GB2182840A - Absorbent towels - Google Patents

Abstract

An absorbent towel for the slightly incontinent, especially of the male sex, may be formed by an impermeable outer sheet (2), a permeable inner sheet (4) and an intermediate pad of absorbent material (3) which is shorter and narrower than the preferably rectangular, outer and inner sheets, and elastic elements (11) are fixed in a stretched state over the entire length of the outer sheet (2), on the face which is turned towards the inner sheet (4), on both sides of the lateral edges (5) of the pad (3). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An absorbent towel for the slightly incontinent The present invention relates to an absorbenttowel forthe slightly incontinent, formed with a multilayered structure, comprising an outer sheet which is impermeable to liquids, an innersheetwhich is permeableto liquids and an intermediate pad of absorbent material.

Known flat absorbent towels of this type do not give entire satisfaction because their conformation does not correspond to the anatomy ofthe human body, especially in the case of male subjects, and because th airwatertightness often leaves a lot to be desired.

Various attempts have been made to adapt towels to the male anatomy, by the provision of folds, enabl ingtheliningstoadopttheshapeofa "pocket".

Howew '#ese folds complicate the manufacture and in... ec the cost of the linings.

It has, m eover, been proposed, in order to adapt nappie if#a rectangular shape to the anatomy of babies peciallyto improve comfort and watertightne in the region of between the legs and ofthe thighs, 1subject the lateral edges ofthe shaped nap- pies to riicrn-creping by the formation oftransverse micro-folds in the region of between the legs. How ever, the contraction and elasticity obtained by this micro-creping are slight and could not, on an absor bent towel for the incontinent, lead to a conforma tion of the towel improving particularly its adapt ation to the human anatomy, especially male, and its watertightness. What is more, micro-creping com plicates and slows down manufacture of the article.

The present invention has as its aim an absorbent towel for the slightly incontinent, which, whilst being simple to manufacture and of a reduced cost, pres ents a conformation adapted to the human anatomy, notjustofthefemale but above all ofthe male and assures in particular good watertightness.

According to the present invention, there is prov ided an asorbenttowel for the slightly incontinent, especially of the male sex, formed with a multi layered structure, comprising an outer sheet which is impermeable to liquids, an inner sheet which is per meableto liquids and an intermediate pad of absor bent material, the outer sheet and the inner sheet being widerthan the pad of absorbent material and elastic elements being fixed in a stretched state on the outer sheet, on both sides of the longitudinal edges of the pad, (preferably at a distance from these edges), wherein the outer sheet and the inner sheet are likewise longerthan the pad of absorbent material, and wherein the elastic elements are fixed, in a stretched state, on the outersheet, overthe entire length of the outer sheet, in suchawaythatthe parts of the two sheets going beyond the transverse edges of the pad of absorbent material fold back, underthe effect of the elastic elements, in the shape of flaps overthe ends of the pad.

The towel can be manufactured continuously, flat, following atechniquesimilartothatusedforthe manufacture of shaped nappies, especially for babies, by unrolling a continuous impermeable sheet, by depositing absorbent pads at intervals on the said sheet, by fixing continuous elastic elements, in the stretched state, on the sheet, by covering the whole thus formed by a continuous permeable sheet and by transverse cutting of the whole between two absorbent pads each time. Underthe effect ofthe stretched elastic elements, each towel, as soon as it has been cut, adopts a rounded shape, like a shell or scallop.What is more, underthe effect of these stretched elastic elements, the parts of the two sheets extending beyond the transverse edges of the absorbent pad of each towel fold back on themselves in the shape offlaps overthe ends ofthe pad, thus improving the watertightness at the two transverse ex tremities ofthetowel.

Preferably, the elastic elements are fixed on the outer sheet at a distance from the lateral edges ofthe absorbent pad. In fact, that improves the watertight- ness ofthe lining along the lateral edges.

The elastic elements can be flat single strand elas- tics of the laminette type, but from the point of view of comfort and likewise from the point of view of watertightness, it is preferable to use multi-strand el- astics comprising several spaced parallel strands.

) To favour the scallop-like conformation ofthe towel, it is advantageous that the absorbent pad presents, inwards of its lateral edges, longitudinal lines or bands of preferential folding, forexample lines or bands where the pad is crushed.

This conformation as a scallop can likewise befavoured,atthesametimeasthecapacityforabsorption ofthetowel can be improved, if the absorbent pad comprises two layers of different widths, so that thepadtendstoadoptashapelikea U, bypreferential folding along the lateral edges ofthe less wide layer, underthe effect ofthe tension of the elastic elements.

To improve the retention ofthetowel on the user, it is advantageous that the outer sheet carries, on its exterior face, adhesive means, known per se, covered by a detachable protection until the lining is used.

Referring to the attached drawing, an illustrative embodiment, which is not limiting, of an absorbent towel according to the present invention will be described below in more detail; in the drawing; Figure 1 is a perspective view of a towel according to the invention in the relaxed state, that is, shaped like a scallop; and Figure2 is a top view ofthetowel in Figure 1,flat, the elastic elements being stretched.

