Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BACKGROUND O~ TH~ IMVENTION
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Interview studies have indicated that some women
are bothexed by the emission of odor from their crotch
region and particularly by the emission~of vaginal odors
which may be particularly noticeable during menstruation
but which may be present at other times. A variety of
measures have been suggested to control these odors, by
the use of douches and by tlle use of deodorlzing compounds
applied, either internally or externally, to the body tissues
or contair,ed within tampons or sanitary pads for deodorizing
body secretions themselves or preventiny their breakdown or
conversion to form odorous gas molecules. It has also been
suggested to mask such odors, as by the use of pexfumes, or
the like.
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Eaeh of such previously suggested methods and
means for odor control in the erotch region, however,
requires either tampering with the normal body chemistry,
as by douehing or the application of deodorizing substances
direetly to bodily tissues, or the presence of an absorbent
pad structure for absorbing body secretions and providins a
ehemieal reaction with the absorbed secretions within the
absorbent body while preventing normal ventilation of
the erotch region. Masking the odors with perfumes, or the
O like, has other obvious disadvantages. Moreover, as has
also been recognized, odors may be present at times other
than menstruation and with the exeeption of the direct
applieation of deodorizing eompounds to the highly sensitive
bodily tissues in the crotch region, whose presenee could
lead to further ehemieal imbalance and the eontinued production
of objeetionable odors, sueh nonmenstrual period odors have
not heretofore been subjeet to control.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Bearing in mind the foregoing, it is a primary
o objeet of the present invention to provide novel means
for and methods of eontrol of eroteh odors.
Another primary object of the present invention,
in addi-tion to the foregoing objeet, is the provision
of sueh means and methods of odor control without the
; direet application of ehemeial substances to bodily tissues
while permitting ventilation of the erotch region.
Another primary object of the present invention,
in addition to eaeh of ~he foregoing objects, is the provision
of a panty, panty brief, brief or other nether garment
) provided with an air porous eroteh panel or structure
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constructed and arranged to absorb odorous molecules
from ventilating air passing therethrough and methods
of crotch odor control thereby.
Yet still another primary object o~ the
present invention, in addition to each of the foregoing
objects, is the provision of such nether garment cro~ch
structures comprising a porous fabric treated or coated
with a carbonate or bicarbonate compound, applied, for
example, in an aqueous solution and subsequently dried,
O and of methods of odor control thereby.
The invention resides in the combination,
construction, arrangement and disposition of the various
component parts incorporated in new and improved nether
garments and in methods of odor control thereby in
accordance with the principles of this invention. The
present invention will be better understood and objects
and important features other than those specifically
enumerated above will ~ecome apparent when consideration
is given to the follo~7ing details and description which
o describes and discloses certain preferred embodiments
or modifications of the present invention and what is
presently considered and believed to be the best mode of
~ practicing the principles thereof. Other embodiments or
- modifications may be suggested to those having the benefit
i of the teachings herein, and such other embodiments or
modifications are intended to be reserved, especially as
they fall within the scope and spirit of the subjoined
claims.
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DETAILED ~ESC~IPTION OF THE INyENTION
In accordance wi-th the present inven-tion a crotch
panel for incorporation into a panty, panty brief, brief or
other nether garment is fabricated of a sof-t, nonbunching,
air porous fabric treated with a~ odor absorbing compound,
particularly a bicarbonate compound by add on of about
5 to 20% by weight of the bicarbonate compound, as in
aqueous solution, subsequently dried. The resultant crotch
panel enables ventilation of the wearer's crotch region while
adsorbing acidic and basic odorous molecules from the
ventilating air.
The crotch structure may be made of one or a plurality
of layers with the crotch structure preferably having an air
permeability of at least about 100 cubic feet per square foot
per minute at one-half inch water pressure drop. Preferably
the porosity is achieved by many small passages through the
structure, rather than through a few larger holes as may be
typical of apertured nonwoven fabrics. The cotton tricot
knits commonly used to make women's panties exemplify the
kind of porosity desired~
Preferably the crotch structure comprises absorbent
cellulosic ~ibers and may, for example, comprise a cotton
knit cloth or a rayon, nonapertured nonwoven fabric, with a
basis weight ranging ~rom about 50 grams per square meter to
about 200 grams per square meter.
More particularly, the present invention provides a
panty-type garment comprising a crotch panel
consisting of a soft fabric having relatively uniform small
passages providing an air permeability of at least about 100
cubic feet per square foot per minute at 1/2 inch H2O pressure
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drop and having an odor absorbent compound applied thereto
together with hip encircling garment support structure for
suspending said crotch panel across a woman's crotch region
to permit ventilation thereof while absorbing odors from the
ventilating air, wherein said compound is selected from the
group consisting of alkali metal bicarbonates, alkali metal
carbonates, water soluble polyamines derived from ethylenimine,
and mixtures thereof.
