Disposable diaper with flap covered tape fastener

Claim 1

A disposable diaper, comprising: an absorbent pad assembly having a pair of side edges, a pair of end edges connecting the side edges, a pair of opposed waistline portions adjacent said end edges and a crotch portion therebetween, an absorbent pad having a side edge spaced inwardly from one of the pad assembly side edges, and a backing sheet of thermoplastic material covering a back surface of said pad and having a doubled side margin extending past the side edge of said pad, said side margin comprising first and second facing sections of the backing sheet extending inwardly from a fold line of the side margin defining the one side edge of the pad assembly, with the first and second sections being fused together in one waistline region adjacent one of the pad assembly end edges, the other side margin being allochirally related to said side margin, said side margins in the one waistline region having a first elongated slit means generally aligned with and spaced inwardly from the fold line of said side margin, and a second slit means extending from the first slit means to the fold line of the side margin, with said first and second slit means defining hinged flaps adjacent the side edges of the pad assembly, said flaps each having a release surface formed by the first and second fused sections; and a pressure-sensitive tape strip secured to a surface of said side margin and covering said flap, said tape strip having adhesive facing toward the flap, with said flap being releasably attached to said adhesive and being peeled from the tape strip to expose the adhesive for use in securing the diaper about an infant.