The present disclosure relates generally to an incontinence aid. More particularly, the present disclosure pertains to incontinence aids designed for men and women respectively.
An estimated 25% of women over the age of 35 experience some level of urinary incontinence. Childbirth and menopause can potentially increase a woman's likelihood of urinary incontinence.
Men also experience urinary incontinence, albeit at a lower rate. An estimated 10% of men suffer from some level of urinary incontinence. Prostate issues can often be to blame for male urinary incontinence.
As life expectancy of the average person increases, the demand for incontinence products similarly increases. Urinary incontinence becomes increasingly likely with age, particularly in individuals aged 65 or older. Indeed, the global products market for disposable incontinence products was over $8 billion in 2015. This figure is expected to grow beyond $12 billion by 2024.
Many urinary incontinence products are bulky and prevent a user from wearing certain clothing. Some urinary incontinence products may suffer from insufficient leakage protection, thereby preventing a user from enjoying a fully active life without the fear of having an accident in public.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved incontinence aid according to the present disclosure that may address one or more of the above issues.
Briefly, the present disclosure relates, in one embodiment, to an incontinence aid. The incontinence aid may include a pad body. The pad body may include a liquid receiving area. The incontinence aid may further include a liquid passage connected to the pad body. The liquid passage may form a boundary about a majority of the liquid receiving area. The liquid passage may include at least one lateral opening facing the liquid receiving area.
The liquid passage may form a boundary about the entire liquid receiving area.
The incontinence aid may further include a drain connected to the pad body. The drain may be able to receive liquid from at least one of the liquid receiving area and the liquid passage.
The incontinence aid may further include a liquid retention vessel remote from the pad body. The liquid retention vessel may be in fluid communication with the drain.
The drain may be connected to the liquid receiving area of the pad body.
The liquid passage may further include a first liquid passage open end and a second liquid passage open end. The drain may be connected to the pad body between the first liquid passage open end and the second liquid passage open end.
The liquid receiving area may include a liquid collection reservoir defined in the pad body.
The liquid collection reservoir may include a generally oval shape.
The liquid collection reservoir may include a first thickness of the pad body. Other portions of the pad body may include a second thickness of the pad body. The second thickness may be greater than the first thickness.
The pad body may further include at least one ridge. The at least one ridge may be able to direct liquid to the liquid collection reservoir. The at least one ridge may include a third thickness of the pad body. The third thickness may be greater than the first thickness and the second thickness.
The pad body may include a generally hourglass shape.
The liquid passage may include a water-resistant material.
The liquid passage may include a water-proof material.
The pad body may further include a front portion having a front portion width. The pad body may also further include a back portion opposite the front portion. The back portion may have a back portion width. The pad body may further still include a middle portion disposed between the front portion and the back portion. The middle portion may have a middle portion width. The middle portion width may be less than the front portion width and the back portion width.
The front portion width may be greater than the back portion width.
The present disclosure also relates, in one embodiment, to an incontinence aid for men. The incontinence aid may include a pad body. The pad body may include an interior side, an exterior side opposite the interior side, a proximal end, and a distal end opposite the proximal end. The incontinence aid may further include a first fastener permanently connected to the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body. The first fastener may be able to removably attach a first overlapping portion of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body to the exterior side of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body. The incontinence aid may also include a second fastener permanently connected to the pad body nearer the distal end of the pad body than the first fastener. The second fastener may be able to removably attach a second overlapping portion of the pad body adjacent the distal end of the pad body to the exterior side of the pad body.
At least a portion of the proximal end of the pad body may be elastic.
The incontinence aid may further include an elastic band connected to the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body.
The proximal end of the pad body may include a proximal end width. The distal end of the pad body may include a distal end width. The distal end width may be greater than the proximal end width.
The present disclosure also relates, in an embodiment, to a method of attaching an incontinence aid to a man. The method may include positioning a pad body of the incontinence aid such that an interior side of the pad body adjacent a proximal end of the pad body is under the man's genitals; folding a first side edge of the pad body over at least a portion of the man's genitals such that the interior side of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body and adjacent the first side edge of the pad body faces at least a portion of the man's genitals; folding a second side edge of the pad body over the first side edge of the pad body such that the interior side of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body and adjacent the second side edge of the pad body faces at least a portion of an exterior side of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body and adjacent the first side edge of the pad body; folding the pad body such that the interior side of the pad body adjacent a distal end of the pad body faces at least a portion of the exterior side of the pad body to cover the man's genitals; and securing the pad body in a folded position to retain the pad body on the man's genitals.
The method may further include fastening the interior side of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body and adjacent the second side edge of the pad body to the exterior side of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body and adjacent the first side edge of the pad body.
The method may also include fastening the interior side of the pad body adjacent the distal end of the pad body to the exterior side of the pad body.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more drawings of which are set forth herein. Each drawing is provided by way of explanation of the present disclosure and is not a limitation. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment.
Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Other objects, features, and aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in, or are obvious from, the following detailed description. It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present disclosure.
