Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
104Q3S3
...
: ~ BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
, ~ .. .
It is known that absorbent tampons made of soft,
low density,relatively uncompressed, resiliently deformable
materials, and especially of materials such as hydrophilic
or mensesphilic polyurethane foams, not only provide high
absorbent capacity for menstrual exudate but also protect
against early leakage. This is attributed to the fact
that unco~pressed low density materials are in their most
~ .
--1--
! . . . , , , : ' , ,`
'., '' : "",' " ' ~, ,'' " . ~ , ' ~ " ,. .'.'
`': ' ` ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' , ' ' ': '- - - .
. .
~4~353
effective absorbent state from the start and do not have
to be acted upon, or depend on expansion activating agents,
to expand to useful size. In addition, the uncompressed
material has surface areas which more readily accept
exudate than do the hardened surface areas of conventional
compressed tampons. Further the inherent springy resil-
iency such foams possess enable these foams to conform
more readily to the multiple irregular folds, ridges and
valleys of the vaginal walls when the walls are in their
normal collapsed state thus reducing the possibilities
for bypass leakage through unobstructed channels. Whiie
high pressures exerted by the walls on any particular
portion of the foam will compress the foam considerably
in that particular area, immediately adjacent wall areas
which exert lesser pressure compress the very resilient
foam correspondingly less, and the tendency of the foam
to expand to its normal uncompressed condition, will
help it fill any voids which exist.
This invention is directed to a tampon made
from such resiliently deformable materials. The described
`~ ~tructure is one which has been found particularly effective
ln filling the vaginal cavity after insertion. An inserter
designed to hold the tampon in resiliently deformed condition
for delivery into the vagina is also described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a resiliently
deformable low density tampon comprised of a multiplicity
of lnterme~hed loops of thin flat strips made up of thin
sheet~ of resiliently deformable absorbent material. By
resiliently deformable is meant a material which in its
,
1~40353
dry condition readily deforms under relatively light
loads but which returns to its uncompressed condition
when the loads are removed.
The intermeshed loops of the tampon of this
invention are disposed in a manner to form an openwork
spheroid in which portions of the loops cross over each
other at the top and bottom of the vertical axis of the
spheroid. A withdrawal string is attached to the loops
in the area where the loops cross at the bottom of the
vertical axis, securing the strips together in that
bottom crossover area.
In the absence of any loading, or compressing
forces which might deform the tampon in any way, the tampon
will tend to return to its spheroidal shape.
For insertion into the vaginal cavity the tampon
is resiliently deformed to a size suitable for insertion.
This is done by collapsing the spheroid along its ver~ical
axis to bring the top and bottom crossover areas into
~uxtaposltion thereby forming a multiplicity of flat loops
radiating out from the crossover areas in a substantially
planar arrangement. The outer extremities formed by the
loop~ in this planar configuration are then bent downwardly
from the central crossover areas to form the tampon into
an inverted cup shape. The inside of this cup-shaped
tampon has an internal vertex against which is disposed
the leading end of an elongate pusher member employed to
provide firm structural internal ~upport to the otherwise
ea9ily deformable tampon and also to insert the tampon.
When providing its support and insertion function,
the pusher member is part of an inserter device particularly
useful in placing the tampon within the vaginal cavity.
,
. .
.
.~,... . . .
., .,; . . ', . . .: ::.
:: ~, . .: .: . . .. : . -
: - - . . , . : :: -
.:. . , ~ ., : , .
.. ~:: .. . . . . . . . .. : , ..
:; .: . - ., . : . , : - - - - . ~ .. . . . . , -
. ~: :: - : : .: : - : : :-: i . . - ,: " . , , :,:~ - .- :. : . . . . . .
104V3S3
The inserter device comprises a pair of telescoping
elemenSs in which the outer element is in the form of
an elongate tube and the inner ele~ent has an elongate
lower portion slidably disposed within the tube and is
provided with a frontal extension of smaller diameter
than the lower portion. This frontal extension forms
the pusher me~ber. In assembling the tampon and
inserter, the leading end of the pusher member is
disposed against the internal vertex of the resiliently
deformable, and now cup-shaped tampon, and pushed into
the outer tube element which is of a smaller restricting
diameter than the uncompressed cup-shaped tampon. 51iding
the tampon into the restricted diameter tube resiliently
compresses the cup-shaped tampon radially within the
tube.
