Hitherto known incontinence shields normally comprise conventional diapers, which are substantially planar and, for example, of rectangular shape. Such diapers, however, are intended for the absorption of urine and excretement, and are thus unsuitable for persons who solely require a urine-collecting incontinence shield or guard. The diaper must have a certain width and the absorbent body must have a given thickness, in order to have satisfactory absorption ability. Naturally, the diaper takes up an equivalent amount of room between the legs of the wearer, causing discomfort to the wearer, in the form of chafing, sores etc. In the case of diapers, there is also a serious risk that excreted body fluids will leak past the edges of the diaper, when the diaper becomes saturated and is compressed between the legs of the wearer during wear.
It is known to give the incontinence shield a container-like form, in which the shield comprises an outer layer of liquid-impermeable material and an absorbent material arranged therein. Shields of this kind function quite satisfactorily in the case of men with a penis of normal size, which can be accomodated in the container and embraced thereby. Under certain conditions, however, and particularly when the penis of the wearer is relatively small, there is a serious risk of the penis leaving its position in the container.
One particular problem is that of providing a suitable incontinence shield for older men whose penises are retarded and so small that they cannot be accomodated satisfactorily in a hose-like casing.
The SE Patent Specification No. 426 206 describes an incontinence shield in which, in an attempt to solve the problem of holding the container-like shield in position also with men whose penis is small or retarded, said shield is arranged to be brought into sealing abutment with the body of the wearer in the area around the root or base of the penis, thereby to try to hold the container more securely.
The shield according to this publication has the form of a flat hose-like member having two pairs of mutually opposing edges. The hose-like member has the form of a parallelogram, of which three edges are closed and the fourth edge has been left open. Thus, there is obtained at the opening an acute corner and an obtuse corner. When the shield is worn, the acute corner is turned to face upwards and the obtuse corner is turned to face downwards. As opposed to other known urine-collecting containers in which the opening edge lies at right angles to the long axis of the container, in the shield according to the aforesaid publication the side edges of said opening extend obliquely upwards, along the sides of the root of the penis, it being maintained that in this way the penis is held relatively securely in position, even when the penis of the wearer is relatively small.
The aforedescribed incontinence shields, which are solely intended to embrace the penis of the wearer, do not function entirely satisfactorily and are readily able to slip from their intended position.
The present invention is based on the concept of using the scrotum or testicle-pouch of the wearer, in addition to his penis, as a means for holding an incontinence shield safely around said penis.
Accordingly, this invention is characterized in that the shield has a front-piece, a back-piece and a centre-piece (or a connecting line) which connects said front-piece and said back-piece and which is narrower in relation thereto and which serves as the bottom of the container-like shield; in that the shield is arranged to embrace both the penis and the testicle-pouch of the wearer; in that to this end the back-piece is provided with a slit or recess which extends from the end edge of said back-piece; and in that wing-like portions formed on the back-piece by said slit or said recess and located on both sides thereof are intended to be clamped firmly against the body of the wearer, beneath the testicle-pouch thereof. The absorbent body of the shield is suitably soft and compressible, and in addition to functioning as an absorption medium is also intended to impart a given requisite stability to the wing-like portions, to enable said wing-like portions to be compressed and moulded beneath the testicle-pouch of the wearer, so as to hold the shield firmly.
Because the shield is intended to embrace both the penis and testicle-pouch of the wearer, the shield will be held more positively, even when the penis of the wearer is small.
According to one suitable embodiment, the inner and outer sides of the shield have portions which extend laterally beyond the absorbent body and there joined together.
In order to form a closed, liquid-tight container, the outer edges of said portions on the front-piece of the shield are sealingly joined to corresponding portions on the back-piece thereof.
The lateral extension of the absorbent body in the centre-piece should not be too great, since the crutch of the wearer might otherwise become chafed. When seen longitudinally, the size of the front-piece and back-piece of the shield is chosen so as to accomodate both the penis and the testicle-pouch of the wearer. In order to avoid chafing of the crutch of the wearer, the lateral extension of the absorbent body shall be less than one-half the length of the front-piece and back-piece respectively, and suitably greater than one-quarter of said length, in order to provide a satsifactory absorption capacity.
In order that the centre-piece of the shield is able to accomodate the testicle-pouch of the wearer, the inner and outer sides of the shield shall have a lateral extension which is substantially from 1.5 to 2.0 times the extension of the absorbent layer.
In accordance with one suitable embodiment, a pre-tensioned elastic thread or the like is arranged across the centre-piece, in a manner to gather the sharp edges extending beyond the absorbent layer and formed by the outer and inner sides of the shield.
The recess formed in the back-piece of the shield is substantially of U-shape, thereby to obtain close, sealing abutment with the body of the wearer, around the base of the testicle-pouch.
Additionally hereto, in accordance with another suitable embodiment of the invention, one or more pre-tensioned elastic threads or the like may be arranged transversely of the shield, so as to tighten the shield around the penis and testicle-pouch of the wearer.