adhesive zone 858. In some configurations, the first vulnerable path 700a and / or the second vulnerable path 700b may or may not extend across the first adhesive zone 856 and / or the second adhesive zone 858. It should be understood that the adhesive area 852 and the vulnerable path 700 may be separated by varying distances in the longitudinal and lateral directions. For example, in some configurations, the adhesive area 852 and the vulnerable path 700 may be separated by about 1 mm to about 50 mm in the longitudinal and / or lateral directions, specifically including all 0.1 mm increments within the above range, and all areas within or formed therein. In some configurations, the adhesive region 852 and the fragile path 700 may be separated by a distance of approximately 5 mm in the longitudinal direction and / or by a distance of approximately 5 mm in the transverse direction and / or by a distance of approximately 2.5 mm in both the longitudinal and transverse directions.

[0099] Continuing to refer to Figure 8A, the adhesive region 852 may be configured to define a first pocket region 862 and a second pocket region 864 within the chassis overlap region 850. The chassis 102 does not need to be permanently bonded to the first belt 106 in the first pocket region 862 and the second pocket region 864. In some configurations, the adhesive between the chassis 102 and the first belt 106 does not need to be present in the first pocket region 862 and / or the second pocket region 864. The first pocket region 862 may extend laterally between the third adhesive zone 860 and the first longitudinal side edge 128 of the chassis 102, and the second pocket region 864 may extend laterally between the third adhesive zone 860 and the second longitudinal side edge 130 of the chassis 102. In addition, the first pocket region 862 and the second pocket region 864 may extend longitudinally between the first adhesive zone 856 and the second adhesive zone 858. In some configurations, a portion of the first fastening component 707a, the first accessible opening 802a, and / or the first vulnerable path 700a may be located within the first pocket region 862. A portion of the second fastening component 707b, the second accessible opening 802b, and / or the second vulnerable path 700b may be located within the second pocket region 864. Since the chassis 102 and the first belt 106 are not permanently joined to each other in the pocket regions 862, 864, it may be relatively easy for a user to grasp the first belt 106 and the fastening component 707 through the accessible opening 802, and to initiate and complete the belt tearing process as described above.

[0100] The chassis 102 and the first belt 106 do not necessarily have to be coupled to each other in the pocket areas 862, 864, which may help improve the ease with which a user can initiate and complete the belt tearing process. However, it may be desirable to provide a releaseable and / or re-fastening coupling arrangement in the pocket areas 862, 862 to increase the strength of the connection between the chassis 102 and the first belt 106, and at the same time, to help reduce obstacles to the user's ability to grasp the first belt 106 through the accessible opening 802, and to the user's ability to initiate and complete the belt tearing process.

[0101] For example, as shown in Figure 8B, the second adhesive 866 may be positioned between the first belt 106 and the chassis 102 in the first pocket area 862 and / or the second pocket area 864. Instead of permanently bonding the chassis 102 to the first belt 106, the second adhesive 866 may be configured to releasably bond the chassis 102 to the first belt 106 in the first pocket area 862 and / or the second pocket area 864. The second adhesive 866 may be configured to provide additional bonding strength between the chassis 102 and the first belt 106 to help prevent unintended separation between the chassis 102 and the first belt 106 during use of the diaper pants 100P. When tearing the fragile path 700 during removal of the diaper pants 100P, the second adhesive 866 may be configured to allow the user to relatively easily peel or otherwise separate the first belt zone 831 and / or the second belt zone 832 from the chassis 102. Thus, the adhesive area 852 may have a first bonding strength, and the first pocket area 862 and / or the second pocket area 864 may have a second bonding strength, with the first bonding strength being greater than the second bonding strength. In some configurations, the second adhesive 866 may be the same as the adhesive 854 located in the adhesive area 852. In some configurations, the second adhesive 866 may be different from the adhesive 854 located in the adhesive area 852.

[0102] In some configurations, the adhesive 854 in the bonding area 852 may contain a first basis weight, and the second adhesive 866 in the first pocket area 862 and / or the second pocket area 864 may contain a second basis weight, the first basis weight being equal to or different from the second basis weight. In some configurations, the first basis weight may be greater than the second basis weight. In some configurations, the same or different types of adhesives may be located in the first pocket area 862 and the second pocket area 864.

