Abstract:
A system is disclosed which provides for a stacked configuration of a plurality of panty liners where a wet wipe is coupled to non-body facing side of at least one of the panty liners and where the center of the non-body facing side is free of any adhesive which is configured to hold said panty liners together.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to panty liners, and more particularly relates to stacked panty liners, and, even more particularly, relates to convenient systems and methods for using stacked panty liners. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In the past, it has been proposed to provide a simple plurality of substantially identical panty liners in a stacked configuration so that one can be simply removed and thereby exposing another unused panty liner positioned for immediate use. 
         [0003]    While these simple stacked panty liner systems may have many advantages in particular applications, they also have some drawbacks. The secure placement, use inside a garment, and the removal of the top layer panty liner in a stacked configuration of panty liners may be problematic in some situations. The terms top, front, upper and inside are used herein to refer to orientation which is proximal to the body. While bottom, back, lower and outside are used herein to refer to an orientation which is distal of the wearer&#39;s body. Additionally, the substantially identical panty liners provide little protection to the edges of bottom or lower layer panty liners. 
         [0004]    Consequently, there exists a need for improved methods and apparatuses for deploying multiple panty liners in a stacked configuration. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient, clean and efficient system and method for utilizing stacked panty liners. 
         [0006]    It is a feature of the present invention to utilize and provide a top level stackable panty liner which is slightly oversized with respect to a next lower level panty liner. 
         [0007]    It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a lower level panty liner which is protectively stored while being worn. 
         [0008]    It is another feature of the present invention to provide a disposable wipe stored on a panty liner, so as to be accessible immediately upon removal of a panty liner. 
         [0009]    It is another advantage of the present invention to reduce the commonly felt preference to change panty liners only in a location having a sink. 
         [0010]    It is another feature of the present invention to include non-centrally disposed adhesive dots on a back side of an upper level panty liner. 
         [0011]    It is an advantage of the present invention to include adhesion points around a centrally disposed wipe. 
         [0012]    The present invention is an apparatus and method for efficiently and hygienically providing a stacked and stored configuration of panty liners, which is designed to satisfy the needs mentioned above, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features, and achieve the advantages explained above. The present invention is carried out in a “hassle free” manner, in a sense that a common level of difficultly in locating an additional panty liner and in cleaning up after a change of a panty liner may be avoided or reduced. 
         [0013]    Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of deploying a plurality of stacked panty liners. In one embodiment thereof, this method includes the removing of a stored wipe from a backside of a panty liner to be discarded after use. 
         [0014]    Additionally, the present invention is a stacked panty liner configuration with increasing sizes of each panty liner as they are stacked on another panty liner affixed inside a wearer&#39;s underwear. 
         [0015]    The present invention is: A method of changing a panty liner of a person wearing a garment, comprising the steps of:
       lowering said garment;   removing a top level panty liner from an adhered configuration with a first lower level panty liner, which first lower level panty liner is at least indirectly coupled to said garment;   removing a wipe from an attached configuration from said top level panty liner;   using said wipe; and   donning said garment so that said first lower level panty liner is configured to be proximal to said person wearing said garment.       
 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]    The invention may be more fully understood by reading the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, in conjunction with the appended drawing wherein: 
           [0022]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective diagram illustrating a two panty liner stacked configuration. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is another exploded view of the panty liners of  FIG. 1 , where one panty liner is shown in a slightly rotated orientation while the other panty liner is shown in side view. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is plain view of a backside of an upper one of the panty liners of the  FIG. 1 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  is stacked plain view of the two panty liners of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  is a partially assembled view of the components of the present invention deployed in a wearer&#39;s underwear taken from a vantage point inside of the wearer&#39;s underwear. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  is another assembled view of the components of  FIG. 5 , except that the vantage point is from outside the wearer&#39;s underwear. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Although described with particular reference to a two panty stacked configuration, the system and method for deploying multiple stacked panty liners can be used in any system that has at least two panty liners in a stacked configuration. 
         [0029]    Now referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , where like numerals refer to like matter throughout, there is shown an example of the present invention. Now referring specifically to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a top level panty liner  10  with an absorbent body contacting side  12  with a first end  14  and second end  16  and left wing  18  and right wing  19 . Also shown is a wingless panty liner  20  having an absorbent body contacting side  22  with a third end  24  and a fourth end  26 . 
         [0030]    The wingless panty liner  20  will attach like a typical liner to the inside of the underwear. This is the bottom of the stackable liners. In one embodiment, the wingless panty liner  20  may be a prior art commercially available panty liner. 
         [0031]    Now referring to  FIG. 2 , there is shown an alternate perspective view of the panty liners  10  and  20  where an outside (non-body contacting side)  11  is shown as well as some adhesive pads  13 . Also shown disposed on backside  11  is a wipe pouch  17  for containing therein a flushable feminine wipe  15 . Wipe pouch  17  is intended to be shown as a rectangular pouch, similar to the size and shape of a wrapper for a standard bandage, which shows a flushable feminine wipe  15  therein as if wipe pouch  17  is transparent. Wipe pouch  17  may be foil lined and non-transparent or other suitable design. The absorbent body contacting side  22  of wingless panty liner  20  is shown next to the backside  11  of top level panty liner  10 . In this embodiment, wipe pouch  17  may be held in place by adhesive contacting backside  11 . Adhesive pads  13  are for adhering the backside  11  to absorbent body contacting side  22  so as to hold them together when top level panty liner  10  is in use and then allow top level panty liner  10  to be pulled away from wingless panty liner  20 . In such an arrangement, wingless panty liner  20  with outside  21  is configured with adhesive for attaching to a person&#39;s underwear while being worn. Left wing backside  180  of left wing  18  may be covered with adhesive material for contacting the wearer&#39;s underwear. Right wing  19  is shown in a slightly folded orientation. 
