CA1319907C - Dry handle swab assembly and unit - Google Patents
Dry handle swab assembly and unitInfo
- Publication number
- CA1319907C CA1319907C CA000608034A CA608034A CA1319907C CA 1319907 C CA1319907 C CA 1319907C CA 000608034 A CA000608034 A CA 000608034A CA 608034 A CA608034 A CA 608034A CA 1319907 C CA1319907 C CA 1319907C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- sleeve
- assembly
- handle portion
- stick
- receptacle
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
- A61M35/00—Devices for applying media, e.g. remedies, on the human body
- A61M35/003—Portable hand-held applicators having means for dispensing or spreading integral media
- A61M35/006—Portable hand-held applicators having means for dispensing or spreading integral media using sponges, foams, absorbent pads or swabs as spreading means
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A swab, and a substance to be applied thereby, are contained within a sleeve which can readily be opened by use of manual force. The sleeve provides a handle portion that conforms closely to that of the swab stick, thus offering a secure and natural grip for manipulation of the swab while, at the same time, minimizing the amount of the contained substance that can seep along the length of stick, and an element of the sleeve that remains after opening of the unit also serves a protective function. Because of the form of the sleeve it is easy and inexpensive to fabricate as a fully functional article, using only an internal mold member. and it lends itself to facile assembly with the swab.
A swab, and a substance to be applied thereby, are contained within a sleeve which can readily be opened by use of manual force. The sleeve provides a handle portion that conforms closely to that of the swab stick, thus offering a secure and natural grip for manipulation of the swab while, at the same time, minimizing the amount of the contained substance that can seep along the length of stick, and an element of the sleeve that remains after opening of the unit also serves a protective function. Because of the form of the sleeve it is easy and inexpensive to fabricate as a fully functional article, using only an internal mold member. and it lends itself to facile assembly with the swab.
Description
13199~7 LA~RO~U,ND_OF T ~ INV~ENTION
Swab~, consisting of a stick-like h~n~le ~nd a bud of ~otton or other absorbent o~ po~ous materi~l at one end, are of course in widespread use, particula~ly as applica~ors for medicinal, cleanin~, and cosmetiC li~uids. A demand exists for a self-contained unit con~i~ting ~f a swab prepa~kage~
with t~e ~ubstAnce for which it is t~ be used, due to the eonvenience and sanitation benefits that are af~orded the~eby, Swabs and the like in closed eontainers have h~re-tofore been provided, in some instances ~lso includin~ a liquid substan~e. For example, Doherty United States Patent No. 2,902,146, issued September 1, lg59, provides a ste~ile package in which a surgical swab, contained in an interior s~c, is sealed within ~ casing. Mona~h~n United Staces Patent No. 3,776,220, issued December 4, 1973, pro~idcs a unit in which a diagnostie sw~b and a culture medium are both contained within di~erent seetions of t~e same plastic tube, the two sections being separated by a frangible seal.
$wab~ e implemen~s enelosed within various forms of containers aræ also disclosed in Robert United States P~ten~
~o. 1,14~,5~, iss~ed July 13, 1915, Sheely ~nit~d $ta~e ~
Patent No. 1,573,648, iss~ed February 16, 1926, Cohen United States Patent No. 3,163,160, issued December 29, 1964, ~alayjiA~ United States Patent No. 3,513,830, issued May 26, 1970, and ~avis United States Patent No. 3,640,268, issued February 8, lg72. VariOU~ forms of applic~o~, asso~iated with supply ~eser~oirs, are chown in Higgins United States Patene No. 1,16~,7~ sued Jan~ary 4, 1916, Schulz United States Patent No~ 1,221,2Z7, iss~ed Ap~il 3, 191?, Hollister United States Patent No. 1,309,201, issued July 8, 1919, Schwar~zm~n United Sta~e~ Patent ~o. 3,614,245, iss~ed October 19, 1~1, Truhan United States Pa~ent ~o. 3,75g,259, issued Sepeember 18, lg~3, Schwartzman United Sta~e~ Patent No. 3,774,609, iss~e~ November 27, 1973, D'Alessandro et al Unàted States Patent ~o. 3,847,151, issued November 12, 1974, Bennington United States Patent No. 3.958,571, is~ued May ~5, 197~ and Snyde~ et al United States Patent No. 4,43~,7~9, issued ~ebruarY 21. 1984.
Despite the level of activity in the art evidenced by the fo~e~oing, a need exists for a prepacka~e~ unit, i~cl~d-ing an enclosed swab and a substan~e for application, which is neat and oonvenient to handle and use, and relatively facile, simple and inexpensive to produce.
Ac~ordingly, it is the broad object of the present invention to provide ~ novel unit, in~luding a swab and ~
substance contained within a plasti~ sleeve, and to provide a novel sleeve and swab a~sembly fox producin~ the same, whi ch is neat and convenient to handle and ~se, and rela-tively fa~ile, simple and inexpensive to produce.
~t is a more specific object of the invention to provide such a unit and assembly wherein the sleeve Provides an enclos~re that is secure but nevertheless readily opened 13199~7 by ~anu~l force, ard that also Provides an int~ral el~ment for shielding the user'~ hand from the contained subst~n~e a~d Sor curbin~ contact o~ the area bein~ treated.
Anoeher more specific object is to provide such a unit and a~sembly in which the sleeve is constr~cted to afford a se¢ure and natu~al-feelin~ grip, for m~nipulation of the ~ssemble~ swab, ~nd to show evidenc~ o~ tamp~ring~
SUMMARY OF ~HE XNV~NTION
._. . .
