Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02395822 2002-06-26
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A MALE CONDOM
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to male genital sheaths and, more particularly,
male genital
sheaths having means for physically stimulating his partner during coitus. The
present
invention also relates to prophylactic male genital sheaths having means for
physically
stimulating his partner during coitus.
Background of the Invention
Harmony, pleasure and enjoyment in sex plays an important role in happy
relationships
between couples. However, because of race, growth, hereditary or other
factors, the
genital organ of some male person of the population may not have an adequate
transversal
spread or circumference to achieve the desirable physical stimulation that
would
otherwise be required for his partner to attain such physical pleasure and
enjoyment. On
the other hand, such deficiency may be due to his partner, for example, a
large transversal
clearance or excessive size of his partner's vagina due to race, hereditary or
other
congenital factors or a loose vagina due to stretching as a result of children
birth.
Sometimes the deficiency may be a result of a combination of the aforesaid
factors.
To alleviate the despair and unhappiness associated with such deficiency,
there are
available many devices (commonly known as "sexual aids") which are designed to
be
worn by a male person so that more physical stimulation or agitation can be
produced in
the course of coitus by considerably enlarging the effective transversal
spread or
circumference of his organ. The sexual aids come in two general types, namely,
the
substantially rigid "armour" type and the "thin-and-flexible" type. In the
armour type, a
relatively rigid structure is worn by the user and, because of the rigidity of
the structure,
physical stimulation or excitement to his partner will likely be achieved with
good
certainty. However, while the armour type devices provide a reasonable
solution to the
deficiency due to the incompatibility of the sizes of the sexual organs, the
person wearing
the device can hardly enjoy the pleasure and excitement as his organ is
substantially
shielded by a substantially rigid and usually thiclc device inserted between
the organs.
Condoms with contoured texture distributed on the contact surface are a
typical example
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of the thin-and-flexible type. In this type of device, the person wearing the
device will
have a good sensitivity because condoms are typically made of a very thin
elastomeric
material. However, because of the inherent requirements of a condom, partly
relating to
the method of condom manufacturing, the contour of the protz-uding texture
will be
limited and comparable to the thickness of the condom which can be as thin as
0.03 mm.
Such a device can only provide very limited physical stimulation to the person
receiving
the device and may not be adequate to produce pleasure and excitement for
persons
having relatively serious problems of the aforementioned type. Hence, it will
be desirable
if a condom-like device having a very thin body can be provided with
physically salient
stimulating means in order to achieve the desirable physical stimulation. On
the other
hand, it is noted that a condom-like device with physically salient
stimulating means may
be easily or prematurely caught and removed by his partner's sex organ during
coitus.
Therefore, it is highly desirable if an improved device with the physically
salient features
is provided with means to prevent easy slippage. In addition, it will be
highly desirable if
such an improved device provide supplemental prophylactic function as well as
the
desirable physical stimulation.
Object of the Invention
Therefore, it is the object of the invention to provide improved male genital
sheaths
having a very thin main body for receiving the male genital organ and having
physically
salient features for physically stimulating his paxtner so that both are in a
position to
enjoy sexual pleasure, enjoyment and excitement. It is also an object of the
prevent
invention to provide an improved device of the aforementioned properties
having means
to prevent easy slippage of the device from the male organ weaxing it.
Furthermore, it is
also an object of the present invention to provide the general public with a
useful choice
of male genital sheaths having physical stimulation means for the benefit of
their sexual
lives.
Summary of the Invention
According to the present invention, there is provided a sheath for the male
genital organ
made generally of an elastomeric material, said sheath includes a closed tip,
an open end,
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an elongated main body between said closed tip and said open end, and a first
collar
member formed at the open end, wherein said first collar member is
substantially solid
and flexible and has a thickness which is substantially more than that of the
main body,
said main body is adapted to receive part of the genital organ and is
considerably shorter
than a normal prophylactic condom, and said first collar member is adapted to
be received
within the sex organ of his partner during coitus. Preferably, the first
collar member of
the sheath is adapted to be worn near the middle portion of an erected penis.
