Multiply folded adhesive diaper fastener

Abstract

A diaper fastener for use on a diaper having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a lateral margin, the fastener comprising a first strip of tape having an adhesive coated on one surface thereof, a first portion of said one surface in contact with the outer diaper surface adjacent the lateral margin for securing the fastener to the diaper. A second strip member is adhesively secured to a second portion of the first tape adjacent the first portion, the second strip member including an opening therethrough whereby adhesive in first tape second portion is exposed through said opening. The second strip member includes an exposed surface which has limited affinity for the adhesive. A third portion of the first tape is in contact with the exposed surface of the second strip member and includes an opening aligned with the opening in the second strip member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to diaper fasteners of the variety which include an adhesive-bearing tape for securing opposite ends of the tape to different parts of the diaper thereby retaining the diaper on an infant.

Tape fasteners of this general variety have been proposed which include a strip of tape and a centrally located release sheet which is adhesively secured to the strip of tape and has an exposed surface which has been treated to have a limited affinity for the adhesive. An end portion of the strip of tape is folded over for contact with that exposed surface thereby retaining the fastener in a folded configuration and protecting the adhesive on that end portion without the necessity of a separate, removable release sheet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide for an improved fastener of the type described above, which is easy to use and compact and neat appearing as presented to the consumer.

To achieve these and other objects, diaper fastener constructed according to the present invention comprises a first strip of tape having an adhesive coated on one surface thereof. A first portion of that surface is in contact with the outer diaper surface adjacent said lateral margin for securing the fastener to the diaper. A second strip member is adhesively secured to a second portion of the first tape adjacent the first portion, the second strip including an opening therethrough whereby adhesive on the second portion is exposed through the opening. The second strip member includes an exposed surface which has limited affinity for the adhesive. A third portion of said first tape is in contact with the exposed surface of the second strip and includes an opening aligned with the opening in the second strip. Preferably, the opening in the second strip is adjacent the third portion of the first strip and is laterally centered with respect to the first strip of tape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a particular preferred embodiment, taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a diaper fastener constructed according to the present invention in the configuration as presented to the consumer;

FIG. 1A is a view taken at 1A--1A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fastener of FIG. 1 as partially extended; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fastener of FIG. 1 as fully extended preparatory to use in securing a diaper to an infant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PARTICULAR PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawing, a disposable diaper 10 comprises an absorbent body 12 disposed between an outer water impervious plastic backing sheet 14 and an inner water pervious liner 16. The backing sheet 14 extends around the diaper lateral margin 18 providing portion 20 of the plastic which forms a portion of the diaper's inner surface.

A fastener 22 constructed according to the present invention comprises a first strip of tape 24 and a second strip member 26. The strip of tape 24 is approximately three times as long as the strip 26 and has an adhesive coated over the entirety of its surface 28 (i.e., the upper surface of strip 24 as viewed in FIG. 3). A first portion 30 of the surface 28 is in contact with the plastic outer surface of the diaper 10 adjacent the lateral margin 18 and is adhesively secured thereto. The portion 32 of strip 24 which underlies the strip 26 comprises a second portion of the strip 24 which abuts the portion 30 in the region of the lateral margin 18. A third portion 34 of the strip 24 extends from the end of strip 26 remote from the lateral edge 18 (as viewed in FIG. 3) to the end of the strip 24.

The strip member 26 may comprise paper with its upper surface 36 treated with a release agent. The strip 26 is provided with an opening 38 whereby a portion 40 of the adhesive in the tape portion 32 is exposed. As best seen by a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3, the portion 34 of tape strip 24 is provided with an opening 42 which is aligned with the opening 38 when the portion 34 is folded over for contact with the surface 36.

As best seen in FIG. 2, when the portion 34 is folded over for contact with surface 36, the alignment of openings 38 and 42 exposes a region 40 of adhesive. By then folding the strip 24 around the lateral margin 18 of the diaper 10 the region 40 of exposed adhesive can be brought in contact with the portion 20 of plastic backing sheet 14, as in FIG. 1A. The adhesive in the region 40, therefore, serves to retain the fastener 22 in a compact, neat appearing configuration prior to the use of the fastener. The fastener configuration also is an aid to automated packaging of the diapers since loose, projecting tapes are eliminated.

When the diaper is to be placed on an infant, the folded over portion of the fastener which overlies the inner surface of the diaper can readily be pulled free from the portion 20 of the plastic 14 to achieve a configuration as shown in FIG. 2. Even though the adhesive used forms a strong bond with the plastic 14, by making the region 40 small enough a bond can be achieved which is easily overcome by the consumer and yet sufficient to retain the fastener in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 during normal manufacturing and handling processes. Finally, the portion 34 of strip 24 is peeled from the surface 36 of the strip 26 to achieve the configuration shown in FIG. 3.

With the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, the exposed adhesive in the region 34 of strip 24 is available for securing the diaper to the infant, while the exposed surface 36 of the strip 26 provides a non-adhesive region in the area where the front and back waistline portions of a conventional diaper are brought into contact prior to taping. This latter feature, of course, assures that even if the diaper is ill-fitting and/or stretched or twisted during use, the adhesive on the fastener 22 will never come in contact with the infant's skin.

While a particular preferred embodiment has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in detail herein, other embodiments are within the scope of the invention and the following claims.

Claims

I claim

1. A diaper fastener for use on a diaper having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a lateral margin, the fastener comprising a first strip of tape having an adhesive coated on one surface thereof, a first portion of said one surface in contact with said outer diaper surface adjacent said lateral margin for securing said fastener to said diaper, a second strip member adhesively secured to a second portion of said one surface adjacent said first portion, said second strip member including an opening therethrough whereby adhesive in said second portion is exposed through said opening, said second strip member including an exposed surface which has limited affinity for said adhesive, a third portion of said one surface in contact with said exposed surface of said second strip member and including an opening aligned with said opening in said second strip member, the adhesive on said second portion which is exposed through said first and second aligned openings being in contact with said diaper inner surface.

2. A diaper fastener as claimed in claim 1 wherein said opening in said second strip member is adjacent said third portion.

3. A diaper fastener as claimed in claim 2 wherein said opening in said second strip member is laterally centered with respect to said first strip of tape.