AN INCONTINENCE PROTECTOR AND A METHOD FOR ITS MANUFACTURE

Abstract: Incontinence protector for slightly incontinent men, and is designed to accommodate the user's penis as well as scrotum. According to the invention, said protector has the shape of a bag (1) with a prestretched elastic member (3) bordering the bag opening (2). The inherent rigidity of the bag material is none or insignificant, and the elastic member (3) is made to contract the opening for diminishing it.

Description: An incontinence protector and " a method for its manufacture The present invention relates to an incontinence protector for slightly incontinent men and is intended to be applied over penis as well as scrotum. The inven¬ tion also relates to a method of manufacturing such incontinence protectors. For slightly incontinent men,- i.e. for those involuntarily leaking small amounts of urine only drop¬ wise, there have so far existed no efficient inconti¬ nence protectors. Slight incontinence is a concealed handicap affecting many people. A large group of slightly incon¬ tinent individuals encompasses men suffering from pro- static insufficience. Even after having undergone pro- static surgery, -a still remaining problem for this group of men is usually drip incontinence, which has up to now caused a great deal of mental suffering owing to the lack of appropriate protective appliances. Conventional diapers or other types of inconti¬ nence protectors for heavily incontinent men are of course unacceptable for those discharging urine only dropwise, in which case there would be no need to carry around large and clumsy incontinence protectors. However, incontinence protectors intended for slightly incontinent men are known per se. The Swedish Patent Specification 426 206 teaches such- a protector formed of two side walls affixed to their edges while leaving an opening at one side edge, this protector having one pointed and one obtuse corner. When applying the protector with the opening over penis, the obtuse corner situated opposite the opening is pressed against the body, the edges of the opening thereby being folded out towards the sides. The portion located below the obtuse corner and in the region around the pointed corner during use of the protector forms a conically shaped receptacle. This prior art protective device, however, is much too stiff to feel pleasant for the user. A further essential drawback associated with this protector is that it will not remain fixed in position but tends to slip away. This is the case even when the protector has on its surface a friction in¬ creasing coating which consists of a foam plastic layer on the commercially available protectors and which, when used in combination with the liquid impermeable plastic layer, also makes the protector much too hot and tight. The construction of the aforesaid protector therefore makes it too stiff and hot for the user's comfort. The Swedish Patent Specification 416 264 dis¬ closes a receptacle for slightly incontinent men The • receptacle consists of a tubular, fine-meshed textile hosiery which is impregnated with a liquid-repellent agent. The absorbent material is applied in small bags to be placed inside the receptacle. This protector, which is intended to be threaded onto the male organ like a stocking, is completely use¬ less for men with retarded penis. Since male indivi- duals suffering from drop incontinence are generally elderly men among which a retarded penis is especially common, the protector described in the latter specifi¬ cation is unsuitable. Furthermore, the type of protector disclosed in said Swedish Patent Specification 4l6 264 is inappro¬ priate even for men with normal penis due to the diffi¬ culty in finding a fastening means capable of retaining the protector fixed in position during use. The waist¬ band shown in Fig 4 of said patent specification would certainly feel unpleasant and does not seem to function in a satisfactory manner. According to the embodiment shown in Fig 1, the protector is intended to be secured in the area around the penis root with the aid ' of adhe¬ sive tape, which would probably make removal of the protector painful for the user. With the present invention there is accomplished a protector intended for slightly incontinent men and which, with regard to use as well as manufacture, is quite superior to previously known devices. A protector performed in accordance " with the invention is primarily distinguished in that it is shaped as a bag and has an opening which is lined with a prestretched elastic member; that the bag material has no, or only insignificant inherent rigidity; and that the elastic member acts to contract the opening the size of which being chosen so that in its optimally expanded, fully open state it can be applied to the body of an adult man, and that the elastic member upon recovery to its original state will produce a retracted bag opening which is substantially smaller than the circumference of the penis and scrotum area but simul- taneously large enough to accommodate the root circum¬ ference thereof without any overtension. In this manner there is obtained a soft and loosely tightening flexible protector. The user will feel totally unimpeded by the protector, which practi- cally occupies no space at all and which is almost completely imperceptible when properly applied. The bag material is preferably vapor permeable and comprises an outer layer of fiber fabric which is made liquid impermeable by the treatment with a hydro- phobic agent, and an absorbent inner layer. An incontinence protector performed in this manner permits ventilation through the bag material, which is of vital importance for the feel of