GB2402042A

GB2402042A - Undergarment with closable aperture

Info

Publication number: GB2402042A
Application number: GB0411840A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Patricia Monkman; Janice Perry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-05-29
Filing date: 2004-05-27
Publication date: 2004-12-01
Also published as: GB0411840D0; GB0312262D0

Abstract

An undergarment 102 has an aperture 16 having detachably attached closure means 18 for allowing access as required. Preferably, the undergarment is a pair of pants 102, the aperture 16 being located adjacent to the users crotch, anus, genitalia or any combination thereof. The closure 18 may be attached by means such as clips, press studs, hooks and loops or adhesive members. Additionally, the closure means 18 may have a grip such as tabs, protruding members or tapered portions. Openings for allowing the undergarment to be worn may be adjustable by incorporation of a stretchable, resilient material or by detachable tabs 116, 114. The undergarment may be a single use item made from biodegradable material which is preferably paper based.

Description

An Undergarment The present invention relates to an undergarment, and

particularly, although not necessarily exclusively, to an undergarment in the form of underwear for use during medical examinations, procedures or tests.

Although the following invention refers almost exclusively to underwear for use by women during cervical smear tests, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention can be worn by either male or females for a variety of different uses.

Cervical cancer is a disease known to affect a large proportion of the female population which, if not diagnosed at a sufficiently early stage, can be fatal. In order to reduce the number of deaths caused by cervical cancer, routine cervical smear tests are offered to women to check that cancerous cells are not present in the cervix. These smear tests typically involve a patient removing their undergarments to allow a medical practitioner to insert a speculum into the vagina. However, this procedure can often cause embarrassment to some female patients, thus resulting in many women avoiding smear tests, which means that fatalities associated with cervical cancer remain high.

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide an undergarment which allows procedures, such as cervical smear tests, to be carried out, whilst minimising the embarrassment caused to a user.

It is a further aim of the present invention to minimise the exposure of a user's body during such procedures.

:: Àe À:e According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an undergarment, said undergarment including at least one aperture therein and wherein closure means are provided with said aperture for closing said aperture, said closure means being detachably attached to the undergarment for allowing access to said aperture as and when required.

Preferably the closure means are removable from said undergarment in use.

Thus, by providing a covered aperture on an undergarment, in addition to one or more openings required for insertion/lccation of the undergarment on the user's body, access can be gained to a part of a user's body adjacent the covered aperture by removing the closure means whilst hiding or covering a remaining portion of the user's body, or at least the surrounding area adjacent the aperture. This reduces the embarrassment associated with users exposing certain parts of their bodies to third parties, such as medical practitioners, thereby increasing the number of people prepared to participate in medical examinations, such as cervical smear tests.

In a preferred embodiment the undergarment is in the form of a pair of pants and preferably the at least one aperture is provided adjacent any or any combination of the user's crotch, anus and/or genitalia (male or female).

Preferably the undergarment is disposable and is therefore typically for single use only. lthe undergarment in one embodiment is biodegradable, thereby allowing easy disposal thereof. For example, the undergarment can be made from paper.

I-lowevcr, the undergarment can be made from any or any combination of other suitable material, such as plastic, cotton, fabric and/or the like.

À:: À :: ::- À À be. . À :. . À : The undergarments are typically manufactured and/or maintained in a sterile environment until use is required. They can be provided in separate sealed packets or can be provided in dispensing boxes, such as in the case of surgical gloves, tissues and/or the like.

In a preferred embodiment the cover means or closure means is in the form of one or more adhesive strips or members.

Gripping means can be provided on the closure means to allow a user to easily grip and remove the same from the undergarment.

lihe gripping means or portion can be in the form of a tab, protruding member, tapered end and/or the like.

In an alternative embodiment the cover means is in the form of a strip of material relcasably attached to the undergarment surrounding the aperture by any or any combination of clips, VELCRO, press studs and/or the like.

I'referably the undergarment has one or more openings for location of a user's limbs thcrethrough to allow fitting of the undergarment to the user. For example, in the embodiment where the undergarment is in the form of a pair of pants, two leg openings and a waist opening are provided.

Preferably the one or more openings arc provided with adjustment means for allowing the size of the openings to be adjusted, thereby allowing a single undergarment to fit user's of different sizes.

In one embodiment the adjustable means include resilient material provided adjacent a whole or part of the edge of the undergarment portion defining the openings, such as for À:: À :: ::.

À : À À : : : : : À example, rubber or elastic material. The resilient material is capable of being extended to increase the size of the openings and/-'r retracted to reduce the size of the openings in use.

In a further embodiment the adjustment means are in the form of detachable attachment means, such as for example one or more releasable tabs. The tabs can be provided with VELCRO, adhesive, clips, press studs and/or any other suitable releasable engagement means thereon. Different adjustment settings can be provided with the releasable engagement means, thereby allowing the user to adjust the releasable tabs to a position which is comfortable for them. A first tab portion can be provided on a first portion of the undergarment and a second tab portion can be provided on a second portion of the undergarment, the first and second portions engaging with each other in use.

The undergarment can be provided in one or more different sizes if required, such as small, medium or large.

It will be appreciated that the undergarment can be provided in any required shape, size or design to suit the user. For example, the undergarment can be provided in a form corresponding to male underpants, male boxer shorts, restring, female pants and/-'r the like. Furthermore, the invention can extend to other forms of underwear, such as bras, vest and/or the like.

lithe advantage of the present invention is that it significantly reduces the embarrassment which many people feel when undergoing medical examinations, tests or procedures, typically as a result of the user feeling "naked". By making the user feel less exposed, it is hoped that an increased number of people will agree t-' partake in medical examinations, tests or procedures, which may in turn result in early diagnosis of medical conditions : At. .. Ale: À À . À e and thus a reduction in the loss of life caused by diseases such as cervical cancer or testicular cancer.

lathe invention of the present application is of particular importance for use with young adults and people of particular religions who are often sensitive and shy about strangers or people of the opposite gender seeing parts of their body.