It has now been ound tha~ certain o~ ~he fo~-egoin~
and re~ate~ objects of the invention a~e attained by the provision of a sealable assembly comprising a swab having ~n elon~ated, small diameter stick with an appli~to~ clement at one end thereof, and ~n elonoated, thin-wall hollow sleeve ~ssembled with the swab. The sleeve is inte~rally formed, as a single piece, from a relatively rigid plastic materi~l that is manually compressible and severable in ~hin se~tions, and it has a handle portion at one end, a receptacle por~ion at the other end, and a transition portion therebetween. ~he handle portion, which inclu~es an element that frictionally engages the free end of t~e sti~k, extends along a ma jQ~ part of its length. It conforms ~enerally to th~ stick, but is spaced slightly f rom the surface there4f throughout most of the coextensive length, to provide suSficicnt clearance f or facile assembly while minimizinq the ~ap therebetween. The cross section of the receptacle portion is substantially 13~9~97 lar~er t~an is t~at of the ~l~ndle porti~n of the 51ecv~, and the adia~ent components at the intersection ~etween ~he receptacle and transition portions are so configured that co~pression of the sleeve thereat will create ~ significant level of stress. thereby fa~ilitating man~al seve~ance of the sleeve. ~e~ause of the rela~ive len~t~s of the stick and t~e handle portion. the ~Pplicator element of the swa~ will be contained, at least substantiallY~ within th~ receptaele po~tion of t~e sleeve.
lQ In the preferred embodiments, the component of the transition portion that is disposed at the intersection with the recepta~le por~ion ~ill be of su~stantially annular eon-figuration, and most desirably the a~jaeen~ components at the inte~section will either be mutuallY Perp0ndicular or disposed with an acute interior an~le between them. In espe-cially preferred embodiments, the transition portion will be of compou~d configuration and will include a ~ylindrical ~om-pon~nt directly adjacent the annular component.
Genera~ly, the receptacle PO~ti~n of th~ sleeve will be cylindric~l and will have a diameter that is mor~ than about triple that o~ the handle portion thereof; a short tip component at the free end of the handle PO~tiQn, of -~maller diameter than the remainder thereof, will ad~anta~eously provide the stick-enga~ing element. Typically, the s~ab will be ~bout 11 centi~eters in length; the sleeve handle portion will be about 6 centimeters lon~ and less than a~out 0.5 c~n~ime~er in diam~ter, and its receptacle portion ~nd an ~dJacent cylindrical eompos~ent of the transition por~ion thereof will have d~ ameters of a~out 1.3 and 1.15 centime-ters, respectively, with the ~ylindrieal component being at least about O.13 centimeter lon~. When the plastic material employed for fabrication of the sleeve is polypropylene. it will desira~ly have a substantially uniform thickness of approxi~tely 0 3 millime~er.
Oth~r objects of the invention are attained by the provision of a swab or appli~ator unit. including an appli-cato~ assembly as hereinabove described, and a contained substance. The substance will norm~lly be a li~uid, snd it will ~e confined substantially withisl ehe receptacle and transition portions of the sleeve, the latter being closed at the ~ree end of its receptacle portion for that purpose.
B~ F_DE;SCRIPTION OF_ THE DRA.WII~GS
Figure l is a pc~spe~tive view of a self-contained swab unit embodying th~ present inventios~, the ~nelosed swab being shown in dotted line:
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showin~ t~e swab and sleeve of the assembly of which the unit o~ Fi~ure l i s c ompriscd:
Fi~ure 3 is an elevational view of the uslit of Fi~ur~ 1, with ehe $1eeve shown in se~tion;
~319907 Figure 4 is a view similar Co ~i~ure 3, sho~in~ the sleeve bein~ fra~tured under man~l pressure;
Fi~re 5 is 8 view si~ilar to Fig~re 4, showing the receptacle portion of the sleeve removed;
Fi~ures 6-g are sectional vicws shQwi~g othe~ forms of sleeves suitable for use in the as~embly and unit of the invention; and ~igure 10 i~ a pe~cpe~tive view showin~ a mold m~mber s~itable for use in producing the sleeve o~ Fi~ures 1-5 .
DETAI~E~ ~ESCR~PTIQN OF THE ILLUSTRATED EM~OD~MENTS_ Turning now in detail to ~igures 1-4 of the appended drawings, t~e~ein illustrated is a self-cont~ined swab unit embodyin~ ~he invention, and consistin~ o~ ~ $wab, ~enerally desi~nated by the numeral 10, and a sleeve ~enerally desig-nated by the numeral 1~. The swab lO consists of ~ straight hollow pl~stic stick 14, with a bud ~6 of ~otton attached on or~e end-The sleeve 12 is of circular cross section alld hollow along ~ts entire len~th, and is fabricated from a plas~ic material. It ~onsists of a relatively small diameter ~ylin-`dri~al h~n~le por~ion 18 at one end, a substantially lar~er diameter receptacle por~ion 20 at the opposite en~, and a transition portion of compound configuration therebetween.
The tlp element 22 on the handle portion 18 has a diameter sli~htly reduced from th~t of the ~emainder o~ the h~ndle 13199~7 portion, and serv~s to ~iction~ly eng~a the tip of the swab stick 1~.
As will be appreciated ~rom Figure 2, the asse~bly is produced simPly by insertin~ the swab lo i~to the sleeve 12 sufficiently to enable the ele~ent 22 to friction~lly en~a~e the stick 14, ~hereupon the ~d 16 will reside within the enlar~ed receptacle portion 20. It will also be noee~ that the handle PO~ion 18 conorms closely to t~e stick 14, al~eit with a small gap ~typically o~ abo~t one millimeter~
between their con~onting surfaces throu~hout mos~ of t~eir coextensive len~hs, to facilitate insertion of t~ cwa~.
After assembly, the sleeve will norma~y be at ~east par-tially filled with a medicin~l, cosmetic, or like sub~t~nce, follo~ing which the sleeve will ~e closed, such as by a heat s~al 28, to produce a sanitar~, inte~ral unit.
Access to the swab is gained simply by squeezing the sleeve at the in~ersec~ion hetw~en its receptacle and tran-sition portions, ~s indic~ted in Figure 4. The transition portion i5 uniquely configured ~o ~oaot with the receptac~e Portion~ so a~ to enable ready fracture under the influcnce o~ such ~o~ce. In a~dition to affording access, this c~ar-acteristic will provide a t~mper-resisting feature to the pack~ge, since ~ny loss of inte~rity will tend to be evident as c~ckin~, c~zin~, or opacity at sSress points.
~he transie~on portion consists, more parti~larly, of a ~arrow annular co~ponent 24, a short cylindrical com-~3i99~7 ponent ~5, an~ a frustoconical component ~, the latter mer~ing into the handle portion 18~ T~e annular ~omponent 2~ in tUrn Connects to the receptacle po~tion 20, with the adjacent components forminq a sharp interior ri~ht angle S intersection at ~O. As will be noted. however, the ~or~e-sponding exte~ior corner is not sharply de~ined, but rather i9 more in the nature of a rounded chamfer. This results from material flow, and is a natural con~eq~nce of the pre~e~red ~oldin~ me~hod and toolin~ stru~ture employed. as will be described more fully herein~elow.
