US3885247A

US3885247A - Self-adhering disposable protector

Info

Publication number: US3885247A
Application number: US505479A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rosemary J Kost
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-09-12
Filing date: 1974-09-12
Publication date: 1975-05-27
Anticipated expiration: 1992-05-27

Abstract

A self-adhering, disposable protector including a moisture-proof outer backing defining a barrier to prevent contact of body fluid with a wearer''s garment. A moisture absorbing pad is secured to the backing, being formed by an absorbent filler material, and a hydrophobic inner shield covers the side of the filler material opposite from the backing 2, being adapted for contact with the wearer''s skin. A non-continuous overlapping adhesive means on the shield and backing to secure the protector to the wearer''s skin. The pad is heat sealed to the backing and shield such that the inner shield and backing may shift relative to one another. The filler material is deformable to provide a shearing action therein upon shifting of the inner shield with respect to the backing, and thus, enable movement of the various parts of the protector relative to one another to minimize the internal stresses within the protector and reduce the possibility of detachment of the adhesive means of the protector from the wearer''s skin during normal movement by the wearer. In addition, the fillter material may be treated with a deodorizing agent, and the inner shield defines a barrier through which the body fluid, such as perspiration, may pass to be absorbed by the filler material while maintaining the deodorizing agent out of contact with the wearer''s skin to maintain the wearer''s skin in a dry condition, as well as, prevent possible irritation thereto.

Description

United States Patent [191 Kost [451 May 27, 1975 [5 1 SELF-ADHERING DISPOSABLE PROTECTOR [76] Inventor: Rosemary J. Kost, 8231 Broadmoor,

Mentor, Ohio 44060 [22] Filed: Sept. 12, 1974 [211 App]. No.: 505,479'

Primary ExaminerAlfred R. Guest Attorney, Agent, or FirmTeare, Teare & Sammon [57] Y ABSTRACT A self-adhering, disposable protector including a moisture-proof outer backing defining a barrier to prevent contact of body fluid with a wearers garment. A moisture absorbing pad is secured to the backing, being formed by an absorbent filler material, and a hydrophobic inner shield covers the side of the filler material opposite from the backing 2, being adapted for contact with the wearer's skin. A non-continuous overlapping adhesive means on the shield and backing to secure the protector to the wearers skin. The pad is heat sealed to the backing and shield such that the inner shield and backing may shift relative to one another. The filler material is deformable to provide a shearing action therein upon shifting of the inner shield with respect to the backing, and thus, enable movement of the various parts of the protector relative to one another to minimize the internal stresses within the protector and reduce the possibility of detachment of the adhesive means of the protector from the wearers skin during normal movement by the wearer. In addition, the fillter material may be treated with a deodorizing agent, and the inner shield defines a barrier through which the body fluid, such as perspiration, may pass to be absorbed by the tiller material while maintaining the deodorizing agent out of contact with the wearers skin to maintain the wearers skin in a dry condition, as well as, prevent possible irritation thereto.

14 Claims, 17 Drawing Figures PMENI m wz 7 i975 SHEET 1 OF 4 FIG:

l SELF-ADHERING DISPOSABLE PROTECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to disposable; absorbent protectors. and more particularly to protectors adapted to be applied directly to the skin of a person for absorbing body fluids, such as perspiration, and to prevent the perspiration from contacting the garment worn by the person while preventing irritation to the skin of the person.

Disposable protectors have been employed for some time and have been fabricated from various materials which are adapted to be applied directly to the skin of the wearer. In such former protectors, a pressure sensitive adhesive material has been employed for detachably securing the protector to the wearers skin.