[0103] As described above, the fastening component 707 may be positioned between the first belt 106 and the chassis 102 in the first pocket area 862 and / or the second pocket area 864. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may be configured to releasably connect the first belt 106 to the chassis 102 in the first pocket area 862 and / or the second pocket area 864. Such a releasable connection between the fastening component 707 and the chassis 102 may provide additional bonding strength between the chassis 102 and the first belt 106 to help prevent unintended separation between the chassis 102 and the first belt 106 during use of the diaper pants 100P. When tearing the fragile path 700 during removal of the diaper pants 100P, the releasable connection between the fastening component 707 and the chassis may be configured to allow the user to relatively easily detach or otherwise separate the first belt zone 831 and / or the second belt zone 832 from the chassis 102.

[0104] As described above, the backsheet 136 of the chassis 102 may include a laminate comprising a film layer and a nonwoven fabric layer. In some configurations, the nonwoven fabric layer may completely cover the film layer and define the garment-side surface 134 of the chassis 102. In some configurations, the nonwoven fabric layer may partially cover the film layer, so that both the film layer and the nonwoven fabric layer define the garment-side surface 134 of the chassis 102. For example, in some configurations, the film layer may extend completely between the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106 and the first transverse edge 144 of the chassis 102, and the nonwoven fabric layer may also extend completely between the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106 and the first transverse edge 144 of the chassis 102, completely covering the film layer and defining the garment-side surface 134 of the chassis 102 in the overlapping region 850. Therefore, the first belt 106 may be bonded to the nonwoven fabric layer in the first bonding zone 856, the second bonding zone 858, and the third bonding zone 860. In some configurations, the nonwoven fabric layer does not have to extend completely between the inner edge 107b of the first belt 106 and the first lateral edge 144 of the chassis 102, in which case a portion of the film layer may be positioned in direct contact with the first belt 106. Therefore, the first belt 106 may be bonded to a portion of the nonwoven fabric layer and a portion of the film layer in the bonding region 852. For example, the first belt 106 may be bonded to a portion of the nonwoven fabric layer of the backsheet 136 in the first bonding zone 856, but not in the second bonding zone 858 or the third bonding zone 860. The first belt 106 may be bonded to a portion of the film layer of the backsheet 136 in the first bonding zone 856, as well as in the second bonding zone 858 and the third bonding zone 860.

[0105] In some configurations, a portion of the nonwoven fabric layer of the backsheet 136 may be positioned between the fastening component 707 and the first belt 106. For example, as described above with reference to Figures 7AA1 and 7AA2, the fastening component 707 may include a hook 715 extending toward the backsheet 136 of the chassis 102. Thus, the hook of the fastening component 707 may be releasably or re-fastened to the nonwoven fabric layer of the backsheet 136. In some configurations, the hook of the fastening component 707 may not be releasably or re-fastened to the film layer of the backsheet 136. In some configurations, the fastening component 707 may include a pressure-sensitive adhesive instead of a hook, and thus the pressure-sensitive adhesive may releasably connect the fastening component 707 to the backsheet 136 in the first pocket region 862 and / or the second pocket region 864. In some configurations, such pressure-sensitive adhesive may be configured to releasably or re-fasten the first belt 106 to the nonwoven fabric layer and / or film layer of the backsheet 136.

[0106] It should be understood that the absorbent articles described herein may be assembled in various ways using various types of apparatus configured to perform various deformations in various assembly sequences. For example, when assembling the diaper pants 100P, as shown in Figure 8C, the elastic laminate 200 may be processed into a first elastic belt laminate 200a and / or a second elastic belt laminate 200b (represented by the dashed arrow "A"). The first elastic belt laminate 200a and the second elastic belt laminate 200b may be separated from each other in the transverse direction CD. The adhesive 854 may be applied intermittently to the first elastic belt laminate 200a and the second elastic belt laminate 200b. As shown in Figure 8C, the adhesive 854 may be applied in a pattern defining the adhesive area 852 as described above with reference to Figures 8A and 8B. It should be understood that the adhesive 854 may be applied using application devices configured in various ways, such as spray nozzles and / or slot coating devices. In some configurations, the adhesive applicator device may be configured according to the apparatus and / or method disclosed in U.S. Patents 8,186,296, 9,265,672, 9,248,054, and 9,295,590, and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014 / 0148773(A1), all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The opposing end regions of the chassis 102 may then be permanently joined with adhesive 854 at the overlapping region 850 on the first elastic belt laminate 200a and / or the second elastic belt laminate 200b (indicated by the dashed arrow "B"). During subsequent assembly operations, the chassis 102 may be folded so that the first elastic belt laminate 200a faces the second elastic belt laminate 200b (indicated by the dashed arrow "C"). The connecting portion 246 may be applied to overlapping belt stacks 200a and 200b. Subsequently, separate diaper pants 100P may be formed by separating the first and second belt stacks 200a and 200b into first and second belts 106 and 108 by cutting the first and second belt stacks 200a and 200b adjacent to the connecting portion 246 along the transverse direction CD (represented by the dashed arrow "D").Therefore, the joint 246 may be divided to define the first and second side seams 178 and 180, respectively. It should be understood that the vulnerable path 700 may be formed before and / or after the chassis 102 is combined with the first elastic belt laminate 200a and / or the second elastic belt laminate 200b.

[0107] As described above, if the fragile path 700 is configured to extend across a detached elastic strand 168 in the first belt 106 or the second belt 108, it may be relatively easy for the user to tear the first belt 106 or the second belt 108 along the fragile path 700. For example, the fragile path 700 may include a plurality of fragile lines 704 configured such that all elastic strands 168 in the first elastic belt 106 that otherwise extend across the fragile path 700 are detached at least once within the fragile path 700. Thus, when the elastic strands 168 are detached, the first base material 162 and the second base material 164 of the first belt 106 only need to be torn along the fragile path 700 without having to tear the uncut elastic strands 168 as well. As further described above with reference to Figure 2A, the diaper pants 100P may also include an outer waist elastic body 170 and an inner waist elastic body 172. The outer waist elastic body 170 may extend continuously laterally between the opposing first end region 106a and second end region 106b of the first elastic belt 106, and between the opposing first end region 108a and second end region 108b of the second elastic belt 108. In addition, the inner waist elastic body 172 may be configured with discontinuities in areas where the first and second elastic belts 106 and 108 overlap with various parts of the chassis 102, such as the overlapping region 850 described above. Furthermore, as described above, the first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may be configured with a low-stretch zone 701 and a high-stretch zone 703. The first elastic belt 106 and / or the second elastic belt 108 may include a first high-stretch zone 703a and a second high-stretch zone 703b, separated laterally by a low-stretch zone 701. It should be understood that the diaper pants 100P may include varying amounts of vulnerable pathways 700 that can be positioned in various locations relative to the outer waist elastic body 170, the inner waist elastic body 172, the low-stretch zone 701, and the high-stretch zone 703.

[0108] Figure 9 shows an exemplary configuration of a diaper pants 100P, illustrating various positional relationships between the vulnerable path 700 and the elastic strand 168 in the first belt 106. As shown in Figure 9, all elastic strands 168 extending transversely through the first tear zone 813a between the first longitudinal edge 128 and the first distal end 808a of the chassis 102 may be separated or cut at the weak line 704 of the first weak path 700a, and / or separated or cut by the weak line 704 of the first weak path 700a, and all elastic strands 168 extending transversely through the first tear zone 813a between the second longitudinal edge 130 and the second distal end 808b of the chassis 102 may be separated or cut at the weak line 704 of the second weak path 700b, and / or separated or cut by the weak line 704 of the second weak path 700b. In some configurations, all elastic strands 168 extending laterally between the first accessible opening 803a and the first longitudinal edge 128 of the chassis 102 through the first tear zone 813a and / or the second tear zone 813b may be separated or cut at the weak line 704 of the first weak path 700a, and / or separated or cut by the weak line 704 of the first weak path 700a, and all elastic strands 168 extending laterally between the second accessible opening 802b and the second longitudinal edge 130 of the chassis 102 through the first tear zone 813a and / or the second tear zone 813b may be separated or cut at the weak line 704 of the second weak path 700b, and / or separated or cut by the weak line 704 of the second weak path 700b.In some configurations, all elastic strands 168 extending transversely through the second tear zone 813a between the first longitudinal edge 128 and the first proximal end 810a of the chassis 102 may be separated or cut at the weak line 704 of the first weak path 700a, and / or separated or cut by the weak line 704 of the first weak path 700a, and all elastic strands 168 extending transversely through the second tear zone 813a between the second longitudinal edge 130 and the second proximal end 810b of the chassis 102 may be separated or cut at the weak line 704 of the second weak path 700b, and / or separated or cut by the weak line 704 of the second weak path 700b.