In any event, the intcrior and ex~erior configura-tions together result in a minimum thickness of material at the intersection 30. Depending ~pon the nature of the material used to fabricate the $1eeve. the stress created by compression (w~ich arises because the adjacent components are incapable o~ assuming a compatible configuration upon flattenin~ of the slee~e) will either cause it to snap at the intersection ~0, or will at least ~rack or otherwise facilitate severance by a tearing action. As i5 seen in Figure 5, the swab lO is exposed for use upon removal ~f ~he receptacle port ion .
The close ~on~ormity of the handle portion l8 ~r the $1eeve to the ~tick 14 o~ the swab affords a secu~e and natural-feelinq grip while, at the same time, minimizing the ~ap into which the conta~ned substance ~an ~eep. The frusto-conical component 2~ o~ the transition portion, which remains 13~99~7 ~ter removal of the re~eptacle portion, pro~ s ~ean~ for limiting the locaeion a~ which the a~sembly can be grasped, t~us helpin~ to prevent inadvertent touchin~ of ~e area be:ing treated, and it also serves to con~ain any of the substan~e that might drip, or r~n down the swab sti~k.
For best results, it has been found that a sleeve having dimensions such as those typified herein~bov~ wili be fabricated from pol~propyl~ne, in ~ thiekness of about ~.3 millimeter. T~às will afford a level of rigidit~ that will provide good handlin~ ~nd structural features while, at the ~ame time. tending to produce fra~ture upon manual co~pres-sion at the ~rangible join~.
The preferred manner of produ~ing the sleeve 12 is by fusion molding, utilizing a mold member such as that illustrated in Figure 10 and generally designated by the n~e~l 3~ ~ndeed, the sleeves hereof are specifically confi~ured so as to permit fabrication ~as fully f~nctional ~rticles) with such a mold member by that technique, and without need for any external tooling Since the configuration of the mold member mu~t obviously match that of the sleeve, it need not ~e dis~ssed in great dee3il . Suf f ie~ to say that it is desirably made o cold finished steel bar ~tock, polished to remove imperfec-tions, and that it has a body portion 34, a handle portion 36 ~with a reduced diameter tip element 38 thereon) and a tr~nsi-tion portion therebetween co~sis~ing of a frustoconical compo-~3199Q7 nent ~0, a cylindric~l component ~2~ and ~n annular co;nponent (n~t visible in this ~ioure) epaced ~rom th~ tr~stoco~ical component ~0. It is imPoreant to note that t~e e~g~ 44 adja-cent to whieh the annular component lies is sharp and ~el S def ined, so as to produce the ne~essary d~si~ed de~ree of in~ernal sharpne~s at the intersection 30, ~hile at the same time indu~ing the material fl~w that will result in desired thinning thereat. A threaded bore 46 is provi~ed in the lar~er end of the mold member, for mounting purposcs~
As will be appreciated, to p~oduce the sleeve the mold member 32 is heated to a tempe~ature suf~icaent to provide the thexmal energy necessary to melt th~ polymer, employe~ in ~inely divided p~rticulate form. After solidifieation of the fused resin, it is merely a matter of stripping the artiole from the mold member; appropriate slight tapers built into the mold member, and other conventional practi~es for facili-tating st~ippin~, are known to those skilled in the a~t and may be employed as appropriate. It is of course ne~ssary that no element of the mold member (and correspondingiy, of the sleeve prQduced) be of greater extent, in a plane trans-verse to its longitudinal axis, than is any other elemene spaced further from the tip, since that would render strip-ping from the mold impossible, particul~rly in view of the deqree of rigidity that the sleeve is to h~ve for facile mAnual severance.
~319~
In ~his re~ard it must of course be ~ppreciated that, i~ ~he plastic used is ~xces~ively ri~id and brittle, t~e po~sibility of inad~ertent fra~ure ~ill exist. Furthermore, the resin must ha~e a sufficiently low melt viscosity to permit cover~ge of all mold surfaces, and it mu~t produce a nonporo~s and pinhole-~ree s~uct~re. Within the fore~oing constraints, ~ny of a variet~ of synthetic re~inous materials may be utilized, and the selection thereof will be evident to those skille~ i~ the ~rt, nevertheles~, exempl~ry thermoplas-tic resins thae might be su~ested are polypropylene. hi~hdensity polyethylene, rigid polyvinyl chloride, an~ nylon, of which polypropylene ~ill usually be preferred.
The swab asse~bly will normally be employed for the application of liquids to the ~ody (e.g., for medicinal, disinfectant, cosmetic ~nd ~leaning purposes); however. the con~ained substance ~ould as well be a powde~, and a wide ~riety o~ nonpersonal applications, such as for application of l~bricating oil to a mechanism, may o~cur to those skill~d in the art. As used herein, ther~ore, the term "ap~licator"
is to be broadly construed to include. for example. elements u~ed prim~rily for removal of matter, as when the swa~ per-~orms a cleaning f~nction.
~ he range of sizes for the assembly and its component~
can also ~ary widely (e.~., the s~ab can be from about 3 to 15 Centimeters in len~th. and the receptacle portion of the sleeve can be ~uch lon~er or much shorter than the handle 13199~7 portion~, as lon~ as th* w~ll thickness~s a~e e~nt~o~le~
appropriately eo af~or~ the d~sired functional eharacte~is-tics, as discussed he~ein. Xt is also important, for prope~
functioning (at lea~t when the sleeve i~ of 0.3 millimeter thick polypropylene) t~at the comPonent intersecting with the receptacle portion te.~ , the annular component 29 in the ~mbo~iment of Figures 1-5) ~e at least about 0.13 c~ntimèter wide, to creaee adequate stress at the fraetur~ point(s).
Turnin~ now to ~igur~ 6I the sleeve illustrated is virtually the same as sleeve 12, except that its transi~ion portion omit~ the short cylindri~al component 25; primed numerals are t~re~ore e~ployed.
?he transition portion of th~ sleeve of Figure ~ is similar, ~ut consists of ~n annular çomponent 50 extendin~
directly between the ~andle portion 51 and the end compo-nent 52 of the receptacl~ portion. In addition, the annular componenr. 50 is disposed -.o as to for~ an acute interior angle with the component 5~, thereby producing an intersec-tion at 54 that is even sharper, int~nally, than is the intersection 30 of the sleeve embodiment of t~e earlier ~igures.
rhe slee~e o~ Figure 8 is th~ same as that ~f Figure 7, excepe that its annular component 56 forms a ri~ht-angle with the adja~ent re~eptacle Portion ¢omponene 58, and a correspond-in~ intersection at 60.
