GB2435403A

GB2435403A - Knickers

Info

Publication number: GB2435403A
Application number: GB0703622A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mary Rochester
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-02-25
Filing date: 2007-02-26
Publication date: 2007-08-29
Also published as: GB0603824D0; GB0703622D0

Abstract

Knickers (100), suitable for use with a menstrual pad, are made from generally elastic fabric panels (a, b, c, d, e and f) and include an arrangement of lines of stitching (10, 2, 3 and 4), providing a garment which snugly fits a wearer. This is especially useful when worn at night to reduce the risk of fluid leaking from the briefs.

Description

1 2435403

PATENT SPECIFICATION

TITLE: Underga rrnents DESCRI PT ION:

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to undergarments, by which is meant throughout this specification clothing worn next to the skin and usually under other clothes.

The invention relates more particularly to briefs, by which is meant throughout this specification short, close-fitting undergarments worn over a person's bottom and with two holes for the legs. Women's briefs are also often known as knickers or panties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Devices such as protective pads are worn to absorb bodily fluids from the underneath part of the body of the wearer, medically known as the perineum. In particular, women have bought menstrual pads since at least the early part of the twentieth century. Undergarments, such as briefs, have been typically used to hold the pad in place but originally such undergarments were loose-fitting.

More recently, closer-fitting briefs have become available generally as underwear and adhesive disposable menstrual pads have been introduced to wear with a However, in practice pads placed in the crotch of briefs may move subsequently, especially in non-sedentary circumstances, for instance during exercise or while the wearer is sleeping. They are prone to leaks because their absorption is not sufficient.

Even pads with wings, which are intended to increase adhesion, only anchor the pad more securely in the centre, posterior and anterior portions of the pad still being able to move from side to side. The adhesion is not always reliable. The problem is often worse at night since the pad needs to last longer than in the day and larger pads may be worn than in the day. Also the sleeping wearer is likely to move about at night and possibly disturb the positioning of the pad. Furthermore, night pads have a longer posterior portion and may be displaced further.

Throughout this specification, the term absorbent

perineal device is used to mean devices for absorption of bodily fluid from the perineum, especially menstrual fluid, and includes elongate absorbent perineal devices made from absorbent perineal material comprising pads, wad or similar elongate forms.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved undergarments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention I propose an undergarment comprising briefs including an elongate crotch for receiving an absorbent device, the briefs comprising a generally elastic fabric and further including an arrangement of lines of stitching, the lines of stitching acting to together shape the garment so as to provide a close fit of the briefs to the body of a wearer. is

This allows a sufficiently close fit of the briefs to the wearer to assist in retaining an absorbent perineal device, such as a menstrual pad, in the briefs.

By generally elastic is meant sufficiently elastic for the briefs to be stretched to put on and then released so as to fit snugly against the body of a wearer.

Thus, the team of lines of stitching gives the briefs with contours and thus provide stable structure to the garment, which together with the elastic nature of the fabric, encourages a reliable and close fit while worn.

At least some of the lines of stitching may interconnect, to provide contours in different directions on the garment; more particularly, the arrangement may be provided to provide briefs shaped to a human body.

Thus, an undergarment according to the invention is obtained, which allows an absorbent perineal device to be securely retained in the briefs against the body of the wearer.

The stitching may be both strong enough and tight enough to provide shaping of the undergarment when worn without pulling the fabric, while being given enough to allow the garment to be durable. Also, the stitching may be sufficiently wide to assist in providing anchoring of the garment when worn, to assist in providing the snug fit of the garment. The stitching may be 2-1Omn wide, more preferably about 6mm wide. The seams may be flat for comfort of the wearer. They may be zig-zag stitches, which allow some give but also stability and are visually attractive.

The briefs may further comprise a plurality of panels of the elastic fabric, each pair of adjacent panels being joined by one or more of the lines of stitching. Thus, the combination of the team of panels with the arrangement of lines of stitching acts to provide the reliable and close fit to a wearer.

