CA2153267A1 - Absorbing article of the diaper or insert type - Google Patents

Abstract

Hygienic, absorbing pad bodies are used increasingly as disposable units, made with a fibrous, super absorbing material in an envelope which, with the use of suitable sheet materials, is liquid tight at the outside, while at the inner side it is liquid permeable, but non-absorbing, whereby the pad in wet condition will feel dry. These articles load the refuse system due to their contents of plastics, and according to the invention it is proposed that the pad member itself is made in a both mechanically and biologically decomposable manner and that the envelope is designed such that after use the pad member is removable therefrom, preferably for disposal by direct closet flushing. As far as diapers are concerned the envelope may be of a washable textile material, having a pocket or cover flap of the non-absorbing material at the inner side, such that new pad members may be mounted in a pleasant and reusable textile diaper.

Description

WO ~/lS~ 2 1 5 3 ~ 6 7 PcT~oNK~

ABSO~ING ARTICLE Of THE DIAPER OR INSERT TYPE

The ~-ont invention relates to absorbing articles of the ~i~per or insert type.
Earlier it was customary to use for this type of art~cles s~mple t~xtile pieces of cotton, which could be w~heA and reused many times, but for a desirably high ~bsorption c~r~city it had to be accepted that several cotton layers were n~e~, whereby the articles became ~eavy and volum;no~l~ and in fact also rather expensive to wash. As well known the development has taken the direction of the use of dispo~able products, which have a high absorption capacity without being bulky from the beginn; ng, h~C~17C~ of the use of a filler material of the so-called ~uper absorbing type.
For the actual use it is a condition that the ab-~orption material be insulated both to the outside, 80 ~hat it will not give off liquid to the ~ oul-~ings, and to the inside, so it will not be in wet contact with the skin of the user. This is achieved by enveloping the material in a casing having at the outside a tight sheet layer and at the skin side a liquid permeable cover, which, itself, is of a non-absorbing plastic that will st~ily be felt as a dry layer.
This holds for di~ hle diapers and for hygienic pads, and it is true that in the waste system these products constitute problematic units that occur in quite large amounts. They are too large to just be flus-hed out in the toilet, and they are not particularly suited to be delivered to the normal waste bags, e.g.
for kitchen refuse; when removed as solid re~use they load the relevant destruction plants with their high contents of substances which, in fact, could be dealt with in a simpler manner, viz. by composting the purely organic substances.
The US-A-2,826,199 discloses a diaper made with an outer layer o~ a liquid tight material and an inner WO9411SS~ 2 1 5 3 2 ~ 7 PCT~Kg4/~W~8 .

