Incontinence pads with stool discharge guide

Abstract

This invention provides a urine absorption pad that can be used by diaper wearers, reducing the amount of feces that adheres to the wearer's buttocks, genitals, and back, thereby reducing discomfort for the wearer and the burden of diaper changes for caregivers. [Solution] A stool discharge guide 3 is attached to a urine pad 1 used on top of a diaper. This guide has a stool discharge opening 2, a lateral leakage prevention wall around its periphery, and a lever-like point 6 on the guide that causes the stool discharge opening 2 to rise when the buttocks are placed on it. This allows the discharged stool to move smoothly towards the diaper. This significantly reduces the amount of stool that adheres to the buttocks, genitals, and back, greatly reducing discomfort for the wearer and the effort required for caregivers to wipe away the stool during diaper changes. Furthermore, by attaching a stool-holding sheet 7 to the lower part of the diaper-side periphery of the stool discharge opening 2, the stool can be held on the sheet, preventing it from adhering to the diaper.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is a urine collection pad configured to reduce the burden on caregivers. More specifically, it minimizes the adhesion of feces to the buttocks and perineum, and further prevents adhesion to the back and leakage outside the diaper, thereby reducing the discomfort of the wearer. Furthermore, it relates to a urine collection pad with a feces discharge guide that can reduce the trouble of diaper changing, including wiping off the adhered feces by the caregiver.

Background Art

[0002] Although the development of disposable diapers and urine collection pads has made it easier to handle the excreta of people who cannot use the toilet, such as infants, young children, patients, and the elderly, it still places a great burden on caregivers. Disposable diapers with appropriate urine absorption capacity, such as tape type and pants type, have been developed and are often used alone when changing diapers in a short time. However, when changing diapers frequently is not possible, such as when worn in a nursing facility or hospital, or at night, a urine collection pad that can absorb urine multiple times is used by overlapping it on top of the diaper.

[0003] The above urine collection pad is convenient when only urinating, but when defecation occurs, in addition to being closer to the skin than the diaper, its feces storage volume is also small. Therefore, the adhesion of feces to the wearer's buttocks, perineum, and back is likely to spread, and especially when the amount of feces is large, it may leak out of the diaper.

[0004] As a solution to the above problems, a method of opening a hole for discharging feces in the urine collection pad to naturally move the feces to the diaper side can be considered.

[0005] As methods for separating urine and feces and storing feces, for example, they are proposed in the following Patent Documents 1 to 4.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 2603259 Gazette [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3212086 Gazette [Patent Document 3] Utility Model Registration No. 2559049 Gazette [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 3927360

[0007] The diaper disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Utility Model Registration No. 2603259) consists of two sets of arch-shaped flaps extending in the vertical and horizontal directions, with a wide opening in the center that can store feces.

[0008] The diaper aid disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Utility Model Registration No. 3212086) consists of a rectangular base with a fecal collection bag attached to the bottom. A small opening on the top surface of the base is attached to the area around the anus with adhesive tape, and the device is placed under the buttocks to facilitate defecation.

[0009] The diaper disclosed in Patent Document 3 (Utility Model Registration No. 2559049) has an opening on the surface sheet with a valve to prevent the backflow of feces, and a feces storage space extending below the opening.

[0010] Furthermore, the pant-type diaper disclosed in Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent No. 3927360) has an oval-shaped opening on the buttock side and a space for storing feces below it, and a boat-shaped urine absorption pad on the genital side that can be replaced as needed. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0011] When a urine pad is placed on top of a diaper after a bowel movement, the feces on the urine pad may adhere to a wide area of ​​the buttocks, genitals, and back, or overflow from the diaper, soiling clothing and bedding. This can cause hygiene problems and discomfort for the wearer. Another challenge is the increased effort required for caregivers to deal with feces attached to diapers during diaper changes.

[0012] In the case of the diaper disclosed in Patent Document 1 as prior art, by making the area of ​​the opening formed by two sets of flaps on the surface sheet large, the wearer's anus can be aligned with the opening somewhere. However, because the opening area is too large, there is a high possibility that the feces that have been guided into the feces storage section through this opening will return to the surface sheet through the opening, soiling the wearer's buttocks and genitals.

[0013] The diaper support device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has the following drawbacks: a thick base is placed under the buttocks for extended periods, causing pressure; the stool opening is attached around the anus with adhesive tape, making it prone to coming off when the body moves; and during defecation, the body exerts force, causing the stool to be expelled forward and not enter the stool opening, resulting in soiling of the buttocks and genitals.