comfort. The bag serving as an incontinence protector is of course made large enough to accommodate the user's penis and scrotum without any chafing or cramping what¬ soever. According to a preferred embodiment, the bag opening of the incontinence protector has in its total¬ ly open expanded state a circumference in the order of 35-45 cm, and in its retracted state a circumference in the order of 15-25 cm. In the following product claims there are defined additional embodiments as well as suitable materials chosen therefor. The inventive method is characteized- in that a web-shaped laminate is formed which consists of one liquid impermeable layer and one absorbent fiber layer; that bag-shaped protectors with the liquid impermeable layer applied at the outer side are produced in a bag manufacturing machine; and that a prestretched elastic member is attached as a lining around the opening edge of the bag. The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the accompanying " drawings, of which Fig 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of the inventive protector in its extended, flat state; Fig 2 is a schematic side view of the protector according to Fig 1 with the elastic member retracted; Fig 3 shows the protector of Figs 1 and 2 as viewed in the direction towards its opening; Fig 4 is a side view of a second embodiment of the inventive protector in its extended, planar state; Fig 5 shows the protector according to Fig 4 with the elastic member retracted; Fig 6 is a side view of a third embodiment of the inventive protector in its extended, planar state; Fig 7 shows the protec- tor of Fig 6 with the elastic member retracted; Fig 8 is a side view of a further embodiment of the inven¬ tive protector shown in its extended, planar state, and Fig 9 finally shows the protector according to Fig 8 with the elastic member retracted. The bag 1 shown in Fig 1 is rectangular in its extended state. The opening 2 of the bag is disposed along one of the long edges. An elastic member 3 is affixed around the opening. The bag which is rectangu¬ lar in its extended state has a long side with an extension in the order of 20 cm, and a short side in the order of 10 cm. With the elastic member 3 retrac- ted according to Figs 2 and 3, the circumference of the bag opening is in the order of 20 cm. The bag 1 is made of a soft material without, or with only a small degree of inherent rigidity. For example, the bag material can be composed of an outer layer of fiber fabric which has been treated with a hydrophobic agent for producing a liquid impermeable layer, and an inner layer comprising absorbent mate¬ rial in fiber form. To advantage, the outer layer can be composed of a hydrophobic layer of material comprising absor¬ bent fibers such as cellulose fibers and rayon, and melt fiber such as polypropylene for example, in combination with a reinforcing layer of so-called spun-bond nonwoven. Said outer layer may also include fibers of polyvinyl alcohol resulting in melt-bonding at a lower temperature than with polypropylene fibers. The admixture of the latter type of fibers with the raw material for the fiber fabric will facilitate the web-forming process. The size of the bag is selected so that in the expanded state of the elastic member, it can easily be brought over penis and scrotum of an adult man, allow¬ ing it upon application to accommodate these organs without chafing or cramping during use. The degree of elasticity is selected so as to provide a bag opening with a circumference of about 20 cm in its retracted state, as mentioned above. This size is sufficiently large for the opening not to overtense around the root circumference of penis and scrotum while being suffi¬ ciently narrow for preventing the protector from sli in off durin use. The embodiment shown in Figs 1-3 with the opening disposed at one of the long sides of a protec¬ tor having rectangular shape in its flat and extended state will give it a suitable anatomical shape. The protector is intended for application to the user's body with the longitudinal extension of the protector vertically positioned. Figs 4 and 5 show a somewhat modified embodi¬ ment. The bag 1 is here rhomboid-shaped in an extended, planar state. As in the embodiment according to Figs 1-3, the ope'ning 2 and the elastic member 3 bordering it are arranged along one of the long edges. As indi¬ cated in Fig 5, the rhombic shape enables the forming of a larger conically shaped portion 4 at one end than compared to the design according to Figs 1-3- The coni¬ cally shaped- receptacle portion 4 is naturally intended to be directed downwards when applied for use. The downwardly directed receptacle portion 4 has been further enlarged in the embodiment according to Figs 6- and 7. The long edges of the protector have increased length here while the opening 2, instead of extending entirely along one of the long edges, is welded together along a section 5. The embodiment according to Figs 7 and 8 is distinguished from that of Figs 1 and 2 in that the upper portion of the bag, as seen when the protector is in use, has been designed with an oblique end edge, which is most clearly seen in Fig 8. In this manner and as is shown in Fig 9, the upper edge will be substanti- ally straight when the elastic member is retracted, a conically shaped receptacle portion 4 simultaneously being formed at the bottom. The inner and outer layers, included in a pro¬ tector made according to the invention, are preferably laminated. When manufacturing the protectors, the bag material is advanced in a continuous web up to a bag welding machine for producing bags according to Figs 1, 4 and 5, respectively. Elastic bands or threads 3 are thereafter glued in a prestretched condition around the opening. The invention is not restricted to the afore- described exemplary embodiments or to the method of manufacture set forth above, since a plurality of modi¬ fications are conceivable within the sco ' pe -of the patent claims. The bag serving as a protector may naturally be given other configurations than those exemplified above. For -instance, it may be substantially quadratic when assuming an extended, planar condition. The most essential factors are that the bag material is soft and flexible, that the bag and its opening are correct¬ ly dimensioned, and that the elasticity around the opening is adjusted so as to keep the protector fixed in position without overtension around the root circumference of penis and scrotum.