A pad for absorption of human exudate

Abstract: The invention is generally accomplished by forming a three-dimensionally shaped, externally worn feminine protection device (10) which has been mechanically shaped by folding, molding or other forming techniques in such a way that it has a raised portion (34) located within the back one-half to two-thirds of the device that functions to cause the pad to readily fit to and generally align itself within the inverted V-shaped regions of the woman's lower abdominal region, vulva, perineum and the anterior portion between the buttocks. The forward portion (30) of the device of the invention generally is flattened in use to cover externally the area of the pubic mons and the area exterior of the clitoris. The back portion (32) of the device is formed in a peak (34) like shape which readily adjusts to and molds to the inverted V-shape of the rear portion of the labia, the perineum and the forward portion of the area between the buttocks.

Description: The present invention relates generally to the field of devices for absorbing bodily exudate, particularly sanitary napkins for personal feminine care. The pads of the invention also find use in absorption of urine as a consequence of minor incontinence. There have been a variety of devices or appliances configured for catamenial devices. Generally there have been offered two basic kinds of feminine protection device. These are sanitary napkins or pads that have been developed for external wear, and tampons that have been developed for residence within the vaginal cavity and interruption of menstrual flow therefrom. Each has offered distinct advantages. Hybrid devices attempted to merge the structural features of both within a single type of device have also been proposed. There has been proposed in U.S. 4,631,062 - F. 0. Lassen et al. a labial pad that is particularly advantageous in that it is a discreet, comfortable, and highly effective pad. However, while this pad has been particularly successful in functioning as a catamenial device when properly placed, its small size and unique design has made difficult the education of the wearer as to proper placement. It has been proposed in U.S. Patent 4,673,403 to improve the placement of the catameniaf device of U.S. Patent 4,631,062 - Lassen et al. (Patent family member of Patent EP-A-0 162 451) by providing an indicator on the bodyside of the pad to aid in proper placement of the pad onto the body of the wearer. While the above pads of Lassen et al. have performed well they have the difficulty that they are not well accepted by the consumer as they are so small that the consumers do not find them believable as to their effectiveness. Further, for best performance they need to be placed on the body first and then held in place by an undergarment. This is contrary to the common practice of consumers in which pads are fastened to their undergarments prior to placement on the body. Therefore, there is a need for a pad that will have the performance benefits of the above Lassen et al. pads with improved flexibility in the method of placement on the body and with a larger size that is more believable to the consumer. This invention therefore aims to overcome disadvantages of prior catamenial devices. An object of the invention therefore is to form an anatomically - shaped feminine pad that is self-aligning to maintain correct placement of the pad on the body. This object is solved by the pad according to the independent claim 1. Further advantageous features of the pad are evident from the dependent claims. The invention also provides a pad that resists bunching and twisting when worn. The invention further creates a feminine pad that is discreet and comfortable when worn. According to the invention a three-dimensionally shaped, externally worn feminine protection device is formed which has been mechanically shaped by folding, molding or other forming techniques in such a way that it has a raised portion located within the back one-half to two-thirds of the device that functions to cause the pad to readily fit to and generally align itself within the inverted V-shaped regions of the woman's lower abdominal region, vulva, perineum and the anterior portion between the buttocks. The forward portion of the device of the invention generally is substantially flattened in use to cover externally the area of the pubic mons and the area exterior of the clitoris. The back portion of the device is formed in a peak like shape which readily adjusts to and molds to the inverted V-shape of the rear portion of the labia, the perineum and the forward portion of the area between the buttocks. The present invention is designed to be molded to the female body with a portion of the pad to be inserted between the buttocks. The present invention describes a pad having a length of at least 17.78 cm (seven inches) with a portion extending into the buttocks so as to align the forward portion of the pad with the female anatomy. Additionally, approximately one-third of the pad of the present invention will enter into the perineum and align with the buttocks. As this occurs, the front portion of the pad will align itself with the pubic mons. The pad is designed to be placed in position by the user so that a portion of it will enter the buttocks and therefore align the front portion of the pad to prevent twisting during use. By preventing the twisting, the pad is less likely to leak fluid discharged by the female. Further features and details of the invention will become evident from the enclosed drawings showing an embodiment of the pad according to the invention. