ABSORBENT PANTS PRODUCT

Abstract: A disposable absorbent pants diaper is made up of an elastic pant with holes (3, 2) at the anus and at the urethral opening when worn. Liquid impermeable layers cover said holes and are sealed to said elastic pant around said holes thereby forming pockets (4, 5) for receiving feces and urine respectively. The pockets (4, 5) are suitably provided with absorbent and/or superabsorbent material.

Description: Absorbent Pants Product The present invention relates to a disposable absorbent pants product of the type described in the preamble to the attached Claim 1. A disposable diaper product of this type is shown and described in EP-A 357 298, where an inner envelope, which may be a polyolefine sheet with perforations to allow urine to pass through, is provided with an aperture to allow feces to pass through. Said envelope is provided with elastic strands to hold it in place against the wearer's body. Out¬ side the elasticized envelope, the diaper is provided with absorbent material and an outer jacket of liquid-impermeable material, which is attached to the inner envelope only at the waist edges and the leg edges of the diaper. When filled with urine and feces, the absorbent material and the outer jacket will hang down between the legs of the wearer, decreasing comfort and security against leakage. When the absorbent material is deformed in the narrow space between the user's legs the elasticized envelope can often be forced away from correct contact with the skin of the user, giving rise to folds and creases and leakage can then occur. The problem of keeping a diaper in place has been approached in many different ways. Elastic side panels for example are described in EP-A 320 991. SE 425 942 describes the placement of elastic means in a V-shaped pattern to hold the liquid permeable layer of the diaper in better contact with the user's body. Neither of these known solutions is completely satisfactory as regards holding the product in place to prevent leakage and neither of them addresses the problem at all of keeping urine and feces out of contact with the user's skin. These problems are satisfactorily solved by a disposable absorbent pants product of the type described by way of introduction, which has the features disclosed in the charac- terizing clause of the attached Claim 1. By covering the holes in the elastic pant at the urethral opening and the anus pockets of liquid-impermeable material which are tightly sealed only to the portions of the elastic pant immediately surrounding said holes, movements of the absorbent material and its jacket will not affect the correct placement of the elastic pant and its two holes. The elastic pant can be designed with relatively small holes because they are held in place and kept open by the elastic properties of the pant. The present invention will now be described with reference to examples shown in the accompanying figures of which: Fig. 1 shows a pant diaper according to the invention in its extended state just prior to final assembly as seen from the inside of the pant diaper, Fig. 2 shows the same diaper as seen from the outside. Fig. 3 shows the same pant diaper after final assembly as worn by a child. The pant diaper according to the invention as shown in the figures is essentially based on an elastic pant 1 , which can be of the type described in our copending Swedish patent application SE 9500387-7, composed of an elastic net or film covered with substantially liquid-permeable and air-perme- able, e.g. hydrophobic layers of non-woven material. The elastic pant is provided with a hole 2 which, when the pant is worn, will be placed directly at the urethral opening. The placement and size of said hole 2 may be adapted to the sex and/or age of the intended wearer. The pant is also provided with a hole 3 which will be placed directly at the anus when worn. As can be seen most clearly in Fig. 2, cover layers 4, 5 of liquid impermeable material such as polyethylene film or a hydrophobic non-woven fabric cover each of the holes and are sealingly fixed to the elastic pant thereby forming a pocket around each of said holes 3 and 2 respectively. According to preferred embodiments each pocket can be filled with absorb¬ ent material such as fluff pulp and/or superabsorbent material, for reception of feces in the back pocket 4 and urine in the front pocket 2. The elastic pant is thus held snugly in place against the body of the user. When feces or urine is excreted they will pass through their respective holes, which need not be made particularly large since the elastic pant is held firmly in its proper place, and into their respective pockets. The front pocket 5 may be filled and weighted down with urine without it pulling the elastic pant out of position in con¬ tact with the user. And since the pockets are separated from each other the feces and urine will not mix which is a known advantage to prevent leakage and prevent irritation of the skin. Said pockets can be made of elastic material to be able to expand as they are filled with feces or urine.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Disposable absorbent article, such as a pants diaper, characterized by: an elastic pant provided with at least one hole at the anus and/or at the urethral opening when worn, and an outer liquid impermeable layer covering said hole or holes, said outer liquid impermeable layer covering said hole or holes (3,2) and being sealed to said elastic pant around said hole or holes thereby forming at least one pocket (5,4) for receiving feces and/or urine. 2. Disposable absorbent articles according to Claim 1, characterized in that absorbent material is diposed outside said elastic pant, that an outer liquid impermeable layer covers said absorbent material, and in that said absorbent material covers said hole or holes and the area immediately surrounding said hole or holes, and that said outer impermeable layer covering said absorbent layer is sealed to said elastic pant only in the area immediately surrounding said absorbent material. 3. Disposable absorbent article according to Claim 2, characterized in that said absorbent layer extends circa l -2 centimeters beyond the periphery of the respective hole. 4. Disposable absorbent article according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said liquid-imperme¬ able cover layer is elastic.

Inventors: GUSTAFSSON ANDERS, WIDLUND URBAN, GUSTAFSSON, ANDERS, WIDLUND, URBAN
Applicants: GUSTAFSSON ANDERS, MOELNLYCKE AB, WIDLUND URBAN, GUSTAFSSON, ANDERS, WIDLUND, URBAN
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A61F13
IPC codes: A61F5, A61F13