Incontinence innerwear for women

Abstract

The present invention provides an incontinence innerwear for women, in which urine leaking from the female urethra is guided to and absorbed by a pad portion.

Description

Women's Incontinence Underwear

[0001] The present invention relates to a female incontinence innerwear worn inside underwear.

[0002] Urinary incontinence is the leakage of urine without any intention. Urinary incontinence is a very embarrassing and uncomfortable condition, as urine leaks out unexpectedly, wetting your underwear. Urinary incontinence is particularly common in middle-aged and older women, those with neurological disorders, and the elderly.

[0003] Recently, urinary incontinence is also appearing frequently in middle-aged and elderly women.

[0004] However, some women's underwear is designed with functional features to prevent urine from wetting underwear, and incontinence pads are manufactured and sold to address urinary incontinence. However, in cases where the amount of urine lost due to incontinence is large, these pads may not be able to fully absorb the urine, wetting the underwear, disrupting a comfortable lifestyle, restricting physical activity in daily life and social activities, and damaging a person's self-esteem.

[0005] The present invention provides a female incontinence innerwear that absorbs all urine when a large amount of urine flows out due to incontinence, thereby preventing urine from wetting underwear and providing a comfortable lifestyle.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is not limited thereto, and other purposes not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0007] The inventor has developed incontinence underwear for use by middle-aged and elderly men and women who have suffered from urinary incontinence for a long time. As a result of these efforts, the inventor filed a patent application for "Male Incontinence Underwear" with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 20, 2020, and received patent registration No. 2544967 on June 14, 2023.

[0008] The inventor continued research and development after filing the aforementioned patent application to address the problem of urinary incontinence, a problem that affects not only middle-aged and elderly men but also middle-aged and elderly women. This continued research and development resulted in the development of women's incontinence underwear, which features a padded section that absorbs urine and guides it from the urethra.

[0009] In one aspect, a female incontinence innerwear according to one embodiment includes a pad part that absorbs urine leaking from a female urethra due to urinary incontinence, and a guide part that faces the female urethra when positioned inside female underwear, has the other end connected to the inside of the pad part, and includes a hole to guide urine leaking from the female urethra through the hole to the pad part.

[0010] According to the female incontinence innerwear according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the amount of urine flowing out due to incontinence is large, all of the urine is absorbed so that the urine does not wet the underwear, thereby providing a comfortable life.

[0011] This allows men to maintain their self-esteem without restricting their physical activity in daily life and social activities.

[0012] Figure 1 is a side view of a female incontinence underwear according to one embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the female incontinence underwear of Figure 1.

[0014] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of Figure 1.

[0015] Fig. 4 is a side view of female incontinence underwear according to another embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5 illustrates the female incontinence innerwear of Figure 1 positioned inside underwear.

[0017] Figure 6 is a side view of another example of the guidance guide of Figure 1.

[0018] Figure 7 is a side view of another example of the guidance guide of Figure 1.

[0019] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate the female incontinence innerwear of FIG. 1 including the guide guide of FIG. 7 positioned within underwear.

[0020] Figure 9 is a side view of another example of the guidance guide of Figure 1.

[0021] Figure 10 is a plan view of the guidance guide of Figure 9.

[0022] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When designating components in each drawing, it should be noted that, where possible, identical components will be given the same reference numbers, even if they appear in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of known related structures or functions will be omitted if they are deemed to obscure the gist of the present invention.

[0023] Additionally, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used to describe components of the present invention. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" between each component.

[0024] The embodiments are described below with reference to the drawings.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a side view of a female incontinence underwear according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the female incontinence underwear of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of Fig. 1.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a female incontinence innerwear (10) according to one embodiment includes a pad part (12) that absorbs urine leaking from a female urethra due to urinary incontinence, and a guide guide (14) that faces the female urethra when positioned inside female underwear, has the other end connected to the inside of the pad part (12), and includes a hole (16) to guide urine leaking from the female urethra through the hole (16) to the pad part (12).

[0027] The guide guide (14) may, for example, be in external contact with the pad portion (12) or may be inserted into the interior of the pad portion (12).

[0028] The pad portion (12) may include an opening (21) into which the other end of the guide guide (14) is inserted. The other end of the guide guide (14) may be inserted into the pad portion (12) through the opening (21) of the pad portion (12).

