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[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08/889461 09/286,355 filed Apr. 5, 1999.
[0002] The present invention relates to disposable garments having a front panel opening that are put on by stepping through the leg openings, pulling up, and attaching an expandable closure tape across the front opening/closure.
[0003] Applying these garments differs from prior art and current ‘pull-on’ disposable garments which are expandable around the waist without a front opening and are applied by stepping through the leg openings and pulling the garment upward into position about the lower torso, as described in typical U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,077 B 1
[0004] The present invention describes the expandable side tapes along with the expandable front tape, and in combination with absorbent pads of pre-selected shape and absorbency, how the front opening is instrumental in placement and shape of the pad or pads used for absobent products such as disposable diapers, training pants, adult care products and for feminine hygiene use.
[0005] Disposable diapers currently available include larger sizes with extra absorbency for children generally over 2 yrs old.
[0006] These ‘heavy duty’ diapers usually include elements such as expandable waist portions with some degree of control over tighness around the waist depending on where side tapes are secured on the front panel, and their use is a prelude to the end of diaper use.
[0007] Other products in the marketplace represnt the next phase in toilet training and include complete garments with waist features that allow expansion of the garment as it is pulled up around the torso.
[0008] One popular product uses a plurality of elastic strands on front and rear panels to provide elasticity, albeit, once manufactured, the amount of waist expansion is fixed. What is confortable for one user may not represent the same comfort level for another user in the same wieght range.
[0009] The fixed amount of expansion in current ‘training pants’ can lead to pressure marks around the waist because of high tension forces from the strands, and can also cause the inner absorbent core to be gathered at the waist opening allowing exudates to leak out at the waist.
[0010] Use of transversely aligned elastic strands thus has functional limitations but is also a major problem in the manufacturing process.
[0011] Another current approach for a “disposable pull-on pant” is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,077 which uses an expandable laminate for front and rear elastic waist components bonded to an intermediate “chassis” section that provides supporto pf the absorbent pad for collection and absorption of exudates in the intermediate crotch region.
[0012] Since the front and rear expandable end panels extend downward from the waist margins a substantial amount, the greater expandable area decreases the unit force applied to the torso, lessening the possibility of skin marking and leaks, however the referenced '077 B 1 product has a fixed amount of maximum expansion and may limit use over a larger range of waist and torso sizes.
[0013] Like the training pants with transverse strands, the '077 B 1 product relies on the pre-selected amount of expansion to fit a limited range of sizes. Further, current products do not have a front opening for inspection or possible replacement of saturated pads.
[0014] Once used, the entire garment id discarded, exacerbating landfill problems, particlarly as applied to larger adult sizes for incontinent care, feminine care and underwear with integral absorbent pads.
[0015] As a different approach, the inventive products essentially start with briefs/garments as a carrier for internal absorbent pads with a wide choice of shapes, location and degrees of absorbency without the stresses induced by transverse elastic strands or elastic waist components with finite stretch.
[0016] The inventive products can be overlapped at the sides and with the overlapping front closure provides a comfortable level of tension depending on where the user chooses to attach the tapes (including tapes with stretchable portions in the center).
[0017] Side overlap can be assured with wider panels and tapes, or by extensions of the base material along side margins (having an assembled rear panel wider than the front) without affecting function of the front opening/closure.
[0018] Since high tension forces can be controlled in the brief/garment structure, paper or paper/cotton composites can be used and made ‘separable’ from absorbent components with a higher bio-degradeability quotient than materials currently used. Further advances in air-laid paper composites could include bio-degradeable inner components.
[0019] The inventive approach is applicable to diaper, adult and feminine care, as disposable underwear with or without pads, allowing for the addition of an extra overnight pad, and includes pre-selected levels of absorbency with single, double or three pad arrangements.
[0020] The flexibility of design to serve these multiple uses are described in the objectives hereinbelow.
[0021] Generally, the invention describes briefs constructed from two similarly shaped overlapped segments with selective bonding to form a unitary rear panel and an openable front panel.
[0022] With side and front tapes, the briefs thus formed are used as a garment to hold absorbent pads on pre-selected surfaces which permits the user to choose products for single, double and even triple pad protection.
[0023] Rather than the single absorbent core used in current products, use of 2 or more thin pads permits the bottom pad to be enclosed within a ‘pouch’ for maximum protection against leakage.
[0024] Thus,a primary object of this inveniton is to provide briefs as a ‘container’ for absorbent pads of different shapes for central absorbency or with wings for extended absorbency beyond the central overlapped area.
[0025] Another object of this invention is to provide a range of product widths and waist sizes by varying the amount of overlap.
[0026] An object is to provide a garment with an absorbent central pad of pre-selected size while maintaining the front opening feature.
[0027] A further object is to provide a plurality of pads having extended wings while maintaining the front opening feature for urinary use or inspection through the front opening without foldover of the wings.
