US2575164A - Diaper housing - Google Patents

Description

M. DONOVAN Nov. 13, 1951 DIAPER HOUSING 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 14, 1949 INVENTOR.

i Nov. 13, 1951 M. DONOVAN 2,575,164

DIAPER HOUSING Filed June 14, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 OOYO N V EN TOR.

,47 rag/vir -M. DONOVAN Nov. 13, 1951 DIAPER HOUSING 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 14, 1949 m INVENTOR.

` margins of' theV folded diaper;

Patented Nov. 13, 1951 l Ill-AREE HOUSIlSGr..A Marion DonumniL Saugatucrl'r;` Gianni., asg'nor toa Kennedy (larv Liner. &s: Bag: Gor, Inca.. ShelbyEA ville, Ind., ..a. onrpnrationoflndi'anz':

applicativa-Junon, 1949,.`sena1.No. 99.096

1 This invention relates; toI new and useful im.` provements; inv diaper housings; andv relates. more. particularlyv toai. novel. unitary encasement. for. thediaper. which substantially completely en` closesV the diaper' and also formsI eiective fasten.- ing` means. for securing. the diaper in: place ronthe. wearer... The. diaper housingy constituting.. the, principal. embodiment of. the. present..invention isf an: improvement on tliexdiaper coverssetzforth. in ooepending; application Serial' Nm 71,5861',l led January* 1.9,.. 1.949 now. PatentNo; 2,556,800' and. Serial No.. 91,536, led.. May 5, 1.949 andthe.. present application.. constitutes a. continuation.-y inepart ofi suoli latter application.

Animportantobject of the invention is tov proi vide,- a, conni'ng. and supporting element for a diaper formed in the naturel oir a housing. which' encloses: its. outer surface, =its fouredges' and the:

marginal' portions of its inner surface, andwhen; tliev unit is in place. on the baby the` assembly leakproof andi the leg openings arel free' and "Well: ventilated: Thus; theneed forsafety' pins; tying tapes and other-'fastening' devices for the diaperA is eliminated and the conventional diaperfmay be simply" folded to proper size and'- placediwithin thev` housing; The completel unit' is then adjustedIl in place on the baby andg suitably secured as'- by' snap yfasteners'. In'thi's fashion; av diaper of usual"-4 size oan' be folded' so'as` tok provide" many more layers` of'material thanl would' bez the caseT with thef usual folding of' the diaper' andi'v application.- by'saietyV pinsor the like.

Itfwillf be apparentfrom 'they foregoing thatl'another'objeot'of the invention is to provide a: diaperv assembly#having-a greatermeasure of' absorption andrv wherein the area of" the'wet4 diaper' wlii'cjl'if is2 exposed' to the body.4` veryconsid'erahl-y'redixcedf by-=providingarr inn'erwall construction compris; ing side aps and end aps which cover the-four."

nother" objectuof the invention is to. provideEv afdiaperhousingl'xaving an outer-wall, sidewalls',y anda'nzinner wallI forme'dfrom. aasingle:blank-.ion` fromf: plural? bl'anlsf which; provides an elongated opening: oi'v such; size asf toi permit: of: effective' diapering but which encloses the balance-ofthef. inner surface of:` the diaperelemente. securely supporting` the; same andi' effectively shielding'.A suche portions;,. whenV Weiz. from the: body oii the; infanta.. Y v

Thev entire-1 housingis preferably.F made: Enorm. flexible;.vvaterprocn'... material:whichzpreventswete ting'of the bed or, ofI a chair; in: that; the` hcl-us` ing provides1v an: effective. pocket from. whichv no: Y

camilow smlongas-the.childpis;i-11zfanyi muah-551i Dreierredeembodimentofithe present. inventions,

5. Glaims'.. (Cl. Hi8-EWI- posi-tion.v The: l'iousi-ng.t provides a. greater measure freedom"for-'the'.childthan: do usual. rubbervv pantsaor diaper coveringa. and` since there' isno: constrictirmfl of' the. parts there is. provided. a de@-v -j sired.- measureof ventilation'.

Another importantobject' of; thev invention ist'ov. provide a housing of the character'desoribedwitn novel sideswallscformedfrom blankszhavinggenera'llyfthe shape:` of: a. catenarycurve andwhose'.

i; edgesi are? largely on"` the: bias .offthefmaterial so;l

A .flurtherf obj ectl of'v thev invention is; to providery a diaper housing whichV isi readily cleaned; byfy rinsingfinewarm. water and whereas the housing is'. fully pocketed,v convenient drain means are:-

provided inor'cler.v thatzitf may be simply hung up;

and=retain .none-of thezwater in theepockets;V Still another; object of the inventionis .tov pro.-

vi'de. a. diaper.A assembly including a.v diaper and. housing therefor whichA providesinterconnected.v

front. and backi panels,` having laterally extending wingtportionswhich overlapv each other and. are

prov-ided. with. plural, complemental fastening` means-arranged in spaced relation atthe corners.. of thehousing, any pair of which may beengaged. tosecurethe housing in place-and to enable the housing to be used-as the. child grows.