[0014] Furthermore, in the case of the diaper disclosed in Patent Document 3, the central part of the diaper is pushed towards the center by the wearer's thighs and hangs down without making close contact with the skin. In other words, because the central part of the surface sheet of this diaper does not make close contact with the wearer's crotch, it is difficult for feces to enter the opening provided in the surface sheet, and feces soil the buttocks and genitals. Even if the position of the opening of the surface sheet and the anus are aligned, the low degree of contact, coupled with the fact that the body exerts force during defecation, causes the feces to be expelled forward, making it difficult to guide them into the opening.

[0015] Furthermore, while the pant-type diapers disclosed in Patent Document 4 have some effect in storing feces when defecating while standing, when defecating while sitting or lying on one's back, it is difficult to align the opening of the surface sheet with the position of the anus, and the storage space becomes narrowed due to the compression of the feces storage area, preventing feces from entering through the opening and soiling the buttocks and genitals. In addition, the small incontinence pads that are changed after urination have poor absorbency and therefore need to be changed frequently.

[0016] In light of the above, it is necessary to consider the shape and orientation of the opening through which feces are expelled, taking into account the physiological and physical phenomena by which defecation occurs. Furthermore, in order to make the invention widely available to the general public, it is necessary to devise a method that allows for industrial production as simply and inexpensively as possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] In nursing homes and hospitals, when diapers are worn, and especially at night, a urine pad is often placed on top of the diaper. Therefore, to prevent the spread of feces to the buttocks and genitals, one possible solution is to create a stool outlet in the urine pad to move the feces from the urine pad to the diaper and isolate it. When defecating while wearing a diaper, it usually occurs while sitting or lying on one's back. In this position, the lower abdomen is strained to defecate, causing the hip joints to tilt slightly upward and the stool to be pushed forward. Therefore, ensuring that the stool outlet on the incontinence pad is tightly fitted near the anus and guiding the stool towards the diaper helps reduce adhesion to the buttocks, genitals, and back.

[0018] Furthermore, simply providing a stool outlet in a urine pad is insufficient to prevent leakage from the sides, as the stool will not be reliably guided towards the diaper. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a lateral leakage prevention wall to smoothly guide the stool from the stool outlet towards the diaper. This lateral leakage prevention wall has a vertically elongated space, and by making the upper and lower walls higher than the horizontal walls and giving it a curved shape, the seal against the groin can be improved. Here, in the lateral leakage prevention wall, if it can be provided with a mechanism to naturally rise and enhance the adhesion between the feces discharge outlet and the crotch, it can be expected that the ability of feces to move toward the diaper side will be significantly improved.

[0019] To enhance the adhesion between the feces discharge outlet and the crotch, methods such as pulling up the urine collection pad upward or pressing the feces discharge outlet against the crotch from below can be considered. In the method of fixing the lower end of the urine collection pad and pulling it upward with a force such as rubber, it has been found that due to individual differences in the physique of the wearer, it is difficult to adjust the pulling strength, and in addition, it is difficult to set the position of the feces discharge outlet. On the other hand, as methods of pressing the feces discharge outlet against the crotch from below to enhance the adhesion, a method of attaching a flap to the lower end on the buttocks side of the feces discharge outlet, pressing it down with the buttocks, and pressing the feces discharge outlet against the crotch with the force of a lever, and a method of attaching a flap to the lower end on the diaper side of the feces discharge outlet and pressing the feces discharge outlet against the crotch with the reaction force of a spring pressed against the diaper can be considered.

[0020] In the former method, once the buttocks are placed on the flap, even if it moves slightly, it will be fixed. Therefore, whether in the sitting state or the supine state, the adhesion with the buttocks and crotch is maintained by the force of the lever, and the movement of feces toward the diaper side becomes smooth.

[0021] In the latter method, during defecation in the sitting state, the flap becomes a resistance and the movement of feces is somewhat hindered. On the other hand, in the supine state, the rise of the feces discharge outlet is weak and lateral leakage occurs on the genital side. Furthermore, if not worn carefully, the flap may fold back, and a case occurs where a force acts in a direction to separate the feces discharge outlet from the skin.

