Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
  • A61F13/15—Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators
  • A61F13/505—Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators with separable parts, e.g. combination of disposable and reusable parts
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
  • A61F13/15—Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators
  • A61F13/15203—Properties of the article, e.g. stiffness or absorbency
  • A61F13/15211—Properties of the article, e.g. stiffness or absorbency soluble or disintegratable in liquid

Definitions

• the present invention relates to absorbing articles of the diaper or insert type- Previously it was customary to use for this type of articles simple textile pieces of cotton, which could be washed and reused many times, but for a desirably high absorption capacity it had to be accepted that several cotton layers were needed, whereby the articles became heavy and voluminous and in fact also rather expensive to wash.
• the development has taken the direction of the use of disposable products, which have a high absorption capacity without being bulky from the beginning, because of the use of a filler material of the so-called super absorbing type.
• the ab ⁇ sorption material be insulated both to the outside, so that it will not give off liquid to the surroundings, and to the inside, so it will not be in wet contact with the skin of the user.
• This is achieved by enveloping the material in a casing having at the outside a tight sheet layer and at the skin side a liquid permeable cover, which, itself, is of a non-absorbing plastic that will steadily be felt as a dry layer.
• the US-A-2,826, 199 discloses a diaper made with an outer layer of a liquid tight material and an inner layer of flannel rubber having small holes in its cen ⁇ tral area. From the front edge of the diaper a pocket opening extends between the two layers, and in this pocket is placed a sponge plate adapted to be reused after drying. Obviously this is no suitable solution.
• a plural layer mate ⁇ rial which can be used for or as the relevant absorbing articles, having a skin touching layer of a thin, loose and soft, liquid absorbing material of cellulose which, on at least one side, is coated with a moisture tight substance, which, however, will permit a closet flushing of the article; the inner sides are impregnated with a particular absorption material, also of a decomposable character.
• These articles will be highly unsuitable because in order to be flushable they should exhibit such a low wet strength that they will become more or less disintegrated already when in use. Inversely, in a practically usable quality they will not be suited to be flushed out, particularly not the larger sizes, as there are not proposed any measures for facilitating the flushing.
• the envelope material can be handled as solid refu ⁇ se with a relatively small volume, while the absorption material, which accounts for the major part of the vol ⁇ ume and is easily biologically decomposable, can be disposed of by simple closet flushing.
• This may be con ⁇ ditioned, by way of example, by the pad being separated or easily separable in two or more parts, such that these will be of a reduced size, making them suitable for this type of removal.
• the invention may be realized in that the envelope surrounding the pad material is provided with a tearing facility that makes it possible to break the envelope for easy separation of the inner pad or the separate parts, of which it con ⁇ sists, such that the user can easily separate the used article in an envelope portion to be treated as kitchen refuse and one or preferably more smaller pad portions for immediate closet flushing.
• the diapers as a whole can ⁇ not be regarded as a pad or an insert, as they are com ⁇ plete garment articles comprising both the absorbing material pad and an associated garment portion for moun ⁇ ting on the body of the child.
• the gar ⁇ ment portion is constituted by projecting extensions of the sheet materials encasing the moisture absorbing material pad, and with the invention an extra advantage will be gained when the pad material can be separated from the casing material and these materials be treated in respective optimized manners.
• the devel ⁇ opment is brought back to the use of washable textile materials for the envelope or garment portion.
• This portion may very advantageously be made of cotton or a correspondingly washable and skin friendly material, whereby the diapers will consist of a reusable casing/garment portion and a disposable absorption pad or insert.
• the refuse products will not only be liquid, but also fae ⁇ ces. These are beforehand well suited for delivery to the most inexpensive waste handling system, viz. by flushing to the sewer system, and here there will be no problems with respect to separation of this waste in smaller units fit to be flushed. For that sake the fae ⁇ ces could be delivered directly to the outside of the liquid absorbing pad portions, when these are preadapted to be flushed out.
• the casing or garment portion is provided with an inwardly facing pocket or flap portion of a liquid permeable and non-absorbing textile material, such that this flap portion may, in a permanent manner, form the desired dry separation between the skin and the absor ⁇ bing body, i.e. without this body or pad itself having to be provided with such an outer layer.
• This, of cour ⁇ se will contribute to the low costs of the insert pads, which will not, then, need to have such a cover layer of their own.
