Inflatable Training Pants?

[Floaty_Boy]

Been bored and browsing through the US patent office's searchable database. Came across an interesting new patent (around Feb or so of this year, don't really remember exact date).

Kimberly-Clark has been issued a patent for the concept of a training pant that has an "envelope" filled with a gas-producing substance that reacts to urine. When urine hits the substance, gas is produced that interacts with a "surfactant" to produce a rapidly swelling foam that will basically "inflate" the training pants to put pressure on the skin to alert the wearer that urination has just occurred (to help teach potty training). The patent also says that a reactive chemical that has a "cooling" response could be added so that the swelling foam would give a cold sensation as well as a touch sensation.

I didn't read enough of the legalese in the patent to see if they've actually got the chemistry down or not.

I just thought it was kind of funny. I guess disposables don't swell up enough as it is, so KC decided to make them inflatable, too!

Floaty

[Pipsqueak]

Judging by your avatar, you'll be first in line for a pair, hey Floaty?

[Floaty_Boy]

Judging by your avatar, you'll be first in line for a pair, hey Floaty?

You know it!

Hopefully they'll come in my size...

Floaty

[AutieAB]

There's some quite interesting stuff on there. A vision of the future perhaps?

Diapers with a replaceable booster pads (Proctor & Gamble)

A diaper that counts how many times you pee (Proctor & Gamble again)

Anti-microbial diapers

Pulpless diapers (perhaps that means those "peachmat" ones?)

And last but by no means least: A leak-proof diaper! (Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it!)

[Incontinent Jennifer]

There's some quite interesting stuff on there. A vision of the future perhaps?

Diapers with a replaceable booster pads (Proctor & Gamble)

A diaper that counts how many times you pee (Proctor & Gamble again)

Anti-microbial diapers

Pulpless diapers (perhaps that means those "peachmat" ones?)

And last but by no means least: A leak-proof diaper! (Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it!)

So... What use is the wetting incident counting diaper?

Replacement pad thing sounds too complicated to be any easier than just changing,

and the pulpless diaper sounds plain uncomfortable.

[AutieAB]

So... What use is the wetting incident counting diaper?

There's a difference between interesting and useful

I'd guess it's for carers though - the tiniest bit of pee can make the indicators disappear on most diapers so perhaps it's aimed at people who for some reason need a silly blue line to work out when it needs changing?

AutieAB

[Incontinent Jennifer]

There's a difference between interesting and useful

I'd guess it's for carers though - the tiniest bit of pee can make the indicators disappear on most diapers so perhaps it's aimed at people who for some reason need a silly blue line to work out when it needs changing?

AutieAB

Not to be too descriptive, but...

If I look at my own diaper, I can visually see it's wet, even without any "indicator". It's not rocket science.

Usually, it's changed from bright white, and has lost it's fluffiness.

Seems to me like product development is wasting resources.

I mean really, with a pair of pants or a dress, the crinkle of diaper plastic is almost inaudible, and certainly unnoticeable, to anybody who doesn't have their ear on your butt. This idea is even more absurd on baby diapers. Is some 2 year old feeling ashamed and embarrassed cause his diaper crinkles?

Velcro tabs? What is that all about? How long is somebody hanging on to a diaper that velcro needs to get involved?!

Thinner diapers? Yeah, that's what we need. Absorbent material compressed so densely, fluid just bounces off of it. Yeah, nobody can see the diaper, but the big wet spots give it away.

Sorry, got off on a rant.

[Valentine]

Ok for the diaper with the counter, it is for a medical aid. If you are trying to figure the patterns of urination, which can aid in diagnosis of certain problems. It would not be a commercial product.

The pulpless diapers, will just have the polymers in them.

[AutieAB]

Not to be too descriptive, but...

If I look at my own diaper, I can visually see it's wet, even without any "indicator". It's not rocket science.

Usually, it's changed from bright white, and has lost it's fluffiness.

Exactly my thoughts. Manufacturers should save the money they spend on the indicators and put it into something useful like leg cuffs that still work when you're laying down on your side, for example

And for the guys, a diaper that doesn't fail 100% of the time if you don't 'point' directly downwards would be nice...

Seems to me like product development is wasting resources.

I mean really, with a pair of pants or a dress, the crinkle of diaper plastic is almost inaudible, and certainly unnoticeable, to anybody who doesn't have their ear on your butt. This idea is even more absurd on baby diapers. Is some 2 year old feeling ashamed and embarrassed cause his diaper crinkles?

Velcro tabs? What is that all about? How long is somebody hanging on to a diaper that velcro needs to get involved?!

Thinner diapers? Yeah, that's what we need. Absorbent material compressed so densely, fluid just bounces off of it. Yeah, nobody can see the diaper, but the big wet spots give it away.

Not to mention that breathable covers don't just let air though. It's not much but they ain't water-tight...

I'm pretty sure that the companies are just protecting their ideas for future development though, rather than rushing to bring out new products...

Sorry, got off on a rant.

Ranting can be good