SPECIFICATIONDisposable elasticized panty and methodThe present invention relates to an elasticized disposable panty and to a method of making an elasticized disposable panty.
In the past elasticized diapers have been developed for use only with contoured shaped configurations such as an hour-glass shape such as that disclosed in the United States Patent toBuell, No. 3,860,003, issued 14th January, 1975, for "Contractable Side Portions for DisposableDiaper" wherein elastic strips are secured to the crotch portions of the diaper to provide elasticized crotch seals for securement over the legs of the infant to prevent loss of fluid from the interior of the diaper along the legs of the infant.
Elasticized waistbands are common in panties but are not easily capable of being mass produced for use in elasticized diapers because of manufacturing difficulties. Further, contoured diapers are difficult and expensive to manufacture.
Therefore specialized and complicated production equipment is necessitated to contour a diaper and to provide an elasticized waistband for the diaper. Further, diapers so manufactured still require tape fasteners or other securing devices for holding the diaper on the infant or incontinent adult, and require time and technique or skill to assure even a reasonably secure fit.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of prior elasticized diapers by overcoming manufacturing difficulties, reducing fastening problems, providing for both waist and leg seals, and providing for an inexpensive disposable elasticized panty which does not require elaborate cutting for contouring, and which is comfortable to the wearer.
In accordance with the invention, an elasticized panty is produced from a two panel configuration wherein one panel is folded over the other and the side edges bonded together. Each panel is provided with two elasticized strips parallel to each other at the edges transverse to the said side edges for forming a waistband and leg seals. An absorbent pad is bonded to the panels and extends between the panels transverse to the elasticized strips and forms the crotch of the panty. Two separate panels can be used or they can be integral with each other and slit to form leg holes.
The invention may be put into practice in various ways and one specific embodiment will be described to illustrate the invention by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:Figure 1 is a plan view of a pair of panels with parts broken away for a clear showing of the structure of a disposable panty in accordance with the invention during an intermediate stage of the manufacture thereof;Figure 2 is an elevational view of the complete panty; andFigure 3 is a perspective view of the elasticized disposable panty of Figures 1 and 2.
In the accompanying drawings like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views. The reference numeral 10 generally designates a panty shown in Figure 1 in an intermediate stage of manufacture.
The panty 10 includes a pair of panels 12 and 14 preferably formed of a non-woven hydrophobic material formed of polyethylene and/or polypropylene fibres. In an alternate embodiment the panels can be made from a fluid impervious sheet material such as polyethylene or polypropylene film. The panels 12 and 14 are arranged parallel to each other so that the adjacent edges 16 and 18 will be at the bottom (the bottom edges) and the spaced edges 20 and 22 will be at the top (the top edges) of the panty after manufacture.
Elasticized strips 24 and 26 are preferably adhesively bonded to the panels 12 and 14 adjacent the top edges 20 and 22 and extend the full length of the panel to the side edges 30, 32 and 34, 36 respectively.
Elasticized strips 38 and 40 are bonded preferably by adhesive to the panels 12 and 14 adjacent the bottom edges 16 and 18.
An absorbent pad 50 having a backing sheet 52 of water impervious material such as a plastics film of polyethylene or polypropylene, a wood fluff absorbent layer 54, and a top sheet 56 of nonwoven fibre forming a hydrophobic body contacting sheet made from fibres of polyethylene or polypropylene is provided. The absorbent pad 50 is disposed transverse to the panels 12 and 14 and extends therebetween across the bottom edges 16 and 18 and is preferably bonded to the panels 12 and 14. The pad 50 overlies the bottom elasticized strips 38, 40.
In order to assemble the panty one of the panels 12 or 14 is folded over into overlying relationship with respect to the other panel, the absorbent pad 50 also being folded over, the side edges 30 and 34 and the side edges 32 and 36 are brought into juxtaposition and are respectively bonded together forming the sides of the panty.
The elasticized strips 24 and 26 form a waistband.
In conjunction with the pad 50 the leg openings are provided with elasticized seals formed by the strips 38 and 40.
The panels 12 and 14 can be provided as separate pieces of material or as a simple unitary piece of material, in which case the panels are slit to form leg openings along the line of the edges 16 to 18 from the side edges to the pad either prior to folding or simultaneously with the sealing of the side edges either by heat sealing or adhesive bonding.
It will be appreciated that the elastic strips are adhered to the sheets whilst appropriately extended so that after the bonding the composite has the desired degree of extensibility and retractability necessary to provide the sealing function.