Patent Publication Number: US-2023149225-A1

Title: Padded undergarment

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present general inventive concept relates generally to an undergarment, and particularly, to a padded undergarment. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     An onset of menstruation (a.k.a., a menstrual period) is often a confusing and uncomfortable experience for a young girl. Moreover, modern designs of menstrual pads can take time and be inconvenient and/or uncomfortable to use. Also, menstrual pads often have sizes that may be too big and bulky for young girls with petite frames. 
     Generally, conventional undergarments for women are not equipped to provide protection from discharge released during the menstrual period. The discharge of fluids during the menstrual period can be sudden, which can leave a mess and be embarrassing for the young girl. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a padded undergarment that prevents leaking of fluid without requiring a separate menstrual pad. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present general inventive concept provides a padded undergarment. 
     Additional features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept. 
     The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a padded undergarment, including a main body to be worn around a pelvis of a user, and an absorbent pad disposed within at least a portion of the main body to absorb a fluid discharge thereon. 
     The main body may include a plurality of leg receiving apertures disposed on at least a portion of a bottom of the main body, each of the plurality of leg receiving apertures to receive a limb of the user therethrough, and a crotch section disposed on at least a portion of the bottom portion of the main body to at least partially cover a crotch of the user. 
     The absorbent pad may be disposed within at least a portion of the crotch section. 
     The absorbent pad may include a front section to disperse the fluid discharge away from a top surface of the front section toward a bottom surface of the front section, and a rear section disposed on at least a portion of the front section to disperse the fluid discharge away from a top surface of the rear section toward a bottom surface of the rear section. 
     The padded undergarment may further include an elastic unit disposed within at least a portion of the absorbent pad to at least partially deform in response to an application of force thereto, such that the elastic unit adjusts a shape of the absorbent pad. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other features and utilities of the present generally inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG.  1 A  illustrates a front perspective view of a padded undergarment, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept; 
         FIG.  1 B  illustrates a rear perspective view of the padded undergarment, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept; 
         FIG.  2 A  illustrates a front perspective view of a padded undergarment, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept; and 
         FIG.  2 B  illustrates a rear perspective view of the padded undergarment, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various example embodiments (a.k.a., exemplary embodiments) will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which some example embodiments are illustrated. In the figures, the thicknesses of lines, layers and/or regions may be exaggerated for clarity. 
     Accordingly, while example embodiments are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the figures and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit example embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure. Like numbers refer to like/similar elements throughout the detailed description. 
     It is understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art. However, should the present disclosure give a specific meaning to a term deviating from a meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill, this meaning is to be taken into account in the specific context this definition is given herein. 
     LIST OF COMPONENTS 
     
         
         
           
             Padded Undergarment  100   
             Main Body  110   
             Leg Receiving Apertures  111   
             Crotch Section  112   
             Absorbent Pad  120   
             Front Section  121   
             Rear Section  122   
             Elastic Unit  130   
             Padded Undergarment  200   
             Main Body  210   
             Leg Receiving Apertures  211   
             Crotch Section  212   
             Absorbent Pad  220   
             Front Section  221   
             Rear Section  222   
             Elastic Unit  230   
           
         
       
