US2739594A

US2739594A - Diaper

Info

Publication number: US2739594A
Application number: US466986A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bessie M Baten
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-11-05
Filing date: 1954-11-05
Publication date: 1956-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 1973-03-27

Description

Marh 27, 1956 B. M. BATEN DIAPER Filed Nov. 5, 1954 INVENTOR. BESS/E M. 5.4 re/v,

DIAPER Bessie M. Baten, Houston, Tex. Application November 5, 1954, Serial No. 466,986

4 Claims. or. 128-484) 2 This invention relates to infants diapers. More particularly, the invention has reference to a diaper that does not require the use of safety pins, and is readily adjustable.

Qne important object is to provide a diaper as stated which will be characterized by an improved fastening means. In this way, it is proposed to eliminate the possibility of a pin accidentally opening and injuring the baby. It is well known that often, the heavy bunching of material at the location at which the pin is inserted results in the pin bending, promoting its accidental opening. Further, the bunched material makes it difficult, in many instances, to insert the pin, thus adding measurably to the inconvenience, time, and difficulty involved in diaper changing.

Another object of importance is to so design the means for fastening the diaper in place about the infant as to facilitate the swift and easy changing of diapers.

Yet another object is to design the means referred to in such a manner as to facilitate the adjustment of the diaper to the waist size of the infant, the diaper being so fashioned as to permit a single size thereof to be used from the time the infant is newborn through the time the infant is in training pants. In this connection, the diaper is designed to permit its usage as training pants, thereby to eliminate the necessity of purchasing this particular item of infants wear.

Yet another object is to permit ready adjustment of the diaper for length of seat of the infant.

Still another object is to so design the diaper as to make it fully absorbent in all positions of adjustment thereof.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the diaper fromv the front, as it appears when worn;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the diaper from the rear when being worn;

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the diaper as it appears when fully fastened;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 of the diaper at an intermediate stage of the fastening thereof;

Figure 5 is an outside view of the diaper fully open; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the diaper adjusted for length of the infant's seat.

The reference numeral 10 has been applied generally in the several figures of the drawing to the diaper constituting the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, the diaper includes an elongated seat or body portion 12 merging at one end thereof into a back end portion 14, having a straight top edge disposed perpendicularly to straight, parallel side edges 16 of the body portion. The side edges 16, at those ends thereof nearer the back end portion 14, merge into gradually curving side edge extensions 18 which diverge in the direction of the back States Patent 0 end portion 14. At their other ends, the side edges 16 merge into gradually curving front side edge extensions converging in the direction of and meeting at the front end of the diaper to form a rounded or semi-circular front end portion 20 integral with that end of the body portion 12 remote from the back end portion 14.

The back side edge extensions 18 cooperate with the end portions of the straight back edge of end portion 14, to define side wings 22 projecting laterally from opposite sides of the back end portions 14 and formed integrally therewith, said wings 22 tapering in a direction away from the midwidth area of the diaper.

On the outside of the diaper, that is, the side faced away from the infants body, there are provided, on each wing 22, a pair of fabric loops 24', 25. One of these loops is disposed adjacent the inner, wide end of the wing 22 and the other is disposed at the outer, smaller end of the wing, both loops being extended perpendicularly to and being spaced closely from the straight top edge of the back end portion 14.

On the inside of each wing 22 there is formed a single loop 26 also spaced closely from and extending perpendicularly to the straight top edge of the back end portion 14. The loops 26. are in registration with the inside loops 24. In a commercial embodiment, in fact, a single strip of fabric may be extended over the top edge of the back end portion and sewed in place to form, with one strip, each loop 24 and the inside loop 26 with which it is in registration.

Extending transversely of the semi-circular portion 20, at the outside of the diaper, is a cloth tie 28, stitched at St) medially between its ends to the end portion 20. The tie 28 is otherwise free of connections to the front end portion 20, the free, ends of the tie projecting a substantial distance laterally in: opposite directions beyond the side edges of said front end portion. Cooperating gripper elements 32 are provided upon the outside of the front end portion 20, at opposite sides of the tie 23, said elements being aligned with the stitching 3t) longitudinally and centrally of the diaper.

In use, the diaper is first positioned upon a support ing surface with its inner surface faced upwardly, fully open as in Figure 5. The infant is then placed upon the diaper, after which the wings 212 are drawn upwardly along the sides of the infants body and the front end portion 20 is brought up between the infants legs and disposed against the front of its body. The wings 22 are positioned over the front end portion in this position of said end portionv as shown in Figure 4.

The location of the tie 28 defines, at the outer end of the front end portion 20, a flap 34, and this is now folded. over the wings 22, after they ends of the tie 28 have been passed through a selected pair of the outside loops of the respective wings. In Figure 4-, the tie ends are extended through the outer outside loops 25. If, however, the diaper should be adjusted for a smaller waist size, as for example, for a newborn infant, the ties may be passed through the inner outside loops 24.

