A BABY'S DIAPER

Abstract: A baby's diaper comprising a shaped support member (1) of cloth having a modified I-shape with a top end portion (3) having lateral extensions (4 and 5), and a bottom end (6) having shorter and slightly wider lateral extensions (7 and 8), rectangular strips (21, 22 and 23) of Velcro <R> loop material attached to the inner face of the support member (1) to secure the diaper in position around a baby, one or more of said spaced strips (21, 22 or 23) being capable of being folded into the diaper to reduce the dimensions of the diaper to enable it to be used with babies of different sizes, and a narrow elongate strip (13) of absorbent cloth attached centrally to the inner face of the support (1) having an extended portion (14) adapted to be folded inwardly onto the support to provide an absorbent pad within the diaper.

Description: TITLE: A BABY'S DIAPER Field of the Invention: This invention relates to improvements in babies' diapers or other protective device. Background of the Invention: As the public becomes more conscious of the pollution problems associated with disposable babies' diapers, the need for an easily fitted washable baby's diaper has become more apparent. While a number of fitted babies' diapers have been proposed in the past, a number of problems have been found to be associated with these diapers. When a baby is first born, the size of the diaper reguired is quite small, but as the baby grows, increasingly larger diapers are required. The presently available fitted diapers are made in a number of graduated sizes which become unusable as the baby outgrows each particular size. Summary of the Invention and Objects: It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved fitted baby's diaper or other protective device which is adjustable to suit the size of the baby. It is an object of another aspect of the invention to provide a means by which the above difficulty is avoided. Accordingly, the invention provides a fitted baby's diaper or other protective device comprising a shaped support member having a central strip of absorbent material, said support member terminating in laterally extending end portions which in use partly encircle the waist of the wearer when the diaper is attached to the wearer, two of said lateral portions at one end of the diaper being provided with attaching means of one type, said diaper being provided with attaching means of another type on the outer surface of the other end of the diaper and to which said attaching means of said one type are in use attached, characterised in that a plurality of discrete portions of attaching means of said other type are secured in spaced relation to the outer surface of said diaper at increasing distances from the edge of said other end of said diaper to enable portions of the diaper to be folded inwardly to reduce the size of the diaper to fit smaller bodies, said folding operation presenting different discrete portions of said attaching means of said other type to said attaching means of said one type to enable the diaper to be secured when folded as defined. Brief Description of the Drawings: One preferred embodiment of the invention incorporating each of the above aspects of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the inside face of a diaper embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the outside face of the diaper of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the diaper of Figure 1 ready for fitting to a baby; Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views of the diaper in the partly and fully fitted positions, and Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to Figures 4 and 5 showing the diaper folded to fit a new-born baby; Description of the Preferred Embodiment: With reference to Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings, the baby's diaper embodying the invention will be seen to comprise a shaped support member 1 of cloth or other suitable material, which may include a waterproofing material (not shown) of any suitable kind, having a narrow central portion 2, a top end portion 3 having lateral extensions 4 and 5, and a bottom end 6 having shorter and slightly wider lateral extensions 7 and 8 defining a modified I-shaped support. Portions of the shaped side edges 9 and 10 of the support 1 are elasticized at 11 and 12, and a narrow elongate strip 13 of absorbent cloth, such as cotton towelling, is secured centrally to the inner face of the support 1 and has a portion 14 which extends from the bottom end 6 of the support 1 as shown. The portion 14 is adapted to be folded on top of the secured portion of the strip 13 to provide an absorbent pad in the central region of the diaper, as shown in Figure 3. Rectangular strips 15 and 16 of Velcro (registered trade mark) hook material are secured centrally near the ends of the lateral extensions 4 and 5 to facilitate securement of the diaper to a baby. To protect the hook material strips 15 and 16 against clogging with lint during washing and handling, and to prevent snagging of the hook material strips 15 and 16 with other fabric during washing and drying, tabs 17 and 18 of Velcro loop material are attached to the support 1 at 19 and 20. In this way, the tabs 17 and 18 may be folded over and attached to the strips 15 and 16 of hook material to cover the hook material during washing, drying or handling. When the diaper is to be secured, the tabs 17 and 18 are peeled off the hook material strips 15 and 16 to expose the hook material for attachment purposes. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, three spaced strips 21, 22 and 23 of Velcro loop material are attached to the outer face of the support member 1 for engagement with the hook material strip 16 when the diaper is fitted to a baby. To complete the securing operation, a further strip 24 of Velcro loop material is attached to the outer face of the support 1 near the top end 3 of the support 1 for engagement by the hook material strip 15 to secure the diaper around the waste of the baby. To facilitate fitting of the diaper to new-born babies, the bottom end 6 of the support 1 is folded, as shown in Figure 6, inwardly to leave only, the strip of loop material 23 exposed, following which the end of the strip 14 is folded over the strips 21 and 22 and the hook material strip 16 is attached to the loop strip 23 and the strip 15 attached to the strip 24 to secure the diaper around the waist of the baby, as shown in Figure 7. For larger babies, only the strip 21 is folded inwardly and the engagement is between the strip 16 and the strip 22. For even larger babies, the engagement is between the strip 16 and the strip 21, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. In this way, the diaper embodying the invention will have a longer usable life and need not be replaced as the baby grows. The provision of spaced discrete strips 21 to 23 of Velcro loop material has the advantage of not only facilitating reduction in the dimensions of the waist of the diaper, but also draws the remaining portions of the diaper upwardly, reducing the depth of the crotch loop when filled to ensure that the sides of the diaper firmly encircle the legs to confine waste products to the diaper in use. The edges of the support member 1 and the various strips are attached to the support member by sewing, or in any other suitable way. While the embodiment of the invention has been described in relation to a baby's diaper, it will be appreciated that the invention is equally applicable to other protective devices, such as incontinence devices.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A fitted baby's diaper or other protective device comprising a shaped support member (1) having a central strip (13) of absorbent material, said support member terminating in laterally extending end portions (4,5,7,8) which in use partly encircle the waist of the wearer when the.diaper is attached to the wearer, two of said lateral portions (4,5) at one end (3) of the diaper being provided with attaching means (15,16) of one type, said diaper being provided with attaching means (21,22,23) of another type on the outer surface of the other end (6) of the diaper and to which said attaching means (15,16) of said one type are in use attached, characterised in that a plurality of discrete portions (21,22,23) of attaching means of said other type are secured in spaced relation to the outer surface of said diaper at increasing distances from the edge of said other end of said diaper to enable portions of the diaper to be folded inwardly to reduce the size of the diaper to fit smaller bodies, said folding operation presenting different said discrete portions (21,22,23) to said attaching means (15,16) of said one type to enable the diaper to be secured when folded as defined. 2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a strip (24) of attaching means of said other type secured to the outer surface of said support adjacent one side of said one end (3) to enable securement of said one of attaching means of said one type thereto when the support encircles the waist of the wearer. 3. The device of claim 1 or 2, provided with attaching means wherein each attaching means of said one type has an associated element (17,18) of attaching means of said other type attached to said attaching means (15,16) of said one type or to said article adjacent said attaching means of said one type, so as to be capable of being secured over said attaching means of said one type to protect said attaching means (15,16) of said one type against engagement with other portions of said diaper or other materials. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein each said associated element (17,18) of attaching means of said other type is of such a size to completely cover each said attaching means (15,16) of said one type when attached thereto.

Inventors: JANSON SUE, PENDLEBURY DANA, JANSON, SUE, PENDLEBURY, DANA
Applicants: JANSON SUE, PENDLEBURY DANA, JANSON, SUE, PENDLEBURY, DANA
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A61F13
IPC codes: A61F13