Method of reducing fastener irritation and waist droop in a disposable diaper

Claim 1

A method of making a fixed fastener landing zone on an elastomeric surface of a garment, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an elastomeric nonwoven outer cover adapted for selected bodily registration; (b) providing said outer cover with front and rear waist panels resiliently stretchable in a direction essentially transverse to a longitudinal axis of said outer cover; (c) providing said outer cover with an intermediate crotch panel separating said waist panels from one another, with a pair of sides extending between and interconnecting said waist panels, delimiting a pair of elastically contractible leg openings along said sides of said crotch panel and delimiting a front and a rear longitudinally opposed pair of ears separated from one another by said crotch panel and comprising outermost lateral portions of said front and rear waist panels, respectively, wherein corresponding ones of said front and rear pairs of ears are engageable with one another to define an elastically contractible waist opening; (d) providing said rear pair of ears with elongated shapes presenting first surfaces superposable on second surfaces of said front pair of ears; (e) providing first fastening means on said first surfaces of said rear pair of ears; (f) forming inelastic landing zones on said second surfaces of said front ears and providing second fastening means on said landing zones that are releasably engageable with said first fastening means on said first surfaces of said rear ears, said inelastic landing zones tapering in dimension, in a decreasing manner, towards the longitudinal axis of said outer cover, whereby the formed inelastic landing zones selectively restrict the stretchability of said second surfaces and provide a tensile force distribution pattern across said front waist panel which directs tensile stresses away from said leg and waist openings while providing a band of abdominal support across said front waist panel between said landing zones when said outer cover is securely worn.

Claim 2

A method of making a fixed fastener landing zone on an elastomeric surface of a garment, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an elastomeric nonwoven outer cover adapted for selected bodily registration; (b) providing said outer cover with front and rear waist panels resiliently stretchable in a direction essentially transverse to a longitudinal axis of said outer cover; (c) providing said outer cover with an intermediate crotch panel separating said waist panels from one another, with a pair of sides extending between and interconnecting said waist panels, delimiting a pair of elastically contractible leg openings along said sides of said crotch panel and delimiting a front and a rear longitudinally opposed pair of ears separated from one another by said crotch panel and comprising outermost lateral portions of said front and rear waist panels, respectively, wherein corresponding ones of said front and rear pairs of ears are engageable with one another to define an elastically contractible waist opening; (d) providing said rear pair of ears with elongated shapes presenting first surfaces superposable on second surfaces of said front pair of ears; (e) providing first fastening means on said first surfaces of said rear pair of ears; (f) forming inelastic landing zones on said second surfaces of said front ears and providing second fastening means on said landing zones that are releasably engageable with said first fastening means on said first surfaces of said rear ears, said inelastic landing zones tapering in dimension, in a decreasing manner, towards the longitudinal axis of said outer cover, whereby the formed inelastic landing zones selectively restrict the stretchability of said second surfaces and provide a tensile force distribution pattern across said front waist panel which directs tensile stresses away from said leg and waist openings while providing a band of abdominal support across said front waist panel between said landing zones when said outer cover is securely worn.