Intravaginal device with fluid transport plates and methods of making

Abstract

Apparatus for producing an intravaginal device includes a forming tool having an aperture, a male tool having a plurality of forming blades arranged radially about an aperture, at least one bonding element, and at least one moveable pushrod. The forming tool includes a holding plate having a plurality of vacuum ports, and the aperture of the forming tool is located in the forming plate. The aperture of the forming tool has a plurality of slots connected to and extending therefrom. The bonding element is moveable toward the aperture in the forming tool. The apertures are aligned along a machine axis to permit the pushrod to move a fluid storage element through each aperture, the forming blades of the male tool are aligned with the slots of the forming tool, and guide edges of the forming blades accommodate a fluid storage element aligned with the aperture of the male tool.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 661,535 filed Mar. 26, 2009, which is the national stage filing under 371 of international application PCT / US2005 / 017113, filed May 13, 2005, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application 60 / 572,055, filed on May 14, 2004, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 848,257, filed on May 14, 2004, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 847,951, filed on May 14, 2004, the complete disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.[0002]This invention is related to the following copending applications filed on even date herewith: “Intravaginal Device with Fluid Acquisition Plates” (U.S. Ser. No. 60 / 574,054; Atty Docket No. PPC-5073), “Intravaginal Device with Fluid Acquisition Plates” (U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 847,952; Atty Docket No. PPC-5070), “Fluid Management Device with Fluid Transport Element for...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]We have found a novel way to address the problem of premature product failure. This invention is not dependent on the expansion of the compressed absorbent but rather incorporating an element, which is adaptable to the vagina. In our invention, we increase the contact area of the absorbent device and thereby reduce by-pass leakage.

Problems solved by technology

A drawback often encountered with commercially available tampons is the tendency toward premature failure, which may be defined as bodily fluid leakage from the vagina while the tampon is in place, and before the tampon is completely saturated with the bodily fluid.

The patent art typically describes a problem believed to occur that an unexpanded, compressed tampon is unable to immediately absorb fluid.

Therefore, it presumes that premature leakage may occur when bodily fluid contacts a portion of the compressed tampon, and the fluid is not readily absorbed.

While this tampon may allow for a certain amount of protection from bypass leakage, the uncompressed portion may become saturated before the compressed portion has a chance to expand and become absorbent.

The absorbent portions of the tampon can saturate locally, which leads to bypass leakage.

However, based upon current understandings of vaginal pressures, it is not understood how the described structure could form such an opened volume.

Therefore, this external absorbent article can contain fluid gushes, but it does not appear to address the problems relating in particular to intravaginal devices, such as a tampon.

While the prior art is replete with examples of sanitary protection articles that capture bodily fluids both externally and intravaginally, these examples do not overcome the problem of premature failure often identified as by-pass leakage that commonly occurs while using internal sanitary protection devices.

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