CN1753631A - Protective undergarment having pocketed sling for absorbent pad - Google Patents

Abstract

The fastening loop assembly for underwear includes a loop formed from a generally trapezoidal sheet of material, wherein opposite sides are folded inward and joined together to create a seamless closed edge, thereby helping to avoid irritation upon contact with the wearer's body. The fiber fastening material sheet on the surface of the loop is adapted to be combined with a complementary fiber fastening material sheet on the underwear.

Description

Protective underwear with pocket sling for absorbent pads

technical field

The subject matter of the present invention relates generally to protective undergarments, and more particularly to improvements in reusable undergarments, technological innovations to enhance the fit of undergarments, and the use of Transformation of reusable underwear for newborn babies and their healed umbilical cords.

Background technique

To improve the fluid and excrement containment performance of protective underwear, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,137,526 and 5,409,476 to Fredrica Coates describe protective underwear with waterproof or water-resistant suspenders, the front and rear ends of which are connected to the outer shell by connecting panels The layers are connected. By making the outer perimeter of the harness elastic or the waterproof gusset positioned opposite the harness, the harness traps bodily fluids from spreading to the outer regions of the outer shell. Elasticized and gusseted harness designs are effective, but still require greater fluid containment.

As an improvement, in US Patent No. 5,722,127 issued to Fredrica Coates, the suspenders are reinforced to form deeper pockets and allow greater adjustability of the fasteners to fit the undergarment to the wearer. However, despite the improved fit and deeper inner pocket harness, there is a need for a larger enclosure area to contain fluids and waste. Accordingly, a bag sling for securing a fluid-absorbent pad is also disclosed in the '127 patent, and, in Coates Application No. 08/792,735 filed January 31, 1997, a The front pocket of the front panel increases the surrounding area to improve fluid absorption.

Another improvement disclosed in Coates Application No. 09/791,773 filed February 26, 2001 is to form an S-shaped suspender folded longitudinally which provides three layers of material and forms a pocket for securing the fluid absorbent pad At one end, the design again increases the surrounding area for fluid absorption.

Although considered to be a significant improvement in the diaper industry, with many variations being adopted in various undergarments as a structure for containing bodily fluids and waste, the "S suspenders" tend to tangle when washed, especially during tumble drying. Knot. The longitudinal ends of the S suspenders join near the waistline at the front and back of the garment, and only at the front and back. Therefore, the rest of the S-sling is "floating". This loose fit tends to provide too much space between the S harness and its outer shell, so the product turns inside out during the tumble drying process. Another feature of the S-sling is that the front of the undergarment at the waist tends to wrinkle slightly under the force of gravity of the S-sling with the absorbent pad contained therein. The creases at the front of this underwear can appear messy when worn and inspected for finishing.

Another aspect of the Coates technology is the use of fiber Velcro, which is moderately elastic to ensure that the garment fits the wearer without the use of pins. In Coates U.S. Patent No. 4,537,591, one of a series of patents on fastener technology, fiber-type fasteners form tabs facing a cover sheet of complementary fiber material. The tab and cover sheet structure advantageously exhibits a tendency to self-close during laundering, whereby the complementary cover sheet prevents accumulation of lint-like fibers on the tab. Coates US Patent Nos. 4,680,030 and 4,681,581 are examples of other self-closing fasteners according to the Coates research paper. US Patent Nos. 5,137,526 and 5,409,476 describe variations in which the tabs and covers are not self-closing, but have structural features that make the assembly easier and more economical to manufacture. There remains a need for more economical and softer-looking tab constructions for the wearer, as in reusable underwear there is always a need to improve the fit, make it closer to the body, be less bulky, and be as soft as possible . Other features seen in Coates' patent are improvements for clothing that fits over a newborn baby's umbilical cord. First seen in U.S. Patent No. 5,707,364 is the elasticized recess that fits the front of the underwear that fits over the umbilical cord of a newborn baby. In US Patent No. 6,254,583 there is a more tailored version of the umbilical opening.

Also shown in U.S. Patent No. D452,3155 is a pleated opening at the umbilical cord to improve the tailored fit. This technique is not economical for elasticizing the opening at the umbilical cord of newborn infants and maintaining affordability for garment manufacturers. The new assembly, made up of multiple pieces of material, not only improves the performance of delicate tiny structures used to heal umbilical cords for newborn babies, but also reduces assembly time to produce the garments at a lower cost.

