FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of hygiene napkins, and more specifically,
to sanitary napkins.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In India as per the latest survey made in the last several years, over 80% of women especially
in rural areas or areas inhabited by poor still do not have access to adequate sanitary
protection during menstruation. Feminine hygiene and menstruation is a sensitive topic and is
not discussed openly, which is why women often continue to harbour myths and
misconceptions about it, since no one from the family or friend circle is able to educate them.
Additionally, mothers are often not in a position to guide their daughters correctly, since their
own knowledge is limited. Over time, unhygienic practices due to low awareness and
education levels can adversely impact the health and productivity of these women.
Today, almost every household will have at least one woman or girl who suffers from
irregularities in her menstrual cycle but the reported cases will be few due to the stigma
associated with talking openly about the red-letter day.
A survey showed that of India’s 355 million menstruating women only 12% used sanitary
napkins, 70% of women reported that their families were unable to afford them.
In an article published in 2013. Down to Earth calculated 36 million Indian women used
sanitary napkins every month, ideally one has to change the napkin once it is completely
soaked or in three hour whichever is earlier. Prolong use can cause contaminants and toxins
to be absorbed by the vaginal and labial walls, which are highly vascular and have a tendency
for greater absorbency. At an average of 12 napkins per woman per month this would add
upto 432 million soiled pads weighing a staggering 9000 mega tons, enough to cover a
landfill spread over 24 hectors. The napkins are made out of non-biodegradable material &
they will stay in the landfills for about 800 years.
The disposable sanitary napkins are collected as household waste by garbage collectors and
segregated manually. Waste pickers separate soiled napkins from recyclable items by hand,
exposing them self to micro-organism like e-coil, salmonella, staphylococcus HIV and
pathogens that cause hepatitis and tetanus putting their life to risk.
For example as per recent survey 90% women of Chhattisgarh do not use sanitary napkins. A
half of the 1.27 core women in the state need sanitary napkins. Of these, as many as 61 lakh
do not use the product and report severe infection. Of these 80 percent are not in a position to
purchase pads as 30-35 lakh new cases of infection are registered every year. Doctor quoted
in the report said that they receive 150 such patients daily, of whom 95 percent do not use
pads.
Likewise as per the data issued by U.P. Government 40% of the girl child leave the school at
the start of their menstruating period & to arrest the process they plan to distribute sanitary
pads free. We believe similar state of affairs exists in the other states throughout India.
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As per the report appearing in Economic Times dated 10th of February, 2016 “In India 80%
of 355 million Women come under house arrest for an occurrence as common as
menstruation, because brands in the market are at price point affordable only to remaining
12% of menstruating women.
As per newspaper report dated 21st of October, 2015 if 10% more girls went to school in
India, the GDP of the country would increase by three percentage points.
According to experts hygienic sanitary pads could bring down the cervical cancer cases
A readily available sanitary napkin is therefore required to empower women and girls
through business, innovation and opportunity especially schoolgirls to achieve their full
academic potential by improving attendance rates at least by as much as 25% for the time
being which will make them contributors to society as their education is crucial to their
success & that of their community. A cost effective affordable and effective sanitary product
is proposed to reduces this gender-specific barrier and improve girl attendance and retention
rates in primary schools. Which will mean that thousands of girls will now have a product
that allows them to manage their period effectively and hygienically, no longer disturbed by
the discomfort and infections, uninhibited by the humiliation that previously kept them out of
the classroom.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mensural sanitary pad that is
cost effective and easy to use.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an affordable and effective sanitary product.
By supplying an affordable and effective sanitary product, will now have a product that
allows them to manage their period effectively and hygienically, no longer disturbed by the
discomfort and infections, uninhibited by the humiliation that previously kept them out of the
classroom.
Instant invention pads are made out of high quality textile having very soft surface, fast
absorbency & quick drying property which provides effective protection for more than 12
menstrual cycles providing eco-friendly solution with lot of cost saving. They have been
provided with lock-in buttons which help in secure fastening with the help of flaps to the
underwear.
The product is a hygienic composite product with porous outer covering and highly absorbent
filler suitable for regular/normal flow as well as for super flows.
The absorbent covering is made out of good quality fabric with sufficient porosity to meet the
absorbency requirement. The absorbent filer layer is made free of water soluble colouring
matter and does not contain extraneous material. The protective barrier is liquid resistant
which prevents wetting of outer surface. It is smooth, soft & does not contain any odour. It is
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free from Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus and meets the microbiological
requirement tests.