         [0032]    Now referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a close up view of the backside  11  of top level panty liner  10 , with an exception that wipe pouch  17  may have no adhesive coupling it to backside  11 , because there is shown additional pouch retaining members  31  at each end of wipe pouch  17 . These pouch retaining members  31  allow the center of the backside  11  to be free of any adhesive. Pouch retaining members  31  are shown as being transparent for aiding in understanding of the figures but non-transparent members may be preferred in some embodiments. Top level panty liner  10  may be similar to a commercially available consumer feminine panty liner which has been altered by adding the adhesive pads  13  and a wipe pouch  17  with a flushable feminine wipe  15 . Backside  11  is shown having right wing backside  190 , which may be partially or completely covered with adhesive, similar to left wing backside  180 , for adhering to the wearer&#39;s underwear. 
         [0033]    Now referring to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a view of the panty liners  10  and  20  where the top level panty liner  10  is attached at the backside  11  (not shown) to the absorbent body contacting side  22  (shown outlined by phantom lines) of liner  20 . The first end  14  of top level panty liner  10  is shown slightly covering the third end  24  of wingless panty liner  20 , shown with phantom lines. In this configuration, it is easily seen that wingless panty liner  20  is protected behind the top level panty liner  10  so as to remain clean until top level panty liner  10  is removed and discarded. 
         [0034]    Now referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown a garment, such as underpants  50 , having an inside body contact surface  51  and a plurality of underpants leg openings  52 , one of which is shown with phantom lines as it is obscured by top level panty liner  10 . Wingless panty liner  20  is shown attached to the inside body contact surface  51 . Top level panty liner  10  is shown positioned after it has had left wing backside  180  (not shown) attached to the underpants outside surface  53  ( FIG. 6 ). The dotted arrows show the direction of rotation of top level panty liner  10  when it is finally secured. When top level panty liner  10  is pivoted, right wing backside  190  will pass through the underpants leg openings  52  (with solid lines) and can be attached to underpants outside surface  53  as shown in  FIG. 6 . Adhesive pads  13  will adhere top level panty liner  10  to absorbent body contacting side  22  of wingless panty liner  20  when top level panty liner  10  is pivoted over wingless panty liner  20 . 
         [0035]    Now referring to  FIG. 6 , there is shown a view of underpants  50  including underpants outside surface  53  with left wing  18  and right wing  19  after they have passed through the underpants leg openings  52  and have been adhered to underpants outside surface  53 . Three or more panty liners may be used by adding an additional intermediate liner which is substantially the same as top level panty liner  10 , however such an additional liner would be sized slightly smaller than top level panty liner  10  so that it could be covered and protected by top level panty liner  10  and slightly larger than wingless panty liner  20 . Alternatively, the stack of three or more could be thought of as including an additional over the top level panty liner which is sized and configured to cover the top level panty liner  10 . As many such layers of liners can be used as is comfortable to the wearer. 
         [0036]    In operation, the system and method of the present invention can be operated as follows: 
         [0037]    Wingless panty liner  20  is placed within a person&#39;s underpants  50  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0038]    Top level panty liner  10  is disposed inside the underpants  50  and the left wing backside  180  with adhesive thereon being exposed is inserted through the underpants leg openings  52  and attached to the underpants outside surface  53 . The top level panty liner  10  is then pivoted over the wingless panty liner  20  and the right wing  19  is passed through the other of the underpants leg openings  52  and the right wing backside  190  with adhesive exposed is attached to the underpants  50  forming the configuration as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0039]    If three or more panty liners are desired to be worn at one time, then the process of the immediately preceding paragraph is repeated either identically or by inserting into the underpants  50  a panty liner otherwise identical to the then inner most liner, except that it is sized so as to cover and protect such an inner most liner. 
         [0040]    Once the desired number of panty liners are stacked and the underpants  50  is put on by the wearer, the absorbent body contacting side  12  of top level panty liner  10  (or of the inner most liner if three or more panty liners are used at once) is allowed to contact the person wearing the underwear. Then after some time of use, the top level panty liner  10  (or inner most liner if three or more are in place) is removed from the still attached wingless panty liner  20  (or top level panty liner  10  if three liners are used) and flushable feminine wipe  15  is removed from the wipe pouch  17  on the backside  11  of removed liner. The wipe is used and discarded as is the removed liner. The remaining liner(s) is (are) correctly deployed for use without any further steps. 
         [0041]    The above system and method describes the process as starting with a wingless panty liner  20  as the first liner to be adhered to the underpants  50 . It should be understood that the wingless panty liner  20  could be omitted or the first liner could be any appropriately sized and type of liner including a liner similar to the top level panty liner  10 . Depending on the first liner used, the next liner could be an enlarged version of liner described herein as being the top level panty liner  10 , except that it is made so as to cover the adjacent lower level liner. 
         [0042]    It is thought that the method and apparatus of the present invention will be understood from the foregoing description and that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construct steps and arrangement of the parts and steps thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of their material advantages. The form herein described is merely a preferred exemplary embodiment thereof.