Menstrual cup

Abstract

The invention relates to a cup (1) that has an opening bordered by a rounded bead (11) as a seal against the vaginal wall (4) and an air inlet opening (21) in the cup. The opening is at a distance from the wall (14) of the cup and communicates with an air inlet (20) that maintains the sealing function of the bead. An airflow duct (16) is provided in the cup, wherein the air inlet acts as the air inlet for the airflow duct and the air inlet opening in the cup acts as the air outlet for the airflow duct. The airflow duct extends inside a sheath (15) within the cup. The cup can be extracted from the vagina without difficulty or pain.

Description

Menstrual cup

[0001] The invention relates to a menstrual cup, or bowl, intended to collect menstrual blood.

[0002] A menstrual cup is roughly shaped like a funnel at the opening of which there is an upper rim, or border, in the form of a relatively thick rounded bead, and the bottom of which is extended by a stem, sometimes a ring.

[0003] Since the cup is intended to be inserted into the vagina, its bulge-like rim acts as a seal against the vaginal wall to ensure that menstrual blood does not leak out of the cup, which is held in place by the pelvic muscle.

[0004] The stem, which extends from the bottom of the cup, is actually a pull tab designed to pull the cup out of the vagina and extract it.

[0005] The wall of the cup, near its opening edge, is pierced with one or more orifices so that the air from the vagina, passing through these orifices and spreading into the cup, introduced partly slightly folded back on itself, can cause it to unfold and allow it to resume its funnel shape.

[0006] When removing the cup from the vagina, the air inlet holes drilled in its wall should, again thanks to the passage of air from outside the cup, avoid a suction effect and therefore facilitate extraction.

[0007] However, when the cup is properly installed in the vagina, the vaginal wall presses against it and obstructs the air inlet holes drilled under the rim. Since the rim acts as a seal and the holes are no longer used, there is no longer any airflow into the cup and when the pull tab is pulled to remove the cup from the vagina, the suction effect (from above) is created. Users are then forced to manually break the seal between the rim and the vaginal wall and therefore create a draft and break the suction effect by slightly folding the cup back on itself.

[0008] Due to this suction effect, removing the cup becomes not only difficult but also painful.

[0009] This problem has always concerned menstrual cup manufacturers.

[0010] We know, in particular from reference US 10,357,395 B2, a menstrual cup comprising an extraction tab which extends to its upper seal in order, by pulling it, to break the seal and separate from the vaginal wall the portion of the seal to which it is attached. But if such an arrangement effectively makes it possible to break the suction effect, it has the major disadvantage of allowing the menstrual flow to flow out of the cup.

[0011] The present invention therefore aims to solve the problem of the ease of extracting the cup from the vagina and, without pain.

[0012] To this end, the present application relates to a menstrual cup, to be inserted into a vagina, with an opening bordered by a rounded rim to provide a seal function against the vaginal wall, at least one air inlet orifice being provided in the cup to cause an air intake when the cup is extracted from the vagina, said orifice being spaced from the wall of the cup and communicating with an air inlet while preserving the seal function of the rim when the cup is placed in the vagina, cup in which a chimney flue is provided, with said air inlet as the air inlet of the chimney flue and said air inlet orifice in the cup as the air outlet of the chimney flue, the chimney flue extending in a sheath inside the cup,characterized by the fact that the sheath which extends inside the cup is a sectorial flank of a tubular element closed longitudinally by two flexible lips forming a longitudinal slot between them.,

[0013] Thanks to the arrangement of the cup, the extraction of the cup from the vagina can be carried out without difficulty or pain, which is the result that was sought by the invention.

[0014] Since the chimney flue inside the cup is practically not deformed, the risk of obstruction of its air outlet and therefore of the air inlet into the cup, by the vaginal wall, is avoided.

[0015] Advantageously, the air inlet of the chimney flue is a low inlet and the air outlet of the chimney flue is a high outlet.

[0016] It should be noted here that the sealing of the cup of the invention is ensured, that is to say that a flow of part of the menstrual fluid out of the cup is impossible.

[0017] The two lips can be moved apart to open the sheath to the outside and access the inside of the sheath, and thus be able to wash it properly.

[0018] It should be noted here again that the manufacture of the cup is greatly facilitated.

[0019] Still preferably, the cup of the invention, comprising a bottom distant from its opening bordered by the seal, said air inlet orifice in the cup is conical, diverges towards the outside of the cup and with an axis inclined towards the bottom of the cup.

[0020] In this case, we are really sure that menstrual fluid cannot enter the air inlet.

[0021] Finally, it is remarkable that the perfect elimination of the suction effect, in the cup of the invention, avoids any risk of loss or displacement of an ultra-uterine device (IUD) when the woman using the cup wears one.