layer of fl~nn~l rubber having small holes in its cen-tral area. From the front edge of the ~i~p~r a pocket opening extends between the two layers, and in this pocket is placed a ~,~e plate adapted to be reused after drying. Obviously this is no suitable solution.
In US-A-3,070,095 i8 disclosed a plural layer mate-rial which can be used for or as the relevant absorbing articles, having a skin to~lch;n~ layer of a thin, loose and soft, liquid absorbing material of cellulose which, on at least one side, is coated with a moisture tight substance, which, however, will permit a closet ~ll7ch~g of the article~ the inner sides are impregnated with a particular absorption material, also of a decompQR~hle character. These articles will be highly unsuitable b~ e in order to be flushable they should exhibit such a low wet strength that they will become more or less disintegrated already when in use. Inversely, in a prac~c~lly usable quality they will not be suited to be flushed out, particularly not the larger sizes, as there are not ~loposed any measures for facilitating the flllch; r~g On this baCk~L OUI~d it is proposed by the present invention to design the rele~ant articles in such a manner that on the place of use it will be possible to effect an easy separation of the absorption material from the ~u~L~ ing envelope, it being aimed hereby that the envelope material can be h~n~led as solid refu-se with a relatively small volume, while the absorption material, which accounts for the major part of the vol-ume and is easily biologically decompocAhle, can be ~i~rosed of by simple closet flushing. This may be con-ditioned, by way of example, by the pad being separated or easily ~eparable in two or more parts, such that these will bs of a reduced size, making them suitable for this type of removal.
As far as hygienic pads are concerned the invention . ~ WO 94115563 2 1 ~ 3 2 6 7 PCT/DKg4100008 may be realized in that the envelope ~L~o~ n~ the pad material is provided with a tearing facility that makes it ~o~sihle to break the envelope for easy separation of the inner pad or the separate parts, of which it con-sists, such that the user can easily separate the used article in an envelope portion to be treated as kitchen refuse and one or preferably more ~ r pad portions for immediate closet flllchin~.
As far as ~ rs are concerned the situation is somewhat different, because the diapers as a whole can-not be regarded ~s a pad or an insert, as they are com-plete garment articles comprising both the absorbing material pad and an associated garment portion for moun-ting on the body of the chil~. For the ~i~ros~hl~ dia-pers here considered it is characteristic that the gar-ment portion is constituted by projecting extensions of the sheet materials encasing the moisture absorbing material pad, and with the invention an extra advantage will be gained when the pad material can be separated from the casing material and these materials be treated in respective optimized manners.
Particularly as far as ~;~r~rs are ~oncorned it will be especi~lly advantageous if, on thi~ h~k~Jr~
and in aCcor~an~c with the present i-~vel~ion~ the devel-opment is ~LVU~hl back to the use of washable textile materials for the envelope or garment portion. This portion may very advantageously be made of cotton or a correspondingly washable and skin friendly material, whereby the ~i~p~rs will consist of a reusable casing/garmQnt portion and a disposable absorption pad or in~ert.
For the refuse h~n~l ing it will be of noticeable importance that a substantial part of the mass of dia-pers, viz, the casing or garment portions, will thus be le~t out ~rom the refusQ or at l~ast only appear ther~in a~ter many times o~ use. ThQsQ textile articles should WO s4nss~3 215 3 2 6 7 not be dimensioned 80 as to be operatively absorbing, themselves, as the absorption is safeguarded by the insert pads, so they may be desi~ne~ as non- voluminous art$cles which can be washed or co-w~chP~ in ordinary household W~Chin~ ma~hinec without lo~;n~ these unduly, and the result will be that the visible refu~e is redu-ced to a minimum while the user comfort of the ~ro~-~ble diapers can be increased no~ hly, without the removal costs being noticeably increased otherwise.
Particularly as far as ~i~p~rs are conc~rned the refuse products will not only be liguid, but also fae-ces. ~hese are befor~h~ well suited for delivery to the most in~Yr~n~ive waste handling system, ~iz. by fl~hin~ to the sewer system, and here there will be no problem~ with ~ to ~eparation o~ this waste in ~maller units fit to be flushed. For that sake the fae-ces could be delivered directly to the outside of the liguid absorbing pad portions, when these are preadapted to be flushed out.
However, for the invention it is a preferred fea-ture that the casing or garment portion is prov~ded with ~n inwardly facing rock~t or flap portion of a liquid permeable and non-absorbing textile material, such that this flap portion may, in a permanent manner, form the desired dry ~eparation between the skin ~nd the absor-bing body, i.e. without this body or pad itself having to be provided with such an outer layer. This, of cour-se, will contribute to the low costs of the insert pads, which will not, then, need to have such a cover layer of their own. The ~aeces will be deposited directly on the said flap portion, but ~or the user it will be easy to pour or shake the ~aeces from the opened diaper into the closet and therea~ter take or pour out the insert pad or pad portions the same way.
The pad ~ember may be producQd bQ~orQhand in a way ~uch that it appQars as a unit o~ su~icient ~ize, y~

