06.20.06
Patented is a sanitary napkin for mounting onto the bodyside of a crotch portion of an undergarment and, during use, absorbing bodily excretions. The article includes an elongated absorbent pad with a longitudinal axis, a longitudinally extending central portion and opposite longitudinal side edges. The side edges are deflectable with respect to the central portion and include an absorbent contained between a bodyside, liquid-permeable cover and a garment side, liquid-impermeable baffle. First and second opposite garment attachment panels, extend downward and inward from an underside of the absorbent pad adjacent to the side edges. The garment attachment panels are anchorable under the crotch portion of the undergarment. The anchoring establishes a downward pull on the side edges and prevents the side edges from folding in toward the absorbent pad.
The garment attachment panels include a fixed portion attached to the underside of the absorbent pad toward the side edge and a free portion diverging from the underside of the absorbent pad for, during use, extending under the crotch portion of the undergarment. A garment attachment point is defined where the fixed and free portions meet each other and include co-acting fastener elements, one on each of the garment attachment panels. Co-acting fastener elements are mated to one another when the article is fastened under the crotch portion of the undergarment.
The co-acting fastener elements anchor the free portions of the garment attachment panels so as to establish a predetermined deflection of the side edges and to facilitate accurate mounting of the sanitary napkin on the undergarment. The co-acting fastener elements are configured, on one of the garment attachment panels, in a first width, and on the other of the garment attachment panels in a second width, wherein the second width is greater than the first width.