A flatulence mitigation device

Abstract

A flatulence mitigation device comprising a first part 10 for placing in underwear and a second part (100 – figure 2) arranged to affix to the first part 10 and, in use, rest against or between the us

Description

The present invention relates generally to a flatulence mitigation device and a method of mitigating flatulence and finds particular, although not exclusive, utility in the provision and use of such devices in a user’s underwear. Flatulence is a typically common human occurrence; however, it can cause embarrassment, stress, anxiety and mental suffering for some individuals, particularly for those with chronic flatulence. Other medical conditions, such as Crones’ disease, may increase the amount of flatulence. The embarrassment etc. caused by flatulence may be due to the noise of issue, and / or its smell and / or the issuance of bodily fluids. It is therefore desirable to have a device which may mitigate any one or more of these effects. In a first aspect, the present invention provides a flatulence mitigation device comprising two parts; a first part arranged for placing in a user’s underwear and a second part arranged to affix to the first part and, in use, to rest against or, at least partially between, the user’s buttocks. In use, the first part helps hold the second part in place against, or at least partially between, the buttocks, in the vicinity of, or immediately against, the anus. In this way, any gasses emitted from the user’s anus may be directed around and / or through, the device to thereby reduce / absorb any noise created by its passing. In this regard, the device may comprise material which acts as sound insulation, and / or, sound reducing / diffusing, and / or sound absorbing. The material may comprise cotton but other materials are contemplated as will be described herein. Tikewise, the device may absorb the emission of any bodily fluids. For instance, either or both of the first and second parts may include an absorbent layer for absorbing fluids. The second part may be arranged to releasably affix to the first part. In this regard, either, or both of the first and second parts may include at least one adhesive portion for affixing, possibly releasably, the first part to the second part. In this way, the first part may more effectively hold the second part in place. The first part may include at least one adhesive portion for releasably affixing the first part to the user’s underwear or skin. In this way, the first part may be more effectively held in place in the user’s underwear, or attached to the skin. In this regard, although the term “underwear” is used herein, it is to be understood that the device could be worn without underwear, such as directly with trousers or shorts. The second part may be provided in different sizes to correctly fit between the buttock cheeks of different users. For instance, the bulbous portion may have width x length ranges of 1cm to 5cm. Either or both of the first and second parts may include a layer of activated carbon and / or fragrance. Synthetic gels may be included. These may assist in absorbing any odour from the flatulence and / or masking it with a fragrance. The second part may comprise material having a bulbous portion. The second part may comprise material having a rounded profile. For instance, the second part may comprise a first coil of material. The second part may be configured to be arranged, in use, such that the orientation of the plane in which the circumference of the first coil lies is non-parallel to the sagittal plane of the user’s body. In this respect, the onentation of the plane in which the circumference of the first coil lies may be perpendicular to the user’s sagittal plane. In this manner, the coil may be squashed slightly by the user’s buttock cheeks, in use, whereas with the orientation of the plane in which the circumference of the first coil lies being parallel to the user’s sagittal plane it has been found to be relatively uncomfortable due to the coil being more resistant to squashing (i.e. being more rigid), in use. The second part may comprise a tail portion extending from the bulbous portion. This may be either attached to, or integral with, the bulbous portion. This may further reduce / absorb odours, sound and fluid emissions. The tail portion may comprise a second coil of material. The first coil may have a substantially circular cross-section and the second coil may have a substantially flattened circular cross-section. In this regard the thickness, or number of layers of material within the first coil first may be greater than those within the second. The second part may comprise a tubular case comprising balls of material. The second part may be arranged such that, in use, the orientation of the plane in which the circumference of the tubular case lies is non-parallel to the sagittal plane of the user’s body. In this respect, the orientation of the plane in which the circumference of the first coil lies may be perpendicular to the user’s sagittal plane. The second part may comprise at least one cord for aiding removal of the second part from the first part. The cord may connect to and, extend away from, the first coil. In a second aspect, the invention provides a method of mitigating flatulence, 17 JL O -7 comprising the steps of providing a flatulence mitigation device according to the first aspect, arranging the first part in a user’s underwear, releasably affixing the first part to the user’s underwear, exposing adhering means on a surface of the first part away from the user’s underwear, arranging the second part at least partially in between the user’s buttocks, putting on the underwear and urging the first and second parts into contact with one another such that the two parts are adhered to one another. The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first part of a flatulence mitigation device; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second part of a flatulence mitigation device; Figure 3 is an elevational schematic view of a flatulence mitigation device in use; Figure 4 is a side view of another second part of a flatulence mitigation device; and Figure 5 is a side view of yet another second part of a flatulence mitigation device. The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention. Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. Likewise, method steps described or claimed in a particular sequence may be understood to operate in a different sequence. Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein. It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B. Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term “connected”, used in the description, should not be interpreted as being restricted to direct connections only. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device A connected to a device B” should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. “Connected” may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. For instance, wireless connectivity is contemplated. Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any one embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner with any other particular feature, structure or characteristic of another embodiment or aspect of the invention, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects. Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of die invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination. In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description. In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, XX X CO X J coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value. The use of the term “at least one” may mean only one in certain circumstances. The use of the term “any” may mean “all” and / or “each” in certain circumstances. The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first part 10 of a flatulence mitigation device. It is a relatively flat, planar substrate comprising four lobes 25 arranged in a rectangular pattern around a central body 27, such that there are two pairs of lobes 25 on either side of the central body 27. The whole 10 arrangement could be said to resemble that of a plan view of a butterfly with open wings. Two further tabs 35 are arranged between each pair of lobes 25 extending away from the central body 27. Adhesive 30 is arranged at least on some of the side underneath the surface visible in the Figure. The adhesive is preferably located at least in the lobes 25. Adhesive is also provided at least on some of the side underneath the surface visible in the Figure for the two further tabs 35. It is to be understood that the two further tabs 35 may be optional such that they are omitted. The central body portion 27 includes an absorbent pad which may comprise cotton; the pad may be configured to absorb any emitted bodily fluids and may act to disperse and / or absorb sound. At least portions of the first part 10 may comprise fibrous layers of material. The adhesive portions (not shown, but indicated 30) enable the first part to be releasably adhered to a user’s underwear, ideally, but not necessarily exclusively, in the gusset region of the underwear. In this regard, the edges 20 of the gusset are indicated in broken lines with the gusset itself referenced “40”. The first part 10 also includes an adhesive portion 50 on the upper (visible in the Figure) surface. This adhesive is arranged in a relatively narrow strip extending linearly from one end of the central body 27 to the other end, central to the two sets of pairs of lobes 25. This adhesive portion 50 permits a second portion to be adhered thereto, as will be explained herein. Any, or all of the various adhesive portions 30, 50 may include release paper to protect the adhesive until needed. If any portion of the lobes 25 extend over the edge 20 of a gusset 40, when fitted to a user’s underwear in use, then the extending potions may be folded over and adhered to the underside (outside) of the gusset. Alternatively, or additionally, the lobes 25 may be cut to size to fit the gusset without need of them being folded over. Likewise, the tabs 35 may be folded over a gusset’s edge 20, or cut to size, in use. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of one example of a second part 100. It comprises a first bulbous portion 110 at one end and a relatively flat, tail-like, portion 120 extending therefrom. The bulbous portion may comprise a coil of material having its circumference lying in a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the second part 100. The tail-like portion 120 is shown extending from one side of the bulbous portion, rather than the centre, although other arrangements are contemplated. Two strings 130 are shown extending away from the end of the tail-like portion 120 opposite to the end of the second part 100 which comprise the bulbous portion 110. The bulbous portion may comprise various layers of different materials, such as activated carbon, powdered lemon rind, and charcoal. Some of the layers may act to reduce the odour of any flatulence. The bulbous portion 110 may act to reduce any noise caused by the flatulence due to its shape causing the gas to travel around, or possibly through, it. Also, the shape of the bulbous portion 110 may keep apart the cheeks of the buttocks in the vicinity of the anus and thus prevent noise created by gas travelling between the, typically immediately adjacent, cheeks. In other words, the bulbous portion 110 may create an open channel for gas to travel along, reducing turbulence and thus noise. A schematic view of a pair of buttocks 200 is shown in Figure 3. The intergluteal cleft 210 is shown centrally between the buttocks 200. An item of underwear is indicated 220 extending across a portion of the buttocks 200. The gusset 40 of the underwear 220 is shown at the base of the intergluteal cleft 210. A first part 10 of a flatulence mitigation device is shown adhered to the upper (inside) surface of the gusset 40 by means of adhesive layers 30 arranged between the first part 10 and on top of the gusset 40. A second part 110 of a flatulence mitigation device is shown adhered to the upper surface of the first part 10 by means of an adhesive layer 50 arranged in the centre of the first part 10 and gusset 40. It may be observed that the second part 110 has a circular shape such that its diameter is approximately parallel to the user5s coronal plane. This enables it to be slightly squeezed between the buttocks 200, in use. A cross-section of a second part 110 adhered to a first part 10 is shown in Figure 4. The second part 110 is observed to comprise a bulbous portion 115 at one end and a tail portion 120 extending away from the lowest side of the bulbous portion. The gusset 40 of the user’s underwear is shown with the first part 10 adhered to it. In this regard, a layer of adhesive 30 is arranged on the underside of the first part 10 to adhere it to the top, or upper / inside surface of the gusset 40. Another layer of adhesive 50 is provided between the upper surface of the first part 10 and the underside of the second part 110 to adhere them to one another. Strings 130, or other flexible cords, are arranged at the end of the tail portion 120, opposite from the bulbous portion 110, to aid removal of the second portion 110 from the first portion 10 after use. In this regard, it is possible to maintain the first part 10 adhered to a user’s underwear and merely change the second part for a fresh one. Alternatively, it is possible to leave the first part 10 and second part 110 attached together and remove the two together. It is to be understood that the tail portion 120 may be excluded such that the second part 110 comprises the bulbous portion 115 without a tail portion 120. Figure 5 shows a cross-section of an alternative second part 300. This has a tubular enclosure 310 within which are arranged six balls 320 of material, possibly comprising cotton wool. The overall shape is that of a sausage. The enclosure 310 may be made from absorbent material. The enclosure 310 may be a net-like material. Again, the gusset 40 of the user’s underwear is shown with the first part 10 adhered to it. In this regard, a layer of adhesive 30 is arranged on the underside of the first part 10 to adhere it to the top, or upper / inside surface of the gusset 40. Another layer of adhesive 50 is provided between the upper surface of the first part 10 and the underside of the second part 300 to adhere them to one another. Strings 330, or other flexible cords, are arranged at one end of the enclosure to aid removal of the second portion 300 from the first portion 10 after use. After use, a user may fold the lobes 25 (and possibly the tabs 35, if present) of the first part 10 over the second part 110, 300, and then dispose of the whole thing in a 5 sanitary bin.

