Patent Publication Number: US-11660227-B2

Title: Surgical infant diaper

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/663,425 filed on Apr. 27, 2018 and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 29/685,189 filed on Mar. 27, 2019. The above identified patent applications are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to surgical infant diapers. More particularly, the present invention pertains to surgical infant diapers having a central aperture configured to receive a penis of the user therethrough, such that waste, blood, and urine are contained away from a surgical site. 
     Surgical intervention is often required in infants to correct birth defects or other malformations of body parts. Specifically, areas around the genitals may need to be corrected for various reasons, including, but not limited to, hypospadias, in which the urinary opening is not located in the usual place. These operations often lead to extended healing periods, while the surgical site recovers. Traditionally, diapers are worn during this period, in addition to bandages, however traditional diapers fail to separate fecal matter from the surgical site, potentially leading to infection. Additionally, drains or catheters may be required during the healing process, which a traditional diaper would prevent. Therefore, a diaper that separates the surgical site from waste from the infant, while also providing access for drains and catheters is desired. 
     In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing surgical infant diapers. In this regard, the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of surgical infant diapers now present in the known art, the present invention provides a surgical infant diaper wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when maintaining hygiene around a surgical site located around an infant&#39;s penis. 
     The present system comprises a flexible body comprising an interior layer and an exterior layer. The flexible body further comprises a front portion, a rear portion, and a central portion extending therebetween, such that the flexible body is selectively movable between an open position and a closed position, thereby defining an upper opening and a pair of leg openings. A central aperture is disposed through the front portion, the central aperture positioned to receive a penis of the wearer therethrough. In some embodiments, the central portion comprises a width less than that of each of the front portion and the rear portion. In another embodiment, the front portion and the rear portion gradually taper towards the central portion. In other embodiments, a pair of tabs are affixed to opposing sides of a distal end of the rear portion, wherein the pair of tabs are configured to removably secure to fasteners disposed on an exterior surface of the front portion, such that the flexible body is retained in the closed position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG.  1    shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the surgical infant diaper. 
         FIG.  2    shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the surgical infant diaper. 
         FIG.  3    shows a top plan view of an embodiment of the surgical infant diaper. 
         FIG.  4    shows a close-up view of the central aperture of an embodiment of the surgical infant diaper. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the surgical infant diaper. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  1   , there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the surgical infant diaper in the closed position. The surgical infant diaper  11  comprises a flexible body  12  having a front portion  15 , a rear portion  16 , and a central portion  17  extending therebetween, thereby connecting the front portion  15  to the rear portion  16 . A central aperture  20  is disposed through the front portion  15 , wherein the central aperture  20  is positioned along the front portion  15  to receive a penis of a wearer of the surgical infant diaper  11  therethrough. In this way, the wearer&#39;s penis, and any related surgical sites therearound, are exposed and separated from the interior of the surgical infant diaper  11 , thereby minimizing infection risk of the surgical site by waste collected within the surgical infant diaper  11 . 
     The flexible body  12  is selectively movable between an open position (as shown in  FIG.  3   ), and a closed position (as shown in  FIG.  1   ), wherein the closed position the surgical infant diaper  11  is configured to conform to a wearer&#39;s lower body. Further, when in the closed position, the shape of the front portion  15  relative to each of the central portion  17  and the rear portion  16  defines an upper opening  18  and a pair of leg openings  19 . The upper opening  18  is configured to receive a torso of the wearer therethrough, while the pair of leg openings  19  are each configured to receive a leg of the wearer therethrough. In some embodiments, a perimeter of each of the pair of leg openings  19  comprise an elastic material therein, such that the pair of leg openings  19  are biased radially inwardly thereby forming a seal between the pair of leg openings  19  and the leg of the wearer to minimize any risk of waste leakage therethrough. Similarly, in another embodiment, the upper opening  18  further comprises an elastic material therein, such that the upper opening is biased radially inwardly, thereby forming a seal about the torso of the user to minimize the risk of waste leakage therethrough. In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of tabs  27  are affixed to the rear portion  16  along a distal end (as shown in  FIG.  3 ,  28   ) thereof. The pair of tabs  27  are configured to removably secure to the front portion  15 , such that the flexible body  12  is retained in the closed position. In the illustrated embodiment, an upper edge  30  of the pair of tabs  27  rests flush with the upper opening  18 . In this way, the upper opening  18  a seal is formed between the wearer and the upper opening  18 , thereby minimizing the risk of any waste leakage therethrough. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  2   , there is shown an exploded view of an embodiment of the surgical infant diaper. In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible body  12  comprises an interior layer  13 , and exterior layer  14 , and an absorbent layer  21  therebetween. The interior layer  13  is configured to wick fluid from an interior of the flexible body  12 , thereby minimizing fluid contact with the wearer. In embodiments having the absorbent layer  21 , the absorbent layer  21  serves to collect greater quantities of fluid therein, further separating fluid from the wearer, while also allowing increased storage capacity. In this way, in situations where the surgical infant diaper cannot be readily changed for a clean diaper, the surgical infant diaper can be used for longer periods of time before changing is required. In some embodiments, the exterior layer  14  comprises a fluid impermeable material, such that fluid stored within the interior layer  13  or the absorbent layer  21  does not seep therethrough, thereby preventing soiling of the surrounding area during use. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the absorbent layer  21  further comprises a fluid impermeable barrier  23  extending thereacross between the front portion and the rear portion. In this way, fecal matter and other fluid waste collected in the rear portion of the surgical infant diaper does not travel from the rear portion towards the front portion, thereby isolating the surgical site further. This further decreases the risk of infection from contact with waste fluids. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the pair of tabs  27  are disposed on the exterior layer  14 , such that the pair of tabs  27  are separated from any waste collected within the interior layer  13  or the absorbent layer  21 . In this way, the pair of tabs  27  are maintained in a clean state during use, such that a user can easily remove the surgical infant diaper without directly contacting waste therein. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  3   , there is shown a top plan view of an embodiment of the surgical infant diaper in an open position. In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible body comprises a front portion  15  connected to a rear portion  16  via a central portion  17  extending therebetween. In the illustrated embodiment, the front portion  15  and the rear portion  16  taper inwardly towards the central portion  17 , such that the central portion  17  comprises a width less than that of each of the front portion  15  and the rear portion  16 . In this way, the flexible body is configured to conform to the lower torso of the user, such that the central portion  17  extends between a wearer&#39;s legs. In the illustrated embodiment, the rear portion  16  comprises a width greater than that of the front portion  15 , such that the rear portion  16  can wrap about the torso of the wearer and removably secure to the front portion  15 . Furthermore, in the shown embodiment, the rear portion  16  tapers at varying rates such that a rear of the wearer is fully covered thereby, while simultaneously providing additional width for encircling the wearer. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the rear portion  16  further comprises the pair of tabs  27  extending from opposing ends thereof at a distal end  28  of the rear portion  16 . Further, in the shown embodiment, the pair of tabs  27  further comprise fasteners  29  thereon, wherein the fasteners  29  are configured to removably secure to complementary fasteners  29  disposed on an exterior of the front portion  15 . In some embodiments, the fasteners  29  comprise hook and loop fasteners, however, alternate fastening methods are contemplated. In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of tabs  27  extend from the distal end  28 , such that the upper edge of each of the pair of tabs  27  is flush with the distal end  28 . In this way, the distal end  28  forms a seal about the torso of the wearer when the surgical infant diaper is in the closed position. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the central portion  17  further comprises a fluid impermeable barrier  23  thereacross, such that the barrier  23  separates the front portion  15  from the rear portion  16 . In this way, fluid is prevented from traveling between the front portion  15  and the rear portion  16 , thereby minimizing infection risk for the surgical site disposed about the central aperture  20 . In some embodiments, the barrier  23  comprises a fluid impermeable material extending across a width of the central portion  17 . In other embodiments, the rear portion  16  is separate from the front portion  15 , such that waste material cannot pass therebetween. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  4   , there is shown a close-up view of the central aperture of an embodiment of the surgical infant diaper. In the illustrated embodiment, the central aperture  20  tapers from an upper end  25  thereof towards a lower end  26  thereof, such that the upper end  25  comprises a greater width than the lower end  26 . In this way, the area immediately surrounding the surgical site is kept at a greater distance from a perimeter  22  of the central aperture  20 , thereby ensuring maximal comfort, while also minimizing the risk of waste material disposed on the front portion contacting the surgical site. Additionally, in the shown embodiment, the perimeter  22  of the central aperture  20  comprises an absorbent material, such that any seepage from the surgical site is captured thereby and is thus wicked away from the surgical site. In the illustrated embodiment, a diameter of the central aperture through the absorbent layer is less than a diameter of the central aperture through the interior layer and the exterior layer, such that the perimeter  22  comprises a portion of the absorbent layer extending beyond a border of the central aperture disposed through each of the interior and exterior layers. In some embodiments, the perimeter  22  comprises a lip extending from the absorbent layer, such that the perimeter  22  comprises a portion of the absorbent layer resting flush with the interior and exterior layers through the central aperture  20 . In this way, the perimeter  22  efficiently wicks fluid away from the surgical site, as no fluid transfer between differing materials, having different absorption rates, is required. 
     In one exemplary use, the user would secure the surgical infant diaper about the lower torso of the wearer, such that the penis of the user extends through the central aperture  20 . In this way, the surgical site is exposed for more efficient bandage changing, while also keeping the surgical site sterile in light of waste fluids collecting within the diaper. The surgical infant diaper is secured about the wearer by securing the pair of tabs to the front portion  15 , such that the fasteners thereon removably secure to complementary fasteners on the front portion  15 . Should waste accumulate within the surgical infant diaper, the user can replace the soiled diaper with a new clean diaper in a similar manner. In this way, the user can keep waste away from the surgical site, thereby minimizing infection risk, while simultaneously providing easy access to the surgical site for bandage changing purposes, as well as drainage or catheter needs. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in various embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.