reusable swim diapers

Abstract

A reusable swim diaper having a body made of waterproof coated (bonded polyurethane) polyester configured with an elastic waist opening and elastic leg openings, the body having improved washability and suitable for multiple washes and reuse without deterioration, and having gussets formed at and extending from the leg openings to minimize the flow of particulate matter, such as fecal matter, between the inside and outside of the swim diaper.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 63 / 482,387, filed January 31, 2023, entitled "REUSABLE SWIM DIAPER." The benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of the U.S. provisional application is hereby claimed, and the aforementioned application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to reusable swim diapers for providing a snug fit. More particularly, but not exclusively, the inventive concept relates to reusable swim diapers that include a specially designed gusset with elastic and reinforced materials configured to provide a snug fit and prevent accidental leakage of feces and urine in pools or other bathing facilities.

[0003] Diapers are used to absorb accidents caused by babies, toddlers, and even the elderly. These diapers are generally formed to include insertion holes for inserting the legs of the user (i.e., babies, toddlers, and the elderly) and a waistband that can be fastened around the waist of the user. Such diapers are designed to capture waste, including feces.

[0004] However, the insertion holes formed for the legs generally cannot be designed to fit around the user's legs sufficiently to avoid gaps between the legs and the diaper insertion holes, thereby allowing feces and urine, including leakage from the diaper, to leak between the user's legs and the leg insertion holes. This problem is particularly harmful when babies, young children, or the elderly are wearing diapers in swimming pools, and if such excrement leaks into the swimming pool, it is likely that the pool will need to be closed and the water in the pool will need to be thoroughly sterilized before it can be opened for use again.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for a diaper having a specific structure that prevents feces and urine from leaking out of the diaper through holes designed to receive the user's legs therethrough.

[0006] There is also a need for a diaper having a specific reinforced material formed around holes designed to fit the user's legs through, such reinforced material conforming around the legs inserted through the holes.

[0007] The present general inventive concept provides a reusable swim diaper that can provide a snug fit. More specifically, but not exclusively, the concept provides a reusable swim diaper that includes a specially designed gusset with elastic and reinforced materials configured to provide a snug fit and prevent accidental leakage of feces and urine in a pool or other bathing facility.

[0008] In one embodiment, a swim diaper according to the present disclosure includes a main body made of a waterproof-coated, bonded polyurethane-polyester material, including a composite material consisting of one or more layers of polymer resin bonded by urethane links and a polyester lining, the main body having an elasticized waist opening and elasticized leg openings, the interior gussets of which are also made from the waterproof-coated, bonded polyurethane-polyester material of the main body.

[0009] The main body exhibits improved washability, making it suitable for multiple washes and reuse without degradation. The main body material and gusset together help minimize the flow of fecal matter between the inside and outside of the swim diaper. The diaper is made of a waterproof-coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material. More specifically, the waterproof-coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material is a composite material consisting of one or more layers of polymer resins bonded by urethane links and a knit polyester lining. This material has been observed to provide improved durability and performance for use as a reusable swim diaper. This material has been observed to exhibit improved washability, making it suitable for multiple washes and reuse without degradation.

[0010] The foregoing and / or other features and advantages of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a reusable swim diaper comprising: a body including a circular elastic waist opening configured to fit around a user's waist and two circular elastic leg insertion openings, each for receiving a respective leg of the user therethrough, wherein one side of the body is configured to be opened and closed by at least two sets of snaps attached perpendicularly to the body so that, when the set of snaps is open, the circular elastic waist opening breaks and one of the two circular leg insertion openings breaks, and when the at least two sets of snaps are closed, the circular elastic waist opening is formed and one of the two circular elastic leg insertion openings is formed; and a gusset sewn to a lower half of an inner peripheral section of each elastic leg insertion hole, which enhances contact with the user's legs to prevent leakage of particulate matter from inside the diaper to outside the diaper.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, each gusset can be sewn to the lower half of the inner perimeter section of a respective leg insertion hole from about the 3 o'clock position to about the 9 o'clock position of the elastic insertion hole, thus forming a pocket-like section extending from the lower half of the corresponding elastic leg insertion hole.

