Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present invention relates to a panty brief for holding a diaper
and consisting wholly or partly of elastic textile material, preferab-
ly made by knitting or crocheting, and formed as a flat, substantially
rectangular bag, the bag sides of which form a front piece and a back
piece, which are closed along the marginal edge zones at the sides and
along a central part of the marginal edge zones at the bottom to form
a crotch region, separating two non-connected parts of the marginal
edge zones at the bottom of the bag for producing leg openings, which
panty brief comprises means for holding the diaper which is at least
partially accomodated therein.
A panty brief, which substantially is of the above described type is
known e.g. from US patent No. 3,656,324, and the present invention is
a further development of the known panty brief which makes the panty
brief suitable for holding the diaper.
Panty briefs intended for holding diapers are known in different ty-
pes, however, these are made as factory-tailored panty brief provided
with sewed-on pockets inside the panty briefs. The diaper is placed in
these pockets so as to be partly or totally contained therein. Hereby
a secure holding of the diaper is obtained even when the user is physi-
cally active.
However, such panty briefs are disadvantageous, partly in that they
have to be manufactured in a relatively great number of sizes and de-
signs so as to fit diapers and persons of different individual sizes,
and partly in that these panty briefs are expensive to manufacture as
a great part of after-fashioning in the form of cutting, edging, seam-
ing, etc. is required.
In an attempt to solve some of these problems and to provide cheap
panty briefs it is known to manufacture the panty briefs from wholly
or partly elastic material by knitting or crocheting. A possibility of
holding is provided in these panty briefs by using a looser and firmer
knitting in different portions of the panty brief and by knitting-in
elastic threads in different portions. Accordingly, a diaper may be
contained in a more loosely knitted portion, whereas the more firmly
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knitted portions and the elastic threads will be positioned along the
edge zone of the diaper, thereby holding it.
In many situations, however, this holding of the diaper will not pro-
vide sufficient security, especially when the user is physically acti-
ve, as the diaper may be displaced to a position in which it will be
useless. Moreover, these panty briefs are disadvantageous when they
are used by psychically handicapped persons, who may easily remove the
diaper either intentionally or unintentionally.
Even though these panty briefs may be manufactured at low costs and
even though they in many applications will act satisfactorily they
will not give a holding of a diaper which is sufficiently secure for
all applications.
So as to remedy this drawback and to provide a better holding of a
diaper it has been proposed to make a panty brief, e.g. as known from
DE published application No. 1,933,530, comprising holding means. These
holding means are made in form of elastic ribbon-shaped material which
is intended to be placed across the end portions of the diaper. How-
ever, such a construction is suitable only in conjunction with smaller
diapers placed so as to extend through the crotch region, as is the
case with sanitary towels. Accordingly, the panty brief as disclosed
in said DE patent specification will be unsuitable for use in conjunc-
tion with larger diapers used for incontinent adults, especially ifthe user is physically active or if the user is a psychically handicap-
ped person, who may remove the diaper either intentionally or uninten-
tionally. Moreover, the known holding means are connected with the
panty brief at an after-fashioning. An after-fashioning is labour con-
suming and accordingly, it constitutes an undesired and very greatpart of the production costs. Furthermore, the known holding means
cannot be used in conjunction with diapers used by adult men suffering
from urine incontinence.
Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to remedy the above
mentioned drawbacks by providing a panty brief of the type mentioned
by way of introduction, which is produced in endless lengths by auto-
~ 3~Z653matic machines, and which is provided with holding means making it
possible, without any after-fashioning, to hold a diaper in a secure
way so that the diaper cannot be removed or displaced to a position in
which it is useless, said holding means especially enabling the holding
of diapers used by adult men suffering from urine incontinence.
According to the present invention, this object is achieved by provi-
ding the holding means in the form of at least one symmetrically placed
pocket-forming holding part, produced integrally with at least one of
the bag sides and extending over approximately 1/3 of the height of
the bag side, and which holding part, in the finished panty brief,
extends adjacent and in a plane substantially parallel with the front
piece and/or the back piece.
Hereby it becomes possible, in a surprisingly simple manner and using
conventional equipment, to make panty briefs, in endless lengths by
automatic machines, comprising holding means in the form of pocket-
forming holding parts. These pocket-forming holding parts make it pos-
sible to hold a diaper in a secure way so that the diaper may not be
removed or displaced to a position in which it will be useless. The
extension of the pocket-forming holding part over 1/3 of the height of
the panty brief will ensure not only that the diaper will not be dis-
placed but also that the diaper is not rotated during the physical
activity of the user. Moreover, the pocket-forming holding part will
be especially suitable in conjunction with a diaper used by adult men
suffering from urine incontinence. Such a diaper is often made in a
form intended to be placed at the front area of user and having a down-
ward tapering directed towards the crotch region. A holding over a
substantial part of the length of such diaper is required to avoid
that the diaper rotates to a position in which it is useless.
