Year: 1886

page_text: I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of 67, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention a communication to me
from abroad by Ratcliffe Hicks, of New York City, United States of America,
Manufacturer, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to an improvement in diapers.
Hitherto it has been customary to construct diapers of plain rubber cloth
and cut them low in front. This construction has been found objectionable on
account of the cold feel which plain rubber cloth has when applied to the skin,
causing the tender flesh of the child to shiver and the child to worry when they
are applied; and, further the low cut has rendered them liable to slip down and
bind the legs, exposing the bowels to a chill.
The object of the present invention is to provide a diaper which will not adnit
of the transmission of moisture from the inside to the outside, which will have a
soft warm feel to the flesh which will not be liable to slip down, will be capable
of adjustment to bodies of different sizes, and the surface of which shall be
medicated.
With these ends in view the invention consists in certain features of con-
struction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and pointed
out in the claim.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a view of the diaper before the back
has been gathered and waistband attached. Fig. 2 is a front view of the diaper as
it appears when adjusted on the child, and Fig. 3 is a back view showing the
manner in which the top is gathered.
A represents the seat of the diaper, B the lower flap, and C the side flaps. The
seat and flaps are preferably made in one piece, the material being a thin layer of
rubber faced on one or both sides, preferably on both, with a soft fabric, com nonly
known to the trade as "stockinet." This particular facing is preferred on account
of its soft warm feel and its durable qualities; but other kinds of facing may be
used, such as muslin or linen, or a mixture of cotton and linen, or a fabric composed
•
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page_text: wholly or partially of silk. The material above described may be washed and
dried in the same manner as ordinary cloth. The top of the seat and side portions*
is provided with a band B, which is made sufficiently wide to prevent it from
cutting into the flesh, and is provided with a gathering tape or cord d, by means
of which it can be drawn up to suit waists of different sizes. The top of the seat
portion A is gathered into plaits, thereby causing the seat to bag out and conform
more nearly to the portion of the body to which it is to be applied. The sides C
are cut high, in order to bring the front of the band D above the bowels of the
child, and thereby secure the diaper against the liability to slip down out of place.
The edges of the sides C are provided with buttons E at their lower corners,.
adapted to engage the button-holes e on the corners of the portion B, and the
upper corners of the sides are provided with a button and button hole, respectively,
the button also being used to secure the center of the portion B as shown. The
soft fabric is medicated to prevent or to allay any irratation.
The water proof material with its soft face, the adjustability of the waist, the
high cut of the front, and the plaiting in the back taken in connection with the
fact that the material may be washed as readily as cotton cloth, combine to make
the diaper so constructed a very convenient and desirable article, possessing
advantages over those hitherto manufactured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
.
As an improved article of manufacture, a diaper made of a water proof material
having absorbent fabric, secured thereto throughout its entire surface, and con-
sisting, essentially. of the seat, the side flaps, and the lower flap, the latter adapted
to be folded over and secured to the side flaps, the said diaper being provided at
the upper edge of the seat-section and side flaps with a flexible band, and a
gathering cord attached to the band, substantially as set forth.