US2842129A - Voiding shorts for incontinent people - Google Patents

Description

July 8, 1958 J. w. ERNSTORFF 2,842,129

7 VOIDING SHORTS FOR INCONTINENT PEOPLE Filed Aug. 10, 1956 INVENTOR.

955/ 6 1% EP/ISTOIFFF United States PatentQtfice This invention relates to wearing apparel and 'particularly to wearing apparel for persons handicapped by the disability of incontinence, i. e., those who for organic or other reasons cannot voluntarily control urinary or fecal functioning.

As a result of such incontinence, many persons, including invalids who are unable by themselves to take ameliorative measures, are compelled to suffer the discomfort occasioned by contact between the urine and the external surface of the skin. When continued for extended periods, this condition is known to have caused skin irritations and infections.

It is therefore an object of this invention to prevent any contact between the urinary discharge of an incontinent person and his external skin surfaces when fully clothed or otherwise.

A further object of this invention is to provide for the needs of ambulatory incontinent persons, iwthout restricting other work or recreational activities.

A feature of this invention is a garment constructed of a double layer of waterproof material fitted to the thighs and torso section of the wearer.

An additional feature of this invention is an absorb ing wadding, sponge, or cloth material inserted between said layers of waterproof material.

These objects and features are accomplished in an illustrative embodiment of the invention in the form of shorts or drawers, hereinafter referred to as voiding shorts. These voiding shorts are sealed at the top and bottom to form a waterproof container. Ingress to the voiding shorts for the urinary organ in males and for a catheter connecting tube in females is effected through an aperture in the inner layer of waterproof material. In the area between the layers, a highly absorbent wadding, cloth or sponge material is inserted to collect any urine discharge.

A more complete understanding of this invention will be afforded from an examination of the following specification, appended claims and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of applicant's invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the embodiment of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the front portion of the embodiment of Fig. 1, showing the position of the aperture; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing the aperture layer iiia'ndithe' outside layerZ showing'the placement of N the absorbent-wmaterial -5 which may for example be :ilO

rubber ohjplasti'cspongeand the openings 11 d 12 f 8st the wearer. 1

Fig.:.13demonstrates .the positioning of the aperture 6 for the penis-(or tube) in the inside layer 3. An individ- :ualencircling belt portion 9 is provided for thisaperture.

The.tape-13 is adjustable for the comfort of the wearer. 1

.Fig. illustrates in another viewthe relationship between the; aperture-.6, and'the inside layer '3, outside layer 2 andabsorbent material 5.

In practicing-the invention, zippers 4,. 7 'and' 8- are opened, and absorbent material 5 is placed inthe space": betweeri'the layers 2- and 3 as shown in the figures; Thea shorts. are. then .donned bythe user and the urinary disi fortable fit. Zippers 4, 7 and 8 are closed and the shorts in relation to the inside and outside surfaces of the inv are ready for use.

After using the shorts, the saturated material 5 is either discarded, or if reusable, purified. The shorts which may for example comprise a waterproof, non-irritating material such as plastic nylon, are washed and allowed to dry, after which they may be immediately reused as above.

It is noted that the shorts arealso adaptable for voluntary urinary discharges by the wearer, in consequence of the positioning of zipper 4 in front of the aperture 6. It is also seen from the above description that the penis or mate urinary discharge organ Will be suspended in a normal position and divorced from contact with the collected urine in the absorbent material 5.

It is understood that the embodiments shown are merely exemplary and that various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A body discharge garment including an inside and outside layer of liquid repellent material shaped substantially in the form of shorts, said layers being sealed together at the extreme upper and lower ends thereof to form a liquid-repellent enclosure, said inside layer including an adjustable belted portion to vary the dimensions of an aperture enclosing the urinary discharge organ, said outside layer including a plurality of zippered closing means for sealing ingress apertures in said outside layer, and an adjustable peripheral belted portion at the upper end of said garment for conforming said garment to the body of the wearer, wherein one of said plurality of zippered closing means is disposed in contiguous relation to said aperture inclosing said urinary discharge organ to permit voluntary urinary discharge, and absorbing means disposed in the lower portion of said liquidrepellent enclosure.

2. A urinary discharge receiving garment for incontinent persons including a body portion and two leg portions, integrally joined to form a pair of shorts, said body and leg portions comprising an inner and outer layer of waterproof material, peripheral sealing means connecting said layers of said body portion at the upper edge thereof and said layers of said leg portions at the lower edges thereof to form a waterproof compartment, peripheral belting means contiguous to said upper edge of said body portion for adjusting the circumference of said body portion, three longitudinal closure devices in said outside layer for sealing an equal number of access openings to said waterproof compartment, adjustable belting means in said inside layer to define the circumference of an aperture surrounding the urinary discharge organ, and absorbing means disposed in the lower leg portions of said waterproof compartment, wherein one of said three closure devices is disposed adjacent to said discharge Patented July 8, 1958 nent persons including a body section "and-twb leg" sec.- 3

tions integrally joined to form a pair- 0f shorts, said body and leg sections comprising an inside and 'outside layer of waterproof material means for joining said layers-of said body section at the upper edge thereof and'saitf-la'yers of said leg sections at the lower edges thereof to form a waterproof enclosure, three longitudinal zipper' closures in said outer layer for opening and sealing ingress means to saidenclosure, said zippered closures .includinga first and second longitudinal zipper disposed in parallel relation with and contiguous to the'outside left andright thighs of the wearer, adjustable belting means'in saidinside layer refining the outline of an aperture for enclosing the urinary discharge organ, absorbing means positioned in the lower leg sections of said waterproof enclosure for receiving and collecting involuntary urinary discharges, said discharge organ aperture and said absorbing means being so disposed as to prevent contact between the discharge organ and collected urinary discharges, and a third of said zipper closures being disposed in a vertical longitudinal relation and adjacent to said discharge organ aperture to enable voluntary" urinary discharge when said zipper is opened.

7 References file of this patent UNITED STA S raTE Ts v 1,228,452 Lawrence"; June 5, 1911 1,761,609 Becker; June 3, 1930 15 2,222,825 Starck Nov. 26, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 771,336 aFrance July 23, 1934

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