    
       FIG.  1 A  illustrates a front perspective view of a padded undergarment  100 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. 
       FIG.  1 B  illustrates a rear perspective view of the padded undergarment  100 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. 
     The padded undergarment  100  may be constructed from at least one of cloth, spandex, elastane, plastic, and rubber, etc., but is not limited thereto. Also, the padded undergarment  100  may be constructed of hypoallergenic material to prevent skin irritation, and biodegradable. 
     The padded undergarment  100  may include a main body  110 , an absorbent pad  120 , and an elastic unit  130 , but is not limited thereto. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B , the main body  110  is illustrated to be a panty. However, the main body  110  may be a brief, a thong, a G-string, or any type of undergarment known to one of ordinary skill in the art, but is not limited thereto. 
     The main body  110  may be removably connected to at least a portion of a pelvis of a user. In other words, the main body  110  may be worn around the pelvis of the user to at least partially cover the pelvis of the user, such as genitalia and/or buttocks of the user. 
     The main body  110  may include a plurality of leg receiving apertures  111  and a crotch section  112 , but is not limited thereto. 
     The plurality of leg receiving apertures  111  may be disposed on at least a portion of a bottom of the main body  110 . Moreover, each of the plurality of leg receiving apertures  111  may be distanced from each other. Each of the plurality of leg receiving apertures  111  may receive a limb (e.g., a leg) of the user therethrough. 
     The crotch section  112  may be disposed on at least a portion of the bottom portion of the main body  110  between the plurality leg receiving apertures  111 . The crotch section  112  may at least partially cover a crotch of the user. Referring again to  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B , the crotch section  112  may extend from a front portion of the main body to a rear portion of the main body  110 , such as between the genitalia and/or the buttocks of the user. 
     The absorbent pad  120  may include a front section  121  and a rear section  122 , but is not limited thereto. 
     The front section  121  of the absorbent pad  120  may be disposed within at least a portion of a first side of the main body  110 , such that the front section  121  may be disposed between fabric layers of the main body  110 . The front section  121  may receive and/or absorb a fluid discharge thereon. Additionally, the front section  121  may disperse the fluid discharge away from a top surface of the front section  121  toward a bottom surface of the front section  121 , such that the fluid discharge may not remain in contact with a crotch of the user. As such, the top surface of the front section  121  may remain dry. Also, the front section  121  may include a plurality of layers to facilitate dispersing the fluid discharge. 
     The rear section  122  of the absorbent pad  120  may be disposed within at least a portion of a second side of the main body  110  different from the first side, and on at least a portion of the first section  121 , such that the rear section  122  may be disposed between the fabric layers of the main body  110 . The rear section  122  may receive and/or absorb the fluid discharge thereon. Additionally, the rear section  122  may disperse the fluid discharge away from a top surface of the rear section  122  toward a bottom surface of the rear section  122 , such that the fluid discharge may not remain in contact with the crotch and/or the buttocks of the user. As such, the top surface of the rear section  122  may remain dry. Also, the rear section  122  may include a plurality of layers to facilitate dispersing the fluid discharge. 
     Furthermore, the absorbent pad  120  may be disposed within at least a portion of the crotch section  112 . 
     The elastic unit  130  may include a rubber, polydimethylsiloxane (i.e., putty), and a wire, but is not limited thereto. 
     The elastic unit  130  may be disposed on and/or within at least a portion of the absorbent pad  120 . The elastic unit  130  may at least partially deform (i.e., bend, stretch, expand) in response to an application of force (e.g., pushing, pulling) thereto. More specifically, the elastic unit  130  may adjust a shape of the absorbent pad  120  in response to the application of force, such that the absorbent pad  120  may remain in at least one shape in absence of the application of force. As such, the elastic unit  130  may adjust the shape of the absorbent pad  120  based on a preference of the user. Accordingly, the absorbent pad  120  may be adjusted to provide comfort to the user based on changing a fit of the absorbent pad  120 . 
     Therefore, the padded undergarment  100  may prevent leaks of the fluid discharge received thereon. Also, the padded undergarment  100  may avoid difficulty of having to connect an external pad to the padded undergarment  100 . 
       FIG.  2 A  illustrates a front perspective view of a padded undergarment  200 , according to another exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. 
       FIG.  2 B  illustrates a rear perspective view of the padded undergarment  200 , according to another exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. 
     The padded undergarment  200  may be constructed from at least one of cloth, spandex, elastane, plastic, and rubber, etc., but is not limited thereto. Also, the padded undergarment  200  may be constructed of hypoallergenic material to prevent skin irritation, and biodegradable. 
