Ergonomic menstrual cup to which biomimetic technology is applied

Abstract

A menstrual cup is disclosed. The ergonomic menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention, inserted into the female vagina in order to accommodate menstrual blood, comprises: an opening at which one end thereof is open; an accommodation part for accommodating, in an inner accommodation space, the menstrual blood flowing to an inner portion toward the other side thereof from the opening; and a handle part, which is provided at the lower end of the accommodation part, has a diameter smaller than that of the accommodation part, and has an open central portion.

Description

Ergonomic menstrual cup using human-mimetic technology

[0001] The present invention relates to a menstrual cup, and more particularly, to a menstrual cup that stores menstrual blood, can be easily and stably inserted and removed, and is ergonomically designed to provide a high level of user satisfaction and convenience.

[0002]

[0003] Typically, pad-type sanitary pads and vaginal inserts are the dominant types of feminine hygiene products. Recently, insertable menstrual cups, designed to be inserted into the vagina and collect menstrual blood, have been developed and marketed. These insertable menstrual cups offer the advantage of allowing women to move freely during their period, compared to pad-type sanitary pads, and reduce the environmental and economic burden of disposing of conventional pads.

[0004] Typically, an insertable menstrual cup is provided with a cup body and an opening that is inserted into a woman's vagina to receive menstrual blood, and is provided in the upper center of the cup body, and has a cup-shaped structure in which the upper part of the cup body is smaller than the lower part.

[0005] However, the conventional menstrual cups on the market have a cone-shaped cup body and a circular opening, which causes problems for users, such as bladder pressure, foreign body sensation, and pain.

[0006] Additionally, menstrual cups like the one above sometimes have long, stick-shaped handles to make it easier to hold without having to insert your finger deep into the vagina. However, this can cause the long handle to poke the vaginal wall during use, causing pain.

[0007] For this reason, if the handle is formed short, the two fingers inserted to hold the handle, the thumb and index finger, are used, and the width of the index finger structure, which expands as it goes downwards, is inserted deep into the vagina, pressing on the vaginal wall and causing great pain, and the body fluid causes slipping, which is uncomfortable to use, so an improvement is required.

[0008] The above-described technical configuration is background technology to help understand the present invention, and does not mean a conventional technology widely known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

[0009] [Prior Art Literature]

[0010] [Patent Document]

[0011] (Patent Document 1) Patent Document 1: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0133156 (published on October 4, 2022)

[0012]

[0013] Therefore, the technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a menstrual cup that can be easily and stably inserted and removed, and is ergonomically designed to solve problems such as bladder pressure, foreign body sensation, pain, and difficulty in use.

[0014] The problems solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0015]

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ergonomic menstrual cup for inserting into a woman's vagina to receive menstrual blood, the menstrual cup comprising: an opening portion having one end open; a receiving portion for receiving menstrual blood flowing inward from the opening portion in an internal receiving space; and a handle portion provided at a lower end of the receiving portion, having a smaller diameter than the receiving portion, and having an open central portion.

[0017] The above menstrual cup further includes a double sealing portion that is curved at the upper portion of the opening and is larger than the diameter of the opening.

[0018] The above menstrual cup further includes a plurality of air holes provided between the double sealing portions.

[0019] The above opening is formed in an oval shape with a left-right diameter longer than the front-back diameter of the menstrual cup.

[0020] The above menstrual cup is formed with a curved shape in the entire length of the receiving portion to correspond to the shape of the vagina located behind the bladder.

[0021] The above menstrual cup further includes a first anti-slip portion and a second anti-slip portion at the front and rear of the lower portion of the receiving portion.

[0022] The above menstrual cup is made of medical-grade silicone.

[0023]

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention have a handle portion having a smaller diameter than a receiving portion, a non-slip portion included at the bottom of the receiving portion, and an open central portion so that a user can place a finger in the open area, thereby preventing the menstrual cup of the present invention from slipping out of the hand when inserting and removing it, and allowing for convenient use.