An advantage of the present disclosure is the improved loose harness construction, thus avoiding tangles during washing, and also improving the appearance of the garment. Improves appearance by eliminating distortion or creases at the waistline. Another advantage is that self-closing garment fasteners are easy and economical to produce. A further advantage is to improve the fit and performance of the umbilical opening while, at the same time, reducing the cost of the manufacturing process. Yet another improvement is that for reusable underwear, the softness requirement at the placket is met.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a diaper according to one embodiment showing the improved harness and garment construction, and the new self-closing tab and cover.

Figure 2 shows a top view of this embodiment exposing the inner surface of the garment and harness.

3A-3F illustrate the steps of making the fastener cover shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of a garment with improved fasteners.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the inner surface of the garment and the harness in FIG. 4 .

6A-6F illustrate the steps of making the fastener shown in FIG. 5 .

Figure 7 shows a variation of the diaper for newborn babies with the addition of an opening for the umbilical cord.

Detailed ways

Figure 1 depicts an exemplary garment, in this embodiment a diaper 10 consisting of a diaper outer cover 14 made of a fluid-absorbent or resistant material, sized and shaped, and a correspondingly shaped inner liner Conforms to the wearer's hips and waist. The liner includes a front section 48 connected to a seam line 52 of an intermediate section liner 56 . The liner 56 is then attached at 50 to the back section of the garment, joining the end back panel 46 . The liner is then joined to the outer shell layer 14 at the rear elastic fabric 66 . The S-pocket harness 62 is centrally located at 56 (rear section) and is sealed into the end rear panel 46 at the connecting line 50 . The S-sling 62 has a novel elastic fabric appendage, a stitched U-shaped elastic fabric 61 that surrounds the lumen opening of the S-sling. The U-shaped elastic fabric 61 is wrapped into the seam 50 upon completion, thereby sealing at 50 . Apparently, the U-shaped elastic fabric attachment fits the wearer's pubic bone better. The elastic fabric 60 on the opposite leg opening of the outer shell 14 serves to wrap both the backing layer 56 and the outer shell 14 therein. Liner 56 is preferably a soft material, such as 100% fleece polyester, which is in direct contact with the wearer's skin. The backside of the material can optionally be waterproof.

Inside the S-sling 62, an absorbent pad (not shown) is placed and tightly fitted to the body by the tension of the S-sack sling 62, which is connected to the inner liner at its opposite edge seams 50 and 52. Up, wherein at least one suture line is removed from one or both ends of the outer cover layer 14. The bag S-sling itself is similar in construction to my U.S. Patent Nos. 5,409,476, 5,137,526, 5,725,518 and co-pending applications serial no. 09/512,085 filed February 24, 2000 and One or more of those disclosed in serial no. 09/791,773, filed February 26, 2001, according to which an S-shaped bag is constructed and attached at the front and back ends of the diaper. The construction herein differs from that previously disclosed in that the ends of the suspenders are moved away from the waist terminations, at lines 50 and 52, creating suspenders with a shorter effective length than the garment lengths of the aforementioned patents and applications.

Having the ends of the S-slings secured in the insertion lines of attachments 50 (rear) and 52 (front) has two advantages. First, the suspenders shown in Figure 1 tend to stay fixed within the diaper, rather than rock or roll laterally relative to the rest of the diaper as in prior designs when the suspenders are attached to the diaper at the waist end. Thus, the suspenders will remain secured within the diaper during the wash and tumble process. Second, because the weight-bearing zone at the line of contact between the harness and the liner is moved away from the waist, any tension exerted on the liner by the weight of the S-sling will not cause distortion or wrinkling of the waistband. This gives the diaper a neater appearance when worn and processed.

The front portion of the outer cover 14 is provided with strips 44 of fibrous material which receive the fibrous hook material 34 on the tabs 19 at the rear corners of the diaper. These strips of fibrous hook material are combined with a front strip 44 of loop material when the diaper is worn, as described in my previous patents and applications. According to one aspect of the embodiment of FIG. 1 , each tab 19 has a side 26 and an end 38 . Each tab 19 is formed of a trapezoidal piece of cloth, the bottom edge of which is connected to a corner of the diaper and protrudes from there. A corresponding trapezoidal sheet of coil 24-type fibrous material acts as a covering sheet, bonded inwardly on the inner or liner 56, as shown, with its base opposite and in contact with the base of the tab 19. Of particular note is that the bottom edge of the tab 19 is joined to the diaper at the seam 30 of the diaper outer cover 14 . As shown, the seam 30 is arcuate so that the tabs have a tendency to deflect inwardly under the force created by the arcuate configuration of the seam, especially when tumbled in a clothes dryer, so as to be compatible with the covering sheet 24 contacts. When the crotch strip 34 is in contact with the cover sheet 24, it protects the tab and its fibrous hook material 34 from being damaged by soft fibers and other material impurities.

