Patent ID: 6478786
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
A protective underwear arranged to be worn by a person having legs to trap and collect loose or liquid waste products of the person, said underwear comprising a pants-shaped chassis having a front waist portion, a belly portion, a rear waist portion, a rear back portion, a crotch portion, and a pair of leg openings disposed on opposite sides of said chassis, with said crotch portion being located between said leg openings and having a front section and a rear section, said front waist portion and said rear waist portion being joined together at the sides of said chassis, said belly portion and said rear back portion being joined together at the sides of said chassis, said underwear additionally comprising an insert having an insert sheet and a liquid absorbent core disposed between said insert sheet and said chassis, each of said leg openings having a first arcuate section, a second arcuate section, and an intermediate section, said first arcuate section having an inner end located adjacent said core, said second arcuate section having an inner end located adjacent said core, said intermediate section being located adjacent said core between said inner ends of said first and second arcuate sections, said front waist portion of said chassis including plural transversely oriented elastic threads extending parallel to one another, said plural transversely oriented elastic threads encompassing a substantial portion of said chassis from said front waist portion into said belly portion to a point adjacent said crotch portion, said underwear additionally comprising at least two generally linear longitudinally oriented elastic threads, with respective ones of said longitudinally oriented elastic threads extending on opposite sides of said core outside margins of said core and between said leg openings, said longitudinally oriented elastic threads intersecting at least one of said transversely oriented elastic threads of said belly portion and intersecting at least one of said transversely oriented elastic threads of said rear back portion to form an enclosed, rectangular gasketed compartment for said liquid absorbent core closely conforming to the perimeter of said core to prevent the egress of liquid therefrom, said first arcuate section of each of said leg openings being elasticized by at least one arcuate elastic thread, said second arcuate section of each of said leg openings being elasticized by at least one arcuate elastic thread, said at least one elastic thread of said first arcuate section terminating at an inner end, said at least one elastic thread of said second arcuate section terminating at an inner end, said inner ends being spaced from each other by a gap, said gap being located at said intermediate section, and wherein a portion of one of said longitudinally oriented elastic threads is located very close to said gap in said intermediate section of one of said leg openings, and a portion of the other of said longitudinally oriented elastic threads is located very close to said gap in said intermediate section of the other of said leg openings, whereupon said longitudinally oriented elastic threads cooperate with said arcuate elastic threads to elasticize said leg openings to enable said leg openings to closely conform about the legs of the person.