Preferably, the sheath is adapted to be worn on an erected penis and within a
condom.
Preferably, the sheath has a length of less than 100 mm. Preferably, the
collar has a
thiclcness of more than 1 mm, and the main body has a thiclcness of less than
0.12 mm.
Preferably, the preferred thickness range of said collar member is between 2-5
mm.
Preferably, the sheath further includes a limitation device which includes a
limitation ring
which is placed immediately adj acent to the base of said collar member and
the thickness
of said limitation ring is less than that of said collar. Preferably, the
limitation device is
adapted to limit the range of movement of said first collar member on an
erected penis.
Preferably, the limitation device includes a second collar member with a
smaller thickness
than said first collar member, and said second collar member is formed
adjacent to the
base of said first collax member. Preferably, the limitation device is
integrally formed
with said sheath.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided, in combination
with a
condom, a sheath for the male genital organ made generally of an elastomeric
material,
said sheath includes a closed tip, an open end, an elongated main body between
said
closed tip and said open end, and a first collar member formed at the open
end, wherein
said first collar member is substantially solid and flexible and has a
thickness which is
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substantially more than that of the main body, said main body is adapted to
receive part of
the genital organ and is considerably shorter than a normal prophylactic
condom, and said
first collar member is adapted~to be received within the sex organ of his
partner during
coitus.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Embodiments of the present invention will now be disclosed by way of examples
only
and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Fig. 1 is a side view of a fully expanded male genital sheath according to a
first
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view (not to scale) of the sheath of Fig.
1;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sheath of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4A illustrates the sheath of Fig. 1 when in use (position of the first
collar member
only indicative);
Fig. 4B illustrates the sheath of Fig. 1 when in use within a conventional
prophylactic
condom;
Fig. 5A shows a side view of a limitation device (the second collar member) in
use with a
sheath of the present invention;
Fig. 5B shows in combination the limitation device in the form of a
compressive ring in a
perspective view with the sheath of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the sheath and the compressive ring
on an erected
gems;
Fig. 7A is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the sheath of Fig. 1
in use with a
compressive ring as a limitation device with the first collar member in a
first
configuration;
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Fig. 7B is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the sheath of Fig. 1
in use with a
compressive ring as a limitation device with the first collar member in a
second
configuration;
Fig. 8A is a front view of a second variant of a compressive ring for use with
the sheath
of Fig. 1A;
Fig. 8B is a side view of the second variant of the compressive ring of Fig.
8A with the
tongue members wound about the ring;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the ring member of Fig. 8A in use
with the sheath
of Fig. 1;
Fig. 1 OA is a side view of a third variant of the limitation device;
Fig. l OB is a side view of the third variant of Fig. 10A in a second
configuration;
Fig. 11A illustrates a side view in which the third variant is used with the
sheath of Fig. 1
in a first configuration; and
Fig. 11B is a side view illustrating the use of the third variant underneath
the sheath.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Referring to Figs. 1 to 4B, there is shown an embodiment of a male genital
sheath of the
present invention. As shown in the Figures, the sheath (1) includes a main
body portion
(11), a closed end with a semen receptacle (12) and an open end (13) with a
first collar
member (14). The sheath (1) is preferably made of a very thin and strong
elastomeric
material such as natural rubber latex, polyurethane or other synthetic
elastomeric
materials so that an acceptable level of tactile stimulation can be provided
to the wearer
while the sheath can remain stretched and taut during coitus. Latex membrane
(15) with
the thickness between 0.02 mm and 0.12 mm has been known to be used in
prophylactic
condoms to provide high sensitivity without significant trade-offs in safety.