The invention also relates to a method of making panty briefs for hol-
ding diapers and consisting wholly or partly of elastic textile ma-
terial, preferably by knitting or crocheting, each panty brief being
formed as a flat, substantially rectangular bag, the bag sides of which
form a front piece and a back piece, which are closed along the margi-
nal edge zones at the sides and along a central part of the marginal
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edge zones at the bottom, which panty brief comprises means for
holding the diaper which is at least partially accommodated
therein, and which panty briefs are made in endless lengths of two
superposed webs, which at mutually spaced intervals are
interconnected in the transverse direction of the webs for
producing the bag sides, which method is characterized in that the
holding means are provided in the form of at least one
symmetrically placed pocket-forming holding part, that said
holding part is produced integrally with at least one of the bag
sides and is produced so as to extend over approximately 1/3 of
the height of the bag side, and that said holding part is produced
so as to extend adjacent and in a plane substantially parallel
with the front piece and/or the back piece in the finished panty
brief.
The invention will now be further explained with
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of an embodiment of a panty
brief according to the inventicn, seen as produced and
before turning the inside out,
Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a
further embodiment of a panty brief according to the
invention,
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a
further embodiment of a panty brief according to the
invention,
Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a
further embodiment of a panty brief according to the
. ~
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invention,
Fiq. 5 is a diagrammatic side view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a
further embodiment of a panty brief according to the
invention, and
Fig. 6. is a fragmentary representation of a knitting pattern
illustrating how the free threads are made.
As explained above the present invention is a further
development of a panty brie as disclosed in US patent No.
3,656,324. Materials, knitting types, sizes, embodiments, etc~
which are explained in said US patent in con-
5a
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nection with the panty brief will also apply to the production of thepresent panty brief and in the following only the features distinguish-
ing the present panty brief from the known panty brief will be emphasi-
zed.
The panty brief according to the invention is distinguished in that it
is provided with at least one holding part for holding a diaper.
Fig. 1 shows a substantially rectangular bag side 1 for a panty brief.
The bag side 1 shown forms a front piece of the panty brief, and the
bag side is through marginal edge zones 2,3 connected with a superpo-
sed substantially identical bag side (not shown).
The bag sides are produced on conventional knitting machines and are
along a central part 4 of a marginal edge zone 5 connected for produ-
cing a crotch region, leg openings 6,7 being formed at each side of
the central part 4 and extending to the closed marginal edge zones
2,3. The waist opening 8 of the panty brief is provided between non-
connected marginal edge zones 9, which in a known way create an elas-
tic waist band by means of elastic threads.
A holding part 10 is made simultaneously with the production of thebag side 1, and in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 it is constituted by
elastic threads 11, which over a part of the front piece 1 are not
knitted together with the remainder of the web forming the front piece
The free threads run substantially parallel with the bottom and top
marginal edge zones 7,9 of the front piece 1. The threads, which may
be provided in any suitable number, extend across approximately 1/3 of
the width of the front piece and over approximately 1/3 of the height
of the front piece.
The elastic free threads 11, together with the part of the front piece
1 placed immediately adjacent, provide a pocket-forming holding part
10, wherein a diaper may be contained. In this embodiment the pocket-
forming holding part is intended to hold a diaper used by adult mensuffering from urine incontinence and the placing and the extension of
the holding part provides for a free accomodation of penis in the dia-
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per intended to be placed in the holding part 10.
Like the embodiments of the panty brief shown in Figs. 2-5, the panty
brief shown in Fig. 1 is illustrated in the form as it appears after
manufacturing and severing from adjacent panty briefs. Accordingly,
these Figures illustrate a panty brief with its wrong side turned out-
ward. When the panty brief is to be used the inside is turned out, so
that the holding part which after the manufacturing is placed at the
outer surface of the manufactured product will be placed inside the
panty brief and is ready to receive a diaper, which the panty brief is
intended to hold.
Accordingly, the panty brief illustrated may be manufactured by auto-
matic machines without the need of any after-fashioning and the only
operation required for enabling the use of the panty brief is to per-
form said turning of the inside out so that the pocket is placed insi-
de the panty brief; thereafter a diaper (not shown) may be placed in
the holding part 10 and the panty brief is ready for use.
However, it is also possible to provide the free threads 11 on the
surface facing the inside of the panty brief and it is likewise pos-
sible to interconnect the free threads for producing a web.
Fig. 2 shows a panty brief substantially corresponding to the embodi-
ment shown in Fig. 1. However, the free threads 11 are in this embodi-
ment manufactured with a gradually decreasing extension across the
width of the front piece, decreasing from the uppermost thread towards
the lowermost thread, thereby producing a pocket-forming holding part
12 tapering towards the crotch region.