[0012] In another exemplary embodiment, the body may be formed from a waterproof coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material.

[0013] In another exemplary embodiment, each gusset may be formed from a waterproof coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material.

[0014] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the circumferential elastic waist opening includes an elastic waist seam that elastically surrounds the waist of the user and provides a secure fit against the waist of the user.

[0015] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the elastic waist seam comprises an elastic material that is sewn inside the waist region to form a comfort seam around the circumferential elastic waist opening.

[0016] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the at least two sets of vertically mounted snaps include four vertically mounted snaps.

[0017] The foregoing and / or other features and advantages of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a swim diaper comprising: a body formed of a waterproof coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material, the body including a first end and a second end, an elastic waist seam extending along the length of the body from the upper first end to the upper second end, and an elastic leg seam extending along the length of the body from the lower first end to the lower second end; a first circular elastic leg opening having the elastic leg seam therethrough for receiving one of a user's legs; and at least two snaps fastening the first end to the second end. at least two snaps attached to each of the first and second ends so that, when the snaps at the first end are snapped onto the snaps at the second end, a circular elastic waist opening is formed and a second circular elastic leg opening having an elastic seam is formed to receive another leg of the user therethrough; and gussets sewn to the lower half of the inner peripheral section of the first elastic leg seam and between the two sections of the elastic leg seam so that, when the at least two snaps are snapped together, each gusset enhances contact with a respective leg of the user and prevents particulate matter from leaking from inside the diaper to outside the diaper.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment, each gusset is formed from a waterproof coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material.

[0019] In another exemplary embodiment, the at least two sets of snaps include four sets of snaps mounted vertically along the first and second ends of the body.

[0020] In another exemplary embodiment, when the four sets of snaps are snapped together, each gusset extends along the lower half of the inner perimeter section of the respective elastic leg opening and seam from about the 3 o'clock position to about the 9 o'clock position of the elastic leg opening and seam, thus forming a pocket-like section extending from the lower half of the corresponding elastic leg opening and seam.

[0021] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the elastic waist seam comprises an elastic material sewn along its inner portion to form a comfort seam along its length. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a front view of a diaper including a gusset according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. [Figure 2] 2 illustrates a perspective view of a first side of the diaper according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 showing a first leg hole and gusset combination. [Figure 3] 2 illustrates an internal and perspective view of a second side of the diaper in an open position according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 illustrates a perspective view of a second side of the diaper in the closed position according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 showing a second leg hole and gusset combination.

[0023] The drawings illustrate some exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept and are not to be considered limiting in scope, as the general inventive concept may admit of other equally effective embodiments. The elements and features shown in the drawings are to scale and are intended to clearly illustrate the principles of exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept. In the drawings, reference numerals indicate like or corresponding, but not necessarily identical, elements throughout the several views. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the general concept of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments will be described below to explain the general concept of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Furthermore, while explaining the general concept of the present invention, detailed descriptions of related well-known functions or configurations that may obscure the gist of the general concept of the present invention will be omitted.

[0025] The terms "first" and "second" are used herein to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a first element can be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element can be referred to as a first element, without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0026] When preceding a list of elements, phrases such as "at least one of" modify the entire list of elements, and not each individual element of the list.

[0027] All terms, including descriptive or technical terms, used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is clear to a person skilled in the art. However, these terms may have different meanings depending on the applicant's intentions, case precedents, or the emergence of new technology. In addition, some terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning of the selected term will be explained in detail in the detailed description of the present invention provided herein. Therefore, the terms used herein must be defined based on the meaning of the term together with the explanation of the entire specification.

[0028] One or more exemplary embodiments of the inventive general concept will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] An exemplary embodiment of the general concept of the present invention is directed to a reusable swim diaper having a specially designed gusset with elastic and reinforced materials configured to provide a snug fit and prevent accidental leakage of urine and feces in the pool.

