Abstract:
A diaper or other fluid arresting cover for a human body, bearing a weak base such as sodium bicarbonate for neutralizing acids in fluids secreted by the human body and intercepted by the fluid arresting cover. The fluid arresting cover may comprise in respective order a first water permeable wicking stratum, a second water permeable wicking stratum of different constituency than the first wicking stratum, a third stratum for absorbing water, a fourth stratum which is water permeable and can wick water to other strata, and a liquid impermeable outer membrane. The weak base may be incorporated into the third stratum or alternatively into the third and other strata. The weak base may be impregnated throughout a stratum or may comprise an exterior coating with adhesive engaging the exterior coating.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to diapers and like devices for intercepting fluid discharges from the body, and more particularly, to diapers and like devices which incorporate weak bases for neutralizing acidic bodily discharges. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Diaper rash is a common affliction which affects babies. While diaper rash may have any of a number of causes, one cause is irritation of the skin due to the mildly acidic nature of urine retained by a diaper. Urine can vary in pH so as to be acidic, basic, or neutral, but when acidic, can cause diaper rash. However, for persons other than vegetarians, the pH of urine tends to acidic. Moreover, sleep causes decreased pulmonary ventilation, which results in respiratory acidosis. Therefore, urine excreted during sleep, or upon waking, is usually highly acidic. 
         [0003]    Compounds such as bicarbonate of soda have been incorporated into diapers, for example to overcome odors. Diaper constructions incorporating bicarbonate of soda or other weak bases as seen in the present invention are not known. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention provides a construction for a fluid arresting cover device which advantageously incorporates a weak base in a way so as to chemically react with and neutralize acids. The weak base may also absorb or otherwise suppress odors. The weak base may comprise for example sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, or any other similarly acting weak base incorporated into one or more layers or strata of the fluid arresting cover device, or coupled to the surface of one or more layers or strata. 
         [0005]    It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
         [0006]    These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is an exaggerated, exploded cross sectional view of a fluid arresting cover device such as a diaper, according to at least one aspect of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exaggerated perspective view of one component which may be utilized in a fluid arresting cover device such as a diaper, according to at least one further aspect of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an exaggerated side cross sectional view of another component which may be utilized in a fluid arresting cover device such as a diaper, according to at least one further aspect of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of steps of a method of providing odor control to a fluid arresting cover device such as the fluid arresting cover device of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of steps of a method of neutralizing acidic water in a water bearing bodily discharge, as is performed by the fluid arresting cover device of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Referring first to  FIG. 1 , according to at least one aspect of the invention, there is shown one exemplary construction of a fluid arresting cover device  10  for containing bodily discharges containing water from a human body (not shown). A fluid arresting cover device such as the fluid arresting cover device  10  is an article intended to be placed against and cover portions of the human body for the purpose of intercepting and containing fluid discharges. Diapers for babies provide one but not the exclusive example of such fluid arresting cover devices. Bandages, incontinence pads, products for accommodating menses, and still other purposes may be addressed by a fluid arresting cover device according to one or more aspects of the invention. 
         [0014]    The fluid arresting cover device  10  may be said to have an interior surface  12  disposed to face the body when the fluid arresting cover device  10  is placed against the human body, and a corresponding exterior surface  14  disposed to face away from the body when the fluid arresting cover device  10  is placed against the human body. Designation of interior and exterior are for semantic purposes in explaining the invention, and will be understood to refer to orientation in facing towards or away from the body of the user when the fluid arresting cover device  10  is placed in operative position thereagainst. The terms interior and exterior may be presented herein alone or used in combination with terms such as surface or side to similar effect. Illustratively, the interior, an interior side, and an interior surface may be utilized interchangeably herein. 
         [0015]    Because of the purpose of the invention, elements of the fluid arresting cover device  10  located towards the interior surface  12  are fluid transmissive. The element of the fluid arresting cover device  10  located at the exterior surface  14  is fluid impermeable, so that the bodily discharges are contained and not permitted to foul the environment outside the body. 
         [0016]    The fluid arresting cover device  10  may comprise the following flexible strata. A flexible first stratum  16  located at or defining the interior surface  12  may comprise a first water transfer substance (not separately shown) disposed to transport a water based liquid by wicking action. The first water transfer substance, which may be any conventional material known for use with diapers for example, may comprise a solid having interstitial spaces and which does not change form when absorbing and transferring water. For example, the first water transfer substances may comprise a woven or non-woven web of natural or artificial fibers, or a combination of these characteristics, wherein the interstitial spaces are those voids existing between adjacent fibers. 