1319~7 The form of sleeve sho~n in Fi~ure ~ is ag~in simil~r to that of Figures 1-5. with t~e exception however that a relatively lon~ cylindrical component ~ interpo~ed between the ~rustoconical component 6~ and the snnular component 66.
Annular ~omponent 66 ~ooperates with components ~2 and adja-cent component 68 on the end of the receptacle portion in a manner that is ~holly equi~alent to the opening func~ion ~o~peratively ~rod~ced by t~e operative elements of the initially deseribed embodiment.
It wlll of course be appreeiated that mold members comparable to that of Fi~ure lO, but suitably modified, will Preerably be used ~o produce the sleeves o~ Figûres 6-9.
~hus, it can be seen that the present invention p~o-vides a novel unit, including a swab and a substance contained within a pl~stic sleeve, and a sleeve and swab assem~ly for producing the same, which is neat and convenient to handle and ~se, and is relatively facile, simple and inexpensive to pro-duce. The sleeve provides an enclosure th~t is secure, but nevertheless readily ~pened by manual for~e, and it also pro-vides an integral ele~ent for shiel~in~ t~e ùser~s hand ~rom the contained substance and or curbing contact ~ith the are~
being trea~ed; in ad~tion, its ~onstruction ~ffords a secure and na~ur~l-feeling grip for manipulation of the assembled sw~b.
Swab~, consisting of a stick-like h~n~le ~nd a bud of ~otton or other absorbent o~ po~ous materi~l at one end, are of course in widespread use, particula~ly as applica~ors for medicinal, cleanin~, and cosmetiC li~uids. A demand exists for a self-contained unit con~i~ting ~f a swab prepa~kage~
with t~e ~ubstAnce for which it is t~ be used, due to the eonvenience and sanitation benefits that are af~orded the~eby, Swabs and the like in closed eontainers have h~re-tofore been provided, in some instances ~lso includin~ a liquid substan~e. For example, Doherty United States Patent No. 2,902,146, issued September 1, lg59, provides a ste~ile package in which a surgical swab, contained in an interior s~c, is sealed within ~ casing. Mona~h~n United Staces Patent No. 3,776,220, issued December 4, 1973, pro~idcs a unit in which a diagnostie sw~b and a culture medium are both contained within di~erent seetions of t~e same plastic tube, the two sections being separated by a frangible seal.
$wab~ e implemen~s enelosed within various forms of containers aræ also disclosed in Robert United States P~ten~
~o. 1,14~,5~, iss~ed July 13, 1915, Sheely ~nit~d $ta~e ~
Patent No. 1,573,648, iss~ed February 16, 1926, Cohen United States Patent No. 3,163,160, issued December 29, 1964, ~alayjiA~ United States Patent No. 3,513,830, issued May 26, 1970, and ~avis United States Patent No. 3,640,268, issued February 8, lg72. VariOU~ forms of applic~o~, asso~iated with supply ~eser~oirs, are chown in Higgins United States Patene No. 1,16~,7~ sued Jan~ary 4, 1916, Schulz United States Patent No~ 1,221,2Z7, iss~ed Ap~il 3, 191?, Hollister United States Patent No. 1,309,201, issued July 8, 1919, Schwar~zm~n United Sta~e~ Patent ~o. 3,614,245, iss~ed October 19, 1~1, Truhan United States Pa~ent ~o. 3,75g,259, issued Sepeember 18, lg~3, Schwartzman United Sta~e~ Patent No. 3,774,609, iss~e~ November 27, 1973, D'Alessandro et al Unàted States Patent ~o. 3,847,151, issued November 12, 1974, Bennington United States Patent No. 3.958,571, is~ued May ~5, 197~ and Snyde~ et al United States Patent No. 4,43~,7~9, issued ~ebruarY 21. 1984.
Despite the level of activity in the art evidenced by the fo~e~oing, a need exists for a prepacka~e~ unit, i~cl~d-ing an enclosed swab and a substan~e for application, which is neat and oonvenient to handle and use, and relatively facile, simple and inexpensive to produce.
Ac~ordingly, it is the broad object of the present invention to provide ~ novel unit, in~luding a swab and ~
substance contained within a plasti~ sleeve, and to provide a novel sleeve and swab a~sembly fox producin~ the same, whi ch is neat and convenient to handle and ~se, and rela-tively fa~ile, simple and inexpensive to produce.
~t is a more specific object of the invention to provide such a unit and assembly wherein the sleeve Provides an enclos~re that is secure but nevertheless readily opened 13199~7 by ~anu~l force, ard that also Provides an int~ral el~ment for shielding the user'~ hand from the contained subst~n~e a~d Sor curbin~ contact o~ the area bein~ treated.
Anoeher more specific object is to provide such a unit and a~sembly in which the sleeve is constr~cted to afford a se¢ure and natu~al-feelin~ grip, for m~nipulation of the ~ssemble~ swab, ~nd to show evidenc~ o~ tamp~ring~
SUMMARY OF ~HE XNV~NTION
._. . .
It has now been ound tha~ certain o~ ~he fo~-egoin~
and re~ate~ objects of the invention a~e attained by the provision of a sealable assembly comprising a swab having ~n elon~ated, small diameter stick with an appli~to~ clement at one end thereof, and ~n elonoated, thin-wall hollow sleeve ~ssembled with the swab. The sleeve is inte~rally formed, as a single piece, from a relatively rigid plastic materi~l that is manually compressible and severable in ~hin se~tions, and it has a handle portion at one end, a receptacle por~ion at the other end, and a transition portion therebetween. ~he handle portion, which inclu~es an element that frictionally engages the free end of t~e sti~k, extends along a ma jQ~ part of its length. It conforms ~enerally to th~ stick, but is spaced slightly f rom the surface there4f throughout most of the coextensive length, to provide suSficicnt clearance f or facile assembly while minimizinq the ~ap therebetween. The cross section of the receptacle portion is substantially 13~9~97 lar~er t~an is t~at of the ~l~ndle porti~n of the 51ecv~, and the adia~ent components at the intersection ~etween ~he receptacle and transition portions are so configured that co~pression of the sleeve thereat will create ~ significant level of stress. thereby fa~ilitating man~al seve~ance of the sleeve. ~e~ause of the rela~ive len~t~s of the stick and t~e handle portion. the ~Pplicator element of the swa~ will be contained, at least substantiallY~ within th~ receptaele po~tion of t~e sleeve.
lQ In the preferred embodiments, the component of the transition portion that is disposed at the intersection with the recepta~le por~ion ~ill be of su~stantially annular eon-figuration, and most desirably the a~jaeen~ components at the inte~section will either be mutuallY Perp0ndicular or disposed with an acute interior an~le between them. In espe-cially preferred embodiments, the transition portion will be of compou~d configuration and will include a ~ylindrical ~om-pon~nt directly adjacent the annular component.
