SHAPE AND ADHESIVE FASTENING MEANS FOR AN ABSORBENT ARTICLE

摘要

A relatively thin absorbent article (10), such as a sanitary napkin, is provided along with an adhesive fastening means (12) for attaching the sanitary napkin to an undergarment. The sanitary napkin has a capacity great enough to handle medium to high menstrual flows. The sanitary napkin has longitudinal edges (24) that are inwardly arcuate with relation to each other in a central region and convex outwardly in the end regions. The end edges (26) of the sanitary napkin are also convex outwardly. In several embodiments, the adhesive fastening means comprises two spaced-apart longitudinally-oriented strips ( 12) of adhesive that are disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline of the sanitary napkin. The distance between the inside edges of the strips is between about 8 millimeters and about 30 millimeters in the central region of the sanitary napkin. In a first and second preferred embodiment, the distance between the outside edges of the strips is greater than about 47 milimeters, and preferably is about 60 millimeters in the central region of the sanitary napkin. In a third embodiment. the strips are inwardly arcuate with relation to each other, and the distance between the outside edges of the strips is greater than about 35 millimeters in the central region of the sanitary napkin to between about 47 millimeters and about 90 millimeters in the end regions. In a fourth embodiment. the strips may be inwardly arcuate with relation to each other in th e central region of the sanitary napkin and outwardly arcuate with relation to each other in at least one of the end regions of the sanitary napkin.