SKIN PROTECTION SHEET

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a skin protection sheet for protecting a user's skin disease site or potential skin disease site by affixing it to the inside surface of his/her undergarment.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, when a person sleeps on his/her back for an extended period due to illness or injury, skin disease due to so-called bedsores is likely to occur, and when an undergarment is in close contact with the skin, a skin disease such as miliaria due to being so-called sweaty is expected to occur. Therefore, it is also useful to provide a medium with a certain auxiliary effect for treating or preventing a skin disease between the inside surface of the undergarment and the skin disease site. A medium for this purpose has already been proposed.

Conventionally, as such a medium, a mat for preventing bedsores disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The mat for preventing bedsores has a shape in which a web or a cloth containing a far-infrared radiation fiber can be brought into contact with the waist and the buttocks, specifically, a shape in which a central lower part with which a coccyx is brought into contact is cut out, and can be affixed to the inside of the back surface of a diaper cover or a pair of underpants.

PRIOR ART PUBLICATIONS

Patent Publications

Patent Literature: JP H03-27234U

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Problem to be Solved by the Invention

However, the above-described conventional mat for preventing bedsores has the following problems.

First, since the mat is composed of a web or cloth containing far-infrared radiation fibers, the total manufacturing cost (initial cost), including the material cost, is likely high. Since the mat is used in an environment where it is expected to become dirty, such as being affixed to the back of a diaper cover or underpants, it is necessary to replace the mat every time due to hygiene requirements. The running cost is also likely to be high so that the total cost increase cannot be ignored.

Second, since it is a specific treatment medium whose far-infrared ray effect is expected, it is difficult to guarantee the degree of the effect to be expected in the treatment or prevention of various skin diseases, and it has difficulty in versatility, and depending on the skin disease, it is also considered that the symptom may be exacerbated. Moreover, from the viewpoint of ensuring ventilation (non-contact with the skin), sufficient consideration is not always given, and from the perspective of securing comfort (touch feeling) during wearing, adequate care is not necessarily provided.

An object of the present invention is to provide a skin protection sheet that solves such problems existing in the background art.

Means for Solving the Problem

In order to solve the above-described problems, a skin protection sheet 1 according to the present invention is characterized by providing the following: when configuring a skin protection sheet which is affixed to the inside surface Ci of an undergarment C of a user H for protecting a skin disease site (including a potential skin disease site, hereinafter the same) Xw of the user H, forming multi-layered surface parts K of a sheet material S of a nonwoven fabric material, respectively, by folding back a plurality of times intersecting the predetermined direction Fm, at a plurality of positions in the direction Fm, and providing suture parts 5 sutured in the predetermined direction Fm by a thread material 4 at a predetermined spacing in a direction Fs intersecting the predetermined direction Fm, thereby a protective sheet main part 2 configured in a gathered shape and one, two, or more sheet affixation parts 3 are provided on one surface 2r of the protective sheet main part 2 to enable the protective sheet main part 2 to be affixed and removed to the inside surface Ci of an undergarment C.

In this case, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thread material 4 is composed of one thread member 4a or two thread members 4a and 4b, and at least one thread member 4a can include the rubber thread 4ar. Besides, the skin disease site Xw may include at least a bedsore site in the buttocks Hh. Further, the sheet material S can be used by stacking one or two or more sheets.

Effects of the Invention

According to the skin protection sheet 1 of the present invention having such a configuration, the following remarkable effects are obtained.

(1) A multi-layer surface part K is formed by a plurality of folds intersecting the predetermined direction Fm at a plurality of positions in a predetermined direction Fm, respectively, of sheet material S of nonwoven fabric material, is provided with a protective sheet body 2 formed by suturing in the predetermined direction Fm with a thread material 4, whereby the overall production cost (initial cost) including the material cost can be reduced, and the running cost can be reduced even when it is made disposable, thus achieving a significant overall cost reduction.

(2) Since the protective sheet main part 2 is formed in a gathered shape by a sheet material S using a nonwoven fabric material, an adequate ventilation space is generated between the skin disease site Xw and the inside surface Ci of the undergarment C, and non-contact with the skin can be enhanced. As a result, it is possible to enjoy a certain auxiliary effect for the treatment or prevention of various diseases on the skin surface, and it is possible to enhance the versatility. Besides, the gather mode can further improve the comfort (feeling of touch) when wearing it.

(3) If the thread material 4 is composed of one thread member 4a or two thread members 4a and 4b, and the rubber thread 4ar is included in at least one thread member 4a according to the preferred embodiment, necessary elasticity can be secured, and therefore, even when the skin disease site Xw occurs at the bent portion or the like of the user H, the user can comfortably use the product without inhibiting the bending motion.

