Absorbent articles having undergarment covering components with mechanical fasteners having improved tactile properties

Claim 1

An absorbent article for wearing in a wearer's undergarment that has a crotch region with a pair of side edges, said absorbent article having a longitudinal dimension extending in a longitudinal direction and a transverse dimension extending in a transverse direction, said absorbent article comprising: a main body portion comprising an absorbent core, said main body portion having a body-facing side, a garment-facing side, and a pair of longitudinal side edges; and a pair of side wrapping elements for automatically folding along the side edges of the wearer's undergarment when the absorbent article is placed in a wearer's undergarment and the undergarment is pulled up to the wearer's body, said side wrapping elements having a body-facing side and a garment-facing side, said side wrapping elements being joined to said main body portion and extending laterally outward beyond the longitudinal side edges of said main body portion a distance of less than or equal to about one-half the width of said main body portion, to distal edges, said side wrapping elements having a transverse centerline, wherein at least one of said side wrapping elements comprises at least one zone of extensibility comprising a region with corrugations therein, and another region that is stiffer than said at least one zone of extensibility, said at least one zone of extensibility being extensible when folded around the side edges of an undergarment wherein said at least one zone of extensibility is capable of extending between about 20% and about 80% under forces of less than or equal to about 200 grams per inch, and having a return force of less than or equal to about 100 grams force, wherein at least a portion of the garment-facing side of said side wrapping elements comprises a skin-friendly mechanical fastening material for engaging at least a portion of the wearer's undergarment, said mechanical fastening material comprising an array of prongs, each of said prongs comprising a base joined to a substrate, an engaging means, and a shank comprising a proximal end joined to said base and a distal end joined to said engaging means.