GB2295306A

GB2295306A - Sanitary garments

Info

Publication number: GB2295306A
Application number: GB9423917A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jean Claude Debaise
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-11-26
Filing date: 1994-11-26
Publication date: 1996-05-29
Also published as: GB9423917D0

Abstract

A sanitary garment for an infant or an incontinent person made, in part, from weldable waterproof thermoplastics sheet material 1. Flaps 6 of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material extend inwardly from the margins 2 of the leg openings to overlie the edges of an absorbent pad 15 placed in the garment are joined to the garment by continuous welded seams 10, 11 extending substantially parallel to the margins 2 and inward of any stitching 13. Similar flaps may be provided along the waist edge. <IMAGE>

Description

SANITARY GARMENTS This invention concerns sanitary garments such as are worn by infants and incontinent persons. Such a garment is panty-like, made of waterproof fabric or other waterproof sheet material to fit the lower body so as to accommodate and locate an absorbent pad in the crotch region to receive and absorb urine. It may be closed at its sides, but for convenience it is usually open at each side with fastenings such as complementary strips of hook and loop pile fabric (for example those sold under the Registered Trade Mark VELCRO) so that it can be donned and removed without having to pass over the feet. The pad may be separate from or attached to the garment.The garment has a nap of waterproof fabric or waterproof sheet material extending inwardly from the side margin which defines each leg opening. at least in the crotch region but preferably throughout the length of the margin, to overlie the edges of the absorbent pad with the object of preventing leakage of urine from the pad around the margins defining the leg openings. For the same reason those side margins are elasticated so as to provide a close fit around the legs of a wearer. For convenience a garment as described above will hereinafter be referred to as a "sanitary garment of the kind described".

Several manufacturers are currently producing sanitary garments of the kind described, principally for infants, and they are on sale in supermarkets, specialist baby shops, chemists and other stores. The components are invariably joined by sewing and the side margins defining the leg openings are elasticated either by being stitched with one or more rows of stitches of elastic thread substantially parallel to their edges and/or by having elastic or elasticated tape or lace stitched along them or by stitching elastic or elasticated tape or lace to edges of the garment to form those margins. The same stitching may be used both to attach the flaps to the garment and provide the elastication.The Applicant has examined and tested the garments producd by several manufacturers and has observed that despite the provision of the inwardly extending flaps and elasticated side margins defining the leg openings the garments still leak around those margins.

Through research the Applicant has ascertained that leakage commonly occurs through the holes caused by the stitching with elastic thread and/or the stitching of the elastic or elasticated tape or lace to the garments.

It is well-known that fabrics and sheet materials made from thermoplastics or having a thermoplastics coating can be joined by welding. However, welding is not usually considered a suitable method for producing an elastic seam comparable with one produced by stitching with elastic thread. Likewise it is not considered suitable for joining an elastic or elasticated tape or lace to a part of a garment that is to be elasticated, such as the side margin defining a leg opening of a sanitary garment of the kind described. That is because the seam produced by welding is usually relatively stiff and inflexible whereas a flexible seam is required around the leg openings of a sanitary garment of the kind described in order that the margins of the leg openings can pucker to fit closely around the legs of a wearer.

According to this invention a sanitary garment of the kind described comprises a blank of weldable waterproof thermoplastics sheet material and the flaps extending inwardly from the side margins of the blank which are to define the leg openings are formed from weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material and are joined to the blank by continuous welded seams extending substantially parallel to respective ones of the side margins and laterally inwardly of any stitching which perforates the blank in those margins.

A preferred weldable waterproof thermoplastics sheet material is a sheet or film of polyurethane. for example of thickness about 50 microns. That material is highly flexible and elastically stretchable and therefore adapts readily to the shape of the body of a wearer of the garment and does not cause discomfort. It is readily weldable, for example by radio frequency radiation, both to other thermoplastics materials and also to fabrics which do not contain thermoplastic fibres. The weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material for the flaps may be wholly formed from a thermoplastic or may have a thermoplastic coating on at least one side.

A preferred weldable waterproof fabric is a closely woven nylon fabric having a coating of polyurethane or a composition containing polyurethane on one surface which renders it waterproof and readily weldable. The coated surface of the fabric should preferably face the thermoplastics sheet material so as to facilitate welding of the flaps to the blank.

The garment preferably includes an outer sheet, for example of textile fabric, of similar size and shape to the blank and secured to it by welding and/or by stitching. The welding may be common with the welded seams between the flaps and the blank and the stitching, which must be laterally outside those welded seams, may be common with stitching for other purposes. Preferably the outer sheet is joined to the blank by an overlocked seam around the edges of the blank and the outer sheet. A preferred textile fabric is a cotton interlock knitted fabric which is flexible and stretchable, so readily adapts to the shape of the body of a wearer of the garment, and is washable.

