US2122417A - Infant's garment - Google Patents

Description

July 5, 1938. A. FRIDQLPH INFANTS GARMENT Filed May 8, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 TTORNEYS July 5, 1938. A. FRIDOLPH INFANTS GARMENT Filed May 8, 1935 3 Sheets-Shoot 2 INVENTQR 1 ATTORNEYS Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to infants diapers and has for itsobject to provide an article of this character which is fashioned from a single thickness of clothin such manner that when placed on the infant sufficient overlying folds will be provided where necessary to protect the outer garments of the infant without the undesirable bulk around its waist and legs, which is unavoid able with the ordinary diaper.

The ordinary infant's diaper consists of a piece of cloth of square or rectangular shape, usually large enough in size to be so folded as to provide three or four thicknesses of material throughout. When a diaper of this character is pinned onto the infant, it is necessarily bulky around the waist andlegs, particularly where the edges or corners are overlapped for fastening. The disadvantages inherent in diapers of this kind have led to the production of various forms of fabricated diapers wherein the middle portion of the diaper is formed of several layers of material permanently sewed together with the contour of the fabric shaped to be pinned or buttoned onto the infant. Such garments, however, have not met with favor for various reasons, but principally because they do not withstand repeated washings of the thoroughness necessary for a pad of this character.

By my invention I provide a diaper which has no more bulk around the waist and legs of the infant than the fabricated diapers above referred to and which at the same time is as readily washed as the ordinary cloth diaper.

A further object of the invention is to provide a a diaper which may be readily adjusted both at the waist and at the legs, so that a stock of three or four different sizes is all that is required to properly outfit infants of all sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an article of this class wherein extra layers of material, either of absorbent wadding or of rubber or other waterproof fabric, may be employed without special fasteners of any kind and also without such extra material coming in contact with the body of the infant.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a diaper which requires but little more than half the cloth required for the ordinary square or oblong diaper.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the preferred form of my invention and several modifications thereof, and in the said drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the manner in which my improved diaper is folded around 'the body of the infant;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the diaper as it appears when ready to be put on the infant;

Figure. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 11 is a plan view of the blank from which the diaper of Figures 9 and 10 is made;

Figure 12 is a perspective detail of a modification of the strap or holding means, applied to garments of cloth;

Figure 13 is a plan, or developed, view showing modified holding means;

Figure 14 is a folded view of another form of holding means;

Figure 15 is a plan view of a blank variant of that of Figure 11;

Figure 16 is a plan view of the diaper of Figure 4 modified so as to be able to make it of tissue or other paper;

Figure 17 shows the blank of Figure 15 folded to provide a fiat smooth obverse surface, and

Figure 18 is a developed view of Figure 12.

In manufacturing the diapers they are preferably cut from a continuous web of material as indicated in Figure 5. The material is preferably a light weight cotton cloth of the character ordinarily used for diapers, and it is cut to provide a middle body portion I extending the full width of the web and side extensions 2 of somewhat less width, the only waste in cutting this form of the diaper being the small strips cut off at the ends of these side extensions 2. The extensions 2 are partially separated from the body portion by transverse cuts 3 which extend for part of their length at right angles to the length of the web and are then curved inwardly toward each other and also toward the middle of the web, as shown at 4.

The margins of the body portion are folded along a line co-extensive with the ends of the extensions 2, as shown in Figure 4, and are stitched at the corners, forming in effect a. wide hem which by virtue of the middle part being unstitched, provides a pocket 5 to receive the ends of the extensions when the latter are folded over as shown in Figure 2. The edges of the extensions and the unfolded edges of the body portions may be finished with blanket stitching or in any other desired fashion, or may be left unfinished.

The diaper may, if desired, be provided with buttons or other suitable fasteners or may be left without fastenings to be held in place by safety pins, after the manner of the ordinary diaper. I prefer, however, to provide the fastening means length of tape 6 sewed at its middle, as indicated at 1, to the body portion near one edge and at the middle of the pocket or hem 5. The tape is provided with buttons 8 or other fastening means at each end and at the other edge of the body portion near the stitched ends of the other pocket or hem 5, a plurality of buttonholes 9 are provided, the buttonholes being arranged at different distances from the lateral edges of the body portion and also from the transverse edges, whereby. when the garment is folded around the infant, as shown in Figure 1, the waist dimensign may be adjusted and also the size of the leg opening. Usually three buttonholes placed as indicated in the drawings, are sufficient for practical purposes, but a greater or less number and a different arrangement may be provided, if desired. Also, of course, the buttonholes may be applied to the tape and the buttons attached to the diaper as in Figure 14, or snap fasteners may be employed, or any other suitable fastening means.