The words “connected”, “attached”, “joined”, “mounted”, “fastened”, and the like should be interpreted to mean any manner of joining two objects including, but not limited to, the use of any fasteners such as one or more sections of hooks and corresponding one or more sections of loops, one or more adhesive strips with optional corresponding attachment surfaces, ribbons, laces, ropes, buttons, and the like allowing for a stationary, translatable, or pivotable relationship; welding of any kind such as friction welding, ultrasonic welding, heat welding, and the like; using any resin, glue, epoxy, and the like; being integrally formed as a single part together; any mechanical fit such as a friction fit, interference fit, slidable fit, rotatable fit, pivotable fit, and the like; any combination thereof; and the like.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, any part of the apparatus of the present disclosure may be made of any appropriate or suitable material.
Referring to
The incontinence aid 100 may include a pad body 102. The pad body 102 may be made of any appropriate materials and may include a liquid receiving area 104.
The liquid receiving area 104 may include a liquid collection reservoir 106 defined in the pad body 102. In many embodiments, the liquid collection reservoir 106 may be formed by compressing the pad body 102 during manufacture. Of course, the liquid collection reservoir 106 may be formed by simply having a thinner portion of the pad body 102 or by the addition or removal of materials of the pad body. As shown in
The pad body 102 may further include at least one ridge 108. The one or more ridges 108 may be sized, shaped, and positioned such that they may aid in directing liquid to the liquid collection reservoir 106. For instance, the ridges 108 may include curved ridges for containing primary liquid flows that may otherwise splash or extend in an undesired direction, and the ridges may also include straight ridges for directing secondary liquid flows toward the liquid collection reservoir 106. In some embodiments, the ridges 108 may provide adequate spacing between the user's body and the liquid receiving area 104 to allow the liquid to move more freely toward the liquid collection reservoir 106. The at least one ridge 108 may include a third thickness T3 of the pad body 102. This third thickness T3 may be greater than the first thickness T1 and the second thickness T2.
In some embodiments, the pad body 102 may further include a front portion 110. The front portion 110 may be considered the portion of the pad body 102 that is placed adjacent the front side of a user. The front portion 110 may include a front portion width W1 defined as the maximum width of the front portion. The pad body 102 may also include a back portion 112. The back portion 112 may be considered the portion of the pad body 102 that is placed adjacent the back side of the user. The back portion 112 may be opposite the front portion 110. The back portion 112 may further include a back portion width W2 defined as the maximum width of the back portion. In many embodiments, the front portion width W1 may be greater than the back portion width W2. A possible benefit of such a configuration may be that the front portion 110 may be wider to accommodate more liquid through absorption due to the increased relative area compared to the back portion 112 because the liquid may tend to more likely engage the front portion than the back portion. The pad body 102 may further include a middle portion 114 disposed between the front portion 110 and the back portion 112. The middle portion 114 may include a middle portion width W3 defined as the minimum width of the middle portion. In many embodiments, the middle portion width W3 may be less than the front portion width W1 and the back portion width W2. In many embodiments, the pad body 102 may include a generally hourglass shape.
The incontinence aid 100 may further include a liquid passage 116 connected to the pad body 102. The liquid passage 116 may form a boundary about a majority of the liquid receiving area 104 in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the liquid passage 116 may form a boundary about the entire liquid receiving area 104. In many embodiments, the liquid passage 116 may include at least one lateral opening 118 defined in the lateral passage wall. The at least one lateral opening 118 may generally face the liquid receiving area 104. The lateral opening 118 may be any appropriate opening including, but not limited to, a cut or molded hole, a series of pores, a mesh section, a section of liquid permeable material, and the like. The liquid passage 116 may also include a water-resistant material or a water-proof material in some embodiments. In such embodiments, any liquid present in the liquid receiving area 104 may freely enter the liquid passage 116 via the at least one lateral opening 118. The liquid in the liquid passage 116 may be at least partially contained in the liquid passage alone, or it may be at least partially transferred along the liquid passage to another portion of the pad body 102 such as the liquid collection reservoir 106. This configuration may be useful for a user when she sits down, for instance. Sitting on all or a portion of the incontinence aid 100 may cause the liquid to be expressed from absorbent portions of the pad body 102 or may cause the liquid to otherwise move. The liquid may enter the liquid passage 116 instead of escaping from the incontinence aid 100 entirely when the user sits down. This rerouting of liquid may provide more complete containment of the liquid and thus may provide a more reliable incontinence aid 100.
As shown particularly in
As mentioned briefly above, the incontinence aid 100 may include several layers as shown in
The incontinence aid 100 may further include a waterproof layer 138. The waterproof layer 138 may be the layer of the incontinence aid 100 farthest from the user when worn by the user. Other embodiments may simply include the waterproof layer 138 being opposite the skin engagement layer 136. Additional layers may be disposed on one or both sides of the waterproof layer 138. The waterproof layer 138 may, in some embodiments, serve to aid direction of liquid toward the funnel 128 of the drain 120. The waterproof layer 138 may further aid in preventing liquid from escaping from the incontinence aid 100. In embodiments including the drain 120, the waterproof layer 138 may include a hole 140 defined therein to allow liquid to enter the funnel 128 of the drain.
