AU750066B2 - Non-slip condom - Google Patents

Description

S&F Ref: 450270D1

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Carter-Wallace, Inc.

1345 Avenue of the Americas New York New York 10105 United States of America Michael J. Harrison, Frederick P. Sisbarro, Steven R.

Strauss, Dennis R. Blum and Jim D. Burns Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower,Level 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 (CCN 3710000177) Non-Slip Condom Invention Title: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5845c NON-SLIP CONDOM Related Application A related co-pending Application is Serial No. 821,382, entitled "Multiple Ring Condom-. that was filed on March 20, 1997, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent they do not conflict herewith.

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6* 0 0 Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to condoms, and more particularly to condoms provided with non-slip features.

Background of the Invention Normally the condom is made of strong latex rubber, or some type of animal skin or a synthetic membrane such as polyurethane. Of necessity, in order to provide an acceptable level of tactile stimulation to the wearer, the condom must be quite thin. In general, it is elastically fitted to the male organ and during coitus remains stretched and taut. This stretched, taut condition of the condom can compromise the integrity of the condom insofar as leakage and slippage are concerned.

In accordance with the invention set forth in U.S. Patent Application Serial No.

821,382 entitled "Multiple Ring Condom" that was filed on March 20, 1997, is assigned to the same assignee herewith, and is incorporated herein by reference, methods were disclosed for improving the user protection and safety associated with condoms by adding one or more additional rings between the conventional or base ring at the opening of the condom and the closed end. Through use of this configuration, the incidence of slippage and leakage of the condom during use is substantially reduced, when following ejaculation the penis becomes flaccid, a possibility of leakage of seminal fluid and slippage of the condom occurs. It is believed that proper placement of the rings will provide clitoral S stimulation. While the distance between rings on the condom is not critical, a distance of at least one-quarter inch between rings has been found to be suitable. It is believed but not yet proven that even a distance of four inches between rings may be suitable.

In general the rings formed on the condom will have approximately equal outside and inside diameters, but rings of different outside and inside diameters may be used, i.e., the additional rings above the base ring at the opening of the condom can have a smaller outside and inside diameter than that of the base ring to reduce slippage. There is a limit, however, to the degree to which the diameter of a ring can be reduced without being so tight on a penis as to be objectionable to the user.

It is the object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a condom having a unitary tubular body comprising: a closed end; an open end; a first section having a first end integral with said closed end, and a second end, said first section having a constant first inside diameter between its first and second ends; a second section having a first end integral with said second end of said first section, said second section having an inside diameter that gradually linearly reduces to a second inside diameter at a second end thereof; a third section having a first end integral with the second end of said second section, and a second end integral with said open end the diameter of said third section having a constant said second inside diameter between its first and second ends; a first ring at said open end; and a second ring in said third section.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a condom having a unitary tubular body comprising: an open end and an opposite closed end; continuous linearly diverging side walls from said open end to said closed end; a first ring formed about said open end; and at least a second ring formed between said open and closed ends.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a condom having a unitary tubular body comprising: an open end and an opposite closed end; S. a first ring formed about said open end; parallel side walls continuously extending between said open and closed ends; and at least a second ring formed between said open and closed ends, for enhancing non-slip properties of said condom, wherein the thickness of one of said first and second rings is made greater than the other for further enhancing the non-slip properties of said condom.

-3- [R:\LIBLL] I 1491 .do:cc Brief Description of the Drawings Various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like items are identified with the same reference designation, wherein: Figure 1 shows a condom described and claimed in the aforesaid related Patent Application; Figure 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein a section of a reduced diameter occurs at the open end of a condom; Figure 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention wherein a section of a reduced diameter occurs intermediate the closed and open ends of a condom; V 3a [R:\LIBLL] 1149 .doc:caa Figure 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention for a condom having diverging side walls from its open to closed ends; and Figure 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention for a condom having a bulbous body section near its closed end.

Description of the Invention In order to correlate the condoms of the drawings presented herein with the condoms described in the aforesaid Patent Application, corresponding rings are designated by the same numbers.

In Figure 1, a condom 1 includes a main body section 10, a ring 3 at its opening, a 3 rin 5 above ring 3 and optionally a plurality of rings 7 and 9 above ring 5, as shown.

The closed end 18 has a nipple-shape for providing a reservoir for semen, in this example, but can be otherwise shaped. such as not including a reservoir but having a blunt end. This design corresponds to that taught in the related Serial No. 821.382 described above.

However, in one embodiment of the present invention, the inventors recognized that by controlling the thickness of the rings non-slippage is enhanced, whereby a relatively thicker ring provides a tighter fit of the condom 1 on a penis.

