Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
86 words
A tampon applicator comprising an elongate hollow tampon holder shaped for vaginal insertion and having a tampon expulsion end portion and a plunger mounted in the holder and adapted to expel a tampon through the expulsion end portion from the holder interior, the expulsion end portion comprising a demo-shaped end, the dome having an appreciable substantially central aperture therein and comprising a plurality of contiguous segments defined by a plurality of radial slits extending from the aperture to the base of the dome but not beyond.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
86 words
A tampon applicator comprising an elongate hollow tampon holder shaped for vaginal insertion and having a tampon expulsion end portion and a plunger mounted in the holder and adapted to expel a tampon through the expulsion end portion from the holder interior, the expulsion end portion comprising a demo-shaped end, the dome having an appreciable substantially central aperture therein and comprising a plurality of contiguous segments defined by a plurality of radial slits extending from the aperture to the base of the dome but not beyond.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
An applicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the expulsion end portion further comprises a weakened region around the periphery of the tampon holder, which region defines the base of the dome.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
An applicator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the weakened region comprises a continuous or discontinuous groove, slots or perforations.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the segments have truncated ends, the aperture being polyhedral.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
An applicator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the aperture is hexagonal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
An applicator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the tampon holder is in the form of a tube carrying, as a plunger, an inner tube slidably mounted therein.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
An applicator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the wall of the tampon holder tube is supplied with a plurality of grooves and the plunger tube has external nibs which are adapted to engage the grooves thereby to hold the two tubes in predetermined positions with respect to each other.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
An applicator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein there are six slits equally spaced around the dome.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
An applicator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 which has been fabricated from paper.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
An applicator as claimed in claim 9, wherein the paper for the tampon holder is provided with a waterproof, oil and grease resistant surface.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
An applicator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the segments are exteriorly smooth surfaced,
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
A combination of an applicator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 and a tampon contained in the tampon holder interior, which tampon has a rounded end shaped to match the dome-shaped end and facilitate its expulsion from the applicator.