US 11,980,531 B2
Protective ring for tampon applicator
Sarah Folluo, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and Ian Hammond, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed by Sarah Folluo, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and Ian Hammond, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed on Mar. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/697,883.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/231,834, filed on Aug. 11, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/162,361, filed on Mar. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0296433 A1, Sep. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. A61F 13/26 (2006.01); A61F 13/20 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 13/266 (2013.01) [A61F 13/2071 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tampon applicator system comprising:
a tampon applicator comprising a body, a stem configured to slide into the body, and a protective ring extending outward from the body;
wherein the body comprises:
a pinch zone;
an opening, wherein the pinch zone is at an opposite end of the body from the opening; and
an internal structure disposed at the opposite end of the body from the opening and abuts an end of the pinch zone, the internal structure protrudes out of an interior surface of the body,
wherein the stem comprises a proximal end and proximal locking beads on its outer surface, the stem being configured to interact with the internal structure to retain the proximal end of the stem inside the body and the proximal locking beads outside of the body,
wherein the proximal locking beads are configured to be forced past the internal structure into the body when a user applies a force to the stem to push a tampon out of the tampon applicator,
wherein the pinch zone is disposed on the body below the protective ring,
wherein the protective ring is configured to protect the pinch zone from exposure on the opposite side of the protective ring.