With the ends of the tie knotted in a bow over the front of the diaper after being loops 24 or 25', the flap 34 is folded downwardly over the tie from the position shown in Figure 4 to the posi tion shown in Figure 3. This registers the gripper fastener elements, and these are connected as shown in Figure 3. This prevents the infant from untying the diaper, and further, there will be no loose ends exposed.

Further, the gripper fastener elements will not be in contact with the infants body, since the inner one of said elements, that is, that element that does not extend through the flap, is not passed through the several thicknesses of the diaper, and is secured only to that diaper thickness that is faced to the outside, said outside thickpassed through selected of the seat, and this characteristic thereof is shown to advantage in Figure 6. Assuming that it is desired to shorten the seat, one turns the back end portion 14, and the loop provided areas of the side wings 22, downwardly and outwardly from the infants body to form a circumferentially extending fold 36. This will dispose the loops 26 outwardly instead of the loops 24-, 25, and the tie is passed through the loops 26 under these circumstances as shown in Figure 6, after which the flap 34 is turned down and secured in the same manner as has been previously described.

The diaper preferably is formed of superposed, like thicknesses of fabric forming inner and outer layers, and disposed between said superposed layers is a thickness of diaper gauze of highly absorbent characteristics, extending from the location at which the flap begins, that is, the location of the tie 28, to the back end portion 14, as shown at 38, said inner thickness being spaced from the top edge of the back end portion as shown in Figure 5, and being designated at 38. It will be understood, however, that in some commercial embodiments, the formation of the diaper from a single thickness of material, or perhaps two thicknesses without an intermediate thickness of diaper gauze, might be desired.

The design of the diaper is such that when it is worn, it will expand or contract with the movement of the babys legs, thereby eliminating the possibility of binding the legs and retarding blood circulation.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A diaper comprising a body portion; back and front end portions at opposite ends of the body portion, the several portions all being integrally formed from at least one thickness of absorbent material; side wings extending from opposite sides of the back end portion; outer and inner loops on the outer surface of each wing with a single loop on the inner surface of each wing; and tie means on the front end portion extendable through said loops to connect the front end portion and side wings when the diaper is Worn.

2. A diaper comprising a. body portion; back and front end portions at opposite ends of the body portion, the several portions all being integrally formed from at least one thickness of absorbent material; side wings extending from opposite sides of the back end portion; outer and inner loops on the outer surface of each wing with a single loop on the inner surface of each wing; and a tie secured medially between its ends and projecting laterally in opposite directions beyond opposite sides of the front end portion, the provision of loops on the outer and inner surfaces of said side wings being adapted to permit folding of the back end portion and side wings along a line extending transversely of the back end portion, whereby to permit adjustment of the diaper for length of seat.

3. A diaper comprising a body portion; back and front end portions at opposite ends of the body portion, the several portions all being integrally formed from at least one thickness of absorbent material; side wings extending from opposite sides of the back end portion; outer and inner loops on the outer surface of each wing with a single loop on the inner surface of each wing; and a tie secured medially between its ends and projecting laterally in opposite directions beyond opposite sides of the front end portion, the provision of loops on the outer end inner surfaces of said side wings being adapted to permit folding of the back end portion and side wings along a line extending transversely of the back end portion, whereby to permit adjustment of the diaper for length of seat, said outer loops including a pair of loops spaced transversely of the diaper on each wing, there being at least one inner loop on each wing, the spaced outer loops of each wing being adapted to permit extension of the tie through selected outer loops to adjust the diaper to the waist size of the infant.

4. A diaper comprising an approximately rectangular body portion; back and front end portions at opposite ends of the body portion, the several portions all being integrally formed from at least one thickness of absorbent material, the front end portion being reduced progressively in width in a direction away from the body portion, said body portion including substantially straight side edges merging into side edge extensions diverging in the direction of the back end portion to provide side wings extending from opposite sides of the back end portion; loops on the respective side wings; and a tie extending transversely of said front end portion at a location disposed inwardly from the smaller end of the front end portion, said tie being secured medially between its ends to the midwidth area of the front end portion and having free ends projecting laterally in opposite directions beyond opposite sides of the front end portion, the tie being adapted for extension through selected loops of the wings to connect the front end portion and side wings when the diaper is worn, the disposition of said tie inwardly from the smaller end of the front end portion defining a flap at said smaller end, the front end portion including cooperating fastener elements disposed at opposite sides of the tie, said flap being foldable over the tie when the diaper is worn for registration of the fastener elements with one another, whereby to permit connection of said fastener elements with the flap in a tie overlying position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,079,479 Earnshaw Nov. 25, 1913 1,836,794 Goldstein Dec. 15, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 656,744 France May 13, 1929