WO2013070065A1

WO2013070065A1 - Disposable liner for reducing skin-on-skin contact

Info

Publication number: WO2013070065A1
Application number: PCT/NL2012/050771
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paulus Benedictus Van Der Roest
Original assignee: Gt Frontline B.V.
Priority date: 2011-11-08
Filing date: 2012-11-02
Publication date: 2013-05-16
Also published as: NL2007752C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a disposable liner for protecting skin of a male user, especially when in a seated position, said liner comprising a sheet of a flexible material, wherein, at least during use, said sheet is provided with a first through opening dimensioned for passage of the user's penis and with a second through opening, spaced apart from said first through opening and dimensioned for passage of the user's scrotum. By reducing skin-on-skin contact between the scrotum and penis and between the scrotum and a perineal area, the invention helps in reducing skin damage such as intertrigo, sticking together of the skin, decubitus and general weakening of the skin.

Description

Disposable liner for reducing skin-on-skin contact

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a disposable liner for reducing or eliminating prolonged skin-on-skin contact in a crotch area of a male user. For men who are confined to substantially a same, e.g. seated, position for sustained periods of time, especially with their legs positioned substantially in parallel, such prolonged skin-on-skin contact can lead to skin damage such as intertrigo, sticking together of the skin, decubitus and general weakening of the skin. It has been reported that up to 14% of men who are substantially permanently seated in a wheelchair during the day suffer from discomfort and skin damage caused by prolonged skin-on-skin contact.

US Patent 5, 094, 234 describes a soft goods appliance to be worn about the torso of a male user for eliminating crotch itch. The appliance comprises an elastic waistband from which a center strap extends downwards from the rear and then toward the front between the user's buttocks in crotch contact. The front distal end of the center strap forms a concave pouch in which to receive the scrotum and penis while maintaining separation between the scrotum and thighs.

A drawback of the known appliance is that no separation between the scrotum and a perineal area is maintained. Moreover, it is difficult to put on the known appliance when the user is in a seated position.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable liner which provides better protection against skin damage in the perineal area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a disposable liner for protecting skin of a male user, especially when in a seated position, said liner comprising a sheet of a flexible material, wherein, at least during use, said sheet is provided with a first through opening dimensioned for passage of the user's penis and with a second through opening, spaced apart from said first through opening and dimensioned for passage of the user's scrotum. The part of the sheet between the first through opening and the second through opening thus at least partially prevents contact between the user's penis and scrotum, whereas the part of the sheet surrounding the second through opening substantially prevents contact between the user's scrotum and perineal area.

In an embodiment the sheet comprises a front side, which during use faces away from the user, wherein said sheet is adapted to enable the front side to be arranged for contacting the user's scrotum. The sheet may thus at least partially be arranged between a user's perineal area and scrotum.

In an embodiment the disposable liner further comprises a flap arranged substantially between the first and second through opening, wherein, at least during use, said flap is arranged for substantially preventing contact between the user's penis and scrotum. Preferably the flap is arranged along a longitudinal direction of the sheet between the first through opening and second through opening or slit. During use, the flap may thus substantially prevent contact between the user's penis and scrotum. Preferably, the flap and sheet form a single piece. Moreover, he flap preferably comprises a front side, which preferably coincides with the front side of the sheet, and an oppositely facing backside, with said sheet being adapted, during use, for enabling the front side of the flap to contact the user's penis, and for enabling the backside of the flap to contact the user's scrotum .

In an embodiment the sheet is formed substantially as a single piece and/or is manufactured from a single sheet of flexible material, preferably a planar single sheet of material. The sheet may thus conveniently be manufactured by cutting an integral planar sheet of material, in particular without requiring further shaping of the sheet .

In an embodiment the first through opening is formed as a rounded cut-out section, preferably as a rounded triangular cut-out section. As the edge of first through opening thus has no vertex points connecting two straight sections of the edge, the chance of inadvertently tearing the first through opening is reduced.

In an embodiment the sheet is provided with a slit, which slit is adapted for providing said second through opening during use. Preferably, said slit follows a non-straight path, such that a flap is formed in the sheet. The liner may thus be formed without any parts protruding out of the plane of the sheet when not in use, allowing easy stacking of multiple such liners.

