Absorbent Pad Holder

The present invention relates to protective covers for seat cushions or the like, and more particularly to a holder for an absorbent pad used to protect seat cushions or the like from body fluids.

In hospitals, nursing homes and the like many patients are incontinent and are unable to restrain natural discharges, such as urine, from the body. It is thus desirable to provide protective covers for seat cushions and the like so that the cushions remain moisture and odor free.

Protective covers for various types of devices have been utilized in the past. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,974,531, 3,162,868, and 2,545,970 show protective covers for pillows, while U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,188,065, 4,173,046 and 2,614,273 show structures for protecting infant seats, beds and cribs, respectively. In particular U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,273 shows an assembly wherein an absorbent pad is slidably received within a pocket formed by a waterproof bottom piece and a perforated top piece. Such an assembly, however, would be impractical for use with seat cushions for chairs since there is nothing to prevent the movement or displacement of the pad and its cover as patients repeatedly sit down and arise from the chair.

A holder for an absorbent pad used to protect seat cushions or the like from body fluids. The holder includes a cover of sufficient length to wrap around the cushion, a panel attached to the inner surface of the cover to provide a pocket for receiving an absorbent pad, and fastening means for removably fastening the ends of the cover to one another to prevent displacement of the pad. The panel and pocket are positioned so that the pad will substantially overlie the sitting portion of the cushion.

The opening of the pocket formed by the panel is coextensive with the width of the cover to permit easy insertion and removal of the absorbent pad, and the cover itself preferably has a width substantially equal to the width of the seat cushion to insure protection of the entire sitting portion of the cushion. The panel and pocket are of sufficient length that the pad extends downwardly along the front portion of the cushion to also protect that area of the cushion.

The absorbent pad may be disposable, and the cover and panel may be constructed of an easily washable material so that the pad holder may be maintained odor free.

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation illustrating an absorbent pad holder assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the absorbent pad holder assembly of FIG. 1 with the cover unwrapped from the cushion; and

FIG. 3 is a view in cross section taken along the plane of the line 3--3 in FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an absorbent pad assembly 1 adapted to be wrapped around a cushion 2 for a chair or the like. The pad assembly 1 is designed for use in a nursing home, hospital, private home or the like for protecting the cushion 2 from absorbing body fluids, such as urine, discharged by incontinent patients who are unable to restrain their natural discharges.

The cushion 2 may be of any conventional design for use on a chair, or may be in combination with other cushions for use on a sofa. The cushion 2 may be constructed of polyurethane foam or any other similar foam product commonly used as cushion material. The cushion 2 includes a top surface 3, a bottom surface 4, front and rear portions 5 and 6 and a pair of side portions 7. The top surface 3 is the sitting portion of cushion 2, as shown best in FIG. 1. It should be noted that the top surface 3 faces upwardly in FIG. 1, but faces downwardly in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the pad assembly 1 includes a cover 8 which is rectangular in shape having its length greater than its width. The cover 8 defines a pair of oppositely disposed inner and outer surfaces 9 and 10, respectively, with the inner surface 9 facing the cushion 2 and the outer surface 10 facing away from cushion 2. The cover 8 is of sufficient length that it may be wrapped around the cushion 2 so that its ends 11 and 12 extend around to the bottom of underside surface 4 of cushion 2 to substantially surround cushion 2. The width of cover 8, as shown in FIG. 2, is substantially identical to the width of cushion 2. The cover 8 may be constructed of any easily washable material such as cotton, so that it may be washed in any conventional manner and be maintained odor free.

As shown in FIG. 1 the ends 11 and 12 of cover 8 overlap one another along the underside of cushion 2, and fastening means disposed adjacent the ends 11 and 12 are included for removably fastening the ends 11 and 12 to one another, as shown in FIG. 1. One end 11 of cover 8 contains three spaced hook and loop type fastener, such as the one sold under the trademark of Velcro 13 attached to the inner surface 9 while the opposite end 12 contains three spaced back and loop type fastener fasteners 14 attached to the outer surface 10 of cover 8. As shown, each fastener 14 has a length which is greater than its width with its length extending in the same direction as the length of cover 8. Fasteners 14 thus enable the cover 8 to be snugly wrapped around different size cushions 2. In order to fasten cover 8 around cushion 2, the ends 11 and 12 are simply overlapped as shown in FIG. 1 and the fasteners 13 and 14 pressed against each other to fasten the inner surface 9 of end 11 to the outer surface 10 of end 12.

The pad assembly 1 also includes a panel 15 attached to the inner surface 9 of cover 8. The panel 15 is sewn to the cover 8 on three sides along its periphery to provide a pocket 16 having an opening facing the end 12 of cover 8. The opening for pocket 16 is coextensive with the width of cover 8, and the length or depth of pocket 16 is such that pocket 16 substantially overlies the sitting portion 3 and front portion 5 of cushion 2.

A disposable absorbent pad 17 is positioned in pocket 16 between the panel 15 and the inner surface 9 of cover 8. The pad 17 has a width and length substantially identical to the pocket 16 so that it may be easily slidably inserted and removed from pocket 16. Thus, pad 17 has a length sufficient to overly the sitting portion 3 and front portion 5 of cushion 2, and a width substantially equal to the width of cushion 2. Referring now to FIG. 3, the pad 17 includes an impervious layer 18 disposed adjacent to the panel 15, and an absorbent layer 19 disposed adjacent to the inner surface 9 of cover 8. Thus, if urine was to be discharged by an incontinent patient while sitting on cushion 2 the urine would flow through the cover 8 (in an upward direction in FIG. 3) into the absorbent layer 19 of pad 17 whereupon the imprevious layer 18 would prevent the urine from being absorbed into cushion 2.

In operation, the pad holder assembly 1 is wrapped around the cushion 2 so that the pad 17 is positioned on the sitting portion of cushion 2 with the absorbent layer 19 upwardly and the impervious layer 18 downwardly, as shown in FIG. 1, so as to prevent human fluids from entering and being absorbed by cushion 2. A portion of pad 17 is positioned to extend downwardly along the front portion 5 of cushion 2 as an added measure of protection for the front 5 of cushion 2. Once the pad 17 is properly positioned the ends 11 and 12 of cover 8 are fastened to one another by means of the hook and loop type fastener fasteners 13 and 14.

When it is desired to remove and replace pad 17 the ends 11 and 12 of cover 8 are merely pulled apart and the end 12 is extended outwardly to the left, as seen in FIG. 1, until the end 12 is in about the same plane as the sitting portion 3 of cushion 2. The pad 17 is then grasped along its edge and removed from pocket 16 and disposed of. The cover 8 and panel 15 may then be washed in any conventional manner. A fresh pad 17 may then be inserted into the pocket 16 of a fresh cover 8 and panel 15 and wrapped around the cushion 2 so that pad 17 is once again properly positioned on the sitting portion 3 of FIG. 2, as previously described. The ends 11 and 12 may then be fastened to one another utilizing the hook and loop type fastener fasteners 13 and 14.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.