The welded seams preferably extend substantially throughout the length of the respective side margins of the blank. Further flaps of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material may be joined to the blank by continuous welded seams extending substantially parallel to the end margins of the blank which define the waist of the garment. The further flaps will overlie the ends of an absorbent pad placed in the crotch region of the garment and provide further protection against leakage.

Preferably the two flaps are parts of a single piece of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material which may also be joined to the blank by continuous welded seams extending substantially parallel to the end margins of the blank which define the waist of the garment.

The welded seams along the side and end margins may meet, forming a continuous welded seam all round the periphery of the blank.

The invention includes a method of manufacture of a sanitary garment of the kind described from a blank of weldable waterproof thermoplastics sheet material comprising a step of welding a flap of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material along each side margin of the blank which is to define a leg opening followed by a step of elasticating the said margin, any stitching being located laterally outside the welding.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example by the accompanying drawing which is a plan of a sanitary garment of the kind described with a part broken away to reveal details, laid out with the inner surface uppermost. The garment includes stitching formed with elastic yarns, so when relaxed it will pucker and curl into an indefinite shape. but for clarity it is shown as if all the elastic stitching was stretched so that the sheet material lies flat.

A blank 1 for the sanitary garment of the kind described is formed from polyurethane film of thickness about 50 microns. The blank 1 is of waisted shape, with a narrow middle portion which will form the crotch part of the garment flanked by curved side edges 2 which will define the leg openings of the garment. The end edges 3, 4 will define the back and front of the waist of the garment. An outer sheet S of cotton interlock knitted fabric is cut with the same outline as the blank 1 and positioned below it and an inner sheet 6 of closely woven nylon having a coating of polyurethane on one surface is placed over the blank 1 with its coated surface confronting the blank.The outer sheet 5 has a strip of loop pile fastener fabric 7 stitched to its surface which is lowermost and will form the outside of the garment, adjacent to its edge which coincides with the front edge 4 of the blank 1, the loop pile surface facing ourwardly (i.e. downwardly in the drawing). That stitching does not penetrate the blank 1. The inner sheet 6 is originally cut in a bifurcated shape with an outline similar to that of the blank 1 but partly wider and with limbs with confronting similar concave curved inner edges 8 which more or less meet at their ends. The curved inner edges 8 are elasticated by a single row of chain stitching 9 formed with elastic yarn.As the inner sheet 6 is laid on top of the blank 1 the chain stitching is stretched and the ends of its limbs are slightly overlapped as shown in the middle of the front edge 4.

The assembled blank 1, outer sheet 5 and inner sheet 6 are overlocked around their coinciding edges to keep them together and are placed with the inner sheet 6 uppermost on the bed electrode of a r.f. welding machine which is furnished with rule electrodes shaped so as to make contact with the inner sheet 6 along the lines 10, 11 and 12 which are respectively spaced from but substantially parallel to the side. back and front edges 2, 3 and 4 of the blank 1 and which are joined at their ends. The components are stretched to the nat condition shown in the drawing, then by activation of the welding machine a continuous welded seam is formed along those lines to join the blank and the outer and inner sheets together. The spacing of the lines 10, 11 and 12 from the edges 2,3 and 4 leaves side and end margins adjacent to those edges which are elasticated by three rows of chain stitching 13 formed with elastic yarn substantially parallel to the edges and outside the welded seam. To complete the garment, a piece 14 of hook pile fastener fabric is stitched to the assembled components at each end of the back edg 3 with the hook pile surfaces uppermost so that when the garment is worn those end are drawn round to the front of the wearer and the hook pile surfaces confront the loop pile surface of the strip 7 and can be adhered to it in a position which is comfortable to the wearer.

The inner sheet 6, joined to the blank 1 by the continuous welded seam, forms two flaps which extend inwardly from the welded seams along the lines 10 adjacent to the side edges 2 and are secured so as to overlie the blank 1 by the welded seams along the lines 11 and 12 adjacent to the end edges 3 and 4 of the garment. The flaps are drawn inwardly by the elastic chain stitching 9 and form with the blank 1 a substantially leak-proof container for an absorbent pad 15 which may be placed in the crotch part of the garment with its side edges under the flaps. The integral front part 16 of the inner sheet 6 and its overlapped ends 17 at the back of the garment overlie the pad 15 and hold it firmly in place when the garment is worn.

The curved edges 8 of the flaps leave the middle part of the pad exposed to receive and absorb urine and the welded seams prevent any leakage around the leg openings or waist of the garment. A used pad 15 can readily be removed and replaced by a new one when the garment is removed from the wearer and after removing the pad the garment itself can be washed, for example in a domestic washing machine or by hand.