[0109] Referring further to Figure 9, the weak line 704 of the weak path 700 may extend through a detached or cut outer waist elastic body 170, or the outer waist elastic body 170 may be detached or cut. For example, the first tear zone 813a of the first weak path 700a may extend through a detached outer waist elastic body 170, and the first tear zone 813a of the second weak path 700b may extend through a detached outer waist elastic body 170. In some configurations, the outer waist elastic body 170 may extend across an overlapping region 850. In some configurations, the outer waist elastic body 170 may be positioned longitudinally between the overlapping region 850 and the outer edge 107a of the first belt 106, or it may not extend across the overlapping region 850. In some configurations, the outer waist elastic body 170 may be separated by a weak path 700 within the overlapping region 850, and / or by a weak path 700 outside the overlapping region 850. In addition, the outer waist elastic body 170 may be separated at least at two points by the first and second weak paths 700a, 700b. The outer waist elastic body 170 may be continuously connected to and between the first base material 162 and the second base material 164 of the first belt 106. Thus, the separated ends of the outer waist elastic body 170 may not retract, or may retract only a relatively short distance from the weak line 704 of the weak path 700.

[0110] Continuing to refer to Figure 9, the weak line 704 of the weak path 700 may extend through some or all of the detached inner waist elastic body 172, or some or all of the inner waist elastic body 172 may be detached. For example, the second tear zone 813b of the first weak path 700a may extend through the detached inner waist elastic body 172, and the second tear zone 813b of the second weak path 700b may extend through the detached inner waist elastic body 172. In some configurations, the inner waist elastic body 172 may be detached by the weak path 700 within the overlapping region 850, and / or the inner waist elastic body 172 may be detached by the weak path 700 outside the overlapping region 850.

[0111] In some configurations, the inner waist elastic body 172 may be detached at least three locations. For example, the inner waist elastic body may be detached on a first occasion by a cutting process when forming the low-stretch zone 701, and on second and third occasions by first and second weak paths 700a, 700b. The inner waist elastic body 172 may also be continuously connected between the first base material 162 and the second base material 164 of the first belt 106 in the high-stretch zone 703. Thus, the detached ends of the inner waist elastic body 172 do not have to retract, or they may retract only a relatively short distance from the weak line 704 of the weak path 700.

[0112] In some configurations, the first high-elongation zone 703a and the second high-elongation zone 703b may partially overlap with the overlapping region 850, or may be located entirely laterally outside the overlapping region 850. As described above, the inner waist elastic body 172 may be detached during the cutting operation when forming the low-elongation zone 701 and the high-elongation zone 703. When forming the low-elongation zone 701, the detached inner waist elastic body 172 may retract laterally outward by the same or a different distance. In some configurations, some inner waist elastic bodies 172 may be longitudinally aligned with the fastening component 704, or may be configured to contract to a laterally outward location of the fastening component 704. Thus, the inner waist elastic body 172 of the high-elongation zone 703 may be located laterally outward from the fastening component 704, or may be configured not to overlap with the fastening component 704.

[0113] Average decitex (average DTEX) The average Dtex method is used to calculate the average Dtex of elastic fibers present in a complete article or in a sample of the subject extracted from an article, on a length-weighted basis. The Dtex value is the mass in grams of fibers present in 10,000 meters of that material in a relaxed state. The Dtex value of elastic fibers or elastic laminates containing elastic fibers is often reported by the manufacturer as part of the specifications of the elastic fibers or elastic laminates containing elastic fibers. The average Dtex can be calculated from these specifications, if available. Alternatively, if these specified values ​​are unknown, the Dtex value of individual elastic fibers is measured by determining the cross-sectional area of ​​the relaxed fiber using a suitable microscopy technique such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), determining the fiber composition by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and then calculating the mass in grams of fibers present in 10,000 meters of fiber using literature values ​​for the density of the composition. The decitex values ​​for individual elastic fibers removed from a complete article or a sample extracted from an article, provided by the manufacturer or measured experimentally, are used in the formula described below, in which the length-weighted average of the decitex values ​​among the present elastic fibers is determined.