         [0017]    A flexible second stratum  18  may be disposed between the flexible first stratum  16  and the exterior surface  14 . The flexible second stratum  18  may comprise a first water absorbent substance which ultimately becomes a gel when absorbing water, wherein the first water absorbent substance may be any known substance or construction conventionally used in diapers. A distinction may be drawn between the first water transfer substance and the first water absorbent substance despite the fact that both may be said to transfer water. The distinction is that the first water transfer substance retains its essential physical configuration when wetted, for example, being a fibrous mass, despite filling or partial filling of interstitial spaces when water is encountered, whereas the first water absorbent substance substantially changes from a generally solid substance to a generally fluid, amorphous substances when water is encountered. 
         [0018]    The second stratum  18  may be impregnated with a weak base disposed to react chemically with acidic water so as to neutralize the acidic water, within limits of the nature and quantity of the weak base and the acidic strength and quantity of acidic water present in the bodily discharge. For example, granules  20  of a weak base such as sodium bicarbonate may be introduced into the second stratum  18  at the time of fabrication of the second stratum  18 . A weak base is a substance that when combined with water may develop a pH value between seven and about nine, and may comprise for example the aforementioned sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, or any other similarly acting weak base. The granules  20  are shown in representative fashion in  FIG. 1 , and are therefore to be understood not to be to scale. In a similar vein, all components of the fluid arresting cover device  10  are shown in exaggerated or representative fashion, and are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
         [0019]    A flexible third stratum  22  may be disposed beside the flexible second stratum  18  and may be separated from the flexible first stratum  16  by the flexible second stratum  18 . The flexible third stratum  22  may comprise a second water transfer substance which comprises a solid having water retaining interstitial spaces and which does not change form when absorbing water, and may for example be of similar or identical constituency as that of the flexible first stratum  16 . 
         [0020]    The fluid arresting cover device  10  may comprise a flexible fourth stratum  26  located on or at the exterior side  14  of the fluid arresting cover device  10 . The flexible fourth stratum  26  may comprise for example a thin plastic or polymeric sheet. The flexible fourth stratum  26  functions as a water impermeable barrier for preventing escape to the outside of a water containing fluid by the fluid arresting cover device  10 . 
         [0021]    The fluid arresting cover device  10  may comprise a flexible fifth stratum  24  disposed between the flexible first stratum  16  and the flexible second stratum  22 . The flexible fifth stratum  24  may comprise a third water transfer substance disposed to transport a water based liquid by wicking action. The third water transfer substance may be different in constituency, density, or any other characteristic from the first water transfer substance and the second water transfer substance. This arrangement of three strata and their water transfer characteristics may be similar or identical to corresponding arrangements which are known in diapers, and therefore need not be further detailed herein. It must be stressed that an important difference between the present invention and conventional known diapers lies in the use of the weak base rather than in utilization of any particular arrangement of strata or plies in forming the fluid arresting cover device  10 . Material may be selected for one or more strata, for example, for its directional or other permeability characteristics relative to inhibition of particle migration. 
         [0022]    The fluid arresting cover device  10  may comprise a flexible sixth stratum  28  disposed between the flexible second stratum  18  and the flexible fourth stratum  26 . The flexible sixth stratum  28  may be of construction similar to that of the flexible first stratum  16  or the flexible stratum  22  for example. The flexible sixth stratum  28  may assist in maintaining consistent thickness of the fluid arresting cover device  10  after the flexible second stratum  18  becomes a gel, or may increase maximum fluid retention capacity, for example. 