Genera~ly, the receptacle PO~ti~n of th~ sleeve will be cylindric~l and will have a diameter that is mor~ than about triple that o~ the handle portion thereof; a short tip component at the free end of the handle PO~tiQn, of -~maller diameter than the remainder thereof, will ad~anta~eously provide the stick-enga~ing element. Typically, the s~ab will be ~bout 11 centi~eters in length; the sleeve handle portion will be about 6 centimeters lon~ and less than a~out 0.5 c~n~ime~er in diam~ter, and its receptacle portion ~nd an ~dJacent cylindrical eompos~ent of the transition por~ion thereof will have d~ ameters of a~out 1.3 and 1.15 centime-ters, respectively, with the ~ylindrieal component being at least about O.13 centimeter lon~. When the plastic material employed for fabrication of the sleeve is polypropylene. it will desira~ly have a substantially uniform thickness of approxi~tely 0 3 millime~er.
Oth~r objects of the invention are attained by the provision of a swab or appli~ator unit. including an appli-cato~ assembly as hereinabove described, and a contained substance. The substance will norm~lly be a li~uid, snd it will ~e confined substantially withisl ehe receptacle and transition portions of the sleeve, the latter being closed at the ~ree end of its receptacle portion for that purpose.
B~ F_DE;SCRIPTION OF_ THE DRA.WII~GS
Figure l is a pc~spe~tive view of a self-contained swab unit embodying th~ present inventios~, the ~nelosed swab being shown in dotted line:
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showin~ t~e swab and sleeve of the assembly of which the unit o~ Fi~ure l i s c ompriscd:
Fi~ure 3 is an elevational view of the uslit of Fi~ur~ 1, with ehe $1eeve shown in se~tion;
~319907 Figure 4 is a view similar Co ~i~ure 3, sho~in~ the sleeve bein~ fra~tured under man~l pressure;
Fi~re 5 is 8 view si~ilar to Fig~re 4, showing the receptacle portion of the sleeve removed;
Fi~ures 6-g are sectional vicws shQwi~g othe~ forms of sleeves suitable for use in the as~embly and unit of the invention; and ~igure 10 i~ a pe~cpe~tive view showin~ a mold m~mber s~itable for use in producing the sleeve o~ Fi~ures 1-5 .
DETAI~E~ ~ESCR~PTIQN OF THE ILLUSTRATED EM~OD~MENTS_ Turning now in detail to ~igures 1-4 of the appended drawings, t~e~ein illustrated is a self-cont~ined swab unit embodyin~ ~he invention, and consistin~ o~ ~ $wab, ~enerally desi~nated by the numeral 10, and a sleeve ~enerally desig-nated by the numeral 1~. The swab lO consists of ~ straight hollow pl~stic stick 14, with a bud ~6 of ~otton attached on or~e end-The sleeve 12 is of circular cross section alld hollow along ~ts entire len~th, and is fabricated from a plas~ic material. It ~onsists of a relatively small diameter ~ylin-`dri~al h~n~le por~ion 18 at one end, a substantially lar~er diameter receptacle por~ion 20 at the opposite en~, and a transition portion of compound configuration therebetween.
The tlp element 22 on the handle portion 18 has a diameter sli~htly reduced from th~t of the ~emainder o~ the h~ndle 13199~7 portion, and serv~s to ~iction~ly eng~a the tip of the swab stick 1~.
As will be appreciated ~rom Figure 2, the asse~bly is produced simPly by insertin~ the swab lo i~to the sleeve 12 sufficiently to enable the ele~ent 22 to friction~lly en~a~e the stick 14, ~hereupon the ~d 16 will reside within the enlar~ed receptacle portion 20. It will also be noee~ that the handle PO~ion 18 conorms closely to t~e stick 14, al~eit with a small gap ~typically o~ abo~t one millimeter~
between their con~onting surfaces throu~hout mos~ of t~eir coextensive len~hs, to facilitate insertion of t~ cwa~.
After assembly, the sleeve will norma~y be at ~east par-tially filled with a medicin~l, cosmetic, or like sub~t~nce, follo~ing which the sleeve will ~e closed, such as by a heat s~al 28, to produce a sanitar~, inte~ral unit.
Access to the swab is gained simply by squeezing the sleeve at the in~ersec~ion hetw~en its receptacle and tran-sition portions, ~s indic~ted in Figure 4. The transition portion i5 uniquely configured ~o ~oaot with the receptac~e Portion~ so a~ to enable ready fracture under the influcnce o~ such ~o~ce. In a~dition to affording access, this c~ar-acteristic will provide a t~mper-resisting feature to the pack~ge, since ~ny loss of inte~rity will tend to be evident as c~ckin~, c~zin~, or opacity at sSress points.
~he transie~on portion consists, more parti~larly, of a ~arrow annular co~ponent 24, a short cylindrical com-~3i99~7 ponent ~5, an~ a frustoconical component ~, the latter mer~ing into the handle portion 18~ T~e annular ~omponent 2~ in tUrn Connects to the receptacle po~tion 20, with the adjacent components forminq a sharp interior ri~ht angle S intersection at ~O. As will be noted. however, the ~or~e-sponding exte~ior corner is not sharply de~ined, but rather i9 more in the nature of a rounded chamfer. This results from material flow, and is a natural con~eq~nce of the pre~e~red ~oldin~ me~hod and toolin~ stru~ture employed. as will be described more fully herein~elow.
In any event, the intcrior and ex~erior configura-tions together result in a minimum thickness of material at the intersection 30. Depending ~pon the nature of the material used to fabricate the $1eeve. the stress created by compression (w~ich arises because the adjacent components are incapable o~ assuming a compatible configuration upon flattenin~ of the slee~e) will either cause it to snap at the intersection ~0, or will at least ~rack or otherwise facilitate severance by a tearing action. As i5 seen in Figure 5, the swab lO is exposed for use upon removal ~f ~he receptacle port ion .
