JP5224864B2 - Tampon applicator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an applicator for a tampon that contains an absorbent body and pushes out the absorbent body during use.

  The tampon applicator includes an outer cylinder that houses the absorber and an inner cylinder that pushes out the absorber in the outer cylinder. These outer cylinder and inner cylinder are molded by resin injection molding. The inner cylinder is operated to move into the outer cylinder, and this operation acts to push the absorber out of the outer cylinder. In order to reliably move the inner cylinder, a grip cylinder part (grip part) is formed on the outer cylinder. Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose conventional techniques related to the improvement of the grip cylinder part.

In patent document 1, it is set as the high friction structure which formed the flat surface in the holding cylinder part and formed the slit groove | channel etc. in this flat surface. In patent document 2, it is set as the structure which made the grip cylinder part into the hollow shape within 10 mm, and formed the convex part of less than 10 mm in this hollow part. In Patent Document 3, a substantially elliptical columnar flat shape portion is formed in the gripping cylinder portion, and a rib-like protrusion is provided on the outer periphery of the flat shape portion. In patent document 4, it is set as the structure which provided the rib-shaped protrusion in the outer periphery while making a grip cylinder part into substantially polygonal shape.
Special table 2004-532712 gazette WO2005-0009312 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-54822 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-54823

The conventional tampon applicator has a problem in that the non-slip projection formed on the gripping cylinder portion is poor in touch and gives a finger discomfort. In addition, there are cases where the finger does not contact the anti-slip protrusion, and if not, there is a problem that gives anxiety during operation.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a tampon applicator that has a good grip on the gripping cylinder and that can reliably contact a finger with a non-slip portion.

  The applicator for a tampon according to the first aspect of the present invention includes an outer cylinder in which an absorbent body is housed, an extrusion opening through which the absorbent body is pushed out is provided on one side, and a gripping cylinder part is provided on the other side, and the gripping cylinder A tampon applicator comprising an inner cylinder that is inserted into a part and is capable of pushing the absorber out through an opening by movement into the outer cylinder, and is arranged in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder part Four base surfaces that are formed from four convex portions that rise from four places and have a mountain-shaped cross section in the radial direction of the gripping cylindrical portion and an outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylindrical portion provided between the convex portions. And a plurality of the convex portion rows are formed along the axial direction of the gripping cylinder portion.

  The invention of claim 2 is the tampon applicator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of rows of convex portions are arranged toward the insertion side of the inner tube into the gripping cylinder portion of the convex portion. It is characterized in that the height from the outer peripheral surface is gradually reduced.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the tampon applicator according to the first or second aspect, characterized in that pitches between adjacent convex portions of the plurality of convex portion rows are different.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the tampon applicator according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the convex portion has a top surface parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion, and the top surface. A vertical surface that extends perpendicularly to the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion from the inner tube insertion side of the surface, and an inclined surface that is inclined downward from the storage side of the absorber on the top surface toward the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, since the convex portion row formed in the gripping cylinder portion is provided with the chevron-shaped convex portions, the touch is good and no uncomfortable feeling is given during operation. Moreover, since the convex part is formed in four places of the circumferential direction, a finger can contact a convex part reliably and the anxiety at the time of operation can be eliminated.

  1 is a front view showing an entire tampon applicator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a portion A in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship of the convex row, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of the convex portion of the convex row, and FIG. 7 is FIG. It is a graph explaining the range of the inclination degree (alpha) of the inclined surface of a convex part.

  The tampon applicator 1 of this embodiment has an outer cylinder 2 and an inner cylinder 3. Each of the outer cylinder 2 and the inner cylinder 3 is entirely formed of polyolefin such as polyethylene or polypropylene.

  An absorber 4 is accommodated inside the outer cylinder 2. An extraction string 5 is connected to the absorber 4 at the base end. The take-out string 5 is inserted through the inner cylinder 3 from the base end of the absorber 4, and the insertion end is extracted from the inner cylinder 3. The absorbent body 4 can be pulled out from the body by pulling the take-out string 5 during use.

