Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present inven-tion relates to absorbent ar-ticles,
and more particularly to disposable diapers.
During recent years diapers of the disposable type have
come into widespread use. Such diapers are generally constructed
having a fluid impervious backing sheet, a fluid pervious top
sheet and an absorbent pad located between the -top and backing
sheets. Although disposable diapers have attained a high degree
; of popularity with parents since they are discarded after a single
use and need not be laundered, proper disposal of the used diapers
may pose difficu]ty for paren-ts. At certain times, for example
during travel in an automobile, immediate disposal of the soiled
diaper may not be possible. At other times, for example at one's
residence, disposal of the diapers may prove troublesome or unsan-
i-tary. It has been suggested that the backing sheet could be
removed from the soiled diaper, and the remainder of the diaper
may be disposed o-f in a flush toilet. However, conventional top
sheets have sufficient wet strength to prevent their disintegra-
tion under use, and the wet strength properties may result in
. 20 difficulties in sewage disposal systems, such as septic tank sys-
.:~ tems, after flushing the diapers. Thus, more commonly the soiled
diapers are discarded into trash containers until -they~.may be
permanently di.sposed of through other re-fuse disposal sys-tems.
Although stored only temporarily in a -trash container, the unsani~
tary aspect in this manner of disposal i.s apparent. Moreover,
many parents feel that handling of soiled disposable diapers is
objectionable.
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A principal feature of the present invention is the provision of
a disposable diaper of simpli~ied construction which may be handled and dis-
carded after use in a sanitary and convenient manner.
According to one aspect a disposable diaper of the invention com-
prises an absorbent pad assembly having a fluid impervious backing sheet a~
least partially defining a back surface of the pad assembly, a front surface~
a pair of side edges, a pair of end edges connecting the side edges, and a
pair of waistline portions; a disposal cover adjacent an edge of the pad
assembly, said cover comprising a sheet of flexible material being accordion
folded to a configuration of reduced dimensions, said sheet having a suff-
icient width and length to pass over remote portions of the pad assembly
and provide a cover for the soiled pad assembly after use of the diaper; and
tape means for permanently securing side regions of the folded sheet together
and retaining the secured sheet to a surface of the pad assembly to provide
access to a sufficient area of the sheet for covering the diaper, said folded
sheet being an integral fluid imperious extension of said backing sheet.
According to another aspect of the invention, a disposable diaper
comprises an absorbent pad assembly having a fluid impervious backing sheet
at least partially defining a back surface of the pad assembly, a front
surface, a pair of side edges, a pair of end edges connecting the side edges~
and a pair of waistline portions; a disposal cover adjacent an edge oE the
pad assembly, said cover comprising a sheet of flexible material being
accordion folded to a configuration of reduced dimensions, said sheet having
a sufficient width and length to pass over remote portions of the pad assembly
and provide a cover for the soiled pad assembly after use of the diaper; side
regions of the folded sheet being permanently secured together by heat seal-
ing, the secured sheet being retained to a surface of the pad assembly by
heat sealing in such manner that access to a sufficient area of the sheet
for covering the diaper is provided, the folded sheet being an integral fluid
impervious extension of the backing sheet.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a disposable
; diaper comprises an absorbent pad assembly having a fluid impervious backing
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sheet at least partially defining a back surface of the pad assembly, a front
surface, a pair of side ed~es, a pair of end edges connecting the side edges,
- and a pair of waistline portions~ a disposal cover adjacent an edge of the
pad assembly, said cover comprising a sheet of flexible material being
accordion folded to a configuration of reduced dimensions, said sheet having
a sufficient width and length to pass over remote portions of the pad assem-
bly and provide a cover for the soiled pad assembly after use of the diaper,
side regions of the folded sheet being permanently secured together by heat
sealing, means for retaining the secured sheet to a surface of the pad
assembly to provide access to a sufficient area of the sheet for covering
` the diaper, wherein side margins of the folded sheet extend past side edges
; of the pad assembly, a front surface of the side margins includes a release
surface for adhesive on a pair of tape strips, and said folded sheet is an
integral fluid imperious extension of said backing sheet.
; Thus, a feature of the present invention is that the user may pass
,~ the folded sheet over a remote portion of the diaper to cover soiled portions
of the diaper.
Another feature of the invention is that the soiled diaper may be
~ covered in a sanitary manner without contacting the soiled surface of the
i 20 diaper with the user's hands.
.
Yet another feature of the invention is that the covered diaper
may be disposed of in a sanitary manner.
Still another feature is that in an embodiment of the invention
tape strips, which are utilized to secure the diaper about an infant, may
secure the folded sheet to a surface of the pad assembly.
In a preferred embodiment a surfacs of the folded sheet is
utilized as a release surface for securement portions of the tape strips.
Further features will become more fully apparent in the following
description of preferred embodiments.
