Patent ID: 7789845

Claim:
A swab/applicator for making contact with a selected area in the ear canal proximate the ear drum of an human ear, the selected area in the ear canal being unreachable by the finger of a user of the swab/applicator, consisting of: a single absorbent tip for contacting said selected area in the ear canal, said tip having a first end and terminating at a second end; a flexible elongated sleeve having a first end and a second end, said first end of said sleeve being closed and non-rigidly and permanently connected to said first end of said tip, said second end of said sleeve being open whereby in using said swab/applicator a person's finger may be inserted lengthwise into said second end of said sleeve, said tip providing a non-rigid extension to the length of the swab/applicator, and in use said tip providing a non-rigid extension to the length of the inserted finger, said tip being non-rigid over its entire length from said first to said second end and having a length in a range in the order of 0.30 inches to 0.75 inches, said tip having a dimensional cross-section that at its maximum is less than the cross section of the sleeve when a finger is inserted therein, said tip being able to reach the selected area in the ear canal proximate the ear drum.