  A distal end portion of the outer cylinder 2 is an absorber housing cylinder portion 6 having a large diameter, and a proximal end portion is a gripping cylinder portion 7 having a small diameter. The leading end portion of the inner cylinder 3 is inserted into the gripping cylinder portion 7, and the leading end surface of the inserted inner cylinder 3 faces the absorber 4. The tip of the absorber housing cylinder 6 is an extrusion opening, and a petal body 8 is connected to the extrusion opening. The petal body 8 is normally closed at the edge of the extrusion opening, but when the absorbent body 4 is pushed out by the inner cylinder 3, it is spread and opened by the absorbent body 4. Thereby, since the absorber 4 is extruded from the absorber accommodation cylinder part 6, the absorber 4 can be inserted in a body. The gripping cylinder part 7 becomes a grip part gripped by a finger during such a movement operation of the inner cylinder 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of convex portion rows 11, 12, 13, and 14 are formed on the outer periphery of the gripping cylinder portion 7. The plurality of convex rows 11, 12, 13, and 14 function as anti-slip when the user's finger contacts. Reference numeral 15 denotes a hooking portion formed on the insertion side of the inner cylinder 3 in the gripping cylinder portion 7. The hooking portion 15 has a larger diameter than the convex portion row 14 and receives the user's finger.

  Each convex part row | line | column 11, 12, 13, 14 is formed of the four convex parts 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a and the four base surface parts 11b, 12b, 13b, 14b.

  FIG. 3 shows a radial cross section of the convex portion row 11 portion, and the other convex portion rows 12, 13, and 14 are the same. The four convex portions 11 a of the convex portion row 11 rise from four locations in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion 7. In this embodiment, the convex portion 11a rises from four locations obtained by dividing the circumferential direction into four equal parts. The convex portion 11a has an arcuate mountain shape at the top portion, and the top portion has an arc shape as described above, thereby providing a smooth touch to the finger. The base surface part 11b is located between the convex parts 11a. The base surface portion 11 b is flush with the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion 7. Since the gripping cylinder part 7 has a circular cylindrical shape, the same base surface part 11b as the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder part 7 is also arcuate like the convex part 11a. Thereby, the whole convex part row | line | column 11 becomes a smooth touch.

  FIG. 4 shows the arrangement relationship between the convex portion 11a and the base surface portion 11b in the convex portion row 11, and the other convex portion rows 12, 13, and 14 are the same. The top portion of the convex portion 11a is formed to have a height in the range of 0.1 to 10 mm, more preferably 0.2 to 1 mm from the outer surface of the gripping cylinder portion 7. In this case, the diameter of the grip cylinder 7 is 4 to 25 mm, more preferably 13 to 16 mm.

  In FIG. 4, a straight line M is a center line passing through the center point O of the gripping cylinder portion 7, and straight lines N1 and N2 are regions where the width of the base surface portion 11b, that is, the convex portion 11a is interrupted. The straight lines N1 and N2 are located on both sides of the center line M. The angle formed by one straight line N1 and the center line M, that is, the region Q on one side of the one base surface portion 11b is preferably set in the range of 1 to 40 °, more preferably 5 to 15 °.

  By forming the convex part row | line | column 11 with such a convex part 11a and the base surface part 11b, it can have not only a smooth touch but the characteristic which a finger | toe does not slip easily. Moreover, since a part of the resin material of the convex part 11a can move to the base surface part 11b at the time of die cutting in injection molding, generation | occurrence | production of the burr | flash in the convex part 11a can be suppressed. In addition, this moving resin returns to the original (convex part 11a) after die cutting.

  In FIG. 2, the convex portions 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a and the base surface portions 11 b, 12 b, 13 b, 14 b in the plurality of convex portion rows 11, 12, 13, 14 are in the longitudinal direction of the gripping cylinder portion 7. Although formed in the same place, it is not restricted to this, You may form these in the position where the warp direction differs.

