Crotch-shaped diaper and method

• US 3,920,017 A
• Filed: 09/27/1974
• Issued: 11/18/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hamzeh Karami
• Original Assignee: Hamzeh Karami
• Inventors: Karami, Hamzeh
• Primary Examiner(s): Medbery, Aldrich F.
• Application Number:
  US05/509,978
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 128/284,287,29R,29P
• US Class Current: 604/385.21
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49406 the edge leakage prevention means being at the crotch region
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49473 the edge leakage prevention means having a continuous closed form, e.g. circle, ellipse, rectangle
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/53418 having a C-folded cross-section

Abstract

A disposable diaper comprising, an absorbent pad assembly having a pair of side edges, a front surface, and a back surface. The diaper has a fluid impervious backing sheet having a pair of side edges and a width greater than the width of the pad assembly. The backing sheet covers the back surface of the pad assembly and has lateral side margins extending past the side edges of the pad assembly, the side margins of the backing sheet being folded over and secured to the front of the diaper with the side edges of the backing sheet being located in the proximity of the side edges of the pad assembly. The folded over side margins define side panels of the diaper which have recessed portions in the crotch region of the diaper to fit an infant'"'"''"'"'s legs. The side panels are folded over and secured to the front surface of the pad assembly in the crotch region of the diaper.

Claims

1. A disposable diaper, comprising:

an absorbent pad assembly having a pair of side edges, a front surface, and a back surface;

a fluid impervious backing sheet having a pair of side edges and a width greater than the width of said pad assembly, said backing sheet covering the back surface of the pad assembly and having lateral side margins extending past the side edges of the pad assembly, said side margins of the backing sheet being folded over and secured to the front of the diaper with the side edges of the backing sheet being located in the proximity of the side edges of the pad assembly and with the folded over side margins defining side panels of the diaper, said side panels having recessed portions in the crotch region of the diaper for conformability of the diaper to the shape of the infant'"'"''"'"'s legs, said side panels with said recessed portions each being folded over and secured to the front surface of the pad assembly in the crotch region of the diaper.

2. The diaper of claim 1 wherein said pad assembly includes a fluid pervious top sheet extending between the side edges of the absorbent pad assembly.

3. The diaper of claim 1 wherein edge portions of said backing sheet adjacent its side edges overlie the front surface of the pad assembly.

4. The diaper of claim 3 wherein said edge portions are secured to the front surface of said pad assembly.

5. The diaper of claim 1 including barrier means in said side panels preventing leakage through said recessed portions.

6. The diaper of claim 5 wherein said barrier means comprises heat seal lines in said side panels.

7. The diaper of claim 5 wherein said barrier means comprises sealing means in said side panels extending along the side edges of said pad assembly.

8. The diaper of claim 5 wherein said barrier means comprises sealing means extending along edges defined by said recessed portions.

9. The diaper of claim 1 wherein said pad assembly includes an absorbent pad having a generally rectangular shape.

10. The diaper of claim 1 wherein the pad assembly includes an absorbent pad having a pair of opposed sections extending into said side panels adjacent longitudinal ends of the diaper.

11. The diaper of claim 1 wherein said side panels have a pair of side edges, and each of the side panels has a pair of spaced slits extending from the side edges of the side panels toward the pad assembly with the inner ends of said slits being spaced from the side edges of the pad assembly, said slits at least partially defining said recessed portions of the side panels.

12. The diaper of claim 11 wherein said diaper has a pair of end edges connecting the side edges of the side panels, and each of said slits is located intermediate the longitudinal mid-point and an end edge of the diaper.

13. The diaper of claim 11 wherein said diaper has a pair of end edges connecting the side edges of the side panels, and said slits define obtuse angles with the side edges of the side panels taken intermediate the slits and end edges of the diaper.

14. The diaper of claim 11 wherein said side panels include a second slit extending between the inner ends of said spaced slits, said spaced and second slits defining cut-out portions in the crotch region of the diaper.

15. The diaper of claim 11 wherein said spaced slits define flaps in said side panels, with said flaps being folded over the front surface of the pad assembly.

