Flushable disposable diaper structure

Claim 1

In a disposable diaper comprising a substantially rectangular absorbent pad of intermingled wood pulp fibers, a fluid-pervious cover sheet, a fluid-impervious backing sheet of thin plastic film and narrow plastic film baffle members extending transversely across the diaper at each end thereof; in which the longitudinal edge portions of said backing sheet are folded around the respective pad edges to extend over the top of the pad for a short distance and are attached to said cover sheet along the entire length thereof; in which each of the ends of said backing sheet and said cover sheet extend beyond each of the ends of said pad and have said baffle member interposed therebetween; in which the cover sheet, backing sheet and baffle are bonded to each other on a line adjacent the pad ends; and in which the free edge of said baffle member opposite from the bonded portion is interposed between said pad and said cover sheet; the additional structure wherein said pad is adhered to said backing sheet by interconnected lines of adhesive disposed in a selected latticelike open pattern in only that area of said pad which does not underlie said baffle members or said folded-over portion of said backing sheet, said adhesive being applied in sufficient quantity to penetrate said pad for a short depth, the open area encompassed within the individual segments defined by the unbonded spaces between the lines of said pattern being between about 2 square inches and 3 square inches in area.