Compliant conformable tampon

Claim 2

A tampon, comprising: a flexible, resilient, dry-expanding, absorbent body; said absorbent body having an uncompacted transverse periphery of at least about 5.5 inches; said periphery being in a plane transverse the longitudinal axis of the tampon; and said absorbent body having an internal discontinuity.

Claim 3

The tampon of Claim 1 wherein the internal discontinuity is a slit in the interior of the absorbent body.

Claim 4

The tampon of Claim 1 wherein the absorbent body has a material modulus of compressibility for a 25 percent compression deflection of less than 0.6 pound per square inch so that it conforms to irregularities in the vaginal walls.

Claim 5

The tampon of Claim 1 wherein the absorbent body is generally conically shaped.

Claim 6

The tampon of Claim 4 wherein said absorbent body is an open celled, polyurethane foam, said body having a generally conical exterior surface with the longitudinal axis passing through the cone apex and the center of its base, the base diameter of said cone being greater than about 1.75 inches and less than about 3.00 inches, the height of said cone being greater than about 1.75 inches and less than 3.00 inches, the internal discontinuity being an internal cavity which is coaxial with and similar in shape to the tampon exterior, the cavity base being approximately 61 percent of said absorbent body base, said cavity propagating from the base of said absorbent body, said absorbent body having a shape modulus of compression of less than approximately 1 pound, said body having a maximum periphery around its base diameter, said periphery being reduced no more than 10 percent when said body is deformed to its collapsed state, said body having a material modulus of compressibility in the dry state of less than 0.6 pound per square inch, said polyurethane foam having a critical surface tension greater than about 60 dynes per centimeter, said dry tampon having a cell count on its exterior of greater than approximately 20 cells per linear inch and less than approximately 100 cells per linear inch, and said absorbent body being open celled to the extent that the air flow through a 0.4 inch thick dry foam is a minimum of about 30 and a maximum of about 200 cubic feet per minute per square foot of foam with a pressure differential of 0.5 inch of water across the foam, said absorbent body being wet-swellable at least about 25 percent of its original volume at one atmosphere of pressure, and said absorbent body upon being wetted having a maximum cross sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of less than about one inch in diameter when compressed by an encircling one-half inch wide teflon band, said band subjected to a tensile force of less than about 600 grams.

Claim 7

The tampon of claim 4 wherein the internal discontinuity is a hollow cavity within the body.

Claim 8

The tampon of claim 6 wherein said body is a mensesphilic foam.

Claim 9

The tampon of claim 1 wherein said body is a mensesphilic foam.

Claim 10

The tampon of claim 8 wherein said foam is a polyurethane.

Claim 11

The tampon of claim 9 wherein the absorbent body is generally conically shaped.

Claim 12

The tampon of claim 9 wherein the absorbent body is generally conically shaped and the internal discontinuity is a hollow cavity.

Claim 13

The tampon of claim 9 wherein the absorbent body is generally conically shaped, the internal discontinuity is a hollow cavity and the direction of foam rise in the polyurethane is substantially transverse the longitudinal axis of the tampon.

Claim 14

The tampon of claim 9 wherein the cell count of said absorbent body is greater than approximately 20 cells per linear inch and less than approximately 100 cells per linear inch.

Claim 15

The tampon of claim 9 wherein the cell count of said absorbent body is greater than approximately 20 cells per linear inch and less than approximately 100 cells per linear inch and the polyurethane foam absorbent body is open celled to the extent that the air flow through 0.4 inch thick dry foam is a minimum of about 30 and a maximum of about 200 cubic feet per minute per square foot of foam with a pressure differential of 0.5 inch of water across the foam.

Claim 16

The tampon of claim 9 wherein the foam rise direction is substantially transverse the longitudinal axis of the tampon.

Claim 17

The tampon of claim 9 wherein the structural members of the cells in said mensesphilic polyurethane foam absorbent body absorb water and thereby cause said absorbent body to swell in volume at least about 25 percent at one atmosphere of pressure.

Claim 18

The tampon of claim 16 wherein the tampon is generally conically shaped.

Claim 19

The tampon of claim 16 wherein the tampon is generally conically shaped and the internal discontinuity is a hollow cavity.

Claim 20

The tampon of claim 16 wherein the cell count of said absorbent body is greater than approximately 20 cells per linear inch and less than approximately 100 cells per linear inch.

Claim 21

The tampon of claim 19 wherein the polyurethane foam absorbent body is open celled to the extent that the air flow through 0.4 inch thick dry foam is a minimum of about 30 and a maximum of about 200 cubic feet per minute per square foot of foam with a pressure differential of 0.5 inch of water across the foam.

Claim 22

The tampon of claim 1 wherein said body after being wetted has a maximum cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of less than about one inch in diameter when compressed by an encircling one-half inch wide teflon band, said band subjected to a tensile force of less than about 600 grams.

Claim 23

The tampon of claim 21 wherein the internal discontinuity is a hollow cavity within the body.

Claim 24

The tampon of claim 1 wherein the uncompacted transverse periphery is at least about 6.6 inches.

Claim 25

The tampon of claim 6 wherein the wall thickness of the absorbent body is at least about 6 percent of the uncompacted transverse periphery.