Although such former protectors have met with a certain degree of success, they have not been considered to be entirely satisfactory. More particularly, certain problems have been encountered in regard to maintaining these former protectors attached to the wearers skin. Further, these problems have resulted primarily because these former protectors were not designed to accommodate any substantial movement between their respective parts, and further, were not designed to fully utilize the elastic characteristics of the materials from which they were made. Still further, these former protectors have not been capable of sufficiently transferring perspiration from the wearers skin to the pad such that the wearer has a comfortable feeling of dryness in the area to which the protector has been applied. In still other instances, the absorbent material of the former protectors has been treated with a deodorizing agent which, when maintained in contact with the wearers skin has often caused irritation thereto by allowing the deodorizing agent to contact the skin of the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates providing an improved disposable garment protector which is adapted to be secured directly to the skin of the wearer in the area of the underarm. More particularly, the protector includes a moisture-proof backing adapted for attachment directly to the skin of a wearer, and which defines a barrier to prevent perspiration from contacting the wearers garment in the area of the underarm. A moisture absorbing pad is secured to one side of the backing for absorbing the perspiration. The pad includes an absorbent filler material and a hydrophobic inner shield which is disposed on and covers one side of the filler material opposite from the backing for contact with the wearers skin. The inner shield has its periphery wrapped around the periphery of the filler material and is secured thereto on its opposite side for engagement with the backing. The backing and inner shield are secured to the opposite sides of the pad along transversely extending lines, such as by heat sealing or the like, which enables the inner shield to shift relative to the backing, and thus, provides a shearing action within the tiller material such that portions of the protector may move relative to one another when tension and compression are applied thereto upon movement of the wearer. More particularly, the backing includes outwardly projecting tabs which include an adhesive material for attaching the tabs to the wearers body for holding the inner shield in confronting relation to the wearers underarm. The inner shield is further provided with an adhesive material which extends along its periphery for also attaching the innershield to the wearers body for absorbing perspiration therefrom. The adhesive material on the inner shield is non-continuous, having an adhesive strip along one peripheral edge and another adhesive strip along the opposite peripheral edge such that the strips may move relative to one another. Further, the adhesive strips on the inner shield are spaced from, but overlap the adhesive material on the tabs to enclose the area of the wearers body covered by the inner shield while allowing the tabs to move relative to the inner shield when forces are applied to the backing or inner shield as a result of the body movements of the wearer. In addition, the inner shield is of a porous, hydrophobic material which enables the perspiration to pass therethrough and be absorbed by the filler material. The backing is of a non-porous material and acts as a barrier to prevent the perspiration absorbed by the filler material to contact the wearers garment. The filler material may be treated with a deodorizing agent, and the inner shield provides a barrier to prevent the deodorant from contacting the wearers skin, and thus, prevent the likelihood of the deodorizing agent from causing an irritation to the wearers skin.

As can seen from the foregoing, there is provided a novel disposable garment protector which is extremely safe and effective in preventing perspiration from coming into contact with the garment of the wearer, as well as, in absorbing the perspiration from the wearers skin to provide a feeling of dryness. More particularly, the garment protector is capable of internal movement such that forces applied to the protector are more readily absorbed so as to lessen the likelihood of the protector becoming detached from the wearers body during use thereof. Still further, the protector provides for deodorizing of the perspiration and effectively prevents contact of the wearers skin directly with the deodorizing agent or the absorbed perspiration so as to reduce the possibility of irritation to the wearers skin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a typical application of the protector of the present invention as applied to the skin of a wearer adjacent the arm pit when the arm is in the raised position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the protector illustrated in FIG. 1 as applied to the wearer when the arm is in the lower position and the protector is folded between its ends;

FIG. 3 is a perspective assembly view of the protector of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the inner side of the assembled pad of the protector of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the inner side of the protector of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the outer side of the protector of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken along the lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrammatic side elevation views showing the lengthwise shifting and shearing action in the protector of the present invention;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrammatic inner plan views showing the lengthwise shifting and shearing action in the protector of the present invention;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrammatic end elevation views showing the widthwise shifting and shearing action in the protector of the present invention;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are diagrammatic inner plan views showing the widthwise shifting and shearing action in the protector of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic inner plan view showing the deformable characteristics of the protector of the present invention when in the open or unfolded condition shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the elastic characteristics of the protector of the present invention when in the folded condition as shown in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now again to FIG. 1, the protector of the present invention is illustrated, generally at 1, in FIG. 1, being adapted for attachment to the body of a wearer W adjacent the underarm. Referring also to FIG. 2, the protector 1 is of a layered construction including a garment shield layer in the form of a backing 2 which defines a barrier to prevent contact of the wearers garment with the perspiration from the underarm, and an absorbent pad 4 which is secured to the backing 2 which is adapted for contact with the skin of the wearer to absorb perspiration therein. The backing 2 includes attachment portions in the form of

