US2621656A - Snap-on type diaper - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1952 E. E. DOTSON 2,621,656

SNAP-0N TYPE DIAPER Filed July 10, 1950 JNVENTOR. Ea/d f. flofso/i ends thereof, the panel Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SNAP-N TYPE DIAPER Eula E. Dotson, Holliday, Kans. 7 Application July 10, 1950, Serial No. 172,989

2 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to the field of garment manufacture and particularly to coverings for infants, the primary object being to provide a diaper having many advantageous features including a protecting pad of absorbent material and means to permit ready attachment to the body of the infant while maintaining the most important factor, cheapness and simplicity in construction.

This is a continuation in part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 66,315, filed December 20, 1948, and has for one of its primary objects, to improve upon the diaper therein disclosed and claimed, and particularly to permit the use of certain advantageous fastening elements not disclosed in said application.

It is an important aim of the present invention to provide a diaper constituting a doublewall panel made from an initially fiat, elongated sheet of fabric material folded intermediate the having strips of material adjacent each end thereof respectively and between the layers to present added thickness capable of adequately supporting cooperative fastening elements for securing the diaper to the infant.

Other aims and objects of the present invention include the provision of. a. diaper having an absorbent pad between the double walls thereof and secured to the marginal edges by the same stitching that encloses the body; to provide a strip adjacent the line of fold of the sheet of material that is stitched directly thereto for disposition within the hollow body when the same is inverted during the steps of manufacture; and to provide hem structure at that end of the diaper opposite to the fold for strengthening the same in the same manner as provided for through use of the separate strip adjacent the line of fold.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a snap-on diaper made in accordance with my present invention, showing its manner of use.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the complete diaper.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, substantially, central, cross-sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the initially flat sheet of fabric showing the transverse strip and the pad positioned thereon; and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal, cross-sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 5.

In many respectsthe diaper hereof is like that disclosed in my aforesaid co-pending application, but experience has proved that the diaper of my former application can be rendered capable of more adequately supporting fastening elements of the snap action type. Such elements require a relatively strong, sturdy support and in order to better adapt the diaper to use of such fastening means while maintaining the advantages setforth in the early application, the garment about to be described, has been developed. I

The complete diaper hereof is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawing and is broadly designated by the numeral l0. Diaper I0 is of a double-wall construction and is made from an initially flat, elongated fabric sheet l2, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.

As hereinafter to be made clear, the sheet of material [2 is folded on a substantially central, transverse line to present a pair of superimposed identical layers l4 and I6. I

The first step in the manufacture of diaper I0, includes superimposing an elongated fabric strip [8 upon one face of the sheet l2 and transversely thereof adjacent and to one side of the aforesaid central line. The length of the strip i8 is the same as the width of the sheet f2 and is secured to the latter throughout the length of the strip l8 by a line of stitching 20 that extends longitudinally of strip [8 and adjacent one marginal edge thereof. Accordingly, the

strip 18 is entirely to one side of the layer 14 and in overlapping relationship to the layer l6. -A pad 22 made of a highly absorbent, preferably fabric material, is thereupon superimposed upon that face of layer 16 having strip [8 thereon. A number of laminated layers '24 comprise the pad 22 and it is noted that the latter has a length that is equal to the width of the sheet [2 and to the length of the strip IS. The width of pad 22 however, is appreciably less than the length of layer l6 and pad 22 is positioned on layer IS in spaced relationship to the strip [8 and outermost edge 26 of layer 16.

The sheet I2 is thereupon folded on the aforesaid median, transverse line to dispose those surfaces of layers l4 and I6 opposite to strip 18 and pad 22 in face-to-face relationship. presenting therefore, a line of fold 28. The longitudinal edges of both layers l4 and [6 are thereupon folded outwardly together with the outermost marginal edges of pad 22 and the ends of strip l8 and two lines of stitching 30 and 32 are sewed in parallelism and extending perpendicular to the line of fold 28. A pair of opposed hems is thereby formed whereby the finished diaper I0 has four thicknesses along the longitudinal marginal edges thereof and eight thicknesses adjacent the pad 22. Such stitching 30 and 32 also secures the ends of the strip I8 and further reinforces the same. The operator thereupon inverts the layers I4 and I6, or turns the hollow body insideout to dispose the pad 22 and the strip I8 within the garment I0 and between layers I4 and I6. If one end of the sheet I2 is a sel-vage edge, it is but necessary to form a single hem 34 upon one of the layers I4 or I6 that is turned inwardly and such hem 34 is secured to the opposite layer I4 or I6 as the case may be by a line of stitching 35 adjacent end 26 of sheet I2 in parallelism with line of fold 28. If desired however, a pair of hems may be formed on that end of the garment I0 opposite to the line of fold 28.

The last step in the manufacture of diaper II is to clamp a plurality of cooperative fastening elements 38 and 40 thereto. It is noted in Fig. 3 that the interlocking ends of the elements 33 and 40 extend oppositely and that such elements are disposed in a pair of parallel lines adjacent the ends of'the diaper I 0. The elements 38 pass through three layers of material including layer I4, layer IE and the elongated strip I8. Likewise, as shown in Fig. 3, the elements 48 pass through at least three thicknesses of material including layers I4 and It and hem 34. Diaper I0 is thereupon ready to be placed in use in the manner shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

Pad 22 is securely held in place intermediate the ends of the diaper III by lines of stitching BI and 32 and the strip I8 is not only held against displacement by line of stitching 20 but by the fastening elements 38. The strip I8 and the hem 34 present the necessary supporting means for the elements 3.8 and 40 and the latter can thereby be used in a garment of this character without fear of tearing loose or becoming displaced during continued use and laundering. By such construction, bulkiness is eliminated while elements 38 and 40 are provided with the necessary support and it is to be further noted that all of the advantages of my aforesaid application, relating to speed and cheapness of construction, are maintained.

As fully set forth in the aforesaid application, speed of manufacture is increased tremendously by the steps above analyzed since an operator can easily and quickly superlmpose the strip I8 and the pad 22 upon the sheet I2, fold the latter, sew the stitching 30 and 32 to join certain of the edges of the layers I4 and I6, and thereupon invert the entire garment for the final fastening step that includes forming ofhem 34 and sewing in stitching 36.

The present diaper is likewise subject to additional changes and modifications that fairly come within the spirit of this invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims, are contemplated hereby.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A diaper comprising a pair of identical. rectangular, superimposed, fabric sections; a straight, transverse line of fold integrally joining the sections at one end thereof, each section having a pair of straight, parallel, marginal side edges, and a straight, marginal end edge parallel with said line of fold; an elongated, rectangular fabric pad between the sections, said pad having a length equal to the width of the sections and a width equal to approximately three-fifths of the length of the sections, and being disposed midway between said line of fold and the end edges of the sections, the longitudinal edges of the pad being straight and parallel with the line of fold, the end edges of the pad being straight and flush with the side edges of the section, said marginal side edges of the sections and the marginal end edges of the pad being in-turned; a pair of straight parallel lines of stitching joining said in-turned marginal edges of the sections and the pad; a line of stitching joining said marginal end edges of the sections; and a relatively narrow fabric strip secured to said sections along said transverse line of fold.

2'. Adiaper as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fabric strip is disposed between the sections to one side of the line of fold and in spaced parallelism to the proximal longitudinal edge of the pad.

EULA E. DOTSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,366,002 Carden Dec. 26, 1944 2,410,374 Wiese et al. Oct. 29, 1946 2,476,869 Hughes July 19, 1949 2,508,811 Best et a1 May 23, 1950 2,511,036 Baxmeyer et al. June 13, 1950

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