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T~e crotch panel structure is treated, in
accordance with the present invention, by depositing
at least about 5% and not more than about 20~, by
weight of a bicarbonate, such as sodium bicarbonate or
potassium bicarbonate in an aqueous solution and sub-
sequently evaporating the water. The bicarbonate,
deposited over the surface of the cellulosic ibers in
this way, will adsorb aciclic and basic odorous molecules
which are the major components of crotch odors from air passing
) therepast while yet permitting the flow of ventillating air
through the crotch panel.
Sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate will
also provide the desired odor control but are less desirable
because of their high pH. Preferably, about 10% by weight of
; sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate is utilized.
Pol~amine compounds, for example, those derived from ethylenimine
also provide a suitable adsorbent coating for use in the
present invention.
The crotch panel of the present invention,
0 coated with the odor adsorbent agent may be applied as
a separate layer overlying the crotch panel of a conventional
garment or may be utilized as the sole crotch structure.
As pointed out above, the crotch structure
of the present invention is permeable to air and treated
with a material which adsorbs and eliminates the crotch
odors from the air passing through it, thus providing
an easy and effective means of control without any of
the disadvantages of the prior art deodorants, douches or
deodorizing absorbent pads and tampons.
E~A~PLE I
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A sheet of 100% cotton tricot knit fabric such as is
conventionally utilized in men's T-shirts was washed at
100F in 0 grain demineralized water to remove any sizing
therefrom and dried in a conventional tumble type laundry
dryer After drying, the sheet of fabric had a weight of
approximately 122 grams.
An 8% sodium bicarbonate solution was prepared and the
desized, dried sheet of cotton cloth was immersed therein
and wrung out by hand to a total weight of 312 grams, for
an add on weight of 190 grams of 8~ sodium bicarbonate
solution. The cloth was then thoroughly dried, and weighed,
` and it was found that approximately 12 grams of sodium
` bicarbonate had been added, an add on weight of approximately
10~,
A crotch inset panel was cut from the dried,
bicarbonate treated cloth such as is described and
disclosed in co-pending Canadian application No. 252,968 of
Bernice Huff filed May 28l 1976, said application being
- 20 entitled "Legless Panty Brief" and assigned to the assignee
of this application. This crotch insert panel was then sewn
into a legless panty brief as described and disclosed in the
aforesaid co-pending application of Bernice Huff.
Women wearing the completed garment reported that the
crotch structure was cool and comfortable, provided adequate
venting of the crotch region, and effectively prevented the
transmission of crotch odors therethrough.
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XAMPL~ II
A sample of cotton knlt with a basis w~ight of
llB grams per square meter was desized by washing with a
laundry detergent in deionized water in a washing machine, rinsed
3 times in dPionized w~ter and dried in a drier. ~fter washing
the basis weight was 150.5 grams per square meter.
Ten grams of Tydex-12, made by Dow Chemical Company,
a polyamine deried from polyethylenimine was dissolved in
90 grams of water and was added to samples of the cotton
fabric described above to provide the additive levels listed
in Table I. The samples were dried and then tested in an
in vitro odor control test which comprises passing of
a metered stream of air past a pool of odorous material
such as, for example, butyric acid, a short drawn fatty
acid typical of a major component of crotch odors, whereby
the air acquires the odor and subsequently passing this odorous
air stream through a sample of the test fabric. The air flow
rate is increased until a human judge can detect the odor in the
air stream passing through ~he cloth. This "breakthrough flow
rate" gives an indication of the ability o the test sample to
absorb the odor.
Untreated cloth or ineffective treatments will permit
~he odor to be passed through and detected by the judge at very
low 10w rates. On the other hand, effective treatments
increasP the cloth's absorhency of the odor so that high flow
r~tes are attained before the odor is detec~ed. The results
were as shown in the table below.
~able I
ample ASample B Sample_C
% Tydex 12 on Fabric 13~8 9.7 5.1
Average air flow ML/min. 80 76.5 2~ -
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EXAMPLE II
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A sample of cotton knit fabirc was desized by washing
in an aqueous solution of household detergent, rinsed in
deionized water and dried as described in Example II.
This fabric was then treated by deposition of aqueous solution
of the various materials as shown in the following table. The
fabrics were dried and tested by the in vitro test method
described in Example II. The results of this test are also
shown in Table II, demonstrated that sodium chloride and calcium
LO chloride were relatively ineffective and unit sodium carbonate and
sodium bicarbonate were relatively more effective.
Table II
Break Thru
Coating % Material Flow Rate
L5 Material on Fahric ML/min.
NaCl 28 20
CaC12 33 24
Na2C3 8.8 go
NaHCO3 11~9 100
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It was accordingly demonstrated that the odors
which are a cause of concern could be eff~ctively controlled
by deodorizing the air which is ventilated through porous
panties during normal body movement. The crotch
structure as described and disclosed above permits
ventilation to occur and coating the f ibers with an
adsorbent material efectively deodorized the air
passing therethrough.
While the invention has been described and
disclosed in terms of certain embodiments or modifications
he~ein described and disclosed, such other embodiments or
modifications as may be suggested to those having the
benefit of the teachings herein are intended to be
reserved especially as they fall within the scope and
~readth of the claims herein appended.
Having thus described my invention, ~hat I
claim is:
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