GB2107194A - A device for applying a thin, soft, elastic, tubular object onto a substantially cylindrical organ - Google Patents

Abstract

An applicator for applying urine condoms, net stockings, fingerstalls and like soft, elastic, tubular objects onto a substantially cylindrical part of an organ consists of a plate 10 of a comparatively rigid material having a convex opening 12 of larger circumference than the untense edge part of the tubular edge, said edge part being wound around itself; for distending the edge part of the tubular edge part there is at least two projections 14 protruding from the plane of the plate and interrupted by two opposite, projection-free edge parts of the plate. Preferably plate 10 at its outer edges is provided with gripping surfaces 24 protruding from the same side of the plane of plate 10 as said projections, whereby gripping surfaces 24 are positioned opposite projections 14, interrupted by projection-free parts of the outer edge of the plate opposite the projection- free parts of opening 12 in the plate. Altogether the plate has no other projections than projections 14 and optionally projections 24. The applicator facilitates the application of condoms, e.g. in cases where the patient has large adipose tissues around penis. The applicator may also facilitate painless application of fingerstalls, net stockings and the like in order to keep bandages in place. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A device for applying a thin, soft, elastic, tubular object onto a substantially cylindrical part of an organ, especially for affixing urine condoms.

The present invention relates to a device for applying a soft, elastic, thin, tubular object onto a substantially cylindrical part of an organ, the tubular object having its annular edge part facing forward in the direction of application wound around itself, the device notably being adapted to affix a urine condom ("Uridom"~, i.e. a urine collector positioned on penis and having a lower open end from which a tube may be connected to a receptacle).

Many patients, especially elderly ones may have difficulties in positioning urine condoms.

From Swedish patent specification No. 362584 there is known a device for facilitating the positioning of urine condoms, condoms and the like, comprising firstly a tubular casing in which the condom may be suspended with its open end enclosing and in airtight contact with one end edge of the casing, a pressure differential between the interior of the condom and the space of the casing outside the condom being obtainable so that an overpressure in the condom transitionally may expand it; and secondly an axially displaceable part positioned in the other end of the casing to close this other end hermetically and being displaceable in a direction away from the suspending end of the uridom so as to expand the space around it in the casing and thereby decrease the pressure. Hereby the urine condom is distended and may be positioned in place.

This applicator is excessively large and hence makes heavy demands on the amount of material required compared to the condom or similar object to apply. It consists of two parts which must fit one another hermetically, which firstly gives little tolerance in manufacture and secondly trouble in gathering the two parts plus the condom.

Moreover the condom must be closed during its stay in the casing and the application since otherwise the overpressure necessary for the expansion cannot be created, which means that either, as foreseen in the patent specification, one must provide the discharge opening of the condom with a stopper, or manufacture it with a closed discharge opening to be cut off after application. Both procedures are troublesome and cause extra use of material. The known device furthermore can only be used for tight objects and not, for instance, for elastic, perforated fingerstalls or netstockings to keep bandages in place.

It is the object of the invention to meet these drawbacks and provide a device suitable for applying uridoms, condoms and similar at least partly tubular objects of elastic and relatively thin material, said device having a simple construction, being easy to produce and use and only requiring a low amount of material.

This is achieved according to the invention thereby that the device is constituted by a plate of a relatively stiff material with a convex opening with larger circumference than the annular edge part of the tubular object in non-tense state, at the edge of said opening at least two projections protruding from the plane of the plate being positioned at a distance from one another for distending the wound edge part, and between the projections two substantially opposite edge parts without projections.

Because of the elasticity of the uridom material the wound edge part, which functions like a bead, can be easily expanded and suspended or distended on the projections and in this condition be conveyed around the penis, after which the condom can be caused to slide or spring off the projections by bending or snapping the plate along a line through the projection-free edge parts of the opening, in a manner so as to approach the projections towards each other, i.e. the bending or snapping movement must be to the same side as the projections. Since the condom after having left the projections of the plate because of the elasticity assumes a size smaller than that of the opening, the plate may be easily removed and discarded (or re-used).A device as that described may be used not only for uridoms and condoms, but also for, e.g., tight or perforated fingerstalls, or elastic net tubes for securing bandages on arms, legs or the trunk. In such cases the device may be of importance in ensuring that undue pressure is not exerted on possible painful wounds during the application.

The plate may have any desired shape, for instance circular or elliptical, but for reasons of manufacture it is most expediently rectangular, possibly square. The opening may likewise have any desired shape only it must be substantially convex and somewhat bigger than the cross section of the organ on which to position the tubular object. The opening may for instance be rectangular, hexagonal or octagonal, but particularly expediently it is circular or faintly elliptical.

The plate may consist of a stiff material so that it breaks when the uridom is released. It is, however, more expedient that it consists of a semirigid, elastic or unelastic, flexible material. A particularly suitable material is hard polyethylene (high-pressure polyethylene) but many other plastics may be usable such as polypropylene, hard polyvinylchloride or polyester. There may for instance also be used comparatively stiff board or sheet metal.