It gives the feeling of wearing a small soft pillow.
The advantages of the instant invention are many. Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)
is one of the critical challenge that adolescent girls face. It results in monthly absenteeism of
3 to 7 days & poor performance in schools. Majority of females in rural areas are too poor to
buy 2 boxes of disposable sanitary pads per month. Menstruation is seen as taboo by many
communities due to which girls avoid frequent visits to chemists or stores to buy these pads.
Lack of sanitary pads increases susceptibility to infection.
The beneficial link between female education and lifetime health has never been in doubt; a
better-educated girl takes better control of her life. She has healthier and fewer children.
Moreover educated women participate in the labour market and eventually lift households out
of poverty, with these benefits transmitting across generations.
Conversely, low education, poor health and nutrition have a magnified impact on the next
generation, as malnourished girls become mothers at higher risk of maternal mortality, and of
bearing low birth-weight babies.
One of the reasons the benefits to society of educated girls are not accruing is because
communities have been slow in removing manacles such as the inaccessibility of sanitary
protection, the social taboos related to menstruation, and the culture of silence that surrounds
menstruation, especially in schools.
Lack of access to sanitary protection and towels disempowers girls, as they have to stay at
home to avoid staining their clothes with blood in public. The cost of sanitary ware and
towels is beyond the reach of many young women and girls, with most ending up missing
school altogether during their menses.
It must be seen that this as a violation of basic human rights when girls stay away from
school because they fear the shame attributed to their menstruation or because they don’t
have the means to maintain a healthy hygiene. Girls must no longer continue using old rags,
towels, paper from their school books or even dirt or leaves to manage their bleeding.
The United Nations Population Fund in their report dated 5th January 2016 have also
considered the menstrual cycle management as a question of human right.
There’s no force more powerful for transforming a society than an educated girl. Any steps
taken to eliminate circumstances that keep girls out of school can only be beneficial to instant
invention collective future. When a girl is empowered families, communities & society stands
to prosper.
On review of the compiled data of few countries we have come to the conclusion that on
annualized basis instant invention sanitary pads will cost a person 1/3 the cost of disposable
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sanitary pads. Which implies that the donating organization will be able to serve and help
many times more girls in the same budget.
It is an embodiment of the invention to reach girls in the most vulnerable segments of society,
it is proposed to partner with non-governmental and community-based organizations, who
will be able to sell them to girls at subsidize price or free of cost. And to convince corporates
to donate these pads in a big way as their contribution towards CSR.
Another embodiment is to cover schools by schools to meet the requirement of girl child. The
options one has to cover are, either distribute the pads monthly to each of the school or
distribute it to each girl for the yearly quota of her requirement. Both the options will not be
comfortable, the cost of distribution will be high or the storage of yearly requirement may be
difficult.
In case of the instant pad if you deliver the pad once at one school one will have to come
back to that school after a year only. It will lead to better control on distribution and lesser
chance of misappropriation.
Besides the above benefits instant invention pads being washable are ecofriendly as disposal
of such a huge volume of disposable pads poses a major environmental challenge.
The sanitary pads of the instant invention are made in a preferred embodiment of high
absorbancy fabric, preferably microfleece in the side receiving the mensural discharge and
the back side is completely non absorbant. There may optionally be more than one middle
layers for better absorbency and better cushioning.
The complete pad is made of azo-free material to prevent any reaction, itch or rash. It is a
preferred embodiment to have the pad completely leak proof.
It is another embodiment of the invention that the edges of the instant invention pad are also
absorbent and hence prevent any leakage. The stiches when used in the pad are of azo-free
thread and with stiches to have leakproof capability such as overlock stitch.
The sanitary pad of the instant invention is to be in compliance with all safety, quality
assurance, sanitation and hygiene standards accepted internationally. The microbiological
parameters for sake of same was tested on sample products and the pad was found to pass the
standards.
It is yet another preferred embodiment to have odourless product with no water soluble
coloring matter.
The preferred specifications of the sanitary pad of the instant invention has been shown in
figures 1 and 2. The most preferred embodiment for the pad is shown in figure 4 which also
indicates the buttons for ease of use. The preferred buttons are snap buttons. Figure 4 and 5
indicate how the pad is to be used and cleaned respectively in the most preferred way.
