Gender-specific, disposable, adult-incontinence articles

• US 20080275415A1
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Simon, Amanda J., Fell, David A., Wheeler, Katherine C., Thomas, Brian L., Richlen, Sandra A.
• Application Number:
  US11/800,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20080275415A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/385.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/491 specially adapted for gender distinct urine discharge pattern
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4915 specially adapted for male use
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/551 Packaging before or after use general packaging of absorbent pads B65D85/00

Abstract

Disposable adult-incontinence product designs tailored to the differing anatomical features of a man'"'"'s body and a woman'"'"'s body are disclosed. The designs take into account differing ways in which men and women age and typically distribute weight. For example, a disposable, adult-incontinence article adapted to be worn by women may employ different leg-opening shapes, absorbent placement, ornamental features, and/or other characteristics compared to a corresponding article adapted to be worn by men. Also disclosed are ways of packaging and marketing said products to help create public awareness of the disclosed arrays of gender-specific, disposable, adult-incontinence articles, as well as individual, gender-specific, disposable, adult-incontinence articles.

Claims

1. A gender-specific, disposable, adult-incontinence article defining a waist opening and two leg openings, the article comprising a fit feature adapted for women.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein the fit feature comprises a leg-opening back edge adapted to cover the buttocks of the typical female user of the article.

3. The article of claim 2 wherein the fit feature comprises a leg-opening back edge defining a boundary that is concave in a direction toward the waist-opening back edge.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein the fit feature comprises a leg-opening front edge adapted to conform to the curvature of the upper thigh of the typical female user of the article.

5. The article of claim 4 wherein the fit feature comprises a leg-opening front edge defining a boundary that is convex in a direction toward the waist-opening front edge.

6. A package, the package comprising:

the article of claim 1; and

a container containing said article, wherein a statement is disposed on said container, and wherein the statement associates the fit feature with use of the article by women.

7. A gender-specific, disposable, adult-incontinence article defining a waist opening and two leg openings, the article comprising a fit feature adapted for men.

8. A package, the package comprising:

the article of claim 7; and

a container containing said article, wherein a statement is disposed on said container, and wherein the statement associates the fit feature with use of the article by men.

9. An array of gender-specific, disposable, adult-incontinence articles, the array comprising:

a first disposable, adult-incontinence article adapted to be worn by women, the article comprising;

a chassis comprising a front portion, a back portion, and a crotch portion connecting said front and back portions;

wherein said chassis has a leg-opening front edge establishing a boundary having a first convexity, a leg-opening side edge, a leg-opening back edge establishing a first concavity;

a waist-opening front edge, and a first crotch width;

an absorbent core having a front edge, a side edge, a first frontal area, and a first frontal transverse span, wherein the absorbent core is attached to said chassis;

wherein said first article has a first anterior length equaling the shortest distance between the leg-opening front edge and the waist opening front edge;

a first gasket width; and

a first waist/absorbent distance equaling the shortest distance between the front edge of the absorbent core and the waist-opening front edge;

and

a second disposable, adult-incontinence article adapted to be worn by men, the article comprising;

a chassis comprising a front portion, a back portion, and a crotch portion joining said front and back portions;

wherein said chassis has a leg-opening front edge establishing a boundary having a second convexity, a leg-opening side edge, a leg-opening back edge establishing a boundary having a second concavity;

a waist-opening front edge, a waist-opening back edge, and a second crotch width;

an absorbent core having a front edge, a side edge, a second frontal area, and a second frontal transverse span, wherein the absorbent core is attached to said chassis;

wherein said second article has a second anterior length equaling the shortest distance between the leg-opening front edge and the waist opening front edge;

a second gasket width; and

a second waist/absorbent distance equaling the shortest distance between the front edge of the absorbent core and the front edge of the waist opening;

wherein the difference between the first article and the second article is selected from the group consisting of;

the first anterior length being less than the second anterior length, the first gasket width being less than the second gasket width, the first waist/absorbent distance being more than the second waist/absorbent distance, the first convexity being greater than the second convexity, the first concavity being greater than the second concavity, the first frontal area being less than the second frontal area, the first frontal transverse span being less than the second frontal transverse span, or some combination thereof.

10. The array of claim 9 wherein the first article is contained in a first package having a first statement disposed thereon, wherein the first statement associates the first article with use by women.

11. The array of claim 9 wherein the second article is contained in a second package having a second statement disposed thereon, wherein the second statement associates the second article with use by men.

12. An array of gender-specific, disposable, adult-incontinence articles, the array comprising:

a first disposable, adult-incontinence article adapted to be worn by women, the article comprising a first fit feature;

a second disposable, adult-incontinence article adapted to be worn by men, the article comprising a second fit feature;

wherein the first fit feature is different from the second fit feature.

13. The array of claim 12 wherein the first fit feature is a leg-opening front edge establishing a boundary having a first convexity in a direction toward a waist-opening front edge;

the second fit feature is a leg-opening front edge establishing a boundary having a second convexity in a direction toward a waist-opening front edge;

wherein the first convexity is greater than the second convexity.

14. The array of claim 12 wherein the first fit feature is a leg-opening back edge establishing a boundary having a first concavity in a direction toward a waist-opening back edge;

the second fit feature is a leg-opening back edge establishing a boundary having a second concavity in a direction toward a waist-opening back edge;

wherein the first concavity is greater than the second concavity.

15. The array of claim 12 wherein the first article has a first graphic disposed thereon;

and the second article has a second graphic disposed thereon; and

wherein the first graphic is different from the second graphic.

16. The array of claim 12 wherein the first article is contained in a first package having a first statement disposed thereon, wherein the first statement associates the first article with use by women.

17. The array of claim 12 wherein the second article is contained in a second package having a second statement disposed thereon, wherein the second statement associates the second article with use by men.

18. An array of disposable, adult-incontinence articles, the array comprising:

a first disposable, adult-incontinence article adapted to be worn by women, the article comprising a first fit feature; and

a second disposable, adult-incontinence article adapted to be worn by men or women, the article comprising a second fit feature;

wherein the first fit feature is different than the second fit feature.

19. The array of claim 18 wherein the first fit feature is a leg-opening front edge establishing a boundary having a first convexity in a direction toward a waist-opening front edge;

the second fit feature is a leg-opening front edge establishing a boundary having a second convexity in a direction toward a waist-opening front edge;

wherein the first convexity is greater than the second convexity.

20. The array of claim 18 wherein the first fit feature is a leg-opening back edge establishing a boundary having a first concavity in a direction toward a waist-opening back edge;

the second fit feature is a leg-opening back edge establishing a boundary having a second concavity in a direction toward a waist-opening back edge;

wherein the first concavity is greater than the second concavity.

21. The array of claim 18 wherein the first article has a first graphic disposed thereon;

and the second article has a second graphic disposed thereon; and

wherein the first graphic is different from the second graphic.

22. The array of claim 18 wherein the first article is contained in a first package having a first statement disposed thereon, wherein the first statement associates the first article with use by women.