JPS6131157A - Tampon - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an applicator type tampon.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, napkins have been the mainstream among sanitary treatment products, but the popularity of tampons has shown remarkable growth in recent years.

Furthermore, various forms have been devised as shown below.

■Finger type It consists of an absorbent material made by compression molding of menstrual blood absorbing material such as absorbent cotton or rayon, and wrapped in an outer packaging material such as polyethylene. The feature of this type of use is that the outer packaging material is removed and the absorbent material is inserted into the body using the user's own fingers. It's unsanitary. In addition, it is not suitable for beginners because the insertion operation is difficult until you get used to using it.

■ Stain Ink Type One end of a stick made of paper or other material is inserted into an absorbent body similar to ■ that has a suitable hole, and the absorbent body is inserted into the body by holding the stick. In terms of hygiene
Although this is an improvement, since it is inserted using a stick that is much thinner than the absorber, the operation becomes unstable and the user feels uneasy.

■Applicator type: By using an insertion tool made of a material such as Gio or plastic and consisting of an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder that slide against each other, the absorbent body housed inside the outer cylinder is slid into the inner cylinder through the opening at the tip of the outer cylinder. It is extruded and inserted into the body. In the case of this type, the sanitary issues such as (2) are solved, and the operation of inserting the absorbent body is much easier than in (2).

Menstrual tampons can be broadly classified into three types as described above, but type ■ is the best in terms of hygiene and operability, and is enjoyed by many users. The general shape of this applicator type tampon is shown in FIG. (a) is a side view, (
b) is a front view of the tip portion. In particular, applicator-type tampons in which the applicator tip 2 consists of multiple petal-shaped pieces and are molded into a hemispherical shape are easy to insert into the body, and can be used easily even by beginners. Has characteristics.

Conventionally, an applicator-type tampon as described above, the tip of which has a plurality of petal-like pieces and is shaped into a hemispherical shape, has been manufactured as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, an outer cylinder 1 whose tip portion is made up of a plurality of petal-shaped pieces 2a and whose petal-shaped pieces are in an open state, and an inner cylinder 3 for pushing out the absorbent body are set, and the absorbent After loading the body 5, the tip of the outer cylinder is heated in a heating mold 6 having a heat source 7 as shown in FIG. 6 to soften the petal-shaped pieces 2a, and then molded into a hemisphere as shown in FIG. The petal-like pieces at the tip are inserted into a cooling mold 8 having a cooling source 10 with a cooling source 10 and cooled so that the outer surfaces of the petal-like pieces are in contact with each other, and the petal-like pieces are hardened into a hemispherical shape. be.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Although the above-described manufacturing method is certainly a method for manufacturing a tampon as shown in FIG. 4, it has the following drawbacks.

+11 If the heating temperature is too high or the heating time is too long, the petal-shaped piece 2 at the tip of the outer cylinder may
The peripheral portions of a are fused to each other, and even if an attempt is made to push out the absorber 5 with the inner tube 3 during use, the outer tube tip 2 will not open or will be difficult to open. or,
After loading the absorber 5 into the outer cylinder 1, the petal-shaped piece 2 at the tip is inserted.
Since the absorber 5 is heated, there is a risk that the absorber 5 and a portion of the petal-shaped piece 2a may adhere to each other.

(2) In the process of softening the tip petal-shaped piece 2a in the heating mold 6, the petal-shaped piece 2a and the heating mold 6 are actually in contact with each other, but the petal-shaped piece to be molded is Piece 2a
If the pressure applied by the heating mold is too high, even if the heating temperature and heating time are appropriate, the peripheral parts of the petal-shaped pieces 2a will fuse together, causing defects similar to the above-mentioned fil. It turns out. Furthermore, if the pressure applied to the petal-shaped piece 2a from the heating mold 6 is low, the resin in the petal-shaped piece will not be sufficiently softened.

(3) The softened petal-shaped pieces 2a are inserted into the hemispherical recess 9 of the cooling mold 8 with the outer surface of each petal-shaped piece in contact with the pressure applied to the petal-shaped pieces 2a from the hemispherical recess 9 at this time. If the applicator tip 2 is too high or too low,
The finished state is as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

In the case of FIG. 8, unless the force for pushing out the absorbent body 5 by the inner tube 3 is large, the outer tube tip 2 is difficult to open, making it difficult to insert the absorbent body into the body. 9th
In the case shown in the figure, the tip 2 of the outer cylinder 1 has a sharp shape, and there is a risk of damaging the vaginal entrance, vaginal wall, etc. when inserting the applicator into the body.

(4) The petal-shaped piece 2a at the tip may be cooled by the outside air while transferring from the heating mold 6 to the cooling mold 8, and may harden without forming the prescribed shape, and may not be formed into a hemispherical shape. arise.

(5) Since the tip portion 2 should be designed to open easily when the absorbent body 5 is pushed out by the inner tube 3, the wall thickness of the petal-shaped piece 2a is usually designed to be thin. That is, since the amount of resin in the petal-shaped piece 2a is extremely small, the petal-shaped piece 2a is very sensitive to the influence of the amount of heat supplied from the heating mold 6, and the setting of the heating temperature is extremely difficult. It needs to be done with high precision. Specifically, the diameter of the hemispherical portion of the outer cylinder tip 2 is 11n+m, and the wall thickness of the petal-shaped piece 2a is 0.
．． In the case of 4 m-, the temperature setting of the part of the heating mold 6 in contact with the petal-shaped piece 2a is required to be accurate within the range of ±0.5°C, but such control is practically impossible. difficult,
This causes defective products.

