Underwear abstract
The present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article
such as a sanitary napkin or a panty-liner, basically comprising
an upper layer, a lower layer and an absorbent core of a design
suitable to be used with tanga-type underwear, disposed between
both layers; the core has a front section and a back section and
wings or lateral projections preferably extending along the entire
length of the absorbent core.
Underwear claims
1. A disposable absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin or
panty-liner, comprising an upper layer, a lower layer and an absorbent
core with a design suitable to be used with tanga-type underwear
disposed between them; the core having a front section and a back
section; characterized in that the article has wings or lateral
projections extending along the entire length of the absorbent core.
2. A disposable absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin or
panty-liner, comprising an upper layer, a lower layer and an absorbent
core with a design suitable to be used with tanga-type underwear
disposed between them; the core having a front section and a back
section, characterized in that the article has wings or lateral
projections covering at least two third parts of the length of the
absorbent core, always covering the back section thereof.
3. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 2 characterized
in that the wings or lateral projections extend from the longitudinal
edges of the absorbent core.
4. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 2 characterized
in that the wings or lateral projections extend from the longitudinal
contour of the article.
5. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 2 characterized
in that the longitudinal edges of the wings or lateral projections
are substantially straight lines.
6. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 2 characterized
in that the wings or lateral projections have their narrowest part
by the part thereof which is closest to the front section of the
absorbent core.
7. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 2 characterized
in that the wings or lateral projections have their widest part
adjacent to a back section of the absorbent core.
8. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 7 characterized
in that the widest part of the wings or lateral projections varies
from a dimension equal to half the width of the back section of
the absorbent core to a dimension equal to the width of the back
section of the absorbent core.
9. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 6 characterized
in that the widest part of the wings or lateral projections have
a dimension equal to the width of the back section of the absorbent
core.
10. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 1 characterized
in that the wings or lateral projections are an extension of the
upper and lower layers of the article.
11. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 1 characterized
in that the wings or lateral projections are divided into two or
more sections which can be folded in an independent fashion.
12. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 1 characterized
in that the article includes fastening means to fasten on the underwear
or the user, said means spanning the wings or lateral projections.
13. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 12 characterized
in that the fastening means are a pressure sensitive adhesive.
14. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 13 characterized
in that the adhesive is applied in substantially continuous lines
substantially along the length of the napkin, including the wings
or lateral projections.
15. A disposable absorbent article, as described in claim 13 characterized
in that the adhesive is applied in a substantially continuous fashion
substantially along the length of the napkin, including the wings
or lateral projections.
16. The disposable absorbent article described in claims 1 characterized
in that the article is a sanitary napkin.
17. A disposable absorbent article as described in claim 1 characterized
in that the article is a panty-liner.
Underwear description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] A sanitary napkin is a disposable absorbent article used
by women during menses to protect their underwear. According, the
sanitary napkin absorbs and retains menstrual fluids, preventing
them from reaching the underwear of the user. On the other hand,
a panty-liner is a disposable absorbent article used by women to
protect their underwear from normal flows during the days menses
is not present or during the final days of a menstrual period.
[0002] Articles of this type must be very comfortable, discreet
and soft, and provide the desired protection; they must adapt to
the central portion of the underwear, covering the zone where discharges
will occur and, preferably, cover the lateral portions of the underwear
to provide for better protection. In addition, they need to be capable
of affixing to the underwear in a suitable manner, so that the user
feels comfortable and safe at all times. There are in the market
many types of sanitary napkins and panty-liners, designed for standard
type and size underwear; however, when the user wears tanga-style
underwear, she faces the problem resulting from the fact the sanitary
napkin or the panty-liner is wider than the crotch portion of the
underwear and projects outside same, making its use very uncomfortable.
[0003] There have been some efforts to provide users with a type
of article to be used with tanga-style underwear, such as the one
disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,373, to Kamela J. Darby, which
discloses a V-shaped article with an upper portion in the shape
of a bulb and a lower portion with a constant width of less than
25% of the width of the upper portion, so that it conforms to tanga-type
underwear.
[0004] International publication WO 0030585, SCA Hygiene Products,
describes an article to be used with tanga-type underwear, having
lateral edges wich are esssentially curved and the back section
of which measures less than 4 cm. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No.
5,729,835, to Magda Williams, describes a panty-liner for use with
tanga-style underwear including a flexible body and an enlarged
configuration, wherein the width of the front section is higher
than the width of the back section; the intermediate section decreases
in width as it progresses towards the back section, so that the
body of the panty-liner is formed by six superposed layers, one
on top of the other.
