Anatomical internally moldable tampon

Details Anatomical internally moldable tampon Anatomical internally moldable tampon

1998-07-08

2000-12-05

Weiss, John G.

Surgery

Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material

Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...

604358, 604369, 60438501, 60438512, 60438516, 60438519, A61F 1315

Patent

active

061560219

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention concerns an anatomical, internally moldable tampon, which may be a tampon intended for the absorption of menstrual flow, or an absorbent tampon intended for some other, for example, medical use.
The tampons used are generally made of highly absorbent materials, such as sterilized cotton fiber, or other highly absorbent fibers. In medical use, tampons are mainly used for the post-operative or post-curettage absorption of blood and body fluids. However, tampons are most commonly used for the absorption of normal menstrual discharge, in other words, as sanitary protection.
The use of tampons as internal sanitary protection is discreet and hygienic, but because of the shape of the vagina and, dependent on the success of the insertion, leakage flows present a problem.
The human vagina is a tubular cavity, normally flattened by tissues, where the center part of the vagina is subject to more pressure than its sides because of the strong muscles in the front and back walls of the vagina. Especially with young and physically active women, these muscles may be comparably strongly developed. For this reason, a tampon often settles along either side of the vagina, thus leaving a channel through which the escaping blood can leak. If a tampon has been incorrectly inserted, it cannot absorb escaping fluids efficiently. Re-insertion of a tampon, which at the initial insertion stage has slipped into an incorrect position, is almost impossible without damaging the tampon.
Several attempts have been made to solve the above mentioned problem. Amongst them one could mention U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,706,311 and 3,762,413. In the former, the essentially bar-like sanitary protection is placed inside a separate applicator folded in half, in which position it is inserted, with the intention that, as it partially unfolds, it will fill the vagina better than if it were straight.
The latter works on the same principle, except that cords have, additionally, been attached to both ends of the oblong tampon, and by pulling the cords this tampon can be made to partially unfold more reliably than the tampon in the first mentioned publication.
Both publications of the state of the art are attempts to improve the situation, but they do not, however, solve the problems connected with a tampon's leak-proof reliability. Neither publication is in any way concerned with the diameter of the tampon, but the manipulation is merely directed to the changing of the shape of a relatively stiff tampon bar. This way, it is impossible to achieve a situation where the vaginal cavity would be well sealed against the flow. In addition, insertion of tampons of the types described above demands great precision.
The basic principle of this invention is to eliminate the above described, and other, drawbacks in this field, and produce a tampon which seals the vaginal cavity extremely well against the flow and which eliminates the problems associated with the need for precision in the insertion, because the tampon can be post-molded inside the vagina, or other cavity, to conform better with the inner contours of the vagina/cavity.
The above mentioned, and other advantages and benefits of the invention, have been achieved with a tampon in the manner characterized in the accompanying claims. In short, a tampon according to the invention is fitted with a molding cord, which can be pulled to increase the tampon's diameter when the tampon is already in the vagina, or other cavity, so that it seals the vagina, or other cavity, better, thus preventing leakage. The tampon's moldability inside the vagina is important, because the diameter of a tampon must be minimized to facilitate its insertion into the vagina but, once in place, the tampon should fill the inner vaginal diameter as closely as possible.
In what follows, the invention is described in greater detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 shows the tampon pushed out of its applicator;
FIG. 2 shows the tampon in FIG. 1, after it has been molded with the pull cord;
FIG. 3 is a projectio

REFERENCES:
patent: 3762413 (1973-10-01), Hanke

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