US3532093A - Separable compartmented diaper construction - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent Inventor Rose Lovret 8827 E. Artesia, #56, Bellflower, California 90706 Appl. No. 722,882

Filed April 22, 1968 Patented Oct. 6, 1970 SEPARABLE COMPARTMENTED DIAPER CONSTRUCTION 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 128/286 Int. Cl 1: 5 44 Field of Search 128/ 283, 284, 286, 287, 288

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,277,043 3/1942 C011 128/286 3,103,930 9/1963 Collett at 3.1. 128/286 3,182,661 5/1965 Ribeiro et 81.... 128/286 3,192,926 7/1965 Callaghan 128/286 Primary ExaminerCharles F. Rosenbaum AttorneyMiketta, Glenny, Poms and Smith ABSTRACT: An infants diaper for separate collection of urine and fecal matter in a diaper collection compartment.

Patented Oct. 6, 1970 3,532,093

f/vvs/vroe R055 LOVE-RT SEPARABLE COMPARTMENTED DIAPER CONSTRUCTTON Conventional diapers for infants have included soft cloth material which absorbs and retains body discharges and which must be washed after each discharge. During the period between the body discharge and the removal of the cloth diaper the skin of the infant is in contact with the body discharge and often becomes irritated and sore. Sometimes the discharge soaks through the conventional cloth diaper and permeates outer garments. In addition diaper covers have been employed of soft plastic impervious material for covering or containing a cotton diaper to prevent soiling of outer garments and to assist in further containing the body discharges.

When infant body discharges occur during sleep, the diaper may not be changed for a substantial period of time. During this time the tender skin of the infant is in continuous contact with the body discharge and may react undesirably to the discharged fluid or fecal matter.

The present invention therefore contemplates a novel diaper which is adapted to collect and retain body discharges in a collection compartment where the adjacent skin of the infant will not be in continuous contact with such discharges.

An object of the invention therefore is to disclose and provide a diaper which is so constructed and arranged that flow cf body discharges from the infant will be directed into impervious compartments and retained therein until a diaper change.

An object of the invention is to disclose and provide an inner sanitary diaper which may be applied directly against an infants body and over which a conventional cloth diaper may be placed if desired, the cloth diaper serving to further maintain a desired position of the inner diaper.

Another object of the invention is to disclose and provide a diaper wherein novel means are employed to contact body skin portions surrounding the urethral and anal orifices so as to prevent spreading of body discharges therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to disclose and provide a novel diaper construction wherein portions of the diaper adjacent body orifices are firmly yet gently adhered to body skin surfaces surrounding such orifices.

A still further object of the invention is to disclose and provide a diaper construction wherein the means for contacting body skin portions around a body orifice is subjected to a soft pressure upon securing the diaper on the body of an infant.

A still further object of the invention is to disclose and provide a novel diaper construction adapted to carry a separate bag or receptacle for fecal matter.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description of the drawings in which an exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is atop plan view of a diaper construction embody ing the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line Il-Il of Fig. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line lll-lll of Fig. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken in the vertical plane defined by line lI-ll and of front opening means.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line Il-lI of the back opening means.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a plastic container or receptacle adapted for use in one of the compartments of the diaper construction.

A diaper construction generally indicated at 10 embodying the present invention may comprise a bottom panel 11 of selected elongated configuration and having a central portion 12 narrower than its end portions 13 and 14 to facilitate positioning of the diaper construction 10 over the crotch of an infant.

A top panel means 15 may be generally of the same configuration as the bottom panel 11 and may be secured as by suitable stitching, self-contacting adhesive bands, or other releasable and scalable fastening means to the opposite end portions 13 and 14 of the bottom panel 11. Throughout the central portion 12 and adjacent the end portions 13 and 14, side walls 16 may be secured to longitudinal edge margins of the bottom panel and top panel means as by suitable stitching. Side walls 16 may be pleated or folded and if desired may be tapered so as to provide a diaper collection compartment 17 having a relatively deep portion at the central portion 12 and shallower compartment portions adjacent the ends 13 and 14. At the central portion 12 the collection compartment 17 may be separated into a urine collection chamber 18 and a fecal matter collection chamber 19 by a transversely extending partition wall 20 secured to the bottom panel and the top panel means in any suitable manner as by stitching.