[0029] The guide guide (14) may include a locking member (20) that extends outward and has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the opening (21) so that it does not come out of the opening (21) after being inserted into the opening (21) of the pad portion (12).

[0030] The guide (14) may include a support member (18) that contacts the female body around the female urethra at one end facing the female urethra. The support member (18) may extend radially outward from the opening (16) and serve to direct urine leaking from the female urethra toward the opening.

[0031] Additionally, the support member (18) may serve to prevent the guide member (14) from deviating in a direction opposite to the female urethra. To this end, the support member (18) may at least cover the female urethra. The support member (18) may be conical and / or cup-shaped to cover the female urethra. While the support member (18) is depicted as conical in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the support member (18) may have other shapes.

[0032] The guide guide (14) may be formed of a material that is less likely to cause foreign body sensation or foreign matter sensation, as it comes into contact with the female body. For example, the guide guide (14) may be formed of a silicone material, such as medical-grade silicone.

[0033] The guide guide (14) may be injection molded as a single, integral piece of medical-grade silicone. Alternatively, the guide guide (14) may be manufactured from two or more parts and / or two or more materials that can be attached and / or separated or expanded and contracted for therapeutic, processing, or sterilization purposes.

[0034] The pad portion (12) may be made of a fabric material and may contain a suitable superabsorbent material on the inside. Suitable superabsorbent materials may be selected from natural, synthetic, and modified natural polymers and materials. The superabsorbent material may be an inorganic material, such as silica gel, or an organic material, such as a cross-linked polymer. Generally, a superabsorbent material can absorb about 10 to 25 times its weight in water.

[0035] The pad part (12) can be treated with silver nano or antibacterial agents on the inside to prevent the genitals from being contaminated by urine, etc. The pad part (12) has a shape that reflects the structure and characteristics of a woman's body.

[0036] For example, the pad portion (12) may include an outer fabric (22) made of chemical pulp or SAP (polymer chemical absorbent), wood pulp, or organic cotton, and an inner absorbent portion (24) that is treated with silver nano or antibacterial agents. The inner absorbent portion (24) may be formed of any material used to absorb urine. For example, the inner absorbent portion (24) may be made of chemical materials such as polyethane, polyurethane, or polypropylene, or may be made of natural materials such as organic cotton absorbents.

[0037] The outer fabric (22) is waterproofed to prevent urine that has seeped through the hole (18) of the guide (14) from being absorbed into the inner absorbent portion (24) and leaking into the woman's underwear. As another example, a waterproof film, such as a biodegradable film extracted from corn starch, may be additionally included between the outer fabric (22) and the inner absorbent portion (24).

[0038] The above-described opening (21) is arranged in a portion of the outer fabric (22) and the inner absorbent portion (24) of the pad portion (12). The opening (21) may be a truncated cone shape with a large outer diameter and a small inner diameter to easily guide the radial locking member (20) to be forcibly inserted into the interior of the pad portion (12) by pressure. The inner diameter of the opening (21) is smaller than the outer diameter of the locking member (20) to prevent the forcibly inserted guide (14) from coming off through the opening (21).

[0039] A certain amount of space (24a) is formed in the inner absorption part (24), which not only allows the guide (14) to be inserted through the opening (21) of the pad part (12), but also ensures the time for insertion into the inner absorption part (24) when the amount of urine is large.

[0040] The pad portion (12) may be in the shape of a pad or a diaper. If the pad portion (12) is in the shape of a pad, an adhesive harmless to the human body may be applied to the back of the pad portion (12), or an adhesive layer may be formed separately so that it can be adhered to women's underwear.

[0041] The female incontinence innerwear (10) may additionally include a urine amount sensor (19) that is placed or built into all or part of the pad part (12) and generates an alarm sound or vibration when the amount of urine exceeds a certain level.

[0042] Specifically, urine is contained in a certain amount of internal space (24a) formed by the inner absorbent portion (24) of the pad portion (12). As shown in Fig. 4, the urine amount sensor (19) is placed or built into a part of the inner absorbent portion (24) or a part of the outer fabric (22) and the inner absorbent portion (24), and can generate an alarm sound or vibration when the amount of urine exceeds a certain amount.