     The padded undergarment  200  may include a main body  210 , an absorbent pad  220 , and an elastic unit  230 , but is not limited thereto. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B , the main body  210  is illustrated to be a boxer. However, the main body  210  may be a brief, a boxer brief, a thong, a G-string, or any type of undergarment known to one of ordinary skill in the art, but is not limited thereto. 
     The main body  210  may be removably connected to at least a portion of a pelvis of a user. In other words, the main body  210  may be worn around the pelvis of the user to at least partially cover the pelvis of the user, such as genitalia and/or buttocks of the user. 
     The main body  210  may include a plurality of leg receiving apertures  211  and a crotch section  212 , but is not limited thereto. 
     The plurality of leg receiving apertures  211  may be disposed on at least a portion of a bottom of the main body  210 . Moreover, each of the plurality of leg receiving apertures  211  may be distanced from each other. Each of the plurality of leg receiving apertures  211  may receive a limb (e.g., a leg) of the user therethrough. 
     The crotch section  212  may be disposed on at least a portion of the bottom portion of the main body  210  between the plurality leg receiving apertures  211 . The crotch section  212  may at least partially cover a crotch of the user. Referring again to  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B , the crotch section  212  may extend from a front portion of the main body to a rear portion of the main body  210 , such as between the genitalia and/or the buttocks of the user. 
     The absorbent pad  220  may include a front section  221  and a rear section  222 , but is not limited thereto. 
     The front section  221  of the absorbent pad  220  may be disposed within at least a portion of a first side of the main body  210 , such that the front section  221  may be disposed between fabric layers of the main body  110 . The front section  221  may receive and/or absorb a fluid discharge thereon. Additionally, the front section  221  may disperse the fluid discharge away from a top surface of the front section  221  toward a bottom surface of the front section  221 , such that the fluid discharge may not remain in contact with a crotch of the user. As such, the top surface of the front section  221  may remain dry. Also, the front section  221  may include a plurality of layers to facilitate dispersing the fluid discharge. 
     The rear section  222  of the absorbent pad  220  may be disposed within at least a portion of a second side of the main body  210  different from the first side, and on at least a portion of the first section  221 , such that the rear section  222  may be disposed between the fabric layers of the main body  210 . The rear section  222  may receive and/or absorb the fluid discharge thereon. Additionally, the rear section  222  may disperse the fluid discharge away from a top surface of the rear section  222  toward a bottom surface of the rear section  222 , such that the fluid discharge may not remain in contact with the crotch and/or the buttocks of the user. As such, the top surface of the rear section  222  may remain dry. Also, the rear section  222  may include a plurality of layers to facilitate dispersing the fluid discharge. 
     Furthermore, the absorbent pad  220  may be disposed within at least a portion of the crotch section  212 . 
     The elastic unit  230  may include a rubber, polydimethylsiloxane (i.e., putty), and a wire, but is not limited thereto. 
     The elastic unit  230  may be disposed on and/or within at least a portion of the absorbent pad  220 . The elastic unit  230  may at least partially deform (i.e., bend, stretch, expand) in response to an application of force (e.g., pushing, pulling) thereto. More specifically, the elastic unit  230  may adjust a shape of the absorbent pad  220  in response to the application of force, such that the absorbent pad  220  may remain in at least one shape in absence of the application of force. As such, the elastic unit  230  may adjust the shape of the absorbent pad  220  based on a preference of the user. Accordingly, the absorbent pad  220  may be adjusted to provide comfort to the user based on changing a fit of the absorbent pad  220 . 
     Therefore, the padded undergarment  200  may prevent leaks of the fluid discharge received thereon. Also, the padded undergarment  200  may avoid difficulty of having to connect an external pad to the padded undergarment  200 . 
     The present general inventive concept may include a padded undergarment  100 , including a main body  110  to be worn around a pelvis of a user, and an absorbent pad  120  disposed within at least a portion of the main body  110  to absorb a fluid discharge thereon. 
     The main body  110  may include a plurality of leg receiving apertures  111  disposed on at least a portion of a bottom of the main body  110 , each of the plurality of leg receiving apertures  111  to receive a limb of the user therethrough, and a crotch section  112  disposed on at least a portion of the bottom portion of the main body  110  to at least partially cover a crotch of the user. 
     The absorbent pad  120  may be disposed within at least a portion of the crotch section  112 . 
     The absorbent pad  120  may include a front section  121  to disperse the fluid discharge away from a top surface of the front section  121  toward a bottom surface of the front section  121 , and a rear section  122  disposed on at least a portion of the front section  121  to disperse the fluid discharge away from a top surface of the rear section  122  toward a bottom surface of the rear section  122 . 
     The padded undergarment  100  may further include an elastic unit  130  disposed within at least a portion of the absorbent pad  120  to at least partially deform in response to an application of force thereto, such that the elastic unit  130  adjusts a shape of the absorbent pad  120 . 
     Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.