The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 02, 1990
Filed:
May. 06, 1988
Wayne D Melvin, Camden, DE (US);
Jamshid Rejai, Dover, DE (US);
Playtex Family Products, Inc., Stamford, CT (US);
Abstract
A compact and short tampon applicator is formed of an outer barrel which surrounds a tampon-holding inner tubular plunger. The barrel has a pair of opposed tongues formed from portions of the wall of the outer barrel which are partially cut and deflected inwardly. The openings in the wall of the barrel provide effective means for holding the barrel during the insertion process. The tongues project into the interior of the plunger, through a pair of elongate slots in the wall of the plunger, so that the tongues are in position behind the tampon. The applicator is readied for being used by retraction of the plunger rearwardly to cause the tampon, which is restrained by the tongues, to be ejected from the plunger into the barrel. The tongues also serve to prevent the plunger from separating from the barrel. The front of the plunger collapses inwardly to form an effective tampon contacting surface for engaging the rear of the tampon in a manner which permits the plunger to push the tampon out of the barrel. Subsequent forward actuation of the plunger expels the tampon through the front of the barrel into the catamenial canal.