[0022] Taking the above into consideration, it has been found that it is most effective to attach a feces discharge guide provided with a flap at the lower part of the lateral leakage prevention wall and having a mechanism that rises with the force of a lever to the buttocks side of the feces discharge outlet. The mechanism by which this feces discharge guide rises by the force of the lever is such that a force point portion of the lever with a protruding part of a certain height is provided at the lower part of the lateral leakage prevention wall to increase the pressure. When the buttocks centered on the coccyx are placed thereon, the feces discharge guide naturally rises so as to closely adhere to the thighs with the lower end of the peripheral edge of the feces discharge opening as a fulcrum.

[0023] From the above solutions, a feces discharge guide with an annular feces lateral leakage prevention wall provided at the peripheral edge thereof is attached by opening a feces discharge opening around the position where the anus of the urine collection pad hits. When the buttocks are placed on the force point portion of the lever provided at the lower part of the lateral leakage prevention wall, the feces discharge guide rises by the force of the lever and has a mechanism to enhance the adhesion to the buttocks and thighs, thus completing the present invention that can smoothly guide feces to the diaper side and reduce the adhesion to the buttocks, genitals, and back.

[0024] That is, according to the first invention, (1) In a urine collection pad used by being overlapped on a diaper, a feces discharge opening is provided at a position corresponding to the anus, and a feces discharge guide with an annular lateral leakage prevention wall is attached to the peripheral edge thereof. A lever mechanism is provided at a part of the lateral leakage prevention wall of the feces discharge guide. When the user places the buttocks on the force point portion of the lever, the feces discharge guide rises, enhances the adhesion to the buttocks and thighs, and smoothly guides feces to the diaper side, thereby significantly reducing the adhesion to the buttocks, genitals, and back. A urine collection pad is provided.

[0025] Also, simply moving feces from the urine collection pad side to the diaper side makes it difficult to reuse the diaper. Therefore, by attaching a water-absorbent feces holding sheet to the lower part of the peripheral edge on the diaper side of the feces discharge opening, it becomes possible to hold the discharged feces thereon and prevent it from adhering to the diaper.

[0026] That is, according to the second invention, (2) The urine pad described in the first invention (1) above is characterized in that an absorbent sheet is attached to the lower part of the stool discharge opening, and a lateral leakage prevention gather is provided around the periphery of the sheet, thereby holding the discharged stool on the absorbent sheet and preventing it from adhering to the diaper. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] By using the urine pad equipped with the fecal discharge guide of the present invention, the adhesion of feces to the wearer's buttocks and genitals can be greatly reduced. In addition, because the buttocks and the point of force of the lever are pressed together, adhesion to the back and leakage to the outside can be prevented. As a result, the discomfort caused by fecal adhesion to the wearer can be eliminated, and the burden on caregivers in wiping away the attached feces, washing the body, changing diapers, changing sheets, and changing clothes can be greatly reduced.

[0028] Furthermore, by attaching the feces-holding sheet of the present invention, the feces can be held on the sheet and prevented from adhering to the diaper, thus enabling the reuse of the diaper and easy disposal of the feces in the toilet or elsewhere.

[0029] This invention does not use adhesive tape to attach to the anal area, but rather utilizes leverage to achieve high adhesion, thus preventing skin irritation from tape. Furthermore, because urine and feces are separated, the mixing reaction between urine and feces that produces ammonia is suppressed, thus preventing diaper rash. In addition, by preventing feces from adhering to the genital area, diseases such as urethritis and cystitis can be prevented.

[0030] The present invention can be applied to widely available incontinence pads, and can be easily manufactured by simply cutting out a stool discharge opening and attaching an annular stool discharge guide, made by die-cutting an inexpensive polyurethane sponge sheet or similar material, to its periphery. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0031] [Figure 1]This is a perspective view of the present invention (a urine collection pad with a fecal discharge guide attached). [Figure 2] This is a side view of the present invention (a urine collection pad with a fecal discharge guide attached). [Figure 3] This is a bottom view of the present invention (a urine collection pad with a fecal discharge guide attached). [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the fecal discharge guide that constitutes the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a plan view of the feces-holding sheet that constitutes the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] By creating a stool discharge opening 2 in a commonly used urine pad 1 and attaching a stool discharge guide 3 to the stool discharge opening 2, stool can be smoothly moved towards the diaper. The size and shape of the stool discharge opening 2 in the urine pad 1 can be appropriately changed depending on age and gender, and the shape can be oval, square, trapezoid, or any other shape that does not obstruct the discharge of stool towards the diaper.

