GB2174288A

GB2174288A - Male incontinence briefs

Info

Publication number: GB2174288A
Application number: GB08521020A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham Emery Steer
Original assignee: Craig Medical Products Ltd
Current assignee: Craig Medical Products Ltd
Priority date: 1985-04-29
Filing date: 1985-08-22
Publication date: 1986-11-05
Also published as: GB8521020D0

Abstract

A pair of men's pants or briefs (200) includes a pocket located in the crotch region (212) and defined by an outer wall of a liquid-impermeable material which is longer than it is wide and an inner wall of like material which has a central hole therein, and the outer and inner walls are positioned so as to retain, in use, an elongate absorbent pad in the pocket. The pad is retained with its marginal edges sandwiched between the inner and outer walls and its central region in registry with the hole ready to absorb any urine which may be discharged. The dimensions of the garment are chosen so that the hole in the inner wall is located, substantially in registry with the penis when the briefs are being worn. <IMAGE>

Description

1

GB 2 174 288 A

1

SPECIFICATION Male incontinence briefs

5 This invention relates to incontinence briefs for use by males.

It has been proposed forexample in British Patent No. 1,441,087 (KANGA) to provide a pocketfora pad of absorbent material which in use absorbs accidentally-10 discharged urine. For briefs intended for normal or daily wear ratherthan hospital orgeriatric use, it is desirable to have a pocket which (1) allows easy insertion and removal of a pad, (2) securely retains a pad in position once inserted, (3) is comfortable, (4) 15 does not bulge and is unobtrusive and (5) prevents so far as possible any urine reaching fabric parts of the garment. The present invention has been developed in an attemptto address these conflicting and demanding requirements.

20 According to one aspect ofthe invention, a pairof briefs includes a pocket in the crotch region of which an innerwall and an outerwall are of liquid impermeable material such as thin rubber, rubberised cloth, or acrylic nylon, andthe innerwall hasa hole 25 therein which is covered on the body side thereof by a liquid-permeablefabric such as an elasticated open-weave cotton or cotton-synthetic mixture.

In this specification the words inner and outer are used in relation to a garment as worn.

30 According to a second aspect ofthe invention, a pair of pants or briefs includes a pocket located in the crotch region and defined by an outerwall of a liquid-impermeable material which is longerthan it is wide and an innerwall of like material which has a 35 central holetherein,andtheouterandinnerwallsare positioned so as to retain, in use, an elongate absorbent pad in the pocket with its marginal edges sandwiched between the inner and outer walls and its central region in registry with the hole ready to absorb 40 any urine which may be discharged.

The dimensions ofthe garment are chosen so that the hole in the innerwall is located substantially in registry with the penis when the briefs are being worn.

According to a third aspect ofthe invention, a pairof 45 Y-front(R.T.M-) type briefs for male wear includes a pocket located in the crotch region, the pocket having at least one opening for insertion of an absorbent pad, the opening being angled to the vertical and defined by attachment of an outerliquid-impermeablewall of 50 the pocketto an outerfabric part ofthe garment along a limb ofthe Y seam and attachment of an innerwall of the pocketto an inner fabric part of the garment along a similarly-located seam.

According to a fourth aspect ofthe invention, in a 55 pairof angled seam type briefs for incontinence use, a pocket located in the crotch region and which can receive an absorbent pad is in part defined by front and rear walls of liquid-impermeable material, the top front edges of these walls being joined together and to 60 the fabric of the garment at the waistband thereof, and two entry openings into the pocket are provided by joining the said front wall {and not the said rea r wal I)

to the fabric of the front panel of the garment, the front and rear walls being unconnected along at least a 65 substantial length of each Y-seam ofthe garment.

With such an arrangement, the rear liquid-imperme-ablewall may have an opening therein substantially in registry with the penis ofthe wearer. This opening allows entry of excreted urine into the pocket where it 70 is absorbed by an absorbent pad.

Furtherfeatures of the invention will be better understood from the following non-limiting description of an example thereof given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-75 Figure 1 is a front view of a pairof briefs in accordance with one example ofthe invention; and

Figure 2 is a sketch showing the shape of panels including two liquid impermeable panels which may be used to define a pocketfor receiving an absorbent 80 pad,inthebriefsofFigure1;

Figure3isafrontviewofapairof Y-f ro nt ty pe b ri efs in accordance with an example ofthe invention; and

Figure 4 illustrates a series of panels which may be used to provide a pocketfor an absorbent pad in the 85 briefsofFigure4.

In the drawings, like numerals represent like parts.

The invention aims to provide versatile briefs especially suitable for wear by active persons who suffer mild incontinence, moreoverfor user accepta-90 bility it is desirable that the briefs should approximate as closely as possible to currently available styles and fashions intended forthose not incontinent.

Referring nowto Figures 1 and 2,the illustrated briefs 10 have frontand rearpanels 12,14of 95 conventional elasticated fabric, a waist band 16 and a crotch portion 18. The crotch portion hasa pocket therein defined by outer and inner walls 20,22 of liquid impermeable material. The outer wall 20 is located within but closely adjacent to thefabric21 ofthe 100 crotch portion ofthe briefs and is of corresponding shape. The innerwall 22 has a shaped hole 24therein which in use is the path for any expelled urine to reach an absorbent pad (not shown for clarity of illustration). In use, the absorbent pad, not shown in Figures 1 and 105 2, is located between the walls 20,22. The hole 24 is illustrated as approximately oval but may be of any convenient shape.