Although not shown in Figure 1, but as shown in Figure 2, the outside and inside diameters of the ring 5 are typically less than the outside and inside diameters of the body -4-

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respectively, of the condom 1 so. as to reduce slippage, but, as previously noted, there is a practical limit to the minimum inside diameter of ring 5. Also, there is a practical limit to the maximum thickness for a given ring 3, 5, 7, or 9. The thickness for a given ring is substantially equivalent to the difference between the outside and inside diameters of S the ring.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 2, the inside diameter is reduced or tapered between points 11 and 12 to the inside diameter of the ring 5 and retains the diameter to the open end 13 where the ring 3 is located. This diameter reduction can be abrupt, but a smooth transition is preferred. The ring 5 is formed by rolling back material from the open end to a desired outside diameter. Ring 3 can be formed in the same manner as ring 5 as taught in the previously mentioned Serial No.

821.382. Rings 7 and 9 are similarly formed. The friction of the section 12-13 of a reduced diameter adds to the friction provided by the ring 5, but because the condom is made of light material it does increase the sensation of tightness, but not in an objectional manner to a user.

Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the diameter of the condom is reduced or tapered between points 14 and 17 to a smaller diameter which is retained in a section of the length between the point 15 and a point 16 at which point the diameter gradually increases to the same diameter at 17 it had at the point 14. From the S point 17 to the ring 3 at the open end, the diameter is the same as at the point 17. In one point 17 to the ring 3 at the open end, the diameter is the same as at the point 17. In one embodiment the diameter between points 15 and 16 can be less than the inside diameter of the ring 5. In a condom made in accordance with Figure 3, the outside diameter at the ring 9 was 36 mm for a glass mandrel (not shown) on which the condom of Figure 3 was formed, for example. In a engineering prototype condom, the point 14 was at 67 mm from S the nipple-shaped closed end 18, the tapered section between 14 and 15 was 25 mm, the section between 15 and 16 was 20 mm, the tapered section 16 to 17 was 25 mm, and the section from 17 to the end was 43 mm, for example. The condom itself typically has a length of 180 mm 20 mm. This, of course, is an example of one condom design, but other condom designs may use different dimensions.

In Figure 4, for a third embodiment of the invention, the condom has successively and linearly increasing diameter from its open end at ring 3 to its closed end 18, producing diverging sidewalls 19 from the open to closed ends. In addition to rings 3 and 5, different ".combinations of rings 7 and 9 may be added, depending upon the desired condom configuration.

In Figure 5, for a fourth embodiment of the invention, the condom has a bulbous body section proximate the closed end, followed by substantially parallel side wall sections 23 to the open end at ring 3. As in other embodiments, in addition to rings 3 and different combinations of rings 7 and 9 may be added, dependent upon the desired condom product configuration.

-6- Although, various embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, they are not meant to be limiting. Those of skill in the art may recognize certain modifications to these embodiments, which modifications are meant to be covered by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, different combinations of specific S features of the condom configurations of Figures 1 through 5 can be used to obtain other condom designs. One such other condom design is to include the bulbous body section 21 of the condom of Figure 5, in combination with the narrowed body section 16 of the condom of Figure 3. Also, the bodies of the condoms can be selectively textured as is known in the art, for each of the various embodiments of the invention.

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Claims (9)

1. A condom having a unitary tubular body comprising: a closed end; an open end; a first section having a first end integral with said closed end, and a second end, said first section having a constant first inside diameter between its first and second ends; a second section having a first end integral with said second end of said first section, said second section having an inside diameter that gradually linearly reduces to a second inside diameter at a second end thereof; a third section having a first end integral with the second end of said second section, and a second end integral with said open end the diameter of said third section having a constant said second inside diameter between its first and second ends; a first ring at said open end; and a second ring in said third section.

2. A condom having a unitary tubular body comprising: :eooean open end and an opposite closed end; continuous linearly diverging side walls from said open end to said closed end; a first ring formed about said open end; and at least a second ring formed between said open and closed ends.

3. The condom of claim 2, further including: a plurality of other rings formed along said body and spaced apart from one another and from said first and second rings.

4. The condom of claim 2, wherein said condom is made from material selected form the group consisting of latex rubber, animal skin, and a synthetic membrane.

The condom of claim 2, further including a nipple-shaped reservoir for semen formed at the closed end.

6. A condom having a unitary tubular body comprising: an open end and an opposite closed end; a first ring formed about said open end; -8- [R:LLIBLL]I 1441 .doc:mad:caa parallel side walls continuously extending between said open and closed ends; and at least a second ring formed between said open and closed ends, for enhancing non-slip properties of said condom, wherein the thickness of one of said first and second rings is made greater than the other for further enhancing the non-slip properties of said condom.

7. The condom of claim 6, further including a nipple-shaped reservoir for semen formed at the closed end.

8. The condom of claim 7, wherein said condom consists of material selected from the group consisting of latex rubber, animal skin, and a synthetic material.

9. A condom substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig 4 of the accompanying drawings. Dated 20 July, 2001 Carter-Wallace, Inc. Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person 20 SPRUSON FERGUSON -9- [R:\LIBLL] 11441.doc:mad:caa