WO ~/lS~ 2 1 5 3 2 6 7 PCT~Kgl o~wi s being divided in mutually coh~rent areas which are easi-ly separable, e.g. already by the action of the water in the fl~-Ch~ system. Thereby the user may h~n~le the pad ~ember as a coherent, relatively large unit both when laying it into the textile garment casing and by the later removal therefrom, such that the pad w~ll automa-t~ ly be separated into smaller parts that are co,.v~y-able through the ~2w- 1 system without problems.
optionally, the said flap portion may be prepared for the holding to the textile part in being stitched thereto at one end and provided with a burr tape at the opposite, free end.
The actual diaper inserts can be made as relatively ino~roncive and small members, whereby it will also be easier to produce and store them in different designs, e.g. in particularly adapted designs for girls and boys and in different sizes and different absorption capaci-ties. It is important here that the diurnal rhythm of the children enable a differentiated application of pads with different absorption capacities, because at several of the changings it is then possible to use cheaper pads with reduced capac~ty relati~e to the high night capa-city normally aimed at. It is to be noticed that every unused capacity, e.g. during the day hours, will mean a certain ma~s of refuse lo~A;ng any removal system in an unnoco~-~ry way, while also the same mass or amount has had to be pro~t7ce~, mostly as wood pulp. In connection with the invention, of course, the same size of diaper casing can be used with pad inserts of different capaci-ties.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the said ~lap portion is ~ade with such an oversize that it can be u~ed for a real packing in of the pad member, which, by the a~sociated stabilization, may be produced in a low- coherent quality promoting the flu~habillty, and tha absorbing ln~ert may be a bunch or a paper wrappQd wo ~lss63 2 1 S 3 2 6 7 PcT/DR~ ww8 pack of fully 1008e, llnho?~A~A fibres.
In the following the invention is described in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which:-Fig. 1 i8 a plan view o~ a ~ r member accordingto the il-~e,-Lion;
Fig. 2 is a ~v~ rQnA~n~ view of a diaper insert;
Fig. 3 is a ~el~ective ViQW of a hygienic pad;
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of a diaper garment according to the invention;
Fig. 5 is a ~eL~ective view of a preferred embodi-ment of a diaper according to the il.~enLion;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view thereof;
Figs. 7 ~nd 8 are sec~ion~l view of a pad insert therefor, and Figs. 9 and 10 are a perspective view and an end view, respectively, of an insert according to the inven-tion.
The ~ ~ shown in Fig. 1 comprises an outer cover or garment portion 2 made of cotton or a ~o~e~ .ding textile material. This material does not, itself, con-stitute the rele~ant absorbent of the diaper, and the cover 2, there~ore, can be made as a lightweight pro-duct, preferably consisting of two textile layers 4 with an intermedi~te layer 6 of a liquid tight material, this layer being somQwhat retracted from the edge o~ the cover. In order ~or the cover to be easy to wash and dry, in~tead of pure cotton it may consist of a mixture, e.g. 60 % cotton and 40 % polyester, which will also improve the lifetime of the product. The contents of artificial fibres ~ay even be still higher, since there is no need for any absorbing capacity, and the modern arti~icial materials can be made so that they are very soft and com~ortable. In a manner not ~hown the co~er can be provided with -apecial closing ~acilities, e.g.
burr tapes, ~u~t as it may otherwise be prepared with a high quality, e.g. with in~ ated rubber bands at the W094/lSS~ 2 1 5 3 2 6 7 PCT~K9uOW~8 ~dges of the side constrictions; it will be acceptable that the product is considerably more eYrDncive than a disposable ~i~rDr, as it may be Used hundreds of times and mole~er be more comfortable every time.
At the tight places around the legs and the waist the cover will provide a plea8ant, breathing textile contact, hDc~ e the layer 6 is ~eL~acted from the edge of the cover, while this layer will otherwise ~Le~ L
access of liquid to the textile layer facing the skin.
It should be mentioned that it is not even n~c~s~ry for the layer 6 to be located s~aced from the edge, as the skin will be ~o~he~ by a breathing textile layer any-way. The edge area of the layer 6 may then be effect~ve-ly prevented from ~onching the skin by making the edge seam on an outwardly folded edge fold of the workpiece.
At the interior side of the cover 2 there is secur-ed by stitchi ng, at 8, a textile flap 10 of a liquid permeable, non-absorbing material, e.g. of the type known from the inner side of disposable ~i~p~rs, but optionally of a still better quality. This flap co~el~
the entire critical area and is adapted to cover a dia-per pad 12 that is laid under the flap. Optionally, the free end of the ~lap may be adapted to be fastened re-leasably to the cover 2, e.g. by means of burr loc~in~.
The diaper pads, as mentioned, may be manufa~
in dif~erent models, partly for girls and boys, respec-tively, partly with different sizes, and partly with different absorbing capacities. The pads or inserts may be made from fibre mass without any kind of envelope, optionally only with an increased conc~ntration of bind-ing fibres on the flat sides, and with an adjusted con-tent of a ~uper absorbing substance. The pads may be closed at the edges by welding or any other manner. At their outsides they may carry a ccuple of strips of adhesive that will stabilize them in their mounted con-dition.