This panty brief is also intended for use in conjunction with the same
diaper as is the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, however, the gradual tape-
ring of the pocket-forming holding part 12 provides a secure holding
of a diaper used by adult men suffering from urine incontinence. Such
diapers are often manufactured in a form downwardly tapering toward
that part of the diaper intended to be placed at the crotch of the
user.
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In Figs. 1 and 2 only a diagrammatic view of the panty brief as seen
from the front is shown as the panty brief will have a substantially
flat back piece.
In case the panty brief is intended for use in conjunction with dia-
pers used by persons suffering from urine- and faeces incontinence,
the back piece of the panty brief will have a configuration substanti-
ally corresponding to the shown configuration of the front piece; free
threads holding the diaper in relation to the back piece of the panty
brief will be provided too.
However, a diaper of this type often has a greater extension of the
part which is intended to be placed at the back side of the user's
body, and accordingly, the holding part intended to be provided in the
back piece often has a greater extension than the holding part inten-
ded to be used in conjunction with the front piece just as this first
mentioned holding part usually has a greater extension in direction
towards the waist opening of the panty brief.
It is obvious that the threads forming the holding parts may be provi-ded in other patterns and with other sizes, depending on the size and
shape of the diapers. Thus, it is convenient that a panty brief inten-
ded for use in conjunction with a diaper for persons suffering from
urine- and faeces incontinence is manufactured with a pocket made of
free threads 11, which both at the front piece and the back piece of
the panty brief are provided in such a way that an upwardly tapering
holding part is produced whereby the diaper hereby securely is preven-
ted from being displaced forwards or backwards in relation to the
user's body. Simultaneously, this form of the holding parts in the
front piece and the back piece respectively will impede an intentional
removal of the diaper, and accordingly, this embodiment will be espe-
cially suitable to be used by psychically handicapped persons.
In the embodiment of the panty brief shown in Fig. 3, the holding part
13 is constituted by a surplus web part 14 manufactured integrally
with the web constituting the front piece 1. Accordingly, the panty
brief is manufactured with one of the superposed webs having a greater
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width than the other, and during the manufacturing the surplus part 14
of the broader web at points 15 along each marginal edge zone facing
away from the front piece will be connected with elastic threads, which
also are connected with the front piece 1 at points placed at a distan-
ce from the marginal edge zone 5 at the bottom of the panty brief,said distance corresponding to the width of the surplus part 14. The
elastic threads draw the surplus web part 14 of the web upward in such
a way that it is lying parallel with the front piece 1 and connected
hereto at the spaced points 15, which superpose the corresponding
points on the front piece. By a suitable placing of the points 15 a
pocket-forming holding part 13 is provided in the area above the clo-
sed central part 4 of the marginal edge zones 5 at the bottom of the
panty brief.
The embodiment shown in Fig. 4 is made substantially in the same way
as the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 in that a surplus part 14 of the web
used for making the front piece 1 of the panty brief at points 15 and
by means of elastic threads is positioned adjacent and parallel with
the front piece for providing a pocket-forming holding part 16 substan-
tially corresponding to the holding part 13.
According to this embodiment a further holding part 18 is provided be-
tween the upper edge 17 of the surplus part and the marginal edge zone
9 at the waist opening, said further holding part 18 being made by
means of free threads. This further holding part 18 is placed with a
relatively small extension in direction of the height of the panty
brief and together with the web of the front piece 1 it forms an annu-
lar holding part. The free threads 11 wi 11 preferably extend across
approximately 1/3 of the width of the front piece, however this exten-
sion may be adapted to the diaper used. As in the above mentioned embo-
diments, the free threads are elastic and will exert a pressure against
the diaper for holding it between the threads and the web of the front
piece.
The further holding part 18 will provide a more secure holding of the
diaper than the holding obtained with the pocket-forming holding part
alone, seeing that the further holding part 18 will hold the diaper
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immediately below the waist band, and simultaneously, the holding part
16 holds the diaper substantially in the user's crotch region. With
this mutual separated placing of the two holding parts the diaper may
not be displaced or rotated laterally even when the user is physically
active, and due to the fact that the holding part 16 will be closed at
the marginal edge zone 4 a bottom is formed in the pocket preventing a
backward displacement of the diaper through the user's crotch region.
The further holding part 18 will exert a pressure against the diaper,
which from the opposite side is affected by the pressure exerted by
the elastic waist band in direction of the body and the diaper provi-
ded therebetween, and accordingly, a displacement upward along the
body of the user is also prevented.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 the holding part is provided by two
further superposed webs which are manufactured integrally with the su-
perposed webs constituting the panty brief itself. Accordingly, the
part 19 of the further webs, which is manufactured integrally with the
front piece 1, will be connected thereto along the marginal edge zone
5, a connection being provided between the two further superposed webs
along the central part 4 of the marginal edge zones 5 to provide the
leg openings 6 and 7 in the same way as in the above described embo-
diments. The further webs are closed along marginal edge zones 20,21
in the sides, and when the further webs are turned into the space be-
tween the front piece 1 and the back piece of the panty brief, a doub-
le layered panty brief is provided. Accordingly, the part 19 will beplaced adjacent the front piece, whereas the not shown superposed part
will be provided adjacent the not shown back piece of the panty brief.