• the faeces will be deposited directly on the said flap portion, but for the user it will be easy to pour or shake the faeces from the opened diaper into the closet and thereafter take or pour out the insert pad or pad portions the same way.
• the pad member may be produced beforehand in a way such that it appears as a unit of sufficient size, yet being divided in mutually coherent areas which are easi ⁇ ly separable, e.g. already by the action of the water in the flushing system. Thereby the user may handle the pad member as a coherent, relatively large unit both when laying it into the textile garment casing and by the later removal therefrom, such that the pad will automa ⁇ tically be separated into smaller parts that are convey- able through the sewer system without problems.
• the said flap portion may be prepared for the holding to the textile part in being stitched thereto at one end and provided with a burr tape at the opposite, free end.
• the actual diaper inserts can be made as relatively inexpensive and small members, whereby it will also be easier to produce and store them in different designs, e.g. in particularly adapted designs for girls and boys and in different sizes and different absorption capaci ⁇ ties. It is important here that the diurnal rhythm of the children enable a differentiated application of pads with different absorption capacities, because at several of the changings it is then possible to use cheaper pads with reduced capacity relative to the high night capa ⁇ city normally aimed at. It is to be noticed that every unused capacity, e.g. during the day hours, will mean a certain mass of refuse loading any removal system in an unnecessary way, while also the same mass or amount has had to be produced, mostly as wood pulp. In connection with the invention, of course, the same size of diaper casing can be used with pad inserts of different capaci ⁇ ties.
• the said flap portion is made with such an oversize that it can be used for a real packing in of the pad member, which, by the associated stabilization, may be produced in a low- coherent quality promoting the flushability, and the absorbing insert may be a bunch or a paper wrapped pack of fully loose, unbounded fibres.
• Fig. 1 is a plan view of a diaper member according to the invention
• Fig. 2 is a corresponding view of a diaper insert
• Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a hygienic pad
• Fig. 4 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a diaper garment according to the invention.
• Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred embodi ⁇ ment of a diaper according to the invention.
• Fig. 6 is a sectional view thereof
• Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional view of a pad insert therefor.
• Figs. 9 and 10 are a perspective view and an end view, respectively, of an insert according to the inven ⁇ tion.
• the diaper shown in Fig. 1 comprises an outer cover or garment portion 2 made of cotton or a corresponding textile material.
• This material does not, itself, con ⁇ stitute the relevant absorbent of the diaper, and the cover 2, therefore, can be made as a lightweight pro ⁇ duct, preferably consisting of two textile layers 4 with an intermediate layer 6 of a liquid tight material, this layer being somewhat retracted from the edge of the cover.
• the cover instead of pure cotton it may consist of a mixture, e.g. 60 % cotton and 40 % polyester, which will also improve the lifetime of the product.
• the contents of artificial fibres may even be still higher, since there is no need for any absorbing capacity, and the modern artificial materials can be made so that they are very soft and comfortable.
• the cover can be provided with special closing facilities, e.g. burr tapes, just as it may otherwise be prepared with a high quality, e.g. with incorporated rubber bands at the edges of the side constrictions; it will be acceptable that the product is considerably more expensive than a disposable diaper, as it may be used hundreds of times and moreover be more comfortable every time.
• special closing facilities e.g. burr tapes
• the cover will provide a pleasant, breathing textile contact, because the layer 6 is retracted from the edge of the cover, while this layer will otherwise prevent access of liquid to the textile layer facing the skin. It should be mentioned that it is not even necessary for the layer 6 to be located spaced from the edge, as the skin will be touched by a breathing textile layer any ⁇ way. The edge area of the layer 6 may then be effective ⁇ ly prevented from touching the skin by making the edge seam on an outwardly folded edge fold of the workpiece.
• a textile flap 10 of a liquid permeable, non-absorbing material e.g. of the type known from the inner side of disposable diapers, but optionally of a still better quality.
• This flap covers the entire critical area and is adapted to cover a dia ⁇ per pad 12 that is laid under the flap.
• the free end of the flap may be adapted to be fastened re- leasably to the cover 2, e.g. by means of burr locking.
• the diaper pads may be manufactured in different models, partly for girls and boys, respec ⁇ tively, partly with different sizes, and partly with different absorbing capacities.