WO g411~563 2 1 5 3 2 6 7 ~cr It will be possible to adapt the pads to the waste or deomposition system to which the used pads are deli-vered, for example combustion, direct composting or composting from the sewer system, after closet f ~n the latter case. The larger pads may be unfit for direct fl~ n~, but ~ ~o~ing to the invention they may be ~h~vided in two or more pieces that are easy to separate in ~onn~ction with their removal from from the cover, e. g . in connection with a joining area already being we~k~nP~ in the wet ~L L 0~ S prior to that removal. The flur~in~ will be an attractive possibility, and since the user will normally be c~i-ci~us of the ~act that whole pads may choke the downlet, the user will then be motivated to carry out a modest activity for effecting the required separation, when the pads are suitably prepared. They may cosist of mutually separated pad portions joined only by an adhesive tape to form the entire pad, and the user should then only tear up a portion of this tape for separating the pad. Fig. 2 shows a diaper pad 12 with an indicated separation area 14.
Fig. 3 shows a hygienic pad comprising a corre-sponding absorbing pad 12 xulL~u.lded ~y a casing having a liquid tight outer layer and a non-absorbing, liquid permeable inner layer. A~ ding to the invention this casing is provided with a tear up cord 16 enabling the user to open the casing in a simple manner for dropping the used pad in the closet and subsequent handling of the casing as solid waste. Alternatively, one side may be in two pieces, joined by a removable adhering tape.
It is a further possibility that also ordinary di~o-~hle diapers may be designed according to the principle here disclosed, i.e. with a removable insert pad for removal by ~lushing, while it will then only be the rQmaining part of the diaper that loads the house-hold re~use generally.