If there are only two projections for distending the uridom, they must be relatively elongated, with a length approximately as their mutual distance; in that case two elongated flange-like projections separated by two projection-free edge parts are positioned at the edge of the opening.

This embodiment is especially suitable if the opening is square or hexagonal, whereby the projections may be formed merely by bending two flanges up. Two elongated projections may also be replaced by four or more pins, expediently positioned at the corners of a polygonal opening or distributed along the perimeter of a circular or elliptical opening.

When the projections are alongated flanges, they may conveniently according to the invention be curved in the direction away from the plate and in such a manner that the concave side of the curve faces the plate. Hereby the condom holds particularly well on the flanges but nevertheless easily comes off when the plate is bent or broken.

When the plate is to be bent or broken in order to release the condom therefrom, the bending or breaking movement must take place to the same side as the projections, since the condom will remain in place if the bending takes place to the opposite side. In order to prevent bending or break to the wrong side the plate may in accordance with the invention advantageously be provided with two opposite gripping surfaces protruding from the plane of the plate to the same side as the projections and situated between the latter and the outer edges of the plate or at the last mentioned edges, whereas the plate opposite the projection-free edge parts is altogether without projections.When the gripping surfaces are pressed towards each other it is certain that the plate wiil be bent or broken to the correct side so that the uridom comes off the projections, and therefore this embodiment is preferred. If the plate is rectangular the gripping surfaces may be provided in a particularly simple manner by folding back the plate material, but nothing prevents that the gripping surfaces like the flanges may be riveted, sticked or welded to the plate or fastened in another manner or formed by moulding. The gripping surfaces may extend along the entire length of the plate or part thereof, for instance such that they have only finger width. They may be flat and conveniently follow the outer contour of the plate, being curved if the outer outline of the plate is round.In that case the gripping surfaces have preferably been formed by a rectilinear generatrix although the surfaces may actually be curved in two directions.

A particularly expedient embodiment of the device according to the invention has the plate substantially square, two opposite edges thereof being provided with flanges folded back from the plate material, the plate being provided with a central, substantially circular or faintly elliptical opening being provided in peripheral parts opposite the flanges with flanges folded back from the plate material to the same side as the former flanges, the latter flanges being curved both in the plane of the plate and in a plane perpendicular thereto with the concave side facing the plate, the two other edges of the square plate and the peripheral parts of the opening facing them being free of projections.It may be prepared of plate material, e.g. a thin plate of high-pressure ~ polyethylene, a plate of a suitable size and having an opening being punched out in one operation and the other flanges folded back under the influence of heat in another. When adapting the punching tools regard should be had to the requirement that the central opening must be circular or faintly elliptical after folding the flanges back, and free of flanges between them.

The device according to the invention now will be described more fully with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings: Figs. 1-3 show three different embodiments of the device according to the invention in perspective and approximately natural size said embodiments to be used as urine condom applicators (if meant for other purposes the dimensions may well be quite different), Fig. 4 a sectional view along line lV-lV in fig. 3, Fig. 5 in a larger scale and partly distorted in the proportions the embodiment of figs. 3-4 with a uridom distended thereon, and Fig. 6 a similar view, though only in partial section and with another object distended thereon in another manner.

The device according to fig. 1 consists of a substantially square plate 10 having a substantially square opening 12. At two opposite edges of opening 12 there are projections in the form of flaps or flanges 14 protruding from the plane of plate 10. Along the other two edges 16 there are no projections from the plane of the plate. The flaps or flanges 14 may be sticked or welded to plate 10 and may optionally be positioned at a small distance from the respective edges of opening 12, but in the embodiment shown they are integral with the plate and merely formed by folding part of the plate material back.

In the embodiment shown the flanges are somewhat curved, folded back over and concave relative to the plate, but they may also be flat and form a faintly acute angle with plate 10, for instance of 750. In the embodiment shown plate 10 with flanges 14 have been produced from high-pressure polyethylene of a thickness of about 1.2 mm, but may also consist of other inexpensive, semirigid yet flexible plastics material, sheet metal or relatively stiff board. The flanges serve at distending a uridom, condom or other thin, elastic, tubular object with its free end edge wrapped up, in manners to be explained in connection with figs. 5-6.

Plate 10 may have any desired shape, e.g.

round or octagonal. Opening 12 may also have another shape, e.g. elliptical, hexagonal as shown in fig. 2 or circular as shown in fig. 3. It is entirely convex.

In fact flanges 14 may each be subdivided into two flanges having a projection-free interspace although in embodiments where the plate does not have projections at its outer perimeter this normally will be inexpedient. The projections as shown in fig. 2 may optionally be replaced by pins 18 at the corners of the polygon; pins 1 8 preferably slope a little in the direction away from opening 12, e.g. under an angle of 75--800 with the plate.

In any event the opening must have two opposite parts 16 without projections.