Figure 2 shows a diaper 10 in which the tab 19 is naturally self-closing with the underlying protective cover sheet 24 due to the arcuate shape of the seam 30 as described above. Figure 2 also shows another view of the liner 56, where the liner 56 is engaged with the S-sling 62 elastic fabric 61 at line 52, as shown during the U-shape manufacturing process. The trouser leg elastic fabric 60 is at the trouser leg opening. The fiber loop 44 is at the front of the garment 14 (clothing surface). The back of the garment is finished with an elastic fabric 66 attached to the liner 46 that joins the seam line 50 and supports the S suspenders 61 at the centermost portion of the garment 10 .

Figures 3A-3F illustrate how the tabs are constructed. In FIG. 3A , an approximately trapezoidal piece of material 19 , having an outwardly arcuately projecting outer edge portion at 36 and a rectilinear upper base of the trapezoidal piece at 32 , forms the tab 19 . In FIG. 3 b , the tab 19 is first folded in half at the cut 28 , the common edge 44 will be co-expanded and joined at the overlock stitch 22 , and then the common edge 44 is covered by the overlock stitch 22 . Then fold the trapezoidal sheet in FIG. 3b at 26, and the overlock edge 22 is flattened inwardly, with the incision 28 as the center, forming the tab 19 as shown in FIG. 3c. The upper bottom edge 32 is folded down to form the outer edge 38 shown in Figure 3d. Next, from Figure 3e, the sheet of hook fibrous material 34 is superimposed, covering the ends 32 and a portion of the seam 22, as shown in Figure 3c. The cooperating coil-type cover sheet 24 shown in FIG. 3f is formed separately but has the same size and shape as the tab 19 . Particular attention is paid to the shape of the bottom edge 25 , which should match the bottom edge 36 of the tab 19 .

The bottom edge 25 of the cover sheet 24 has an arcuate shape and is complementary to the arcuate shape of the tab 19 (as viewed from the back side of the tab as shown in Figure 3E). The bottom edges 25 and 36 are connected when the tab and cover are joined together and the tab and cover abut one another along a common arcuate seam 30 shown in FIG. 1 .

Figures 4 and 5 correspond to Figures 1 and 2, except that the tab and cover have a rectilinear rather than arcuate base configuration. The diaper 12 of Figures 4 and 5 consists of a diaper cover 16, which may be a fluid-absorbent or fluid-blocking material, and a correspondingly shaped liner 106 that conforms to the wearer's buttocks and waist, and a liner 106 that conforms to the shape of the wearer at its periphery. The jacket layer is joined around the periphery. Inside the liner 106 are S straps 162 which are connected to the inner liner at their opposite edge seams 150 (back of garment) and 152 (front of garment). The S-sling is the same as that shown in Figures 1 and 2, the difference between the two undergarments being the tab construction. There is a crotch piece 64 on the tab piece 90 . The tab is designed to be closed over the loop material cover sheet 67, which is the same configuration as the tab structure in Figures 1 and 2, but with the seam line 65 being straight. In Figures 4 and 5, the diaper 12 has all the same properties of the diaper 10, with the liner, midsection liner 106 joined at 150 to the end liner panel 96 at the rear and covered by elastic fabric 166, as shown in Figure 5 . The folded closed tab 90 in FIG. 5 has a straight edge, as would be produced by seaming with a straight edge in 65 . Tab 90 has folded edges at ends 68 , 88 , pant leg elastic at 160 on the outer shell, S-pocket harness at 162 . At the front of the garment, we see the loops 44 fastened to the outside of the outer layer fabric 16 . In FIG. 4 the overlock of the tab 19 is indicated at 82 .