         [0023]    It will be noticed that the various flexible strata such as the flexible first stratum  16 , the flexible third stratum  22 , the flexible fifth stratum  24 , and the flexible sixth stratum  28  have been presented out of the order shown in  FIG. 1 . This is because while the fluid arresting cover device  10  may comprise these elements, another fluid arresting cover device (not shown) according to other possible aspects of the invention may omit some of these elements, and may for example comprise a construction equivalent to including only the first flexible stratum  16 , the flexible second stratum  18 , and the fourth flexible stratum  26 . For example, the arrangement including the flexible first stratum  16 , the flexible third stratum  22 , and the flexible fifth stratum  24  may be regarded as advantageous in wicking a water based fluid to the flexible second stratum  18  more rapidly than for example a single stratum (not shown) of similar dimensions but of homogeneous constituency. The invention could nevertheless be practiced with different arrangements of wicking strata, such as that utilizing the single stratum. Hence in some constructions of a fluid arresting cover device according to the invention, there could be only first, second, and third strata such as the flexible first stratum  16 , the flexible second stratum  18 , and the flexible third stratum  26 . For semantic reasons, it is preferred to order the various strata such that there will always be first, second, and third strata regardless of presence of other strata. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  shows a possible construction for forming the flexible first stratum  16 , the flexible third stratum  22 , the flexible fifth stratum  24 , the flexible sixth stratum  28 , or of course, any combination of these. A flexible stratum  30 , which will be understood to represent any of the flexible first stratum  16 , the flexible third stratum  22 , the flexible fifth stratum  24 , and the flexible sixth stratum  28 , may comprise a first web  32 , an opposed second web  34  disposed generally parallel to the first web and secured thereto by quilting  36 , and a weak base  38  in granular form entrapped between the first web  32  and the second web  34 . The first web  32  and the second web  34  collectively form end barriers for securing a suitable substance such as a fibrous woven or non-woven mass in place for the purpose of wicking a water based fluid to the flexible second stratum  18 , and for holding the woven or non-woven mass in generally constant thickness despite body movements and other potential disruptions to the fluid arresting cover device  10 . 
         [0025]    Quilting  36  is a term introduced herein for describing a way of affixing the first web  32  to the second web  34  wherein a fastener is disposed along intersecting lines so as to contact the first web  32  and the second web  34  at spaced apart intervals such as according to the pattern depicted in  FIG. 2 . The fastener may comprise a filament which is mechanically stitched, or a bead generated by sonic or ultrasonic welding the first web  32  to the second web  34 , chemical bonding of the first web  32  and the second web  34 , application of an adhesive, or in other ways (none shown). The visual effect of such spacing and arrangement of intersecting lines of the fastener is similar to that used in blankets and the like of the type popularly known as quilts. Hence a construction utilizing the fastener arrangement described above will be referred to as quilting. In quilted material, typically, the constituent material billows out or increases in depth or thickness (i.e., the distance between the first web  32  and the second web  34 ) where there is no fastener, and is of minimal depth or thickness at the location of the fastener. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  shows a further way in which granules of a weak base  40  in granular form may be coupled to a stratum  42 . The stratum  42 , which in other ways may be similar to for example the flexible first stratum  16 , the flexible third stratum  22 , the flexible fifth stratum  24 , or the flexible sixth stratum  28 , may comprise in addition a first outer coating  44  of adhesive and a second outer coating  46  of adhesive. The coatings  44 ,  46  of adhesive may be discontinuous along the surface of the stratum  42 , for example being perforated or otherwise partially open so as to be liquid permeable and able to pass fluids to the interior of the stratum  42 . Granules of the weak base  40  may be adhered to the coatings  44  and  46  such that the weak base  40  is disposed on the outer surface of the stratum  42 . The various strata of a fluid arresting cover device such as the fluid arresting cover device  10  may utilize the constructions seen in any of  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , and in any combination thereof. Therefore, even if the flexible second stratum  18  is internally impregnated with the weak base  20 , in other strata, at least some of the weak base may be disposed on the outer surface of the other strata. 
         [0027]    The invention may be thought of as a method  50  of providing odor control to a fluid arresting cover device such as the fluid arresting cover device  10 . The method  50  may comprise a step  52  of providing at least one stratum disposed to transfer liquid, a step  54  of providing at least one stratum disposed to absorb and store transferred liquid, a step  56  of providing a liquid impermeable barrier stratum, and a step  58  of causing at least one of the strata to contain an odor absorbent substance. The odor absorbent substance may be for example sodium bicarbonate as seen with the granules  20  of the weak base, or the weak base  38  or  40 . 
         [0028]    The invention may further be thought of as a method  60  of neutralizing acidic water in a water bearing bodily discharge, comprising a step  62  of providing at least one stratum disposed to transfer liquid, a step  64  of providing at least one stratum disposed to absorb and store transferred liquid, a step  66  of providing a liquid impermeable barrier stratum, and a step  68  of causing at least one of the strata to contain an acid neutralizing substance. The acid neutralizing substance may be for example sodium bicarbonate as seen with the granules  20  of the weak base, or the weak base  38  or  40 . 
         [0029]    The apparatuses mentioned in the steps of either the method  50  or the method  60  may comprise the apparatuses of  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 . 
         [0030]    While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.