Claims

1. A flatulence mitigation device comprising two parts; a first part including at least one adhesive portion for releasably affixing the first part to the user’s underwear,5 and a second part arranged to be affixable to the first part and, in use, to rest againstor, at least partially between, the user’s buttocks, wherein the second part comprises material having a bulbous portion, and a tail portion extending from the bulbous portion, and the bulbous portion comprises a first coil of material with a substantially circular cross-section, and the tail portion comprises a second coil of10 material with a substantially flattened circular cross-section, and wherein the secondpart includes an absorbent layer for absorbing fluids, and wherein the second part is configured to be arranged, in use, such that the orientation of the plane in which the circumference of the first coil lies is non-parallel to the sagittal plane of the user’s body.

152. The flatulence mitigation device of claim 1, wherein either, or both of the first and second parts may include at least one adhesive portion for affixing the first part to the second part such that the first part holds the second part in place.20 3. The flatulence mitigation device of claim 2, wherein the second part is arranged toreleasably affix to the first part.

4. The flatulence mitigation device of any preceding claim, wherein either or both of the first and second parts include a layer of activated carbon and / or fragrance.

255. The flatulence mitigation device of any preceding claim, wherein the first part includes an absorbent layer for absorbing fluids.

6. The flatulence mitigation device of any preceding claim, wherein the second part 30 comprises a tubular case comprising balls of material.

7. The flatulence mitigation device of claim 6, wherein the second part is arrangedsuch that, in use, the orientation of the plane in which the circumference of the tubular case lies is non-parallel to the sagittal plane of the user’s body.

8. The flatulence mitigation device of any preceding claim, wherein the second part comprises at least one cord for aiding removal of the device.5 9. A method of mitigating flatulence, comprising the steps of providing a flatulencemitigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, arranging the first part in a user’s underwear, releasably affixing the first part to the user’s underwear, exposing adhering means on a surface of the first part away from the user’s underwear, arranging the second part at least partially in between the user’s buttocks, wherein10 the second part is arranged such that the orientation of the plane in which thecircumference of the first coil lies is nomparallel to the sagittal plane of the user’s body, putting on the underwear and urging the first and second parts into contact with one another such that the two parts are adhered to one another.1507 04 25Application No: GB2413037.9Examiner: Ben WayneClaims searched: 1-16Date of search: 15 November 2024Patents Act 1977: Search Report under Section 17Documents considered to be relevant:Category Relevant to claims Identity of document and passage or figure of particular relevance X 1-16 KR 1020190102720 A (SEEN BNTEK CO LTD) - see especially paragraph [0020] and figures 1-5. X 1-16 KR 1020090122568 A (YANG UNG SEOB) - see especially figures 1-3. X 1-16 US 2009 / 0093784 Al (HANSEN et al.) - see especially paragraph [0015] and figure 4. X 1-16 US 2004 / 0162537 Al (MANASEK) - see especially paragraph [0016] and figure 1. X 1-16 EP 1023885 Al (GOMEZ ALVAREZ JUAN JOSE) - see especially paragraph [0006] and figures 1-2. X 1-16 JPH10179702 A (SEKI HAJIME) - see especially figures 1-11.Categories:X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step A Document indicating technological background and / or state of the art. Y Document indicating lack of inventive step if P Document published on or after the declared priority date but combined with one or more other documents of same category. before the filing date of this invention. & Member of the same patent family E Patent document published on or after, but with priority date earlier than, the filing date of this application.Field of Search:www.gov.uk / ipoInternational Classification:Subclass Subgroup Valid From A61F 0013 / 47 01 / 01 / 2006 A61L 0009 / 01 01 / 01 / 2006www.gov.uk / ipo

Images