Disposable garments

• US 5,167,653 A
• Filed: 12/12/1991
• Issued: 12/01/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Mukai, Hirotomo, Igaue, Takamitsu, Matsushita, Michiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Frinks, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, MARYBETH O
• Application Number:
  US07/806,234
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 604/358, 604/385.1, 604/385.2
• US Class Current: 604/385.04
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49413 the edge leakage prevention means being an upstanding barrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4942 the barrier not being integral with the top- or back-sheet
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49426 the barrier having an absorbent medium
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/49031 being elastic in longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/4944 having multiple barriers

Abstract

The present invention relates to a disposable garment for catching body fluids or excretions and particularly to a garment provided with a plurality of flaps extending longitudinally side-by-side along laterally opposite sides of the garment and normally biased by their own elastic shrinking potential to turn up.

Claims

1. A disposable garment comprising a liquid-permeable inner sheet (11) joined to a liquid-impermeable outer sheet (12) with a liquid absorptive core (13) interposed therebetween a pair of first flaps (15), a pair of second flaps (16), each of said pairs (15, 16) extending longitudinally with respect to said liquid-absorptive core (13) along laterally opposite sides thereof, said garment being further characterized by the fact that:

(1) said pair of first flaps (15) containing elastic (21) and having their root edges (22) located on laterally opposite sides of said core (13) and being mounted so that the first flaps (15) will turn upwardly under their own elastic shrinking potential,

(2) said second pair of second flaps (16) having their root edges (25) located at a spaced distance (W3) inwardly from said root edges (22) of said pair of first flaps (15) and containing elastic so that the second flaps (16) after mounting will also turn upwardly under their own elastic shrinking potential,

(3) each second flap (16) having a tensile stress lower than the tensile strength of each first flap (15),

(4) the width of each second flap (16) as measured from its root edge to its free edge being greater than the width of each first flap (15) as measured from its root edge to its free edge, and

(5) the stiffness of each flap (16) being lower than the stiffness of each first flap (15).

2. A disposable garment according to claim 1 wherein a liquid absorptive layer (30, 31) is included in the spaced distance (W3) between the root edge (22) of said first flap (15) and the root edge (25) of said second flap (16).

3. A disposable garment as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second pairs of flaps (15, 16) are fastened at their longitudinally opposite ends (26, 27) with said first pair of flaps (15) being collapsed inward or outward and said second pair of flaps (16) being collapsed inward.

4. A disposable garment comprising a liquid-permeable inner sheet (11) joined to a liquid-impermeable outer sheet (12) with a liquid absorptive core (13) interposed therebetween, laterally extending base flaps (14), a pair of first flaps (15), a pair of second flaps (16), each of said pairs (15, 16) extending longitudinally with respect to said liquid-absorptive core (13) along laterally opposite sides thereof and being located inwardly with respect to the outer lateral edges of said bases flaps (14), said garment being further characterized by the fact that:

(1) said pair of first flaps (15) containing elastic (21) and having their root edges (22) located on laterally opposite sides of said core (13) and being mounted so that the first flaps (15) will turn upwardly under their own elastic shrinking potential,

(2) said pair of second flaps (16) having their root edges (25) located at a spaced distance (W3) inwardly from said root edges (22) of said pair of first flaps (15) and containing elastic so that the second flaps (16) after mounting will also turn upwardly under their own elastic shrinking potential,

(3) each second flap (16) having a tensile stress lower than the tensile strength of each first flap (15),

(4) the width of each second flap (16) as measured from its root edge to its free edge being greater than the width of each first flap (15) as measured from its root edge to its free edge, and

(5) the stiffness of each second flap (16) being lower than the stiffness of each first flap (15).

5. A disposable garment according to claim 4 wherein a liquid absorptive layer (30, 31) is included in the spaced distance (W3) between the root edge (22) of said first flap (15) and the root edge (25) of said second flap (16).

6. A disposable garment as recited in claim 4 wherein said first and second pairs of flaps (15, 16) are fastened at their longitudinally opposite ends (26, 27) with said first pair of flaps (15) being collapsed inward or outward and said second pair of flaps (16) being collapsed inward.