The briefs may include a pair of identical adjoining elongate unitary front and crotch panels, disposed to provide a central front region of the briefs and also an integral crotch. The seam between these panels may longitudinally bi-sects the front of the briefs and the crotch, to assist in retaining an absorbent perineal device in a central position, confronting and adjacent the perineum, as well as extending up the front of the briefs to hold the briefs close to the pubic bone. Further lines of anterior stitching may extend up the front of the pelvic portion to enhance this. The resultant close fit against the perineum and pelvic region is especially useful for containing a menstrual pad in the crotch, especially at night. The area of the crotch is preferably the same or substantially the same as the area of an elongate absorbent perineal device such as a menstrual pad.

The briefs may further include a pair of side panels, each side panel adjoining a respective adjacent front panel. The briefs may further include a pair of rear panels, each rear panel adjoining a respective adjacent side panel. At least one S-shaped seam may be employed to join each pair of adjacent respective side and rear panels, to assist in providing the reliable and close fit at the sides of the garment. More particularly, at least one S-shaped line of stitching may run towards the front of the briefs. Furthermore, each of these S-shaped seams may run to a location forwardly of the region adjacent the hip bone: this allows the briefs to wrap round the hips of the wearer, further assisting in providing the snug fit.

At least one of the lines of stitching may provide a shaping for the posterior end of an elongate absorbent perineal device, such as a menstrual pad, whereby rearward movement of the posterior end of the device is discouraged. The shaping for the posterior end of the device may be provided by a transverse line of stitching, disposed across the briefs at or near the posterior end of the crotch.

This transverse seam serves as a stop against rearward movement of the absorbent perineal device. This assists in keeping such a device in a stable, stationary position, particularly at night while the wearer is sleeping, during which the device is more upright and prone to fluid draining downwards. In this case, the fluid drains into the device and leakages are reduced.

The central longitudinal seam through the crotch further assists in keeping the absorbent device secure against the IS perineum and centrally retained.

The transverse line may be V-shaped. In use, the apex of the V may be disposed in or directly below the space between the wearer's buttocks. This further assists in keeping the device in a stable central position and in reducing leakages. The transverse line may run from one leg to the other.

A vertical or approximately vertical line of posterior stitching may also be provided down to this transverse seam, joining the pair of rear panels. This assists in holding the briefs in the crease between the buttocks and in providing the rear stop for a perineal device.

Suitable elastic fabrics for use in undergarments according to this invention include: fabrics able to cling against the skin but without being so tight as to mark the skin. Such fabric may include elastane. The elastic fabric may be synthetic or natural fibre-based.

Examples of synthetic fabrics are Crecra C-100B (Trade Mark) from Hyosung, and Coolmax (Trade Mark) from Advansa.

An example of a natural fabric is Realcool Cotton (Trade Mark) from Delta Gill.

These fabrics have various additional functions, for example antibacterial, moisture managing, wicking, breathing and comfort properties.

Undergarments according to the invention are especially useful as menstrual pad supports and furthermore as nightwear, due to the resultant improved reliability. Undergarments according to the invention may be washable and thereby re-usable, and are thus especially suitable for use with disposable pads. They may be made from a comfortable fabric, and they may be designed to be attractive and fashionable and thereby, more pleasant to wear.

Moreover, provided the wearer has an undergarment of approximately the correct size for their figure, the generally elastic nature of the fabric of the undergarment allows it to conform to the wearer's shape and size.