[0043] If a warning sound or vibration is generated from the urine amount sensor (19), the user or guardian can judge that the amount of urine in the female incontinence underwear (10) exceeds a certain level and replace it.

[0044] The urine volume sensor (19) is extended from the upper surface of the inner absorbent portion (24) into the inner space (24a) as illustrated in FIG. 4, and may be a liquid contact sensor such as a resistance-based sensor or a capacitance-based sensor that generates an alarm sound or vibration when urine comes into contact with the surface. For example, a resistance-based sensor can detect the presence of urine by changing the electrical resistance when urine comes into contact between two electrodes. A capacitive sensor can detect urine by utilizing the principle that the capacitance changes according to the change in the permittivity of urine.

[0045] Hereinafter, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a state in which a pad portion (12) is positioned in a pad shape as a female incontinence innerwear (10) inside a woman's underwear will be described.

[0046] Figure 5 illustrates the female incontinence innerwear of Figure 1 positioned inside underwear.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 5, the female incontinence innerwear (10) of FIGS. 1 and 2 is worn inside female underwear (26).

[0048] As described above, the pad part (14) of the female incontinence innerwear (10) can be attached to the female underwear (26) at a position where the guide (14) faces the female urethra.

[0049] Women can wear outerwear while wearing women's underwear (30) with women's incontinence innerwear (10).

[0050] After using the female incontinence innerwear (10), the pad part (14) can be discarded and the guide (14) can be washed and reused.

[0051] Fig. 6 is a side view of another example of the guide guide of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a side view of another example of the guide guide of Fig. 1.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, another example of a guide (14A, 14B) may include a protrusion (32, 32a) extending from one end facing the female urethra. The protrusion (32, 32a) may be inserted into the female urethra.

[0053] The shape and size of the protrusion (32, 32a) can vary to suit the shape and size of the urethra of various women.

[0054] The end of the urethra is the bladder, and the length of the urethra in women up to the bladder is typically about 3 to 4 cm. Therefore, the guides (14A, 14B) of Figs. 6 and 7, each having a different length of protrusion (32, 32a), can be selected to suit the female body structure.

[0055] The two parts (32, 32a) also have the aforementioned opening (21) extended so that urine leaking from the woman's urethra is guided to the pad part (12).

[0056] Since the shape of a woman's urethra varies, the shape of the protrusion (32, 32a) can also vary to suit the structure of the woman's body. For example, although the protrusion (32, 32a) of FIGS. 6 and 7 is illustrated, the diameter is tapered toward the end, so that the protrusion (32, 32a) can be inserted into a woman's urethra and cause less discomfort during daily life.

[0057] As another example, although the shape of the protrusion (32, 32a) is the same, an insertion assisting device in the shape of a bone that can be fitted to the side of the protrusion (32, 32a) can be additionally provided. As described above, this insertion assisting device has a tapered end and a smaller diameter, so that the protrusion (32, 32a) combined with the insertion assisting device can be inserted into the urethra of a woman and cause less foreign body sensation during daily life.

[0058] FIG. 8 illustrates the female incontinence innerwear of FIG. 1 including the guide of FIG. 7 positioned inside underwear.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 8a, the female incontinence innerwear (10) of FIGS. 1 and 2 including the guide of FIG. 7 is worn inside female underwear (26).

[0060] As described above, the pad part (14) of the guide guide (14) of the female incontinence innerwear (10) can be attached to the female underwear (26) while the protrusion (32, 32a) is inserted into the female urethra.

[0061] Women can wear outerwear while wearing women's underwear (30) with women's incontinence innerwear (10).

[0062] After using the female incontinence innerwear (10), the pad part (14) can be discarded and the guide (14) can be washed and reused.

[0063] According to the female incontinence innerwear (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the amount of urine flowing out due to incontinence is large, all of the urine is absorbed so that the urine does not wet the underwear, thereby providing a comfortable life.

[0064] This allows men to maintain their self-esteem without restricting their physical activity in daily life and social activities.

[0065] Although the female incontinence innerwear (10) according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the above drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0066] For example, the protrusions (32, 32a) described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 may be separated and exist separately, and the protrusions (32, 32a) may be fastened to the guide guide (14). At this time, the protrusions (32, 32a) and the guide guide (14) may have a fastening structure, for example, an insertion structure or a bolt / nut structure.