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are top, side, bottom and end views of an alternate pad of the invention. Traditional feminine hygiene protection generally comes from two sources, i.e., either sanitary napkins or tampons. Each has certain disadvantages. Sanitary napkins are designed to be worn externally and as such are susceptible to failure because of side crunching and shifting. Most pads are also flat and very bulky and because of their flat geometry, do not readily mold to the contours of female anatomy and therefore tend to leak prematurely over the sides. In fact, they generally rely on the motions and the pressures of the user's body and garments to cause them to adapt to the body's curvatures. Because of this, the pads do not interface and mold well to the body and the usual walking motions tend to cause the pad's side edge to insert into the folds of the buttock rather than to be aligned equally along the body's center line. During use, the end of conventional pads tends to remain unused. Also, the conventional pads are generally long and bulky in the rear, and therefore protrude so as to be visible under certain types of tight fitting clothing. Because of these various problems, fluids tend to build up on the surface and generally show side rather than end failure. Tampons, on the other hand, are much smaller than pads since they are designed to be worn within the vaginal cavity. Tampons, while not having the external bulk of the pads, have certain disadvantages. Depending upon the tampon, there are insertion difficulties, internal discomfort during its residence, removal difficulties, as well as psychological and moral dislikes by some women for vaginal insertion. Interlabial pads which, with varying degrees of success combine the best features of both tampons and pads while avoiding the disadvantages of each, have been developed. Historically, "large" means protection to the woman and conventional "small" pads are considered to be useful only for light flow. Therefore, because of the relative small size, the labial products which are the functional equivalent of the "large" pads suffer from size related user insecurity and resistance to the learning required for their proper placement. The instant invention, because of its unique shape and construction, overcomes many of the disadvantages of the above menstrual devices. Tampons are generally considered to be more comfortable, convenient and especially to be less "wet and messy" than pads because of being worn internally. The external nature of the instant invention overcomes the insertion stigmas related to tampons. Also, because of its shape, the instant invention is more comfortable and easier to carry and place than the conventional external products and approaches the comfort and convenience of tampons. The invention's configuration which readily accommodates the female anatomy, allows fluid interception in the vulva at the exterior juncture of labia, and delivers a self-aligning characteristic which overcomes much of the placement, "wet and messy", and other comfort problems of conventional external products. The relative larger size of this invention overcomes the "smallness" related insecurity and positioning problems of some labial products. While not molding into the vestibule as do the labial products, it does fit much better to the external curvature of the vulva and labia than the conventional flat napkins and pads. It also exhibits fluid interception, top staining and surface dryness properties much closer to that of the labial products than the conventional pads of similar composition. In fact, this invention delivers, visually, perceptions of protection and security which are superior to both the conventionally sized flat products and the much smaller labial products. The invention provides a pad constructed and shaped in such a way as to allow the front portion of it to fit over and conform to the flattened forward portion of the female genitalia and lower abdomen while the rear portion of the pads aligns with and fits comfortably into the crease-like regions of the buttocks and perineum to such an extent as to allow a surprisingly efficient external interception of exudate while at the same time giving the user the psychological assurance against leakage generally associated with the large flat conventional napkins and pads. The absorbent pad of the invention provides