In the drawings:
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Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of the diaper of the
present invention having a cover sheet in a partially folded configuration;
Figure 2 is a fragmentary back plan view of the diaper of
Figure 1 showing ~he folded cover sheet secured to the diaper;
Figure 3 is a fragmentary front plan view of the diaper of
Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as
indicated along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is an elevational view illustrating ~he cover sheet
being partially unfolded to cover the diaper after use;
Figure 6 is a~ elevational view showing the soiled diaper as
covered by the cover sheet;
Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing another :
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embodiment of the diaper of the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a fragmentary front plan view of the diaper
of Fig. 7;
Flg. 9 is a f`ragmentary sectional view taken subs-tanti-
ally as indicated along the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;
Fig. 10 is a back plan view o~ another embodiment of
the diaper of the present invention;
Fig. 11 is a front plan view showing the diaper of
Fig. 10 as folded into a box-pleat configuration;
Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view taken subs-tanti-
ally as indicated along the line 12~12 of Figo 10;
Fig. 13 is a fragmentary back plan view of another
embodiment of the diaper of the present invention;
Fig. 14 is a fragmentary front plan view of -the diaper
of Fig. 13; and
Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substanti-
ally as indicated along the line 15-15 of Fig. 13.
DESCRIPrION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to Figs. 1-4, there is shown a disposable
diaper generally designated 20 having an absorben-t pad assembly
22. The pad assembly 22 has a fluid impervious baclcing sheet 24
defining at least a portion of the back surface 26 of the pad
assembly, a fluid pervious cover or top sheet 28 defining at least
a portion of a front surface 30 of the pad assembly, an absorbent
pad 32 located intermediate the backing and cover sheets 24 and
;; 23, respectively, a pair of side edges 34a and b, and a pair of
end edges 36a and b connecting the side edges 34a and b. The
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diaper or pad assembly has a pair of waistline portions 38a and
38b, and a crotch portion 40 intermediate the waistline portions
38a and b.
As shown in Fig. l, the diaper 20 has a disposal cover
generally designated 42 in the waistline portion 38a of the pad
assembly. The cover 42 is preferably made from a sheet ~4 o~
flexible fluid impervious material, such as polyethylene. The
sheet 44 may be transversely fan or accordion folded along a
plurality of lateral fold lines 46 to modify the length of the
sheet 44 to a reduced con~iguration and positlon the outer layer
48 of the folded sheet 44 somewhat proximal the back surface 26
of the pad assembly. ~-
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the laterally folded sheet
44 extends substantially the width of the pad assembly 22, such
that side edges SOa and 50b of the sheet 44 are located adjacent
the side edges 34a and b of the pad assembly. As illustrated in
Figs. 2-4, side regions 52a and 52b may be secured together and
retained to the bac~s surface 26 of the pad assembly by a pair of
tape strips 54a and 54b. The tape strips 54a and b have first
portions 56a and 56b secured to an outer surface 58 o~ the side
regions 52a and b, and second securement portions 60a and 60b
extending past the side edges 50a and b of the sheet 44. The
securement portions 60a and b may be secured to an outer surface
of the backing sheet 24, and may extend past the side edges 34a
and b of the pad assembly, such that adhesive on outer ends of
the securement portions are releasably attached to a pair o:~
release sheets 62a and 62b on the front surface of the pad assem-
bly. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the securement portions 60a and
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b of the tape strips 54a and b may have turned over ends 64a and
6~b to facilitate removal oE the securement portions ~rom the
release shee-ts 62a and b. Thus, the tape strips 54a and b may be
utilized to secure the side regions 52a and b of the folded sheet
44 together and retain the folded sheet 44 against the back sur-
face 26 of the pad assembly. However, if desired, the inner
layer 66 of the folded sheet 44 may be retained to the back sur-
face 26 of the pad assembly 22 by suitable means 68, such as a
line of adhesive 70, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
As -thus construc-ted, the folded sheet 44 or cover
42 is secured to the back surface of the pad assembly in a reduced
configuration. During placement of the diaper, the securemen-t
portions 60a and b of the tape strips 54a and b may be removed
from the release shee-ts 62a and b for securement of the diaper
about the infant. After use of the diaper, the soiled diaper is
removed from the infant, and the diaper may be covered for dis-
posal in a manner described as follows. As shown in Fig. 5, the
user, such as the parent, may place one hand in the laterally
folded sheet 44 while drawing the other waistline portion 38b
toward the folded sheet 44. The user then unfolds the sheet 44,
and passes the sheet over remote regions of the diaper until the
sheet encompasses and covers a sufficient portion of the diaper
to close and cover the soiled front surface of the pad assembly,
as shown in Fig. 6. Thus, -the covered pad assembly may then be
discarded in a convenient and sanitary fashion with all the
soiled portions of the diaper being covered, and without contact
of the user's hands against the soiled surface of the pad
assembly.
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Although the diaper has been described as havin~ the
folded sheet 4~ located in the waistline region 3~a of the pad
assembly, it will be understood that the sheet may be located at
other areas of the diaper such as the other waistline region 38b.
Additionally, it is contemplated that the sheet may be folded
longitudinally adjacent a side edge of the pad assembly, such
that the longitudinally folded sheet is brought around the
opposing side edge of the pad assembly for disposal of the
diaper, in a manner similar to that described above.