The improved diaper, when folded and applied as described, provides three thicknesses of'cloth throughout the middle portion of the diaper, with but a single thickness throughoutthe greater part of the overlapping portions at the waist and around the legs of the infant, thereby greatly reducing the bulk of the garment at these points. If desired, the middle portion of the diaper may be rendered impervious by enclosing within the folds of the body portion and the extensions, extra layers of material, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. For example, a thin sheet of rubber may be used, or a plurality of layers. of absorbent cellulose tissue may be used, or as shown, a sheet I 0 of rubber may be employed together with the overlying sheets ll of tissue. When so used, the rubber and tissue sheets are completely enclosed between the bodyportion of the diaper on the outside and the overlying extensions on the inside next to the body of the infant. The sheets'of rubber and tissue are held securely in place by the overlapping extensions which are tucked at their ends into the pockets provided at the lateral edges of the body portion of the diaper. When so folded, the diaper with its enclosed protective material can be handled in the same man ner as the ordinary fabricated diaper wherein the greater part of its length, offers no real difficulty to complete and thorough washing.

I'n Figures 6, '7 and 8, I have shown a modified form of diaper wherein the body portion la is of the same design as in the preferred form. In this form of the invention, however, the extension 2a is at one side only of the body portion but is of a width such that the extension can be folded to a double thickness on the transverse fold l3 before the extension is folded over onto the body portion so that when the diaper is folded it is of substantially the same shape as the firstdescribed form.

To facilitate the manufacture of the garment, the web of cloth from which the diapers are made may be hemmed along both edges, as shown in Figure 8, before the transverse cuts 3 and 4 are made, the stitching of the hem being interrupted at intervals to provide the pockets 5 'at each' edge of the body portion. This edge stitching with periodic interruption may be readily carried out with automatic machines now on the market for that purpose, as the web of cloth is advanced to the cutters, or both out and stitched on the same machine.

In Figures 9, 10 and 11, I have shown a further modified form of garment wherein the extensions are formed by diagonal cuts l4 adjacent the four corners of the sheet offabric from which the diapers are fashioned. As shown in Figure 11, the sheet is substantially square, and the pockets l5 are formed by turning overthe opposite edges in the manner previously described. This form of my invention requires less cloth than the previously described form, the width of the diaper in the direction corresponding to the length of the web being no greater than the width of the body portion.

In Figures 12 and 18 the diaper is made of cloth and the fastening means of Figure 1 are shown modified to eliminate the stitching l, the strap 6 being held in place by a loop or tab 2i.

In Figure 13 there is shown an embodiment obviating the necessity of using parts comprising pockets like 5, yet retaining all the advantages thereof, and including incisions or slits 28' instead of the pockets, for receiving the foldedover ends. The diaper may be made either of the regular cloth, or of fibrous, vegetable sheetmaterial, such as paper.

The article of Figures 15 and 17 is somewhat similar to that of Figures 9, 10, and 11, but in this instance the blank is preferably made of paper, and instead of having its corners truncated, as in Figure 11, has them full and intact, and instead of pockets such as 5, has slits 23 to receive the ends, as shown in Figure 17.

In Figure 16 is shown an article of the present invention made of absorbent web or tissue, such as cellulose flock, or paper. The paper diaper of Figure 16 resembles that of Figure 4, but omits the pockets 5, the strap 6 and button fasteners, etc., instead employing the slots 22 to receive the corners of the folded extensions to make the diaper encircle the infants body and be securely held there.

My improved diaper is well adapted also to be made of paper or other disposable sheet material, in which instance the folded-over marginal edges forming the pockets I 5 will be fastened at their ends with eyelets or with one of the separable parts of an ordinary snap fastener, in which instance the fastener serves the double purpose of forming the pocket, or, whenmade of paper or the like, they may be pressed together at the edges by felting when they are cut out of the piled blanks. The side extensions may obviously' be made of any width desired so as to be folded once or twice against itself before being folded against the body portion to thereby provide as many thicknesses of material at the middle of the body portion as desired.