Preferably the bottom panel. top panel :means, side walls and partition are made of a soft plastic material which is nonirritating to skin, which has a soft feel, and which is flexible, compliant, impervious and which may be stitched or heat sealed if desired. An example of such plastic material is polyethylene, polyvinyl, vinylidene chloride and others.

Opposite ends of the diaper construction 10 may be pro vided with suitable snap type buttons 21 for interengagement when the diaper is placed on an infant. It will be understood that any other suitable means for securing the diaper to the body of an infant may be employed such as a diaper pin, tab connections and waistbands or belts.

Means for collecting urine from the urethral orifice of an infant may comprise an opening means 24 provided in top panel means 15 above the urine collection chamber 18. Opening means 24 may be suitably configured so as to facilitate its placement over the urethral orifice at the front perineal region of the infants body. A suitable opening may be generally triangular in shape and of a sufficient size to generally receive the end of the penis of a boy infant. Surrounding the opening means 24 is a flange means 25 having its inner circumferential edge portions secured to the margins of the opening means 24 in any suitable manner as by stitching or as by heat sealing. Flange means 25 includes a flexible, pliant portion 26 having a free outer circumferential edge 27 and having sufficient width so as to permit its upper surface 28 to contact body surfaces of the infant surrounding the urethral orifice. In the case of a female infant the width of the flange means 25 should be sufficient to overly and cover the labus majora. Preferably the top surface 28 of the flange means 25 may be coated with an adhesive means which will lightly adhere to the adjacent skin surfaces and which will be readily releasable therefrom when the diaper is removed. Such adhesive means serves to not only position the opening means 24 on the body of the infant but also serves to prevent spreading of any fluid discharge which may spill over or out ofthe opening means 24.

In the collection of urine in the chamber 18 it is desirable to provide with the opening means 24 a tubular member 30 secured to the margins of the opening means 24 or formed integral with the flange means 25 to facilitate assembly with the top panel means 15. The tubular member 30 may be made of a material similar to the flange means 25 and the panel means and may terminate in a flap type check valve means 31. Such a flap type valve means 31 comprises preforming the ends of tube 30 so that the material of the tube 30 at the discharge end will be normally biased together to form a closed transverse slit. When fluid is discharged from the body and is directed into the tube 30 through opening means 24 the normal biasing force of the material is insufficient to maintain the slit-like tube opening closed and fluid will pass readily therethrough into the collection chamber 18. When flow of fluid is stopped the normal resiliency of the material closes the slit-like opening so that the fluid is collected and retained in the chamber 18. It will be apparent that a few drops offluid may remain in the tube 30 and such small amount of fluid is prevented from spreading to adjacent skin portions of the infant by reason of the flange means 25 and the adhesive coating on the top surface 28 which adheres the flange means to the body skin.

It may be desirable to provide a slight pressure contact of the outer surface 28 against body skin portions when the diaper construction is in place, and for this purpose the invention contemplates the provision of a band of foam 33 secured to the bottom face of flange means 25. Such foam may be of relatively soft but resilent material and of sufficient thickness so that when the diaper construction is placed on an infant the thickness of the foam 33 will provide a slight pressure contact of the surface 28 against the body skin portion. Such foam material may be any suitable synthetic rubber or clastomeric material and is preferably of closed cellular construction. Such closed cellular foam construction is desired so that traces of body fluid discharges or rinsing and cleaning fluid for the diaper construction will not be retained in the foam.

Spaced from opening means 24 in top panel means is a second opening means 40 which is generally located a sufficient distance from opening means 24 so as to be positioned in general registry with the anal orifice of an infant. Opening means 40 may be of any selected size sufficient to pass a discharge of fecal matter. Opening means 40 is similarly provided with a surrounding flange means 41 secured to margins of the opening means 40 as by stitching and having a free flange portion 42 with a top surface 43 for contact with skin portions of the infant surrounding the anal orifice. The width of flange means 41 may be sufficient to permit conformance of the flange means 41 with the body configuration of an infant. Preferably top surface 43 of flange means 41 is provided with an adhesive coating adapted to adhere the flange means to the body skin of the infant.

Opening means 40 may include a flexible door element 44 which may serve to retain the portion of the fecal matter in the collection chamber 19. The opening means 40 and the flange means 41 may thus be similar in construction and operation as the opening means 24 and flange means 25.

It may be desirable in the collection of fecal matter to provide a separate collection bag such as 50 of pliant, impervious, thin material and of selected size which may be readily pushed through opening means 40 so that the main portion of the bag 50 will be positioned in collection chamber 19. Bag 50 may include an upper end portion 51 having internal upper surfaces 52 provided with a coating of adhesive means so that said surfaces 52 may serve the same function as flange means 41. In such instance, a top panel means 15 of the diaper construction 10 would be provided with an opening means 40 the flange means 41 being omitted.

When the sanitary diaper construction of the present invention is placed on the body of an infant it will be readily apparent that with the infant lying on its back the opening means 40 may be readily positioned with respect to the anal orifice and the flange means 41 pressed against the surrounding skin area. The opening means 24 may then be positioned in proper relationship with respect to the urethral orifice and the flange means pressed against the surrounding skin portions of the infant. When the end portions of the diaper construction are then secured as by the snap buttons both body orifices will be in proper relationship with respect to the opening means in the diaper construction so that the diaper collection compartment may receive body discharges therefrom. The diaper construction 10 serves as an inner diaper and if desired the conventional soft cotton diaper may be placed over the inner diaper l0. Placement of the conventional cotton over the inner diaper serves to maintain the inner diaper in its desired relationship with the body of the infant while permitting expansion of the collection compartment 17 when body discharges flow into such compartments. Thus it will be apparent that the outer diaper cannot be drawn tightly against the perineal region ofthe infant's body.

When the urine collection compartment 18 contains body fluid and the diaper construction 10 is removed from the infant the chamber 18 may be readily flushed and emptied by removing a plug 55 provided in bottom panel 11. Plug 55 may be of any conventional plastic construction.

Collection chamber 9 may be flushed and may be cleaned by separating the end portions of the bottom panel 11 and top panel means 15 at end portion 14 where it may be releasably secured together as by a self-contacting adhesive or as by other conventional fastening means. in the event bag 50 is em ployed in compartment 19 bag 50 may be readily removed through opening means 40.

It will be readily apparent that various modifications may be made in the diaper construction described above and all such modifications and changes coming within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

lclaim:

l. A diaper for separate collection of urine and fecal matter comprising:

an elongated bottom panel;

a top panel means secured at its end edges to said bottom panel;

side walls connecting longitudinal edge portions of said bottom panel and top panel means to permit their separation to form a diaper collection compartment;

said top panel means having spaced opening means therein leading to said compartment;

each opening means being provided with a flange means overlying and separable from the marginal portions of the opening means;

said flange means being of soft, flexible, pliant material adapted to surround and substantially seal respective urethral and anal body orifices for directing body discharges into said compartment; and

a soft foam band carried beneath one of said flange means for applying soft light pressure to said flange means and to the adjacent body surfaces when said diaper is in place.

2. A diaper for separate collection of urine and fecal matter comprising:

an elongated bottom panel;

a top panel means secured at its end edges to said bottom panel,

side walls connecting longitudinal edge portions of said bottom panel and top panel means to permit their separation to form a diaper collection compartment;

said top panel means having spaced opening means therein leading to said compartment;

each opening means being provided with a flange means overlying and separable from the marginal portions of the opening means;

said flange means being of soft, flexible, pliant material adapted to surround and substantially seal respective urethral and anal body orifices for directing body discharges into said compartment;

one of said opening means including a tubular means extending into said collection compartment; and

said tubular means including a check valve means to prevent back flow of fluid from said compartment.

3. A diaper as stated in claim 2 including a transverse wall extending between and connected to said top and bottom panels and side walls and located between said spaced opening means for separating said collection chamber into a urine collection chamber and a fecal matter collection chamber.

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