(4) If the skin disease site Xw includes at least the area where the bedsore of the buttocks Hh occurs according to the preferred embodiment, the skin disease site Xw can enjoy an additional benefit relating to highly effective treatment or prevention in place of the moisturizing therapy which has been mainly performed for bedsore.

(5) Since the number of sheet materials S can be arbitrarily selected, and one, two, or more sheets can be stacked and used according to the preferred embodiment, it is possible to easily adjust the degree of comfort (touch feeling) at the time of wearing and the degree of cost. It is also possible to easily cope with the diversification of product grades and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which a skin protection sheet according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is used for the buttocks;

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing a state in which the skin protection sheet is used for the buttocks;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the skin protection sheet;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an enclosure line A in FIG. 3 of the skin protection sheet;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a part of a cross-section of a suture part in the skin protection sheet;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a part of a cross-section of a suture part according to a modification example of the skin protection sheet;

FIG. 7 illustrates how to use the skin protection sheet;

FIG. 8 is a photograph of the area of bedsore before using the skin protection sheet;

FIG. 9 is a photograph of the bedsore area in FIG. 8 after using the skin protection sheet for six days;

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

1: skin protection sheet, 2: protective sheet main part, 2r: one surface (non-contact surface) of protective sheet main part, 3: sheet affixation part, 4: thread material, 4a: thread member, 4b: thread member, 4ar: rubber thread, 5: suture part, H: user, Hh: Buttocks, C: undergarment, Ci: inside surface of undergarment, Xw: skin disease site, S: sheet material formed of nonwoven fabric material, Fm: predetermined direction, Fs: direction intersecting the predetermined direction, K: multi-layered surface parts (three-layered surface part)

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Next, the best embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the entire structure of the skin protection sheet 1 according to the present embodiment, including the used members and the manufacturing methods, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1-6.

The illustrated skin protection sheet 1 is intended to treat or prevent bedsore in the buttocks Hh of the user H. As shown in FIG. 3, a basic configuration comprises a protective sheet main part 2 having a rectangular shape being horizontally long as a whole, and a sheet affixation part 3 for attaching and removing the protective sheet main part 2 to/from the inside surface Ci of the undergarment C of the user H.

The protective sheet main part 2 is configured (produced) in a gathered shape by forming three-layered surface parts K of a sheet material S composed of nonwoven fabric material at a plurality of predetermined positions in a predetermined direction Fm, and being folded back two times and intersecting the predetermined direction Fm, respectively, and providing suture parts 5 stitched to the predetermined direction Fm by a thread material 4, at a predetermined spacing in a direction Fs intersecting the predetermined direction Fm.

The nonwoven fabric material used for the sheet material S is not limited to specific material, but a nonwoven fabric material excellent in low cost and suitable in touch feeling is desirable. As an example, a thermally bonded nonwoven fabric (trade name) manufactured by Rengo Nonwoven Products Co., Ltd. can be used. This product is made by processing a short plastic fiber as raw cotton into a nonwoven fabric by non-binder and heat fusion and has the advantage of being sanitary and excellent in flexibility.

As shown in FIG. 5, the number of sheets S to be used constituting the protective sheet main part 2 may be one sheet, or two stacked sheets S, as shown in FIG. 6. If necessary, three or more sheets may be stacked. In this way, the number of sheets S to be used can be arbitrarily selected. Therefore, it is possible to easily adjust the degree of comfort (touch feeling) at the time of wearing and the degree of cost performance, and it is also possible to easily cope with the diversification of product grades and the like.

On the other hand, two thread members 4a and 4b are used for the suture parts 5. Specifically, a rubber thread 4ar arranged on the skin non-contact surface 2r of the protective sheet main body 2 which does not contact the skin of the user H and a natural fiber thread 4bn such as a cotton thread by which the rubber thread 4ar is sutured to the protective sheet main body 2 are used. Therefore, the combination of the rubber thread 4ar (thread member 4a) and the natural fiber thread 4bn (thread member 4b) is the thread material 4 used in this embodiment.

When suturing the thread material 4, one of the rubber thread 4ar and the natural fiber thread 4bn is used as the upper thread and the other as the lower thread, which can be sutured by a suturing machine (not shown). Therefore, when suturing, first, the rubber thread 4ar and the natural fiber thread 4bn are loaded into the suturing machine. Then, the sheet material S is set in the suturing machine. At a plurality of predetermined positions in a predetermined direction (in the lateral direction in FIG. 3) Fm of the sheet material S, the sheet material S is folded back twice, having folding lines intersecting with the predetermined direction Fm to form three-layered surface parts K at each predetermined position. This state is sutured by a thread material 4. The suturing direction is the predetermined direction Fm, whereby the suture parts 5 are provided at predetermined positions.