tabs

6 and 8 for attaching the protector l to the wearers body, such that when the wearers arm A is lowered, the protector 1 will be folded over on itself as indicated in FIG. 2. The pad 4 is formed by an absorbent filler material 10 which is covered on one side by a skin shield layer in the form of an inner shield 12 and on the other side by the backing 2. The inner shield 12 is of a porous construction to allow perspiration to pass therethrough into the absorbent filler material. Thus, the perspiration will be drawn away from the wearers skin and absorbed by the absorbent material to provide a dry, comfortable feeling in the underarm area when the protector is in the applied position. Further, when the absorbent material 10 is treated with a deodorizing agent, the inner shield 12 will serve to maintain the deodorizing agent out of contact with the skin of the wearer so as to prevent the likelihood of irritation thereto.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, and 4 to 6, the backing 2 may be of any suitable configuration, but in the preferred form has a generally ovular-shaped central support portion 13. The

tabs

6 and 8 are formed integral with the support portion 13 and project outwardly from its opposite ends in the lengthwise direction thereof. The backing 2 may be made of any suitable fibrous or non-fibrous sheet material which is customarily used in making adhesive tapes. More particularly, plastic films or cloth materials having a certain degree of elasticity are preferred to non-woven paper webs or tissues. An example of a suitable backing material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,747,503 issued to T. Doyle, although there are other numerous types of synthetic or natural material which could be utilized to carry out the present invention.

The

tabs

6 and 8 are provided with a curved periphery so as to reduce tension on the wearers skin and to maximize the elasticity of the backing. As shown best in FIG. 6, the support portion 13 is of a non-perforated construction, whereas the

tabs

6 and 8 may be perforated, to enable the skin to breath in the area covered by the tabs. As shown in FIG. 5, the

tabs

6 and 8 are coated on one side, such as their inner side, with an adhesive material, as at 16, for attaching the

tabs

6 and 8 to the skin of the wearer. As shown, the adhesive material 16 is applied so as to form an inner curved edge 15 which generally conforms to the confronting curved edge surface 14 of the pad 4. Preferably, the edge 15 is spaced a distance A, such as approximately 1% of an inch, from the confronting pad edge 14 so as to allow the pad to move relative to the backing 4 without sticking to the

tabs

6 and 8, so will be described more fully hereinafter. The adhesive material 16 should be of the pressure sensitive type made from an aggressively tacky water-insoluble material which is non-irritating to the human skin. Examples of suitable adhesives which could beemployed in the present invention are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,734,503; 2,884,126; or 3,121,021.

Preferably, the absorbent pad 4 has a configuration which generally conforms to the ovular configuration of the support portion 13 of the backing 2. Preferably, the filler material 10 of the pad 4 is made of a fibrous, non-woven sheeted material, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,298 issued to Dockstader, et al. Of course, there are numerous other absorbent materials, both fibrous and cellular, which would be acceptable for use in the present invention without departing from the scope and intent thereof. More particularly, the inner shield 12 may be made of an absorbent material such that the pad is made of superimposed layers of material having varying absorbency without departing from the invention. When desired, the filler material 10 may be impregnated with a neutralizing agent, a deodorant or an anti-perspirant substance to eliminate the possibility of any odors which may result from use of the protector 1 over a long period of time. There are numerous agents, deodorants or angi-perspirants which could be employed for use in the invention. For example, the anti-perspirant sold under the trademark Mitchum by the Mitchum-Thayer Corporation would be acceptable.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner shield 12 is secured to the filler material 10 to form the assembled pad 4. The inner shield 12 may be of any compliant, soft, porous hydrophobic or non-woven fabric sheet or web. The typical example of one type of non-woven fabric sheet which is considered suitable for the present invention is one which comprises 1.5 to 3 denier rayon and contains approximately 20% to 35% thermoplastic binder (as, for example, copolymers of an ester of acrylic acid, such as is sold by the Rohm and Haas Company and identified as B-l5) and having a weight of about 15 to 19 grams per square yard. The porosity of the inner shield 12 enables the perspiration to pass therethrough so as to be absorbed by the filler material 10 while the wearers skin is kept out of contact with the filler material 10, and thus, the perspiration and any deodorant or anti-perspirant substances contained therein, thereby reducing the possibility of irritation to the wearers skin. Further, such construction serves to remove any excessive amount of perspiration from the wearers skin such that the portion remaining is-readily evaporated resulting in the wearers skin being substantially dry, and thus, gives the wearer a more comfortable and confident feeling.

The inner shield 12 has a configuration which generally conforms to the configuration of the filler material 10. In the form shown, thev inner shield 12 has transverse dimensions which are greater than the corresponding transverse dimensions of the tiller material such that, when it is laid on and centered with respect to the filler material 10, its entire peripheral edge, as at 18, will project beyond the entire peripheral edge 17 of the tiller materiallO. The inner shield 12 is provided with slits 19 which extend inwardly from the peripheral edge 18 to enable the inner shield 12 to be neatly wrapped aroundthe peripheral side edge 17 of the filler material 10. More particularly, the slits 19 extend inwardly from the peripheral edge 18 and form tabs 21 along the periphery of the inner shield 12. The slits 19 may extend inwardly so as to terminate along an imaginary line 22 which defines an oval having transverse dimensions which are generally equal to or slightly larger than the corresponding transverse dimension of the filler material 10.

As seen best in FIGS. 5 and'6, the assembled pad 4 is centered with respect to the backing 2. The tabs 21 may be suitably secured, such as by a suitable adhesive, heat sealing or the like, adjacent the inner side 26 of the filler material 10 (FIG. 7) to hold the inner shield 12 firmly in position in the assembled condition of the pad 4. As best seen in FIG. 5, the outer side 25 of the tiller material 10 is secured, such as by heat sealing or the like, to the inner shield 12, along lines, such as at 29, which extend generally transversely of one another, such as at an angle a, and diagonally across the entire width of the inner shield 12. Likewise, the backing 2 is secured to the inner side 26 of the filler material, along lines, such as at 30 (FIG. 6), which extend generally transversely of one another, such as at an angle b, which is substantially larger than the angle a, and which lines extend diagonally across the entire width of the backing 2 covering the inner side 26. Preferably, the

lines

29 and 30 intersect one another at approximately the geometrical center of the backing 2 and inner shield 12, respectively, for uniform strength over the entire protector, as well as contribute to maximizing and utilizing the elastic characteristics of the backing 2 and enableit to be subjected to deformation and stressing in substantially all directions, as will be more fully discussed hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 5, the inner shield 12 is provided with an adhesive material for attaching the pad 4 to the wearers skin so as to enable movement relative to the

tabs

6 and 8. More particularly, the adhesive material is provided in the form of

strips

31 and 32 which extend along the lengthwise edges of the pad 4 such that the distal ends of the

strips

31 and 32 terminate in spaced apart relation from one another, such as a distance B, which is less than the width, such as the distance C, of the

tabs

6 and 8. By this arrangement, the

adhesive strips

31 and 32 overlap the adhesive substance on the

tabs

6 and 8, such as indicated by the dimension D, so that the pad is substantially sealed around its periphery but still enables the

strips

31 and 32 to move relative to one another, as well as relative to the

tabs

6 and 8. Further, the spacing A between the

tabs

6 and 8 and the pad 4, and the spacing B between the distal ends of the

strips

31 and 32 provide a means for venting the area of the wearers skin covered by the pad 4 to facilitate and maintain the wearers skin in a comfortably dry condition, as well as, enable the aforesaid movement which willbe more fully understood hereinafter.

Having now fully discussed the structural arrangement of the protector 1, the operation of the pad can best be understood when discussed in reference to FIGS. 8 to 17. In general, the protector 1 can be said to have both a shifting and a shearing action to enable its component parts to move relative to one another to reduce the likelihood of the pad from being removed from the wearers skin during use thereof. It

should be understood that the following description is presented for illustrative purposes only, and that there are a substantial number of different directions or movements which the protector 1 could undergo, but the discussion will be limited to the basic movements with the understanding that it would be clear to one skilled in the art that relative movement of the components could occur in many other directions.

In FIG. 8, the protector 1 is shown in its nondistorted or unstressed condition. FIG. 9 illustrates relative movement of the pad 4 with respect to the backing 2. More particularly, should the

tabs

6 and 8 be secured to the wearers skin, and a force is applied to the inner shield 12, such as in the direction indicated by the arrow 35, the inner surface 33 of the inner shield 12 will be forced to shift, such as a distance E in its general plane in the direction of the arrow 35 in a direction generally parallel to the backing 2. Likewise, should the force on the inner shield 12 be in a lengthwise direction, reverse to the arrow 35, the inner surface 33 will shift in the opposite direction relative to the backing 2. As the inner shield 12 are secured to the opposite sides of the filler material 10 which comprises the pad 4, this creates a shearing effect, within the filler material 10 such that there is a gradient of shifting throughout the thickness of the filler material, as indicated by the shear lines at 37, allowing the outer face to shift relative to the inner face thereof. The effects of this lengthwise shifting and shearing action in the protector 4 is still better seen in FIGS. 10 and 11. As shown, the

adhesive strips

31 and 32, which are attached to the wearers skin, are free to move relative to the

tabs

6 and 8, not only because of the shearing action in the filler material 10, but also because the backing is elastic and can stretch over its entire area, and more particularly, between the lines 30 (FIG. 6) and the

tabs

6 and 8, such as at 38, to allow the

strips

31 and 32 to move relative to the tabs, such as 6, when a force is applied thereto, such as in the direction of the arrow 35. Thus, a portion of the wearers skin attached to the

adhesive strips

31 and 32 can move relative to another portion attached to the

tabs

6 and 8 without creating undue stress within the protector l, reducing the likelihood of detachment of the respective adhesive portions from the wearers skin when such movement occurs.

The widthwise movement of the protector 1 is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. As shown, when a force is applied to the inner shield 12, such as in the direction of the arrow 36, the inner surface 33 may shift generally parallel to the backing 2, resulting in a shearing action within the filler member 10, as indicated by the shear lines at 39, in the same manner described with respect to FIGS. 8 and 9 above. Accordingly, and referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the

adhesive strips

31 and 32 can shift, such as a distance F, in the direction of the arrow 36 relative to the

tabs

6 and 8 in a widthwise direction of the protector 1. Thus, the

tabs

6 and 8 may remain affixed to one portion of the wearers skin,

while another portion of the wearers skin attached to the

adhesive strips

31 and 32 may move relative to that portion attached to the

tabs

6 and 8, thus reducing the stress in the overall pad and the likelihood of detachment of the wearers skin from any one of the adhesive portions thereof.

In addition to the linear lengthwise and widthwise movement shown in FIGS. 8 to 15, FIG. 16 shows other basic moves which can be made by the component parts of the protector 1. More particularly, the protector 1 is illustrated in the non-distorted or non-stressed condition in solid lines. Should, for some reason, a torquing action be applied to the

adhesive strips

31 and 32 such that the force on one adhesive strip is forced by the wearers skin, to be moved in one lengthwise direction, such as indicated by the arrow 40, and when a force is applied to the adhesive strip 32, such as in a direction indicated by the arrow at 41, resulting in a torquing action on the pad 4, the one adhesive strip 31 can move in the direction of the arrow 40, such as indicated by the phantom lines at 31, and the other adhesive strip 32 can move in the opposite lengthwise direction in the direction of the arrow 43, as indicated by the phantom lines at 32, while the

tabs

6 and 8 can remain relatively stationary. Likewise, when a force is applied to the adhesive strip 31, such as in a direction indicated by the arrow 41, and a force is applied to the adhesive strip 32, such as indicated by the arrow 44, the

strips

31 and 32 can move apart from one another in the widthwise direction of the protector 1, such as indicated by the phantom lines at 31 and 32, as the result of the shearing capabilities of the filler material and the elastic characteristics of the inner shield and backing 2. In addition, when tension is applied between the

tabs

6 and 8, they can move relative to one another, as indicated by the phantom lines at 6 and 8, or independently relative to the center of the pad 4 as at 45. As can be seen, by the foregoing arrangement, the

strips

31 and 32 are free to move relative to one another and relative to the

tabs

6 and 8. Likewise, the

tabs

6 and 8 are free to move relative to one another, as well as relative to the

strips

31 and 32 when forces are applied to the various parts of the protector by the wearers skin as the result of the movement of the wearer.

In FIG. 17, the protector 1 is shown in the folded over condition as it would appear when the wearers arm is in the lowered condition, as also shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the shearing capabilities of the pad 4 allow the filler material 10 to expand at the point where the protector 1 is folded, whereas tension could be applied to the adhesive strip 32 which causes opposed tension forces to be applied along the adhesive strip 32, resulting in an outward shearing force within the filler material 10 toward its opposite ends. This is diagrammatically illustrated by the angular stress lines at 47 within the filler material 10. Even under these conditions, the

tabs

6 and 8 are free to move outwardly with respect to the pad 4 to relieve the tension within the protector 1 when the wearers arm is moved to the position shown. As best shown in FIG. 17, the wearers arm, when in the lowered position, will move back and forth relative to the wearers body, such as indicated by the

arrows

53 and 52. Of course, this type of movement will occur whenever the wearers hand is moved toward the front or rear of his body and probably most frequently when the wearer is walking. In any event, such a movement on the part of the wearer could result in the folded portion of the inner shield 12 adjacent the tab 8 being shifted in the direction of the arrow 52 relative to the backing 2, whereas, the inner shield 12 on the folded end of the protector 1 adjacent the tab 6 could be pulled in the direction of the arrow 53 relative to the backing 2. Of course, the backing 2 adjacent the tab 6 could move slightly in the direction of the arrow 53, but the inner shield would tend to move a greater distance as indicated by the shear lines at 57. Likewise, the inner shield 12 adjacent the tab 8 would move a greater distance in the direction of the arrow 52 than would the backing portion adjacent the tab 8 as indicated by the stress lines at 58. Thus, the inner shield 12 is capable of a multi-directional movement with respect to the center 45 of the pad, which clearly is understandable in view of the capability of the inner shield to move in both the lengthwise and widthwise direction as described in FIGS. 8 to 15. Again, when tension is applied between one of the tabs, such as 8, and either one or both of the strips, such as 31 and 32, the backing 2 can stretch, as at 59 in FIG. 17, enabling movement of the tab 8 in the lengthwise direction of the protector 1. Thus, the shifting and shearing action within the protector 1 can occur in any combination of both lengthwise and widthwise movements of the adhesive portions of the protector 1 to accommodate any movement made by the wearer so as to greatly reduce the likelihood of the protector 1 from becoming detached from the wearers body.

Although the protector 1 of the present invention has been described in connection with its use as an underarm perspiration absorber, it is to be understood and should be quite obvious to those skilled in the art that the pad, with only minor variations, could be effectively used for many different types of applications. For example, the pad could be used as a surgical dressing for covering wounds resulting from accidents or incisions from an operation, and particularly, those wounds and incisions where considerable fluid is issuing from the wound or incision. In this regard, the protector could be applied to any portion of the human body in the manner heretofore described to effectively resist removal from the wearers body, as well as, prevent irritation to the wearers skin.

I claim:

1. An absorbent protector comprising,

a flexible, resilient backing,

a pad attached to said backing for absorbing body fluid therein,

said backing including attachment portions projecting outwardly from opposite sides thereof and beyond said pad,

adhesive means on said backing and said pad for securing said protector to a wearers skin,

said adhesive means on said backing including an adhesive substance on said attachment portions spaced from said pad, and

said adhesive means on said pad including an adhesive substance extending along the peripheral edges thereof between said attachment portions for attaching said pad to the wearers skin independent of said attachment portions such that said backing may shift relative to said pad in the applied position of said protector to accommodate movement of those portions of the wearers body attached to said protector by said adhesive substance.

2. A protector in accordance with claim 1 wherein,

said adhesive material on said pad comprises elongated. spaced strips, and

said strips have their opposite distal ends disposed in spaced overlapping relations to the adhesive material on said attachment portions to enable relative movement therebetween.

3. A protector in accordance with claim 1, wherein said backing is attached to said pad along lines which extend transversely to one another to enable said backing to move relative to said pad.

4. A protector in accordance with claim 3, wherein said lines extend diagonally across said backing to enable the material of said backing to stretch and shift laterally of said pad and enable said attachment portions to move relative to said pad reducing the likelihood of the detachment of said adhesive layers from the wearers body.

5. A protector in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pad is made of a deformable, absorbent material capable of an internal shearing action to enable said backing adjacent said one side of said pad to shift relative to the opposite side of said pad.

6. A protector in accordance with claim 5, wherein said pad includes a hydrophobic inner shield covering the opposite side of said absorbent material from said backing to separate said absorbent material from said wearers skin while enabling said fluid to pass therethrough into said absorbent material.

7. A protector in accordance with claim 6, wherein said absorbent material is treated with a deodorizing agent, and

said inner shield defines a barrier between said absorbent material and the wearers skin to keep the deodorizing agent out of contact with the wearers skin and to maintain the wearers skin in a dry condition.

8. A protector in accordance with claim 6, wherein said inner shield is formed from a material having a configuration conforming to the configuration of said absorbent material,

the transverse dimensions of said inner shield are greater than the corresponding dimensions of said absorbent material, and

the peripheral portion of said inner shield is wrapped around the peripheral edge of said absorbing material and attached to said absorbent material to form a unitary structure.

9. A protector in accordance with claim 6, wherein said inner shield overlaps said one side of said absorbent material,

said overlap is secured to said absorbent material to form a unitary structure, and

said one side of said pad on which said overlap is secured is secured to said backing.

10. A protector in accordance with claim 6, wherein said inner shield is secured to said'pad on the side opposite from said backing along lines which extend transversely of one another.

11. A protector in accordance with claim 10, wherein said lines along which said absorbent material is secured to said inner shield extend diagonally of said absorbent material.

12. A protector in accordance with claim 10, wherein said lines along which said inner shield is secured to said absorbent material define a smaller angle with respect to the lengthwise axis of said pad than other lines securing said backing to said pad.

13. A protector in accordance with claim 1, wherein said backing comprises a substantially moistureproof sheet material defining a barrier between said pad and the wearers garment to prevent perspiration from coming in contact with the wearers garment.

14. A protector in accordance with claim 1, wherein ,said pad is generally ovular in configuration, and

said backing includes a central support portion having a configuration which generally conforms to the configuration of said pad such that said protector conforms generally to the shape of the arm pit

Claims

1. An absorbent protector comprising, a flexible, resilient backing, a pad attached to said backing for absorbing body fluid therein, said backing including attachment portions projecting outwardly from opposite sides thereof and beyond said pad, adhesive means on said backing and said pad for securing said protector to a wearer''s skin, said adhesive means on said backing including an adhesive substance on said attachment portions spaced from said pad, and said adhesive means on said pad including an adhesive substance extending along the peripheral edges thereof between said attachment portions for attaching said pad to the wearer''s skin independent of said attachment portions such that said backing may shift relative to said pad in the applied position of said protector to accommodate movement of those portions of the wearer''s body attached to said protector by said adhesive substance.

2. A protector in accordance with claim 1 wherein, said adhesive material on said pad comprises elongated, spaced strips, and said strips have their opposite distal ends disposed in spaced overlapping relations to the adhesive material on said attachment portions to enable relative movement therebetween.

4. A protector in accordance with claim 3, wherein said lines extend diagonally across said backing to enable the material of said backing to stretch and shift laterally of said pad and enable said attachment portions to move relative to said pad reducing the likelihood of the detachment of said adhesive layers from the wearer''s body.

6. A protector in accordance with claim 5, wherein said pad includes a hydrophobic inner shield covering the opposite side of said absorbent material from said backing to separate said absorbent material from said wearer''s skin while enabling said fluid to pass therethrough into said absorbent material.

7. A protector in accordance with claim 6, wherein said absorbent material is treated with a deodorizing agent, and said inner shield defines a barrier between said absorbent material and the wearer''s skin to keep the deodorizing agent out of contact with the wearer''s skin and to maintain the wearer''s skin in a dry condition.

8. A protector in accordance with claim 6, wherein said inner shield is formed from a material having a configuration conforming to the configuration of said absorbent material, thE transverse dimensions of said inner shield are greater than the corresponding dimensions of said absorbent material, and the peripheral portion of said inner shield is wrapped around the peripheral edge of said absorbing material and attached to said absorbent material to form a unitary structure.

9. A protector in accordance with claim 6, wherein said inner shield overlaps said one side of said absorbent material, said overlap is secured to said absorbent material to form a unitary structure, and said one side of said pad on which said overlap is secured is secured to said backing.

10. A protector in accordance with claim 6, wherein said inner shield is secured to said pad on the side opposite from said backing along lines which extend transversely of one another.

13. A protector in accordance with claim 1, wherein said backing comprises a substantially moisture-proof sheet material defining a barrier between said pad and the wearer''s garment to prevent perspiration from coming in contact with the wearer''s garment.

14. A protector in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pad is generally ovular in configuration, and said backing includes a central support portion having a configuration which generally conforms to the configuration of said pad such that said protector conforms generally to the shape of the arm pit of the wearer.