[0114] The length of each elastic fiber present in an article or a sample extracted from an article is calculated, if known, from the overall dimensions of the component of the article or the sample, and the elastic fiber pre-strain ratio associated with the component of the article or the sample. Alternatively, if the dimensions and / or elastic fiber pre-strain ratio are unknown, the absorbent article or a sample extracted from an absorbent article is disassembled and all elastic fibers are removed. This disassembly can be performed, for example, by gently heating to soften the adhesive and using a low-temperature spray (e.g., Quick-Freeze, Miller-Stephenson Company, Danbury, CT), or by using a suitable solvent that removes the adhesive without expanding, altering, or destroying the elastic fibers. The length of each elastic fiber in its relaxed state is measured and recorded to the nearest millimeter (mm).

[0115] Calculation of average Dtex The relaxation length L present in absorbent articles or samples extracted from absorbent articles. i and fiber decitex value d i The individual elastic fiber f (either obtained from the manufacturer's specifications or measured by experiment) i For each of these, the average Dtex of the absorbent article or the sample extracted from the absorbent article is defined as follows:

[0116]

number

[0117] If the decitex value of any individual fiber is not known from the specifications, it shall be determined experimentally as described below, and the resulting fiber decitex value(s) shall be used in the above formula to determine the average Dtex.

[0118] Determination of fiber decitex values ​​by experiment For each of the elastic fibers taken from the absorbent article or a sample extracted from the absorbent article according to the above procedure, for each elastic fiber L k the length in the relaxed state is measured and recorded to the nearest millimeter (mm). Each elastic fiber is analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopy to determine its composition, and its density ρ k is determined from available literature values. Finally, each fiber is analyzed by SEM. The fiber is cut perpendicularly along its length at three approximately equal positions using a sharp blade to create a clean cross-section for SEM analysis. The three fiber sections with these exposed cross-sections are mounted in the relaxed state on an SEM specimen holder, sputter-coated with gold, introduced into the SEM and analyzed, and imaged at a resolution sufficient to clearly elucidate the fiber cross-section. To minimize any diagonal distortion in the measured cross-section, the fiber cross-section is oriented as perpendicular as possible to the detector. The shape of the fiber cross-section varies, and some fibers are composed of multiple individual filaments. In any case, the area of each of the three fiber cross-sections is determined (e.g., for circular fibers, the diameter; for elliptical fibers, the major and minor axes, and using image analysis for more complex shapes), and the average of the three areas a k of the elastic fiber is recorded in units of square micrometers (μm 2 ), to 0.1 μm 2 units. The decitex d k of the k-th measured elastic fiber is calculated as follows: d k = 10000m × a k × ρ k × 10 -6 where the unit of d k is grams per 10,000 meters of calculated length, the unit of a k is μm 2 and the unit of ρ k is grams per cubic centimeter (g / cm 3 ). For any elastic fiber analyzed, the experimentally determined L k value and d k value are later used in the above equation for the average Dtex.

[0119] Average strand spacing Using a ruler calibrated against a certified NIST ruler and accurate to within 0.5 mm, measure the distance between two distal strands within a section to within 0.5 mm, and then divide by the number of strands in that section minus 1. Mean strand spacing = d / (n-1) where n > 1 Report in units of 0.1 mm.

[0120] Mean pre-distortion The mean pre-strain of the sample is measured using a constant-speed elongation tensile testing machine with a load cell in which the measured force is within 1% to 90% of the cell's limit (a preferred instrument is the MTS Insight with Testworks 4.0 Software, available from MTS Systems Corp. (Eden Prairie, MN)). Prior to analysis, the articles are conditioned at 23°C ± 2°C and 50% ± 2% relative humidity for 2 hours, and then tested under the same environmental conditions.

[0121] After adjusting the initial gauge length, the tensile testing machine is programmed to perform elongation until fracture. First, the crosshead is raised to a force of 0.05 N at 10 mm / min. The gauge at this point is set to the adjusted gauge length. The crosshead is raised at a speed of 100 mm / min until the sample fractures (the force decreases by 20% after the maximum peak force). The crosshead is returned to its original position. Force and elongation data are obtained at a speed of 100 Hz throughout the experiment.