In .theedrawingsz Figa. 1r, a front. and partial side.. perspective;- vew. of a diaper housing. embodying. my invene..

tion.

Fig... 2' is.y a.. vertical section'. taken. on line. 2---2` Fig. 9 is a plan view ofthe blank. used inform.-

ingeach-.side wall...

Ei'g.1.0.isa.planviewoftheblankused'in forming each side. nap..

Elige.. 1-1.is.a. plan. view of a. seoondembodimenti havingintegrallyformed. end. aps..

Eig; lzr a. plan.. view of" a.r further. embodimene having 'a-.onez-pieceinner, wall..

The.. .pattern cfr-the. diaper housing forming a.

rearedgell.

A front flap 23 of generally the same shape blank I5 is provided with opposed-generallyparali lel edges 24 and 28 the latter being the longer of'v the two, and angular edge sections 25-26 at each end thereof.

A fourth blank 21, two of which are used, has an inner concave edge 3|, an opposed, generally straight edge 29, both joined by short edges 38.

y Finally, blank 34, forms a side Wall, one on each side of the housing, and is of generally the shape of a catenary curve with opposed edges 35-36, both joined at their ends by short edges 31. Lines which are tangent to the central portions of edges 35-36 would be generally parallel with the grain line of the material.

A In assembling the diaper housing a tuck 40 is rst formed in the rear section leading inwardly from edge II. The rear flap I5 is folded along broken line 4I to form the upper edge 42 of the housing. Edge II of blank I is next stitched to blank I forming stitch line 43 which extends through both layers of the flap. The inner sec-1 tion 44 of the rear flap now overlays a portion of the inner surface of the outer` Wall I8.

'Blank'23 is now folded along line 45 to form the upper front edge 46 and edge 28 is stitched' to blank IIJ to form stitch line 41 which also extends through both layers of the material. The' fold line 45 of blank 23 is of substantially the same length as edge I2 of blank I8 and when assembled, is positioned adjacent thereto. Theremaining section 5I forms the inner front flap.A

` The outer curved edge 36 of each side wall blank is now secured to outer wall I8 as by means of stitching along straight lines 52 shown in Fig. 6 forming stitch line 56. The ends 31 of these side wall blanks are left free and unattached for a reason presently to be discussed.

The inner curved edges 35 of side wall blanks 34 are now stitched to the straight edges 29 of side ap blanks 21 to form stitch line 51. Finally the terminal edges 30 of the latter blanks are stitched to the inner surface of end aps Y44 and 5I, forming stitch lines 6 I Complemental fastening means 62 are disposed in spaced relation at eachA corner section of the housingl and as the child grows the fasteners nearer the corner section may be used.

In Fig. 3 these fasteners are shown as being substantially equally spaced from upper edges 42f46 whereas in Fig. 4 these fasteners |52V are disposed progressively nearer the corner sections to allow for a more rounded opening for the legs as vthe child grows.

By leaving the terminal edges 31 of side walls 23 free and unattached the housing may be easily p washed and rinsed and then hung up to thoroughly dry, such edges forming openings for anotherWiSe closed pocket. This pocket isV de"- ned'by stitch lines 56-51 along each side of the I housing and 43-41 at opposed ends thereof. Extending inwardly from these stitch linesfare vthe side iiap's 21 and the front and -rear fiaps5I`-'4'4;`

This defines a substantially rectangular compartment for the diaper (Figs. 2 and 5) In use the diaper is iirst folded to proper shape and is then inserted under the side walls and flaps. Thus, a substantial portion of the margins of the inner surface of the diaper are covered with waterproof material, leaving the central, elongated section exposed for eective diapering. The front section dei-ined by the overlapping flaps 23--5I is slightly more narrow than the rear section which makes application of the diaper assembly to the squirming child easier.

In Fig. 1 the wing terminals of the front section are shown as overlapping the wing terminals ofA the rear section. This arrangement may, of course, be reversed.V

' It was earlier pointed out that the outer, convexly curved edges 36 of the side wall members 34 are stitched along straight lines 52 of outer wall blank I0 to form stitch line 56. When the housing is in the fiat position of Figs. 3 and 4 this curved edge-straight edge relationship has a tendency to have a gathering effect in the housing which is of no consequence. When, however, the diaper is in the position of Figs. l and 2 the straight` line 52 has'assumed a concavely curved contour integrating it with'the curved edge 36 of the side wall. Similarly, the outer curved edge 35 of the side wall is joined to a straight edge 28 of the inner wall 21 which has the same effect.

In the modified arrangement of Fig. 1l the outer iwall and the end flaps 66 and 61 are formed integrally rather than in separate pieces as in the rst embodiment, the broken lines 68-69 showing the initial contour of the outer blank. It will also be noted that the grainlineV of the material has been rotated approximatelyV` 45 from that shown in the rst embodiment..

stitched to the outer wall portion along stitch lineV 8I. In this instance, again the short terminal ed-ges of the side walls 12=13 may be left free and unattached to form openings for drainage f in laundering. Snap fasteners 82 are secured at the four corners of the housing.- This particularV construction has many of the same Aadvantages asv the rst embodiment and is less expensive to construct, f- Y Y The diaper (not shown) is inserted inthe housing in the same fashion as in the rst embodiment ofthe invention. For the purpose of rein-- forcing theterminal sections of the housing additional layers of material may be interposed 'be mials 86-81 may be turned inwardly. The same side walls SI1-9| are used and the inner wall ls formed in' one piece 92 with an ellipticalopening 93.' A stitchline 94 secures the iiap portions and" the ends of the'innerwal'l. At 95 there are shown in broken lines small fastening elements secured adjacent stitch lines 94 for securing tothe endsof the diaper to correct any tendency for the ends of the diaper to fall.

The term stitching as used herein and in the appended claims is not limited to joining portions of two blanks by a stitch line produced by a sewing machine but has reference to any joining means. Since the flexible plastic lms, either with or without fabric backing, are waterproof i and are particularly well suited to the diaper housing of the present invention, various heat sealing or solvent joining means may be used.`

The contour of all lines shown in the drawing, whether edges or blanks are stitch lines, is suggestive only and the lines may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, lines 52 on blank l() which form stitch lines 56 `are shown as being straight and slightly non-parallel. The housing would function substantially as well if these lines were more nearly parallel or if they were slightly curved.

While three forms or embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein for illustrative purposes, and the construction and arrangement incidental to specific applications thereof have been disclosed and discussed in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts, nor to its specific embodiments shown herein, but that extensive deviations from the illustrated forms or embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the principles thereof.

What I claim is:

l. A diaper housing comprising an outer wall, an inner wall having a central elongated opening, and opposed side Walls connecting the outer and inner walls, the outer wall being formed from a blank having laterally extending wing portions at each end thereof which are provided with complemental fastening means for attachment around the Waist section of the wearer, the side walls being formed from blanks having substantially the shape of a catenary curve whose opposed curved edges are secured to the outer and inner walls along substantially straight lines on such walls, the outer wall and the side walls forming with the inner wall a pocket arranged to receive a folded diaper, the latter wall being arranged to overlie the marginal edges of the diaper while exposing the portion defined by the central elongated opening.

2. A diaper housing comprising an outer wall, an inner wall having a central elongated opening and opposed side walls connecting the outer and inner walls, the outer Wall being formed from a blank having laterally extending wing portions at each end thereof which are provided with complemental fastening means for attachment around the waist section of the wearer, the side Walls being formed from blanks having substantially the shape of a catenary curve whose opposed curved edges are secured to the outer and inner walls along substantially straight lines on such walls, the opposite ends of such side walls being free and unattached, the outer wall and the side walls forming with the inner Wall a pocket arranged to receive a folded diaper, the edges of the latter wall adjacent the opening forming a cover for the diaper.

3. A diaper housing comprising an outer wall formed from a generally rectangular blank having concavely curved side edges, an inner wall structure formed with an elongated central opening and comprising inwardly folded front and rear flaps secured at opposite ends of the outer wall and side wall flaps secured at opposite ends to the front and rear flaps, and side Walls formed from blanks generally in the shape of catenary curves secured along their outer edges to the outer wall in substantially straight lines on the latter and secured along their inner edges to the outer edges of the side flaps, the opposed terminal edges of the side wall blanks being free and unattached, and fastening means at the corner sections for attachment around the body of the wearer.

LA diaper housing comprising an outer wall formed from a generally rectangular blank having laterally extending Wing portions at each end thereof, an inner wall structure formed with an elongated central opening and comprising inwardly folded front and rear aps secured at opposite ends of the outer wall and side flaps secured at opposite ends to the front and rear flaps, such side flaps having generally straight outer edges and concavely curved inner edges, and side walls formed from blanks generally in the shape of catenary curves secured along their outer edges to the outer wall in substantially straight lines on the latter and secured along their inner edges to the outer edges of the side dans, the opposed terminal edges of the side wall blanks being free and unattached, the inner wall structure being arranged to engage the marginal edges of a folded diaper placed Within the housing, and complemental fastening means at the corner sections of the housing.

5. A diaper housing formed from moistureproof material and comprising an outer wall formed from a generally rectangular blank having laterally extending wing portions at each end thereof, an inner wall structure formed with an elongated central opening and comprising inwardly folded front and rear flaps secured at opposite ends of the outer wall and side naps secured at opposite ends to the front and rear iaps, and side walls formed from blanks generally in the shape of catenary curves secured along their outer edges to the outer wall in substantially straight lines on the latter and secured along their inner edges to the outer edges of the side flaps, the opposed terminal edges of the side wall blanks being free and unattached, each of said aps forming the inner wall structure being arranged to engage one marginal edge of a foldeddiaper placed Within the housing while leaving the central section of the diaper open, and complemental fastening means at the corner sections of the housing.

MARION DONOVAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,971,671 Alsop Aug. 28, 1934 2,004,088 Alsop June 11, 1935 2,273,906 Spanel Feb. 24, 1942 2,493,492 Malamut Jan. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 606,320 Great Britain Aug. 11, 1948

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