초록 ▼

A female condom is provided that includes a pouch of resilient membranous material and a hydrophilic cling mechanism. According to an embodiment of the invention, the cling mechanism includes three or more foam cling elements attached to an outer surface of the pouch. Upon insertion, the foam cling

A female condom is provided that includes a pouch of resilient membranous material and a hydrophilic cling mechanism. According to an embodiment of the invention, the cling mechanism includes three or more foam cling elements attached to an outer surface of the pouch. Upon insertion, the foam cling elements cling lightly to vaginal walls proximate a transition zone between the vagina's introitus and its rugated internal tissue. The foam cling elements may be shaped to permit them to nestle into a user's rugated internal vaginal tissue. An inserter may be coupled to the pouch for facilitating insertion of the condom. The inserter may retain a distal portion of the pouch in a collapsed form. The cling mechanism may be contained within the dissolvable inserter. The inserter may be dissolvable in the presence of vaginal moisture. Methods are also provided for collapsing the pouch and compressing it into an insertion package.

대표청구항 ▼

We claim: 1. A female condom, comprising: a pouch of resilient membranous material having an open end, a closed end, an outer surface and an inner surface; at least one hydrophilic cling element attached to said outer surface of said pouch, said at least one cling element being disposed between sai

We claim: 1. A female condom, comprising: a pouch of resilient membranous material having an open end, a closed end, an outer surface and an inner surface; at least one hydrophilic cling element attached to said outer surface of said pouch, said at least one cling element being disposed between said open end and said closed end, each one of said cling elements adapted to cling lightly to walls of a vagina proximate a transition zone between the vagina's introitus and its rugated internal vaginal tissue for anchoring said pouch in or slightly beyond said introitus; and an inserter attached to said pouch for retaining a distal portion of said pouch and facilitating insertion of said female condom into a vagina; wherein said inserter is generally dissolvable in the vaginal environment and said distal portion of said pouch is slidably retained in said inserter. 2. The female condom of claim 1, wherein said female condom includes at least three hydrophilic cling elements. 3. The female condom of claim 2, wherein said at least three hydrophilic cling elements includes four foam cling elements to six foam cling elements. 4. The female condom of claim 2, wherein said hydrophilic cling elements are disposed in a belt-like pattern around said pouch. 5. The female condom of claim 1, wherein at least one hydrophilic cling element defines a generally elliptical shape. 6. The female condom of claim 1, wherein said at least one hydrophilic cling element defines a shape selected from the group consisting of a generally triangular shape and a generally circular shape. 7. The female condom of claim 1, wherein said at least one hydrophilic cling element is a polyurethane hydrophilic foam segment. 8. The female condom of claim 1, wherein said at least one hydrophilic cling element has a total surface area of approximately 0.75 square inches. 9. The female condom of claim 1, wherein said inserter is a cap attached to said pouch. 10. The female condom of claim 9, wherein said cap is selected from the group consisting of an elastomeric cap and a foam cap. 11. The female condom of claim 1, wherein a distal portion of said pouch is packed inside of said inserter. 12. The female condom of claim 11, wherein said at least one hydrophilic cling element is packed inside of said inserter. 13. The female condom of claim 1, wherein said inserter is selected from the group consisting of a band, a capsule, a spherical inserter, a envelope-shaped inserter, a bullet-tipped cylindrical inserter, and a closed-ended pouch. 14. The female condom of claim 1, wherein said inserter comprises a water-soluble material. 15. The female condom of claim 14, wherein said water-soluble material includes polyvinyl alcohol. 16. The female condom of claim 1, wherein the at least one hydrophilic cling element is welded to the outer surface of the pouch. 17. The female condom of claim 1, wherein the at least one hydrophilic cling element is disposed 3 inches to 4 inches from said open end. 18. A female condom, comprising: an elongated pouch of resilient membranous material having an open end, a closed end, an outer surface, an inner surface and a longitudinal axis; and a cling mechanism attached to said outer surface of said pouch and disposed between said open end and said closed end, said cling mechanism adhering to said pouch without imparting outward biasing force thereto; and an inserter attached to said pouch for retaining a distal portion of said pouch and facilitating insertion of said female condom into a user's vagina; wherein said inserter is generally dissolvable in the vaginal environment and, upon insertion into a user's vagina, said cling mechanism comes into contact with vaginal walls proximate a transition zone between the vagina's introitus and its rugated internal vaginal tissue, and clings lightly to the vaginal walls. 