Therefore, use of undergarments according to the invention in combination with an absorbent perineal device is likely to result in greater reliability of the absorption arrangement. This will be of personal benefit to the wearer because it will not only make the whole procedure which the wearer has to undergo more acceptable but it will also increase the confidence of the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of this invention is now described, by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view from the front and one side of women's briefs according to the invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic, close-up view showing a crotch of the briefs of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a menstrual pad located on the interior surface of the crotch shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing a woman lying down, wearing briefs of the type shown in Figures 1 to 3.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Figure 1 of the drawings shows women's briefs (100) for retaining a menstrual pad. The briefs consist of a portion (101) for covering the buttocks and the lower abdomen of the body of the wearer, and a crotch (102) for covering the perineum of the wearer, with a menstrual pad therebetween. The briefs have two leg apertures (L) The fabric of the briefs is Creora C-bOB (Trade Mark) from l-lyosung and in use, the fabric is sufficiently elastic to result in the briefs fitting the body of the wearer closely but without constriction. The size of the briefs is approximately the same as the size of the wearer and is expanded while the wearer puts them on and contracted once on or once taken off. Thus, the briefs can change in size and shape and adapt to the figure of the wearer so as to fit the wearer's body snugly yet comfortably -The briefs consist of a pair of adjacent posterior panels (e, f), each respectively adjoining the posterior edge (15, 16) of an adjacent side panel (c, d) for covering the hips and buttocks of the wearer. The anterior edge of each side panel respectively adjoins the adjacent respective one of a pair of elongate anterior panels (a, b), which together extend underneath to provide the crotch (102) Zig-zag seams made on a sewing machine not only join the adjacent panels together but also give the briefs sufficient structure to fit snugly against the body.

An anterior longitudinal centre seam (iDa) runs from the mid-point at the front on the waist down the front of the briefs, bisecting the front of the briefs, via the anterior (A) of the perineum and bisecting the crotch to a point (P) at the posterior of the perineum. This seam provides pre-shaping to assist in reducing side-to-side movement of a pad in the crotch and in reducing forward movement at the front of the briefs.

A pair of additional anterior longitudinal seams (2, 3) runs down the front of the briefs, one on each side of the anterior centre seam (lOa) and down to a point (2.1, 3.1) meeting both the side panels (c, d) and the leg apertures. They extend rearwards, along spaced-apart peripheral edges (102a, 102b) of the crotch (102), to similar points (2.2, 3.2) where the posterior panels meet the leg apertures. These further assist in providing support in the garment. ii

A transverse seam (4) is disposed across the posterior of the crotch approximately where the posterior of the perineum is expected. This transverse posterior seam is V-shaped and the V is bisected by a posterior longitudinal centre seam (lop), which extends from the anterior centre seam to provide one line of stitching.

The posterior centre seam runs from the mid-point at the back on the waist down the back of the briefs, bisecting the back of the briefs, to a point (P) at the posterior of the perineum. The transverse V-shaped seam (4) assists in reducing rearward movement of the pad as well as restricting side to side movement in combination with the posterior centre seam (lOp).

The transverse posterior seam (4) and the posterior centre longitudinal seam (lOp) together provide a rear contoured cradle for the posterior end of the pad, whereby it is retained centrally in the briefs and rearward movement is avoided. The anterior centre longitudinal seam (lOa) provides a contour to support the pad centrally in the briefs against the perineum to avoid side-to side movement.

Thus, the principal seams, namely, the posterior and anterior centre longitudinal seams (lOp, lOa) and the transverse posterior seam (4), provide shaping at the posterior end of the crotch and shaping of the crotch, the shaping of each region together providing a cradle (50) for retaining the whole menstrual pad.

The adjacent edges of the side and posterior panels are joined via S-shaped seams (15, 16), which 000iot in -I Ia extend downwardly from an upper location (124) on the peripheral waist edge (120) of the briefs yet rearwardly of the area to be adjacent the hip bone, to a lower location (126) on the peripheral leg edge (122) of the briefs yet forwardly of the area to be adjacent the hip bone. The peripheral leg edges are high, providing leg apertures (1) with no legs per se. The S-seams result in wrapping the side panels round the hips snugly, giving a close fit to the buttocks. Several seams may be employed (not shown) The briefs (100) are worn by a female (150) as follows: Referring to Figures 2 and 3, an adhesive menstrual protective pad (200) may be placed onto the crotch (102) of the briefs. The centre of the pad is of similar size and shape to the generally flat region, defined between the lines joining the intersection points 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 3.2, of the crotch as indicated by dotted lines and the side edges (102a, 102b) in Figure 2. In this embodiment the pad covers the entire crotch and also extends forwardly and rearwardly thereof, i.e. beyond the anterior points A and posterior P. as shown in Figure 3.

