Appeal No. 2001-2629 Page 6
Application No. 08/931,080
It is important to recognize at the outset that the objective of the appellants’
invention is to provide a two-piece garment comprising reusable briefs and an
absorbent replaceable liner, whereby the liner can be removed from the briefs and
exchanged for a new liner without the necessity to remove the briefs from the user’s
body. In furtherance of this, and as expressed in independent claim 11, the briefs
comprise a waistband structure adapted to completely encircle the user’s waist and a
releasable panel extending from the back segment of the waistband structure toward
the front segment of the waistband structure and forming a crotch segment. This
releasable panel has an upper end portion that is placed in underlying relationship with
the front segment of the waistband structure when worn and is releasably connected to
the inside surface of the front segment of the waistband structure. The replaceable
absorbable liner is positioned in overlying relationship with the releasable panel,
whereby when the garment is worn by the person, the upper end portion
of the front segment of the releasable panel can be released from the
front segment of the waistband structure of the briefs to open the front
segment and crotch segment of the briefs and the liner away from the
front segment of the waistband structure and the liner can be inspected
and removed from the briefs, and another duplicate liner can be inserted
into position in the briefs and the upper end portion of the front segment
of the releasable panel reconnected to the inside surface of the front
segment of the waistband structure, without removing the briefs from the
person.
As explained in the Abstract, Schmitz is directed to articles that are “essentially
designed as conventional disposable diapers, however, they are provided with an
endless circular waistband.” In this regard, “[t]he absorbent training pant (10) typically
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