19. The female condom of claim 18, wherein said cling mechanism comprises a plurality of hydrophilic foam elements. 20. The female condom of claim 18, wherein said cling mechanism being disposed in a belt-like pattern generally about said longitudinal axis. 21. The female condom of claim 20, wherein each said hydrophilic foam element defines selected from the group consisting of a generally elliptical shape, a generally triangular shape and a generally circular. 22. The female condom of claim 18, wherein the cling mechanism is welded to the outer surface of the pouch. 23. The female condom of claim 18, wherein the cling mechanism is disposed 3 inches to 4 inches from said open end. 24. A packaged female condom comprising: a pouch having an open end and a distal end; and an inserter attached to said distal end of the pouch, said inserter retaining a distal portion of said pouch in a collapsed form; wherein said inserter is generally dissolvable in the vaginal environment. 25. The female condom package of claim 24, further comprising: a cling mechanism attached to an outer surface of said pouch and disposed between said open end and said distal end of said pouch, said cling mechanism including a hydrophilic foam cling element; wherein said inserter retains said cling mechanism in a collapsed form and, upon insertion into a user's vagina, said cling mechanism deploys from said inserter and comes into contact with vaginal walls for lightly clinging to said vaginal walls. 26. The female condom package of claim 24, further comprising a plurality of first pleats formed in a distal portion of said pouch. 27. The female condom package of claim 26, further comprising a plurality of second pleats formed in said distal portion of said pouch, said second pleats being disposed generally perpendicular to said first pleats. 28. The female condom package of claim 24, wherein said inserter is a selected from the group consisting of an elastomeric cap and a foam cap. 29. The female condom package of claim 24, wherein said dissolvable inserter is selected from the group consisting of a band, a capsule, a spherical inserter, a envelope-shaped inserter, a bullet-tipped cylindrical inserter, and a closed-ended pouch. 30. The packaged female condom of claim 24, wherein the cling mechanism is welded to the outer surface of the pouch. 31. The packaged female condom of claim 25, wherein the cling mechanism is disposed 3 inches to 4 inches from said open end. 32. A method for packaging a female condom, said female condom comprising an elongated pouch having an open portion and an opposite distal portion, said pouch defining an inner cavity, said method comprising: forming a plurality of longitudinal pleats in said distal portion of said pouch wherein said longitudinal pleats are disposed generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of said pouch; folding said longitudinal pleats generally parallel to said longitudinal axis wherein said longitudinal pleats overlap said distal portion; collapsing said distal portion of said pouch in a direction generally parallel to said longitudinal axis toward a distal end and forming lateral pleats in said distal portion, wherein said lateral pleats are disposed generally perpendicular to said longitudinal axis; and placing an inserter about said collapsed distal portion. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of forming a plurality of longitudinal pleats compnses: placing said pouch over an elongated mandrel wherein a portion of said mandrel is disposed within said pouch inner cavity; withdrawing air from said inner cavity wherein at least said distal portion of said pouch collapses about said mandrel; and arranging said longitudinal pleats in said pouch. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of arranging comprises forming each of said pleats between an adjacent pair of cling elements attached to an outer side of said pouch; and wherein the step of folding comprises rotating each of said longitudinal pleats in one of a clockwise direction and a counter-clockwise direction generally about said longitudinal axis; and wherein the step of forming lateral pleats comprises sliding said distal portion about a mandrel disposed within said inner cavity; and wherein the step of placing an inserter about said collapsed distal portion comprises turning at least a portion of a cap inside-out to retain said distal portion.