Foundation garments – For lower torso including thighs – e.g. – corset – girdles – With crotch or leg straps or leg-encircling parts
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-10
2001-09-11
Hale, Gloria M. (Department: 3741)
Foundation garments
For lower torso including thighs, e.g., corset, girdles
With crotch or leg straps or leg-encircling parts
C450S100000, C002S400000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287169
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to garments, particularly to garments that can be used in conjunction with an absorbent article, and more particularly to garments a user can wear with an incontinence device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As is known, disposable incontinence devices are commercially available in a wide variety of configurations for the specific purpose of absorbing and retaining urine and other body discharges. Typically, these garments have a portion that is designed to hold or position a disposable absorbent article against the body of the wearer. A number of these garments also have structural features that hold the absorbent article in a desired position until the disposable absorbent article is soiled and discarded.
Prior art developments includes GB 2 282 053, which describes a panty that may be used by men who need to wear an absorbent product in the region of their groin as a result of a medical condition. The panty is so configured and constructed that, in use, the absorbent product firmly embraces the body of the wearer by the panty via a partial lining of impermeable material, and movement of t the absorbent product is prevented. This solution has a degree of effect, but problems still arise with regard to tightness which may cause wearer discomfort, rolling up of the leg areas leading to leakage of fluids, and wearer movement can create gapping in the groin and back regions.
GB 2 185 678 A discloses a disposable undergarment comprising an integral absorbent pad that can function as a light incontinence garment. The absorbent pad stretches upwards from the crotch region both in the back and the front region to a point higher than normal absorbent pads. The device is designed to substantially minimize the leakage of fluids in overnight use. The configuration may lead to wearer discomfort due to the built-in and high positioning of the absorbent pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,425 describes an improved panty and method of making the same that has both nonwoven porous fabric panels and nonwoven elastic members. The panty is characterized by elastication in all directions. Problems may arise regarding body contact and the positioning of the absorbent product. Furthermore, the panty is only designed from use by a woman or a child.
WO 92/00051 discloses an undergarment that includes a permanently stretched region within which the incontinence guard is placed and in which the material has a lower elasticity than tin the remaining regions of the undergarment. Such features enable the correct and ready positioning of the incontinence guard and improved wearer confidence. Nevertheless, the configuration leads to bunching in the back region and does not guarantee a high degree of body contact. Furthermore, when the incontinence guard is loaded, the undergarment is incapable of covering the incontinence guard effectively and leakage may occur.
WO 95/09594 relates to a light incontinence panty that is characterized by elastic devices, which extend from the front to the back part of the panty. The elastic devices may comprise elastic threads, ribbons or bands that are preferably mounted between two layers or sheets comprising the panty. The invention however does not disclose a garment that incorporates elasticity through an integral knitting technology. The panty may suffer from such drawbacks as wearer discomfort, sagging of the waistband and a poor fit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,722, issued to Osborn on Mar. 18, 1997 describes a panty-type undergarment. The panty-type undergarment has a front panel, a rear panel, and a crotch portion. The undergarment further includes a substantially anchor-shaped support panel having a greater resistance to stretch than the rest of the undergarment which is integrally knit into the rear panel. The support panel is said to lift and separate the cheeks of a wearer's buttocks. The support panel includes a vertical strip and upwardly curving portions which extend toward and along a portion of the undergarment's leg openings. While such undergarments may lift and separate the cheeks of a wearer's buttocks, the undergarments fail to provide a lifting force that would improve bodily contact between a catamenial device and a wearer's pudendal region.
As is evident, the prior art garments reveal many shortcomings, namely poor body contact due to the movement of the wearer, poor fit, lack of wearer comfort, increased bulkiness leading to a clumsy and unappealing appearance, and leakage of fluids.
It has been discovered that the above drawbacks can be alleviated by a garment as disclosed in the present invention. The garment of the present invention enables both superior body contact and an excellent fit when the disposable absorbent article is both wet and dry. This leads to several benefits such as better positioning and containment of the absorbent article, improved acquisition properties, reduction in leakage and superior wearer confidence and comfort.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to garments/undergarments that have close, almost “second skin,” body fit. In particular the garments of the present invention are particularly well suited for helping hold an absorbent article, such as an incontinence pad or incontinence device, in close bodily contact throughout a wide range of wearer motions.
The garment of the present invention comprises an elasticized waistband, a front panel having first and second sections, a rear panel having first and second sections, a crotch region disposed between and joining the front panel to the rear panel and a pair of elasticized leg openings.
The first section of the front panel has a greater resistance to stretching in the lateral direction than the second section of the front panel. The first section of the rear panel has a greater resistance to stretching in the lateral direction than the second section of the rear panel.
The crotch region is provided with a longitudinal stretch control member that is disposed along the longitudinal centerline of the undergarment. The longitudinal stretch control member limits the stretch of the crotch region in the longitudinal direction causing the crotch region to conform to a wearer's skin surface.
A front stretch control member is disposed in the front panel and extends from the longitudinal stretch control member to the waistband. A rear stretch control member is disposed in the rear panel and extends from the longitudinal stretch control member to the waistband.
While the garment of the present invention can be assembled from materials that may be known to the art as having the requisite mechanical properties, it is preferably knit. When the garment of the present invention is knit, the mechanical properties of the various components thereof can be provided by a combination of the knit pattern used for a particular component and the yarns that are used. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the longitudinal stretch control member is integrally knit with the crotch region, the front stretch control member is integrally knit with the front panel, and the rear stretch control member is integrally knit with the rear panel.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2052598 (1936-09-01), Berg
patent: 2641257 (1953-06-01), Rutledge
patent: 4355425 (1982-10-01), Jones et al.
patent: 5611722 (1997-03-01), Osborne
patent: 5940887 (1999-08-01), Rajal
patent: 0 073 183 A1 (1983-03-01), None
patent: 2 282 522 A (1995-04-01), None
Schmitt Achim
Willms Eric Joachim
Fitzpatrick Matthew P.
Hale Gloria M.
Hickman Ingrid N.
Johnson Kevin C.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
LandOfFree
Garment for use with an absorbent article does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Garment for use with an absorbent article, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Garment for use with an absorbent article will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2480406