better alignment with the female anatomy and closer contact with the vulva than is possible with current flat pads. The improved alignment of the pad minimizes bunching and twisting while providing efficient exudate collection. The pad further is comfortable and discreet in use as it is closely shaped to the anatomy. The effectiveness of the instant pad is surprising as previously it was considered that a pad folded in use into an inverted V would be subject to leakage. The pad of the invention having generally parallel longitudinal sides and rounded ends is low in cost to form and does not require the utilization of exotic materials or forming techniques. These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description. Figures 1 through 5 are views of an embodiment of the invention. Pad 80 has raised portion 82 and substantially flattened portion 84. The pad is provided with extended adhesive portions 85 and 86 that are covered by peel strips 88 and 90. The central area of the peaked portion 82 is held in place by adhesive areas 92, 94 and 96 for secure fastening to the undergarment of the wearer. The pads of the invention may be provided with any absorbent that is capable of absorbing human exudate. Suitable for the invention are polyester fibers, rayon fibers, cotton fibers, and mixtures of these fibers with or without surfactant treatment. Preferred fibers for the invention are wood fluff fibers and coform nonwoven webs. Coform is an airformed blend of meltblown polypropylene microfibers and staple wood fibers. These materials are preferred as wood fluff is low in cost. Coform has integrity when wet and also is low in cost. In a preferred form of the invention the absorbent may be formed of more than one layer. The layer of absorbent toward the bodyside would be formed with a lower density such that it would serve as a transfer layer to transfer fluid to the absorbent layer adjacent the backing member that would be of greater density. The absorbent of greater density would preferentially absorb fluids from the surface layer absorbent of lower density. Therefore the layer underneath the permeable cover would be drier and the cover would feel drier to the wearer. The bodyside cover or bodyside liner may be any permeable material that will pass human exudate to the absorbent. Typical of such materials are tissue, perforated films, and woven gauze material. Polypropylene spunbonded and polypropylene and rayon blends in thermobonded nonwovens are suitable for the products of the invention. A preferred material is a polyester thermobonded nonwoven of staple fibers having a basis weight of about 10 to about 60 gsm, that may or may not be treated with a surfactant as these materials provide a soft and dry feel to the pad. A typical cover is the spunlaced polyester sold under the trade name "Sontara" by E. I. DuPont Company that is comprised of a polyester fiber having a basis weight of about 34 grams per meter. The liquid impermeable backing member may be any material that will block the flow of human exudate from the bodyside to the garment of the wearer. Typical of such materials are polymer films of polyethylene and polypropylene. Further, the polymer films may be combined with a nonwoven material such as spunbonded polypropylene to create a clothlike outer cover. It is also possible that vapor permeable but liquid impermeable backing members could be utilized. In another embodiment of the invention the impermeable backing material used is a molded foam material that provides correct pad shape without shaping by the user. The pad has been described with two layers of absorbent having different densities as the preferred embodiment. However, the pad also could be formed with a single absorbent layer. It is also possible that a transfer layer having little absorption ability could be located immediately below the bodyside cover. Typical of such material is a fibrous material such as blends of polyester and rayon that have minimum fluid retaining character. Such material will rapidly transfer fluid from the cover to the absorbent but will not absorb a significant amount of the fluid. Other transfer layers may be airformed or carded webs of polyester, rayon or polypropylene. The adhesive that forms a tuck in the backing member to provide a beginning point for the peak when the pad is formed may be located in any suitable area. The area where the tucks are located is generally in the midportion of the rearward half of the pad. The tuck adhesive is located generally so as to form a folded area of between about 0.3 and 0.9 cm (1/8 and 3/8 inches) in the backing material. This tucked area provides an embryonic fold to aid in molding of the pad to form the peaked area that conforms to the rear portion of the labia, the perineum and buttocks. The adhesive used may be any suitable adhesive product, including two-sided tape and the common hotmelt construction adhesives utilized in feminine care and diaper products. The tuck or peak precursor area also may be formed by thermal bonding. As described above the pads of the invention are provided with a pressure-sensitive garment attachment adhesive on at least a portion of the liquid impermeable backing member. The pressure-sensitive adhesive and peel strip suitably is any of those well known in the feminine care art. Generally the pads have a length of between about 17. 