• the pads or inserts may be made from fibre mass without any kind of envelope, optionally only with an increased concentration of bind ⁇ ing fibres on the flat sides, and with an adjusted con ⁇ tent of a super absorbing substance.
• the pads may be closed at the edges by welding or any other manner. At their outsides they may carry a couple of strips of adhesive that will stabilize them in their mounted con ⁇ dition. It will be possible to adapt the pads to the waste or deomposition system to which the used pads are deli ⁇ vered, for example combustion, direct composting or composting from the sewer system, after closet flushing in the latter case.
• the larger pads may be unfit for direct flushing, but according to the invention they may be subdivided in two or more pieces that are easy to separate in connection with their removal from from the cover, e.g. in connection with a joining area already being weakened in the wet surroundings prior to that removal.
• the flushing will be an attractive possibility, and since the user will normally be conscious of the fact that whole pads may choke the downlet, the user will then be motivated to carry out a modest activity for effecting the required separation, when the pads are suitably prepared. They may cosist of mutually separated pad portions joined only by an adhesive tape to form the entire pad, and the user should then only tear up a portion of this tape for separating the pad.
• Fig. 2 shows a diaper pad 12 with an indicated separation area 14.
• Fig. 3 shows a hygienic pad comprising a corre ⁇ sponding absorbing pad 12 surrounded by a casing having a liquid tight outer layer and a non-absorbing, liquid permeable inner layer.
• this casing is provided with a tear up cord 16 enabling the user to open the casing in a simple manner for dropping the used pad in the closet and subsequent handling of the casing as solid waste.
• one side may be in two pieces, joined by a removable adhering tape.
• Fig. 4 shows a diaper garment or cover correspond ⁇ ing to Fig. 1, where only now the flap 10 is stitched or otherwise secured to the main portion along three sides, such that an elongate pocket is formed, accessible from the rear end of the diaper for introduction of a hand and therewith also for both insertion and removal of a diaper pad 12.
• this pad will be totally supported inside the pocket, whereby the demand for rigidity of the pads can be reduced.
• pads When the requirements as to the rigidity of the pads are kept low, these pads will be particularly easy to produce in a manner promoting their ability to be removed by flushing into the sewer system.
• the pads will not have to be wrapped in any particularly strong mate ⁇ rial, and optionally they may just be surface coated by spraying with a suitable binding agent, which becomes partly decomposed already during its stay in the diaper pocket, once this has been wetted during the use.
• the pad After use, the pad will be easy to press or pour out of the diaper pocket, and it is easily beaten apart by the very flushing. If desired, the pad may also be disposed of as a fully compostible solid waste, a so- called green waste product.
• the length of the pads used is only slightly more than half the length of the pocket.
• the pad may then be placed correctly all according to the wearer being a girl or a boy, and moreover, for particu ⁇ larly productive, periods such as overnight, two partly overlapping pads may be placed in the pocket, such that a desirable differentiation is achievable with the use of cheap standard components. It is also a possibility that the pads can be still smaller, both in area and thickness, whereby the use can be differentiated still more.
• flaps or half pockets of the liquid permeable material can be used, e.g. a side flap fixed to one of the long sides, Fig. 4, and a half pocket fixed to the other long side and to the shorter front side, whereby the inserted pad or pads may be easier to remove, even though they will still be well stabilized in use.
• a side flap fixed to one of the long sides, Fig. 4 and a half pocket fixed to the other long side and to the shorter front side, whereby the inserted pad or pads may be easier to remove, even though they will still be well stabilized in use.
• Even traditional disposable diapers may, advantageously, be arranged in this or a similar manner for enabling a refuse separation between the contents and the cover.
• FIG. 5 A preferred embodiment of the diaper cover is shown in Fig. 5.
• the textile diaper of Fig. 1 is here supple ⁇ mented with a stitched on textile strip 20, which in a known manner may form an extrusion barrier towards the sides and rearwardly from the central production area.
• This strip may consist of the same impermeable, yet breathing material as the intermediate layer 6 in the cover.
• this flap portion may have bent over side edge portions 24, between which, at the outer end of the flap portion, there may be placed an absorbing pad 12, whereafter the flap portion may be folded a couple of times until the pad is brought into a position in the receiver trough formed by the space inside the strip 20, confer Fig. 6.