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stIEST~r~ITE s~IEET (RULE~2~1
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The sheath can be made by traditional methods of manufacturing a prophylactic
condom
by using "dipping" or "dip and dry" techniques wherein a phallic shaped
mandrel (not
shown), made for example of glass, ceramic or metal, is dipped into a bath of
elastomeric
material. To form the semen receptacle (12), a bulb-shaped extension may be
formed at
the lower tip of the mandrel. The first collar member (14) is formed by
rolling the open
end of the latex coating towards the bulb tip until a collar of a
predetermined thickness
has been formed. The latex coating is then allowed to dry or to be cured at an
elevated
temperature to yield the finished sheath having a substantially solid and
flexible collar of
a predetermined thickness with a main body portion (11) and a semen receptacle
(12)
having the thickness of a latex membrane which can be as low as 0.02 mm using
current
technologies. In use, the first collar member (14) is preferably inserted
inside the sex
organ of the sex partner of the person wearing it following the forward motion
of the
penis.
While the thickness (d) of the first collar member (14) may vary depending on
the length
of the rolled latex coating, the preferred range of thiclcness would be in the
region of 2 to
5 mm to fit couples having different degrees of incompatibility in their sex
organs. In
most circumstances, a thickness of ,3 mm would be considered adequate but it
would be
understood that a collar thickness of 1 mm would produce discernible results
for couples
having less serious problems.
The preferred effective length of the sheath (L), i.e. the distance between
the tip of the
sheath and the base of the collar is preferably between 4 to 10 cm,
contrasting to the
typical length of conventional condoms which is normally more than 17 cm. Such
a
shorter length is preferred because, in use, the first collar member is
preferably to be
inserted inside his partner's sex organ. To improve the compressive grip of
the first collar
member (14) on the penis (20) and to minimise the chance of undesirable or
premature
slippage during coitus, the collar opening (13) may be made smaller than the
opening (~)
of the main sheath body, for example, by reducing the diameter of the phallic
mandrel
above a certain distance or level above the tip which corresponds to the base
of the first
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collar member. To improve the overall grip of the sheath, the main body (11)
may be
designed so that, in use, the main body is tightly fitted on the penis.
RefeiTing to Figs. 4A and 4B which illustrate the sheath in its ordinary use,
the sheath is
inserted onto the penis prior to coitus and when the penis (20) is in the
erected state.
When the sheath is properly worn, the first collar member (14) is preferably
situated near
the middle portion of the penis (20), although a user may wish to position the
collar
member nearer or further away from the free end (22) of the penis. As the
thickness of
the first collar member will increase the effective circumference of the penis
at the
position of the collar (14), his partner is more likely to enjoy the
additional pleasure
resulting largely from the physical stimulation and excitement. In addition,
the
compression on the penis (20) due to the first collar member (14) may help to
slow down
the reverse blood flow from a erected penis, thereby extending the duration of
erection
and prolonging sexual enjoyment and pleasure.
In order to prevent premature slippage or removal of the sheath (1) from the
penis (20)
due to normal reciprocal motion in the course of coitus, it is highly
preferred that a
prophylactic condom (4) is worn above and in addition to the sheath (1). In
addition to
providing extra protection against conception and the transmission of sexually
transmitted
disease, the additional condom (4) can also provide extra benefits. Firstly,
where the
condom (4) has a tight and compressive penis envelope, the compressive tension
helps to
maintain the collar in position and reduce the chance of premature slippage.
Secondly,
wrapping of the condom envelope around the collar member smooths dowxn the
abrupt
transition between the main sheath body and the collar and provides
cushioning, thereby
reducing the rislc of injuring his partner. Thirdly, the condom will help to
recover the
sheath and prevent the sheath from going astray in case the sheath actually
slips away
from the penis, this is paa.-ticularly useful if the penis becomes slack in
the middle of
coitus.
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Referring now to Figs. 5A and SB, there is shown a sheath (1) of the present
invention in
combination with a first variant of limitation device which comprises a second
collar
member (50) in the form of a compressive ring (50) in the present embodiment
and a
conventional prophylactic condom (4). As shown in the Figures, the compressive
ring
(50) is to be inserted between the sheath tip (12,) and the first collar
member (14) and is
placed immediately adjacent to the base ofthe first collar member (14).
