Surgery – Male reproductory tract shields or birth control devices – Condoms
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-13
2001-05-01
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Surgery
Male reproductory tract shields or birth control devices
Condoms
C128S918000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223747
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to condoms and it is especially concerned with condoms which will line the wall of the vagina and unlike male condoms which are initially donned by the male and fit closely around the penis are dimensioned to loosely enclose the penis at least over the length of the condom received within the vagina. For convenience such condoms are referred to wherein as “female condoms”.
These is currently marketed a female condom consisting of a flexible thin-walled bag-like liner with a closed end and an open end opposite the closed end. The liner is formed from two sheets of plastic material sealed together at their edges, and a solid ring of relatively stiff plastic material is fixed to the liner at the open end and acts to hold the mouth of the liner open. The primary function of the stiff ring is to maintain the open end of the condom outside the vagina. The liner is provided with a second relatively stiff ring which is of smaller diameter than the first ring and is inserted loosely into the liner. This second ring is intended to hold the closed end of the liner in place adjacent the uterus.
The known female condom is not convenient to use and its insertion, particularly due to the need to ensure correct positioning of the loose inner ring, is rather awkward and frequently necessitates an undesirable interruption in the process of sexual activity leading to coitus. Due to the liner being formed from sheet material and the inclusion of the loose ring, the liner has a natural tendency to collapse laterally, which does not facilitate its insertion into the vagina.
The present invention aims to provide a female condom which is more convenient to use without requiring prior application to the penis, and according to the invention these is provided a female condom comprising a closed end and an open end, a ring adjacent to the open end for expanding the condom to a maximum diameter at the location of the ring to maintain the open end outside the vagina, and a tubular wall portion extending between the closed end and the ring, said wall portion being of a size to form a loose fit around the male penis and being formed with a series of circumferential grooves of such a depth that the tubular wall readily folds in a bellows or concertina-like manner whereby the condom collapses longitudinally to a substantially flat condition.
There have been numerous proposals of condoms which are corrugated in some manner, and there have been numerous proposals of condoms with rings or flanges which remain outside the vagina, but the particular combination of a large ring and a grooved wall portion as provided in a condom in accordance with the invention, and which results in an especially convenient and efficacious condom, has not been previously suggested. Furthermore, the condom of the invention is suitable for large scale production by conventional manufacturing processes, whereas the complexities of many of the proposals contained in the prior art would involve manufacturing difficulties making economic production on a commercial scale extremely difficult and in some cases impossible.
The number of grooves included in the tubular wall portion need not be large and very satisfactory results can be obtained with 3 to 5 grooves. Four grooves are currently preferred. Suitably the depth of the grooves is in the range of 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm, and the presently preferred depth is between 0.8 cm and 1.2 cm. In a preferred embodiment, the grooves are formed with intervening circumferential ridges, and the width or the grooves is substantially equal to the width of the ridges e.g. 0.5 cm to 1.0 cm, preferably about 0.8 cm. The grooves and ridges can be wider, however, such as up to about 1.5 cm e.g. around 12 or 13 cm and ridges are preferably formed with the bottoms of the grooves and the crests of the ridges substantially semi-circular in cross-section or shaped to merge smoothly with each other to preclude any sharp discontinuities and potential weaknesses along the tubular portion.
The condom of the invention is conveniently manufactured by coating a former with latex or a polymer and allowing the coating material to cure if required before the condom is stripped from the former. The coating can be applied by spraying or by a dip moulding process in which a shaped former is dipped into a liquid bath e.g. of latex, liquid polyurethane, or other polymer composition, and withdrawn carrying with it a thin layer of the coating material. The manufacture by dip moulding may be by multiple dips into the same or successive liquid baths and this can be used to control the thickness of the moulded condom. The former is provided with annular grooves for forming the circumferential grooves of the condom and due to natural flow effects during the dipping process the liquid coating at the bottoms of the grooves can be slightly thicker than on the other surface portions of the former. This may result in the wall thickness of the condom being increased at the bottoms of the grooves e.g. by around 10% to 50%, which can assist the natural tendency for the condom to collapse longitudinally and for the radial undulations to be maintained during the folding process.
The ring adjacent to the open end of the condom is conveniently and preferably integrally formed with the tubular wall. Alternatively the condom may comprise a separately made rubber ring, e.g. a solid silicone rubber ring or a ring formed from rubber tube which has desirable characteristics of resilient flexibility and can ensure a good level of comfort. The separate ring may be securely attached to the condom wall and can be embedded in the material of the wall by locating the ring onto the former before it is coated with material to form the condom. Alternatively the ring could be secured to the condom after it has been formed.
In use, a condom in accordance with the invention can be held in its longitudinally collapsed substantially flat form over the vaginal opening, and the closed end of the condom can be pushed into the vagina by the penis as it penetrates the vagina at the beginning of sexual intercourse, the ring which is preferably at least about 7 cm in diameter ensuring that the open end remains outside during initial insertion and throughout the coital act.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the female condom includes a second ring of smaller diameter attached to the condom wall a short distance beyond the larger ring. This second ring, which, in accordance with a method known per se, can be provided by rolling down a portion of material coated into the former before it is fully cured, is dimensoned to have a close fit around the penis so that when the penis is withdrawn it removes the condom from the vagina.
Female condoms embodying the invention are more convenient to use than those currently available.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5458114 (1995-10-01), Herr
patent: 5515862 (1996-05-01), Artsi
patent: 5638829 (1997-06-01), Najor
patent: 5855206 (1999-01-01), Ireland
Rogers Janette Louise
Rudge Janette Mary
Brown Michael A.
LRC Products Limited
Sidley & Austin
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