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  Applicator having an indented fingergrip with raised portionsRelated Patent Categories: Surgery, Means For Inserting Fibrous Or Foraminous Resident Packing, Receptor, Or Medicament Carrier Into Body Orifice, With Slidable Ejector (e.g., Plunger Or Ram, Etc.) Inside Tubular Inserting MeansThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070156081. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/621,709, filed on Jul. 17, 2003. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to an insertion device capable of housing an insertable element having an improved fingergrip region to improve the consumer's ability to securely hold the applicator during insertion of an insertable element. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] As known in the art, applicators are used to both house materials intended to be inserted in a body cavity, such as a tampon or medicaments and to expel the material into the intended orifice. Typically applicators comprise an insertion member and a plunger. The material to be expelled from the applicator, such as an absorbent tampon, is positioned within the insertion member. The insertion member has a first end for insertion of the tampon and a second end for receipt of the plunger. To use the applicator, the consumer will position the first end appropriately, grasp the insertion member, and move the plunger in the insertion member towards the first end to insert the tampon. Some applicators also include a fingergrip configuration that is located on the insertion member, which allows the consumer to more securely hold the applicator during insertion of a material into the body cavity. [0004] Various fingergrip configurations have been proposed to facilitate the handling of the applicator and to improve the insertion experience. One approach is a tampon applicator having an integral fingergrip that is formed by embossing the outside surface of the insertion member of the tampon applicator. The embossed portion of the applicator may take the form of a series of circumferential rings or a series of discrete raised dots. Examples of such fingergrips can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,526 issued to Jackson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,308 issued to Fox, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,501 issued to Klesius; U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,964 issued to Huffman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,963 issued to Sheldon; U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,042 issued to Nelvin, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,833 issued to Weigner, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,634 issued to Berger; U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,533 issued to Berger; U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,533 issued to Leyer; U.S. Pat. No. 2,922,423 issued to Rickard; U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,717 issued to Fourness; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,489,502 issued to Ruth. [0005] Another approach to the gripping problem is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,169 issued to Voss, et al., which provides separate raised elements that are applied to an outer tube of a tampon applicator to provide a fingergrip. The elements can be formed of plastic, rubber, ceramic, or other materials, and can be affixed to the outer tube by interference fit or by bonding. [0006] While many have tried to design and manufacture tampon applicators having these improved qualities, there still remains a need for a tampon applicator that has gripping features that provide limited resistance to finger slip during the insertion and the expulsion of the tampon applicator. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] A tampon applicator is provided which comprises an insertion member adapted to house an absorbent tampon and receive a plunger, said insertion member having an outer surface and a fingergrip region extending inwardly from said outer surface and disposed between an insertion end and a second end opposite said insertion end of said insertion member, said fingergrip region comprising an indention region having a depth dimension X, wherein said depth dimension X is measured from the outer surface of said insertion member to lowest point of said indentation region, said indention region comprising protruding, three-dimensional raised portions that are positioned within said indentation region and having a height dimension Y, wherein said height dimension Y is measured from base to highest point of an individual three-dimensional raised portion, said height dimension Y being less than or equal to said depth dimension X, and wherein at least one of said insertion end or said second end of said insertion member comprises a lip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008] FIG. 1 is a side view of an applicator of the present invention. [0009] FIG. 2 is a side view of an applicator of the present invention. [0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an applicator of the present invention. [0011] FIG. 4 is an end view of an applicator of the present invention. [0012] FIG. 5 is an end view of an applicator of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0013] As used herein "applicator" refers to a device or implement that facilitates the insertion of a tampon, medicament, treatment device, visualization aid, or other into an external orifice of a mammal, such as the vagina, rectum, ear canal, nasal canal, or throat. Non-limiting specific examples of such include any known hygienically designed applicator that is capable of receiving a tampon may be used for insertion of a tampon, including the so-called telescoping, tube and plunger, and the compact applicators, an applicator for providing medicament to an area for prophylaxis or treatment of disease, a spectroscope containing a microcamera in the tip connected via fiber optics, a speculum of any design, a tongue depressor, a tube for examining the ear canal, a narrow hollow pipe for guiding surgical instruments, and the like. [0014] The term "joined" or "attached," as used herein, encompasses configurations in which a first element is directly secured to a second element by affixing the first element directly to the second element; configurations in which the first element is indirectly secured to the second element by affixing the first element to intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the second element; and configurations in which the first element is integral with the second element; i.e., the first element is essentially part of the second element. [0015] As used herein the term "tampon," refers to any type of absorbent structure that is inserted into the vaginal canal or other body cavities for the absorption of fluid and/or gas therefrom, to aid in wound healing, or for the delivery of active materials, such as medicaments, or moisture. The tampon may be compressed into a generally cylindrical configuration in the radial direction, axially along the longitudinal axis or in both the radial and axial directions. While the tampon may be compressed into a substantially cylindrical configuration, other shapes are possible. These may include shapes having a cross section that may be described as rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal, semi-circular, hourglass, serpentine, or other suitable shapes. Tampons have an insertion end, withdrawal end, a length, a width, a longitudinal axis and a radial axis. The tampon's length can be measured from the insertion end to the withdrawal end along the longitudinal axis. A typical compressed tampon for human use is 30-60 mm in length. A tampon may be straight or non-linear in shape, such as curved along the longitudinal axis. A typical compressed tampon is 8-20 mm wide. The width of a tampon, unless otherwise stated in the specification, corresponds to the length across the largest cylindrical cross-section, along the length of the tampon. [0016] The term "vaginal cavity," "within the vagina," and "vaginal interior," as used herein, are intended to be synonymous and refer to the internal genitalia of the mammalian female in the pudendal region of the body. The term "vaginal cavity" as used herein is intended to refer to the space located between the introitus of the vagina (sometimes referred to as the sphincter of the vagina or hymeneal ring,) and the cervix. The terms "vaginal cavity," "within the vagina" and "vaginal interior," do not include the interlabial space, the floor of vestibule or the externally visible genitalia. [0017] As used herein, "cm" is centimeters, and "mm" is millimeters. [0018] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the tampon applicator of the present invention. The tampon applicator 10 includes an insertion member 20 adapted to house an absorbent tampon and a plunger 22. The insertion member has an outer surface 24 and a fingergrip region 26 disposed about the outer surface 24. The fingergrip region 26 comprises an indention region 28 having a depth dimension X. The indention region 28 comprises raised portions 30 having a height dimension Y, the height dimension Y being less than or equal to the depth dimension X. When a consumer inserts the insertion member 20 into her vaginal cavity, her fingers and/or thumb are urged towards the insertion end 32 due to frictional forces between the insertion member 20 and the walls of the body cavity. The combination of the indention region 28 and the raised portions 30 and their respective dimensions in relation to each other provides a secure hold and improved handling of the applicator during insertion. Continue reading... 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