[0022] The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of the preferred embodiment of the section of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:is a half-view of the female genital apparatus, which has a plane of symmetry shown in the figure;is a perspective view from above and from the rear of the section of the invention;is a front view of the section of the;is a view of section AA of the section of the andis a view of section BB of the section of the.

[0023] The cup 1 of the invention is intended to collect menstrual flow after having been introduced into a female genital tract 2, more particularly inside the vagina 3 and, even more particularly, against the vault 41 of its wall 4. Menstrual flow, or menstruation, is the evacuation of the superficial layer of the mucous membrane of the uterus 5 and which occurs when an oocyte from the ovary 6, which passes through the Fallopian tube 7, has not been fertilized inside the uterus 8.

[0024] The menstrual cup in Figures 2-5 has the shape of a funnel, with a high opening bordered by a rounded rim 11, a closed bottom 12 extended downwards by a stem 13.

[0025] The rim 11, after placing the cup 1 in the vagina 3, acts as a seal against the vaginal wall 4 so that the menstruation flows well inside the cup 1 held in place by the pelvic muscle.

[0026] The rod 13 is in fact a pull tab intended to pull the cup 1 out of the vagina 3.

[0027] A ring could be provided in place of rod 13.

[0028] It will be noted that the pull tab 13 is shaped so that, by cutting it, its length can be adapted to the depth of the vagina 3, that is to say to the height of the cervix 9 of the uterus 8. This prevents it from bothering the user if it is too long.

[0029] Cup 1 can be made of rubber, latex or, better, medical silicone. In any case, it must be made of a soft and biocompatible material.

[0030] A sheath 15 is provided in section 1, here in a single piece with the wall 14 of the section, to form a chimney flue 16.

[0031] The sheath 15 is here a sectorial flank of a tubular element open along a longitudinal slot 17 extending from bottom to top to provide, on the sides of this slot, taking into account the flexible nature of the material of the cup, two lips 18, 19 which can be moved apart from each other to access the interior of the sheath 15, that is to say in the chimney flue 16, and therefore to be able to clean it.

[0032] By sectoral flank of a tubular element, with reference to the, we mean that the ring, by which it is represented in section, extends only over an angular sector, and not over 360 degrees, due to the presence of the slot 17 between the two lips 18, 19.

[0033] The two lips 18, 19, at rest and therefore not separated from each other, extend the wall 14 of the cup while leaving the slot 17 remaining.

[0034] The sheath 15 therefore extends inside the cup 1.

[0035] The chimney duct 16, in the sheath 15, has an air inlet orifice 20, at the bottom of the slot 17 and pierced in the bottom 12 of the cup 1, and an air outlet orifice 21, at the top of the slot 17, but pierced in the top of the wall 22 of the sheath 15 extending inside the cup 1, under the bead 11. This air outlet orifice 21 of the chimney duct 16, spaced from the wall 14 of the cup, is the air inlet orifice in the cup.

[0036] It should be emphasized that the arrangement of the chimney duct in the sheath preserves the sealing function of the bead 11 while ensuring that a suction effect cannot be created, the orifice 21 not being able to be obstructed by the vaginal wall 4.

[0037] Furthermore, the air inlet orifice 21 in the cup 1 is here conical, diverges towards the outside of the cup and its axis 23 is inclined towards the bottom 12 of the cup, which ensures that menstrual fluid cannot enter this orifice.

Claims

Menstrual cup (1), to be inserted into the vagina (3), with an opening bordered by a rounded rim (11) to provide a seal function against the vaginal wall (4), at least one air inlet orifice (21) in the cup, to cause an air intake when the cup (1) is extracted from the vagina (3), said orifice (21) being spaced from the wall (14) of the cup (1) and communicating with an air inlet (20) preserving the seal function of the rim (11) when the cup (11) is placed in the vagina (3), cup in which a chimney duct (16) is arranged, with said air inlet (20) as an air inlet of the chimney duct and said air inlet orifice (21) in the cup as an air outlet of the chimney duct (16), said chimney duct (16) extending in a sheath (15) inside the cup (1), characterized in that the sheath (15), which extends inside the cup (1),is a sectorial flank of a tubular element closed longitudinally by two flexible lips (18,19), forming a longitudinal slot (17) between them. Section (1) according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet (20) of the chimney flue (16) is a low inlet and the air outlet (21) of the chimney flue (16) is a high outlet. Cup (1) according to one of claims 1 and 2, in which, a bottom (12) being distant from its opening bordered by the bead (11), said air inlet orifice (21) is conical, diverges towards the outside of the cup (1) and its axis (23) is inclined towards the bottom (12) of the cup (1). Cup (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, made of silicone.

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