The napkins of the invention are made out of high quality textile having very soft surface,
fast absorbency & quick drying property which provides effective protection for more than
6
12 menstrual cycles providing eco-friendly solution with lot of cost saving. They have been
provided with lock-in buttons which help in secure fastening with the help of flaps to the
underwear.
For their production AZO free threads tested for harmful substance according to OEKO tex
standard have been used.
The product is a hygienic composite product with porous outer covering and highly absorbent
filler suitable for regular/normal flow as well as for super flows.
The absorbent covering is made out of good quality fabric with sufficient porosity to meet the
absorbency requirement. The absorbent filer layer is made free of water soluble colouring
matter and does not contain extraneous material. The protective barrier is fluid/liquid
resistant which prevents wetting of outer surface. It is smooth, soft and does not contain any
odour. It is free from Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus and meets the
microbiological requirement tests.
1. Materials
The absorbent filler is free from any water soluble coloring matter. It does not contain
extraneous materials, which are not designed to enhance performance.
The absorbent filler covering have been made out of good quality fabric with sufficient
porosity to permit the assembled towel to meet absorbency requirement.
The protective barrier is water-resistant (no wetting of outer surface and no water
penetration) when tested.
2. Workmanship and finish
The absorbent filler has been arranged and cut to the required size according to design.
It has been free from wrinkles and lumps not designed to enhance performance.
Absorbent filler has been completely covered in such a manner to prevent unwrapping during
usage.
3. Securing Mechanism
Wings have been made with sufficient length to form folds around the panty or brief for
securing the sanitary towel with nonmetallic buttons when in use.
The sides have been securely switched to prevent leakage.
4. Protective barrier
The sanitary towels have a protective barrier on one side
5. Freedom from defects
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The sanitary towel on visual examination have been observed to be free from defects, which
affect the appearance and utility such as oil stains, dirt or soil particles, and hard lumps.
6. Odour
The sanitary towels have no unpleasant odour either in dry state
7. Texture
The sanitary towels are smooth and soft.
8. Quality requirements
The sanitary towel complies with the requirements as given below:-
Characteristics Requirement
Absorbency capacity (ml) min. No leakage
pH value 5.5-8.5
Moisture content of filler material (%) max 8
Water soluble extract of filler material (%) max. 1.0
Thickness Minimum 4.5 mm
Chlorine content Nil
The total viable bacterial count, do not exceed 1000 per sanitary towel
Sanitary towels are free from Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively.
The pads are free of 169 substances of very high concern (SVHC), as declared by European
Chemical Agency (ECHA) as per regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 concerning the REACH of
E.U.
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, it will be
apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without
departing from the invention in its broader aspects.

We claim:
1. A reusable menstural sanitary pad comprising of
an upper layer made of high absorbancy fabric, the absorbent filler, in the side
receiving the mensural discharge;
a back cover or barrier layer formed by non absorbant material;
optionally one or more middle layers for better absorbency and better cushioning;
wherein the sanitary pad is made of azo-free material to prevent any reaction, itch or
rash.
2. The reusable sanitary pad as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said high absorbent filler is
microfleece.
3. The reusable sanitary pad as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said high absorbent filler is
free from wrinkles and lumps and is preferably completely covered in such a manner to
prevent unwrapping during usage.
4. The reusable sanitary pad as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sanitary pad is completely
leak proof.
5. The reusable sanitary pad as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sanitary pad stiches in the pad
are of azo-free thread and said stiches having leakproof capability, preferably the stitch being
overlock stitch.
6. The reusable sanitary pad as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said sanitary pad is an
odourless product with no water soluble coloring matter.
7. The reusable sanitary pad as claimed in claim 1 defining a shape having side wings
extending from a central portion and dimensions as presented in figure 1.
8. The reusable sanitary pad as claimed in claim 1 further comprising attachment means
secured to outer portions of the side wings, the attachment means adapted to secure the
reusable sanitary pad to an undergarment of a user, said means preferably being tip-top
buttons.
9. The reusable sanitary pad as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sanitary pad has high
absorbency capacity with less or no leakage, pH of 5.5-8.5; maximum moisture content of
filler material (%) being 8; water soluble extract of filler material (%) being upto1.0;
minimum thickness of 4.5 mm, Nil Chlorine content; and total viable bacterial count not
exceeding 1000 per sanitary towel.
10. The reusable sanitary pad substantially as herein described with reference to
accompanying drawings and description.