When putting the tampon to use, the outer tube
1~ inserted in the vagina to a suitable depth, and the j~
tampon then pushed or ejected from the tube by moving
the pusher member forward and exertinq force against
the internal vertex of the tampon. When the trailing
edges of the tampon are drawn through the outer tube
and escape the restrictive confinement of the tube, the
tampon will tend to expand to its uncompressed condition,
and in so doing will substantially conform to the vaginal
cavity. While the natural tendency of the tampon is to
attempt to regain its 3pheroidal shape, it cannot do
so because when confined in the tube the lower half of
the sphere was inverted to form the internal vertex of
the cup-shaped form.
Since the interior of the vagina exerts pressure
orrwhat si~dlar to those exerted by the tuhe tùe t~ yon
-4-
`'`'` '. ': ' .' : ' .', :. '. : " ,- .' ' .,, . ~ ' ' :
104~1353
remains in this cup-shaped form with the extremities
pressing against the vaginal walls. However when the
tampon is ready for removal the withdrawal string first
exerts force on the crossed strips at the bottom cross-
over area. This permits the lower half of the tampon
to re-invert toward its original spheroidal shape
which contrib~tes to easy withdrawal.
Other embodiments and advantages of the
invention will become apparent by reference to the
accompanying drawings and detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings: ~
FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of 1 ,
the spheroidal loop tampon of this invention.
FIG. 2 i9 a top plan view of the tampon of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 i5 a top plan view of the tampon of
FIG8,1 and 2 showing how it appears with the spheroid
flattened preparatory to introducing the tampon into
20 the outer delivery tube of an inserter device.
FIG. 4 is a side view partially cut away of
the flattened tampon of FIG. 3 in association with the
inserter members showing the first step in combining
the tampon with an in~erter device.
FIG. 5 is a partial side view showing the
tampon partially introduced into the outer delivery
tube of the in~erter device.
FIG. 6 i~ a side view of the tampon fully
di-posod within a ~uitable in~serter device.
FIG. 7 i~ a longitudinal section of FIC. 6.
'
~ _5_ '
' .
104~353
FIG. 8 is a section taken through one form of
strip material suitable for use in making the loop
tampon of this invention.
FIG. 9 is a section taken through another
form of strip material suitable for use in this
invention.
DE~AILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 and 2 of
the drawings in which there is shown a side and top
plan view respectively of a preferred embodiment of
the spheroidal loop tampon of this invention.
A5 shown therein, tampon 12 is made up of
intermeshing loops, 13, 14 and 15 of thin, resiliently
deformable absorbent strip material to form a tampon
having an openwork spheroidal shape. The loops cross
over each other at the top 16 and bottom 17 on the
vertical axis of the spheroid. A withdrawal string 18
ls attadhed to and secures together the loops where
they cross each other at the bottom 17 of the vertical
axis. The substantially spheroidal shape typifies the
; configuration which the loop tampon of this invention
assumes when it is in its unrestricted, undeformed
condition, which may be oblong or oblate. While this
figure shows the tampon in its undeformed configuration,
it should be noted here that the tampon assumes this
particular shape only at the time of manufacture and
when withdrawn from the vagina after use.
When being prepared for use and for disposition
within a suitable delivery or insertion device, the
spheroidal shape i9 first flattened as shown in the
x ~ ,. , , . ...... , . , , . , .
,,, ., . .. : : ~ , , -:, -~
:: .. . . . .. .. . -
~.()4035i3
top plan view of FIG. 3. An outer tubular element 20
which will receive the tampon in resiliently deformed
condition is then positioned on top of the flattened
spheroidal tampon concentric with the vertical axis
thereof as shown in FIG. 4. An elongate pusher
element 21 comprising a widened bottom portion 22
dimensioned for slidable engagement within outer
tube 20, and a lesser diameter frontal extension 23
has the leading end 24 positioned against the bottom
crossover area of the flattened tampon concentric
with its vertical axis. The elongate pusher element
is shown as being hollow to accommodate the withdrawal
string therein, but other string accommodating means
can easily be provided.
With the elements of the assembly positioned
as indicated in FIG. 4, the elongate pusher element 21
is advanced in the direction indicated by the arrow,
thereby stuffing tampon 12 into the restricted confines
of outer tube 20 and maintaining the tampon 12 in the
outer tube in internally supported but resiliently
deformed condition.
In FIG. 6, the tampon and inserter assembly
is shown as it appears when fully assembled and when
outer tube 20 is open-ended at its forward end 25.
Since tampon 12 is of resiliently deformable material,
that portion of the tampon which extends beyond forward
end 25 of tube 20 and is free of restriction trys to
expand to its uncompressed condition. That part of the
t~ipon i9~ of course, unsuccessful in obtaining complete
deoomprei3i8ion but its partially successful effort results
in a bulbous configuration somewhat as shown.