The absorbent towel 1, for the incontinent, illustra- ted by Figure 1 is constituted, as Figure 2 shows, by a lower sheet 2, of a plastic material which is imper meable to liquids, for example, polyethylene, by an absorbent pad 3, for example of cellulose foam, placed on the lower sheet 2 and by an upper sheet4 which is permeable to liquids, for example a waterrepellent voile of bonded web.

The absorbent pad 3 which is rectangular in shape, is less long and less wide than the sheets 2 and 4, which are also rectangular and are of equal dimensions, so that the two longitudinal or lateral edges 5 of the pad 3 and the two transverse edges 6 ofthe pad 3 stand back towards the interior compared to the longitudinal or lateral edges7andtothetrans- verse edges 8 of the sheets 2 and 4.

Thus there remain, between the longitudinal edges 5 and 7 and between the transverse edges 6 and 8, bands 9 and 10 formed by the two sheets 2 and 4, without intermediate pad 3.

On each lateral or longitudinal band 9, the lower sheet2 is supplied, on the upperface not yet covered by the uppersheet 4, with an elastic element 11, fixed in a stretched state on thesheet2 and extending along the entire length ofthe latter. In the example portrayed, the elastic element 11 is constituted by a multi-strand elastic, comprising two parallel strands.

The assembly ofthe various parts of the towel 1 can be done advantageously by gluing, preferably by the application of longitudinal lines of glue over the lowersheet 2, so thatthe absorbent pad 3 adheres over its entire length and over its entire width to the sheet 2 and so that the uppersheet4 adheres to the sheet 2 on the parts not covered by the pad 3, that is on the bands 9 and 10.

The fixing ofthe elastic elements 11 in a stretched state on the sheet 2 takes place likewise preferably by gluing, before the sheet 4 is applied.

The manufacture ofthe towel 1 takes place con tinuously, by unrolling a continuous sheet 2, apply- ing longitudinal lines of glue overthe sheet 2, placing pre-fabricated absorbent pads 3, at intervals on the pad 2, fixing the continuous elastic elements 11 in a stretched state on the two edges ofthe sheet 2 and applying a continuous u pper sheet 4 over the whole. This is followed afterwards by transverse cutting ofthe continuous whole thus constituted, each time mid-way between two successive absorbent pads 3.

Following this cutting, the elastic elements 11, placed in a stretched state, contract and the absorbent lining adopts, by itself, a shape like a scallop such as that illustrated by Figure 1, the absorbent pad 3 being deformed towards the top both in the longitudinal sense and in the transverse sense, at once. The deformation in the transverse sense is favoured by the provision of two longitudinal bands 1 2 where the pad 3 is crushed Because the elastic elements 11 extend beyond the transverse edges 6 of the absorbent pad 3, they likewise causethe bands 10 to fold back overthetransverse edges 6of the pad 3.

In Figure 1 the transverse and longitudinal folding like a scallop ofthetowel under the effect of the el astic elements can be seen, giving rise to two lines of puckers 13 on the longitudinal edges of the towel and to folding-back, overthe upperface of the pad, which face is covered by the voile 4, of the two end bands formed bythetwosheets2,4withoutinter- mediate absorbent pad.

Thetransversedeformation ofthetowel 1 can likewise be favoured by the use of a double pad instead ofthe simple pad with crushed bands 12 according to Figure 2. In this case a lower pad, having the width and the length ofthe single pad 3 in figure 2 is used and, superposed on this lower pad, an upper pad of the same length, but reduced width. In this way, the transverse deformation of the composite pad takes place in a preferential way, around the longitudinal edges of the more narrow upper pad, that is, it principally affects the lower pad.

Adhesive means, covered before use by protective bands which can be peeled away, are not portrayed in the figures, but such methods, known per se, can be provided on the exterior face ofthe sheet2to improve the retention of the towel on the user.

The elastic elements 11, instead of having two strands can likewise have a single strand or more than two parallel strands.

Claims (6)

1. An asorbenttowel for the slightly incontinent, especially of the male sex, formed with a multilayered structure, comprising an outer sheet which is impermeable to liquids, an inner sheet which is per male to liquids and an intermediate pad of absorbent material, the outer sheet and the inner sheet being widerthan the pad of absorbent material and elastic elements being fixed in a stretched state on the outer sheet, on both sides of the longitudinal edges of the pad, wherein the outer sheet and the innersheetare likewise longerthanthe pad of absorbent material, and wherein the elastic elements are fixed, in a stretched state, on the outer sheet, over the entire length of the outer sheet, in such a way that, the parts of the two sheets going beyond the transverse edges of the pad of absorbent material fold back, under the effect of the elastic elements, in the shape offlaps overthe ends of the pad.

2. A towel according to claim 1, wherein the elastic elements are multi-strand elastics comprising several parallel spaced strands.

3. Atowel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pad of absorbent material has longitudinal lines or bands of crushing favouring the adoption by the pad, under the effect ofthe elastic elements, of a curved shape.

4. Atowel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pad of absorbent material comprises two layers of different widths, favouring the adoption by the pad, undertheeffectofthe elastic elements, of a curved shape.

5. Atowel according to any preceding claim, wherein the outer sheet carries, on its exterior face, adhesive means covered by a detachable protection.

6. An absorbent towel substantially as here inbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawing.