Patent Application
20210007415
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of anatomy masking patches. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to flexible, contoured masking patches to conceal features of female anatomy.
Often, clothing and other garments may fit closely with anatomical features, making said features visible therethrough. Frequently, such visibility of anatomical features is unwanted and often deemed unflattering (e.g., “camel toe”). In some cases, avoiding fabric and/or clothing types may reduce exposure or visibility; however, this potential solution may be restrictive and burdensome.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a flexible, contoured masking patch that may adapt to and conceal a broad range of female anatomical regions or a portion thereof.
One embodiment of the disclosure relates to a masking patch having a flexible patch body sized, which is configured for positioning on a female body to cover a female anatomical area, a smooth outer surface of the patch body, and an inner surface of the patch body comprising an adhesive material.
In various embodiments, the flexible patch is contoured/concave to fit to the female body. In some embodiments, the flexible patch body has a first end and a second end, the first end having a first width and the second end having a second width, and wherein the second width is less than the first width. In various embodiments, wherein the second end terminates in a point. In some embodiments, the flexible patch body comprises a middle portion disposed between the first end and the second end, and wherein a third width associated with the middle portion is greater than each of the first width and the second width.
In various embodiments, the patch body is made of silicone. In some embodiments, the adhesive is a pressure-sensitive adhesive. In some embodiments, the masking patch further includes an adhesive cover layer to protect the adhesive before use. In various embodiments, the adhesive cover layer is plastic. In various embodiments, the patch body and the adhesive material are waterproof.
In various embodiments, the patch body is customizable to a plurality of sizes. In some embodiments, the inner surface of the patch body is configured for one or more reapplications to an application surface such that the masking patch is reusable.
Another embodiment of the disclosure relates to a method of using a masking patch including: obtaining a masking patch, positioning the masking patch relative to a female body to cover a female anatomical area, and securing the masking patch to the female body by applying the adhesive on the inner surface of the patch body to the female body. The masking patch includes a flexible patch body sized and configured for positioning on a female body to cover a female anatomical area, a smooth outer surface of the patch body, and an inner surface of the patch body comprising an adhesive material.
In various embodiments, the flexible patch is contoured/concave to fit to the female body. In some embodiments, the flexible patch body has a first end and a second end, the first end having a first width and the second end having a second width, and wherein the second width is less than the first width. In various embodiments, the second end terminates in a point. In various embodiments, the flexible patch body comprises a middle portion disposed between the first end and the second end, and wherein a third width associated with the middle portion is greater than each of the first width and the second width.
In various embodiments, the method further includes customizing the patch body to adapt to a size of an anatomical feature. In some embodiments, the method further includes removing patch body and storing for reuse. In various embodiments, the method includes washing the mask body.
A clear conception of the advantages and features constituting the present disclosure, and of the construction and operation of typical mechanisms provided with the present disclosure, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate the same elements in the several views, and in which:
The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and made part of this disclosure.
Referring generally to the figures, a masking patch having a patch body is shown, which is configured for application and adherence to a female anatomical region to conceal or obfuscate features therein. The masking patch may be worn beneath clothing or other garments by a user having female anatomy. The patch body may comprise one or more flexible materials, which enable the masking patch to conform to a range of variable anatomical features. The patch body may be further comprised of one or more durable, biocompatible materials to facilitate repeated use without degradation and/or irritation within the application region.
Referring specifically to
As shown in
In various embodiments, the inner surface 120 of the masking patch 100 may include one or more adhesive materials to facilitate application or adherence to the anatomical region. In various embodiments, the one or more adhesive materials may include, but are not limited to pressure-sensitive adhesives (e.g., specialized acrylics). In some embodiments, the masking patch 100 may be applied to the anatomical region using commercially available silicone adhesives, including, but not limited to Pros-Aide®, Skin Tite™, etc. In various embodiments, the inner surface 120 and/or adhesive included therein may be waterproof or water resistant. In various embodiments, the inner surface 120 may be washed (e.g., using soap and water) without degradation of its adhesive or adhering properties such that the masking patch 100 may be re-applied to the anatomical region for reuse.
In various embodiments, the masking patch 100 may include a cover layer detachably coupled to the inner surface 120. The cover may protect the inner surface 120 and prevent disadvantageous adherence of the inner surface 120 to any other surface or region besides the anatomical region. The cover may be removed from the masking patch 100 to enable the inner surface 120 to adhere to the anatomical region.
Prior to use, the masking patch 100 may be customized to adapt to a female anatomical region. In various embodiments, the customization may include, but is not limited to, determining or changing a distance between the first end 105 and the second end 110, determining or changing a thickness of the masking patch 100, and/or adjusting at least one of the first width, second width, and third width. In various embodiments, the masking patch 100 may be provided to a wearer in various sizes. In various embodiments, the masking patch 100 may be decoupled from a cover on the inner surface 120 and positioned near a desired anatomical region. The masking patch 100 may then be applied to the anatomical region by applying a pressure to the masking patch 100. In various embodiments, the masking patch 100 may be applied to the anatomical region by applying an adhesive between the inner surface 120 and the anatomical region. After a period of use (e.g., 2 hours, 10 hours, 40 hours, etc.), the masking patch 100 may be removed from the anatomical region. The masking patch 100 may be subsequently cleaned or washed (e.g., using soap and water) and readied for later use. In various embodiments, the cover may be re-applied or re-coupled to the inner surface 120 of the masking patch 100 after it has been cleaned or washed.
Notwithstanding the embodiments described above in reference to
It is also to be understood that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the systems and methods as shown in the representative embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter disclosed.
Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Any means-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the preferred and other illustrative embodiments without departing from scope of the present disclosure or from the scope of the appended claims.
Furthermore, functions and procedures described above may be performed by specialized equipment designed to perform the particular functions and procedures. The functions may also be performed by general-use equipment that executes commands related to the functions and procedures, or each function and procedure may be performed by a different piece of equipment with one piece of equipment serving as control or with a separate control device.
The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components.
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Similarly, unless otherwise specified, the phrase “based on” should not be construed in a limiting manner and thus should be understood as “based at least in part on.” Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.” Further, unless otherwise noted, the use of the words “approximate,” “about,” “around,” “substantially,” etc., mean plus or minus ten percent.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Design patent application No. 29/708,260, filed Oct. 4, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. Design patent application No. 29/601,983, filed Apr. 27, 2017, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 29708260 | Oct 2019 | US |
| Child | 17029922 | US | |
| Parent | 29601983 | Apr 2017 | US |
| Child | 29708260 | US |