A diaper constructed in accordance with one aspect of
the present invention is illustrated in Figures 7-9, in which
like reference numerals designate like parts. As shown in
Figure 7/ in the diaper of the invention, the folded sheet 44
comprises an extension of the backing sheet 24, with the inner
layer 66 of the sheet 44 being joined to the backing sheet 24
along a fold line 72 adjacent the end edge 36a of the pad
assembly. Thus, the folded sheet 44 is retained to the back-
ing sheet 24 by the juncture of the sheet 44 and the backing
;~ sheet, with the folded sheet underlying the back surface 26 of
the backing sheet 24.
As illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the backing sheet
24 may have lateral side margins 74a and 74b extending past the
side edges 34a and b of the pad assembly 22 and being secured
to the front surface 30 of the pad assembly. Thus, the side
~'! regions 52a and b of the folded sheet 44 extend around the side
edges 34a and b of the pad assembly over the front surface 30
of the pad assembly, and may be secured in place by suitable
means, such as by heat sealing. If the side regions 52a and b of
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the folded sheet 44 are heat sealed together, the outer surfaces
76a and 76b provide a suita~ly smooth surface for release of the
securement portions 60a and b of the tape strips 54a and b.
Thus, the securement portions of the tape strips may be releas-
ably attached to the outer treated surfaces 76a and b of the side
regions 52a and b, eliminating the necessity for separate release
sheets. The securement portions 60a and b of the tape strips 54a
and b are removed from the surfaces 76a and b for securement of
the diaper about the infant during placement~ as previously de-
scribed, and the folded sheet 44 is utilized to cover the soileddiaper in a manner similar to that described in connection with
the diaper of Figures 1-6.
Another diaper is illustrated in Figures 10-12, in
which like reference numerals designate like parts. In this
diaper the side regions 52a and b of the folded shee-t 44 extend
past the side edges 34a and b of the pad assembly 22. The side
regions 52a and b of the sheet 44 may be secured together by
suitable means, such as by heat sealing of the regions. The
first portions 56a and b of the tape strips 54a and b may be
secured to back surfaces 26a' and b' of the regions 52a and b,
and the securement portions 60a and b may extend around the side
edges 50a and b of the sheet 44, with the securement portions
; being releasably attached to the outer front surfaces 76a and b
of the regions 52a and b. Thus, the securement portions 60a
and b are releasably attached to the heat treated surface
76a and b of the side regions 52a and b. In the drawings,
the inner layer 66 of the folded sheet 44 is retained to the back
surface 26 of the pad assembly by suitable means 68, such as a
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line of adhesive 70. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the pad
assembly ~2 may be folded along a plurality of longitudinally
extending old lines 78a, 7~b, 78c, and 78d to define a box-pleat
configuration, with the pleat having a longitudinally e~tending
central panel C, a pair of first panels B and D extending from
and overlying the front surface of the central pa~el C, and ~
pair of outermost panels A and E extending from and overlying
the first panels B and D.
During use, the securement portions 6Oa and b of the
tape strips 54a and b are removed from the outer surfaces 76a
and b of the side regions 52a and b to secure the diaper about the
infant, as previously described. The laterally folded sheet 44
; or cover 42 is utilized in a manner described above to cover the
soiled diaper for disposal.
Another embodiment of the diaper of the present inven-
tion is illustrated in Figures 13-15, in which like reference
numerals designate like parts. In this embodiment, as shown in
Figure 15, the laterally folded sheet comprises an e~tenslon of
the backing sheet 24. The sheet 44 may have a plurality of lat-
~ 20 eral pleats 80, as shown, and a longitudinal end section 82 which
,; i5 foldea over and secured to the front surface 30 o the pad
assembly 22~ As shown in Figure 14, the lateral side margins
74a and b of the backing sheet 24 and the side regions 52a
and b of the folded sheet 44 or cover 42 may be folded
around the side edges 34a and b of the pad assembly and
secured to the front surface of the pad assembly by suitable
means, such as adhesive or by heat sealing. As shown
in Figures 13 and 14, the first portions 56a and b of the
tape strips 54a and b may be secured to the outer surface of
the disposal cover 42, with the securement portions 60a and b of
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i the strips ex-tending past the side edges 34a and b o~ the pad
assembly. As shown in Fig. 14, a pair of release sheets 62a' and
62b' releasably cover adhesive on the securement portions 60a and
b of -the strips 54a and b. The release sheets 62a' and b' are
removed from the securement por-tions of the tape strips during
placement of the diaper on an infant 9 and the securement portions
o~ the tape strips are utilized to secure the diaper about the
infant. Af-ter use of the diaper, the diaper is removed from the
infant, and the pleated sheet 44 is unfolded sufficiently to pass
the sheet over remote regions of the diaper, and cover the soiled
diaper in a manner similar to that described in connection with
the diape~ of Figs. 1-12.
Thus, there has been described a diaper having a dis-
posal cover which may utilized to cover the soiled diaper after
use. The diaper may be covered in a sanitary manner ~ithou-t con-
tact of the user's hands against a soiled surface of the diaper,
and the covered d:Laper may be subsequently discarded in a sani-
tary manner.
The foregoing detailed description is given for clear-
ness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations shouldbe understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those
s~illed in the art.
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