[0005] None of the above-mentioned patents and publications focuses
on the problem of the proper securing of the absorbent article to
the underwear of the user, since although it is mentioned in all
of said references that the article has an adhesive on the back
portion in order to secure same to the underwear, this may not be
sufficient, particularly since the back portion of same appears
to be very narrow in order to achieve a good fastening.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,886, to David P. Sturino, discloses
a sanitary napkin to be used with tanga-type underwear, which has
two sections, a lower section with a constant width, and an upper
section whose width increases up to the upper edge of the napkin,
which also has wings or lateral projections extending from the longitudinal
edges of the upper section thereof and a sole wing extending from
one of the longitudinal edges of the lower section of the napkin.
This design has the disadvantage that, since it has a sole wing
by the lower section of the article, the same can be lifted by the
wingless section, and further, the wingless section does not protect
the edge of the underwear.
[0007] The present invention provides a disposable absorbent article,
such as a sanitary napkin or a panty-liner, specifically designed
to be used with tanga-type underwear, having wings or lateral projections
along the entire length thereof, so to protect in an integral manner
the edges of the tanga-type underwear, besides the fact that it
achieves an adequate fastening of the article to the underwear,
thus resulting in a very comfortable and safe article.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a disposable
absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin or panty-liner, specifically
designed to be used with tanga-type underwear, with wings or lateral
projections which provide for better fastening and protection to
the user.
[0009] A further object of the present invention is that wings
or lateral projections provide an area of protection along the entire
length of the article.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is that the article
fastens adequately to the underwear, preventing same from lifting
or narrowing as a result of the motions of the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the article of the present
invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 shows an alternative of the article of the present
invention, with wings of lateral projections which are narrower
than those shown in FIG. 1.
[0013] In FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c the article of the invention is shown
with wings or lateral projections and with different alternatives
of absorbent cores.
[0014] FIG. 4 shows an alternative of the invention, wherein the
wings or lateral projections only span two thirds of the length
of the absorbent core.
[0015] FIGS. 5 and 6 show alternatives for the wings or lateral
projections of the article of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a section along line A-A' of FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 8 shows the crotch portion of tanga-type underwear
along the part thereof where the wings or lateral projections will
be affixed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] There are many types of disposable absorbent articles, some
of which are directed to babies and infants, such as disposable
diapers for babies and training pants, among many others. Others
are directed to feminine hygiene, such as sanitary napkins and panty-liners.
[0019] A sanitary napkin is a disposable absorbent article used
by women during menses to contain and retain the menstrual fluids;
a panty-liner is also a disposable absorbent article, worn by women
during days when there is no menses or during the last days of the
menstrual period, so to protect the underwear of the user from the
normal fluids of a woman. There are in the market a great variety
of designs of both sanitary napkins and panty-liners, adequate for
the preferences of users.
[0020] Many women use as underwear tanga-type underwear, which
narrows in the crotch section and remains narrow in the back portion
thereof Attempts to conform sanitary napkin and panty-liner designs
to this type of underwear have begun. The present invention relates
to a sanitary napkin or panty-liner adequate to be used with tanga-type
underwear and also having wings or lateral projections to assist
in the fastening thereof to the underwear and protect the longitudinal
edges thereof in the crotch area.
[0021] Hereinafter, the invention will be described with reference
to a sanitary napkin; however, it should be understood that same
is true for a sanitary napkin, a panty-liner, or another catamenial
device.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows an alternative of the sanitary napkin (10)
of the present invention, which consists of an upper layer (12),
a lower layer (14), an absorbent core (16) and wings or lateral
projections (18).
[0023] Upper layer (12) is the one that will be in contact with
the body of the user and is a film permitting passage of fluids
and preferably prevents their return. It must be soft and non irritant
for the skin of the user; some of the films that have been used
for this purpose are: non woven fabrics of polyester, polypropylene
or mixtures thereof, micro-perforated polyethylene, laminates of
micro-perforated polyethylene and non woven fabrics, and the like.
[0024] Lower layer (14) is the one that will be in contact with
the underwear worn by the user and is a soft, thin and flexible
film; it must be impervious or at least hydrophobic and preferably
breathable. Some suitable materials for this purpose are low density
polyethylene, a laminate of polyethylene with non woven fabric,
hydrophobic non woven fabric, monolithic polyethylene, micro-perforated
polyethylene, or any type of material meeting said characteristics.
The lower layer (14) hast two faces, an inner face and an outer
face, the latter to be in contact with the underwear of the user
during use of the article.
[0025] The absorbent core has a suitable shape for the napkin to
conform to the tanga-type underwear. In FIG. 1 there is shown a
triangular shape with slightly concave sides, but it can take any
other shape suitable for this use, such as the shapes shown in FIGS.