The close ~on~ormity of the handle portion l8 ~r the $1eeve to the ~tick 14 o~ the swab affords a secu~e and natural-feelinq grip while, at the same time, minimizing the ~ap into which the conta~ned substance ~an ~eep. The frusto-conical component 2~ o~ the transition portion, which remains 13~99~7 ~ter removal of the re~eptacle portion, pro~ s ~ean~ for limiting the locaeion a~ which the a~sembly can be grasped, t~us helpin~ to prevent inadvertent touchin~ of ~e area be:ing treated, and it also serves to con~ain any of the substan~e that might drip, or r~n down the swab sti~k.
For best results, it has been found that a sleeve having dimensions such as those typified herein~bov~ wili be fabricated from pol~propyl~ne, in ~ thiekness of about ~.3 millimeter. T~às will afford a level of rigidit~ that will provide good handlin~ ~nd structural features while, at the ~ame time. tending to produce fra~ture upon manual co~pres-sion at the ~rangible join~.
The preferred manner of produ~ing the sleeve 12 is by fusion molding, utilizing a mold member such as that illustrated in Figure 10 and generally designated by the n~e~l 3~ ~ndeed, the sleeves hereof are specifically confi~ured so as to permit fabrication ~as fully f~nctional ~rticles) with such a mold member by that technique, and without need for any external tooling Since the configuration of the mold member mu~t obviously match that of the sleeve, it need not ~e dis~ssed in great dee3il . Suf f ie~ to say that it is desirably made o cold finished steel bar ~tock, polished to remove imperfec-tions, and that it has a body portion 34, a handle portion 36 ~with a reduced diameter tip element 38 thereon) and a tr~nsi-tion portion therebetween co~sis~ing of a frustoconical compo-~3199Q7 nent ~0, a cylindric~l component ~2~ and ~n annular co;nponent (n~t visible in this ~ioure) epaced ~rom th~ tr~stoco~ical component ~0. It is imPoreant to note that t~e e~g~ 44 adja-cent to whieh the annular component lies is sharp and ~el S def ined, so as to produce the ne~essary d~si~ed de~ree of in~ernal sharpne~s at the intersection 30, ~hile at the same time indu~ing the material fl~w that will result in desired thinning thereat. A threaded bore 46 is provi~ed in the lar~er end of the mold member, for mounting purposcs~
As will be appreciated, to p~oduce the sleeve the mold member 32 is heated to a tempe~ature suf~icaent to provide the thexmal energy necessary to melt th~ polymer, employe~ in ~inely divided p~rticulate form. After solidifieation of the fused resin, it is merely a matter of stripping the artiole from the mold member; appropriate slight tapers built into the mold member, and other conventional practi~es for facili-tating st~ippin~, are known to those skilled in the a~t and may be employed as appropriate. It is of course ne~ssary that no element of the mold member (and correspondingiy, of the sleeve prQduced) be of greater extent, in a plane trans-verse to its longitudinal axis, than is any other elemene spaced further from the tip, since that would render strip-ping from the mold impossible, particul~rly in view of the deqree of rigidity that the sleeve is to h~ve for facile mAnual severance.
~319~
In ~his re~ard it must of course be ~ppreciated that, i~ ~he plastic used is ~xces~ively ri~id and brittle, t~e po~sibility of inad~ertent fra~ure ~ill exist. Furthermore, the resin must ha~e a sufficiently low melt viscosity to permit cover~ge of all mold surfaces, and it mu~t produce a nonporo~s and pinhole-~ree s~uct~re. Within the fore~oing constraints, ~ny of a variet~ of synthetic re~inous materials may be utilized, and the selection thereof will be evident to those skille~ i~ the ~rt, nevertheles~, exempl~ry thermoplas-tic resins thae might be su~ested are polypropylene. hi~hdensity polyethylene, rigid polyvinyl chloride, an~ nylon, of which polypropylene ~ill usually be preferred.
The swab asse~bly will normally be employed for the application of liquids to the ~ody (e.g., for medicinal, disinfectant, cosmetic ~nd ~leaning purposes); however. the con~ained substance ~ould as well be a powde~, and a wide ~riety o~ nonpersonal applications, such as for application of l~bricating oil to a mechanism, may o~cur to those skill~d in the art. As used herein, ther~ore, the term "ap~licator"
is to be broadly construed to include. for example. elements u~ed prim~rily for removal of matter, as when the swa~ per-~orms a cleaning f~nction.
~ he range of sizes for the assembly and its component~
can also ~ary widely (e.~., the s~ab can be from about 3 to 15 Centimeters in len~th. and the receptacle portion of the sleeve can be ~uch lon~er or much shorter than the handle 13199~7 portion~, as lon~ as th* w~ll thickness~s a~e e~nt~o~le~
appropriately eo af~or~ the d~sired functional eharacte~is-tics, as discussed he~ein. Xt is also important, for prope~
functioning (at lea~t when the sleeve i~ of 0.3 millimeter thick polypropylene) t~at the comPonent intersecting with the receptacle portion te.~ , the annular component 29 in the ~mbo~iment of Figures 1-5) ~e at least about 0.13 c~ntimèter wide, to creaee adequate stress at the fraetur~ point(s).
Turnin~ now to ~igur~ 6I the sleeve illustrated is virtually the same as sleeve 12, except that its transi~ion portion omit~ the short cylindri~al component 25; primed numerals are t~re~ore e~ployed.
?he transition portion of th~ sleeve of Figure ~ is similar, ~ut consists of ~n annular çomponent 50 extendin~
directly between the ~andle portion 51 and the end compo-nent 52 of the receptacl~ portion. In addition, the annular componenr. 50 is disposed -.o as to for~ an acute interior angle with the component 5~, thereby producing an intersec-tion at 54 that is even sharper, int~nally, than is the intersection 30 of the sleeve embodiment of t~e earlier ~igures.
rhe slee~e o~ Figure 8 is th~ same as that ~f Figure 7, excepe that its annular component 56 forms a ri~ht-angle with the adja~ent re~eptacle Portion ¢omponene 58, and a correspond-in~ intersection at 60.
