GB2033210A

GB2033210A - Baby's Panty-napkin or Pilch

Info

Publication number: GB2033210A
Application number: GB7935531A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Boussac Saint Freres BSF SA
Current assignee: Boussac Saint Freres BSF SA
Priority date: 1978-10-13
Filing date: 1979-10-12
Publication date: 1980-05-21
Also published as: GB2033210B; ES246345Y; ATA668779A; FR2438434A1; IT7912773A0; ES246345U; IT1124201B; BE879379A; CH632139A5; FR2438434B1; AT383473B; DE7928861U1

Abstract

A baby's pilch comprises a flexible impermeable sheet 1 inside which an absorbent pad 9 and two elastic members 12 are fixed. The absorbent pad 9 comprises a first layer 10 in contact with the impermeable sheet 1 and a second layer 11 which is of smaller width than the first layer and is fixed over the top of the first layer. Owing to the pull of the elastic members 12 and the greater stiffness of the middle portion of the absorbent padding 9 where there is the second layer 11, the pilch, when in use, adopts an inwardly concave transverse profile in the crotch area of the pilch. This improves the fit of the pilch to the baby's bottom, crotch and thighs. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Baby's Panty-napkin or Pilch This invention relates to panty-napkins or pilches, especially for young babies, the pilch comprising a flexible impermeable sheet for forming a panty and an absorbent pad attached to one face of the impermeable sheet. Such pilches enable the conventional absorbent napkin and the separate impermeable panties which were used over the napkin to be replaced both at the same time.

French Patents Nos. 1,600,732 and 2,063,794 disclose examples of such pilches in which elastic members are arranged along cutway edge portions of the sheet which form openings for the baby's legs to pass through.

These elastic members avoid leakage of urine in the vicinity of the crotch of the pilch. In these known pilches the elastic members extend in a direction substantially parallel with the length of the pilch and produce wrinkles in the absorbent pad especially in the vicinity of the crotch.

The object of the present invention is to improve pilches as described above and provided with elastic members by modifying the rigidity of the absorbent pad in a transverse direction across the pilch so that the pull of the elastic members, which is exerted in the vicinity of the side edges of the leg openings when the pilch is fitted to a baby, causes an upwardly concave deformation of this part of the pilch so that it fits snugly against the baby's bottom.

According to this invention a baby's pilch comprises a flexible impermeable sheet to one face of which an absorbent pad is attached and to which elastic members are attached in the vicinity of cut-away edge portions of the sheet, which in use, form openings for the baby's legs wherein the elastic members are arranged one at each side of the absorbent pad and the pad comprises a first layer in contact with the impermeable sheet and a second layer which is on top of the first layer and which, at least in the crotch area of the pilch, is of smaller width than the first layer.

Owing to the provision of the second layer of padding of smaller width in the middle of the length and of the width of the pilch, which is the crotch area, this area is of greater stiffness than the two extreme side edges of the absorbent pad considered as a whole. That is, at these side edges the absorbent pad consists only of the first layer and is therefore more flexible. Under these conditions the pulling action of the two elastic members which is exerted in the vicinity of the cut-away side portions produces an internally concave shape of the flexible impermeable sheet.

Hence the inner face of the pilch fits more snugly over the baby's bottom and in the baby's crotch.

Preferably, the width of the second layer, at least in the crotch area of the pilch, is between two thirds and one half of the width of the first layer in the same area.

An example of a pilch in accordance with the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:~ Figure 1 is a partially cut away plan view of the pilch showing the elastic members stretched; Figure 2 is a section along the line Il-Il of Figure 1; and, Figure 3 is an elevation of the pilch folded into the shape which it adopts in use.

The pilch comprises a flexible impermeable sheet 1 , for example of polyethylene, of generally rectangular overall shape and in the vicinity of a transverse axis of symmetry, which is the crotch area of the pilch, the sheet 1 has two cut-away side portions 2, which in use, form openings for the baby's legs to pass through. Each cut-away portion comprises a straight edge 3 substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the pilch and two joining edge portions 4 which connect the straight edge 3 with a front portion 5 and a rear portion 6 of the impermeable sheet 1. In the example illustrated, the joining edge portions 4 are straight but it will be understood that they may be of any suitable profile and in particular the whole portion 2 may have a substantially semicircular profile.Taking into account the existence of the cut-away portions 2 it may be seen that the front and rear portions 5, 6 have a width which is greater than the width of the portion located between the two straight edges 3 which define the crotch area. It will be observed in addition that in order to enable better fitting of the pilch onto the baby's thighs the front portion 5 is of smaller longitudinal extent than the rear portion 6. This is brought about by side edges 7 of the front portion 5 being shorter than that of the side edges 8 of the rear portion 6.

On the inner face of the impermeable sheet 1 and in the middle of its width, an absorbent pad 9 is fixed. The pad 9 comprises a first absorbent layer 10 in contact with the impermeable sheet 1 and a second absorbent layer 11 having substantially the same structure and the same thickness as the first layer 10 but of less width across the pilch. Hence the second layer 1 1 which is fixed over the top of the first layer and which is of substantially the same length as the first layer creates in the vicinity of the middle zone of the pilch, and in particular in the crotch area, a zone of greater resistance to bending in a transverse direction.Although in the example illustrated the two layers 10 and 1 1 have substantially the same thickness as each other, it will be understood that it would be possible to make the layers of different thicknesses, in particular the second layer 1 1 may have a greater thickness in order to increase still more the stiffness in the middle zone. In the example illustrated, the second layer 11 has a width substantially equal to 0.6 times the width of the first layer 10. These relative dimensions may, however, be modified to ensure that side edge portions of the first layer 10 are not covered across a sufficient width by the second layer 11, at least in the area of the crotch, to create side portions of sufficiently smaller resistance to bending in a transverse direction.