  The convex portions 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, and 14 a of the plurality of convex portion rows 11, 12, 13, and 14 are from the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion 7 toward the insertion side where the inner tube 3 is inserted into the gripping cylinder portion 7. It is formed so that the height becomes gradually lower. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the diameter of the convex part 11a of the convex part row | line | column 11 by the side of the absorber accommodation cylinder part 6 is the largest, and it leaves | separates from the absorber accommodation cylinder part 6, ie, convex part row | line | column 12,13,14. The diameters of the convex portions 11a, 12a, 13a, and 14a are gradually becoming smaller. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the top line R connecting the tops of the convex portions 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, and 14 a is inclined downward toward the insertion side of the inner cylinder 3.

  Further, the convex portions 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, and 14 a of the plurality of convex portion rows 11, 12, 13, and 14 are the outer peripheral surfaces of the gripping cylinder portion 7 toward the insertion side where the inner tube 3 is inserted into the gripping cylinder portion 7. In other words, the height from the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion gradually increases toward the extrusion opening. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, the top part line R which connects the top part of convex part 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a becomes the inclination which rises toward the extrusion opening side.

  FIG. 5 compares the heights of the convex portions 11a, 12a, 13a, and 14a in the convex portion rows 11, 12, 13, and 14. The height of the convex portion 11a of the convex portion row 11 is H11, and the convex portion row. When the height of the 12 convex portions 12a is H12, the height of the convex portion 13a of the convex row 13 is H13, and the height of the convex portion 14a of the convex row 14 is H14, H11> H12> H13> H14. Is set to be For example, the heights of adjacent protrusion rows can be made different in increments of 0.05 mm, such as H11 = 0.4 mm, H12 = 0.35 mm, H13 = 0.3 mm, and H14 = 0.25 mm. In this case, the height H11 of the convex portion 11a can be increased or decreased in the range of 0.1 to 10 mm, more preferably 0.2 to 1 mm. The heights H12, H13 of the other convex portions 12a, 13a, 14a, H14 is formed so that the height is successively smaller than this.

  In FIG. 5, an arrow K is a direction of drawing a mold used for injection molding, and the convex portions 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, and 14 a of the convex portion rows 11, 12, 13, and 14 are gradually lowered along the punching direction K. ing. For this reason, it is not necessary to forcibly remove the die, and it is possible to prevent burrs and wrinkles caused by the forcible removal.

  In this embodiment, the convex portions 11a, 12a, 13a, and 14a of the convex portion rows 11, 12, 13, and 14 are formed so that the pitches (intervals) between adjacent convex portion rows are different. 2 and 5, P <b> 1 is a pitch between the base end portion of the absorber housing cylinder portion 6 and the convex portion 11 a of the convex portion row 11, and P <b> 2 is the height of the convex portion 11 a and the convex portion row 12 of the convex portion row 11. The pitch between the convex portions 12a, P3 is the pitch between the convex portions 12a of the convex row 12 and the convex portions 13a of the convex row 13, and P4 is the pitch of the convex portions 13a and 14 of the convex row 13. It is a pitch between the convex parts 14a.

  In this embodiment, the pitches P2 and P3 between adjacent convex portions, and P3 and P4 are set to different values. For example, P2 = 2.5 mm, P3 = 2.0 mm, and P4 = 2.5 mm are set. In this case, as long as the pitch between the adjacent convex portions is different, the pitch (P2 and P3) between the non-adjacent convex portion rows may be the same.

  The range of the difference in pitch value between adjacent convex portions is preferably 0.2 to 5 mm, more preferably 1.5 to 3 mm. If the range of the difference in pitch value is less than 0.2 mm, it is difficult to feel the difference in pitch when the finger contacts, and if it exceeds 5 mm, the gripping cylinder portion 7 becomes unnecessarily long. In addition, the pitch P1 between the absorber accommodation cylinder part 6 and the convex part 11a of the convex part row | line | column 11 can be set according to the length of the holding | grip cylinder part 7, for example, shall be P1 = 3.0mm. Can do.

  In this manner, by changing the pitch between the convex portions in the adjacent convex portion rows, a good grip feeling can be obtained when the user grips the gripping cylinder portion 7.