When a uridom has been distended on the projections, be it entire or interrupted flanges 14, pins 18 or projections of another type, the plate with an attached condom may be conveyed around penis of the patient, and after a suitable degree of conveying the plate bent along a line intersecting projection-free edge parts 16 as shown in figs. 1-3 with broken lines 20. The bending is carried out as hinted with arrows 22 whereby the free edges of the projections approach each other so as to release the condom from the device, which may thereafter be removed, and the condom may then be rolled into the correct position.

The embodiments shown in figs. 1-2 have the advantage of being very simple and inexpensive to prepare, but the disadvantage that the bending to release the condom may easily occur to the wrong side, whereby the condom will remain affixed on the projections.

This drawback has been remedied by the more preferred embodiment shown in fig. 3, where plate 10 besides flanges 14 along opening 12, here circular, and interrupted by parts 16 without projections also, on outer edges opposite flanges 14, is provided with flanges 23. Flanges 24 must be situated on the same side of the plane of plate 10 as flanges 14. When the uridom is to be released from the device, one utilizes flanges 24 as gripping surfaces and squeeze them towards each other, whereby the uridom comes off flanges 14.

Flanges 24 may be replaced by gripping surfaces glued, riveted or welded thereto and positioned between outer edges 25 of the plate and flanges 14, and which may optionally be curved.

The embodiment of fig. 3 is shown in cross section in fig. 4, yet with exaggerated thickness of material. Partly disproportionately it is shown in fig. 5 how a condom 26 is suspended, distended on the device. The distending normally is carried out at the factory where the condom is produced.

Condom 26 consists of thin rubber, in fig. 5 shown with a heavily exaggerated thickness, and usually has a discharge stub having a larger thickness of material. In the opposite end it has prior to distending been rolled up around the annular end edge 30 and in its condition as rolled up the latter is bead-like and has a smaller circumference than the circumference of opening 12. Because of the elasticity of the material edge or "bead" 30 may be distended on flanges 14 or pins 18 and maintained here as plate 10 is kept plane or possibly bent to the opposite direction of arrows 22. Plate 10 with a uridom attached thereto thus may be easily conveyed up around penis, and when the conveying has taken place to the desired degree, "bead" 30 may be caused to come off flanges 14 by bending plate 10 as explained.The distension of the condom shown in fig. 5 hereby is especially advantageous; namely, when the condom as shown has been introduced through opening 12 and "bead" 30 thus is positioned on the other side of plate 10 than the remainder of condom 26, the latter will jump a small distance in the same direction from plate 10 as the flanges when the plate is bended, i.e. further in the direction of application. This position thus tends to improve the positioning of the urine condom on penis.

When using the device according to the invention for other tubular objects, e.g. net stockings or fingerstalls for maintaining bandages, and in some cases for use for uridoms and condoms, it may conceivably be undesirable to cause such further forward movement. In that case it is possible to use the positioning shown in fig. 6, where a fingerstail 32 with a bead-like uprolled end edge 34 is distended on flanges 14 in such a way that in its entirety it is situated at the same side of plate 10 as the side at which the flanges protrude. By bending the plate as explained the fingerstall will move a short distance against the direction of application. In any case the tubular object will be unrolled when it has been released from the applicator and that latter removed.

Claims (6)

1. A device for applying a soft, elastic, thin, tubular object onto a substantially cylindrical part of an organ, notably for affixing a urine condom, said tubular object having its annular edge part facing forward in the direction of application wound around itself, wherein the device is constituted by a plate of a relatively stiff material and having a convex opening with larger circumference than the annular edge part of the tubular object in the non-tense state, at the edge of said opening at least two projections protruding from the plane of the plate are provided at a distance from one another and adapted for distending the wound edge part, and between the projections provided with two substantially opposite edge parts without projections.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein two elongated, flange-like projections separated by two projection-free edge parts are positioned at the edge of the opening.

3. A device according to the claim 2, wherein the flanges are curved with the concave side facing the plate.

4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein two opposite gripping surfaces protruding from the plane of the plate at the same side thereof as the projections are positioned on the plate opposite the projections at the outer edges of the plate or between these and said projections, whereas the plate opposite the projection-free edge parts of the opening altogether are projection-free.

5. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plate is substantially square, two opposite edges thereof being provided with flanges folded back from the plate material, the plate being provided with a central, substantially circular or faintly elliptical opening being provided in peripheral parts opposite the flanges with flanges folded back from the plate material to the same side as the former flanges, the latter flanges being curved both in the plane of the plate and in a plane perpendicular thereto with the concave side facing the plate, the two other edges of the square plate and the peripheral parts of the opening facing them being free of projections.

6. A device according to any one of the preceding claims and having a condom suspended thereon, wherein the wound, annular edge part of the condom has been guided through the opening in the plate and stretched over the curved, flangelike projections, whereas the remainder of the condom protrudes from the side of the plate turned away from the projections.