1319~7 The form of sleeve sho~n in Fi~ure ~ is ag~in simil~r to that of Figures 1-5. with t~e exception however that a relatively lon~ cylindrical component ~ interpo~ed between the ~rustoconical component 6~ and the snnular component 66.
Annular ~omponent 66 ~ooperates with components ~2 and adja-cent component 68 on the end of the receptacle portion in a manner that is ~holly equi~alent to the opening func~ion ~o~peratively ~rod~ced by t~e operative elements of the initially deseribed embodiment.
It wlll of course be appreeiated that mold members comparable to that of Fi~ure lO, but suitably modified, will Preerably be used ~o produce the sleeves o~ Figûres 6-9.
~hus, it can be seen that the present invention p~o-vides a novel unit, including a swab and a substance contained within a pl~stic sleeve, and a sleeve and swab assem~ly for producing the same, which is neat and convenient to handle and ~se, and is relatively facile, simple and inexpensive to pro-duce. The sleeve provides an enclosure th~t is secure, but nevertheless readily ~pened by manual for~e, and it also pro-vides an integral ele~ent for shiel~in~ t~e ùser~s hand ~rom the contained substance and or curbing contact ~ith the are~
being trea~ed; in ad~tion, its ~onstruction ~ffords a secure and na~ur~l-feeling grip for manipulation of the assembled sw~b.
Claims (23)
1. A sealable, manually openable applicator assembly comprising: a swab having an elongated, small diameter stick with an applicator element at one end thereof; and an elon-gated, thin-wall hollow sleeve assembled with said swab, said sleeve being integrally formed as a single piece from a rela-tively rigid plastic material that is manually compressible and severable in thin sections, and having a handle portion at one end, a receptacle portion at the other end, and a transi-tion portion therebetween, said handle portion having an ele-ment frictionally engaging the other end of said stick, and said handle portion extending along a substantial part of the length of, and conforming to, said stick and being spaced slightly from the surface thereof, other than at said engaging element, to provide sufficient clearance for facile assembly while minimizing the gap therebetween, said receptacle portion being of substantially larger cross section than said handle portion, and the adjacent components of said receptacle and transition portions at the intersection therebetween being so configured that compression of said sleeve thereat will create a significant level of stress, facilitating manual severance of said sleeve at that location, the relative lengths of said stick and said handle portion being such that said applicator element of said swab is contained at least substantially with-in said receptacle portion of said sleeve.
2. The assembly of Claim 1 wherein said component of said transition portion is of substantially annular configura-tion .
3. The assembly of Claim 2 wherein said adjacent components are mutually perpendicular.
4. The assembly of Claim 3 wherein said adjacent components are disposed with an acute interior angle there-between.
5. The assembly of Claim 3 wherein said transition portion is of compound configuration, and includes a cylindri-cal component directly adjacent said substantially annular component.
6. The assembly of Claim S wherein said receptacle portion is cylindrical, and wherein said receptacle portion and said cylindrical component of said transition portion have diameters of about 1.3 and 1.15 centimeters, respectively.
7. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said transition portion additionally includes a frsustoconical component directly adjacent said cylindrical component and joined directly to said handle portion.
8. The assembly of Claim 1 wherein said handle portion has a short tip component at its free end, which is of slightly smaller diameter than is the remainder thereof and which provides said engaging element.
9. The assembly of Claim 2 wherein said receptacle portion of said sleeve is of cylindrical configuration, and wherein said component of said transition portion is at: least 0.13 centimeter wide.
10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the diameter of said handle portion of said sleeve is less than about one-third the diameter of said receptacle portion thereof, and wherein said handle portion is coextensive with said stick along a major part of the length of said stick.
11. The assembly of Claim 10 wherein said handle portion diameter is less than about 0.5 centimeter.
12. The assembly of Claim 11 wherein said receptacle portion diameter is about 1.3 centimeters.
13. The assembly of Claim 1 wherein the thickness of said sleeve wall has a substantially uniform value of approximately 0.3 millimeter, and wherein said plastic material is polypropylene.
14. The assembly of Claim 1 wherein said sleeve is closed at said one end and open at said other end, and wherein no element that is closer to said one end than is any other element is of larger cross-sectional dimension than said other element.
15. The assembly of Claim 6 wherein the thickness of said sleeve wall has a substantially uniform value of approximately 0.3 millimeter, wherein said handle portion of said sleeve has a diameter of less than about 0.5 centimeter, and wherein said clearance has a value of less than about one millimeter.
16. The assembly of claim 15 wherein said handle portion and said stick are about 6 and 11 centimeters in length, respectively.
17. An applicator unit for a substance, including:
a swab having an elongated, small diameter stick with an applicator element at one end thereof;
an elongated, thin-wall hollow sleeve assembled with said swab, said sleeve being integrally formed as a single piece from a relatively rigid plastic material that is manually compressible and severable in thin sections, and having a handle portion at one end. a receptacle portion at the other end, and a transition portion therebetween, said handle portion having an element frictionally engaging the other end of said stick, and said handle portion extending along a substantial part of the length of, and conforming to, said stick and being spaced slightly from the surface there-of, other than at said engaging element, to provide suffi-cient clearance for facile assembly while minimizing the gap therebetween, said receptacle portion being of substantially larger cross section than said handle portion, and the adja-cent components of said receptacle and transition portions at the intersection therebetween being so configured that compression of said sleeve thereat will create a significant level of stress, facilitating manual severance of said sleeve at that location, the relative lengths of said stick and said handle portion being such that said applicator element of said swab is contained at least substantially within said receptacle portion of said sleeve; and a substance contained within said receptacle and transition portions of said sleeve said sleeve being closed at the free end of said receptacle portion thereof.
a swab having an elongated, small diameter stick with an applicator element at one end thereof;
an elongated, thin-wall hollow sleeve assembled with said swab, said sleeve being integrally formed as a single piece from a relatively rigid plastic material that is manually compressible and severable in thin sections, and having a handle portion at one end. a receptacle portion at the other end, and a transition portion therebetween, said handle portion having an element frictionally engaging the other end of said stick, and said handle portion extending along a substantial part of the length of, and conforming to, said stick and being spaced slightly from the surface there-of, other than at said engaging element, to provide suffi-cient clearance for facile assembly while minimizing the gap therebetween, said receptacle portion being of substantially larger cross section than said handle portion, and the adja-cent components of said receptacle and transition portions at the intersection therebetween being so configured that compression of said sleeve thereat will create a significant level of stress, facilitating manual severance of said sleeve at that location, the relative lengths of said stick and said handle portion being such that said applicator element of said swab is contained at least substantially within said receptacle portion of said sleeve; and a substance contained within said receptacle and transition portions of said sleeve said sleeve being closed at the free end of said receptacle portion thereof.
