UNDERGARMENT WITH ABSORPTIVE PAD

Abstract

A men's undergarment is adapted to manage urinary incontinence and hygiene in active men who have medical conditions resulting in, or who have undergone genitourinary treatments that result in urinary incontinence. The undergarment may provide scrotal and genital protection by the design of the undergarment, which may include a scrotal protector, penile apron, urine leakage reservoir and a removable absorbent pad. The undergarment may be made of a fabric that promotes wicking and aeration. The undergarment may include access points that enable the user to conveniently remove and replace a soiled pad in a public restroom while, for example, standing at a urinal.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to undergarments and, more particularly, to men's undergarments designed with an absorptive pad for male urinary incontinence to help preserve genital hygiene.

Existing undergarments specifically designed for management of urinary incontinence in men merely employ standard men's undergarments and a pad which is incorporated or adhesively attached thereto. Scrotal, penile shaft and perineal areas are exposed to the soiled pad or garment and are contiguous to the soiled material, creating odor and skin irritation.

Current men's undergarments are not effective because they do not provide protection to parts of the male anatomy from urine or adhesive pads. They also do not provide a readily accessible and buffered reservoir for a urine collecting pad which can be conveniently accessed without taking off the user's outer garments and trousers.

As can be seen, there is a need for an undergarment that may accommodate and protect the different parts of male genital anatomy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, an undergarment comprises a front panel adapted to be disposed in front of a user's genitals when wearing the undergarment; an inner panel disposed adjacent to the front panel, the inner panel adapted to support the user's scrotal sac and provide a pad reservoir in between the front panel and the inner panel; an absorbent pad removably disposed in the pad reservoir; and an apron secured above the inner panel, the apron adapted to drape over the user's penile shaft when wearing the undergarment.

In another aspect of the present invention, a men's undergarment comprises a waistband; a main undergarment body attached to the waistband; leg holes formed in the main undergarment body; a front panel, attached to the waistband and main undergarment body, the front panel adapted to be disposed in front of a user's genitals when wearing the undergarment; an inner panel, attached to the main undergarment body, the inner penal disposed adjacent to the front panel adapted to support the user's scrotal sac and provide a pad reservoir in between the front panel and the inner panel; an absorbent pad removably disposed in the pad reservoir; and an apron secured above the inner panel, the apron adapted to drape over the user's penile shaft when wearing the undergarment.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an undergarment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an internal (inside-out) front view of the undergarment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an internal front view of the undergarment of FIG. 1 with a portion broken away;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of an undergarment pad according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a back view of the undergarment pad of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the undergarment pad of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the undergarment pad of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a men's undergarment adapted to manage urinary incontinence and hygiene in active men who have medical conditions resulting in, or who have undergone genitourinary treatments that result in urinary incontinence. The undergarment may provide scrotal and genital protection by the design of the undergarment, which may include a scrotal protector, penile apron, urine leakage reservoir and a removable absorbent pad. The undergarment may be made of a fabric that promotes wicking and aeration. The undergarment may include access points that enable the user to conveniently remove and replace a soiled pad in a public restroom while, for example, standing at a urinal.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 8, an undergarment 10 may include a pad reservoir adapted to hold a removable and disposable absorbent pad 22. The undergarment 10 may include a waistband attached to an undergarment main body 13. Leg holes 14 may be formed in the undergarment main body 13 in a style similar to men's undergarments.

On the exterior of the front of the undergarment 10, front panels 16 may be disposed to form an exterior side of the pad reservoir. On the interior of the front of the undergarment 10, inner panels 17 may form an interior side of the pad reservoir. A pocket 18 may be formed between the front panels 16 and the inner panels 17. One side of the inner panels 17 may support and buffer the user's scrotal sac and testicles from irritating and non-hygienic urine. The upper edge of the inner panels 17 may be formed in a V-shape leading into the pocket 18. The upper edge of the inner panels 17 may be elasticized to allow the penile shaft to drape over the scrotal support (inner panels 17), over the angle of the V-shape, without touching the scrotal skin.

An apron 20 may drape over the dorsal part of the penile shaft, protecting the pubic hair and dorsal penile shaft from the potentially irritating and unhygienic urine collecting reservoir. The apron 20 may be attached to the waistband 12 at the ends thereof, providing the user with an opening for inserting and removing the absorbent pad 22. An opening may also be provided between the front flaps 16 and the main body 13 of the undergarment 10 to provide access to the absorbent pad 22. A side window to the absorbent pad 22 may be formed in the anterior and lateral part of the undergarment 10 to enable the user to insert or remove the absorbent pad 22 from the anterior lateral position. In some embodiments, this side window and other openings to access the absorbent pad 22 may be closed with, for example, a zipper (not shown).

To use the undergarment, the user may position their penile shaft into the pocket 18 formed between the front flaps 16 and the inner panels 17. The absorbent pad 22 disposed between the front flaps 16 and the inner panels 17 may collect released urine from the tip of the penile shaft. The absorbent pad 22 may be uniquely and adaptively shaped, removable, disposable, and specifically designed for the undergarment 10. A soiled absorbent pad 22 may be easily removed and replaced with a clean pad as needed.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the front flaps 16 and the inner panels 17 may include a material that may retain moisture on the absorbent pad 22, thereby protecting the user from absorbed urine from passing through the inner panel 17 to contact the user's skin.

While the Figures specifically show brief-style undergarments, the present invention may be adapted for use with other style of undergarments.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. An undergarment comprising:

a front panel adapted to be disposed in front of a user's genitals when wearing the undergarment;

an inner panel disposed adjacent to the front panel, the inner panel adapted to support the user's scrotal sac and provide a pad reservoir in between the front panel and the inner panel;

an absorbent pad removably disposed in the pad reservoir; and

an apron secured above the inner panel, the apron adapted to drape over the user's penile shaft when wearing the undergarment.

2. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the front panel comprises two front panels stitched together.

3. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein an upper edge of the inner panel forms a V-shape.

4. The undergarment of claim 3, wherein the upper edge of the inner panel is elasticized.

5. The undergarment of claim 3, wherein a pocket to access the pad reservoir is formed at the V-shape of the upper edge of the inner panel.

6. The undergarment of claim 1, further comprising at least one opening for removing or replacing the absorbent pad from the undergarment.

7. The undergarment of claim 1, wherein the front panel is attached to a waistband of the undergarment.

8. The undergarment of claim 7, wherein the inner panel is attached to a main body of the undergarment.

9. A men's undergarment comprising:

a waistband;

a main undergarment body attached to the waistband;

leg holes formed in the main undergarment body;

a front panel, attached to the waistband and main undergarment body, the front panel adapted to be disposed in front of a user's genitals when wearing the undergarment;

an inner panel, attached to the main undergarment body, the inner penal disposed adjacent to the front panel adapted to support the user's scrotal sac and provide a pad reservoir in between the front panel and the inner panel;

an absorbent pad removably disposed in the pad reservoir; and

an apron secured above the inner panel, the apron adapted to drape over the user's penile shaft when wearing the undergarment.

10. The men's undergarment of claim 9, wherein an upper edge of the inner panel forms a V-shape and the upper edge of the inner panel is elasticized.