[0122] Set the nominal gauge length to 40 mm using a caliper block and zero the crosshead. Insert the specimen into the grip so that the center of the test strip is positioned 20 mm below the upper grip. The specimen may be folded perpendicular to the tensile axis and positioned within the grip to achieve this position. After closing the grip, any excess material can be trimmed. Insert the specimen into the lower grip and close it. The strip can be folded again, and then trimmed after closing the grip. Zero the load cell. The specimen should have minimal slack, but the force on the load cell should be less than 0.05 N. Start the test program.

[0123] From the data, calculate the force (N) versus extension (mm). Calculate the mean pre-strain from the bend in the curve corresponding to the extension when the nonwoven fabric in the elastic body is engaged. Plot two lines corresponding to the region of the curve before the bend (mainly the elastic body) and the region after the bend (mainly the nonwoven fabric). Read the extension when these two lines intersect, and calculate the pre-strain % from this extension and the corrected gauge length. Record the pre-strain % as 0.1%. Calculate the arithmetic mean of three replicated test specimens for each elastomer laminate, and the mean pre-strain in 0.1% units.

[0124] combination A1. An absorbent article comprising: a first belt including an inner wearer-side surface and an outer garment-side surface, further including a transversely extending inner edge and a transversely extending outer edge, the outer edge being located longitudinally outward of the inner edge; a second belt, the transversely opposing end portion of the second belt being connected to the transversely opposing end portion of the first belt at the first and second side seams to form a waist opening; a top sheet; a back sheet; and an absorbent core positioned between the top sheet and the back sheet, the chassis comprising: a first longitudinally extending side edge; a first end edge and a second end edge longitudinally separated from the first end edge An absorbent article comprising: a chassis having a second longitudinally extending side edge laterally separated from a first side edge by a first side edge, the longitudinally opposing end regions of the chassis being connected to a first belt and a second belt, wherein a portion of the chassis overlaps with the inner wearer-side surface of the first belt to define a chassis overlap region, and a fragile path within the first belt extends across the overlap region between a proximal end on the inner edge and a distal end on the outer edge of the first belt, the fragile path including a first tear zone extending from the overlap region to the distal end, and a second tear zone extending from the overlap region to the proximal end, the distal and proximal ends being laterally positioned between the first side edge and a first side seam of the chassis.

[0125] A2. The absorbent article according to paragraph A1, wherein the first belt is positioned between the first base material and the second base material and further comprises elastic strands connected thereto, and the weak path comprises weak lines.

[0126] A3. The absorbent article according to paragraph A2, wherein several elastic strands are separated at a weak line, and the separated elastic strands are continuously bonded between a first substrate and a second substrate.

[0127] A4. The absorbent article described in paragraph A2 or A3, wherein all elastic strands extending through the first tear zone between the first side edge and distal end of the chassis are separated by a fragile line.

[0128] A5. An absorbent article as described in any one of paragraphs A2 to A4, wherein an elastic strand extending through a second tear zone between the first lateral edge and the proximal end of the chassis is separated by a fragile line.

[0129] A6. The absorbent article according to any one of paragraphs A2 to A5, wherein the weak line cuts at least one elastic strand extending through the first tear zone or the second tear zone at at least one location between the first side edge of the chassis and the second side edge of the chassis.

[0130] A7. The absorbent article according to paragraph A6, wherein the weak line does not cut at least one elastic strand extending between the first side edge of the chassis and the second side edge of the chassis.

[0131] A8. The weak line is an absorbent article as described in any one of paragraphs A2 to A7, which includes discrete cutting lines.

[0132] A9. An absorbent article according to any one of paragraphs A2 to A8, wherein the first and second substrates comprise a nonwoven fabric, the fragile lines comprise discrete bonds, and the nonwoven material is at least partially fused.

[0133] A10. The absorbent article according to any one of paragraphs A1 to A9, further comprising a fastening component connected to the inner wearer-side surface of the first belt in an overlapping region adjacent to a vulnerable path, wherein the fastening component is configured to be refastenably connected to at least one other component of the absorbent article.

[0134] A11. The absorbent article according to paragraph A10, further comprising an accessible opening in the first belt located within an overlapping region adjacent to the fastening component.