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An incontinence protector for slightly inconti¬ nent men, which is intended to be applied over penis as well as scrotum, characterized in that said protec¬ tor (1) is bag-shaped and provided with an opening (2) lined with a prestretched elastic member (3); that the bag material has no or only insignificant i-nherent rigidity, and that the elastic member acts to contract the opening which is dimensioned so as to be ' applicable in its optimally expanded, fully opened state to the ' body of an adult man; and that the elastic member upon recovery to its original state creates a retracted bag opening (2) which is substantilly smaller than the circumference of the penis and scrotum area but simul¬ taneously large enough to accommodate the root circum- ference thereof without overtensio ' n. 2. An incontinence protector according to Claim 1, characterized in that the bag material is vapor perme¬ able; that it incorporates an outer layer of fiber fabric which is made liquid impermeable by the treat- ment with a hydrophobic agent; and an absorbent inner layer. 3. An incontinence protector according to Claim 2, characterized in that the layers included in the bag material are laminated together. 4. An incontinence protector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bag opening has in its fully opened, expanded state a cir¬ cumference in the order of 35-45 cm, and in its retrac¬ ted s ' tate a circumference in the order of 15-25 cm. 5. An incontinence protector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer layer includes a layer treated with a hydrophobic agent as well as a reinforcing layer of a melt fiber comprising fiber fabric, preferably so-called spun-bond nonwoven. 6. An incontinence protector according to Claim 5, characterized in that said absorbent fibers in the outer layer are cellulose pulp fibers and/or rayon fibers. 7. An incontinence protector according to Claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the layer treated with hydrophobic agent also incorporates fibers of polyvinyl alcohol. 8. An incontinence protector according to any one of Claims 1-4, characteri-zed in that the outer layer is composed of one or more layers of hydrophobic tissue and a spun-bond nonwoven. 9. An incontinence protector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the absorbent inner layer is composed of a thermo-bonded nonwoven material comprising melt fibers such as poly¬ propylene, and highly absorbent fibers. 10. An incontinence protector according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the inner layer consists of a tissue. 11. An incontinence protector according 'to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bag (1) is rectangular in an extended, flat state; and that the opening (2) with the elastic member (3) is disposed at one of the long edges. 12. An incontinence protector according to any one of Claims 1-10, characterized in that the bag (1) is rhomboidic in an extended, flat state; and that the opening (2) with the elastic member (3) is disposed at one of the long edges, the bag portion where the long edge of the opening forms an obtuse angle to the short edge in the extended, flat state of the bag (1) thereby forming a conically shaped receptacle (4) situated below the opening (2) contracted by the elastic member (3) during use of the bag. 13. An incontinence protector according to Claim 12, characterized in that the long edge with the opening (2) is sealed along a section (5) from the short edge, which when extended in a flat state forms an obtuse angle to the long edge (4). 14. A method of manufacturing incontinence protec¬ tors intended for slightly incontinence men and accom¬ modating during use both penis and scrotum, " character¬ ized in that a web-shaped laminate is formed which includes one liquid impermeable layer and one absorbent fiber layer; that bag-shaped protectors with the liquid impermeable layer applied at the outer side are produ¬ ced in a bag manufacturing machine; and that a pre-, stretched elastic member is affixed around the opening edge of the bag. 15. A method according to Claim 14, characterized in that the material layer intended for use as a liquid' impermeable outer layer is produced in a fiber fabric manufacturing process, the raw material for the " fiber fabric preferably including cellulose fibers and/or rayon fibers and melt fibers; that the fiber fabric thus obtained is hydrophobized for producing a liquid impermeable layer; and that said latter layer is then laminated with an absorbent layer, or is layered with fibers of absorbent material.

Inventors: JONSSON HELENA, OLSSON KURT, TERNSTROEM MAJ INGELA, WIDLUND LEIF ROLAND URBAN, JONSSON, HELENA, OLSSON, KURT, TERNSTROEM, MAJ, INGELA, WIDLUND, LEIF, ROLAND, URBAN
Applicants: MOELNLYCKE AB
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A61F5
IPC codes: A61F5, A61F13