Tk~e compressive ring (50) (or the second, collar member) is preferably made
of an
elastomeric material with a thickness which is considerably less than that of
the first
collar member (14) for the following reasons. Preferably the elastomeric
second collar
member (50) is made with a smaller internal circumference than that of an
erected penis
so that additional grip on the sheath can be provided to further alleviate the
risks of
premature slippage. In addition, the second collar member also provides an
additional
synergetic effect. Referring to Figs. 6 and 7A, the sheath is shown in
combination with
the compressive ring (50) on an erected penis (20). Referring to Fig. 7B, the
penis is
shov~m withdrawing from the vagina as part of the reciprocal motion involved
in coitus.
The contact pressure between the vagina (not shown) and the penis (20) during
withdrawal tends to drive the first collar member (14) towards the head (22)
of the penis
(20). However, because of the second collar member (50), this contact pressure
will
?0 cause the first collar head to roll over the ring (50). At the instant of
rolling over, there
will be an instantaneous increase in the effective circumference or
transversal spread of
the penis, thereby producing extra physical stimulation and agitation. The
first collar
member (14) to be used in this embodiment may be made less compressive to
allow an
easier rolling over about the second collar ring which is a compressive ring
(50). When
the penis (20) next penetrates into the vagina, the first collar member (14)
will be restored
to the original position as shown in Fig. 7A. A convention prophylactic condom
(4) may
be wore in addition and above the sheath and ring combination for similar
additional
benefits as described above.
Instead of using a discrete external ring (50) as the second collar member,
the second
collar member (50) may be integrally formed on the sheath. This can be done by
firstly
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forming a sheath with a small collar thiclcness by the condom manufacturing
methods
described above. After the formation of a collar of a relatively small
thicl~ness (which
will become the second collar member), the phallic mandrel may be dipped into
the latex
bath again and the latex coating can be rolled to form the first collar member
with a
higher thickness immediately above and adjacent to the compressive ring.
Referring to Figs. 8A, 8B and 9, there is shown a sheath (1) described above
in
combination with a second variant of the second collar member (60) or the
limitation
device. The limitation device (60) includes a compressive ring (62) with a
plurality of
tongue members (64) which extend fiom the ring member (60). The tongue members
is
provided for increased holding of the ring and is preferably made of a thin
and flexible
material and the side of the tongue member facing the penis during use is
coated with an
adhesive. In use, the tongue members are fully extended and the adhesive
surfaces are
stuclc to the penis to hold the ring in place in addition to or in place of
the compressive
force inherent in the elastomeric ring. In addition, the tongue members may be
used as
means for adjusting the inner clearance of the ring member to increase the
compressive
grip by winding the tongue members about the ring as shown in Fig. 8B.
Referring to Figs. 10A to 11B, there is shown a sheath (1) described above in
combination with a third variant of the second collar member of a limitation
device. The
third variant (70) includes a ring (72) similar to the ring described above
and is
connected to a second compressive ring (74) by a plurality of strap members
(76). In use,
the ring (72) is inserted onto the sheath at a position which is proximal and
adjacent to the
base of the collar member (13). The other ring (74) is inserted on the distal
end of the
penis and the sheath will nbrmally be firmly retained in place then. Similar
to the second
vaxiant, the strap members may be wound about the rings in the manner as shown
in Fig.
l OB to tighten the grip. Alternatively, the ring (72) of the third embodiment
may be worn
nderneath the sheath and immediately adjacent to the base of the collar member
(13) as
shown in Fig. 11B. Obviously, the variants of the limitation device may be
formed
integrally with the sheath or separately.
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Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described
for
illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various
modifications,
additions, variants arid substitutions are possible without departing from the
scope and
spirit of the invention as described herein. While the present invention has
been
explained primarily with reference Io the enhancement of physical pleasure and
stimulation during intercourse, it will be noted that the sheath design also
has certain
prophylactic aspects because of the sheath design and the use of the non-
permeable latex
membrane.
It should also be understood that features of the invention which have been
described by
way of separate embodiments for clarity may also be combined in a single
embodiment.
Conversely, features of the invention which have been described in a single
embodiment
for brevity may also be provided or separately or in any suitable
subcombination.