[0067] For another example, the guide guide (14) may not include a locking member (20), and the opening (21) of the pad portion (12) and one end of the guide guide (14) may have a fastening structure, for example, an insertion structure or a bolt / nut structure. In this case, after one end of the guide guide (14) is fastened to the opening (21) of the pad portion (12) and used, the two can be separated, the pad portion (12) can be discarded, and the guide guide (14) can be reused.

[0068] As another example, a guide guide (14) made of silicone material and a guide frame made of an absorbable material, for example, vinyl material, are placed in the opening (21) of the pad portion (12), so that one end of the guide guide (14) can be prevented from coming off after being inserted into the opening (21) of the pad portion (12), regardless of the presence or absence of a catch member (20) of the guide guide (14).

[0069] The female incontinence underwear (10) can be used not only on the female urethra, but also on the female vagina adjacent to the female urethra, as illustrated in Fig. 8b. In this case, the pad portion (12) may have a structure that includes an opening (21) like a typical sanitary pad.

[0070] Fig. 9 is a side view of another example of the guide guide of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the guide guide of Fig. 9.

[0071] Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a support protrusion (34) may be arranged on the inside of the guide guide (18). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the support protrusions (34) may be arranged radially around the hole (16), in a specific number, for example, six, to serve to contact the female body. A space exists between the support protrusions (34) and the inside of the guide guide (18), so that urine leaking from the female urethra can be directed toward the hole (16).

[0072] In addition, the thickness of the guide guide (18) becomes thinner from the hole (16) to the end, so that when the inner side of the guide guide (18) from the support protrusion (34) comes into contact with the woman's body, it can be deformed to fit the woman's body due to surface tension, etc., and can be made to adhere closely. For example, the thickness of the fog guide (18) can be 3 mm at the hole () and gradually become thinner to 1 mm at the end.

[0073] In other words, a support projection (34) is radially arranged in the hole (16) on the inside of the guide guide (18), and the thickness of the guide guide (18) can become thinner from the hole (16) toward the end.

[0074] Although all components constituting the embodiments of the present invention have been described as being combined or operating in combination as one, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments. That is, within the scope of the present invention, all of the components may be selectively combined and operated in one or more combinations.

[0075] In addition, terms such as "include," "comprise," or "have" described above, unless specifically stated otherwise, mean that the corresponding component may be included, and therefore should be interpreted to include other components rather than excluding other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted to be consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

[0076] The above description is merely an illustrative illustration of the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.

[0077]

[0078] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0079] This patent application claims priority under 35 USC §119(a) to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0116918, filed September 4, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, this patent application claims priority in countries other than the United States for the same reasons, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. Women's incontinence innerwear located inside women's underwear. A pad that absorbs urine leaking from a woman's urethra due to urinary incontinence; and A female incontinence innerwear having one end facing the female urethra when positioned inside the female underwear, the other end connected to the inside of the pad portion, and including a guide including a hole for guiding the urine flowing out from the female urethra through the hole to the pad portion.

2. In paragraph 1, The above pad portion includes an opening into which the other end of the guide guide is inserted, The above guide guide extends outward and includes a locking member having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the opening, which does not come out of the opening after being inserted into the opening of the pad part, and is an innerwear for women's incontinence.

3. In paragraph 2, The above guide includes a support part that contacts the body of the woman around the urethra of the woman at one end facing the urethra of the woman, The above support member is a female incontinence underwear that covers at least the female urethra.

4. In paragraph 1, A female incontinence innerwear, further comprising a urine volume sensor that is positioned or built into all or part of the above pad portion and generates an alarm sound or vibration when the amount of urine exceeds a certain level.

5. In paragraph 1, The above guide is a female incontinence underwear including a protrusion extending from one end facing the female urethra.

6. In paragraph 1, The above protrusion is inserted into the urethra of the woman, and is a female incontinence underwear.

7. In paragraph 1, The above pad part is a female incontinence innerwear including an outer fabric made of at least one of chemical pulp or polymer chemical absorbent, wood pulp, and organic cotton, and an inner absorbent part treated with silver nano or antibacterial agents.

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