Thetwo walls20,22 are held in place in part by seams 30 which provide the rim ofthe leg holes 32, in 110 part by a cross-seam 34 atthe base ofthe crotch portion and in part by a seam 35 to the waistband 16. The seam 34 connects the ends 36,38 ofthe walls 20, 22 respectively to thefabric21 ofthe garment. A seam 37 connects edge 47 thefront wall 20 (but notthe rear 115 wall 22) to the fabric 12 ofthe garment, and a seam 39 likewise connects the other edge 47 of the front wall to the garment. The edges 47,49 ofthe inner and outer walls 20,22 are not connected together but are left free to provide gaps between these walls. The ends 44,45 120 ofthe walls 20,22 are attached bytheseam 35 to the waistband. These gaps are at the top front corners of the pocket and either gap can serve for insertion and removal of an absorbent pad (not shown). The possibilitiesfor insertion and removal are indicated by

The claims were filed later than the filing date within the period prescribed by Rule 25(1) ofthe Patents Rules 1982.

2

GB 2 174 288 A

2

the arrows x and y in Figure 1. The two walls 20 and 22 may optionally be joined together additionally by leg opening seams 46, Figure 1.

A further alternative embodiment ofthe invention is 5 illustrated in Figures 3 and4, which show male briefs ofthe Y-fronttype. The illustrated briefs 200 have conventional frontfabricpanels 202 and 204 which are a continuation of a conventional rear panel, part of which is seen at 206. The briefs have leg openings 205 10 and a conventional waistband 208. A"Y" seam 210, 5:11 joined the panels 202 and 204to a crotch portion 212. In this embodiment ofthe invention the crotch portion includesfoursuperposed layers, held together by the Y seam 211 and a cross-seam 214. The 15 layers are best seen in Figure 5. The outer panel 216 is of conventional fabric. The next panel 218 is of liquid impermeable material and serves as one wall ofthe pocket. The next panel 220 is of liquid impermeable material and has a hole 222, e.g. of oval shape, therein. 20 The inner panel 224 is of a liquid permeablefabric which preferably has a double fold structure ofthe kind illustrated in Figure 5. In use, an absorbent pad specially constructed for absorbing any accidentally discharged urine is inserted between the panels 218 25 and 220. To facilitate this insertion, thefour panels are secured together bytheseam211 and there isa pad insertion opening in seam 210, which isformed by one seam which joins the panels 216 and 218 and another seam which joins the panels 220 and 224. With this 30 construction, the comfort and appearance of Y-fronts are obtained in incontinence briefs.

Referring nowto Figure 5, this is a diagrammatic cross-section through the inner panel 51 (Figure 2) or the inner panel 224 (Figure 4). Either of these may be 35 made of a liquid-permeable fabric, for example an "Aertex" cotton fabric. The liquid-permeablefabric 51 or 224 is arranged in a double fold structure and held in place overthe hole 124 by the seam diagrammati-cally indicated by 30,34,35, Figure 1 or211,214, 40 Figure 3. The presence ofthe extra layers of fabric so obtained has been found to give improved comfort to some wearers. In Figure 2, thefold lines are indicated at 53, and in Figure4, at 225.

It will be understood that obvious modifications and 45 variations, e.g. in material chosen, pattern, and dimensions will occur to one skilled in the art, andthe invention is regarded as including all such modifications and variations.

Claims

50 1. Apairofincontinencebriefsforusebymales including a pocket in the crotch region of which an innerwall and an outerwall are of liquid impermeable material such as thin rubber, rubberised cloth, or acrylicnylon,theinnerwall having a holetherein 55 which is covered on the body side thereof by a liquid-permeablefabric such as an elasticated open-weave cotton or cotton-synthetic mixture.
2. A pair of pants or briefs including a pocket located in the crotch region and defined by an outer 60 wall of a liquid-impermeable material which is longer than it is wide and an innerwall of like material which has a central holetherein, in which the outer and inner walls are positioned so as to retain, in use, an elongate absorbent pad in the pocket with its marginal edges 65 sandwiched between the inner and outerwalisand its central region in registry with the hole ready to absorb any urinewhich may bedischarged.
3. A pair of briefs according to Claim 2 in which the dimensions ofthe garment are chosen so that the hole

70 in the innerwall is located, substantially in registry with the penis when the briefs are being worn.
4. A pair of Y-front (R.T.M.) type briefs for male wearincluding a pocket located in the crotch region, the pocket having at least one opening for insertion of

75 anabsorbentpad,theopening beingangledtothe vertical and defined by attachment of an outer liquid-impermeable wall ofthe pocketto an outer fabric part ofthe garment along a limb ofthe Y seam and attachment of an innerwall ofthe pocketto an 80 innerfabric part ofthe garment along a similarly-located seam.
5. Apairof angled seamtype briefsforinconti-nence use by males, including a pocket located in the crotch region and which can receive an absorbent pad,

85 the pocket being in part defined by front and rear walls of liquid-impermeable material, the top front edges of these walls being joined together and to the fabric of the garment at the waistband thereof, and two entry openings into the pocket are provided by joining the 90 saidfrontwall(andnotthesaidrearwall)tothefabric ofthefront panel ofthe garment,thefrontand rear walls being unconnected along at least a substantial length of each Y-seam ofthe garment.
6. A pair of briefs according to Claim 5 in which the 95 rearliquid-impermeablewall has an opening therein substantially in registry with the penis ofthe wearer.
7. Apairof briefs substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 3 and 4, or any of these as modified by Figure 5 ofthe accom-

100 panying drawings.
8. Apairof briefs substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Printed in the United Kingdom for Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 8818935, 11/86 18996. Published at the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC2A 1AY, from which copies may be obtained.