The two absorbent layers 10 and 1 1 may be conventional for example, they may be made of cellulose wadding.

Two elastic members 12, which are substantially straight and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pilch, are provided one at each side of the side edges of the absorbent pad 9 and are attached, for example, by an adhesive to the inside face of the impermeable sheet 1 at least in the crotch area of the pilch, so that they exert a pull mainly in the crotch area in a direction substanially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the pilch, that is parallel to the straight edge portions 3 of the openings 2. The elastic members 12 may alternatively extend along the profiles of the cut-away portions 2, especially if these profiles are curved, so that the members always exert a pull which is substantially longitudinal at least in the crotch area.

As may be seen from Figue 1, the two absorbent layers 10 and 11 are in this example substantially rectangular so that their widths are uniform. The layers may be of different shapes, for example that of an hour-glass following the shape of the impermeable sheet 1. Also, the difference in width between the layers 10 and 1 which in this example is constant, may be variable in the longitudinal direction and even be reduced to nothing at certain places, so long as there is a difference in the crotch area where the second layer 11 must be narrower than the first layer 10.

In order to improve the behaviour of the absorbent material, such as cellulose wadding, which forms the layers 10 and 1 these layers preferably have a compressed network pattern which improves their mechanical stability and the distribution of liquids over the extent of the layers.

The pattern is referenced 13 in the drawings. It is in addition advantageous to provide between the first absorbent layer 10 and the inner face of the impermeable sheet 1 as well as between the two absorbent layers 10 and 11 a non-woven permeable sheet which is not shown in the drawings. Further, in order to avoid direction contact of the plastics material forming the impermeable sheet 1 with the baby's skin and in order to hold the absorbent pad 9 properly in position, in the illustrated example, a permeable sheet 14 is attached along the whole periphery of the inner face of the impermeable sheet 1 to envelop the absorbent pad 9 and the elastic members 12. The permeable sheet 14 may be produced in a conventional fashion of non-woven fabric.

In order to join the front and rear portions 5 and 6 to form the panty, the rear portion 6 has two adhesive tongues 15 straddling the edges of the impermeable sheet 1 and the permeable sheet 14. Each of the tongues 1 5 has an adhesive coating and at the time of use adhesive flaps 16 formed by parts of the tongues 15 are released from the sheet 14 and are stuck to the outer face of the front portion 5 of the impermeable sheet 1 as shown in Figure 3.

As may be seen in Figure 3, when in use, the pilch has a crotch area having an inwardly concave shape referenced 17. Thus, the two elastic members 12 which, when the pilch is flat, exert a pull in a substantially longitudinal direction at least in the crotch area, tend to fold back upon themselves the two layers 10 and 1 1 which form the absorbent pad 9. Taking into account the existence of the second absorbent layer 11 the width of which is less than that of the first layer 10 at least in the crotch area, the middle portion of the pilch has in this area a greater resistance to bending than the side edge portions of the absorbent pad 9. The pull exerted by the elastic members 12 consequently thus produces the profile 17 which substantially improves the fit of the pilch to the baby. There is also an improvement in the watertightness of the pilch where the legs pass through it.

Claims

1. A baby's pilch comprising a flexible impermeable sheet to one face of which an absorbent pad is attached and to which elastic members are attached in the vicinity of cut-away edge portions of the sheet, which in use, form openings for the baby's legs, wherein the elastic members are arranged one at each side of the absorbent pad and the pad comprises a first layer in contact with the impermeable sheet and a second layer which is on top of the first layer and which, at least in the crotch area of the pilch, is of smaller width than the first layer.

2. A pilch according to Claim 1, in which the width of the second layer, at least in the crotch area of the pilch, is between the two thirds and one half of the width of the first layer in the same area.

3. A pilch according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the two layers are substantially rectangular and are of the same thickness as each other.

4. A pilch according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the two layers have a compressed network pattern.

5. A pilch according to any one of the preceding Claims, which further comprises a permeable sheet which envelops the absorbent pad and the elastic members and is attached to the periphery of the impermeable sheet.

6. A pilch according to any one of the preceding Claims, which further comprises two adhesive tongues one at each side, straddling the edges of the impermeable sheet.

7. A pilch according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which each cut-away side portion of the impermeable sheet has a straight edge portion substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the pilch and edge portions joining the straight edge portion to front and rear portions of the sheet, the front and rear portions, owing to the existance of the cut-away portions, being of greater width than the crotch portion of the sheet.

8. A pilch according to Claim 7, in which the side edges of the- rear portion of the sheet are longer than the side edges of the front portion of the sheet.

9. A pilch according to Claim 7 or Claim 8, in which the elastic members are substantially straight and extend parallel to the straight edge portions.

10. A pilch according to Claim 1, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.