WO g4/lS563 2 1 ~ 3 2 6 7 Fig. 4 shows a diaper garment or cover ~o~
ing to Fig. 1, where only now the flap 10 is stitched or otherwise secured to the main portion along three sides, such that an ~lon~Ate rock~t is formed, ~cco~eible from ~he rear end of the ~r~ for i~lL~G~uction of a hand and therewith also for both insertion and removal of a ~p~r pad 12. Thus, this pad will be totally ~ L-Q~Led inside the pocket, whereby the demand for rigidity of the pads can ~e reduced. At the extreme, a handful of loose fibres co~ be sufficient, taken ~rom a mixture of cellulose fibres and fibres of a super absorbing mater~al, but preferably, prefabricated fibre r~.k~q~s should be used, only with a wrapping of paper like toi-let paper, such that the pads, after use, are well 8Ui-ted to be flushed out in the closet after being with-drawn or otherwise manipulated out from the elongate pocket once faeces, if any, are sent the same way.
When the requirements as to the rigidity of the pads are kept low, these pads will be particularly easy to produce in a manner promoting their ability to be removed by flll~h~ng into the sewer system. The pads will not have to be wrapped in any particularly strong mate-rial, and optio~lly they may just be surface coated by ~aying with a suitable binding agent, which h~cQmes p~rtly decom~ already during its stay in the ~iAp~r pocket, once this has been wetted during the use.
After use, the pad will be easy to press or pour out of the diaper pocket, and it is easily beaten apart by the very fll~ch;ng. If desired, the pad may also be dis~o_~d of as a ~ully composti~le solid waste, a so-called green waste product.
PrQfsrably, the length of the pads u~ed is only slightly more than half the length of the pocket. The pad may then be placed correctly all according to the wearer being a girl or a boy, and moreover, ~or particu-larly productive periods such as overnight, two partly WO g4115S63 2 1 5 3 2 ~ 7 PCT/DW4100008 overlapping pads may be placed in the pocket, such that a desirable differentiation is achievable with tha use of cheap st~n~rd compon~nts. It is also a possibility ~hat the pads can be still smaller, both in area and ~hickng~c, whereby the use can be dif~erentiated still more.
As an alternative to the flap 10 of Fig. 1 and the pocket according to Fig. 4, more flaps or half pockets of the liquid permeable material can be used, e.g. a side flap fixed to one of the long sides, Fig. 4, and a half pocket fixed to the other long side and to the ~horter front ~ide, whereby the inserted pad or pads may be easier to remove, even though they will still be well fitabilized in use. Even traditional dis~-c~hle ~i~pPrC
may, advantageously, be arranged in this or a similar manner for enabling a refuse separation between the contents and the cover. -A preferred emho~iment of the ~i~r~r ~eL is shown in Fig. 5. The textile diaper of Fig. 1 is here supple-mented with a stitched on textile strip 20, which in a known manner may form an extrusion barrier towards the sides and rearwardly from the central ~o~ction area.
This strip may consist of the same impermeable, yet breathing material as the intermediate layer 6 in the cover. To one of the sides of this strip there is secu-red a laterally projecting flap portion 22 consisting of the said permeable and non-absorbing material of the flap 10 in Fig. 1. As shown, this flap portion may have bent over side edge portions 24, between which, at the outer end o~ the flap portion, there may be placed an absorbing pad 12, whereafter the flap portion may be folded a couple o~ times until the pad is brought into a posltion in the receiver trough formed by the space inside the strip 20, confer Fi~. 6.
Hereby the pad insert 12 will be easy to mount, but in particular the pad will be ~ffectively enlosed in WO g4115563 2 1 5 3 2 ~ 7 PCTID}C94/00008 ~he flap portion 22 and will be easy to pour out from its mounted position, viz. by a simple lateral tilting of the cover, whereby the pad, all by itself, will roll out from its mounted position, preferably for delivery to the closet for being flushed out.
R~ e the pad 12 will here be particnl~ly well protected inside the folded together flap portion 22 as held inside the rooket 20, the pad may be de igned in a corres~on~in~ly weA~ene~ manner, such that it may be particularly easily disintegratable when poured into the closet.
Peferablyc confer Fig. 7, the pad insert 12 is 7~e~ as a plate 26 of a fibrous, absorbing material ~uLL~u~lded by a wrapping 28 of a paper of low wet ~L~ h, i.e. of the toilet paper type, which may be wrapped one or more times about the fibre plate 26. In Fig. 7 the paper is shown wr~rp~ one and a half time, whereby there will be double layer ~L~e~.yLh at one side, while at the side edges there is only a single layer of paper. When the f~bre plate 26 ~Xp~n~C by li~uid absorp-tion these side edge areas will be stretched by the associated thickening o~ the plate, whereby the paper will burst such that the wrapping will not thereafter hold the fibre plate package 26 together. The pad insert may thus be ~ d out in an already partly disintegra-ted condition, whereby, by the ~l~tshing itself, it is readily further disintegrated.
As already mentioned in connection with ~ig. 3, the pad may be provided with a tear cord 16, which, however, will now refer to a tearing of the paper casing around the ~ibre packaga 26 for ensuring an easy ~lushability of th~ entire pad insert 12. It is to be noted that aeces, i~ any, will have been delivered to the closet already be~ore it becomes actual to handle the pad in-sert, whereby it will be a clean and simple operation to break up the pad ~or ensuring a ~a~e ~lu~hing thereo~.

