Disposable training pants having a suspended crotch covering sheet

• US 6,169,225 B1
• Filed: 09/25/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Otsubo, Toshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIDWELL, MICHELE M
• Application Number:
  US09/161,021
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.1, 604/385.2, 604/361, 604/381, 604/378
• US Class Current: 604/361
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/42 with wetness indicator or alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/513 characterised by its function or properties, e.g. stretchability, breathability, rewet, visual effect; having areas of different permeability
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51305 having areas of different permeability

Abstract

A disposable training pants include a basic structure wet telling means provided inside the basic structure. The basic structure include a pair of elastically stretchable/contractile suspender sheets extending circumferentially of front and rear waist regions of the basic structure, respectively, and an elastically stretchable/contractile crotch covering sheet secured at its longitudinally opposite ends to the respective suspender sheets at their middle portions so as to extend between the front and rear waist regions and serving to make a baby aware of wetness.

Claims

1. Disposable training pants comprising:

a liquid-permeable topsheet;

a liquid-impermeable backsheet;

a liquid-absorbent core disposed between the liquid-permeable topsheet and the liquid impermeable backsheet, said liquid-permeable topsheet, liquid-impermeable backsheet, and liquid absorbent core defining front and rear waist regions, a crotch region, a waist-opening and a pair of leg-openings;

elastic members provided at said waist-opening and said leg-openings, said elastic members being stretchable/contractile circumferentially of the leg-openings and waist-openings; and

wetness sensing means comprising;

a pair of suspender sheets which are stretchable/contractile circumferentially of the front and rear waist regions and narrower than each of the front and waist regions in a longitudinal direction of the training pants, said suspender sheet being respectively provided on an upper surface of said topsheet in said front and rear waist regions so as to extend circumferentially along the front and rear waist regions, each of said suspender sheets having upper and lower ends parallelly extending circumferentially along respective ones of said waist regions and having transversely opposite side edges connecting said upper and lower ends to each other; and

a crotch covering sheet secured at longitudinally opposite ends thereof to said pair of suspender sheets in the proximity of middle portions thereof, said crotch covering sheet being elastically stretchable/contractile in the longitudinal direction of the training pants and suspended by said pair of suspender sheets so as to be spaced apart from the topsheet,

said upper ends of said paired suspender sheets being secured in the proximity of the front and rear upper ends of said waist-opening and said transversely opposite side edges of said paired suspender sheets being secured in the proximity of the transversely opposite side edges of said front and rear waist region, and

said crotch covering sheet having a transverse dimension which is insufficient to extend outward beyond said elastically stretchable/contractile members provided at said leg-openings.

2. The disposable training pants according to claim 1, wherein said paired suspender sheets are made elastically stretchable/contractile by providing them with elastically stretchable/contractile members adapted to act circumferentially along said front and rear waist regions, respectively.

3. The disposable training pants according to claim 1, wherein said crotch covering sheet is elastically stretchable/contractile.

4. The disposable training pants according to claim 3, wherein said crotch covering sheet is made elastically stretchable/contractile by providing it at least along transversely opposite side edges thereof with elastically stretchable/contractile members.

5. The disposable training pants according to claim 1, wherein said crotch covering sheet is hydrophilic.

6. The disposable training pants according to claim 1, wherein said crotch covering sheet is hydrophobic and substantially liquid-impermeable.