Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
107~
The present invention relates to an improved
sanitary napkin holder, and more particularly to improved
means for the effective sealed confinement of the napkin
du~ing an inte~val of use.
It is already ~ell known, according to the sanitary
napkin holde~ of U S. ~atent 3,079,922, that ease and com~ort
during the use of a sanitary napkin can he effectively pro-
moted by suspe"ding the holder from an appropriate belt or
harness. This type suppo~t~ however~ detracts fro~ fluid-
lQ ti~ht confinement of the na~kin, which is an equally impo~tant~equixemer.t.
Broadly~ it is an object of the present i~vention
ta provide an e~ectively sealed sanitary ~apkin holder
ove~coming the foregoing and other shartcomings of the prior
~t. Specifically~ it is an object t~ embody the holder in a
.
panty s~ as to utilize the elastic thereo~, particularly about
the leg openings~ ta contribute to ~he sealing o~ the napki~.
A panty with a built-in sanitary napkin ho~dex
d~onstratiny objects and adva~tages of the pxesent inven~ion
~20 is one havinq a ~ront~ rear and opposite sides cooperating î
to de~ine a lower torso garmept having an upper elasticize~
waist ~ening and right and left elasticiæed l~g openings.
sanitary napkin compartment is formed of two fluid-tight
plies disposed in fqcing, superposed relation to each other
in the crotch area of the panty. The compartment is oriented
to extend between the front and rear o the panty and in
spanning relation between the elasticized leg openings, sUch
.
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10745~1
that length portions of the elastics of the leg openings
~orm the opposite side edges of the compartment. In this
manner, gripping contact of the elastic length portions
is esta~lishe~ with the user's legs to contribute to an
optimum sealed confi~ement oi the sanitary napkin in said
compa~tment duxing wearing service of the panty~
~ The a~ve ~rief description, as well as further
~ q~jects, features and advantages of the present invention~
~ill be more fully appreciated by reference to the following
d~tailed description of a presently preferred but nonetheless
i~lust~ative embodiment in accorda~ce with the present invention,
when taken in conjunction with the acco~panying drawin~s,
: wperein;
Fig. 1 is a front elevational vie~ of a panty
embodying the present inVention;
: Fig. 2 is a rea~ elevational vieW of sald panty;
Fig 3 is a diagramatic vleW of the sanita~y napkin
compartment of the pant.y~ the other portions of the panty
bein~ illust~ated in phantom perspectiVe to better i~lustra~e
said compa~tment;
~ Fiy. 4 is a par.tial viSeW, on an enlarged scale, o~
the sanitary napkin compart~ent;
Fi~, 5 is a side elevational view, in section taken
on ~ine 5-5 of Fi~. 4, illustrating further structural details
of ~e compa~tment;
Fig 6 is a partial detailed view ill~lstrating ~he
flap of the compartme~t; and
107451~
Fig 7 diagramatically illustrates a typical prior
art sanitary n~pkin holder, which the within panty is intended
to replace
As a preliminary ta the description of the improved
panty 10 of the present invention, as illustrated in Figs 1-6,
reference should first be made to the diagramatic illustration
in ~ig. 7 o~ a typical prior art sanitary napkin holder 12. As
generally understood, and as is set forth in the description
~; o~ the holde~ 12 in prior U. S. Patent 3,079,922, holder 12
includes a const~uction 14 w~ich is located in the area co-
extensive with the crotch of the user and includes fab~ic or
plastic piies appropriately stitched togethe~ so as t form ~
compartment 16 ~or a sanita~-y napkin 1~. After placement o~ the
napkin 18 in t4e compartment 16, the napkin holder or construction
- 14 is held in proper location on the user by an appropriate
harn~ss 2~ which typically includes a~ elastic waist~encircling
strap ~2 and front and rear connecting ~embers 24 and 26. Pu~ing
wea~ing ~ervice of the prior a~t sanitary napkin holder 12, it
is contemplaked tllat vaginal qischarge will be absorbed py the
; 20 sanitary napkin 18 by virtue of the communication established
With ~he napki~ 18 through the c~mpa~tment opening 16.
As a~ improvement over a harness-suPported sanita~y
napkin holder, as exemplified by the holder 12, it i4 proposed,
according to the present i~vention, to use the panty 10 of
~igS. 1-6. One of the important aspects of the present invention
is the recognitian that structural aspects of th~ panty 10 c~
be effectively utilize~ to significantly contribute to the
107~501
ahility of a holding str~cture to contain a sanitary napki~
in fluid ti~ht condition. Specifically, as is well understood,
the construction of a panty 10 includes right and left le~
openings 30 and 32 which have elas~ic material stitched along
the edges bounding these openin~s~ as at 34 and 36. As Will
Pe explained i~ detail subsequent~y~ the length portions 38,
40 of the elastics 34, ~6 respectively, which are strategically
located along the marginal. edges o~ the crotch area of the
panty~ are utilized as the side edges of the compartment ~or
the sanitary ~apkin, ~hus, during Wearing service of the
panty ~0~ a firm, practica~y fluid-tight gripping conta~t
is es~ablished between the elastic lengths 38 and 40 and the
user~s le~s~ and such cantact has ~een found to cantribute
to an opt.imum sealed confinement of the sanitary napkin in
: the compartment during wearing service of the panty, all as
~: Will now Pe desc~iPed in detail.
