Combination burp pad and bib

[57] ABSTRACT

A disposable absorptive pad used to protect the clothing of the wearer while burping a baby or, alternatively, to use as a bib is described. The pad comprises a layer of relatively impervious material overlain by a coextensive layer of absorbent material and is contoured to encircle a childs neck when attached by adhesive means as a bib or, alternatively, is converted to a form adapted to fit a persons shoulder upon which it may be attached by said adhesive means and which thereby provides protection for the clothing of the wearer. The adhesive means consists of gummed chemical adherents or fiber-engaging physical adherents.

Claim, 4 Drawing Figures

<img file="US3871027A_D0001.tif" />

-t14

PATENTED» 81975

3,871,027

<img file="US3871027A_D0002.tif" />

3,871,027

COMBINATION BURP PAD AND BIB

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention described herein relates to a disposable protective pad adapted to be worn by mothers or other persons during the feeding of small children or babies. It is related to and is an improvement over bib structures and articles for protecting clothing such as are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,563,420, 2,580,388, 2,617,105 and 2,635,243.

It is well known that babies, during the feeding process, accumulate gas in their stomachs. This gas is a source of much discomfort to babies and it is generally necessary for the mother or person feeding the baby to place him in a position whereby the gas can be expelled. Customarily the baby is held with his face close to the mothers shoulder whereupon he can be gently patted on the back so as to assist in the discharge of the offending gas. This procedure is generally called “burping the baby”.

In addition to the discharge of gas, the baby is likely to regurgitate a portion of the previously swallowed food or drink during the burping process. It is undesirable to have the regurgitated food or drink strike the clothing of the person helping the baby to discharge the gas. Consequently, in the past, mothers and others have used a diaper or towel on their shoulder to protect against the aforementioned condition. These articles serve the purpose but they are subject to slipping off the shoulder when they are most needed and they also suffer the disadvantage that they must be laundered quite frequently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable burp pad and bib in combination having high absorptivity which can be worn by either mother or child during the feeding and burping procedure and which will provide a high degree of protection to the wearer.

It is another object of this invention to provide a disposable burp pad and bib in combination which will readily attach itself to an article of clothing by means of adhesive tabs or strips which are an integral part of said pad and which can be readily released from the article of clothing upon application of a small force.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a disposable burp pad and bib in combination which can be manufactured from inexpensive materials and which can be easily converted for use by the mother as a shoulder protector or by the child as a bib.

The invention can be summarized as follows: A disposable, self-adhering, absorptive pad contoured for use as a baby bib or shoulder protector having a layer of relatively impervious material on one surface overlain by a coextensive layer of a liquid absorbing material on a second surface and having at least one adhesive tab bonded to the outer surface of said impervious material whereby said absorptive pad can be attached to the clothing of the wearer.

Further features and objects of the invention will be apparent from an examination of the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of the invention when used as a bib.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the bib embodiment of FIG. 1 showing placement of adhesive tabs.

FIG. 3 is a frontal view of the invention when used to protect the shoulder.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the structure of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Having reference to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a frontal view of the invention when used as a bib. The outer ply or facing layer 10 is comprised of a flexible liquid absorbing material such as cellulose, cellulose-filled paper, or a similar inexpensive and disposable paper product having the property of absorbing liquids and having a generally rectangular shape wherein the vertical dimension is somewhat greater than the horizontal dimension. The upper end is contoured 12 to fit under the chin and around the neck of the wearer. This contour 12 is a generally concave cutout whereby the bib can remain in a smooth condition when properly positioned. All of the sides circumscribing the subject invention are readily sealed by known bonding processes whereby the form and integrity of the cellulose or other liquid absorbing material is maintained.

A rear view of the bib embodiment of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. The rear impervious layer 16 of the invention comprises a sheet of material through which liquids will not normally flow such as polyethylene or similar inexpensive and disposable plastic product having a shape coextensive with and overlain by absobant layer 10 and bonded thereto at all of the sides 14. Any thin, pliable waterproof material may be used to form said rear impervious layer 16.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 there is seen a crease 18 at the base of the concave cutout 12 whereby section A is creaseably folded backward to form section B as shown in the frontal view of FIG. 3 and the rear view of FIG. 4 whereby the subject burp pad or shoulder protector is formed. Self-adhering tabs 20, 22 consisting of commercially available pressure-sensitive gummed chemical adherents or fiber-engaging physical adherents are attached by conventional means, such as known contact cements, to the outer surface of the impervious layer 16 which comprises the portion of the invention toward the wearer. Self-adhering tabs 22 provide the means for removeably attaching the subject invention to the clothing of the wearer. Such commercially available self-adhering tabs are generally provided with a removable plastic protective covering whereby a fresh adhesive surface is exposed when the cover is removed and whereby the integrity of the adhesive coating is maintained until the product is ready for use.

Self-adhering tabs 22, in the preferred embodiment, are larger in surface area than self-adhering tabs 20, whereby the shoulder protection embodiment shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 can be firmly and securely attached to the clothing of the party protected. The location of self-adhering tabs 20, 22 is not limited to the arrangement described herein nor are the numbers of tabs limited to those herein enumerated since it is apparent that said tabs may be arranged in many configurations

3,871,027 whereby the subject invention can be firmly and securely attached to protect the clothing of the wearer.

Where the self-adhering tabs 20 consist of fiberengaging physical adherents, an additional embodiment of the invention can utilize fiber-engaging surfaces 24 which are coextensive with self-adhering tabs 20 when section A of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is folded on crease 18 whereby said self-adhering tabs 20 are physically anchored to fiber-engaging surfaces 24 thereby forming the burp pad or shoulder protector embodiment of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

It is an important advantage of the subject invention that no strings, snaps or ties are needed to hold the bib or shoulder protector in place. Use of pressuresensitive adhesive tabs or strips provides for an ease of application and simplicity of removal which are unavailable with prior art bibs. It is another advantage of this invention that it is not only a labor saving device, in that no laundering is required, but being inexpensive and disposable, facilitates cleanliness by providing a clean, fresh bib or burp pad for every feeding. A still further advantage of this invention is the ease with which it can be produced. Techniques for die-cutting the proper configuration of the pad from absorptive materials in sheet form are well established and could be easily applied to this invention.

The preferred embodiments of this invention have been set forth in the descriptions and drawings. These descriptions are used in a generic sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Various changes may therefor be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.