In this case, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rubber thread 4ar is arranged on the skin non-contact surface 2r of the protective sheet main part 2 (sheet material S), and the natural fiber thread 4bn is exposed on the skin contact surface 2p which is the opposite surface to the non-contact surface 2r. In the illustrated example, nine suture parts 5 are provided at a predetermined spacing in the predetermined direction Fm of the protective sheet main part 2 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the protective sheet main part 2 can be elastically extended and contracted in the direction Fs (the longitudinal direction in FIG. 3) intersecting the predetermined direction Fm by the rubber thread 4ar. At this time, the length at the time of extension should be set to be approximately 1.5 times the length before the extension (before the extension).

As described above, when the suture part 5 is provided, the thread material 4 comprises two thread members 4a and 4b. If the rubber thread 4ar is included in at least one thread member 4a, the necessary elasticity can be secured. Therefore, there is an advantage that comfortable use is possible without inhibiting the bending motion even when the skin disease site Xw occurs at the bent portion or the like of the user H.

In particular, as a preferred embodiment, using the rubber thread 4ar for the thread member 4a arranged on the non-contact surface 2r of the protective sheet main part 2, and using the natural fiber thread 4bn for the thread member 4b for suturing the rubber thread 4ar to the protective sheet main part 2 enable rubber thread 4ar to avoid directly hitting the skin of the user H while securing the necessary elasticity. Although a case is illustrated where two thread members 4a and 4b are used as the thread member 4, only one thread member 4a may be used, and in this case, a rubber thread 4ar may be used as one thread member 4a.

If the suture part 5 is provided, the protective sheet main part 2 (sheet material S) may be pressed in a direction perpendicular to the plane by sandwiching the protective sheet main part 2 (sheet material S) between a pair of flat plates, as necessary. As a result, the slack portion of the sheet material S is crushed, and the folded part is in a crushed state, as shown in FIG. 5. That is, the entire structure is formed into a gathered shape and a sheet shape.

On the other hand, the sheet affixation part 3 has a function of attaching and removing the protective sheet main part 2 to/from the inside surface Ci of the undergarment C. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a circular double-sided adhesive tape 3s can be affixed in the vicinity of four corners of the skin non-contact surface 2r of the protective sheet main part 2. This double-sided adhesive tape 3s is formed to have a diameter of approximately 20 [mm], and a release paper remains to be affixed to each double-sided adhesive tape 3s until it is used.

As described above, the skin protection sheet 1 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as follows: three-layered surface parts K are made respectively by two fold-backs that cross in a predetermined direction Fm at a plurality of positions in the predetermined direction Fm of the sheet material S formed of the nonwoven fabric material. The protective sheet main part 2 formed into a gathered shape by providing suture parts 5 sutured in a predetermined direction Fm using a thread material 4 at a predetermined spacing, in a direction Fs intersecting the predetermined direction Fm, and one, two, or more sheet affixation parts 3 which make the protective sheet main part 2 attachable to and removable from the inside surface Ci of the undergarment C on one surface 2r of the protective sheet main part 2 are provided. Therefore, the overall production cost (initial cost), including the material cost, can be reduced, and the running cost can be reduced even in the case of being made disposable so that the overall significant cost reduction can be realized.

Next, a usage and a function (operation) of the skin protection sheet 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7-9.

First, when the skin protection sheet 1 is used, it is affixed to the inside surface Ci of the undergarment C of the user H. As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, underpants illustrate the undergarment C, and the exemplified skin protection sheet 1 is used to treat (or prevent) bedsore occurring in the buttocks Hh of the user H.

When the skin protection sheet 1 is used, the peeling paper affixed to the double-sided adhesive tapes 3s at four sites in the prepared skin protection sheet 1 is peeled off. Then, as shown by an arrow Fu in FIG. 7, the double-sided adhesive tape 3s is affixed to the inside surface Ci located on the backside of the undergarment C, and the skin protection sheet 1 is fixed. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the attachment position is selected so that the skin contact surface 2p of the protective sheet main part 2 can cover the buttocks Hh of the user H, that is, the skin disease site Xw where bedsores have occurred. Thus, the attachment (mounting) of the skin protection sheet 1 is completed, and the skin protection sheet 1 can be mounted very easily in a short time.