[0025] In addition, since the opening is formed in an oval shape and the entire length of the receiving portion is formed in an ergonomic curve, bladder pressure, foreign body sensation, and pain can be alleviated by using the menstrual cup of the present invention.

[0026] Additionally, the double-sealed opening at the top of the receiving portion prevents external pooling of menstrual blood, and prevents the menstrual cup from coming out of the vagina during various physical activities when worn.

[0027]

[0028] The attached drawings are intended to explain the contents of the present invention in more detail to a person skilled in the art, but the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIGS. 2A and 2B are drawings showing a side view (2A) and a front view (2B) of a female organ to easily understand the shape of a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Fig. 3A is a drawing showing the problems of a conventional bell-shaped menstrual cup and a side view of the same when worn, and Fig. 3B is a drawing showing the characteristics of a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention and a side view of the same when worn.

[0032] Figure 4 is a front view schematically illustrating a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 is a side view schematically illustrating a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 7 is a plan view schematically illustrating a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036]

[0037] The embodiments described below are provided to facilitate a clear understanding of the technical concepts of the present invention by those skilled in the art, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the details depicted in the attached drawings are schematic drawings intended to facilitate the description of embodiments of the present invention and may differ from the actual implementation.

[0038] Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will readily understand the functions of components used in the past, among the functional components omitted from the drawings. Furthermore, the relationship between the omitted components and the components added for the present invention will also be clearly understood.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a front view schematically illustrating a menstrual cup according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a side view schematically illustrating a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically illustrating a menstrual cup according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] As illustrated in these drawings, the menstrual cup (10) according to the present embodiment is made of medical silicone material, which is highly safe, economical, and environmentally friendly as it can be reused for approximately two years. The menstrual cup (10) is configured to include an opening (100), a receiving portion (200), and a handle portion (300).

[0041] The opening (100) is open at one end to allow menstrual blood to flow into the internal receiving space of the menstrual cup (10). Here, the open end of the opening (100) is directed upward with respect to the ground, and the other end of the open end is directed downward with respect to the ground.

[0042] The opening (100) may have an elliptical opening (130) shape in which the left-right diameter is longer than the front-back diameter when viewed from the open portion. As a result, the circular opening shown in FIG. 3A may push out other female organs (e.g., bladder) and cause bladder pressure, foreign body sensation, and pain. However, as shown in the side and front views of female organs showing the biological characteristics of the shape of female organs shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, since the vagina of a woman has an elliptical shape, the elliptical opening (130) as shown in FIG. 3B may not push out other female organs, resulting in excellent fit and convenience.

[0043] The receiving portion (200) is formed by extending downward from the portion where the opening (100) is formed. The width of the internal receiving space may be formed to narrow downward.

[0044] The menstrual cup (10) is further configured to include a double sealing portion (110).

[0045] The double sealing portion (110) is formed in the other direction with one open end of the opening portion (100). The double sealing portion (110) may have a thickness thicker than the receiving portion (200) forming the internal receiving space of the menstrual cup.

[0046] The cross-section of the double sealing portion (110) is a curved shape due to the protruding shape, and the upper part of the double sealing portion (110) is formed to protrude upwardly on the outside to prevent external leakage of menstrual blood, and the lower part of the double sealing portion (110) is formed to protrude downwardly on the outside to prevent the menstrual cup from coming off when the menstrual cup is worn and during activities.

[0047] A plurality of air holes (120) are provided in the concave portion between the double sealing portions (110), so that when the shape of one embodiment of the present invention is changed, air inside the receiving portion (200) can be discharged to the outside of the receiving portion (200).

