Absorbent sanitary article with posterior guide ridge member

• US 6,652,503 B1
• Filed: 10/22/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ora Bradley
• Original Assignee: Ora Bradley
• Inventors: Bradley, Ora
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Aaron J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEPHENS, JACQUELINE F
• Application Number:
  US10/010,285
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.01, 604/385.201, 604/385.17, 604/385.04, 604/385.05
• US Class Current: 604/385.17
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47272 with a longitudinal raised end, e.g. cup-shaped gluteal groove for edge leakage prevention A61F13/494
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4758 the means preventing fluid flow in a longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5611 using fastening strips, e.g. adhesive, on the undergarment-facing side
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5616 using flaps, e.g. adhesive, for attachment to the undergarment leakage prevention means encirculing the crotch portion A61F13/476

Abstract

An absorbent sanitary article with posterior guide ridge member is provided for effectively absorbing and retaining bodily fluid in the septum region of a wearer. The absorbent sanitary article with posterior guide ridge member has a bodycontacting surface for providing comfort against body skin and throughwhich bodily fluids will pass. An absorbency core provides some measure of bodily fluid absorbency. A barrier layer is included in order to prevent bodily fluids retained by the absorbency core from penetrating through the present invention and soiling adjacent undergarments. An outer layer imparts a degree of comfort and softness, as well as providing a vapor permeable sheathe. An integrally formed guide ridge is provided in order to be guidably received within a septum region of the wearer to prevent soilage of undergarments and to provide the wearer with a greater sense of dryness.

Claims

1. An absorbent sanitary device comprising:

a sanitary article, said sanitary article having an anterior region located opposite a posterior region, and wherein said sanitary article having a central region located between said anterior region and said posterior region;

said sanitary article has a shape being defined as tapering inward from a greater transverse width in an anterior portion of said anterior region and a central portion of said central region to a smaller transverse width, and terminating to a substantially greater transverse width forming a posterior portion having a generally rectangular shape, and wherein said posterior portion having sufficient surface area for preventing soilage of undergarments and providing wearer with a sense of dryness in said septum region;

a guide ridge member, said guide ridge member being generally triangular in cross-section;

a seal, said seal is aligned along a periphery of said sanitary article;

a bonding means, said bonding means is defined as a wide strip of suitably adhesive material; and

a pair of wings, said pair of wings being designed and configured so as to extend generally over edges of an undergarment and adhere, via adhesive strips located on a bottom of said pair of wings, to an underside of a crotch portion of the undergarment.

2. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 1, wherein said sanitary article has a bodycontacting surface for providing comfort against body skin and throughwhich bodily fluids will pass, and wherein said bodycontacting surface is fabricated of a vapor and liquid-permeable material.

3. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 2, wherein said bodycontacting surface of said sanitary article is fabricated of a fabric material comprising heat bondable polyester/polyethylene conjugate fibers.

4. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 2, wherein said sanitary article has an absorbency core underlying said bodycontacting surface, and wherein said absorbency core is fabricated of a composite of materials being substantially hydrophilic, adaptable, conformable, and non-irritating against body skin for providing some measure of bodily fluid absorbency.

5. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 4, wherein said absorbency core is fabricated of materials selected from members of the group consisting of fluffed cellulose fibers, textile fibers, web of polymeric fibers, wood pulp fibers, polyester, polypropylene, polyurethane, cellulose sponge, and hydrophilic synthetic sponge.

6. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 4, wherein said sanitary article has a barrier layer interposed between said absorbency core and an outer layer for preventing bodily fluids retained by said absorbency core from penetrating through said sanitary article and soiling adjacent undergarments, said barrier layer is fabricated of a suitably vapor and fluid impervious polymeric film material, and wherein said outer layer has a series of linearly elongated, adhesive strips aligned thereunder along said posterior portion, and wherein each adhesive strip of said series of linearly elongated, adhesive strips is overlapped by a release liner for preventing undesired adhesion of said series of linearly elongated, adhesive strips to extraneous surfaces prior to use.

7. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 6, wherein said barrier layer is fabricated of a material selected from a member of the group consisting of polyethylene, cellophane, and polypropylene.

8. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 6, wherein said outer layer lies just below said barrier layer and is fabricated of nonwoven materials in order to impart a degree of comfort and softness and to provide a sheathe being vapor permeable.

9. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 8, wherein said bodycontacting surface, said absorbency core, said barrier layer, and said outer layer are securably adjoined by said seal, wherein said absorbency core is effectively crimped integral to said seal.

10. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 9, wherein said seal is produced by a method selected from the group consisting of thermal welding, ultrasonic welding, mechanical crimping, and adhesive bonding.

11. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 8, wherein said barrier layer has said bonding means located just below said barrier layer for adhering said sanitary article to an upperside of the crotch portion of the undergarment, and wherein said bonding means extends a linear length from said anterior region to just short of said posterior portion of said posterior region.

12. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 11, wherein said bonding means is overlapped by a release liner for preventing undesired adhesion of said bonding means to extraneous surfaces prior to use.

13. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 1, wherein said guide ridge member is integrally formed along a longitudinal centerline of said posterior portion of said posterior region, said guide ridge member has a base portion with lateral sidewalls converging slightly inward with increased distance from said base portion which terminate to an apex, and said lateral sidewalls diverging outwardly with increased distance from a forward portion of said guide ridge to a rearward portion of said guide ridge member.

14. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 13, wherein said guide ridge member includes an absorbency core encapsulated by a bodycontacting surface, and wherein said bodycontacting surface is in fluid communication with said bodycontacting surface of said sanitary article.

15. The absorbent sanitary device of claim 14, wherein said guide ridge member extends approximately 0.5 inches to 1.0 inches above said base portion and has a length measuring approximately 4.0 inches to 5.0 inches so as to be guidably received within a septum region of wearer, thereby preventing soilage of undergarments and providing wearer with a sense of dryness in said septum region.