Thong Sanitary Pad with Waisted Channel and Flow Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sanitary pad designs are inadequate for women with moderate to heavy menstrual flow, as they often lead to leakage due to the narrow saddle portion of thong-style underwear, which cannot effectively contain and manage uterine flow, causing discomfort and inconvenience in daily life.
Innovation Solution
A thong-style sanitary pad with a flexible fluid impervious lower layer, a fluid absorbent core, and a porous upper layer, featuring a waisted design with upwardly extending side walls and low-rise flow guiding rails to redirect fluid flow from the capture zone to reservoir areas, preventing overflow and leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a traditional sanitary pad design is used, then absorbency is improved, but the pad creates visible panty lines and is uncomfortable to wear with thong-style underwear
Solution Approach 1:
The pad is divided into distinct functional zones: a narrow saddle portion for comfort and invisibility under thongs, and extended front and back portions for absorbency. This segmentation allows the pad to provide sufficient absorbency while maintaining a narrow profile at the saddle area to prevent visible panty lines.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the pad have different widths and absorbent capacities tailored to their specific functions. The saddle portion is narrow for comfort, while the front and back portions are extended to provide absorbency reservoirs, creating local quality variations that solve both comfort and absorbency requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the saddle portion is narrowed to fit thong-style underwear, then comfort and visibility are improved, but the ability to contain and manage heavy menstrual flow deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pad extends in the longitudinal dimension (front to back) rather than increasing width at the saddle portion. This dimensional change allows the pad to provide sufficient absorbency capacity for heavy flow while maintaining a narrow saddle width for comfort and visibility under thong-style underwear.
3Ease of operation
If a narrow saddle portion is used, then the pad fits thong-style underwear better, but fluid diversion and containment become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The front and back portions act as intermediary fluid reservoirs that receive and contain menstrual flow diverted from the narrow saddle portion. These extended portions serve as mediators that capture fluid laterally, preventing leakage while the saddle portion maintains its narrow, comfortable fit.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively contains and manages moderate to heavy menstrual flow, reducing the risk of leakage and allowing women to wear thongs during their menstrual cycle without the discomfort of bulkier pads, enhancing daily life quality.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid absorbent core
Implementation Method 2
fluid absorbent core mounted on the lower layer
Implementation Method 3
the fluid impervious lower layer is formed as a fluid diverting and containment channel
Implementation Method 4
a porous upper layer mounted atop the fluid absorbent core
Data Source
AI summary
An improved sanitary pad for use in a thong-style pair of underwear to absorb and retain anticipated menstrual flow volume and at the anticipated flow rate contains a double layer of absorbent material in a waisted, water impervious flexible channel. The waisting of the channel is sized to accommodate the narrow lateral width of the thong saddle. The upright substantially flat or otherwise smooth sides of the channel guide flow entering a capture zone of the pad saddle away from the capture zone to longitudinally outer reservoir zones formed in the front and rear of the pad. In one embodiment flexible guides, which may be longitudinal rails of a flexible water-impervious substance or material, run longitudinally or substantially parallel to the sides of the channel, spaced inwardly therefrom, to assist in guiding or urging flow in and below the capture zone longitudinally towards the reservoir zones.