[0033] The fecal discharge guide 3, which is attached to the aforementioned fecal discharge opening 2, has an annular lateral leakage prevention wall 4 that is the same shape as the fecal discharge opening 2, and is designed so that when the buttocks are placed on the lever's force point 6, the fecal discharge guide 3 stands up due to the force of the lever. This mechanism increases the airtightness between the lateral leakage prevention wall 4 and the buttocks and groin, preventing lateral leakage while smoothly guiding the feces towards the diaper.

[0034] The material for the defecation guide 3 should be a polyurethane sponge or similar material that minimizes contact irritation to the buttocks and groin, and combines elasticity and cushioning, such as a sponge that is compressed during distribution and returns to its original shape when used. For example, a material that has the same elasticity and affinity to the skin as a kitchen dishwashing sponge is suitable. To further reduce skin irritation, the entire stool expulsion guide 3 may be covered with an absorbent sheet or similar material.

[0035] Furthermore, if you wish to strengthen the upright position of the stool discharge guide 3, you can do so by attaching a ring-shaped base made of cardboard or similar material to the bottom surface of the side leakage prevention wall 4. In this case, folding the ring-shaped base one-third of the way down from the top and bending it towards the crotch will improve the seal.

[0036] Furthermore, this fecal discharge guide can be attached to absorbent sheets or other materials, rather than urine pads, and used as a sheet to prevent feces from sticking to the buttocks and genitals.

[0037] By attaching the feces-holding sheet 7 to the lower part of the diaper-side edge of the feces outlet 2 described above, the feces are held on the sheet, preventing them from sticking to the diaper, and allowing the worn diaper to be reused. Furthermore, adding side leak prevention gathers 8 or folds to the feces-holding sheet 7 improves its ability to hold feces. The material of this feces-holding sheet 7 should be highly absorbent so that any urine that leaks out can escape to the diaper side.

[0038] This invention can be widely used by people who cannot use the toilet on their own, from infants and toddlers to the sick and the elderly, and can be particularly helpful to caregivers in nursing homes, hospitals, and homes who face a significant burden in handling feces.

[0039] Furthermore, the present invention can be realized by applying it to commercially available urine absorption pads. The process is simple: a stool discharge opening is made in the pad, an annular stool discharge guide made by cutting out an inexpensive sponge sheet is attached to the periphery, and a stool retention sheet is then attached to the diaper side of the stool discharge opening. Therefore, it can be mass-produced. Furthermore, the fecal discharge guide of the present invention has high cushioning properties, and the lateral leakage prevention wall can be compressed, allowing the urine absorption pad to be folded. It also has excellent suitability for packaging and distribution, making it fully usable in industry.

[0040] In other words, the present invention provides the following urine absorption pad. (1) A urine absorption pad used on top of a diaper, characterized in that a fecal discharge opening is provided at a position corresponding to the anus, a fecal discharge guide with an annular lateral leakage prevention wall is attached to the periphery thereof, a lever mechanism is provided in part of the lateral leakage prevention wall of the fecal discharge guide, and when the user places their buttocks on the point of force of the lever, the fecal discharge guide rises, increasing the contact with the buttocks and groin, and smoothly guiding the feces toward the diaper, thereby significantly reducing adhesion to the buttocks, genitals, and back. (2) The urine pad described in (1), characterized in that an absorbent sheet is attached to the lower part of the stool discharge opening, and side leakage prevention gathers are provided around the periphery of the sheet, thereby holding the discharged stool on the absorbent sheet and preventing it from adhering to the diaper. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1. Incontinence pad 2 Fecal outlet 3. Guide to Bowel Movements 4. Leakage prevention wall 6. The point of force application of the lever 7 Fecal retention sheet 8. Side leak prevention gathers

Claims

1. A urine absorption pad used on top of a diaper, characterized by having a stool discharge opening at a position corresponding to the anus, a stool discharge guide with an annular lateral leakage prevention wall attached to its periphery, a lever mechanism provided in a part of the lateral leakage prevention wall of the stool discharge guide, and when the user places their buttocks on the point of force of the lever, the stool discharge guide rises, increasing the contact with the buttocks and groin, and smoothly guiding the stool toward the diaper, thereby significantly reducing adhesion to the buttocks, genitals, and back.

2. A urine pad according to claim 1, characterized in that an absorbent sheet is attached to the lower part of the stool discharge opening, and a lateral leakage prevention gather is provided around the periphery of the sheet, thereby holding the discharged stool on the absorbent sheet and preventing it from adhering to the diaper.

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