US2638095A - Nether garment for supporting sanitary napkins and the like - Google Patents

Description

May '12, 1953 M. S. SMYTHE NETHER GARMENT FOR SUPPORTING SANITARY NAPKINS'AND THE LIKE Filed May 5, 1951 Patented May 12, 1953 NETHER GARMENT FOR SUPPORTING SANITARY NAPKINS AND THE LIKE Marion s. Smythe, Memphis, Tenn.

Application May 5, 1951, Serial No. 224,713

and which will be readily and simply changeable for the purpose of promoting the cleanliness, particularly of patients of the group just mentioned.

The principal object of the invention is to pro vide a simple garment which is readily adaptable to the bodies of persons of various sizes and which is constructed and fabricated to accommodate itself to changesin position of such wearer and to retain a surgical or sanitary napkin or pad in use position. t

A further object of the invention is to provide a nether garment formed of fabric in which the body of the garment is cut on the bias of the fabric and the edge portions of the garment are 1 disposed, angularly, the one to the other, with none of the edges in parallelism to the weave of the fabric.

And a further object of the invention is to provide a simple and useful nether garment for supporting sanitary napkins and the like.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will readily be understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the garment of this invention in extended position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the garment folded and secured into use relation; and

Fig. 3 is a front view on a slightly reduced scale illustrating the garment in use.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, the garment of the present invention is formed of fabric and in the fabrication of the garment the body portion is cut out on a bias to the weave of the fabric, which is indicated at II. From the biascut fabric the garment is formed having opposite ends l3, l5, the respective ends l3, [5 being slightly concaved so that the outer ends of end l3 are further from the outer ends of end l'5 than the distance spacing the centers of the respective ends.

1 Claim. (01. 128-284) Intersecting end l3 are sides ll, I8, it being observed that the sides I1, is are substantially perpendicular to end [3 at their points of intersection and that by reason of the curve of end IS the ends of sides ll, I8 remote from end I3 are flared apart, being spaced further apart laterally than the spacing of the points of intersection with end 13. Sides I9, 29 are similarly arranged with respect to the opposite end l5 and, like sides 5 2, l8, diverge away from end l5. It thus will be seen that the garment includes opposite end portions 2!, 22 which are formed with a curved ter-- minal edge and which respectively spread away from the terminal edge, each being thus substantially formed as the frustum of a triangle.

Joining end portions 2|, 22is an intermediate portion 23 which is bounded on its opposite sides by arcuate intermediate edges 24, 25; Edge 24 extends from-the end of side H to the end of side Hi and edge 25 similarly extends from. the end of side IE! to the end of sideZEl. By virtue of the arcuate formation of the intermediate sides, intermediate body portion 23- narrows from the maximum width of the garment, the spacing between sides 1'! and E8, to the minimum width of the garment at a point substantially at the transverse middle line of the garment and widens to a similar maximum width at the maximum spacing between the ends of sides I9, 2 0. -In the preferred formation of. the garment the fabric is first cut on a bias of substantially fortyfive degrees to the Warp and woof of the weave H, and it will be seen that each of the sides ll, 18, l 9, and 26, is disposed out of parallelism with the warp and woof of the weave, and are thus disposed at a bias different from the original bias of cut of the fabric. In addition the curved ends 13, it, by virtue of the curve, are not in parallelism with any portion of the weave and similarly the intermediate edges 24, 25, by virtue of their arcuate formation are not in parallelism with any portion of the weave.

Adjacent the opposite points of maximum width of the garment, a pair of longitudinally spaced anchor loops or tabs 26, 21 are fastened to the intermediate portion of the body of the garment and are adapted to receive and removably retain the ends of a pad or napkin 28, bein so positioned that the pad or napkin extends along the intermediate body portion substantially from end to end of such intermediate portion. Flexible tie members 29 are attached to the sides ll, It, I9, 28 of the garment respectively at the intersections of the sides H with the ends I3, [5, and with the intermediate edges 24, 25.

In use of the garment fabricated as just described, it is folded into garment shape, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, being folded so that edges 13 and I5 become the upper edges of the garment and the garment may be secured in such position by the interengagement of ties 29. Inasmuch as the ties are flexible and are of suflicient length it is apparent that the garment may be suitably fitted to bodies of various sizes, utilizing the ties as adjustment portions for such fittings. When so folded intermediate edges 25, 25 sub stantially join to form leg openings, intermediate portion 23 is disposed as a crotch portion, and end portions 2i, 22, become the rear and front portions of the assembled garment. 'Sides [8 and 26, and sides I! and I9 are respectively brought into substantial parallelism and the taper of end portions 2!, 22, provided by the divergence of the sides away from the ends is particularly adapted to accommodate the natural enlargement of the human body downward from the waist. in addition ends it, 15, cooperate .to provide a waist band for thegarment, which by virtue of the curve of the ends when assembled,

higher at the sides than centrally at front and rear, thus more naturally accommodating the garment to the human body by fitting above the protuberances of the hips and following natural body nontours between the hips. The arrangement of the garment, with the respective edges angularly intersecting the warp and woof of the weave of the fabric, enables the garment to readily yield'to changes of position, whichis particularly useful in connection "with use=of theg-arment of this invention upon bed patients such as paraplegics and the like.

It is apparent that when pad or napkin 28 has become soiled the garment .may be readily removed and the pad adiscarded with replacement :b'eing'very simply available.

Preferably each of the edges is bound, as .indicated 'on the drawings, with :a suitable tape to affordafinishforithe respectiveiedges.

A nether garment adapted to retain and support a sanitary napkin comprising a bias :cut 'fab'ric body iol'dable from extended position to use ipdstti'on, :said body in extended position having an intermediate portion aformed "with Opp edgesn'eeply 'curving arcuately:intmproximity adjacent the transverse midline of said body to form a narrow crotch portion for receiving a said napkin, said intermediate edges oppositely curving outwardly from said crotch portion, intermediate tie members secured to and extendin away from the opposite ends of said intermediate edges, said intermediate tie members forming continuations of said curved intermediate edges in unfolded condition of said garment, opposite end portions extending from theends of said intermediate portion, the side edges of said end portions respectively angularly intersecting the ends of said curved intermediate edges, the op- ;posite sides of each end portion extending convergingly from said intersections to taper said end portions, each said end portion having a curved end edge extending between the ends of said converging sides, end tie members fixed to and extending away from said curved end edges, said end tie members forming continuations of said curved. end :edges, and a pair of longitudireally spaced napkins engaging anchor tabs fixed to and extending transversely of :said intermediate portion, said end portions on folding of said body being positioned as the front and rear portions of said garment with said end edges .400- operating .to form :a Waist band 'theref or, the taper of said end sections accommodating the enlargement of a wearers :body and the curve of said end edges distributing stresses to the Weave 13f said fabric, said intermediate tie members bein adapted Sior inter-engagement upon folding :of said body and when inter-engaged transferring .nse stresses along said :curved intermediate edges.

JMEsRION 5S. .SMYTII-IE.

References Cited the file of this patent UNITED i'STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,195,904 ,Bornstein Aug. 22,, 1916 1,684 346 .Smith Sept. ll, i923 393,822 iMeggs .Jan. 10, I9 0 ,2,513,6.l8 Bellum. July 4, 1950 FOREIGN EP-ATENTS Number Country Date 616,419 Great Britain J an. 2Q, 1.9 9

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