In the further part 19 intended to be placed at the front side of the
user, openings 22 are provided. The openings 22 run substantially pa-
rallel with the bottom of the panty brief and extend approximatelyacross 1/3 of the width of the panty brief. The openings are provided
in a number and with a mutual placing depending of the diaper to be
used in conjunction with the panty brief. In the embodiment shown, two
openings 22 are provided running parallel at different distances from
the bottom of the panty brief. Said openings are intended to hold a
diaper used by adult men suffering from urine incontinence. The diaper
is placed so that the lowermost portion adjacent the crotch region is
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inserted into the space between the front piece 1 and the part 19, and
in the same way the uppermost portion of the diaper is inserted through
an opening 22, so that this part is also placed in the space between
the front piece 1 and the part 19. Hereby the central portion of the
diaper is placed inside the double layered panty brief and a free ac-
comodation of penis in the diaper is possible.
In case a double layered embodiment is to be used in conjunction with
diapers for persons suffering from urine- and faeces incontinence,
openings corresponding to the openings 22 will be provided in the fur-
ther part (not shown), which is superposed on the further part 19 so
that is possible to hold the diaper both at the front side and the
back side.
For representing of a knitting mode Fig. 6 shows a knitting pattern
illustrating how the free threads 11 are made. This Figure is an exam-
ple only illustrating the manufacturing of the free threads and the
number of threads shown is not limiting for the invention.
A panty brief as described above is made in the form of endless lengthsof two superposed webs, which at mutually spaced intervals are inter-
connected in the transverse direction of the webs. The transverse con-
nections are used to severe the panty briefs and they provide the clo-
sed marginal edge zones 2 and 3 respectively for the panty briefs;
accordingly, during the manufacturing one marginal edge zone 2 for one
panty brief will be manufactured consecutive with a marginal edge zone
3 for an adjacent panty brief. By the severing through the transverse
connections, each individual panty brief is made in the form of a flat
substantially rectangular bag the bag sides of which form a front piece
1 and a back piece. During the manufacturing the marginal edge zones 5
are closed at mutually spaced intervals, viz. at the central parts 4
for producing of the leg openings 5,6. At least in conjunction with
one of the bag sides an integral holding part 10,12,13,16,18 is manu-
factured; said holding part runs adjacent and in a plane substantially
parallel with one of the bag sides in the finished panty brief. The
holding parts are made substantially symmetrical in relation to a sym-
metry plan passing through the front piece 1 and the back piece so
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that a diaper later placed in this holding part will be placed symme-
trically in relation to the leg openings, and accordingly, in relation
to the body of the user.
According to a specific embodiment of the method the holding part is
manufactured so that the front piece 1 is made of a web with a greater
width producing a surplus web part 14 which does not superpose the web
used for the back piece. The surplus part 14 is at points along the
marginal edge zone through elastic treads connected with points provi-
ded at a distance from the bottom of the bag side; said distance cor-
responds to the width of the surplus part 14 of the web, and accor-
dingly, this surplus part will be drawn upward to lie adiacent and pa-
rallel with the front piece 1 due to the elasticity of the threads.
Between the connection points 15 a holding part 13 is formed. According
to a further method the holding part is made by threads 11 extending
over approximately 1/3 of the length of a bag side; said threads are
not knitted together with the remainder of the web forming the bag
side so that a holding part for containing a diaper is formed between
the free threads 11 and the web itself. According to an alternative
method a combination of free threadsll and a surplus part 14 drawn up
to lie parallel with the bagside may be used.
The panty brief shown in Fig. 5 is made by manufacturing two further
webs 19, integrally with each of the bag sides, said further webs each
having a size substantial identical with the size of a bag side. The
further webs 19 are closed along the marginal edge zones 20,21. ~hen
the further webs are turned into the space between the front piece 1
and the back piece a double layered panty brief is formed. During the
manufacturing of the further webs, openings 22 are produced in at least
one of these further webs and after having turned the inside out, a
diaper may be held in this panty brief by inserting the ends of the
diaper through the openings 22 to be placed in the space between the
two layers of the double layered panty brief.
By these methods it becomes possible, by means of conventional equip-
ment normally used to knit two superposed layer, to manufacture a fi-
nal product containing one or several pockets, and which accordingly
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fullfils the same function as a panty brief manufactured with more
than two superposed layers for providing pockets or holding parts,
wherein a diaper may be contained.