_7_
, .
~0403s3
It is under~tood that outer tube 20 may be
made long enough to contain the entire length of the
tampon and have none of the tampon protrude therefrom,
or it may be made shorter than shown whereby a major
portion of the tampon protrudes from the end. In any
event outer tube 20 must be of such length that a
rear portion of the tampon remains resiliently deformed
while in the tube in order that the tampon will be of
a size which may be comfortably inserted into the
vaginal opening.
When tampon 12 is resiliently deformed within
outer tube element 20 it is in the shape of an inverted
cup. The internal vertex 26 of the inverted cup rests
on the leading end 24 of pusher element 21. When tampon
12 i9 ejected from tube element 20 by pushing agalnst
its internal vertex 26, the tampon substantially retains
this lnverted cup shape even though its inherent re~iliency
exerts forces which try, unsuccessfully, of course, to
reform the tampon to its uncompressed shape. The reason
the tampon maintains lts cup shape while in position in
the vagina i9 that, as is well known, the internal confines
of the vagina in its collapsed condition are not much
larger than the dimensions of conventionally sized
insertion tubes. As a result the vagina itself continually
resists expansion of the tampon. While any resilient
material inserted into the vaginal cavity will try to
expand, and if resiliently deformable will tend to fill
the available space, the material will still generally
maintain the shape or form in which it was inserted
because of the resistance to expansion provided by the
, .
I
.~ ,
104V353
vaginal walls. Accordingly, the tampon described herein
will substantially maintain its inverted cup shape after
ejection into the vagina. However, the outer edges of
the cup will be continuously trying to expand and in so
doing substantially fill the vagina wherever natural
voids occur. The tampon also tends to expand further
when fluid is-absorbed thus still further improving
its cavity-blocking function.
Because in the preferred embodiment, the
withdrawal string is attached only to the crossed over
~trips diqposed at the bottom of the intermeshing loops,
when withdrawal force is exerted on the strips in this
area by pulling on the string, such force will often
cause the inner half of the inverted cup to evert and
return to its original configuration. In cases where
this happens, the tampon will then resume an elongated
spheroidal shape as it is extracted. This eversion of
the interior of the cup-qhape reduces the overall bulk
and makes removal of the tampon relatively easy.
In constructing the tampon, all of the loops
may be made from a single continuous ~trip of material
in which case the looped tampon in its spheroidal form
will have only two free ends to be secured when the
withdrawal string iq attached at the bottom crossover
area. Alternatively, each loop may be made of a single
strip with overlapped or butted ends joined together to
form each loop.
The strip material may comprise only one ply
of resiliently deformable material, or it may comprise
a multiplicity of thin plys. When a polyurethane foam
;:,'' ,''. ',''.,; .'.'' ' . . ' : '"' ' : ''` - ' ' ' '
1046~353
strip is used as the base material the tampon may be
formed solely of the foam material as indicated in
FIG. 8, or the foam may be strenqthened by some form
of internal reinforcement such as scrim or the like.
In either case, the foam itself will be the absorbent
body which contacts the interior of the vagina.
In ~ preferred form, polyurethane foam is
used in the form of a strip which may comprise a
single thickness or multiple thicknesses as shown in
FIG. 9 and is covered with a loosely encircling fluid-
pervious fabric wrapper. The wrapper may be woven
or non-woven and may also be hydrophilic or hydrophobic,
many types of which are well known in the art. The foam
strip is loosely wrapped in order not to interfere with,
or restrict its potential expanaion capabilities.
When the foam strips are thus wrapped, the
potential frictional contact between the resiliently
deformed tampon and the outer tube element is consider-
ably reduced as compared to foam alone, thus making
e~ection of the tampon easier. The wrapper also
reinforces the foam, and is particularly useful when
weak foams are employed.
The insertion device may be made of any suit-
able material with some flexibility but sufficient
rigidity to perform the necessary functions of containment
and e~ection. A preferred material is a thermoplastic
synthetic material ~uch as polypropylene or polyethylene.
Other plastics such as nylon, polyesters and polyvinyls
may also be used but generally are not as economically
acceptable because of higher fabricating and material
co8ts. Cardboard or paperboard materials may also be
employed.
--10--
~ ,,, . I '.
.. . : : , , , ; , . . ..
~04~353
While in the preferred embodiments and in
the drawings the outer tube element 20 of the inserter
device is shown as an open-ended tube, it is understood
that the outer tube element may have a substantially
closed end of the type now being marketed in which the
forward end of the tube comprises a plurality of juxta-
posed petal-li.ke flexible segments which open outward
when the tampon is ejected therefrom. This closed end
style of insexter will, of course, not provide the
swabbing action which the open-ended tube structure
permits.
