Patent GB-1108291-A (GB)
Title: Improved hygienic devices
IPC: A61M31/00
Filed: 1965-07-27
Abstract: 1,108,291. Applicators for tampons and suppositories. KIMBERLY - CLARK CORPORATION. 27 July, 1965 [5 Aug., 1964], No. 32075/65. Heading A5R. In an applicator comprising a cylindrical hollow thin-walled first or outer tube adapted to contain a hygienic medium, for example a catamenial tampon or a vaginal or anal suppository, and a cylindrical second or inner,tube coaxially and releasably disposed within the outer tube adjacent the rear end of the outer tube and adapted to telescope into the outer tube to eject the hygienic medium from the forward end of the outer tube, a separate strengthening ring is secured to and surrounds the outer surface of the outer tube adjacent its rear end. The wall of the outer tube is sufficiently thin to be inwardly deformable by digital pressure during ejection of the hygienic medium, the ring, which preferably has a thickness greater than the thickness of the wall of the outer tube, having sufficient thickness and strength to increase the resistance of the outer tube to such deformation. As illustrated in Figure 2, a catamenial tampon device 10 includes an applicator 11 comprising an outer tube 12, which contains a tampon 16 having a drawstring 18, and an inner tube 20. The two tubes are so dimensioned that the outer surface 22 of the inner tube is in sliding engagement with the inner surface 24 of the outer tube; these surfaces may be covered with a readily slidable material thereby to facilitate ejection of the hygienic medium. Means 54, for example small detents or flaps, may be provided to stabilize the relative positions of the tubes and to prevent rearward withdrawal of the inner tube from the outer tube. Secured to the outer surface of the wall 30 of the outer tube is strengthening ring 26 which preferably is continuous but which may be formed from a strip having abutting ends. The forward end 14 of the outer tube preferably has a closed conical-shaped smooth surface formed by a plurality of tightly abutting dove-tailed folds adapted to unfold into a tubular shape during ejection of the hygienic medium which thereby is maintained unaltered in form and shape. In order to prevent binding of the hygienic medium between the tubes during ejection of the medium, the forward end 36 of the inner tube preferably is of reduced diameter with respect to the remainder of the inner tube and may comprise a tapered shoulder 38 and an open-ended small diameter terminus 40 formed by a plurality of tightly abutting dove-tailed folds; in Figure 8 (not shown), which illustrates a suppository device, the end wall of the reduced diameter forward end of the inner tube is closed and is formed by a plurality of such dove-tailed folds to prevent penetration of the inner tube into the suppository. The ring, which may be made of paper, paperboard, emeryboard, rubber, metal or a plastics or ceramic material, may be secured to the outer tube by adhesive, for example casein or animal glue, or by fusion when the outer tube and/or the ring is made of thermoplastic material, for example polyethylene. Each tube may be made from a cellulosic fibrous material, for example paper, paperboard or cardboard, or from rubber or a plastics material, or from a combination or lamination of two or more such materials, for example paper coated with foil and/or plastics material. As preferred for a tampon applicator, the inner tube comprises an inner layer of paper and an outer layer of polyethylene film, and the outer tube comprises a central layer of paper, an outer layer of polyethylene film and an inner layer of metallic foil, for example aluminium foil; as preferred for a suppository applicator, the layers comprising polyethylene film are replaced by layers of metallic foil, for example aluminium foil. Outer packaging may be applied around the device comprising the applicator and the hygienic medium.