Disposable front opening garment with selected pad shapes and locations

Abstract

A disposable front opening garment made with two superposed overlapped half width segments and pads of different shape located between segments. Other embodiments have pads of different shapes on both segments positioned for different requirements. Pads inside segment assemblies are enclosed with impervious substrates to contain body fluids. Elastic on segment margins form cuffs. Expandable materials, elastic side tapes, and elastic front closaure tape provide girth adjustment. Segment assemblies with enclosed pads are overlapped and bonded together in central areas of the rear panel and not sealed together in the front panel area for a front opening. Embodiments includes cooperating half width pads with wings on each segment, cooperating pads and a pad supporting panel, and a garment for use with a catheter. All embodiments include side margin tapes and a front recloseable tape. The garment is applied by using side closures or as step-in adult garment by using side and front closure tapes for girth adjustment.

1 . A disposable garment having a rear panel on one side of a transverse fold line and a front panel on the other side of the transverse fold line forming an intermediate crotch region, said garment further comprising: 
 first outermost and second innermost segments each having a length between rear panel and front panel end margins of the garment and a- width substantially equal to one half the width of the garment plus an amount for overlap between linear margins of the segments,    the amount of overlap of said first and second segments superposed with each other with the segments in mirror-image orientation to form innermost and outermost segments and a longitudinally extending central area of overlap of said garment,    said shaped segments including curvilinear cutouts intermediate front and rear panels which define said crotch region there between    said first and second segments bonded together in the central area of overlap of the rear panel to define a unitary rear panel,    said first and and second segments unbonded together in the central area of overlap of the front panel to define a front panel opening,    an absorbent pad superposed with and selectively bonded between said first and second segments,    said pad having margins spaced from end margins and the side margins of the overlapped segments,    elastic members attached in a stretched condition at intervals along each garment side margin and contractable within a pre-selected portion between end margins of the garment,    at least one stretchable elastic side fastening means protruding from the rear panel side margins of the garment for attachment of a protruding refastenable free end to a release coated landing area on each segment of the front panel for closure of said side margins,    at least one stretchable elastic central closure fastening means with one end attached to the outer front panel surface of the outermost segment and a protruding refastenable free end for attachment to a release coated fanding area on the outer surface of the innermost segment in the front panel of the garment to define said closure means for the front opening.    
     
     
         2 . In the garment of  claim 1  wherein each segment and a liner sheet are bonded together along the periphery of the segment to form a segment assembly and at least one of said segment assemblies encloses a pad assembly.  
     
     
         3 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein the absorbent pad is enclosed by impervious substrates sealed together around the pad periphery and having a pervious top surface area extending toward and spaced from pad end and side margins, said pad bonded to and between the outermost segment and an inner liner sheet and attached to said outermost segment to form a segment assembly.  
     
     
         4 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein the pad between segments extends from near the front panel end margin of the garment to the crotch region and is bonded to the inside of the outermost segment.  
     
     
         5 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein the pad between segments extends from adjacent the front panel end margin of the garment to adjacent the rear panel end margin of the garment and is bonded to the inside of the outermost segment.  
     
     
         6 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein the pad between segments is attached to the outermost segment and defines a first pad and said garment further including a mirror-image second pad attached to the inside of the innermost segment.  
     
     
         7 . The garment of  claim 6  wherein the first and coacting second pads include portions extending from the central area of overlap toward side margins of the front and rear panels.  
     
     
         8 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein inside liner sheets of substantially similar size and shape as the outermost segment is bonded to end margins and the side margins of the outermost segment to enclose the absorbent pad between the liner and a segment before overlapping and bonding to the innermost segment in the rear panel.  
     
     
         9 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein the curvilinear side margins of the first and second segments extend transversely beyond end and side margins of the pad between segments.  
     
     
         10 . The garment of  claim 6  wherein the innermost pad facing the user is enclosed by impervious upper and lower substrates having central pervious areas, is attached to the innermost segment, and the outermost pad facing away from the user is attached to the outermost segment, has a pervious central area in the upper substrate and an impervious lower substrate.  
     
     
         11 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein the side margin of each segment defining the central area of overlap being linear and a V-folded strip encloses the linear margin of at least one segment.  
     
     
         12 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein the side fastening means has a length substantially equal to the length of side margins of the front panel and is operatively connectable to the front panel to form waist and leg openings.  
     
     
         13 . The garment of  claim 1  wherein said side and central closure fastening means are stretchable and each fastening means includes a refastenable portion at the opposite free end for attachment to release coated landing area on the front panel of the garment.  
     
     
         14 . The garment of  claim 6  further including a third pad attached to a support panel which is secured at its ends to the innermost segment.  
     
     
         15 . The garment of  claim 4  further including elastic strands attached at intervals along selected portions of the side margins of the support panel  
     
     
         16 . The garment of claim I further including a separate supplemental pad inserted between the unbonded portions of segment assemblies in the front panel region and is releaseably attached to one of the unbonded facing surfaces that define the front opening.  
     
     
         17 . The garment of  claim 6  wherein the outermost segment has an aperture in the central area of overlap in the front panel and the innermost segment has an aperture in the central overlap area of the crotch area of the garment and, said segment bonded in the rear panel central overlap area to the innermost segment having an aperture, said garment further including a support panel with elastic strands along side margins and an aperture, said apertures in said overlapping segments and support panel defining a path for a catheter above an absorbent pad located on the inside of the outermost segment.  
     
     
         18 . The garment of  claim 17  wherein the pad is secured to the outermost segment only along one underlying longitudinal margin of the pad without further bonding for threading the catheter tube under the absorbent pad.