16. The diaper of claim 1 wherein said side panels are folded along longitudinally Extending fold lines in the diaper, and said fold lines are located intermediate the side edges of the absorbent pad assembly.

17. The diaper of claim 1 wherein said folded over side panels comprise a pair of side flaps including a portion of said pad assembly.

18. A disposable diaper, comprising:

a generally rectancular absorbent pad assembly having a pair of side edges, a front surface, and a back surface;

a generally rectangular backing sheet having a pair of side edges and a width greater than the width of the pad assembly, said backing sheet covering the back surface of the pad assembly and having lateral side margins extending past the side edges of the pad assembly, said side margins comprising a double layer of fluid impervious sheet and having edge portions adjacent the side edges of the backing sheet secured to the front surface of the pad assembly, said double side margins defining side panels of the backing sheet extending on opposed sides of the pad assembly, said side panels having a pair of spaced slits intermediate the crotch region and end edges of the diaper at least partially defining displaced portions in the crotch region of the diaper generally conforming to the contour of an infant'"'"''"'"'s legs;

barrier means in the side panels preventing leakage through said displaced portions;

said side panels with said displaced portions being folded over the front surface of the pad assembly and defining fluid receiving pockets; and

means for securing the side panels to the front surface of the pad assembly in the crotch region of the diaper.

19. The diaper of claim 18 wherein said side panels include a second slit extending between inner ends of said spaced slits and defining cut-out portions in the crotch region of the diaper.

20. The diaper of claim 18 wherein said spaced slits define a pair of flaps in said side panels, said flaps being folded over the front surface of the pad assembly.

21. A disposable diaper, comprising:

an absorbent pad having a pair of side edges, a front surface, and a back surface, a pair of waistline portions, and a pair of opposed sections in said waistline portions; and

a fluid impervious backing sheet having a pair of side edges and a width greater than the width of said pad, said backing sheet covering the back surface of the pad and having lateral side margins extending past the side edges of the pad, said side margins of the backing sheet being folded over and secured to the front of the diaper with the side edges of the backing sheet being located in the proximity of the side edges of the pad and with the folded over side margins defining side panels of the diaper, said side panels having recessed portions in the crotch region of the diaper for conformability of the diaper to the shape of the infant'"'"''"'"'s legs, and said opposed sections of the pad extending into said side panels.

22. A disposable diaper, comprising:

an absorbent pad assembly having an absorbent pad, a pair of side edges, a pair of end edges connecting said side edges, a pair of waistband portions adjacent said end edges and a crotch portion therebetween, a longitudinally extending central panel, and a pair of edge panels folded over and secured to a front surface of the central panel in said crotch region with lateral side margins of said pad extending into said edge panels; and

a fluid impervious backing sheet covering a back surface of the central and edge panels, said backing sheet extending past the side edges of the edge panels and covering at least a portion of the front surface of the edge panels intermediate the edge and central panels, said backing sheet having a pair of doubled retaining panels extending from opposed side edges of the edge panels in each of said waistband portions for securing the diaper about an infant.

23. A method of making a disposable diaper, comprising the steps of:

covering the back surface of an absorbent pad means with a fluid impervious backing sheet having a greater width than the pad means;

folding lateral side margins of the backing sheet along longitudinally extending fold lines intermediate side edges of the pad means and side edges of the backing sheet;

securing edge portions of the folded side margins to a front surface of the pad means adjacent its side edges;

slitting both folded side margins intermediate a crotch region and end edges of the diaper from said fold lines toward the side edges of said pad means defining recessed portions of the folded side margins;

providing a barrier in the folded side margins intermediate the side edges of the pad means and the slits to prevent leakage from the pad means through the slits;

folding edge panels having said recessed portions over the front surface of the pad means along spaced longitudinally extending fold lines in the pad means; and

securing the edge panels to the front surface of the pad means intermediate the spaced fold lines.

24. The method of claim 23 including the step of further slitting the folded side margins generally parallel to and spaced from the side edges of the pad means to define cut-out portions of the side margins.

25. The method of claim 23 including the step of folding flaps in the side margins defined by the slitting step over the front surface of the pad means.