Underwear Garment having a Detachable Absorbent Pad

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an underwear garment comprising a crotch lining having an absorbent pad which is machine washable, and which is detachably connected to the underwear garment by a plurality of snap fittings on the inner surface of the crotch region of the garment. The garment may also be provided as a kit with a plurality of such machine-washable crotch linings. The undergarment is thereby designed to absorb secretions from menstruating women, women with postpartum bleeding, and men or women with urinary incontinence.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An underwear garment, comprising:
 a garment body, the garment body comprising a waist loop and a crotch portion with a length, wherein the waist loop and crotch portion are connected together to form two openings for receiving a wearer's legs, and wherein an inner surface of the crotch portion has a first set of snap fittings and a second set of snap fittings attached at opposing ends of the length of the crotch portion; and   a crotch lining element, the crotch lining element comprising an elongate fabric strip with an absorbent pad set along the length and held between opposing ends, and wherein a third set of snap fittings and a fourth set of snap fittings are affixed to each of the opposing ends configured to form a detachable connection with the first and second sets of snap fittings.   
     
     
         2 . An underwear garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the crotch lining element further comprises a pair of tabs or wings protruding at outwards from a middle portion of its length, the pair of tabs comprising a matching pair of snap fittings for forming a detachable connection. 
     
     
         3 . An underwear garment according to  claim 2 , wherein an outer surface of the crotch portion of the garment body comprises a second pair of tabs for forming a detachable connection with the tabs of the wings of the crotch lining element. 
     
     
         4 . An underwear garment according to  claim 3 , wherein the garment further comprises an additional layer covering the inner surface of the crotch portion, the additional inner layer serving to protect and cover the connection between the wings. 
     
     
         5 . An underwear garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the crotch lining element is formed of one or more absorbent pads stitched between two fabric layers. 
     
     
         6 . An underwear garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the garment comprises a material chosen from woven, non-woven, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . An underwear garment according to  claim 6 , wherein the material is chosen from cotton, nylon, polyester, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . An underwear garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the absorbent pad comprises any one of zorb, cotton, flannel, Sherpa, cotton fleece, hemp, bamboo, linen, rayon, wool, french terry, microfiber, push fabric, and modal fabric. 
     
     
         9 . An underwear garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the absorbent pad contains an antimicrobial agent. 
     
     
         10 . An underwear garment according to  claim 1 , wherein the garment is any one of the following styles: briefs, boyshorts, hipster, bikini, thong, hi-waist, and swimwear. 
     
     
         11 . A kit, the kit comprising an underwear garment according to any one of  claims 1 - 10  and a plurality of additional crotch lining elements. 
     
     
         12 . A method of using an underwear garment according to any one of  claims 1  to  10 , the method comprises the steps of: aligning the crotch lining element with the inner surface of the crotch portion of the garment body such that the absorbent pad faces away from the crotch portion; and affixing the crotch lining element in place against the garment body by connecting the first and second sets of snaps to the third and fourth sets of snaps, respectively. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein the garment is the garment of  claim 2  and the method further comprises affixing the opposing tabs of the wings of the crotch lining element to one another. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein the garment is the garment of  claim 3  and the method further comprises affixing the tabs of the wings of the crotch lining element to the tabs on the outer surface of the crotch portion of the garment body.