In an embodiment the slit is a substantially concave slit, with its concave side directed towards said first through opening. Thus the slit and sheet together form a flap which may easily fold while substantially maintaining separation between the user's penis and scrotum . In an embodiment the sheet comprises a border section bordering said second through opening and adapted for maintaining separation between the user's scrotum and the perineal area. The border section may be placed substantially behind the user's scrotum, with the front side of the border section contacting the user's scrotum.

In an embodiment the sheet comprises a material adapted for absorbing moisture. Preferably, the material for absorbing moisture is comprised in the flexible material of the sheet, though in an embodiment the material for absorbing moisture may also be arranged between multiple layers of flexible material of the sheet. A typical example of a suitable moisture absorbing material comprises absorbent polymers, some of which form a gel- like material when brought into contact with moisture

In an embodiment the outer edge of the sheet, and/or the edge of the first through opening and/or the edge of the second through opening are substantially closed off, substantially preventing the moisture absorbing material from spilling out of the interior of the disposable liner through these edges. The edges may be substantially closed off for instance by singing or hemming the edges, or by gluing the edges closed. Preferably, the edge of the second through opening, and/or the edge of the flap are rounded, at least when seen in cross-sectional view of the sheet, and/or substantially closed off as well.

In an embodiment the sheet is an elongated sheet, wherein said first through opening and said second through opening are aligned along the longitudinal direction of the sheet. Preferably, the first through opening is an elongated opening having a substantially larger diameter than the second through opening, and having its longitudinal axis along the longitudinal direction of the sheet. In an embodiment the sheet is substantially symmetrical across its longitudinal axis.

In an embodiment the disposable liner further comprises attachment means arranged, when viewed along the longitudinal direction of said sheet, on a side of said first through opening opposite from said second through opening. The disposable liner may thus be substantially held in a correct position during use. The attachment means preferably comprise an adhesive for attachment at a stomach area of the user.

In an embodiment the sheet comprises an antibacterial material. Preferably the sheet or the flexible material of the sheet is provided with an anti-bacterial coating.

In an embodiment the sheet comprises a top layer and a bottom layer, preferably comprising a soft air- permeable fabric, and an intermediate layer between the top layer and the bottom layer and comprising moisture absorbing particles, e.g. for absorbing sweat. The sheet thus is adapted for substantially preventing skin-on-skin contact while absorbing moisture, such as sweat, through the top and/or bottom layers. The top layer and/or bottom layer of the sheet preferably comprise a cellulose base material, and the layers of the sheet are preferably substantially permeable to air so that the skin contacting the sheet may breathe.

In an embodiment said flexible material comprises one or more layers of a webbed or non-woven material. Preferably the outer layers of the sheet comprise hydrophilic non-woven material, for allowing flow of moisture into the sheet's core.

According to a second aspect the present invention provides a stack of disposable liners according to any one of the preceding claims. Alternatively, multiple liners may conveniently be provided on a roll, wherein a liner in the roll may be connected to another liner in the roll by means of a tear-connection between said liners .

The various aspects and features described and shown in the specification can be applied, individually, wherever possible. These individual aspects, in particular the aspects and features described m the attached dependent claims, can be made subject of divisional patent applications .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment shown in the attached drawings, in which:

Figures 1A and IB show a schematic top view and a cross-sectional side view respectively of a disposable liner according to the invention,

Figure 2 schematically shows a side view of the disposable liner according to the invention, when in use.