[0135] A12. The absorbent article described in paragraph A11, wherein the first tear zone extends from the accessible opening to the distal end, and the second tear zone extends from the accessible opening to the proximal end.

[0136] A13. The absorbent article described in paragraph A11 or A12, wherein the accessible opening includes a slit in the first belt.

[0137] A14. The absorbent article described in paragraph A13, wherein the slit extends along a transverse line and defines an angle of about 0 to about 10 degrees with respect to the outer edge of the first belt.

[0138] A15. The absorbent article described in paragraph A13 or A14, wherein the slit is curved and extends in the longitudinal direction.

[0139] A16. An absorbent article as described in any one of paragraphs A11 to A14, wherein the accessible opening is located between the fastening component and the inner edge of the first belt.

[0140] A16. The absorbent article described in any one of paragraphs A11 to A14, wherein the accessible opening is located between the fastening component and the outer edge of the first belt.

[0141] A17. A vulnerable path and accessible opening is an absorbent article as described in any one of paragraphs A11 to A16, which partially surrounds the fastening component.

[0142] A18. The fastening component includes a hook, the hook extending toward the backsheet, as described in any one of paragraphs A11 to A17.

[0143] A19. The absorbent article described in any one of paragraphs A11 to A18, wherein the vulnerable path extends through the fastening component and divides the fastening component into at least two parts.

[0144] A20. The absorbent article according to any one of paragraphs A11 to A19, wherein the chassis overlap area includes an adhesive area where the adhesive is located between the chassis and the inner wearer-side surface of the first belt, and the accessible opening is located outside the adhesive area.

[0145] Bio-based components for building blocks The components of absorbent articles described herein may be at least partially composed of bio-based components, such as those described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007 / 0219521(A1). For example, superabsorbent polymer components may be made bio-based by deriving them from bio-based acrylic acid. Bio-based acrylic acid and methods for producing it are further described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007 / 0219521, as well as U.S. Patents No. 8,703,450, No. 9,630,901, and No. 9,822,197. Other components, such as nonwoven fabric and film components, may include bio-based polyolefin materials. Bio-based polyolefins are further discussed in U.S. Patent Publications 2011 / 0139657, 2011 / 0139658, 2011 / 0152812, and 2016 / 0206774, and U.S. Patent No. 9,169,366. Exemplary bio-based polyolefins for use in this disclosure include polymers available under the designations SHA7260®, SHE150®, or SGM9450F® (all available from Braskem SA).

[0146] The absorbent article components may contain bio-based component values ​​of approximately 10% to approximately 100%, approximately 25% to approximately 100%, approximately 40% to approximately 100%, approximately 50% to approximately 100%, approximately 75% to approximately 100%, or approximately 90% to approximately 100%, for example, using Method B of ASTM D6866-10.

[0147] Bio-based absorbent materials suitable for recycling The components of the absorbent articles described herein may be recycled for other uses, whether or not they are formed at least partially from recyclable materials. Examples of recyclable absorbent article materials include nonwovens, films, fluff pulp, and superabsorbent polymers. The recycling process may involve using an autoclave to sterilize the absorbent articles, after which the absorbent articles may be shredded and separated into different by-product streams. Exemplary by-product streams may include plastics, superabsorbent polymers, and cellulose fibers such as pulp. These by-product streams may be used in the manufacture of fertilizers, plastic manufacturing articles, paper products, viscose, building materials, absorbent pads for pet or hospital beds, and / or for other uses. Further details relating to absorbent articles that aid in recycling, recyclable diaper designs, and diaper designs with recyclable bio-based components are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0192723, published on June 27, 2019.

[0148] The dimensions and values ​​disclosed herein should not be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values ​​listed. Instead, unless otherwise indicated, each such dimension is intended to mean both the listed value and the functionally equivalent range encompassing that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "approximately 40 mm."

[0149] All documents referenced herein, including any patents or patent applications that are cross-referenced or related, and any patent applications or patents on which this application claims priority or benefit thereof, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety unless explicitly stated to be excluded or limited. No reference to any document shall be deemed prior art to any invention disclosed or claimed herein, nor shall it be deemed to teach, suggest or disclose any such invention, either alone or in combination with any one or more other references. Furthermore, in the event of any conflict between the meaning or definition of any term in this document and any meaning or definition of the same term in any document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition given to the term in this document shall prevail.

