GB2130076A

GB2130076A - Soil-limiting underpants

Info

Publication number: GB2130076A
Application number: GB08329265A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dr Harold Cantor
Original assignee: CHARMFORM Ltd
Current assignee: CHARMFORM Ltd
Priority date: 1982-11-10
Filing date: 1983-11-02
Publication date: 1984-05-31
Also published as: GB8329265D0

Abstract

A pair of underpants, for example of double-front-gusset construction, has a substantially water-impervious layer 25 (dashed outline 26) at and adjacent to the vulnerable portion of the underpants. The layer is an interlining material between elements (i.e. an inner and outer gusset) of a two-layer crutch part 15 of the underpants. Thus, the risk is avoided of minor urine staining of the interior of the underpants passing through to the exterior, where it may be visible through lightweight and light coloured outer garments, and even extend as staining into same. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Soil-limiting underpants The invention concerns improvements in and relating to clothing particularly clothing worn next to, usually, in contact with genital regions, and which, for the sake of convenience we shall herein call "underpants" though that term is intended to have as broad a meaning as is permitted by the content and context of this invention as set out herein.

It is normal as people grow older for the mechanism for controlling passage of urine to become weaker or less effective, though not ineffective or unpredictable as occurs with incontinence. The effects are a reduced pressure in urine as it is passed and a tendency to drip or dribble for a short, but significant, time after the desire or wish to pass urine is satisfied. It is with the non-instantaneous stopping at the end of passing urine, and the consequent slight yellow staining of adjacent clothing that this invention is concerned, particularly with preventing such staining from affecting clothes exterior of what are herein called underpants themselves.

Clearly, portable containers, as for incontinence, or elasticated-aperture waterproof outer pants, as for wearing outside babies nappies are entirely unappropriate.

Accordingly, this invention proposes an underpants garment in which at and adjacent to the vulnerable portion only there is an incorporated substantially water-impervious layer, preferably as an interlining material between elements of a two-layer crutch part of the garment.

Preferred embodiments hereof utilise over the whole underpants garment a material that presents an inner surface to the wearer that is kind to the skin, but with and exteriorly of that inner surface a patch-like portion of another material, or suitable treatment of the exterior surface of the first material, that is or is rendered substantially water-impervious.

Specific embodiments of this invention, as will be described, can conveniently utilise a patch of substantially water-impervious material secured at least at or near its edges over the crutch portion of a normal or desired underpants material, preferably with the patch of material itself substantially covered by normal or desired material, when the substantially water-impervious material will be substantially hidden from normal view and touch.

For men's underpants, the substantially waterimpervious layer can extend from adjacent the customary slit or flap allowing access to and for taking out the penis, say as material sewn into the side hemming or edging of the garment at that position. In a double-gusset-fronted garment, the outer gusset is often effectively a continuation of the garment material over the aforementioned slit or flap at a side of the crutch region to a further slit or flap at the other side of the crutch region and above an inner layer of material extending to form the inner gusset, and, then, the substantially water-impervious layer hereof is conveniently over the inner gusset and of or secured thereto, but not to the outer gusset.However, the opposite arrangement of substantially water-impervious layer interior of the outer gusset and of or secured thereto but not to the inner gusset could be used if desired. Moreover, in either case, if desired to stop penis contact with the substantially waterimpervious layer (often cold to the touch), that layer may be further covered with material kind to the skin.

For women's or men's brief-style or slip type underpants, there is, clearly no need for such first penis-access slit or flap, to one side of substantially water-impervious layer, but an outer layer of normal or desired underpants material may be left with a flap or slit at some position over the substantially water-impervious layer so as not to entrap water and inhibit drying when the garment is laundered.

It is found that any minor urine staining of the interior of underpants hereof, i.e. inside the water impervious layer, is no less readily removed by normal laundry than for conventional underpants.

However, the risk is avoided of such staining passing through to the exterior of the underpants, whereat it may be visible through lightweight and/or light coloured outer garments, even extend as staining into same (which is generally a great deal more difficult to remove by laundry).

Moreover, carefully designed garments hereof are not increased in bulkiness to any unsightly extent below normal further clothing and the substantially water-impervious layer need not be visible at all even with normal further clothing removed.

Specific implementation of this invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of one type of an underpants garment or part thereof; Figures 2, 3 and 4 are sections on the lines X, Y and Z of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a front view of another type of an underpants garment or part thereof; and Figure 6 is a modified underpants garment of Figure 5.

In Figure 1, what is shown represents either the front of a pair of men's underpants or a front panel therefor, depending on whether it is made from front and rear panels seamed at its sides 11, 12 or effectively a piece returned for ends-connection at one side seam 11 or 12. Hemmed, probably at least somewhat gently resilient, leg holes are shown at 13, 14 to each side of a crutch part 1 5, and an elasticated waist band is shown at 16.

A double-front-gusset construction is shown where a first piece of normal underpants material extends at 1 7 from side 11 across to a position 1 8 at and above the other side of the crutch part 1 5 whereat it will be edge finished (see 19 in Figure 3), and a second piece of material extends at 20 from side 12 through the position 18 and over the edge 1 9 of the first piece across to a position 21 at and above the other side of the crutch part 1 5, whereat it too is edge finished (see 22 in Figure 4).The result is a construction where an opening at the position 1 8 between the first piece 1 7 and the overlying second piece 20 communicates with an opening at the position 1 7 between the second piece 20 and the underlying first piece 1 7. It is through these communicating openings that the penis is accessible and can be taken out when required.