WO ~1~5~ PCT~K9~K~8 . ~ 21~3267 It will even be a further pOSsibility to create, in c~nection with the mounting of the pad, an operative connection with the ~i~r~ or the flap 22, e.g. with the use of an adhering zone, such that already by the very pouring out of the pad the pad will get torn without any separate ma~ip~ tion.
In Fig.8 it is shown that instead of a single fibre plate 26 two mutually separated plates or pads 30 may be used. In principle, such a division may occur in both the longit~ al and the transverse direction, whereby it is preen~ured that the pads are divided into relati-~ely small pieces that are flushable without problems.
This may cause difficulties in the production, but al-ready a simple two part division of the ~ibre plate in the longitudinal or the transverse direction will pro-vide a good result.
Fig. 9 shows that the pad 12 may appear as a suita-bly closed package, with the paper wrapping 28 closed by a stamping 32 at the ends. Thus, such a pad may as a whole be flushed out in the closet after use, in a a more or less disintegrated condition.
In connection with the invention it has been reali-zed that with the use of simple fibre packages 26,30 with an even material distribution, including that of the superabsorbing material, it will be advantageous to make arrangements for facilitating the distribution of spotwise applied liquid over the whole area of the pad, such that the absorption capacity may be fully exploi-ted. For that reason, Figs. g and lo show that the pad 12 may be designed with stamped surface grooves 34, along which the liquid may be distributed all over the pad area.
It should be mentioned that for a further optimi-zing in this respect paper wrappings may be used, the ~ibre direction of which will predominantly promotQ a liquid spreading in the longitudinal direction of the :

wo s4n~s63 K:T~DK~8 ~ 2153267 pad. M~o~r, ~t i8 ~ ihle to c~oo~ ~or the flap 22 a fabric with good liquid sprs~n~ Ah~l~ti~5 Even t h~ h the pad, when removed, has not been fully u~ d, it ~ill have been wetted at least o~er a partial area, 5Uff i ~i ~ntly to weaken the paper wrapping in order to ~e c-~ly broken- Most u~ers will automati-¢ally make ~ure that the used pad i8 at least partially ~roken before dsli~ering it to the closet, and as the flap fabric 22 will typ~c~lly be a deformable knitted ~Lo~UCt the u~er may easily and as a matter of routine effect a br~Ak~ n~ of the pad by external m~n~r~tion of ~he wrapping 22 or for that sake the entire relevant area of the ~;Ar~. There~ore, special means for br~ak-~~ng up the pads ~o~ well be renol~n~o~. -.

Claims (11)

AMENDED CLAIMS

1. A garment article of the diaper type for use in combination with an absorbing fibrous pad body enclosed so as to be accessible for liquid from one side, through a permeable non-absorbing cover sheet, while at the opposite side the pad body is covered by a liquid imper-meable able material, characterized in that the diaper garment article is a washable and reusable textile unit comprising, generally at least two textile layers and an intermediate liquid impermeable barrier layer, the skin contact side of the article being provided with an open-able and closable pocket or flap formation constituting said permeable, non-absorbing cover sheet and adapted to receive one or more absorbing pads of a flushable type.

2. An article according to claim 1, in which the flap formation is a sheet member secured to the garment along one side or end only, so as to be usable as a wrapping for the absorbing pad or pads.

3. An article according to claim 2, in which the flap sheet member is attached to the garment along a longitudinal seam so as to project therefrom generally in the width direction of the garment.

4. An article according to claim 2, in which the pocket or flap formation is mounted in such a manner that the pad or pads are naturally placeable inside an area delimited by a freely outstanding barrier edge strip on the inside of the diaper garment.

5. An article according to claim 2, in which the flap formation is made with folded side edge portions to accommodate opposed pad edge areas.

6. As a commercially available, disposable refill for mounting in reusable, purpose adapted holding gar-ment articles, preferably as claimed in claim 1, an absorbing pad member having a body of absorption materi-al and an outer wrapping or coating of an easily break-able material, e.g. of toilet paper type, so as to be disposable by flushing.

7. A refill pad member according to claim 6 and made with a low wet strength, either as a whole or/and in areas of separation between partial areas thereof.

8. A refill pad member according to claim 6, made with means for tearing up the pad.

9. A refill pad according to claim 6 and made with an adhering area for adhesion to the holding garment.

10. A refill pad according to claim 6, made with exterior longitudinal grooves and, optionally, with other measures for the spreasing of locally received liquid.

11. An article according to claim 1 and an associa-ted refill pad member according to claim 6, characteri-zed in that one or both of these elements are prepared such that between them there is arranged an engagement to the effect that the refill pad, when removed or pour-ed out, will automatically be disintegrated at least partially.