Suppository applicator

Claim 1

AN APPLICATOR FOR RECTAL CONTACT LAXATIVE SUPPOSITORIES COMPRISING (A) A RESILIENT TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH, CONTINUOUS OUTER SURFACE AND AN OUTSIDE DIAMETER ADAPTED FOR COMFORTABLE INSERTION INTO A RECTAL CAVITY, THE LENGTH OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER BEING SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT INJECTION OF A SUPPOSITORY AT A POINT IN A RECTAL CAVITY SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN IS POSSIBLE BY MANUAL APPLICATION; (B) A SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID SUPPOSITORY RETAINING RING HAVING AN ANNULAR OPENING THEREIN ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND HOLD A SUPPORTORY FOR APPLICATION, SAID RING BEING DISPOSED COAXIALLY WITHIN AID RESILIENT TUBULAR MEMBER PROXIMATE THE FORWARD END THEREOF AND HAVING AN OUTSIDE DIAMETER SLIGHTLY IN EXCESS OF THE NORMAL INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER TO PROVIDE A PRESS FIT BETWEEN SAID RING AND SAID TUBULAR MEMBER WHEN SAID RING IS POSITIONED THEREWITHIN; (C) A RESILIENT, FLEXIBLE PLUNGER ROD SLIDABLY DISPOSED COAXIALLY WITHIN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND BEING OF A LENGTH SUFFICIENT TO EXTEND REARWARDLY OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER FORMING AN EJECTING REARWARDLY OF SAID TUBULAR EXTENDING NO FURTHER THAN THE FORWARD END THEREOF WHEN SAID HANDLE IS FULLY DEPRESSED; (D) A POSITIONING STOP MEMBER COMPRISING (I) AN ANNULAR RETARDING O-RING AN INTERNAL DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE OTHER DIAMETER OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, BUT SLIDABLE THEREUPON; AND (II) A CYLINDRICAL MEMBER HAVING A CENTRAL APERTURE THEREIN ADAPTED FOR COAXIAL DISPOSITION UPON SAID TUBULAR MEMBER PROXIMATE SAID O-RING, THE INTERNAL SURFACE OF THE APERTURE HAVING TWO SURFACES, A FIRST SURFACE CONFORMING GENERALLY TO THE CYLINDRICAL CROSS-SECTION OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND A SECOND SURFACE ADJOINING SAID FIRST SURFACE HAVING AN EXPANDING CONICAL SHAPE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID O-RING WHEN SAID LOCK STOP MEMBER IS IN THE LOCKED POSITION, SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER HAVING AN EXTERNAL SURFACE TAPERED FROM A DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE EXTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AT THE SIDE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER REMOTE FROM SAID O-RING TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE SAID REMOTE END AND SAID O-RING.