3a, 3b or 3c or any other shape (not shown). The absorbent core
(16) can comprise fiber-removed cellulose, fiber-removed cellulose
combined with superabsorbent material, a compressed material made
of fiber-removed cellulose, with or without superabsorbent material,
known in industry as "air-laid" material, polyurethane
foam or any other material intended for this purpose. The absorbent
core has a front section (22) and a back section (24); the front
section (22) is the one that will be disposed towards the front
of the user during use and is the widest section of the core, while
the back section (24) will be disposed during use toward the back
of the user and is the narrowest section of the core. The absorbent
core (16) also has two longitudinal edges (26) and two transverse
edges (28).
[0026] Generally, upper layer (12) and lower layer (14) are longer
and wider that the absorbent core, forming the contour of the napkin
(20); however, the napkin may not have a contour (20), particularly
in case the absorbent core (16) is an "air-laid" material
or a compressed, fiber removed cellulose material. In this case,
the absorbent core (16) and upper layer (12) and lower layer (14)
are coterminous, thus avoiding the need to have a contour (20).
[0027] The wings or lateral projections (18) are generally extensions
of upper layer (12) and lower layer (14) of the article and extend
from the longitudinal edges (26) of the absorbent core (16) or from
the contour (20) of the napkin by the lateral sections thereof,
and preferably along the entire length of the core, the longitudinal
edges (30) of the wings or lateral projections are preferably a
substantially straight line, as can be seen in FIG. 1, so that same
have their narrowest section adjacent the front section (22) of
the absorbent core (16) and their widest section "A" adjacent
the back section (24) of same. The maximum width "A" that
the wings or lateral prejections (18) can have is equal to apporximately
the width of the back section (24) of the absorbent core.
[0028] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the wings
or lateral projections do not extended along the entire length of
the core, but rather they span about two third parts of the length
thereof, always covering the back section, as can be seen in FIG.
4. On the other hand, the wings or lateral projections (18) are
not necessarily continuous, rather they can have one or several
transverse cuts, such as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, so to form
two or more sections that can be folded over themselves in an independent
fashion.
[0029] FIG. 2 shows an alternative for the wings or lateral projection
(16) of the napkin of the present invention. In this case, the widest
part "A" of the wings or lateral projections has a dimension
equal to approximately half the width of the back section (24) of
the absorbent core (16).
[0030] Thus, the width "A" of the wings or lateral projections
(18) of the napkin of the present invention, in the widest part
thereof, may vary between a width equal to approximately half the
width of the back section (24) of the absorbent core (16) and a
width approximately equal to the width in this back section (24)
thereof.
[0031] On the other hand, in FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c there are illustrated
some alternatives of absorbent core (16) designs which are appropriate
for use with tanga-style underwear; the napkins also have wings
or lateral prejections (18) according to the invention.
[0032] The napkin (10) includes fastening means on the outer face
(34) of the lower layer (14) to fasten same to the underwear of
the user, as can be seen in FIG. 6, which is a section along line
A-A' of FIG. 1. These fastening means (36) also span the wings or
lateral projections (18) and generally comprise one or more strips
of pressure sensitive adhesive, which are covered with one or more
strips of an easy peelable film (38) whose function is to protect
the adhesive to prevent its contamination prior to the use of the
napkin. This strip or these strips (38) are removed upon disposing
the napkin, keeping the adhesive free for fastening the napkin to
the underwear. The wings or lateral projections (18) are folded
covering the lateral sections of the tanga-type underwear and sticking
to same, thus providing better fastening and protection to the user.
Depending on the width of the wings or lateral projections (18),
both wings can be fastened to the underwear of the user or, in the
case shown in FIG. 1, wherein the wings or lateral projections (18)
having a width "A" greater that approximately half the
back section (24) of the absorbent core (16), one of the wings will
be fastened over the other wing, as shown in FIG. 7, which illustrates
the central section of tange-type underwear by the outer part thereof,
that is, by the part where the wings will be affixed to same.
[0033] Several patterna of disposal of pressure sensitive adhesive
(36) can be used, such as lines, curves or a substantially continuous
layer of adhesive, as shown in FIG. 7, so to cover the napkin in
its entirety.
[0034] On the other hand, this type of articles, although intended
for use with tanga-type underwear, can be used with standard underwear,
so that the wings or lateral projections (18) do not fold on the
edges of the garment, but rather the entire article is affixed to
the crotch thereof, providing good protection and maximum comfort,
particularly in days of low menstrual flow. This type of article,
when used with standard underwear, works very well as a panty-liner.
[0035] Although the invention has been described as a function
of preferred embodiments thereof, the scope of same includes any
change or modification apparent to a person skilled in the art. |