In many embodiments, the incontinence aid 100 may include waterproof endcap portions 142. The waterproof endcap portions 142 may be connected to the waterproof layer 138. In some embodiments, the waterproof endcap portions 142 may be connected along the outer perimeter to the waterproof layer 138 much like a front portion of a house slipper. Other layers may be disposed between the waterproof endcap portions 142 and the waterproof layer 138 where the waterproof endcap portions are not connected to the waterproof layer. The waterproof endcap portions 142 may be disposed under the skin engagement layer 136 in many embodiments. The function of the waterproof endcap portions 142 in some embodiments may be to prevent liquid contained within the pad body 102 from traveling toward a user or otherwise away from the pad body when the user sits or otherwise compresses a portion of the pad body.
One or more absorbent layers 144 may be disposed between the skin engagement layer 136 and the waterproof layer 138. The absorbent layers 144 may be configured to retain liquid in any appropriate manner.
In some embodiments of the incontinence aid 100, an internal liquid passage 146 may be disposed between the skin engagement layer 136 and the waterproof layer 138. In many embodiments, the internal liquid passage 146 may be disposed between absorbent layers 144. The internal liquid passage 146 may be similar in construction to the liquid passage 116 discussed above. In some embodiments, the internal liquid passage 146 may be smaller in diameter than the liquid passage 116 discussed above. The internal liquid passage 146 may further include lateral openings 148 defined internal liquid passage wall. The internal liquid passage 146 may receive liquid from any portion of the pad body 102 where liquid may pool or be expressed. The internal liquid passage 146 may aid the transfer of the liquid to other portions of the pad body 102 to more effectively contain the liquid when compared to prior art incontinence aids. In some embodiments, the hole 126 in the pad body 102, or in the absorbent layer 144, may allow liquid disposed in the liquid collection reservoir 106 to more readily enter the internal liquid passage 146. In many embodiments, the internal liquid passage 146 may be exposed in the area of the liquid collection reservoir 106, such that the internal liquid passage is part of the liquid collection reservoir.
Of course, the incontinence aid 100 may not necessarily include a drain 120. In such embodiments, as shown in
Turning now to
Turning now to
The incontinence aid 200 may include a pad body 202. In some embodiments, the pad body 202 may generally resemble a sheet when in the unfolded position as shown in
Many embodiments may include at least a portion of the proximal end 260 of the pad body 202 being at least somewhat elastic relative to the rest of the pad body. This elasticity may allow for more of a fitting tolerance to provide a better and/or more secure fit of the incontinence aid 200 about the user's genitals G1. In some embodiments, an elastic band 264 may be connected to the pad body 202 nearer the proximal end 260 of the pad body than the distal end 262 of the pad body. In further embodiments, the elastic band 264 may be connected to the pad body 202 adjacent the proximal end 260 of the pad body.
The incontinence aid 200 may further include a first fastener 266 permanently connected to the pad body 202 nearer the proximal end 260 of the pad body than the distal end 262 of the pad body. In many embodiments, the first fastener 266 may be permanently connected to the pad body 202 adjacent the proximal end 260 of the pad body. The first fastener 266 may be configured to removably attach a first overlapping portion 268 of the pad body 202 adjacent the proximal end 260 of the pad body to the exterior side 258 of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body. Stated another way, the pad body 202 may be folded over near the proximal end 260 of the pad body to form a first overlapping portion 268 of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body as shown in
As best shown in
Some embodiments of the incontinence aid 200 may include the liquid passage 216 as shown in
In another embodiment shown in
Illustrated particularly in
In some embodiments of the method described above, the method may further include fastening the interior side 256 of the pad body 202 adjacent the proximal end 260 of the pad body and adjacent the second side edge 280 of the pad body to the exterior side 258 of the pad body adjacent the proximal end of the pad body and adjacent the first side edge 278 of the pad body. This step may allow the incontinence aid 200 to be retained on the man's genitals G1 as shown in
Further embodiments of the method may also include fastening the interior side 256 of the pad body 202 adjacent the distal end 262 of the pad body to the exterior side 258 of the pad body.
In even further embodiments, the interior side 256 of the pad body 202 adjacent the distal end 262 of the pad body may be fastened to the exterior side 258 of the pad body adjacent the proximal end 260 of the pad body.
As shown in
The incontinence aid 200, also as shown in
Turning now to
As shown in
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
Although embodiments of the disclosure have been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only. The words used are words of description rather than limitation. It is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit or the scope of the present disclosure, which is set forth in the following claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged in whole or in part. While specific uses for the subject matter of the disclosure have been exemplified, other uses are contemplated. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the versions contained herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 35001114 | Nov 2015 | US |
Child | 15715913 | US |