• the pad insert 12 will be easy to mount, but in particular the pad will be effectively enclosed in the flap portion 22 and will be easy to pour out from its mounted position, viz. by a simple lateral tilting of the cover, whereby the pad, all by itself, will roll out from its mounted position, preferably for delivery to the closet for being flushed out.
• the pad 12 will here be particularly well protected inside the folded together flap portion 22 as held inside the pocket 20, the pad may be designed in a correspondingly weakened manner, such that it may be particularly easily disintegratable when poured into the closet.
• the pad insert 12 is produced as a plate 26 of a fibrous, absorbing material surrounded by a wrapping 28 of a paper of low wet strength, i.e. of the toilet paper type, which may be wrapped one or more times about the fibre plate 26.
• a paper of low wet strength i.e. of the toilet paper type
• the paper is shown wrapped one and a half time, whereby there will be double layer strength at one side, while at the side edges there is only a single layer of paper.
• the pad insert may thus be poured out in an already partly disintegra ⁇ ted condition, whereby, by the flushing itself, it is readily further disintegrated.
• the pad may be provided with a tear cord 16, which, however, will now refer to a tearing of the paper casing around the fibre package 26 for ensuring an easy flushability of the entire pad insert 12.
• faeces if any, will have been delivered to the closet already before it becomes actual to handle the pad in ⁇ sert, whereby it will be a clean and simple operation to break up the pad for ensuring a safe flushing thereof.
• Fig.8 it is shown that instead of a single fibre plate 26 two mutually separated plates or pads 30 may be used. In principle, such a division may occur in both the longitudinal and the transverse direction, whereby it is preensured that the pads are divided into relati ⁇ vely small pieces that are flushable without problems. This may cause difficulties in the production, but al ⁇ ready a simple two part division of the fibre plate in the longitudinal or the transverse direction will pro ⁇ vide a good result.
• Fig. 9 shows that the pad 12 may appear as a suita ⁇ bly closed package, with the paper wrapping 28 closed by a stamping 32 at the ends.
• a pad may as a whole be flushed out in the closet after use, in a a more or less disintegrated condition.
• Figs. 9 and 10 show that the pad 12 may be designed with stamped surface grooves 34, along which the liquid may be distributed all over the pad area.
• paper wrappings may be used, the fibre direction of which will predominantly promote a liquid spreading in the longitudinal direction of the pad.
• the flap 22 a fabric with good liquid spreading abilities.
• the pad when removed, has not been fully utilized, it will have been wetted at least over a partial area, sufficiently to weaken the paper wrapping in order to be easily broken.
• Most users will automati ⁇ cally make sure that the used pad is at least partially broken before delivering it to the closet, and as the flap fabric 22 will typically be a deformable knitted product the user may easily and as a matter of routine effect a breaking of the pad by external manipulation of the wrapping 22 or for that sake the entire relevant area of the diaper. Therefore, special means for break ⁇ ing up the pads could well be renounced.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Absorbent Articles And Supports Therefor (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8088724

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (15)

Families Citing this family (27)

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• 1993
  • 1993-01-05 DK DK9310A patent/DK1093D0/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1994
  • 1994-01-05 JP JP6515603A patent/JPH08505073A/ja active Pending
  • 1994-01-05 CA CA002153267A patent/CA2153267A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1994-01-05 EP EP94904153A patent/EP0697845A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1994-01-05 FI FI953281A patent/FI953281A7/fi not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1994-01-05 CZ CZ951753A patent/CZ175395A3/cs unknown
  • 1994-01-05 BR BR9406310A patent/BR9406310A/pt active Search and Examination
  • 1994-01-05 KR KR1019950702780A patent/KR960700029A/ko not_active Withdrawn
  • 1994-01-05 AU AU58328/94A patent/AU5832894A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1994-01-05 CN CN94190872A patent/CN1115962A/zh active Pending
  • 1994-01-05 PL PL94309722A patent/PL309722A1/xx unknown
  • 1994-01-05 HU HU9502039A patent/HUT72150A/hu unknown
  • 1994-01-05 WO PCT/DK1994/000008 patent/WO1994015563A1/en not_active Ceased
• 1995
  • 1995-07-04 NO NO952651A patent/NO952651L/no unknown
  • 1995-07-10 LV LVP-95-203A patent/LV11001B/en unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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