[0150] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that all such changes and modifications within the scope of the invention be covered in the appended claims.

Claims

1. Absorbent articles, A first belt (106) comprising an inner wearer-side surface (115b) and an outer garment-side surface (115a), further comprising a laterally extending inner edge (107b) and a laterally extending outer edge (107a), wherein the outer edge (107a) is positioned longitudinally outward of the inner edge (107b), and the first belt (106), A second belt (108), wherein the laterally opposing end portions (108a, 108b) of the second belt (108) are connected to the laterally opposing end portions (106a, 106b) of the first belt (106) at the first side seam (178) and the second side seam (180), forming a waist opening (110), and the second belt (108) A chassis (102) comprising a top sheet (138), a back sheet (136), and an absorbent core (140) positioned between the top sheet (138) and the back sheet (136), wherein the chassis (102) comprises a first side edge (128) extending in the longitudinal direction, a first end edge (144), and a second side edge (130) extending in the longitudinal direction, separated laterally from the first side edge (128) by a second end edge (146) separated longitudinally from the first end edge (144), and the longitudinally facing end regions (116a, 118a) of the chassis (102) are connected to the first belt (106) and the second belt (108), A portion of the chassis overlaps with the inner wearer-side surface of the first belt, defining a chassis overlap region (850). The vulnerable path (700) within the first belt (106) extends across the overlapping region (850) between the proximal end (810) on the inner edge (107b) and the distal end (808) on the outer edge (107a) of the first belt (106), and the vulnerable path (700) includes a first tear zone (813a) extending from the overlapping region (850) to the distal end (808) and a second tear zone (813b) extending from the overlapping region (850) to the proximal end (810), The distal end (808) and the proximal end (810) are positioned laterally between the first side edge (128) and the first side seam (178) of the chassis (102), which are located in the same direction with respect to the longitudinal axis (124) of the chassis (102). An absorbent article further comprising a fastening component (707) connected to the inner wearer-side surface (115b) of the first belt (106) in the overlapping region (850) adjacent to the vulnerable path (700), wherein the fastening component (707) is configured to be refastenably connected to at least one other component of the absorbent article.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the first belt (106) is positioned between a first base material (162) and a second base material (164) and further comprises elastic strands (168) connected thereto, and the fragile path (700) comprises fragile wires (704).

3. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein some elastic strands (168) are separated at the weak line (704), and the separated elastic strands (168) are continuously bonded between the first substrate (162) and the second substrate (164).

4. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein all elastic strands (168) extending through the first tear zone (813a) between the first side edge (128) and the distal end (808) of the chassis (102) are separated at the fragile line (704).

5. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein an elastic strand (168) extending through the second tear zone (813b) between the first side edge (128) and the proximal end (810) of the chassis (102) is separated at the fragile line (704).

6. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the weak line (704) cuts at least one elastic strand (168) extending through the first tear zone (813a) or the second tear zone (813b) at at least one location between the first side edge (128) and the second side edge (130) of the chassis (102).

7. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the weak line (704) does not cut at least one elastic strand extending between the first side edge (128) and the second side edge (130) of the chassis (102).

8. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the weak line (704) includes discrete cutting lines.

9. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the first substrate (162) and the second substrate (164) comprise a nonwoven fabric, the fragile wire (704) comprises discrete bonding portions, and the material of the nonwoven fabric is at least partially fused.

10. The absorbent article according to claim 1, further comprising an accessible opening (802) in the first belt (106) located within the overlapping region (850) adjacent to the fastening component (707).

11. The absorbent article according to claim 10, wherein the first tear zone (813a) extends from the accessible opening (802) to the distal end (808), and the second tear zone (813b) extends from the accessible opening (802) to the proximal end (810).

12. The absorbent article according to claim 10, wherein the accessible opening (802) includes a slit in the first belt.

13. The absorbent article according to claim 10, wherein the vulnerable path (707) extends through the fastening component (707) and divides the fastening component (707) into at least two parts.

14. The absorbent article according to claim 10, wherein the chassis overlapping region (850) includes an adhesive region (852) in which an adhesive (854) is positioned between the chassis (102) and the inner wearer-side surface (115b) of the first belt (106), and the accessible opening (802) is positioned outside the adhesive region (852).

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