Abstract: An absorbent garment has an absorbent assembly disposed within a garment shell configured for encircling a wearer's waist. The absorbent assembly has an inner surface adapted for contiguous relationship with the wearer's body, a front waist region in opposed relationship with a front waist region of the garment shell, a back waist region in opposed relationship with a back waist region of the garment shell, and a crotch region extending longitudinally between and interconnecting the front and back waist regions of the absorbent assembly. The absorbent assembly is releasably attached generally at a front waist end thereof to the garment shell generally at the front waist end of the garment shell, and is also releasably attached generally at a back waist end thereof to the garment shell generally at the back waist end of the garment shell.

Abstract: An absorbent garment for wear about a wearer's waist includes a waist belt, a garment shell and an absorbent assembly constructed to take in and retain body exudates released by the wearer. The absorbent assembly is releasably attached generally at front and back waist regions thereof to the waist belt. The garment shell is attached generally at front and back waist regions thereof to the waist belt, with the absorbent assembly generally disposed within the garment shell, whereby the front waist region of the garment shell is in opposed relationship with the front waist region of the absorbent assembly and the back waist region of the garment shell is in opposed relationship with the back waist region of the absorbent assembly.

Abstract: An absorbent garment has an absorbent assembly disposed within a garment shell configured for encircling the wearer's waist. The garment shell comprises a front panel assembly having laterally opposite side margins, and a back panel assembly having laterally opposite side margins. The absorbent assembly is attached at a front waist region thereof to the garment shell generally at the side margins of the front panel assembly to together define front side margins of the absorbent garment. The absorbent assembly is further attached at a back waist region thereof to the garment shell generally at the side margins of the back panel assembly to together define back side margins of the absorbent garment. The front side margins and the back side margins of the absorbent garment are releasably attached to each other to removably secure the absorbent garment on the wearer's waist.

Abstract: An absorbent article has a substrate and an absorbent structure comprising at least two adjacent absorbent segments arranged in generally edge-facing-edge relationship with each other and having a boundary region therebetween. The absorbent segments are attached to the substrate for movement with the substrate. The absorbent segments and boundary region are constructed to permit movement of the absorbent segments relative to each other at the boundary region therebetween upon movement of the substrate. In other embodiments, the article has at a pair of absorbent structures in superposed relationship between a pair of substrates. Each of the absorbent structures is made up of two or more absorbent segments having a boundary region therebetween, with the absorbent segments of one absorbent structure being free to move relative to the absorbent segments of the other absorbent structure.

Abstract: A process for making a prefastened and refastenable pant includes providing a plurality of discrete articles having side panels and waist regions including an activatable retractive material. The side panels can be folded parallel to a longitudinal centerline to overlap at least portions of first and second fastening components. The fastening components are then engaged to form a prefastened and refastenable pant. The retractive material can be activated subsequent to engagement of the fastening components, or subsequent to obtaining position control of the side panels, to provide the pant with a waistband-to-hip circumference ratio of about 95 percent or less. The prefastened and refastenable pant and apparatus for its manufacture are also disclosed.