Figure 3 schematically shows a stack of disposable liners according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1A schematically shows a top view of a disposable liner 1 according to the present invention. The liner comprises a sheet 2 of a flexible material, in this case a multi-layered webbed, or non-woven, material adapted for absorbing moisture. The sheet 2, here shown in its planar form, is provided with a first through opening 3 dimensioned for the passage of a user's penis. The first through opening has a rounded triangular shape which is bounded by an edge having an upper part 10, which transitions into side parts 11, which in turn transitions into lower part 12 of the edge at the lower vertex of the rounded triangle-shaped through opening. During use, the user's penis will normally be substantially adjacent to the lower part 12 of the edge of the first through opening 3, and substantially spaced apart from the upper part 10 of the edge of the first through opening 3. The first through opening 3 thus provides substantially more space than required for passage of the user's penis. During use, the user's scrotum will be arranged substantially through a second through opening 4, provided by a concave slit 14 in the sheet 2. The slit 14 forms a flap 5 in the sheet 2, which flap 5, when not flush with the rest of the sheet, leaves open the second through opening 4 in the sheet as can be seen in figure IB. The user's penis may thus substantially rest on the flap 5 instead of on his scrotum, while the scrotum substantially rests on a border section 6 of the sheet 2, which border section 6 is arranged adjacent and at least partially on a side of the second through opening 4 facing away from the first through opening 3 when viewed along the longitudinal direction L of the sheet. At least adjacent to the slit 14, the border section 6 has a width 13 sufficiently wide to substantially support the scrotum and to prevent the scrotum from contacting the user's perineal area and thighs. For adults this width typically varies between 3 cm for the part of the border section along line M which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L, and 4.5 cm for the part of the border section along the longitudinal direction L, whereas for children said width may be less.

The interior of the sheet 2 comprises a powdered absorbing polymer material adapted for absorbing moisture, such that when the sheet comes into contact with moisture, a gel-like substance is formed within the sheet, which may also form gel-like granules or particles.

To prevent the moisture absorbing material and/or the gel-like substance from spilling out of the sheet, the outer edge 7,8,9 of the sheet 2, which outer edge comprises an upper part 7, which transitions into side parts 8, which in turn transition into lower part 9, and the inner circumferential edge 10,11,12 of the first through opening 3 are substantially closed off by singing the edges. Additionally, the outer edge 7,8,9 of the sheet 2 and the inner edge 10,11,12 of the first through opening 3 are rounded such that the edges 7,8,9,10,11,12 do not cut into the user's skin. The arcuate or U-shaped slit 14 extends between two end points 5a, 5b, and faces with its concave side towards the first through opening 3. The two end points 5a, 5b are arranged such that line M connecting these points 5a, 5b intersects the first opening 3. The flap is thus adapted for folding around lines at an angle to the line M, such that the flap may better follow the contour of the user's penis. When the flap 5 is flush with the rest of the sheet, as shown in figure 1A, the arcuate edge of the flap 5 substantially abuts the corresponding edge 14 of the border section 6.

The border section 6 has an arcuate outer edge 9 with a curvature which substantially corresponds to the curvature of the closest part of the edge of the second through opening 4 or slit 14, such that the distance between the arcuate outer edge 9 of the border section 6 and the closest edge of the second through opening along the arcuate outer edge 9 is in the range of 2 to 5 cm at any point .

The first through opening 3 and second through opening 4 are aligned or centered along the longitudinal axis L of the sheet. The first opening 3 and/or the flap 5 are preferably formed by die-cutting the first through openings respectively the slit 14 in the sheet 2. Alternatively, liner 1 may be provided as a sheet in which through openings 3 and/or 4 have to be prepared before use. For instance, in an embodiment the liner may be produced as sheet without substantial through openings for passage of a user's body parts, wherein the first through opening can be provided by a user by tearing or pushing out a predetermined section (not shown) which fills up the area intended for the first through opening, wherein said section may be attached to the rest of the sheet by means of a detachable connection, such as a tear connection.

Figure IB shows a cross-sectional side view of the disposable liner 1 of figure 1A, in which the flap 5 is shown in a position not flush with the rest of the sheet 2 such that second through opening 4 is formed. The disposable liner 1 may be applied with a minimum of inconvenience to the user by slightly lifting the user up, placing the disposable liner 1 under the user's scrotum, and finally placing the user's penis through the first through opening 3. To facilitate this, the first through opening 3 is substantially larger than the space needed for passage of the user's penis. When the second through opening 4 is formed by positioning flap 5 in a non-flush manner relative to the sheet 2, the second through opening 4 is substantially bounded by interior edge 16 of the border section 6.