Now, considering the dimensions of the petal-like pieces 2a, the petal-like pieces 2a
It is desirable for sanitary reasons that a covers the tip of the absorber 5 as completely as possible, but the closer the length l of the petal-like piece 2a is to 1/4 of the circumference of the outer cylinder tip 2, the more ~(
The disadvantage of 5) becomes noticeable, and it becomes difficult to post-process the petal-shaped pieces into hemispherical shapes. Therefore, it is significant that the tip of the outer cylinder is shaped into a hemispherical shape for the purpose of inserting the applicator into the body, but the method for doing so is not easy.

Means for Solving Problem E] As a result of intensive research to improve the drawbacks of the conventional manufacturing method for applicator-type tampons as described above, the present inventors have developed a tampon that can be obtained by a very simple manufacturing method. This discovery led to the present invention.

That is, the present invention provides a tampon having an applicator comprising an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder movable within the outer cylinder, the outer cylinder comprising a first portion constituting a front portion and a second portion constituting a rear portion; To provide a tampon characterized in that a first part and a second part are joined in the longitudinal direction.

Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be explained based on illustrated embodiments.

What is important in the present invention is that the final shape of the barrel tip is achieved in a conventional applicator barrel manufacturing process. As shown in FIG. 1, the first portion 11 constituting the front portion of the applicator outer cylinder used in the present invention has a tip portion 2 formed into a desired final shape, that is, a hemispherical shape. Such materials are generally obtained by melting a synthetic resin such as polyethylene and then pouring it into a predetermined mold. The manufacturing of this first part is carried out in the conventional method by the fifth part.
It is extremely easy to manufacture the outer cylinder with the tip open as shown in the figure, and the fact that the tip is hemispherical does not make it difficult to manufacture the first part. .

In the conventional method, the tip of the outer cylinder as shown in Figure 5, which is poured into a mold and formed, is re-shaped into a hemispherical shape in a later manufacturing process (
However, if the first part 11 as shown in FIG. The molding process is no longer necessary.

Furthermore, the second portion 12 constituting the rear portion of the outer cylinder is also easily manufactured. Manufacture of the outer cylinder members such as the first section 11 and the second section 12 can be easily carried out by a person who has some knowledge of plastic molding.

The tampon of the present invention has a first part 11 constituting the front part of the outer cylinder loaded with the absorbent body 5, and a second part 12 constituting the rear part of the outer cylinder which is slidably equipped with the inner cylinder 3 in advance. Obtained by joining in the longitudinal direction. A simple method for joining is to soften the parts of the outer cylinder or both of the two parts to be joined by heating, and then heat-seal them. Alternatively, another resin may be used as the bonding material, or a so-called adhesive may be used. A specific example of heat-sealing the first part 11 and the second part 12 is the first part 11 and the second part 12.
As shown in the figure, the parts 13 and 13' to be joined are connected to the heat source 1.
Suitably, they are joined in such a way that they are softened and pressed together by a heating device 14 having a heating device 5. After this, a cooling device having the same shape as the heating device 14 may be used to further complete the bonding. In any case, the absorber may be loaded by joining the two parts of the outer cylinder. Joint part of outer cylinder 13.
The diameter of 13° is generally the same, but as shown in Fig. 2, the diameter of the joint 13 of the second part 12 is larger so that the joint 13 of the first part 1 can be inscribed. In some cases, bonding is easily accomplished. Also, as shown in Figure 3(a),
The outer cylinder having a flange-like joint portion of 16.16'' is easier to join, and after joining, the flange-like portion serves as a guide when inserting the applicator into the body, as shown in (b). This can be said to be a suitable example.

[Effects of the Invention] The advantages of the tampon of the present invention obtained by such a manufacturing method are that, unlike the conventional case in which a petal-shaped piece with an open tip is shaped into a hemispherical shape in post-processing, High accuracy is not required regarding heating temperature, heating time, etc., and there is no need to consider the pressure that the petal-shaped piece at the tip of the applicator receives from the heating mold or cooling mold, so post-processing of the tip of the outer cylinder is not required. The rate of defective products caused by hemispherical molding is extremely low, improving productivity. Furthermore, the second portion 12 constituting the rear part of the applicator outer cylinder is made of a material other than synthetic resin such as polyethylene. That is, since paper or the like can be molded and used, it is cheaper and more economical than a conventional case in which the entire outer cylinder is made of the same synthetic resin.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a joined state of the outer cylinder of the tampon of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing another example,
Figure 3 is a partially cutaway side view showing yet another example (a).
Figure 4 shows the general shape of an applicator type tampon, with Figure 4 showing the state before joining, and Figure 4 showing the state after joining. 5 is a perspective view of the main parts of the outer cylinder used in the conventional manufacturing method, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the heating process in the conventional manufacturing method, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the cooling process in the conventional manufacturing method, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the cooling process in the conventional manufacturing method. and 9
The figure is a sectional view showing a defective product produced by a conventional manufacturing method. 1: Outer cylinder 2: Tip part 2a; petal-shaped piece 3: Inner cylinder 4: String 5: Absorber 6: Heating mold 7: Heat source 8: Cooling mold 9: Hemispherical recess lO: Cooling source 11: Outer cylinder The first part 12 of:
Second part of outer cylinder

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tampon having an applicator consisting of an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder movable within the outer cylinder, wherein the outer cylinder has a first part constituting the front part and a second part constituting the rear part. A tampon characterized in that a first part and a second part are joined in the longitudinal direction. 2. The tampon according to claim 1, wherein the end of the first portion that is not joined to the second portion is closed so that it can be pushed open.