Surgery – Means for inserting fibrous or foraminous resident packing,... – With means for ejecting continuous length insert
Patent
1990-12-12
1991-08-20
Hirsch, Paul J.
Surgery
Means for inserting fibrous or foraminous resident packing,...
With means for ejecting continuous length insert
604 11, 604 15, A61F 1326
Patent
active
050410806
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a tampon applicator which is not bulky to carry, is easy to use and its depth of insertion can be readily adjusted.
PRIOR ART
There is known a tampon applicator which comprises an outer cylindrical member having at its end a compressed tampon of a bullet-like shape, and an inner cylindrical member inserted in the outer cylindrical member and adapted to push the tampon outwards.
It is however to be noted that in such a known structure an overall length of the applicator corresponds to a total of lengths of the outer and inner cylindrical members, and thus makes it not convenient to carry.
Therefore, a new type of tampon applicator has been proposed recently as shown in FIG. 5 wherein a protection cap 26 protects the applicator which comprises the outer cylindrical member 21, the inner cylindrical member 22 and a push rod 23. In this applicator, the inner cylindrical member 22 is inserted in the outer cylindrical member 21, and the push rod 23 is inserted in the inner cylindrical member 22, in such a state that before use of said applicator the overall length thereof is nearly equal to the length of the outer cylindrical member 21. When it is used, the inner cylindrical member 22 and the push rod 23 are pulled out so as to increase the length of the applicator into a total length of those three members. Owing to this feature, the newly proposed tampon applicators have been taking place of the older known ones.
In such a `three-staged` structure as employed in the newer applicators, the push rod 23 must be pulled at first to forcibly fit a trailing end 22a of the inner cylindrical member 22 in a gap between an annular protrusion 24 formed at extremity of said rod and a lug 25. This operation which is done to tightly connect the push rod 23 to the inner cylindrical member 22 is however not easy. Further, this operation is carried out after the outer cylindrical member has been inserted into a user's vagina, whereby her fingers are likely to be stained with menstrual blood.
The invention was made in view of those problems in order to provide a tampon applicator which is compact before use, and is easy to be adjusted into a desired length when it is used, and further is not apt to stain user's fingers when it is used.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a tampon applicator which comprises a tampon compressed into a bullet-like shape, a supporting member supporting a trailing end of the tampon, a case housing the tampon and the supporting member, a rotatable member attached to a trailing end of the case, a motion converting mechanism causing the tampon to linearly go out of and come back into a leading end portion of the case when the rotatable member is rotated, and a string connected to the tampon and capable of being pulled outwards through a bottom of the rotatable member.
The tampon applicator has at a trailing end thereof the rotatable member which can be rotated to move the tampon forwards and backwards within an outer cylindrical member of the case. The tampon in its spared state is thus held within the outer cylindrical member so that the applicator which is provided by the invention can be small-sized and easy to carry.
Contrary to the known applicators, any operating rod and inner cylindrical member need no more be pulled out of a trailing end of the outer cylindrical member, and these cylindrical members also need not be connected to each other when the applicator in the invention is used. The tampon applicator in the invention is thus easily used by simply rotating only the rotatable member, without fear of staining fingers.
In particular, protrusion of the tampon out of the case can be adjusted by rotation of the rotatable member so that a user can protrude it to a length most appropriate to her before she inserts the tampon in her vagina. This reduces a feeling of disorder or incongruity which has been unavoidable in the known applicators wherein the tampon is protruded after insertion of the case into vagina.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
REFERENCES:
patent: 545102 (1895-08-01), Sleem
patent: 4048998 (1977-09-01), Nigro
patent: 4198978 (1980-04-01), Nigro
patent: 4276881 (1981-07-01), Lilaonitkul
patent: 4543086 (1985-09-01), Johnson
Shimatani Kazuo
Shimatani Sumie
Greigg Edwin E.
Greigg Ronald E.
Hirsch Paul J.
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