Patent Application
20220331144
The present invention relates to a garment to be worn by people for supporting an ostomy/colostomy bag attached to an opening called stoma on their abdominal wall following a surgery. The invention, in particular relates to an undergarment with a pocket to hold the ostomy bag and allowing easy wearing and removal of a part of the garment.
Colostomy is a surgical procedure which leaves an opening called stoma in the abdominal wall of the patients. Patients who undergo such a procedure need to wear a colostomy bag attached to the stoma wherein all the bodily waste is discharged. The colostomy bag is either permanent or temporary for some. It changes the lives of people who undergo such surgeries. There is always a need for garments to normalize the lives of patients of colostomy as much as possible. However, all the garments or solutions that exist make it difficult for the patients to even perform normal roles like relieving oneself in the toilet.
Further, one needs easy and fast access to the colostomy bag while on the go for emptying it for the waste that gets stored in there. Usually, it is a cumbersome process to even empty and clean the bag when outside.
The present invention provides a two-piece undergarment system wherein the segment that covers the pelvic area can be removed to relieve oneself without exposing the colostomy bag and the other segment holds and supports the colostomy bag.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description of the invention. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The present application discloses an undergarment that supports and hides the colostomy bag attached to the stoma thereby providing discreteness for the patients.
It is an object of this invention to provide a two-piece undergarment system that not only hides the colostomy bag, but also allows easy access to the pelvic area without exposing the colostomy bag.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a two-piece undergarment system comprising an upper segment and a lower segment of the undergarment, wherein the upper segment of the undergarment acts as a protective belt or waistband around the waist of the user which holds and supports the colostomy bag, whereas the lower segment of the undergarment can be detached from the upper segment of the undergarment, thereby providing easy access to both the colostomy bag and genitals of the patient without removing the entire undergarment.
The upper segment and lower segment of the undergarment are made up of a fabric or combination of fabrics wherein the fabric forming the protective waistband is preferably thick and elastic in order to provide pressure and good support for holding the colostomy bag whereas the fabric in the lower segment is soft, stretchable, flexible and covers the lower pelvic area of the user.
It is another object of this invention to provide an undergarment made up of a fabric that consists of bamboo, cotton, polyester or spandex.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a two-piece undergarment system comprising a pocket on the outside of the fabric of the protective belt or waistband to hold the colostomy bag.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a protective belt or waistband with a pocket consisting of a pouch formed by two layers of fabric of the belt to hold the colostomy bag within it. The feature of the pouch on the waistband which holds the colostomy bag provides a layer of fabric between the skin of the user and the colostomy bag thereby preventing any skin irritation or inflammation which may happen with prolonged use of a colostomy bag attached to a hole or stoma on your body. Furthermore, the pouch holds the bag in its place all the time even when it gets detached from the hole or stoma on the body thereby preventing any embarrassing situations for the user.
The pocket on the protective belt further consists of a vertical opening or slit sewn on the outside fabric of the belt for insertion of the colostomy bag into the pouch, a flap cover on the outside fabric to cover the vertical opening or slit and a snap enclosure on the flap cover to close the flap cover onto the fabric. The features of flap cover and snap enclosure provide extra support to keep the colostomy bag in its place in the pouch and the snap enclosure prevents the bag from coming or falling out of the pouch. Furthermore, a tube hole, in the pouch and on the inside of the protective belt, is provided to be aligned with the stoma or insertion on the body of the patient.
Both upper and lower segments of the undergarment are provided with plurality of snap fasteners in front and back of each segment to attach or detach the lower segment of the undergarment from the upper segment of the undergarment.
Further, the plurality of snap fasteners on each segment of the undergarment consists of male snap fasteners affixed at the bottom of the fabric of the protective waistband and female snap fasteners affixed at the top of the fabric forming the lower segment of the undergarment. The snap fasteners make the fastening and unfastening user friendly wherein the user can easily detach or attach the segments easily and at will anytime, anywhere they desire. In one embodiment, the user can drop down the front lower segment by unfastening the female snaps on the lower segment from the male snaps on the upper segment, while keeping the back lower segment attached, to provide more accessibility to the crotch area of the user without taking off the entire undergarment.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a level of discreteness for females who have undergone a colostomy procedure.
In a preferred embodiment, a two-piece undergarment system comprises an upper segment as a protective waistband to hold and support the colostomy bag, wherein the protective waistband consists of a thick layer of fabric around the waist of the user, and a pocket located on the exterior of the protective waistband to house the colostomy bag; a lower segment, wherein the lower segment of the garment consists of a layer of fabric covering the pelvic area of the user; at least a few snap fasteners at the front and back of the upper segment and lower segment to attach and detach the lower segment from the upper segment wherein the upper segment consists of male snaps at the bottom of the protective waistband and the lower segment consists of female snaps at the top of the fabric.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of the invention as more fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
The novel features of the invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:
What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/or examples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.
As illustrated in
The pocket (14) further includes a flap cover (18) on the exterior of the waistband and the said flap cover (16) covers the vertical opening (16) by means which may include, but not limited to, a snap or Velcro to form a snap enclosure (19) as shown in
In one embodiment, the said pocket on the exterior of the fabric of the upper segment of the undergarment can be on the right or left side of the garment depending upon the location of the stoma.
According to the present invention, the lower segment (12) of the undergarment (10) can be detached from the upper segment (11) of the undergarment (10) whenever the user desires an access to her genitals. The lower segment (12) of the undergarment (10) is made up of a sheet of fabric that extends from bottom of the upper segment in front to the bottom of the upper segment in rear thereby forming leg opening (22), as shown in
Further, the top strap of lower segment (12) and bottom strap of the upper segment (11) at the back and front are provided with snap fasteners for easy attachment and detachment of both the segments from each other.
The snap fasteners on upper and lower segments respectively hold the lower segment in its place and also helps in attaching and detaching the lower segment from the upper segment of the undergarment. The snap fasteners located on the upper and lower segment of the undergarment include but not limited to plastic or metal snap buttons, tape, hooks, Velcro. In one embodiment, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The upper segment and lower segment of the undergarment are made up of a fabric or combination of fabrics. According to the present invention, the fabric of the upper and lower segment preferably consists of bamboo, cotton, polyester or spandex. Bamboo provides many benefits for patients who have undergone a colostomy procedure and the benefits include anti-microbial properties, and good wicking properties for the wound whereas spandex material provides elasticity and stretchability to an undergarment.
The undergarment of the present invention can be designed for both male and female users and moreover, the said undergarment works for all kinds of drainable and closed colostomy bags. Further, the pouch that houses the colostomy bag can fit bags with variable lengths, shapes and sizes. Furthermore, the undergarment of the present invention can be manufactured for daily wear or can be designed with laces and/or sheer for fancy wear for female users. In addition, the undergarment of the present invention can be made in different varieties including, but not limited to, classic briefs, high-cut briefs, control briefs, hipsters, bikinis, and the like.
The feature of the protective waistband with the pocket and pouch therein, which helps not only in hiding the bag but also supporting and keeping the colostomy bag in its place, and the detachment of the lower segment of the undergarment from the upper segment of the undergarment without removing the whole undergarment, helps in normalizing intimate moments for the patients.
While many of the fundamental characteristics and features of the undergarment have been described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it should be apparent that in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should be understood that such substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations are included within the scope of the invention as defined herein.
