Surgery – Means for inserting fibrous or foraminous resident packing,... – With slidable ejector inside tubular inserting means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-08
2001-02-13
Ruhl, Dennis (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means for inserting fibrous or foraminous resident packing,...
With slidable ejector inside tubular inserting means
C604S015000, C604S060000, C604S286000, C604S311000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186973
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to an applicator type tampon having an outer cylinder which contains the tampon. The tampon can be pushed out through a forward delivery opening of the outer cylinder.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A simple applicator of the prior art comprises an outer cylinder which holds in its interior a tampon near its forward end portion. An inner cylinder or plunger is inserted through a rearward opening of the outer cylinder and is slideable therein. When sliding the inner cylinder forward its front end abuts against the rearward end of the tampon, whereby the tampon, upon further advancing the inner cylinder, is pushed through the delivery opening out of the outer cylinder. An applicator of this type has a length of about 2.5 times the length of the tampon.
DE 30 11 612 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,125) discloses a tampon applicator comprising an outer cylinder and a pusher cylinder. The pusher cylinder is cut open in its front portion such that two elongated bars or legs are formed which, in cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pusher cylinder, have the shape of segments of the original cylinder wall. In its rearward portion the outer cylinder is provided with openings which are located behind the rearward end of the tampon when the latter is in its initial position in the outer cylinder. The openings are dimensioned so that through each opening one of the bars or legs of the pusher cylinder can be slid into the interior of the outer cylinder. Before use the pusher cylinder is positioned with its elongated bars engaging the outer wall of the outer cylinder and with its cylindrical end portion being located behind the rearward end of the outer cylinder. To use the applicator the pusher cylinder is first pulled back until the front ends of said elongated bars are in registration with the openings in the outer cylinder. Then, the forwards ends of the bars are introcuded into the openings and slid into the interior of the outer cylinder by pushing the pusher cylinder forward. In order to facilitate introduction of the elongated bars into the openings, the latter can be oriented in an inclination against the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, i.e. they can be located in a tapered portion of the outer cylinder, so that the bars can easily be introduced by moving their forward end portions through the openings into the interior of the outer cylinder. If the pusher cylinder is then pushed forward further, the elongated bars slide forward in the interior of the outer cylinder until they abut against the rearward end of the tampon located in the forward end portion of the outer cylinder. By further advancing the pusher cylinder the tampon is then pushed through the delivery opening out of the outer cylinder. The elongated bars have a certain flexibility or capability to bend along their longitudinal direction so that before use of the applicator they can lie on the outer surface of the outer cylinder and can, after introduction of the tips into the openings, move forward in abutment against the inner wall of the outer cylinder. A similar tampon applicator having a pusher cylinder with elongated bars which can be introduced through openings in the outer cylinder wall into the interior of the outer cylinder and are slideably moveable therein to push a tampon out of the delivery end of the outer cylinder is described in DE 30 31 838 (corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,991).
One disadvantage of these known applicators is that the outer cylinder and the pusher cylinder can be disengaged. Consequently the outer cylinder and the pusher cylinder can easily fall apart if they are not in close frictional engagement with each other. If, on the other hand, there is considerable friction between the outer cylinder and the pusher cylinder which, as mentioned, is needed so that both parts do not easily fall apart, it is very difficult to move the pusher cylinder against the strong friction relative to the outer cylinder. For this reason, comparatively strong forces are needed to push the tampon out of the outer cylinder. These frictional forces even increase with further advancing the pusher cylinder since the contact area on the inner wall of the cylinder increases. While moving the pusher cylinder against the friction forward it can also happen that it gets stuck within the outer cylinder.
Problems with frictional forces between the puhser cylinder and the outer cylinder in particular arise when environmental conditions like temperature, humidity etc. change which can result in a substantial increase of the force needed to press the pusher cylinder forward into the outer cylinder to push out the tampon.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tampon applicator which can easily be handled and which allows to push out the tampon in an easy and safe way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention the outer cylinder for holding the tampon is provided with an opening in its cylinder wall, which opening is located behind the rearward end of the tampon when the tampon is in its initial position in the outer cylinder, with the front end of the tampon being adjacent the delivery opening. An elongated pusher element can be introduced through the opening into the interior of the outer cylinder so that a forward end portion of the elongated pusher element, after sliding the pusher element forward through the opening, abuts against the rearward end of the tampon. The rearward end portion of the elongated pusher element in turn is pivotally connected to a push lever. The push lever is pivotally connected to the outer cylinder, wherein the latter pivotal connection is located behind the opening in the wall of the outer cylinder. Thus, the push lever forms a lever which, when turned forward relative to the outer cylinder, advances the pusher element connected to it. After the leading end of the pusher element has been introduced into the opening, turning the push lever further results in advancing the pusher element in the interior of the cylinder and eventually in pushing out the tampon.
With the arrangement of the tampon applicator according to the invention the tampon can be released from the outer cylinder of the applicator in a particularly simple and safe way. Before use of the applicator, the push lever and the elongated pusher element can lie on the exterior surface of the outer cylinder. For using the applicatior the push lever is then pivoted away from the outer cylinder and the forward end of the pusher element is inserted into the opening in the cylinder wall and pushed forward until it abuts against the rearward end of the tampon within the outer cylinder. Then, the push lever is pivoted further toward the outer cylinder, whereby the elongated pusher element is moved forward through the opening and is further advanced in the interior of the outer cylinder, thereby pushing the tampon forward and finally through the delivery opening out of the outer cylinder.
Since the pusher elements extends from a position in the exterior and spaced apart from the outer cylinder to a position within the outer cylinder, and extends in the interior of the outer cylinder essentially coaxially to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, it has to have a certain bending capability along its longitudinal axis so that it can follow a slightly bent path. In one embodiment the pusher element can simply be an elongated rod made of plastic or cardboard, the diameter of the rod being chosen so that the pusher rod has the desired bending flexibility. The push lever can, for example, have the form of a flat bar and can be more rigid than the pusher element. The thickness can for example be three times the thickness or diameter of the pusher element rod. A higher rigidity of the push lever makes it easier for the user to exert force on the push lever while turning it, and to transfer the force effectively to the pusher element to move it forward.
The applicator according to the invention is advantageous since it eliminates any substantial frictional forces bet
Johnson & Johnson GmbH
Ruhl Dennis
LandOfFree
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