~: Panty 10, as generally understood~ includes elastic
fapric ~hich is cut to.pattexn so as to p~ovide a front 42~
a ~ear 44, and opposite sides 46 ~nd 48. In a well understood
~an~er~ the aforesaid c40perate ~o defi~e a garment which is
adap~ted to fit the lower.torso.?~ In addition to the already
notqd elasticized leg openings 30 and 32, panty 10 also i~cludes
an elasticized waist opening 5~.
In accordance With the present invention, a sanitary
napkin holde~ ge~erally designated 52 in ~igs. 3, 4 and 5, is
effectively incorporated as a part of the panty 10. Holde~ 52,
in the prefer~ed form il~ustrated~ is fabricated out of water-
~0'745~)1
proof material, preferably polyurethane, and consists ofupper and lower plies 54, 56 arranged in superposed relation
to each other and appropriately secured together to form a
sanitary napkin compaxtme~t 58. As is perhaps best illustrated
- in Figs . 4, 5, one e~fective way of joining together the plies
54 and 56 is to catch these two plies in the seam which applies
the elastic loops 34 and ~6 about the leg openings 30 and 32.
This ~s readily done on a high post sewing machine or the like.
As already noted, since the holder 52 extends the
entire width of the crotch area of the panty 10, or stated
another way~ is of a width which spans the distance between
the leg openin~s 30 and 32~ it effectively utilizes the
elastic length po~tions 38 and 40 o~ these le~ openings a~ its
side edges, A1SO as already noted~ these elastic sides 38, qO
cont~ibu~e to the establishment o~ a fluid-tight seal with
the user~s le~s and, in tur~, contribute to an effective ~luid-
tight co~inement of the sanitary napkin.
Preparatory to use of the panty 10, a conventional
absorbe~t sanitary ~apkin 60 is placed in the compa~tment 5~.
To establish communica~io~ ~or ~he napkin 60, the upper ply ~6,
as best il~ustrated in ~i~. 4~ has an oval opening 62. To
assist in confining napki~ 60 within compartment 58, the edge
bounding the ope~ipg 62 is folded into a hem 64 and an elastic
66 is ~nse~ted in the hem an~ stitched i~ place (see in partic~lar
Fig. 5~. The hem 64 minimizes chafing contact of the elastic
66 against the user.
From the description thus ~ar~ it should ~e apparent
that the proper location for the holder 52 is in the area
1074S0~
coextensive with the crotch area of the panty 10. To provide
this position, as already noted the opposi~e sides of the
holder 10 form a part of the leg openings 30 and 32, and the
front and rear of the holder are respectively stitched, as
at 6~, ta the front and rear panels of the panty 10.
rro facilitate removal of the napkin 60~ proVisiQ~
is made fo~ enlarging the oval opening 62 of compaxtment 58.
Speoifically~ as illustrated in Figs. ~, 6, at each of the
~- opposite ends of the opening 62 a tab or flap 70 is formed
o in ~he upper ply 56, Velcro, in patch shapes 72, are appro-
priately secured i~ facing relation to each other on flap 70
and in the area of the ply whicll is beneath the flap, to
thereby fGrm a closure for the opposit~ ends of the oval opening
62 which can ~e opened to enlarge the opening incident to
; ~emoying the pad 60,
Fro~ the foregoing it should be readily appreciated
that there h~s ~een desoribed herein a sanitary napkin holder
52 embodied in the construction of a panty 10 so as to
effectively utilize the elasticized portion of the panty to
cont~i~ute ~o more effective fluid-tight confinement o~ the
sanitary naPk~
~ A lati~ude of modificàtion, change a~d substitution
is i~tended i~ the foregoi~g disclosure, and in so~ne insta~ces
some features of the i~ye~tion Will be employed without a
cor~esponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate
that the appe~ded c~aims ~e construed broadly and in a manner
CQ~SiStent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.
~ r~~
1074501
For ease of explanation reference has been made
herein to a panty-type garment. ~hose s~illed in the art
will readily recognize that such articles of wear may include
garments that are made without legs such as is illustra-ted
and has been previously described and with legs or leg
receiving openings, as leotards, panty-hose~and the like,
Such panty ~ype garments have a form fit engagement with the
desire~ lowe~ torso and thus in~ibit shifting or movement
of the compartment opening relative to the body opening fro~
whi~h the fluid discharge is received.
1,
