US3359980A - Diapers having integral fasteners - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 26, 1967 c, L. ROSENBLATT 3,359,980

DIAPERS HAVING INTEGRAL FASTENERS Filed Jan. 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6/ /60 [IHHHHHHHHHIJHIHI I INVENTOR.

' CAROLE LROSENBLATT A T TORNE Y.

. Dec. 26, 1967 ROSENBLATT Q 3,359,980

DIAPERS HAVING INTEGRAL FASTENERS Filed Jan. 19, 1965, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CAROLE L. ROSENBLATT Arromvsv.

United States Patent C) 3,359,980 DIAPERS HAVING INTEGRAL FASTENERS Carole Lila Rosenblatt, Hicksville, N.Y., assignor of onehalf to Henry Rosenblatt, Hicksville, N.Y. Filed Jan. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 426,497 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-284) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable and reusable diaper is formed from an absorbent sheet of trapezoidal shape. A continuous fabric strip of hook-like elements is sewn along the shorter of the parallel sides of the sheet with the hook-s opening in a direction perpendicular to the shorter side. A pair of fabric strips of raised loops are sewn on opposite ends of the larger of the parallel sides with the longer dimensions of the respective loop strips extending parallel to the nonparallel sides of the sheet.

This invention relates to diapers having integral fasteners thereon and more particularly to reuseable diapers having fully washable and adjustable fasteners firmly secured to the diaper fabric.

In the past, many diapers have been devised having fasteners of One type or another secured to the diaper fabric. Diapers having buttons or snaps have been produced for securing diapers to babies. These diapers have not served satisfactorily and have not been commercially accepted since buttons or snaps can only be engaged at predetermined points, for example, the locations of button holes or mating parts of a snap. This has caused limited adjustment which makes the diapers either too loose or too tight about a baby. Moreover, a close density of snaps or button-holes to provide more adjustability tends to weaken the diaper fabric and failure of the diaper occurs after a small number of washings.

An attempt has been made to solve the adjustability proble by providing adhesive fasteners attached to diapers. These fasteners are not reuseable and often tear the daiper fabric when being removed. Some of the problems inherent in adhesive fasteners are attempted to be solved by providing a water soluable backing sheet and adhesive. When using this type of fastener, washing of the diaper dissolves the backing sheet and adhesive thus preventing the diaper fabric from being torn by removal of the backing sheet from the diaper. In addition to the fact that a water soluble fastener can only be used once, the diaper must be kept dry in the area of the fastener or else the fastener will dissolve causing the diaper to open up about the baby. In order to remedy the defects of the prior art, it is necessary that a diaper be provided with a fully washable, adjustable and reuseable fastener which is permanently fixed to a reuseable diaper.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a reuseable diaper having a washable and fully adjustable fastener permanently secured to the diaper.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a reuseable diaper having a washable and fully adjustable fastener, which fastener requires an enormous amount of force to be opened in a position of use on a baby and which is otherwise easily openable by simple hand manipulations.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention contemplates providing a diaper with a separable fabric type fastener including two fabric elements with co-operating hooking members. The co-operating ele ments are disposed on the diaper so that the elements face one another when the diaper is arranged in a normal position about a baby. The elements are then lightly touched together and locked to one another. Each portion of the fastener is permanently secured to the diaper by sewing with stitches which go completely through the diaper fabric. Also, the booking members are of a type that permit fastening to occur at any point where hooking members touch one another. Therefore, the diaper is fully adjustable. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one fastening element is provided with hooks. These hooks are arranged to open in a direction normal to forces tending to open the diaper in use.

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 depicts the inner side of a reuseable diaper having washable and adjustable fasteners secured thereon which is constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the diaper shown in FIGURE 1 disposed in diapering position prior to engagement of a fastener;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary end view of overlapping portions of a diaper illustrating the adjustable and washable fastening elements in engagement;

FIGURE 4 is a greatly enlarged view of several cooperating hooking elements of a fastener;

FIGURE 5 is a view of a preformed diaper showing the positioning of washable and adjustable fasteners thereon; and

FIGURE 6 is a view of hooking elements illustrating the construction thereof.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, a diaper 10 is shown in the shape of a rectangle. Diaper 10 is formed from a non-irritating, absorbent material, typically cotton, which may consist of several plies of cloth sewn together or otherwise secured. For purposes of discussion, the diaper is divided into a crotch portion 11 with inner and outer band portions 12 and 13, respectively. In use, the outer band portion 13 would lie behind the back of a baby and the inner band portion 12 would lie over the stomach of the baby.

Referring to FIGURE 6, a fastener 15 is shown comprising co-operating hooking members 16 and 17. Members 16 and 17 include foundation fabrics 18 and 19, respectively, constructed out of firmly interwoven weft and warp threads (not shown). Extending supplementary warp threads are cut at a predetemmined length and extend perpendicularly from the face of foundation fabric 18 in the form of hooked shaped member 21. Alternate rows of members 21 have openings 22 that form hooks facing in opposite directions. Supplementary warp threads also extend upward from foundation fabric 19 and form large concentrations of clusters of loops 24.