Figures 6A, 6F illustrate the manufacturing steps of the tab 90 and cover 67 shown in Figures 4 and 5, the trapezoidal piece 90 having a lower straight edge at 70 and an upper base 92, and a pair of trapezoidal pieces shown at 84 side. In FIG. 6B , notch 89 serves as a reference point for the fold line of trapezoidal overlapping side 84 and is covered by overlock stitch 82 . In FIG. 6C , the lock edge 82 is flattened inwardly and centered on the cutout 89 to form the straight edge 70 . Folded edge 88 extends to end 92 which is folded at 68 to form the finished end of the tab. In Figure 6D, the unfinished end 92 being folded inward is ready to be covered, as shown in Figure 6E. In FIG. 6E , the hook strip 64 is placed on the edge 92 and is centered on the seam 82 , hiding most of the seam 82 . The edge of the 88 is a soft fabric. The straight bottom edge 70 in FIG. 6F is ready to join the backing bottom edge 65 of the coil piece 67 . Referring back to FIG. 4 , loop piece 67 is terminated with suture 69 which facilitates closure of tab 90 . The stitching at 69 thus helps the non-arcuate edges to self-close.

Figure 7 is a variant of protective underwear whose construction includes a novel opening in the front of the garment to accommodate the umbilical cord of a newborn baby. The garment 200 has an opening at 92 which wraps around the navel without touching the navel when worn on an infant. The incisions 92 are arcuate and recessed deep enough so that the umbilical cord of a newborn baby has enough space to allow air to circulate to allow it to heal, but not so deep that fluid leaks out of the central cavity of the garment 200 . Overlock stitches 96 allow for a clean and low cost end front edge of the garment, but the most important feature is the removal of the ends of the elastic fabric 98, or trimming with elasticity or stretch. The elastic material reinforces the inward flex of the garment and is only used where it is needed, opening 92. It is important that the elastic fabric does not have rough edges that would irritate the baby's belly, therefore, the elastic fabric needs to be removed using an overlock cut and stitch method 96 . The overlock stitch 96 should be a soft plush nylon thread. When engaged with tab 19, the angle of coil strip 94 helps it conform to the tiny shape of a newborn baby. The front strip 94 corresponding to strip 44 in FIG. 1 is now divided and angled as shown to create the umbilical opening 92 . The pant leg elastic 108 corresponds to the pant leg elastic 60 of FIG. 1 .

Claims (10)

1. One kind be used for underwear buckle the loop assembly, comprising:

   The loop sheet comprises being generally trapezoidal material piece, and is wherein that its opposite side is inwardly folding and connect together, presenting seamless enclosed edge, and the stimulation of generation when contact with wearer's body to help avoid; With

   The fiber fastener material sheet on loop sheet surface is suitable for combining with complementary fiber fastener material sheet on the underwear.
2. 2. the button loop assembly of claim 1 wherein places loop sheet surface with fiber fastener material sheet, so that cover the seam edge of loop sheet to small part.
3. 3. the button loop assembly of claim 1, wherein the top margin of Zhe Die ladder material sheet is folding downwards, to present the last base of seamless closing.
4. 4. the button loop assembly of claim 3 wherein places loop sheet surface with fiber fastener material sheet, so that cover the seamless base and the seam edge gone up of loop sheet to small part.
5. 5. the button loop assembly of claim 1, wherein seam connects by overseam.
6. 6. the button loop assembly of claim 1 comprises the complementary fiber fastener material sheet that is generally trapezoidal, is connected with underwear, and makes the base of complementary fiber fastener material sheet be fixed on place, loop sheet base.
7. 7. the button loop assembly of claim 6, wherein the base of loop sheet and complementary fiber fastener material sheet is stitched together with the loop sheet and the complementary fiber fastener material sheet of general similar shape, thus loop sheet and complementary fiber fastener material sheet will tend to mutual self-closing.
8. 8. a manufacturing is used for the method for buckleing the loop assembly of underwear, comprising:

   The inwardly folding opposite side that is generally the ladder material sheet forms the loop sheet, produces the seamless enclosed edge of stimulation when avoiding contact with wearer's body to have to be beneficial to;

   Connect inwardly folding limit at material surface; With

   Use fiber fastener material sheet to cover at least a portion seam.
9. 9. the method for claim 8 may further comprise the steps:

   Fold the top margin of trapezoidal material piece downwards,

   Wherein locate fiber fastener material sheet, make its at least a portion seam that covers the ladder material sheet and folding top margin downwards.
10. 10. the method for claim 8 wherein ladder material sheet and the base that is generally trapezoidal complementary fiber fastener material sheet these two material piece with general similar shape are united by a seam, thereby two material piece will be tended to mutual self-closing.

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