[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a diaper 10 including a specifically designed gusset in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. Referring to FIG. 1, the diaper 10 includes a one-piece body 10a formed of a waterproof-coated, bonded polyurethane knitted polyester material. More specifically, the waterproof-coated, bonded polyurethane knitted polyester material is a composite material consisting of one or more layers of polymer resins joined by urethane links and a knitted polyester backing. This material provides improved durability and performance for use as a reusable swim diaper 10, as described in more detail below. Furthermore, the material exhibits improved resistance to the washing degradation experienced by conventional disposable diapers, making it suitable for multiple washings and reuse with minimal degradation.

[0031] The one-piece body 10a is configured to include a circular waist region 10b for encircling the waist of a user, and a pair of circular elastic leg insertion holes 10c for receiving each of the user's legs.

[0032] The waist region 10b may include an elastic waist seam 10bb to elastically encircle the user's waist and provide a secure fit. The waist seam 10bb may be formed by sewing elastic material to the inside of the waist region 10b to provide a comfort seam 12. The comfort seam 12 may be formed by turning the edges of both the outer and inner waist region 10b material inward and sewing them together so that any rough edges of the material are hidden within the seam and not exposed, thus eliminating edges that might otherwise chafe against the user's waist.

[0033] The circular elastic leg openings 10c also include elastic leg opening seams 10cc, which can elastically encircle the user's legs and provide a secure fit. The elastic leg opening seams 10cc can be formed in the same manner as the waist seam 10bb, which has a comfort seam (not shown) formed by turning both the inner and outer edges of the leg opening material inward and sewing them together, so that any rough edges of the material are hidden within the seam and not exposed, thus eliminating edges that might otherwise chafe against the user's legs.

[0034] Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of a first side of the diaper 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of Figure 1, showing the combination of the first leg insertion hole 10c and the gusset 10d. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the elastic leg insertion hole 10c is configured to have a predetermined circumference for receiving a user's legs therein. It should be noted that the size of the diaper 10, the circumference of the waist region 10b, and the circumference of the leg insertion hole 10c can be varied to fit users of different sizes therein.

[0035] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present concept, gussets 10d can be sewn around the lower inner perimeter section of each elastic leg insertion hole 10c. More specifically, gussets 10d can be sewn to the inner perimeter section of each elastic insertion hole 10c from approximately the 3 o'clock position to approximately the 9 o'clock position of the elastic insertion hole 10c, thereby forming pocket-like sections 10d1 extending from the lower half of the elastic leg insertion hole 10c. The gussets 10d can be formed from the same waterproof-coated (bonded polyurethane) knitted polyester material as the main body 10a. The gussets 10d can be fabricated in the same manner as the comfort seam 12 of the waist seam 10bb, with the rough edges turned inward and sewn together to prevent the rough edges from being exposed. The gussets 10d, including the pocket-like sections 10d1, are configured to provide a snug fit and additional protection against pool accidents, such as bodily waste leaking through the elastic leg insertion holes 10c.

[0036] The outer surface of the polyester material of the diaper 10 may be printed with ornamental and decorative features. The inner surface of the polyester material of the diaper 10 desirably has an absorbent material 14, such as terry cloth, adhered thereto. The absorbent material 14 may be a two-ply terry cloth provided by a polyester / polyamide fiber blend. However, the absorbent material 14 may be formed of other equivalent materials that serve the intended purpose of retaining fecal material without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates an interior and open perspective view of the second side of the diaper according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 illustrates a closed perspective view of the second side of the diaper according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, showing the second leg hole and gusset combination. Referring to FIG. 3, one side of the swim diaper 10 can be separated into two sections, and the ends of each of the two sections include at least two snaps 10e. In this exemplary embodiment, each of the two sections includes four snaps. Referring to FIG. 4, when the two separated sections are joined together, they can be snapped together to form the second of the two elastic leg insertion holes 10c. It should be noted that alternative, equivalent methods of closing the two sections of the swim diaper 10 together, such as Velcro® or buttons, can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the overall inventive concept.