Wings (201, 202) of the pad are folded under the crotch.

The wearer puts on the briefs by stretching the fabric of the first portion and places the leg apertures over their legs with the waist around their mid-riff.

The wearer then allows the briefs to contract onto their body so that the briefs fit closely.

The fit of the briefs is enhanced by the structure provided by the contours of the principal seams (4, lOa and lOb) . In summary, the principal seams, namely, the posterior and anterior centre longitudinal seams (lop, lOa) and the transverse posterior seam (4) together define a cradle for retaining the menstrual pad.

The seams are sewn by machine and are disposed as follows: The centre line provided by the anterior and posterior seams (lOa, lOb) extends from the mid-point (m) of the front of the waist to the mid-point (m' ) of the rear of the waist, bisecting the front, passing over the pubic bone, the crotch and the back of the briefs. The central seams hold the pad against the wearer's pubic bone.

The posterior centre seam (lOb) is located in the space between the wearer's buttocks and the transverse posterior seam (4) is located across the rear of the perineum, with the apex of the V on the centre seam located beyond the posterior end of a conventional gusset and at or towards the anal orifice. The support cradle (50) acts as a stop to avoid rearward movement of the posterior end of the pad and retains it.

The briefs are especially suitable to be worn at night because they resist leakage due to the close fit and support from the seams. For additional protection at night, a larger pad (220) of greater length sufficient to curve along the buttocks may be held in the support cradle (50) inside the briefs of this invention so as to provide absorbency under a sleeping wearer where there may be draining menstrual fluid. The fluid drains into the pad since it is close-fitting and centrally retained.

The above embodiment is one example of an undergarment according to the present invention. The briefs are environmentally sustainable as they may be washable and re-usable.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. E'or instance, the style of the briefs may be varied as regards the number of side panels, while retaining the shape of the anterior and posterior panels necessary to retain an absorbent perineal device, so as to provide larger sizes of briefs according to the invention. Therefore, the presently discussed embodiment is considered to be illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. An undergarment comprising briefs including an elongate crotch for receiving an absorbent device, the briefs comprising a generally elastic fabric and further including an arrangement of lines of stitching, the lines of stitching acting to together shape the garment so as to provide a close fit of the briefs to the body of a wearer.

2. An undergarment according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the lines of stitching interconnect, to provide contours in different directions on the garment.

3. An undergarment according to claim 1. or 2, wherein the briefs comprise a plurality of panels of the elastic fabric, each pair of adjacent panels being joined by one or more of the lines of stitching.

4. An undergarment according to claim 3, wherein the briefs include a pair of identical adjoining elongate unitary front and crotch panels, disposed to provide a central front region of the briefs and also an integral crotch.

5. An undergarment according to claim 4, wherein the seam between the unitary front and crotch panels longitudinally bi-sects the front of the briefs and the crotch.

6. An undergarment according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the briefs further include a pair of side panels, each side panel adjoining a respective adjacent front panel, a and a pair of rear panels, each rear panel adjoining a respective adjacent side panel.

7. An undergarment according to claim 6, wherein at least one S-shaped seam is employed to join each pair of adjacent respective side and rear panels, each S-shaped seam running to a location forwardly of the region adjacent the hip bone 8. An undergarment according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein at least one of the lines of stitching provide a shaping for the posterior end of an elongate absorbent perineal device, whereby rearward movement of the posterior end of the device is discouraged.

9. An undergarment according to claim 8, wherein the shaping for the posterior end of the device is provided by a transverse line of stitching, disposed across the briefs at or near the posterior end of the crotch.

10. An undergarment according to claim 9, wherein the transverse line is V-shaped.

11. An undergarment according to claim 9 or 10, wherein a vertical or approximately vertical line of posterior stitching is provided down to the transverse seam, joining the pair of rear panels.