8 and about 30.5 cm (7 and about 12 inches). The preferred length is generally between about 17.8 and 20.3 cm (7 and 8 inches) as this length is discreet. effective and easily placed in the correct position. The width generally is equal to between about 5.1 and about 10.2 cm (2 and about 4 inches). The preferred width is about 6.3 cm (2.5 inches) for comfort and effectiveness in absorption of menstrual fluids. Generally pads designed for incontinence use for women with mild urinary or fecal incontinence are longer and thicker particularly in the rear than pads designed for menstrual use. The length and height of the ridge or peak in the rearward portion of the pad of the invention is determined by the sharpness of the fold, the arrangement of the absorbent and the location and length of the adhesive that holds the fold in place. The fold is useful for aligning the pad with the body's contours as the device is being positioned on the body of the user. By using adhesive of the pressure-sensitive or cohesive type for joining the sides of the crease or fold the user may selectively partially break the adhesives section to adjust the height to the peak for best comfort and protection for a particular body size. The longitudinal folded nature of the pad allows the invention to be packaged in a longitudinally folded configuration and after removal from the package the invention's front substantially flat portion and rear peaked section may be adjusted by the individual in placement of the pad on the body. The cupped or concave front portion of the pad may be achieved by inverting the peak of the folded version near the pad's front. While the invention has been discussed with particular reference to the preferred catamenial pads, it is also desirable for pad devices for incontinence protection or other types of vaginal discharge. Further, the pad may be formed in various sizes and shapes to best conform to the body of the users. These and other variations of the invention are intended to be included by the invention which is only to be limited by the scope of the claims attached hereto.

Claims: A pad (80) for absorption of human exudate comprising an impermeable outer cover, a liquid permeable bodyside bodyside web and an absorbent therebetween, said pad comprising a substantially flattened or concave front portion for positioning exterior of the clitoris and pubic mons, and comprising: a rearward portion having an upraised peak, said rearward portion of the pad being folded generally at its longitudinal center and said peak being formed from an adhesively (92-96) held tuck at said longitudinal center, said peak being generally continuous and rising gradually from said flattened portion and extending to the rearward end of said pad, wherein the rear about one-half to two-thirds of said pad forms said peak (82), and at least a portion of the outer cover being provided with pressure-sensitive garment attachment adhesive characterized by the pad having a length of at least 17.78 cm (7 inches), and the upraised peak (82) being for aligning the pad with, and maintaining the pad in alignment with, the creases of the perineum, buttocks, and a rearward portion of the pudendal cleft, said garment attachment adhesive consisting of adhesive portions (85,86) extending from the front to the rear of the pad. The pad of claim 1 wherein said pad (80) has a length greater than about 17.8 cm (7 inches) and a width of about 6.3 cm (2.5 inches). The pad of one of the preceding claims wherein said pad (80) has an hourglass shape. The pad of one of the preceding claims wherein a higher density absorbent layer is adjacent said backing layer and a lower density absorbent is adjacent said bodyside web. The pad of one of the preceding claims wherein the length of said pad is between 17.8 and about 30.5 cm (7 and about 12 inches). The pad of claim 5 wherein the width of said pad is between about 5.1 and about 10.2 cm (2 and about 4 inches). The pad of any preceding claim wherein said tuck is between about 0.3 and about 0.9 cm (1/8 and about 3/8 inches) deep. The pad of any preceding claim wherein the adhesive bond of said tuck may be partially broken to shape said pad. The pad of one of the preceding claims wherein said pad is of greater distance across the forward end than at the rear end. The pad of one of the preceding claims wherein said pad is a greater distance transversely across in the rear area than the forward area.

Inventors: CESCO-CANCIAN ANNA M, HUFFMAN DAWN M, LASSEN FREDERICH O, CESCO-CANCIAN, ANNA M., HUFFMAN, DAWN M., LASSEN, FREDERICH O.
Applicants: KIMBERLY CLARK CO, KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A61F13
IPC codes: A61F13