It is not essential that the lines 10,11 and 12 should meet so that the welded seams formed along them form a continuous seal around the periphery of the blank, though it is certainly preferable that they do since that effectively prevents any leakage. Even if the pad 15 becomes completely saturated with urine in use there is little chance of leakage along any edge of the container so long as the welded seams remain intact. If the lines do not meet at the corners there will be gaps between the ends of the welded seams along the side and end margins and a possibility of leakage at the corners. As the gaps are at the sides of the front of the wearer of the garment when it is in use and the front corners are overlain by the corners of the back of the garment the risk of leakage is very small.

Instead of forming the flaps from a single inner sheet 6 two separate pieces of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material could be separately joined to the blank by welded seams along the two lines 10 adjacent to the edges 2 which define the leg openings of the garment. Likewise further pieces of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material could be joined to the blank í by welded seams along the lines 11 and 12 to form flaps to overlie the ends of the pad 15.

The pad 15 may be secured to the garment, without stitching through the blank 1. For example it could be formed with a tab of thermoplastic material which could be incorporated into the welded seam along the line 11 at the back of the garment.

Instead of fonning the margins of the garment from the peripheral parts of the blank I and the outer and inner sheets S and 6 the lines 10 and/or 11 and/or 12 could be closer to the respective edges 2. 3 and 4 and elastic or elasticated tape or ribbon could be stitched along any or all of those edges, outside the welded seams, to form the margins. The elasticating stitching 13 could then be omitted. Instead of using pure polyurethane sheet or film for the blank 1 a sheet of a polyurethane composition which is reasonably flexible and stretchable could be used. Any kind of fabric or sheet material could be used for the outer sheet, though a knitted fabric is preferred because of its flexible and stretchable characteristics.

Claims

1. A sanitary garment of the kind described comprising a blank of weldable waterproof thermoplastics sheet material wherein the flaps extending inwardly from the side margins of the blank which are to define the leg openings are formed from weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material and are joined to the blank by continuous welded seams extending substantially parallel to respective ones of the side margins and laterally inwardly of any stitching which perforates the blank in those margins.

2. A sanitary garment as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the or each welded seam extends substantially throughout the length of the respective side margin.

3. A sanitary garment as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the two flaps extending inwardly from the side margins are integral parts of a single piece of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material.

4. A sanitary garment as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the single piece of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material is an inner sheet of similar shape to the blank but bifurcated towards the front of the garment and is also joined to the blank by continuous welded seams extending substantially parallel to the end margins of the blank.

5. A sanitary garment as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the continuous welded seams extending substantially parallel to the side and end margins of the blank meet at one end of the blank.

6. A sanitary garment as claimed in Claim S wherein the continuous welded seams extending substantially parallel to the side and end margins of the blank meet at both ends of the blank so as to form a single welded seam extending all round the periphery of the blank.

7. A sanitary garment as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the inner edges of the two flaps extending inwardly from the side margins are elasticated.

8. A sanitary garment as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 including a flap of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material at the front of the garment, extending inwardly from the waist margin, to overlie the front end of the pad so as to prevent leakage along that margin, joined to the garment by a continuous welded seam extending substantially parallel to and inwardly of any stitching penetrating the blank in that margin.

9. A sanitary garment as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2 including a flap of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material at the back of the garment, extending inwardly from the waist margin. to overlie ine rear end of the pad so as to prevent leakage along that margin, joined to the blank by a continuous welded seam extending substantially parallel to and inwardly of any stitching penetrating the blank in that margin.

10. A sanitary garment as claimed m any preceding claim wherein the weldable waterproof thermoplasuc sheet material is polyurethane or a polyurethane composition.

11. A sanitary garment as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material is a woven fabric having a coating of a thermoplastic on at least one surface.

12. A sanitary garment as claimed in any preceding claim including an outer sheet of similar shape and size to the blank joined to it by stitching outside the said welded seams.

13. A sanitary garment as claimed in Claim 12 wherein the outer sheet is formed from knitted textile fabric.

14. A method of manufacture of a sanitary garment of the kind described from a blank of weldable waterproof thermoplastics sheet material comprising a step of welding a flap of weldable waterproof fabric or sheet material along each side margin of the blank which is to define a leg opening followed by a step of elasticating the said margin by stitching with elastic thread and/or stitching an elastic or elasticated tape or lace to the margin, all the said stitching being located laterally outside the welding.

15. A method as claimed in Claim 14 induding the step of stitching an outer sheet to the blank along each of the said margins, laterally outside the welding.

16. A sanitary garment of the kind described, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by rhe accompanying drawing.

17. A method of manufacture of a sanitary garment of the kind described, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing.