WO1996008226A1

WO1996008226A1 - A diaper

Info

Publication number: WO1996008226A1
Application number: PCT/SE1995/001047
Authority: WO
Inventors: Helene Synnefors
Original assignee: Helene Synnefors
Priority date: 1994-09-16
Filing date: 1995-09-15
Publication date: 1996-03-21
Also published as: SE9403112L; SE9403112D0; SE501868C2; AU3581095A

Abstract

A diaper has a front diaper part (1), a rear diaper part (2) and a crotch part (3) which joins the front and rear parts together. The front and rear diaper parts (1, 2) are provided with fastener devices (4, 5; 26, 27) which join mutually overlapping side portions of the diaper parts (1, 2) together in the worn state of the diaper. The front and the rear diaper parts (1, 2) have at least one pocket (9; 19) which includes bottom and side-edges (12, 10, 11; 22, 20, 21) surrounded by regions of an associated front and rear diaper part and capable of being turned inside out while receiving these regions, so as to reduce the extension of respective front and rear diaper parts (1, 2).

Description

A DIAPER

The present invention relates to a diaper of variable size and of the kind which includes a front part, a rear part and a crotch part which joins together said front and rear parts, wherein the front and rear diaper parts are provided with fastener means which enable overlapping side portions of said parts to be releasably fastened together in the state of use of the diaper.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and advantageous diaper which can be used repeatedly and which is designed to enable the size of the diaper to be varied in a simple and easy fashion.

To this end, it is proposed in accordance with the invention that the front and/or the rear part of a diaper of the kind defined in the introduction includes at least one pocket which has bottom and side-edges that are surrounded by regions of the associated front part or rear part of the diaper and which can be turned inside out while receiving said regions so as to reduce the extension of said front or rear diaper part. This inventive diaper arrangement compris- ing at least one pocket, preferably several pockets, that can be folded or turned inside out provides a versatile diaper, suitably made of cloth, which can be used throughout the whole of the diaper stage of a child, from the stage when the child is newly born to its dry-training stage.

Further features characteristic of the invention and advan¬ tages afforded thereby will be apparent from the following dependent Claims and also from the following description of an exemplifying embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows an inventive diaper in a flat state and from the side of the diaper that is intended to lie distal from the wearer in use;

Fig. 2 illustrates the diaper of Fig. 1 and shows regions of the rear diaper part accommodated in two side- located pockets;

Fig. 3 shows the diaper of Fig. 1 with regions of the front diaper part accommodated in a centrally disposed pocket; and

Fig. 4 shows the diaper of Fig. 1 with both regions of the rear diaper part and regions of the front-diaper part accommodated in associated pockets.

The diaper shown in a flat state in Fig. 1 and from its outwardly facing side includes a front part 1, a rear part 2 and a crotch part 3 which lies between said front and rear diaper parts, these parts being contained in one single piece of cloth in the illustrated case. The diaper is releasably secured about the wearer's stomach with the aid of fastener devices 4, 5 in the form of touch-and-close fasteners, i.e fasteners which include two loop-carrying tapes 4 which coact with two hook-bearing tapes 5. Elastic regions of the diaper, obtained by virtue of elastic devices 6 sewn into the rear diaper part 2, ensure that the diaper can be well-adapted to the shape and size of the wearer. Although not shown, absorbent parts or removable inserts intended for one-time use only or for multiple use, can be arranged on the inside of the diaper, not shown. The reference numeral 7 identifies a moisture barrier comprised of a piece of fabric which is sewn firmly to the side-edge of the crotch part 3 and whose width decreases towards the front and the rear diaper parts 1, 2, and has elastic means 8 on the side thereof distal from the crotch part 3. Although not shown, a corresponding moisture barrier is provided on the opposite side of the crotch part 3. A pocket 9 is provided by sewing a piece of cloth firmly onto the outside of the front diaper part 1 along three sides of said piece, to form pocket side-edges 10, 11 and a pocket bottom edge 12, with the pocket opening 13 facing towards the crotch part 3. The front diaper part 1 is delimited by an upper defining edge 14 which when the diaper is worn faces away from the crotch part 3, and by side-defining edges 15 which extend between the extremities of the defining edge 14 and the crotch part 3. The bottom edge 12 of the pocket 9 is generally parallel with the upper defining edge 14 of the front diaper part and spaced from said edge, whereas the side-edges 10, 11 of the pocket are spaced from the side- defining edges 15 of the front diaper part. Thus, in the state of the diaper illustrated in Fig. 1, the bottom edges and side-edges 10-12 of the pocket 9 are surrounded by regions of the front diaper part, these regions being hatched in Fig. 1.

The pocket 9 can be turned inside out so as to change the size of the front diaper part 1 and therewith the size of the diaper as a whole, wherewith the regions surrounding the pocket edges 10-12 are folded along the broken lines 16, 17 and 18 and accommodated in the interior of the pocket that has been turned inside out, so as to reduce the area of the front diaper part and to obtain the shape shown in Fig. 3, which corresponds to the shape of the pocket 9.

According to Fig. 1, the distance between the side-edges 10, 11 of the pocket 9 on the one hand and the adjacent side- defining edge 15 on the other hand is greater at the bottom of the pocket 9 than at its opening. In this regard, the side-edges of the pocket 9 may conveniently converge in a direction away from its bottom edge 12, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to obtain a gentle and smooth transmission of the front diaper part in the crotch part 3 which presents the reduced area after having turned the pocket inside out. A contributo¬ ry feature in this regard is when the end-parts of the side- edges located adjacent the pocket opening 13 are located close to the associated side-defining edge 15. So that the regions of the front diaper part located outside the pocket edges 10, 11 in Fig. 1 will not overlap one another when the pocket 9 is turned inside out, but will be distanced from one another within the pocket when said pocket is turned inside out, the smallest distance between the side edges 10, 11 of the pocket 9 will suitably be greater than half the largest distance between the opposite side-defining edges 15 of the front diaper part 1 in the flattened state of said part. When the pocket 9 is turned inside out, Figs. 3 and 4, the thickness of the front diaper part 1 will therewith be reduced in its central region, so as to provide protection for the navel of a newly born wearer.

In its flat state, Figs. 1 and 3, the rear diaper part 2 has essentially the same form as the front diaper part. The rear diaper part thus has an upper defining edge 14 and side- defining edges 15 which connect with the crotch part 3. The rear diaper part 2 has two pockets 19 which are sewn along three sides to the outside of the rear diaper part, to form side-edges 20, 21 and a bottom edge 22. The pocket openings 23 face towards one another. The hook-bearing tapes 5 extend outwards from the bottom edges 22 of the pockets 19. The pockets 19 are distanced from the upper-defining edge 14, and their side-edges 20, 21 extend generally parallel with the edge 14.

The pockets 19 can be turned inside out while receiving and accommodating the regions of the rear diaper part 2 that surround the pocket edges 20-22 in Fig. 1. These regions and those regions of the rear diaper part located above the broken line 24 and between the pockets 19 are hatched in Fig. 1. These latter regions are folded against the rear side of the diaper when turning the pockets 19 inside out, so as to reduce the extension of the rear diaper part 2. The rear diaper part 2 is shown in Fig. 2 with the pockets turned inside out, wherein parts (not shown) which project from the pocket bottom region into the pockets of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 illustration, when these pockets being in their original state (i.e. have not been turned inside out), form extension tongues 25 after the pockets 19 have been turned inside out, with subsequent broadening of the rear diaper part 2. Hook- carrying tapes 26 are sewn to the pieces of material that form the tongues 25 and pockets 19, wherein when the pockets 19 are turned inside out, the hook-carrying tapes lie on the inside of the diaper in position for coaction with either one of the loop-carrying tapes 4 on the front diaper part 1 and the outside of the original pocket 9 or with a field 27 of loop-carrying fastener material on the front diaper part 1. This field 27 is covered by the pocket 9 in its original state in Figs. 1 and 2, but is exposed after the pocket 9 has been turned inside out, Figs. 3 and 4. Each pocket-provided front and rear diaper part 1, 2 thus includes two fastener devices 4, 5; 26, 27 which in the illustrated case have the form of touch-and-close fasteners, e.g. Velcro fasteners, which are so arranged that respective fastener tapes of a first set of fastener devices 4, 5 are exposed for coaction with one another while the respective fastener tapes of a second set of fastener devices are accommodated in the pockets 9, 19 prior to said pockets being turned inside out. Conversely, the faster tapes of the second set of fastener devices 26, 27 are exposed and ready for coaction with each other when the pockets 9, 19 are turned inside out, wherein the fastener tapes of the first set of fastener devices will then be accommodated in the pockets 9, 19. The arrangement is also such that the hook-carrying fastener tapes 5 are able to coact with the loop-carrying fastener field 27 when only one pocket 9 is turned inside out, while the loop-bearing tapes 4 are able to coact with the hook-bearing fastener tapes 26 when only the pockets 19 are turned inside out.

As will be evident from the description, the illustrated diaper can be given four different sizes, depending on the numbers of pockets that have been turned inside out and the number of pockets that have been left in their original state, as will also be apparent when comparing Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the described and illustrated embodiment and that the invention can be realized in any desired manner within the scope of the inventive concept defined in the following Claims.

Claims

1. A variable size diaper which includes a front part (1), a rear part (2) and a crotch part (3) which joins the front and rear diaper parts together, wherein the front and rear diaper parts (1, 2) are provided with fastener devices (4, 5; 26, 27) which releasably join together overlapping side portions of said diaper parts (1, 2) when the diaper is in its state of use, characterized in that the front and/or the rear diaper part (1, 2) includes at least one pocket (9; 19) which has bottom edges and side-edges (12, 10, 11; 22, 20, 21) surrounded by regions of its associated front and/or rear diaper parts and which can be turned inside out for receiving said regions and therewith reduce the extension of the front or rear diaper part (1, 2).

2. A diaper according to Claim 1, characterized in that the front and the rear diaper parts (1, 2) are each delimited by an upper-defining edge (14) which lies distal from the crotch part (3), and by side-delimiting edges (15) which extend between the extremities of the upper delimiting edge (14) and the crotch part (3) , wherein at least one (1) of the front and rear diaper parts is provided with a pocket (9) which when not turned inside out has a bottom edge (12) which extends generally parallel with the upper-defining edge (14) and is spaced therefrom, and side-edges (10, 11) which are spaced from the side-defining edges (15) of the part con¬ cerned.

3. A diaper according to Claim 2, characterized in that when the pocket (9) is not turned inside out, the distance between its side-edges (10, 11) and the nearest located side-defining edge (15) of an associated part is greater at the bottom (12) of the pocket than at its opening (13).

4. A diaper according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, characterized in that the side-edges (10, 11) of the pocket (9) converge in a direction away from its bottom edge (12).

5. A diaper according to any one of Claims 2-4, character¬ ized in that the end-parts of the pocket side-edges (10, 11) located adjacent the pocket opening (13) are located closely adjacent the side-defining edges (15) of the associated part (1).

6. A diaper according to any one of Claims 2-5, character- ized in that the smallest distance between the side-edges

(10, 11) of the pocket (9) is greater than half the greatest distance between opposing side-defining edges (15) of the associated diaper part (1) .

7. A diaper according to any one of Claims 1-6, character¬ ized in that each of the front and the rear diaper parts (1, 2) is delimited by an upper-defining edge (14) which lies distal from the crotch part (3), and by side-defining edges (15) which extend between the outer extremities of the defining edge (14) and the crotch part (3), where at least one (2) of said front and rear diaper parts is provided with two pockets (19) which in their original state are located at a distance from at least the upper-defining edge (14) and have side-edges (20, 21) which extend generally parallel with the upper-defining edge, and which also have mutually-facing pocket openings (23).

8. A diaper according to Claim 7, characterized in that one of said front and rear diaper parts (1, 2) preferably the front diaper part (1), has a pocket (9) according to any one of Claims 2-6, whereas the other of said diaper parts has two pockets (19) according to Claim 7.

9. A diaper according to any one of Claims 1-8, character- ized in that each pocket-provided front and/or diaper part

(1, 2) has two sets of fastener devices (4, 5; 26, 27), which are so arranged that a first fastener set (4, 5) will be exposed and usable to join releasably mutually overlapping side-portions of said diaper parts (1, 2) , and a second fastener set (26, 27) is accommodated in the pocket/pockets (9; 19) when said pocket or pockets is/are in their original state, while the second fastener set (26, 27) will be exposed and capable of being used to releasably join together overlapping side-portions of said diaper part (1, 2) , and the first fastener set will be accommodated in said pocket or pockets (9; 19) when the pocket or pockets are turned inside out.