Patent Publication Number: US-2011061143-A1

Title: Liquid penetration shields for outer garments

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/447,215 filed Jun. 5, 2006 and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §, which application discloses in part, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120, subject matter disclosed in my earlier United States patent applications filed under Ser. No. 10/741,176, of Dec. 20, 2003 and Ser. No. 10/202,350 of Jul. 24, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,407 dated Jan. 27, 2004, which are hereby incorporated by reference. This application also claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from provisional application No. 60/390,939 of Jun. 24, 2002. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to liquid penetration shields for outer garments, to avoid visible urinary staining of outer garments. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Urinary incontinence affects 13 million people in the U.S. Regardless of age, young or old alike, incontinence causes great embarrassment and distress. For example, in children about 20% of 5-year-old&#39;s are affected. They experience urine leakage for a variety of reasons such as overactive bladder, anxiety, small bladders that fill quickly, developmental delays, urinary track infections, or just being engrossed in an activity. For whatever reason, the slightest leakage causes the dreaded visible stain. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a liquid penetration shield for an outer garment, such as pants, which avoids visible urinary staining of through the outer garment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The liquid penetration shield of this invention, known as the No Show Guard™, provides an extra barrier to prevent a small amount of urine or other bodily fluids from penetrating through the outer garment possibly causing embarrassment and anxiety due to the visible stain. Due to its wicking action, the liquid penetration shield may promote healing of rashes or sensitive areas; it can also reduce offensive odor. The liquid penetration shield may be used as a hygienic alternative to underwear, and it is available in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and prints. 
     For the female user, it is to be worn on the inner crotch area of a pant garment. It can be placed horizontally or vertically. For the male user it is best placed from the center crotch extending upward on either side of the fly zipper. In doing so, any urine spots that would result from leakage will go directly onto the liquid penetration shield instead and will not penetrate the garment, thereby preventing a visible stain. 
     Other feminine uses of the liquid penetration shield are noted. If a woman chooses to add more protection during menstruation or while using tampons, she is assured that the protection from the guard which has a light plastic layer within will keep her dry and confident. A nursing woman also benefits from the Liquid penetration shield. It can easily be inserted into her bra for added protection or positioned on the inside of her blouse so that any lactating fluid which might penetrate will not become visible and stain garments. 
     The material of a liquid penetration shield is generally less than 1 mm (0.039″) thick, although added fluid retention (if desired) can be achieved with a thicker absorptive layer. The material is constructed as a three layer laminate, with a soft absorptive layer on top, a soft plastic barrier layer next, and a bottom layer which mechanically locks onto soft fabrics such as flannel when pressed against it. An example of the bottom layer is a diaper tab that is sometimes used on disposable diapers; it is a substrate with hook-like protrusions on one surface which behave like the hook material of VELCRO® hook and loop fasteners, only less than ¼ of the typical VELCRO® thickness. Since the bottom layer does not mate aggressively to types of fabrics such as denim, the user can use strips of double-sticky tape to attach the liquid penetration shield. 
     Alternatively, the bottom layer of the shield can be an adhesive layer with a pull off release liner, wherein the adhesive layer attaches directly to the inside of the outer garment fabric material, rather than to a base. 
     However, it is preferable to alter the crotch (and inner fly areas for male use) of pants with the addition of soft fabric material to facilitate the simple non-adhesive press-on application. This would eliminate any adhesive debris on the garment. In an alternate embodiment, the bottom layer of the liquid penetration shield is eliminated and small patches of the mechanically attachable material are factory-attached to the plastic barrier layer instead. This significantly reduces the thickness (except in the areas of the attachment patches) and permits a more flexible liquid penetration shield. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention can best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a liquid penetration shield of this invention showing the placement of optional tape attachment strips; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of an alternative shape of a liquid penetration shield showing placement of optional tape attachment strips; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective detail view of the material of the liquid penetration shield showing the three layers of the laminate forming the liquid penetration shield; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective detail of a pants illustrating the areas protected by the liquid penetration shield; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the liquid penetration shield for young girls offering more frontal protection; 
         FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the liquid penetration shield for male use with attached frontal features; 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan view of an alternate embodiment of a liquid penetration shield for male use with a separate front guard strip; and, 
         FIG. 8  is a top plan view for a further alternate embodiment for a liquid penetration shield for male use made up of a pair of strip pads. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show two different shapes of the liquid penetration shield for outer garments, such as pants. 
     In  FIG. 1 , guard  1  is a modified oval shape for feminine use in the crotch area of pants. Rectangular dashed outlines  2  illustrate the placement of optional adhesive strips for attachment to material which does not mate with the mechanical fastener bottom layer. 
     In  FIG. 2 , guard  5  is more elongated, and optional adhesive strips  6  are short and orthogonal to those in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the construction of the three layer laminate of the liquid penetration shield. Top layer  10  is a soft absorptive layer. Although guards can be washable and reusable, the disposable version is most hygienic and convenient. For a disposable guard, top layer  10  can be as thin as 0.006″ (0.15 mm) of a paper material such as is used on a disposable baby bib. A thicker layer  10  would have a higher absorption capacity however. The next layer,  11 , is the barrier layer which can be from 0.5-1.0 mil (0.013-0.026 mm). The bottom layer,  12 , is the “hook” material similar to that on diaper tabs. This material is approximately 0.024″ (0.61 mm) thick including “hooks” which protrude from the bottom surface about 0.016″ (0.4 mm). By eliminating layer  12  and using patches of hook material instead (see items  3  in  FIG. 1 ) the liquid penetration shield can be substantially thinner and far more pliable, but in any case, even with layer  12  the total thickness is less than 1 mm. 
       FIG. 4  shows a pants detail highlighting the region  16  that is protected by a feminine liquid penetration shield. The added region  17  shown by the dashed lines is the additional area of the pants protected by a male liquid penetration shield. The inside of the pants in these regions can be modified by the addition of soft fabric to facilitate the non-adhesive attachment of liquid penetration shields by just pressing the bottom layer (or attachment patch areas) into the soft fabric. 
       FIG. 5  shows the liquid penetration shield  20  shape with elongated front section  21  for higher front pant protection for younger girls. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show two different embodiments of the liquid penetration shields for male use.  FIG. 6  is a one-piece guard  24  with base  25  which covers the crotch area, and two fold-up extensions  27  and  26 . Wide section  26  attaches behind the zipper on the fabric of the fly. The narrow section is attached adjacent to the side of the fly fabric on the pants front. The gap section has two double layers of fly fabric and is unlikely to show any penetration staining. 
     Guard  30  shown in  FIG. 7  is a two-piece embodiment with a separate strip  33  to protect one front area adjacent to one side of the fly. Section  32  attaches to the back of the fly strip behind the zipper, and  31  covers the crotch area. 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 8 , especially for young boys who may intermittently dribble small amounts of urine through the front of a pair of pants, a pair  40  of oblong or other lengthwise extending pads  41  and  42  may be placed on the left and right sides respectively of a zipper fly. 
     In the foregoing description, certain terms and visual depictions are used to illustrate the preferred embodiment. However, no unnecessary limitations are to be construed by the terms used or illustrations depicted, beyond what is shown in the prior art, since the terms and illustrations are exemplary only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     It is further known that other modifications may be made to the present invention, without departing the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended Claims.