[0028] An object is to provide segment support surfaces for attachment of absorbent pads having a length at least equal to the length of the unfolded garment.
[0029] Another object is to furnish pads having a length less than the unfolded garment length for registered placement spaced from the end, and superposed on each half segment with an inner liner sheet added for contact with the users torso.
[0030] An object of this invention is to combine the garment defined above and an absorbent half pad in the overlapped area of the front panel and attached to a front panel surface of one segment only.
[0031] A further object is to provide a full length pad in the central overlaped area for attachment to both inner and outer segments in the rear panel and attachment to only the inside surface of the outer segment in order to maintain the front opening.
[0032] A further object is to provide for a pad between segment overlap and secure pad position and garment integrity by bonding the two segments through pad apertures in the central overpapped area of the rear panel.
[0033] An object of this invention is to provide full length pads having one or more extended wings for between segment attachment.
[0034] In addition to the between segment pad, it is a further object of this invention to provide a full length pad attached to the inside innermost surfaces of the garment to provide double pad protection in selected portions of the garment.
[0035] For selected adult or feminine use, in addition to the ‘double’ protection above, it is a further object to provide a third pad attached to and held by a support panel having contracted margins to form a concave shaped ‘pouch’ for a third pad and/or body parts.
[0036] Another object is to provide a plurality of apertures in the support panel and each of the superposed segments to define a path for a catheter tube from the pouch to a remote reservoir.
[0037] Another object of the invention is to provide pads with air laid absorbent cores having superabsorbent compounds therein.
[0038] An object of this invention is to provide a soft porous liner sheet on each of the cooperating segments that from the garment body.
[0039] Another object is to provide reclosable and stretchable side margin and front closure tapes for tensioned attachment of rear and front panels at the preferred comfort level to prevent marking of the torso without gathering the inside members or segments.
[0040] It is an object of the invention to provide segments, support panels and absorbent pads using surfaces that are selectively coated or laminated with an impermeable coating or film on any selected surface.
[0041] Another object is to provide space between front panel segments for insertion and attachment of (separately supplied) supplemental pads between segments of the front panel by the user for overnight and other heavy duty requirements.
[0042] These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the drawings
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[0054] FIGS.
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[0069] As described herein, garment refers to a disposable article of wear having leg openings and a front opening panel with closure means. The garment is applied to the user by opening the front panel before the wearer ‘steps into’ the garment and after pulling it around the torso, fastening the tape.
[0070] Intended as a containing garment for one or more absorbent pads depending on use, and given the selection of stretchable materials available, the garment ‘container’, together with pads of pre-selected shape and placement, provides absorbent protection used for infants and children, adults for incontinent use and feminine hydiene applications.
[0071] In
[0072] For use, the garment is folded transversely about line F-F′ before tapes
[0073] The unfolded garment
[0074] In
[0075] It is understood that segments of non-woven or paper comoposite materials have a wide range of functional characteristics including porosity and extensibility, and that longitudinal or registered patterns of impervious coating can be applied to contain liquids.
[0076] Also, depending on pre-selected pad width, the amount of overlap between segments can be varied with the same segment widths to change size of garment width and waist openings without functional effect on these products.
[0077] In
[0078] For closure and use, tape
[0079] In
[0080] In
[0081] Front release tape
[0082] In
[0083] In
[0084] For
[0085] The bonding legend for
[0086] In
[0087] In
[0088] In
[0089] In
[0090] In
[0091] In
[0092] In
[0093] In
[0094] The pad assembly of
[0095] In
[0096] In
[0097] In
[0098] In
[0099] In
[0100] Perforations are preferably registered (
[0101] Other substrates properly coated for top and bottom seals can be registered for positive end and side seals, or can be continuous and non-registered to provide positive sealing along the sides but with some limited fluid leakage in the end seal central area described in
[0102] In
[0103] Lower substrate
[0104] It is understood that the enclosure of
[0105] In
[0106] In
[0107] Details of bonding for
[0108] In
[0109] The detailed bonding legend described in
[0110] In
[0111] In the simplified end elevation of
[0112] In
[0113]
[0114] In
[0115] In
[0116] In
[0117] In
[0118] Pads
[0119] Each pad is enclosed with a top substrate
[0120] In
[0121] While providing double pads in the central area of overlap (see
[0122] In
[0123] Liner sheets
[0124] In
[0125] In
[0126] In
[0127] In
[0128] In
[0129] In
[0130] In
[0131] Outer segment assembly
[0132] Segment assembly
[0133] In FIGS.
[0134]
[0135] Panel
[0136] In
[0137] In
[0138] The absence of bonding
[0139] In
[0140] In
[0141] In
[0142] Tab
[0143] In
[0144] In
[0145] In
[0146] Aperture
[0147] In
[0148] In
[0149] In
[0150] In
[0151] It is further to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or special attributes; and it is therefore, not restrictive, reference being made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.