Reference to an undergarment in the present invention refers to any garment which is typically worn under another garment or Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein: Figures 1 a and lb show a front and side view respectively of underwear provided with cover means according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figures 2a and 2b show front and side views respectively of the underwear in figure 1 with the cover removed; Figures 3a and 3b are perspective views of underwear according to a different embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 4 is an example of underwear according to a yet further embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to figures la-2b, there is illustrated underwear in the form of a pair of pants 2. The pants in this example are typically designed for women and are for use in gynaecological examinations of the female genitalia.

::e Àe À:.

The pants 2 include a waist band 4 to which a front portion 6 and rear portion 8 of material, such as paper, are attached. The front and rear portions 6, 8 can be integrally formed or can be joined together by stitching, adhesive and/or the like. A waist opening 10 is defined by the waist band 4 and two leg openings 12, 14 are defined between the front and rear portions.

In accordance with the present invention an aperture 16 is defined in the material between the front and rear portions 6, 8 and typically corresponds to the crotch area of the pants. A removable cover means in the form of a tab member 18 having adhesive provided on an upper surface thereof is provided and adheres to the material of the front/rear portions surrounding aperture 16.

When a medical practitioner, such as a doctor or nurse, wishes to access the female genitalia to begin the medical examination, they remove the adhesive tab member 18 from the pants 2, thereby gaining access to aperture 16. The aperture is typically substantially aligned with the genitalia of the user wearing the pants 2.

The aperture 16 can be provided in any required dimensions suitable for allowing the medical examination to take place. The removable tab member 18 is typically provided of larger dimensions than the aperture, thereby allowing engagement between at least edge portions of the tab member and the material of the pants surrounding aperture 16.

The tab member 18 can be tapered at one end 20 to allow a user tc> easily grip the same for removal thereof. Instructions can be provided on the tab member, such as the words "pull" (shown be reference numeral 22) and/or the like.

:.:e A. À:.

Thus, a patient can wear the pants 2 without the feeling of being naked or exposed, thereby reducing the embarrassment which is often felt by patients undergoing gynaecological examinations.

Waistband 4 is typically made from an elasticated material, thereby allowing the same to expand or contract to fit users of different sizes. The edges 24 of front portion and rear portion 6, 8 defining leg openings 12, 14 can also be provided with elasticated material therein to allow the size of the openings to be adjusted according to the size of the user.

Referring to figures 3a and 3b, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment wherein underwear in the form of pants 102 is provided with an adjustable waist band 104 to allow the pants to fit users of different sizes. The waistband 104 can be moved between an open position, as shown in figure 3b, and a closed position, as shown in figure 3a.

Pants 102 are provided with a front waistband portion 106 to which a front portion 108 of material is joined, and a rear waistband portion 110 to which a rear portion 112 of material is joined. [Engagement means in the form of complementary Velcro strips 114, 116 are provided on the outer surface of front waistband portion 106 and inner surface of rear waistband portion 110 respectively. In use, a user locates the pants 102 between their legs and engages the waistband portions together via the Velcro strips around their waist at a suitable position.

The underwear or undergarments can be provided in any required, shape, size, design or colour and can be provided for both men and women. Figure 4 illustrates one example of a possible design of underwear 202 which can be used by men and which incorporates the removable cover means 204 over an aperture 206.

Claims

c: ret Àe e.: : Àe r À e À:e À : Claims: 1. An undergarment, said

undergarment including at least one aperture therein and wherein closure means are provided with said aperture for closing said aperture, said closure means being detachably attached to the undergarment for allowing access to said aperture as and when required.
2. An undergarment according to claim 1 wherein the undergarment is also provided with one or more further openings for allowing insertion/location of the undergarment on the user's body.
3. Len undergarment according to claim 1 wherein the closure means are detachably attached by any or any combination of one or more clips, press studs, VELCRO or one or more adhesive members.
4. An undergarment according to claim 1 wherein gripping means are provided on the closure means.
5. An undergarment according to claim 4 wherein the gripping means includes any or any combination of one or more tabs, protruding members or tapered portions.
6. An undergarment according to claim 2 wherein the one or more further openings are provided with adjustment means.
7. Len undergarment according to claim 6 wherein the adjustment means includes resilient material provided ad jacent the edge of the undergarment portion defining the opculngs. e

e ee e e e À À e e e
8. An undergarment according to claim 6 wherein the adjustmcot means are in the form of detachably attached tabs.
9. An undergarment according to claim 8 wherein the tabs are provided with any or any combination of VELCRO, adhesive, one or more clips or press studs.
10. An undergarment according to claim 1 wherein said undergarment is in the form of pants and the at least one aperture is provided adjacent any or any combination of the user's crotch, anus and/or genitalia.
11. An undergarment according to claim 1 wherein said undergarment is a single use disposable item.
12. An undergarment according to claim 1 wherein said undergarment is formed from biodegradable material.
13. An undergarment according to claim 1 wherein said undergarment is formed from a paper based material.
14. An undergarment according to claim 1 wherein said undergarmcut includes a waist band portion provided around the perimeter of a first opening for location around a user's waist, and two further openings for location around the user's legs in use.