Apparel – Nether garments – Bifurcated
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-09
2001-07-17
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Nether garments
Bifurcated
C002S111000, C002S243100, C002S403000, C002S406000, C604S385201, C604S396000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260211
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to undergarments in general, and more specifically to women's disposable undergarments having an absorbent layer or fluid repellent region or both to be used with a woman's normal feminine care protection during her menstrual period.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Regular undergarments in current use are made of cotton and/or synthetic materials. The cotton and synthetic panties typically do not offer barrier protection. Often the synthetic panties have a cotton lined crotch to absorb vaginal discharges or perspiration. The absorbent/barrier properties of regular undergarments are minimal such that any vaginal discharge and/or heavy perspiration may strike through onto outer clothing (i.e. liquid penetrates from the interior to the exterior of the undergarment.)
Panty liners and feminine care sanitary napkins or pads used with regular undergarments have polyethylene backings that provide some barrier properties inhibiting liquid strike through. However, if the vaginal discharge extends to the sides or the ends of the pads it can leak or seep around an edge of the pad and onto the undergarment. Such leakage can stain the undergarment. Depending upon the amount of leakage, liquid may strike through or go around the undergarment and stain outer clothing and/or bedding. Women with heavy liquid flows may use one or more maxi pads, double pads and/or tampons alone, or in combination, and change these pads and tampons frequently to prevent embarrassing, messy leakage around the edges of the pads and/or staining of outer clothing. In some cases, during their heaviest flow days, some women will restrict their activities and stay home.
Many women experience some leakage of menses from their pads to their undergarments. This varies from being limited to a small number of pads leaking onto only the undergarment during light flow to more prevalent leakage onto the wearer's outer clothing on pads worn during heavy flow. Normally this leakage occurs at the side of the pad, although end leakage is also a problem. Placement of maxi pads and overnight pads in the crotch of regular undergarments shows that, at best, the pads lay on the leg elastic and, at worst, overhand the leg elastics. This causes side leakage onto the undergarment and possibly onto outer clothing. Typical leakage from the pad is caused by poor fit of the pad to the body, improper positioning of the pad by the user and lack of absorbency. Leakage from the undergarment onto the outer clothing is typically due to incompatibility between the pad width and the undergarment crotch width and/or lack of barrier properties in the undergarment material around the edge portion of the pad.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention describes a three dimensional, disposable, discrete garment, subassemblies of the garment, and apparatus and methods for making the garment.
First the invention describes a garment blank subassembly which is a type of precursor of the garment. The subassembly has a front body portion, a back body portion, and an intermediate crotch extending from the front body portion to the back body portion and between a pair of leg cutouts for defining leg openings in the garment to be assembled from the garment blank subassembly. The front body portion has first and second front leg edge portions along the leg cutouts. The back body portion has a third and fourth back leg edge portions along the leg cutouts. Fifth and sixth crotch edge portions are disposed on opposing sides of the crotch along the leg cutouts. The front body portion has a front waist portion at a first edge of the garment blank subassembly. The back body portion has a back waist portion at a second edge of the garment blank subassembly opposite the first edge, the front and back body portions, in combination, defining opposing third and fourth side edges of the garment blank subassembly. The garment blank subassembly has a length extending between the first and second edges, and a width extending between the third and fourth edges. Each of the third and fourth back leg edge portions has a first angular portion extending generally along a line forming an acute angle with an imaginary centerline extending between the first and second edges, and a second arcuate portion having a third end at the respective first angular portion and a fourth end connecting the respective back leg edge portion to the respective one of the fifth and sixth crotch edge portions. The garment blank subassembly, when laid out flat, comprises a first operative layer, generally extending functionally from the first edge through the crotch to the second edge; a second layer secured to the first layer; and one or more threads of elastic between and secured to the first and second layers, and extending continuously from a first locus adjacent the third side edge, as a first section, along the width of the garment blank subassembly, toward the first edge at the acute angle with the centerline and generally following the third back leg edge portion toward the crotch, as a second section across the crotch, and as a third section along the width of the garment blank subassembly and away from the first edge at an acute angle with the centerline and generally following the fourth back leg edge portion, to a second locus adjacent the fourth side edge.
Preferably, the first and third sections of elastic are stretched when the garment blank subassembly is laid out flat, and the second section of elastic is substantially relaxed.
In preferred embodiments, the elastic extends across the crotch between the two fourth ends of the second arcuate portions and parallel to the second edge of the garment blank subassembly.
In some embodiments, it is preferred that the second section of elastic be disposed and secured between the first and second layers.
Typically, the second layer comprises a body side liner having a front layer element secured to the front portion of the first layer, and a back layer element secured to the back portion of the first layer, with an unsecured space disposed between the front layer element and the back layer element, the unsecured space generally corresponding with the crotch portion of the garment blank subassembly, the second section of elastic preferably being disposed in the unsecured space, between the front and back layer elements of the first layer.
The term “unsecured space” may include an area where the front layer element and the back layer element of the second layer may or may not be contiguous and which at least a portion of the front and/or back layer elements remain unsecured to the first layer or an area on the first layer between the front layer element and the back layer element which lacks a second layer. The unsecured areas do not include those zones typically formed between swirls or lines of adhesive but rather block zones lacking adhesive or other bonding applications.
Further to preferred embodiments, each of the first and second front leg edge portions has a first longitudinal portion extending generally along the width of the garment blank subassembly and a second arcuate portion having a first end at the respective first longitudinal portion and a second end connecting the respective front leg edge portion to the respective one of the fifth and sixth crotch edge portions, the garment blank subassembly including a separate thread of elastic between and secured to the first and second layers and extending from a third locus adjacent the third side edge, as a fourth section of elastic, along the width of the garment blank subassembly, generally following the first front leg edge portion along the first longitudinal portion and along at the least part of the respective first arcuate portion, away from the first edge, to the crotch, as a fifth section across the crotch, and as a sixth section along at least part of the respective second arcuate portion of the respective front leg edge portion, toward the first edge and generally following the second front leg edge portion along the second longitu
Gehling Steven Craig
Rajala Gregory John
Suke Paul Daniel
Calvert John J.
Davis Mark L.
Kimberly--Clark Worldwide, Inc.
Moran Katherine
Traut Donald L.
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