While the preferred embodiment shown in the
: drawing has three intermeshing loops, tampons made from
two or more loops may also be used and generally should
be evenly spaced so that the spheroidal configuration
does not have uneven gaps.
Having now generally described various struc-
tural forms the tampon of this invention may take, the
following description covers a partic~larly preferred
; 20 example:
: Three individual multi-ply strips of hydrophilic
polyurethane foam were used. Each strip was 1" wide by
10" long and was comprised of three thinner strips each
.060" thick. Each multiply strip was loosely wrapped
in a non-woven 5 x 12 scrim material having a cotton
fiber overlay on the outer surface. The strips were
formed into loops and the loops intermeshed into a
spheroidal shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the
ends which are overlapped at the bottom to complete the
loop joined together at the bottom of the tampon by
'
--11-- .
"'' ~, . .
,~,.~...... , ,,, , ,, .. 1
1046~353
means of a withdrawal string. The tampon was then flattened
and as shown in the drawings pushed, into an outer tube element
of polypropylene having an inner diameter 11/16" and an outer
diameter 3/4". The absorbent elements of the assembled tampon,
including foam strips and wrapper weighed about 3.7 grams.
These tampons were then used by members of a clinical panel
for catamenial use and compared with conventional tampons.
The conventional tampons tested were super size
KOTEX ~ COMFORTUBE ~ Tampons. Such tampons are comprised of
a batt of fibers consisting of 20% 3 denier rayon staple,
20~ 5.5 denier rayon staple and 60% cotton linters. This batt,
which is about 3-1/2" long, 1-1/2" wide and 3" thick weighs about
3.25 grams and is enclosed in a non-woven 5 x 12 scrim material
having a cotton fiber overlay. The wrap material weighed about
0.5 grams per tampon. The tampon was compressed and a density
of 0.85 and a size about 1-1/2" long and 5/8" in diameter, and
weighed about 3.75 grams.
The following remarks were recorded:
,~ ~
lj s/~J
., ~ . , .. ,., .. ., ; . : . ,
~04~)3S3
.~, . .
o
r
~ e ~ o
~ O ~q~
.,o ~ ~ e1` ~
C . ~ o
." ~ .~
U) h
U1 N 3 ~ N
:~ UlCO ~1 1 rl
. u) ~ e u~
h :~ ~ h
Q\ ~ O
O I o ~ ~ -~
u~ a 0
u~ ~
X o 10 h .C
C) I~ ~D O ~
¦ -1 U a. h
~a
O ~1 ~ ~
V ~ ~ ~ ,1
_~ ~0 ~ O h ~ r~
:1 ~¦ ~ u O X h
e O~
::~ ~--~ ,a .
u ~ ~ ~
~¢ ~ ~ o
e ~o
. O
_I h l; h E~
W
e
~oer o o~ ~
o ¦ ~ U ~1) ~ h
~D_I h
~ ~ ~ I
h C
~ O S
C~rl ~ h X
E o c ~ o
o ~ ~ ,1 0 ~ ~ E
~1 ~q s r~l ~1 h
~ O ~ X
~1 0 ~ ~ Q~
O
~; O IIJ
C L O C
O n~
o a
~ ~ ~ e h
O
a~--I S
8 o ~ u~ o ~ o
p, ~ ~ O
O Orl ~ ~ h 0 0
~ ~ :1: 0
3 h ~ ~3 S ,a C
~ ~ I ~ 8 s~ ~
U ~ C
C ~
C ~ ~
0
~ _~ h
C ~ 0 h ~a S
E ~
'I C 0C C~ ~ C o
OO h O O
E ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~ ~
.",~' , . . I
.
... ~. . . ' ,
.~ ,
', ' ': .
~,., ', .
.. . .
.~:``:' ' . .. - ~, . - .- . :
` 1~)40353
It will be noted from the preceding data that
the improved low density tampons of this invention were
found more effective in reducing early leakers then
were the conventional highly compressed tampons with
which they were compared. In addition they were found
egual to or better than most tampons with respect to
total capacity~ and overall efficiency with respect to
amount absorbed per unit weight.
It was also found that the low density tampons
tested retained their inverted cup shape while being
worn and in some instances when withdrawn were everted
by the withdrawal string to provide easy removal as
indicated.
This application is a division of co-pending
Canadian Patent Application Serial NO. 254,034, filed on
June 3, 1976.
-14-
~; . . ' - 1
` , . ' ' ~
- : . . ..
~ .:. ~ : :.. :. . . - :