On the other hand, when the user H attaches the undergarment C (underpants) having the skin protection sheet 1 affixed thereto to the body following the normal procedure, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the skin contact surface 2p of the protective sheet main part 2 covers the skin disease site Xw where bedsore has occurred in the user H. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, even when the user H lies on his/her back on the bed B, or the like, the protective sheet main part 2 is interposed between the skin disease site Xw where bedsore has occurred and the inside surface Ci of the undergarment C.

In this case, since the protective sheet main part 2 is formed in a gathered shape by the sheet material S made of the nonwoven fabric material, a good ventilation space is generated between the skin disease site Xw and the inside surface Ci of the undergarment C, and the non-contact with the skin can be further enhanced. As a result, it is possible to enjoy a certain additional benefit for treating or preventing various diseases on the skin surface. It is possible to enhance the versatility further and further enhance the comfort (touch feeling) at the time of mounting by the gather mode.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are photographs showing the operation and effect of the skin protection sheet 1 according to the present embodiment. The subject was an 84-year-old woman who was bedridden with “nursing care level 5.” The photographs were taken with the cooperation of the patient and the facility. Furthermore, the skin protection sheet 1 was changed together with the diaper change because a diaper change was carried out five times a day as the conditions for use. The skin protection sheet 1 was disposable, and the used skin protection sheet 1 was disposed of.

FIG. 8 shows a photograph of the skin surfaces of the buttocks where bedsores occurred before using the skin protection sheet 1. It can be confirmed that “redness” and “inflammation” on the skin surface at this time have progressed to a relatively serious state.

On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows a photograph of the skin surfaces of the buttocks after six days using the skin protection sheet 1. It can be confirmed that “redness” and “inflammation” on the skin surface at this time are considerably improved. Besides, it was confirmed that the odor was suppressed and that the roughened skin surface improved to a smooth state from the second day after using the skin protection sheet 1.

As described above, the skin condition improved even after six days of skin protection sheet 1. It is considered that the reason for this is that the healing effect against bedsores worked effectively by ensuring ventilation. As described above, including at least the site where the bedsore of the buttocks Hh occurs, the skin disease site Xw can enjoy an additional benefit of highly effective treatment or prevention, which replaces the conventional moisturizing therapy for bedsores.

The best embodiment has been described above in detail. However, such an embodiment is not the limitation of the present invention. This invention allows arbitrary change, addition, or deletion of detailed configuration, shape, material, quantity, method, etc., within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

For example, one sheet material S or two or more sheet materials S may be combined, but a mode of combining one sheet material S (or two or more sheet materials) with a sheet member formed of another material (general paper or the like) is not excluded. Although the natural fiber thread 4bn is used as the thread member 4b is exemplified, other threads such as chemical fiber thread are not excluded. Further, the term “folding back in the way of intersecting the predetermined direction Fm” is a concept including not only intersecting at a right angle but also intersecting at various angles.

On the other hand, as the undergarment C, various kinds of undergarments directly facing the skin disease site Xw of the user H, such as the illustrated underpants, can be applied. Accordingly, a diaper, or the like, is included in the undergarment C to which the present invention is applied. Besides, the skin disease site Xw is exemplified by the bedsore of the buttocks Hh, but it is a concept including various skin conditions requiring protection, i.e., multiple diseases occurring on the skin such as miliaria and wounds on the skin caused by an injury. Besides, a potential skin disease site (Xw) is a concept of a region where a skin disease has not occurred at present but is likely to occur later. Therefore, in this case, skin protection sheet 1 can be used as a preventive measure. It should be noted that the user H mentioned above is a care receiver, but it is also applicable to a general adult who is hospitalized due to injury, or the like, and is sleeping on a bed, or any person who is in a normal state to prevent miliaria or the like.

On the other hand, although the sheet affixation parts 3 are provided at four locations as an example, the sheet affixation parts 3 formed in a tape shape can be provided at two locations at the top and bottom, and the sheet affixation parts 3 formed in a frame shape can suffice with only one place. Therefore, the number of sheet affixation parts 3 is arbitrary. Further, as illustrated in the embodiment, although it is desirable to form the three-layered surface parts K by two fold-backs that cross in a predetermined direction Fm, it is also possible to form the multi-layered surface parts K by a plurality of fold-backs crossing in a predetermined direction Fm, if necessary.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The skin protection sheet according to the present invention can be used in various applications in which a certain assisting effect for treatment or prevention of various skin diseases can be expected by protecting the skin disease site of a user.

SKIN PROTECTION SHEET

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CPC

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