Surgery – Male reproductory tract shields or birth control devices – Condoms
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-26
2001-06-26
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3733)
Surgery
Male reproductory tract shields or birth control devices
Condoms
C128S918000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250303
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a male condom.
The known male condom comprises a flexible sheath which is rolled onto the penis to cover the entire length of the penis to the base thereof. One reason why men may not be willing to use the known male condom is that it reduces the sensation that they feel during sexual intercourse. In particular, the condom reduces or eliminates the sense of touch on the surface of the penis.
According to the invention there is provided a male condom comprising a flexible resilient sheath to receive the glans of the penis and a wide elastomeric belt to lie around and grip the penis immediately behind the glans leaving the majority of that length of penis which is behind the glans bare.
A man wearing the condom according to the invention will thus have heightened sensation during intercourse compared with the known condom as all or the majority of the shaft of the penis is bare. At the same time, the wide elastomeric belt gripping the penis behind the glans will ensure that sperm do not escape backwards past the belt so that the contraceptive and prophylactic qualities of the condom according to the invention are the equal of the known condom. The condom of the invention is designed by the resilience of the sheath and the grip of the belt, such that it cannot be pulled off an erect penis. The grip of the belt is preferably such as to prevent gas or liquid entry to the sheath in use. Thus any force on the sheath to remove the condom will stretch the resilient sheath thus increasing the vacuum within the sheath and hence increasing the opposing force acting to keep the condom on. The inherent reaction force acting to keep the condom on makes it very safe. The belt preferably smoothly tapers to its rear edge. This also reduces any force acting to pull the condom off.
The belt is preferably so stiff that it cannot be rolled in use. This also reduces the possibility of removal of the condom. The belt may be arranged to be manually reversed by a user when putting on the condom. This method is similar to the unrolling method of the known condom.
The belt may be of any suitable width and may be less than 60 mm wide, preferably less than 25 mm wide and most preferably less than 12 mm wide. Clearly a balance is to be struck between the elastic force of the belt, in acting effectively to prevent semen passing through the belt, and its width. While a narrow belt is desirable from the point of view of sensation as more of the penis is bare, the comfort of the user must also be considered and the increased elastic strength of the belt may make the condom less comfortable to wear. A compromise should be adopted.
The wide elastomeric belt may be arranged to be in direct contact with the skin of the penis, but alternatively at least part of the axial length of the belt is lined with absorbent material. The absorbent material may take any suitable form and may be for example neoprene. The absorbent material preferably contains a contraceptive or prophylactic substance such as spermicide and may also contain a substance with a pleasant fragrance.
The belt is preferably shaped at its forward end to the shape of the coronal sulcus. Thus the forward edge of the belt is preferably smoothly curved forward to the underside of the condom to a rounded point. This gives a very good fit around the narrowest part of the penis to prevent semen from passing back beyond the belt. The rear edge of the belt may be in a simple circle so that the belt is wider on the underside of the condom than on the top. A restriction is preferably provided at the forward edge of the belt to further improve the fit and to increase the elastic force in that region.
Preferably, the condom is arranged such that the underside of the penis can be left bare in use.
The condom in one embodiment leaves the part of the shaft of the penis behind the wide belt entirely bare. In another embodiment the condom includes a further belt to lie around the base of the penis in use and at least one element connecting the two belts. This provides additional security against the condom being pulled off. The or each element may take any suitable form and may taper from each belt to a central region of the element. In one embodiment the condom includes a single element and in another embodiment the condom includes two oppositely disposed elements.
The part of the condom which is in contact with the shaft of the penis may include forwardly and inwardly directed projections. These will act to resist pulling off of the condom as well as producing a tighter elastic force if the condom should move forwards. The projections are preferably in the form of at least one circumferential band. The projections are preferably in the form of at least one circumferential band so as to form a barrier in addition to providing the other functions described.
The part of the condom which is in contact with the shaft of the penis may additionally or alternatively include suckers to hold the condom onto the penis. As these will inevitably leave a fluid flow path around themselves, means to provide a fluid tight seal will need to be provided behind them.
The condom may include a teat which may be resilient to resist collapse. Thus, the wall of the condom teat may be thicker than the wall of the part of the condom which is arranged to receive the glans of the penis. In this way, the condom will resist the tendency for collapse of the teat to drive semen ejaculated into the condom back towards the elastomeric belt.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2433538 (1947-12-01), Warner
patent: 3648700 (1972-03-01), Warner
patent: 4820290 (1989-04-01), Yahr
patent: 4846197 (1989-07-01), Benjamin
patent: 5333621 (1994-08-01), Denzer
patent: 5361779 (1994-11-01), Wilson
patent: 5513652 (1996-05-01), Schwartz
patent: 5579784 (1996-12-01), Harari
patent: 663151 (1987-11-01), None
patent: 641521 (1928-08-01), None
patent: 2509606 (1983-01-01), None
patent: 9420052 (1994-09-01), None
Brown Michael A.
Wood Phillips VanSanten Clark & Mortimer
LandOfFree
Male condom does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Male condom, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Male condom will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2461746