Absorbent article having elastic belt

Abstract

An absorbent article including a main body with an absorbent core, and a ring-like elastic belt, is disclosed. The article may include a front belt and a back belt each formed by an inner sheet, an outer sheet and a plurality of elastic bodies sandwiched therebetween and running in the transverse direction. The elastic bodies in the back belt may include a plurality of waist elastic bodies having elasticity over the entire transverse width of the back belt; a plurality of tummy elastic bodies removed of their elasticity in at least a portion overlapping the absorbent core, and a core edge elastic body disposed overlapping the absorbent core and adjacent the distal edge of the absorbent core, the core edge elastic body having elasticity over the entire transverse width of the back belt.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An absorbent article continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, comprising:
 a main body; and   a ring-like elastic belt comprising a front belt comprising a front waist edge and a front leg edge, and a back belt comprising a back waist edge and a back leg edge;   wherein a center of the front belt is joined to a front waist panel of the main body, a center of the back belt is joined to a back waist panel of the main body, the front and back belts each having a left side panel and a right side panel, each of the left side panels and right side panels is free from overlap by the main body, and transverse edges of the front belt and the back belt are joined by a seam to form a waist opening and two leg openings;   wherein each of the front belt and back belt comprises an inner sheet, an outer sheet, and a plurality of elastic bodies sandwiched therebetween and running in the transverse direction;   wherein the main body comprises an absorbent core, the absorbent core overlapping at least a portion of the front belt and the back belt; and   wherein the elastic bodies disposed in one or both the front belt and the back belt comprise:
 a plurality of waist band elastic bodies disposed between a distal edge of the absorbent core and the waist edge of one or both of the front belt and the back belt, the waist band elastic bodies having elasticity over the entire transverse width of one or both the front belt and the back belt; and 
   a plurality of lower elastic bodies disposed below the waist band elastic bodies of one or both of the front belt and the back belt and partially overlapping the absorbent core along side edges thereof, and removed of their elasticity in at least a portion overlapping the absorbent core, the longitudinal width of an area removed of elasticity defined as a tummy cut window.   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the lower elastic bodies have elasticity in regions overlapping the absorbent core adjacent the side edges thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the outer sheet of the front belt is folded over the front waist edge, and wherein the outer sheet of the back belt is folded over the back waist edge. 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein each elastic body of the plurality of waist band elastic bodies in at least one of the front belt and the back belt is disposed generally equidistant from one another in the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein each elastic body of the plurality of lower elastic bodies in at least one of the front belt and the back belt is disposed generally equidistant from one another in the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of lower elastic bodies in the back belt are disposed in arrays of two elastic bodies, wherein each of the two elastic bodies of each array are disposed nearer each other than each of the two elastic bodies is disposed relative to the remainder of the lower elastic bodies. 
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal width of the front belt tummy cut window is generally the same as the longitudinal width of the back belt tummy cut window. 
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal width of the front belt tummy cut window is less than the longitudinal width of the back belt tummy cut window. 
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal width of the front belt tummy cut window is greater than the longitudinal width of the back belt tummy cut window. 
     
     
         10 . An absorbent article continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, comprising:
 a main body; and   a ring-like elastic belt comprising a front belt comprising a front waist edge and a front leg edge, and a back belt comprising a back waist edge and a back leg edge;   wherein a longitudinal length of the back belt (LB) between the back waist edge and the back leg edge is greater than a longitudinal length of the front belt (LF) between the front waist edge and the front leg edge;   wherein a center of the front belt is joined to a front waist panel of the main body, a center of the back belt is joined to a back waist panel of the main body, the front and back belts each having a left side panel and a right side panel, each of the left side panels and right side panels is free from overlap by the main body, and transverse edges of the front belt and the back belt are joined by a seam to form a waist opening and two leg openings;   wherein each of the front belt and back belt comprises an inner sheet, an outer sheet, and a plurality of elastic bodies sandwiched therebetween and running in the transverse direction;   wherein the main body comprises an absorbent core, the absorbent core overlapping at least a portion of the front belt and the back belt; and   wherein the elastic bodies disposed in one or both the front belt and the back belt comprise:
 a plurality of waist band elastic bodies disposed between a distal edge of the absorbent core and the waist edge of one or both of the front belt and the back belt, the waist elastic bodies having elasticity over the entire transverse width of one or both the front belt and the back belt; and
 a plurality of lower elastic bodies disposed below the waist band elastic bodies of one or both of the front belt and the back belt and partially overlapping the absorbent core along side edges thereof, and removed of their elasticity in at least a portion overlapping the absorbent core. 
 
   
     
     
         11 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the lower elastic bodies have elasticity in regions overlapping the absorbent core adjacent the side edges thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the outer sheet of the front belt is folded over the front waist edge, and wherein the outer sheet of the back belt is folded over the back waist edge. 
     
     
         13 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein each elastic body of the plurality of waist band elastic bodies in at least one of the front belt and the back belt is disposed generally equidistant from one another. 
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein each elastic body of the plurality of lower elastic bodies in at least one of the front belt and the back belt is disposed generally equidistant from one another in the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of lower elastic bodies in the back belt are disposed in arrays of two elastic bodies, wherein each of the two elastic bodies of each array are disposed nearer each other than each of the two elastic bodies is disposed relative to the remainder of the lower elastic bodies. 
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the longitudinal width of the front belt tummy cut window is generally the same as the longitudinal width of the back belt tummy cut window. 
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the longitudinal width of the front belt tummy cut window is less than the longitudinal width of the back belt tummy cut window. 
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the longitudinal width of the front belt tummy cut window is greater than the longitudinal width of the back belt tummy cut window. 
     
     
         19 . An absorbent article continuous in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, comprising:
 a main body; and   a front waist region comprising a front waist edge and a front leg edge, and a back waist region comprising a back waist edge and a back leg edge;   wherein a center of the front waist region is joined to a front waist panel of the main body, a center of the back waist region is joined to a back waist panel of the main body, the front and back waist regions each having a left side panel and a right side panel, each of the left side panels and right side panels is free from overlap by the main body, and transverse edges of the front and back waist regions are joined by a seam to form a waist opening and two leg openings;   wherein each of the front and back waist regions is formed by an inner sheet, an outer sheet, and a plurality of elastic bodies sandwiched therebetween and running in the transverse direction;   wherein the main body comprises an absorbent core, the absorbent core overlapping at least a portion of the front and the back waist regions; and   wherein the elastic bodies disposed in one or both the front waist region and the back waist region comprise:
 a plurality of waist band elastic bodies disposed between a distal edge of the absorbent core and the waist edge of one or both of the front waist region and the back waist region, the waist elastic bodies having elasticity over the entire transverse width of one or both the front waist region and the back waist region; and 
 a plurality of lower elastic bodies disposed below the waist band elastic bodies of one or both of the front waist region and the back waist region and partially overlapping the absorbent core along side edges thereof, and removed of their elasticity in at least a portion overlapping the absorbent core. 
   
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 19 , wherein a back belt defines the back waist region and a front belt defines the front waist region, and wherein the front belt is discrete from the back belt. 
     
     
         21 . The article of  claim 20 , wherein a longitudinal length of the back belt (LB) between the back waist edge and the back leg edge is generally the same as a longitudinal length of the front belt (LF) between the front waist edge and the front leg edge.