Patent Application
20160151212
The disclosure relates to incontinence devices and more particularly pertains to a new incontinence device which is not easily viewable to others.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an inner covering configured for positioning against genitals of a person. The inner covering includes a panel that is flexible and has an inner surface and an outer surface. The panel has a front edge, a rear edge, a first side edge and a second side edge. The panel is formable into a wearable position such that the inner surface is concavely arcuate from the front edge to the rear edge. A central portion positioned between the front and rear edges comprises a crotch area. An absorbent pad is mounted on the inner surface and is spaced from the front and rear edges and is positioned on the crotch area. An outer covering comprises a pair of shorts that is positionable around the inner covering when the inner covering is in the wearable position such that a juncture of the first side edge and the front edge remains spaced from a juncture of the first side edge and the rear edge, and such that a juncture of the second side edge and the front edge remains spaced from a juncture of the second side edge and the rear edge. The outer covering completely covers the inner covering such that the inner covering is not viewable from a front side of the outer covering. The outer covering can be detached from the inner covering and the inner covering replaced if the inner covering becomes soiled.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
An outer covering 34 comprises a pair of shorts and may be made of a cloth material to resemble a conventional pair of boxer briefs. The outer covering 34 is positionable around the inner covering 12 when the inner covering 12 is in the wearable position such that a juncture of the first side edge and the front edge 20 remains spaced from a juncture of the first side edge 24 and the rear edge 22, and such that a juncture of the second side edge 26 and the front edge 20 remains spaced from a juncture of the second side edge 26 and the rear edge 22. The outer covering 34 completely covers the inner covering 12 such that the inner covering 12 is not viewable from a front side 48 of the outer covering 34 as is demonstrated in
The outer covering 34 is removably coupled to the inner covering 12. This may be achieved in a plurality of manners. One way of achieving this, as shown in the Figures, is by way of snaps having first mating members 36 attached to the inner covering 12 and second mating members 38 attached to an inside surface 40 of the outer covering 34. The first 36 and second 38 mating members are positioned to align properly with each other. The outer covering 34 includes a perimeter wall 42 having an upper edge defining a waistband 44. The front 20 and rear 22 edges are each positioned adjacent to the waistband 44 and the first 36 and second 38 mating members are also positioned adjacent to the waistband 44.
The perimeter wall 42 extends downwardly from the waist band 44 and is formed into a pair of legs 46 with a closed area 47 therebetween which is positioned directly below the crotch area 28. Each of the legs 46 extends downwardly below the inner covering 12 a distance between 2.0 inches and 12.0 inches and this is measured vertically downward from a horizontal line intersecting the lower most point 30 of the outer surface 18. The outer covering 34 includes the front side 48 and the back side 50 and the outer covering 34 further includes a pair of breaks 52 therein each extending through the waistband 44 and through a lower edge 54 of the outer covering 34 such that each of the legs 46 is divided approximately into a front portion and a back portion. Thus the outer covering 34, when the breaks are opened, is held together by the closed area 47.
A pair of couplers 56 is provided to releasably close the breaks 52. Each of the breaks 52 has an edge having one of the couplers 56 attached thereto. The couplers 56 may each comprise a hook and loop coupler extending approximately along an entire length of an associated one of the breaks 52. The outer covering 34 can thusly be opened along the breaks 52 and then be detached from the inner covering 12.
In use, the assembly 10 is worn as would be a typical pair of boxer briefs. However, the inner covering 12 will capture and absorb and bodily fluids from the person wearing the assembly 10. If the absorbent pad 32 is soiled, the user may simply and detach the inner covering 12 from the outer covering 34, open the outer covering 34 along one or both of the breaks 52 to gain access to the inner covering 12 for its removal, and replace the inner covering 12 with a new one having non-soiled pad 32. The assembly 10 thus provides the ability to hide the fact that a person is wearing an incontinence device.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