The overlapped regions of the first and second pieces constitute inner and outer gussets, see 23 and 24 in Figure 2. Between those gussets, and preferably near-coextensive therewith is a layer 25 of substantially water-impervious material of suitably comfortable flexibility. As shown, that layer 25 constitutes a patch-like interlining that is actually secured at least at its edges, and preferably only so if done by sewing to the inner gusset 23, exteriorly of the latter and entirely covered by the outer gusset 24.

A dashed outline is shown at 26 for preferred minimum extent of the patch-like layer 25 to make a neat garment with the layer 25 stitched into position near its edges (say along dashed outline 26) or even taken into available seaming/edging at the position 1 8, the lower parts of the leg hole edges 13, 14 the junction with the waist band 1 6, and any bottom seam near the head of arrow 1 5.

The thicknesses, spacings, extents and specific design shown in Figures 1 to 4 are not intended to do any more than serve present purposes of illustration of one application of the invention.

Concerning the patch-like layer 25, it could clearly stop short of the top of the garment, say about the level of junctions of the positions 18,21 with the leg-holes, but should extend far enough down to be below the testicles and thus beyond where it can be missed by drips or dribbles from the end of the penis.

Moreover, the patch-like layer 25 could, if desired or preferred, be secured to the inside of the outer gusset rather than to the outside of the inner gusset.

In either case, a light gauze or other material could be secured over the patch-like layer 25, see 27 in Figures 2 to 4, to prevent direct peniscontact with "cold" water-impervious material, typicaily of suitable plastics such as used for baby's nappy pants.

The invention is, of course, equally applicable to other designs of mens underpants, such as the popular brief-style or slip type underpants and jock straps, many of which have support seaming that will afford a convenient bounded or partially bounded region for the substantially water impervious patch-like layers hereof, which may then be covered by further material as, how and if desired, possibly seamed round entirely as penis exit will often not need then to pass across from one side to the other of that layer.

Adaptation to women's or men's brief-style or slip type underpants should be readily apparent, say simply by omitting the opening at position 1 8 for a double-front-gusset design, effectively simply adding the layer 25 or its equivalent as a patch over the appropriate local region and covering it, if desired, with further underpants material, if desired secured down all round.

Figures 5 and 6 show a men's brief-style or slip type garment 30, in which the water-impervious patch-like layer (shown in dashed outline 32), is seamed round entirely. The layer is sandwiched between an outer and inner layer of the garment, and forms an integral part of the garment.

In Figure 6, the water-impervious patch-like layer does not extend down to the crutch part of the garment, which, in use, covers the perinem of a wearer. Furthermore, the incorporation of an impervious layer in a brief-style or slip type garment can lead to impairment in the stretchability of the garment. In order to overcome this, a dart or tapering fold 34 is provided in the outer layer or panel of the garment in order to give a positive pouch shape to the garment. The pouch shape permits a closer fit of the garment around the male genitals and provides necessary stretch in the garment.

In referring to edge-stitching of patches, it is not, of course, intended to rule out other methods of attachment, such as heat sealing, adhesive, etc.

Another envisaged type of attachment is cooperating interlatching formations secured to "shapes" of water-impervious material. Such formations include "Velcro" (Registered Trade Mark) strips or eye-and-hook catches. Thus, the material, which is separate and shaped, can be added to an existing double-front gusset construction pair of underpants.

It will be evident that small areas of substantially water-impervious materials carry negligible risk of increased sweating in the crutch region, especially as such areas need not extend right through to the rear.

Claims

1. An underpants garment comprising at and adjacent to the vulnerable portion only an incorporated substantially water-impervious layer.

2. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the layer is an interlining material between elements of a two-layer crutch part of the garment.

3. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 1 or 2 having over the whole garment a first material that presents an inner surface to the wearer that is kind to the skin, but with and exteriorly of that inner surface a patch-like portion of the first material or a second material that is or is rendered substantially water-impervious.

4. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the patch of substantially water impervious material is secured at least at or near its edges over the crutch portion of a normal or desired underpants material.

5. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 4, wherein the patch itself is substantially covered by the normal or desired underpants material to stop cold contact with the wearer's skin.

6. An underpants garment as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the substantially water-impervious layer extends from adjacent the customary slit or flap allowing access to and for taking out the penis, the layer material being sewn into the side hemming or edging of the garment at that position.

7. An underpants garment as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the substantially water-impervious layer extends from adjacent the customary slit or flap allowing access to and for taking out the penis, the layer material being securable to a manufactured pair of underpants.

8. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 7, wherein the layer material is securable to the said normal or desired underpants material by means of cooperating interlatching formations.

9. An underpants garment as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein, for a double-gussetfronted garment, the substantially waterimpervious layer is over and of or secured to one of the confronting inner surfaces of the inner and outer gussets, respectively.

10. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the substantially waterimpervious layer is over the inner gusset and of or secured thereto.

11. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the layer is further covered with material kind to the skin, thereby stopping penis contact therewith.

12. An underpants garment as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein, for women's or men's brief-style or slip type underpants the substantially water-impervious layer is sandwiched between an inner and outer layer of normal or desired underpants material, the layer being secured to the inner and outer layers by seaming round entirely the layer.

13. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 12, wherein a dart is provided in the inner and outer layers of normal or desired underpants material flanking the substantially waterimpervious layer, in order to give shape and stretchability to the garment.

14. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein an outer layer of normal or desired underpants material is left with a flap or slit at some position over the substantially waterimpervious layer so as not to entrap water and inhibit drying when the garment is laundered.

1 5. An underpants garment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the patch-like portion of the first material is rendered substantially waterimpervious by spray treating with a water-proofing agent, or by ironing on a substantially waterimpervious layer.

1 6. An underpants garment substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 5 or 6 of the accompanying drawings.