18. The unit of Claim 17 wherein said receptacle portion of said sleeve is of cylindrical configuration.
wherein said transition portion is of compound configuration and includes a substantially annular component and a cylin-drical component directly adjacent thereto, and wherein said adjacent components are mutually perpendicular or are disposed with an acute interior angle between them.
wherein said transition portion is of compound configuration and includes a substantially annular component and a cylin-drical component directly adjacent thereto, and wherein said adjacent components are mutually perpendicular or are disposed with an acute interior angle between them.
19. The unit of Claim 18 wherein said receptacle portion and said cylindrical component of said transition portion have diameters of about 1.3 and 1.15 centimeters, respectively, and wherein the thickness of said sleeve wall has a substantially uniform value of approximately 0.3 millimeter.
20. The unit of Claim 19 wherein said handle portion of said sleeve has a short tip component at its free end, which is of slightly smaller diameter than is the remainder thereof and which provides said engaging element, and wherein no element of said sleeve that is closer to said one end than is any other element thereof is of larger cross-sectional dimension than said other element.
21. The assembly of Claim 19 wherein said handle portion diameter is less than about 0.5 cemtimeter, wherein said clearance has a value of about one millimeter, and wherein said substance is of liquid form.
22. The assembly of Claim 21 wherein said receptacle portion diameter is about 1.3 centimeters, wherein said handle portion and stick are about 6 and 11 centimeters in length, respectively, and wherein said handle portion is coextensive with said stick along a major part of the length of said stick.
23. The assembly of Claim 17 wherein the thickness of said sleeve wall has a substantially uniform value of approximately 0.3 millimeter, wherein said plastic material is polypropylene, and wherein said component of said transi-tion portion is at least about 0.13 centimeter wide.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US230,511 | 1988-08-10 | ||
| US07/230,511 US4952204A (en) | 1988-08-10 | 1988-08-10 | Dry handle swab assembly and unit |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1319907C true CA1319907C (en) | 1993-07-06 |
Family
ID=22865504
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000608034A Expired - Fee Related CA1319907C (en) | 1988-08-10 | 1989-08-10 | Dry handle swab assembly and unit |
Country Status (6)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4952204A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0357261B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH0282972A (en) |
| AT (1) | ATE116561T1 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1319907C (en) |
| DE (1) | DE68920382D1 (en) |
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| US8100294B2 (en) * | 2007-12-18 | 2012-01-24 | James Alexander Corporation | Container assembly |
| US10392163B2 (en) * | 2008-01-29 | 2019-08-27 | James Alexander Corporation | Dispenser and process |
| US8604267B2 (en) * | 2008-06-09 | 2013-12-10 | Merrie K. East | Disposable nose pack for nosebleeds |
| US7641409B1 (en) * | 2008-06-26 | 2010-01-05 | Elc Management Llc | Single-use cosmetic package |
| US8210761B2 (en) * | 2008-06-26 | 2012-07-03 | Elc Management Llc | Cosmetic package with integrally molded wiper |
| US8337108B2 (en) * | 2008-06-26 | 2012-12-25 | Elc Management Llc | Single-use cosmetic sampler |
| JP5646926B2 (en) * | 2010-09-09 | 2014-12-24 | 株式会社トキワ | Liquid cosmetic container |
| CN103200841B (en) | 2010-11-05 | 2016-08-10 | 宝洁公司 | oral care applicator |
| US8846725B2 (en) | 2011-01-24 | 2014-09-30 | Quadex Pharmaceuticals, Llc | Highly penetrating compositions and methods for treating pathogen-induced disordered tissues |
| US8783451B2 (en) * | 2011-02-18 | 2014-07-22 | Allergan, Inc. | Unit dose breakable vial with integrated brush applicator |
| US9549930B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2017-01-24 | Quadex Pharmaceuticals, Llc | Combined systemic and topical treatment of disordered and/or prodromal stage tissue |
| US9125911B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2015-09-08 | Quadex Pharmaceuticals, Llc | Combined systemic and topical treatment of disordered tissues |
| US9463180B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2016-10-11 | Quadex Pharmaceuticals, Llc | Treatment of molluscum contagiosum |
| USD804576S1 (en) * | 2016-02-01 | 2017-12-05 | Matthew DAMMAN | Drawing instrument holder |
| US10159824B2 (en) * | 2016-05-24 | 2018-12-25 | Joseph Trznadel | Multi-chamber container apparatuses and methods of making and using the same |
| US11202894B1 (en) | 2017-05-22 | 2021-12-21 | Howard Thau | Recloseable swab applicator |
| USD940304S1 (en) | 2020-03-23 | 2022-01-04 | Sonic Packaging Industries, Inc. | Recloseable swab applicator |
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| US1309201A (en) * | 1919-07-08 | Planoqeaph co | ||
| US1146522A (en) * | 1914-11-17 | 1915-07-13 | Jean Marie Joseph Robert | Device for holding and applying medicaments. |
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| US1229195A (en) * | 1916-09-09 | 1917-06-05 | Bauer & Black | Surgical swab. |
| US1573648A (en) * | 1925-02-24 | 1926-02-16 | Joseph H Sheely | Container |
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| US3163160A (en) * | 1962-11-15 | 1964-12-29 | Milton J Cohen | Disposable swab and culture medium device |
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-
1988
- 1988-08-10 US US07/230,511 patent/US4952204A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1989
- 1989-08-09 EP EP89308076A patent/EP0357261B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1989-08-09 AT AT89308076T patent/ATE116561T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1989-08-09 DE DE68920382T patent/DE68920382D1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1989-08-10 CA CA000608034A patent/CA1319907C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1989-08-10 JP JP1207780A patent/JPH0282972A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0357261A1 (en) | 1990-03-07 |
| DE68920382D1 (en) | 1995-02-16 |
| US4952204A (en) | 1990-08-28 |
| ATE116561T1 (en) | 1995-01-15 |
| EP0357261B1 (en) | 1995-01-04 |
| JPH0282972A (en) | 1990-03-23 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKLA | Lapsed | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |
Effective date: 19960108 |