[0038] The construction of the diaper 10, including the materials utilized, the elastic openings at the waist opening and leg openings, and the additional gusset 10d, help minimize or eliminate the flow of particulate matter, such as fecal matter, between the inside and outside of the swim diaper 10. In particular, the gusset 10d provides enhanced protection from particulate matter, such as fecal matter, leaking between the elastic leg insertion holes 10c and the respective user's legs inserted therethrough.

[0039] While several embodiments of the general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A reusable swim diaper, comprising: a body including a circular elastic waist opening configured to fit around a user's waist and two circular elastic leg insertion openings for receiving a respective leg of the user therethrough, one side of the body configured to be opened and closed by at least two sets of snaps attached perpendicularly to the body such that when the set of snaps is open, the circular elastic waist opening breaks and one of the two circular leg insertion openings breaks, and when the at least two sets of snaps are closed, the circular elastic waist opening is formed and one of the two circular elastic leg insertion openings is formed; A reusable swim diaper comprising: a gusset sewn to the lower half of the inner peripheral section of each elastic leg insertion hole, the gusset enhancing contact with the user's legs and preventing particulate matter from leaking from inside the diaper to outside the diaper.

2. 2. The reusable swim diaper of claim 1, wherein each gusset is sewn to the lower half of the inner peripheral section of its respective leg insertion hole from about the 3 o'clock position to about the 9 o'clock position of the elastic leg insertion hole, thereby forming a pocket-like section extending from the lower half of the corresponding elastic leg insertion hole.

3. 10. The reusable swim diaper of claim 1, wherein the body is formed from a waterproof coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material.

4. 4. The reusable swim diaper of claim 3, wherein each gusset is formed from a waterproof coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material.

5. 10. The reusable swim diaper of claim 1, wherein the circumferential elastic waist opening includes an elastic waist seam that elastically surrounds a user's waist and provides a secure fit about the waist of the user.

6. 6. The reusable swim diaper of claim 5, wherein the elastic waist seam comprises an elastic material sewn inside the waist region to form a comfort seam around the circumferential elastic waist opening.

7. 10. The reusable swim diaper of claim 1, wherein the at least two sets of vertically attached snaps comprise four vertically attached snaps.

8. A swim diaper, comprising: A body formed of a waterproof coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material, a body including a first end and a second end, an elastic waist seam extending along the length of the body from the first end on an upper side to the second end on an upper side, and an elastic leg seam extending along the length of the body from the first end on a lower side to the second end on a lower side; a first circular elastic leg opening having an elastic leg seam for receiving one leg of a user therethrough; at least two snaps attached to each of the first and second ends such that, when the snaps at the first end are snapped onto the snaps at the second end, a circular elastic waist opening is formed and a second circular elastic leg opening having an elastic seam is formed for receiving another leg of a user therethrough; a gusset sewn to a lower half of an inner peripheral section of the first elastic leg seam and between two sections of the elastic leg seam so that when the at least two snaps are snapped together, each gusset enhances contact with the respective leg of the user and prevents particulate matter from leaking from inside the diaper to outside the diaper.

9. 9. The swim diaper of claim 8, wherein each gusset is formed from a waterproof coated bonded polyurethane knit polyester material.

10. 9. The swim diaper of claim 8, wherein the at least two sets of snaps include four sets of snaps attached vertically along the first and second ends of the body.

11. The four sets of snaps are:

11. The swim diaper of claim 10, wherein each gusset is snapped together and extends along the lower half of the inner perimeter section of the respective elastic leg opening and seam from about the 3 o'clock position to about the 9 o'clock position of the elastic leg opening and seam, thereby forming a pocket-like section extending from the lower half of the corresponding elastic leg opening and seam.

12. 9. The swim diaper of claim 8, wherein the elastic waist seam comprises an elastic material sewn along an interior portion thereof to form a comfort seam along its length.

13. 9. The swim diaper of claim 8, wherein the polyurethane polyester material is a polyurethane knit polyester material and the polyester liner is a knit polyester liner.

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