During use, a front facing side F of the sheet 2, i.e. the side of the sheet substantially facing away from the user, contacts the user's scrotum. At an oppositely facing backside B of the sheet and at an area of the sheet side between upper part 7 of the outer edge of the sheet 2 and the upper part of the inner edge 10 of the first through opening 3, the sheet 2 is provided with attachment means comprising a strip 15 with adhesive for attaching the sheet to a stomach region of the user. To prevent frequent application and removal of adhesive to the user's skin, a separate attachment surface may be attached to the user and left in place for a period of time, for instance for a day, to which attachment surface attachment strips of multiple liners according to the invention may be attached and removed one after the other within the same period of time.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the disposable liner 1 according to the invention as worn by a user 20. The liner is kept in position by means of strip of adhesive 15 on the backside B of the sheet, which strip of adhesive is attached to a stomach region 21 of the user 20. The user's penis 23 has at least partially been passed through first through opening 3 past edge 11, whereas the user's scrotum 24 has at least partially been passed through second through opening 4 past edge 16. The flap 5 of the liner 1 substantially prevents contact between the user's scrotum 24 and penis 23. Contact between the user's scrotum 24 and perineal area 25 is reduced by border section 6 of the liner, which border section 6 contacts the user's scrotum with its front side F. Contact between the user's thighs 22 and scrotum 24 is substantially avoided as well, as the border section 6 of the disposable liner 1 at least partially surrounds the user's scrotum and penis, thus at least partially keeping user's thighs and his scrotum and penis spaced apart.

Figure 3 shows a stack 30 of disposable liners according to the invention, in which the liners have a substantially planar shape. The stack of liners allows easy transport and storage of multiple liners.

It is to be understood that the above description is included to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiments and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. From the above discussion, many variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art that would yet be encompassed by the spirit and scope of the present invention .

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Disposable liner for protecting skin of a male user, especially when in a seated position, said liner comprising a sheet of a flexible material, wherein, at least during use, said sheet is provided with a first through opening dimensioned for passage of the user's penis and with a second through opening, spaced apart from said first through opening and dimensioned for passage of the user's scrotum.

2. Disposable liner according to claim 1, wherein said sheet comprises a front side, which during use faces away from the user, wherein said sheet is adapted to enable the front side to be arranged for contacting the user's scrotum .

3. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a flap arranged substantially between the first and second through opening, wherein, at least during use, said flap is arranged for substantially preventing contact between the user's penis and scrotum.

4. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sheet is formed substantially as a single piece and/or is manufactured from a single sheet of flexible material, preferably a planar single sheet of material.

5. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first through opening is formed as a rounded cut out section, preferably as a rounded triangular cut out section.

6. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sheet is provided with a slit, which slit is adapted for providing said second through opening during use, wherein said slit preferably follows a non-straight path.

7. Disposable liner according to claim 6, wherein said slit is a substantially concave slit having its concave side directed towards said first through opening.

8. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sheet comprises a border section bordering said second through opening and adapted for maintaining separation between the user's scrotum and the perineal area.

9. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sheet further comprises a material adapted for absorbing moisture.

10. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer edge of the sheet, and/or the edge of the first through opening and/or the edge of the second through opening are substantially closed off.

11. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sheet is an elongated sheet, wherein said first through opening and said second through opening are aligned along the longitudinal direction of the sheet .

12. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising attachment means arranged, when viewed along the longitudinal direction of said sheet, on a side of said first through opening opposite from said second through opening, said attachment means preferably comprising an adhesive for attachment at a stomach area of the user.

13. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising attachment means arranged, when viewed along the longitudinal direction of said sheet, on a side of said first through opening opposite from said second through opening.

14. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sheet comprises an anti- bacterial material, preferably wherein the flexible material is provided with an anti-bacterial coating.

15. Disposable liner according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said flexible material comprises one or more layers of a webbed or non-woven material.

16. Disposable liner according to claim 1, wherein the sheet comprises a top layer and a bottom layer comprising a soft air-permeable fabric, and an intermediate layer between the top layer and the bottom layer and comprising moisture absorbing particles.

17. Stack of disposable liners according to any one of the preceding claims.