When hooking members 21 contact the clusters of loops 24, many of the hooks engage many loops (FIG- URE 4), thereby effecting a connection between members 16 and 17. An attempt to pull member 16 directly away from member 17 requires an enormous amount of force to disengage the many hooks connected with the many loops. However, if member 16 is grasped at one end and peeled away from member 17, only a small number of hooks are disengaged at a time. Thus, separation of members 16 and 17 in this manner requires very little force.

Referring again to FIGURE 1, a strip of hooked shaped members or a hook strip 26 is shown in dotted lines attached to the underside of inner band portion 12 with an edge of the strip parallel to the lower edge 27 of the inner band port-ion. Also, two separate loop strips 28 and 29 are attached to the outer band portion 13 with one edge of each strip parallel to end 31 of the outer band portion. The hook and loop strips are secured to diaper 10 by stitching 32 which goes through the base fabrics of strong wear resistant bonds between the hook and loop strips and the diaper. Both the foundation fabric and the hook and loop strips are formed from fully washable materials such as nylon. A fastener, such as just described above, is commercially marketed under the name of Velcro.

In use, crotch portion 11 is placed in contact with the crotch of a baby with outer band portion 13 behind the back of the baby. Inner band portion 12 is then brought up over the stomach of the baby and corners 33 and 34 of band portion 13 are pulled tight and drawn over the stomach of the baby in preparation for contacting loop strips 28 and 29 with hook strip 26 (FIGURE 2). As can readily be seen, loop strips 28 and 29 are fully adjustable since they may be contacted with book strip 26 anywhere along the length of the hook strip to form a secure bond holding the diaper in place on the baby.

Referring to FIGURE 5, a preformed, trapezoidalshaped diaper 37 is shown divided for purposes of discussion into a crotch portion 38 and inner and outer band portions 41 and 42, respectively. A hook strip 44 is attached to inner band portion 41 in the same manner that hook strip 26 is attached to inner band portion 12 of diaper 10. Loop strips 45 and 46 are also attached to outer band portion 42 in the same manner as loop strips 28 and 29 are attached to outer band portion 13 of diaper 10. However, in this instance loop strips 45 and 46 have their longer sides parallel to edges 51 and 52 of diaper 37 rather than parallel to end 53 of the diaper.

In use, diaper 37 is placed beneath a baby with outer portion 42 beneath the back of the baby and inner portion 41 over the stomach of the baby. Ends 54 and 55 are then pulled tight about the baby and loop strips 45 and 46 are aligned with their long dimensions in alignment with the long dimensions of hook strip 44 and pressed against the hook strip to secure the diaper about the baby. As can be readily appreciated, loop strips 45 and 46 can be placed anywhere along hook strip 44 thus rendering the diaper fully adjustable.

Referring to FIGURE 3, a hook strip 57 and loop strips 58 and 59 are shown attached to end portions of a diaper 60. These strips may be assumed to represent the strips on either diaper or 37. As can be seen, loop strips 58 and 59' may be moved to the left or right any desired amount rendering the diaper fully adjustable about a baby.

Referring to FIGURE 6, hooks 21 open in a direction transverse to fabric 18. Therefore, if a force is exerted longitudinally along fabric 18 tending to separate member 16 and 17, hook members 21 must flex a maximum amount before being separated from member 24. Thus,

the greatest holding power exists with respect to separating forces directed longitudinally along fabric 18. The

maximum holding power is advantageously utilized, as

seen in FIGURE 3, by having the longitudinal dimensions of hook strip 57 parallel with end 61 of diaper 60. Since the force of the baby tending to separate strips 57, 58 and 59 .Will be applied substantially longitudinally across diaper 61 in a direction parallel to end 61, strips 57, 58 and 59, as shown in FIGURE 3, provide maximum holding power.

The foregoing description is only illustrative of the principles of the present invention and many modifications may be made which fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

An adjustable and reusable diaper, which comprises:

an absorbent trapezoidal sheet element having a periphery defined by relatively long and relatively short parallel band portions joined by a pair of non-parallel sides;

a continuous fabric strip comprising a plurality of rows of hook-like fabric elements, the strip being permanently aflixed along its entire length to the sheet and extending adjacent and parallel to the relatively short band portion along substantially the entire length of the latter band portion, the openings in each row of hook-like elements on the strip being aligned in a direction perpendicular to the relatively short band portion; and

a pair of elongated fabric tabs each comprising a plurality of raised fabric loops engageable with the hook-like elements of the fabric strip, the tabs being permanently and individually affixed along their entire length to the sheet at opposite ends of the relatively long band portion with the longer dimensions of the tabs extending parallel to the respective nonparallel sides of the sheet, the length of each tab being less than the length of the fabric strip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,568,305 9/1951 Slusser 129-284 2,717,437 9/1955 De Mestral 128-284 3,027,566 4/1962 Ruby 3,081,772 3/1963 Brooks et al. 128287 3,110,312 11/1963 Wirth 128287 3,141,461 7/1964 Farris 128-284 3,150,664 9/1964 Noel 128287 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

C. F. ROSENBAUM, Assistant Examiner.

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