  The convex portions 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, and 14 a of the convex portion rows 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the present embodiment are formed so that the axial cross section has a trapezoidal shape. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the convex portion 11 a of the convex portion row 11 (the same applies to the convex portions of the other convex portion rows 12, 13, and 14), the axial section of the top surface 11 c has a gripping cylinder portion. 7 is formed in a trapezoidal shape in which a vertical surface 11d and an inclined surface 11e are continuously provided from the top surface 11c. The vertical surface 11d is formed so as to extend perpendicularly to the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion 7 from the end of the top surface 11c on the insertion side (right side in FIG. 6) of the inner cylinder 3. The inclined surface 11e is formed so as to incline downward from the accommodation side of the absorber 4 on the top surface 11c (the absorber housing cylinder part 6, left side in FIG. 6) toward the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder part 7.

  The width of the top surface 11c in the convex portion row 11 (the same applies to the top surfaces of the convex portions in the other convex portion rows 12, 13, and 14) is set to 0.1 to 5 mm, more preferably 0.2 to 2 mm. When the width of the top surface 11c deviates from this range, it is not preferable because burrs and sags occur at the time of injection molding. It is preferable to set the downward inclination angle of the inclined surface 11 e in relation to the height of the absorber housing cylinder portion 6. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the height of the convex portion 11 a of the convex portion row 11 is half of the height of the absorber housing cylindrical portion 6, the inclined surface 11 e with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylindrical portion 7. The angle α is preferably set in a range of 5 to 80 °, preferably 20 to 60 °. When the angle of the inclined surface 11e is 90 °, burrs and sags are likely to occur during the injection molding. The angle of the inclined surface 11e is similarly set to the angle in the convex portions 12a, 13a, and 14a of the other convex portion rows 12, 13, and 14.

  In the above embodiment, the convex row 11, 12, 13, 14 formed on the grip cylinder portion 7 is provided with the chevron-shaped convex portions 11 a, 12 a, 13 a, 14 a, so that the touch is good and during operation There is no discomfort. Moreover, since convex part 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a is formed in the four places of the circumferential direction, a finger can contact a convex part reliably and the anxiety at the time of operation can be eliminated.

It is a front view showing the whole tampon applicator of one embodiment of the present invention. It is the A section enlarged front view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing which shows the relationship between the convex part in a convex part row | line | column, and a base surface part. It is sectional drawing which shows the relationship of a convex part row | line | column. It is sectional drawing which shows the shape of a convex part row | line | column. It is a graph explaining the inclination range of the inclination part of a convex part row | line | column.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Applicator for tampon 2 Outer cylinder 3 Inner cylinder 4 Absorber 5 Take-out string 6 Absorber accommodation cylinder part 7 Grasping cylinder part 8 Petal body 11, 12, 13, 14 Convex part row 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a Convex part 11b , 12b, 13b, 14b

Claims (3)

An outer cylinder in which an absorbent body is housed and an extrusion opening through which the absorber is pushed out is provided on one side and a gripping cylinder part is provided on the other side, and inserted into the gripping cylinder part and moved into the outer cylinder. An applicator for a tampon comprising an inner cylinder capable of extruding the absorber from an extrusion opening,
4 grip-shaped convex portions rising from four circumferential positions on the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylindrical portion, and having a radial cross-sectional shape of the gripping cylindrical portion with an arcuate top, and the gripping portion provided between the convex portions A plurality of rows of convex portions are formed along the axial direction of the gripping cylindrical portion ;
The convex portion has a trapezoidal cross section in the axial direction of the gripping cylinder portion, a top surface parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion, and an outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion from the inner tube insertion side of the top surface. A tampon applicator comprising: a vertical surface extending perpendicularly to the absorber; and an inclined surface inclined downward from the absorber housing side of the top surface toward the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion . The tampon applicator according to claim 1,
The plurality of rows of convex portions are formed such that the height from the outer peripheral surface of the gripping cylinder portion of the convex portion gradually decreases toward the insertion side of the inner cylinder into the gripping cylinder portion. Applicator for tampon. The tampon applicator according to claim 1 or 2,
The tampon applicator, wherein pitches between adjacent convex portions of the plurality of convex portion rows are different.

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