[0048] The menstrual cup (10) may have a curved portion (210) having a curved shape along the entire length of the receiving portion (200). As seen in the side and front views of female organs showing the biological characteristics of the shape of female organs shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the vagina of a woman is located behind the bladder and has a curved shape, so the curved portion (210) corresponds to the shape of the vagina located behind the bladder of a woman to support the female organ (e.g., the bladder), thereby solving problems such as bladder pressure, foreign body sensation, and pain compared to a conventional bell-shaped receiving portion, so that the user can wear the menstrual cup (10) without discomfort and be active while having a high level of satisfaction and convenience.

[0049] The handle part (300) is provided to extend downward from the lower end of the receiving part (200), and is provided to be smaller than the diameter of the receiving part (200), and includes a circular handle part (300), and an opened handle hole (310) is provided by perforating the central part of the handle part (300), so that the user can conveniently use one embodiment of the present invention by putting a finger in the opened hole when inserting and removing it from the user's vagina.

[0050] In addition, the receiving portion (200) of the menstrual cup (10) may further include a first anti-slip portion (220) and a second anti-slip portion (230) at the front and rear of the lower portion. In one embodiment of the present invention, when the menstrual cup (10) is inserted into and removed from the user's vagina, the menstrual cup (10) may become slippery due to the user's bodily fluid. Therefore, the menstrual cup (10) can be conveniently used by preventing slipping when inserted into and removed from the user's vagina due to the first anti-slip portion (220) and the second anti-slip portion (230).

[0051] Accordingly, the menstrual cup according to the present invention has a handle portion having a smaller diameter than the receiving portion, includes an anti-slip portion at the bottom of the receiving portion, and has an open central portion so that the user can place a finger in the open area, thereby preventing the menstrual cup of the present invention from slipping out of the hand when inserting and removing it, and thus enabling convenient use.

[0052] In addition, since the opening is formed in an oval shape and the entire length of the receiving portion is formed in an ergonomic curve, bladder pressure, foreign body sensation, and pain can be alleviated by using the menstrual cup of the present invention.

[0053] Additionally, the double-sealed opening at the top of the receiving portion prevents menstrual blood from leaking out, and prevents the menstrual cup from coming out of the vagina during various physical activities.

[0054] Although the detailed description of the present invention as described above has been made by way of an embodiment with reference to the attached drawings, the above-described embodiment is only a preferred example of the present invention, and therefore the present invention should not be understood as being limited to the above-described embodiment, and the scope of the rights of the present invention should be understood by the claims and their equivalent concepts.

[0055]

[0056] [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10: Menstrual cup 210: Curved section

[0058] 100: Opening 220: First anti-slip part

[0059] 110: Double sealing part 230: Second anti-slip part

[0060] 120: Air hole 300: Handle

[0061] 130: Oval opening 310: Handle hole

[0062] 200: Reception area

Claims

1. In an ergonomic menstrual cup inserted into a woman's vagina to receive menstrual blood, An opening that is open at one end; A receiving portion that receives menstrual blood flowing inward from the opening in the other direction into an internal receiving space; and An ergonomic menstrual cup comprising a handle portion provided at the lower end of the receiving portion, having a smaller diameter than the receiving portion and having an open central portion.

2. In paragraph 1, The above menstrual cup is an ergonomic menstrual cup, further comprising a double sealing portion that is curved at the upper portion of the opening and is larger than the diameter of the opening.

3. In paragraph 2, The above menstrual cup is an ergonomic menstrual cup further comprising a plurality of air holes provided between the double sealing portions.

4. In paragraph 1, An ergonomic menstrual cup, wherein the above opening is an oval opening having an oval shape in which the left and right diameters are longer than the front-back diameter of the menstrual cup.

5. In paragraph 1, The above menstrual cup is an ergonomic menstrual cup in which the entire length of the receiving portion has a curved shape to correspond to the shape of the vagina located behind the bladder.

6. In paragraph 1, An ergonomic menstrual cup, wherein the menstrual cup further includes a first anti-slip portion and a second anti-slip portion at the front and rear of the lower portion of the receiving portion.

7. In paragraph 1, The above menstrual cup is an ergonomic menstrual cup made of medical silicone.

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