It will of course be understood that the shape -of the garment may be otherwise modified with- 1. As a new article of manufacture, an infant's diaper comprising a body portion of sheet material and an extension at one sidethereof, the body portion having spaced, relatively shallow pockets along the edges at right angles to the its hemmed edges than in the middle, an extension on one side of said body portion, said extension being wider in the middle portion than at the ends and connected thereto only at the narrow middle part of the said body portion, whereby when the said extension is foldedover against the body portion it will cover only the middle, narrow portion thereof, the ends of said extension being inserted within said folds when the extension is folded over against the body portion.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a diaper formed pf a single thickness of material comprising a body portion having folds at two opposite edges thereof, the said folds being stitched at their ends only to thereby form shallow pockets, said body portion being of greater width along its hemmed edges than in the middle, extensions on both sides of said body portion, said extensions being wider in the middle portion than at the ends and connected thereto only at the narrow middle part of said body portion, whereby when the extensions are folded over they will cover only the middle narrow portion thereof, the ends of said extension being inserted within said folds when the extension is folded over against the body portion.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an infant's diaper comprising a body portion of sheet material having its end portions wider than the middle portion and an extension on one side thereof connected to the middle portion of the body portion, said body portion having an opening at each end through which the opposite ends of the extension may be inserted to lie behind a part of said body portion at each end thereof when the extension is folded over against the body portion along a line transverse of the connection of the body portion and the extension.

5. As a new article of manufacture, an infant's diaper comprising a body portion of sheet material having its end'portions wider than the middle portion, an extension on one side thereof connected to the middle portion of the body portion, said body portion havirigan opening at each end through which the opposite ends of the extension maybe inserted to lie behind a part of said body portion at each end thereof when the extension is folded over against the body portion along a line transverse of the connection of the body por-' tion and the extension, and means for fastening the diaper in place comprising a tape attached to the body portion of the diaper at a position to project laterally in opposite directions from the middle, fastening means at the ends of the tape and a plurality of co-operating fastening means attached to the opposite sides of the body portion of the diaper, said co-operating fastening means being positioned at different distances both vertically and laterally from the corner of the diaper, whereby both the waist dimension and the leg openings of the diaper when in place on an infant may be varied by the selection of one or another of the co-operating fastenings.

said body portion being of greater width along 6. As a new article of manufacture, an infant's diaper comprising a body portion of sheet material having its end portions wider than the middle portion, an extension on one side thereof connected to the middle portion of the body portion, said body portion having an opening at each end through which the opposite ends of the extension may be inserted to lie behind a part of said body portion at each end thereof when the extension is folded over against the body portion along a line transverse of the connection of the body portion and the extension, and means for fastening the diaper in place comprising a loop. a separate tape passed through the loop and projected laterally in opposite directions from the middle, male fastening means on the end .of the tape and the plurality of female fastening members formed in the opposite sides of said body portion, said latter fastening means being positioned at different distances, both vertically and laterally from the corner of the diaper.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a diaper formed of a single thickness of material, comprising a body portion having incisions therethrough along two opposite edges, the end portions of said body portion being of greater width than the middle portion, extensions on two other sides of said body portion, said extensions being of a length suflicient to extend outwardly beyond the incisions in the body portions and being wider in the middle than at the ends, saidextensions being connected to the body portion only at the narrower middle portion thereof, said extensions being adapted to be folded over the narrower middle portion of the body portion and to have parts of their respective end portions passed through the'incisions in the body portion.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a diaper formed of a single thickness of material, comprising a body portion having incisions therethrough along two opposite edges, the end portions of said body portion being of greater width than the middle portion, extensions on two other sides of said body portion, said extensions being of a length less than the length of the body portion but sufficient to extend outwardly beyond the incisions in the body portion and being wider in the middle than at the ends, said extensions being connected to the body portion only at the narrower middle portion thereof, said extensions being adapted to be folded over the narrower middle portion of the body portion, and to have parts of their respective end portions passed through the incisions in the body portion.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a diaper formed of a single thickness of fibrous vegetable material, comprising a body portion having diagonally extending incisions adjacent two opposite edges, the end portions of said body portion being of greater width than the middle portion, extensions on two other sides of said body portion, said extensions being of a length less than the length of the body portion but sufilcient to extend outwardly beyond the incisions in the body portion and .being wider in the middle than at the ends, said extensions being connected to the body portion only at the narrow middle portion thereof, said extensions being adapted to be folded over the narrower middle portion of the body, portion, and to have parts of their respective end portions passed through the incisions in the body portion.

ANNETTE FRIDOLPH.

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