US3048174A - Holder for medicated cartridge for douche bag - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 7, 1962 F. E. CHARLES 3,048,174

HOLDER FOR MEDICATED CARTRIDGE FOR DOUCHE BAG Filed Jan. 7, 1960 Frank E Charles INVENTOR.

United States Patent Oilfice 3,048,174 Patented Aug. 7, 1962 3,048,174 HOLDER FOR MEDICATED CARTREDGE FER DQUCHE BAG Frank E. Charles, 390 S. 6th St., Blythe, Calif. Filed Jan. 7, 196i), Ser. No. 1,079 4 Ciainis. (Ci. 128-227) The present invention relates, broadly and generally speaking, to hot water bottles and syringes but has reference in particular to a douche bag and means cooperable therewith for promoting a fast, reliable and safe method of administering an efficaciously medicated douche.

In carrying out the underlying inventive principles of the concept under advisement, the idea has been to effectually cope with female personal hygiene problems by appropriating and using a method and means to simplify the act of douching to promote personal cleanliness and to achieve this end in a manner to save valuable time and effort and to thus encourage willing believers to resort with frequency to the use of the means to be hereinafter specifically disclosed.

With a view toward achieving the herein-desired-results and seeking to encourage widespread adoption and use, a simple sleeve-like cartridge is provided. The sleeve itself is made of appropriate absorbent material which when wetted liberates the medicament with which it is charged. By merely running tap water over the cartridge, as the bag is being filled, the trapped water is effectually medicated.

The invention also features a simple and practical holder for the cartridge. Specifically, this holder may be described as a rack-like hanger having an upstanding centralized prongdike post over which the bore of the sleeve or cartridge is removably fitted. This rack or hanger is suspended within the confines of the neck portion of the bag so that the cartridge, at least a major portion thereof, may be immersed in the water which has been trapped in the bag. In fact, simply running the tap water over the cartridge medicates the water.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a currently well-known type of a douche bag or hot water bottle showing the impregnated or medicated cartridge racked and suspended in the lower mouth portion thereof.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view with a portion broken away and appearing in section.

FIG. 3 is avertic'al section on the plane of the line 3--3 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

PEG. 4 is a view in perspective which may be said to be of an exploded type in that the medicated cartridge is separated from the post on the hanger or rack.

Insofar as the essence of the invention is concerned, the container 6 (bags, syringes, hot water bottles, etc.) may be of any suitable construction. While it would be within the purview of the inventive concept to employ the novel rack and cartridge for some other body irrigating purpose, it is believed that the matter under advisement may be best and clearly understood in relation to the aforementioned fast, safe method for female personal hygiene. It will simplify matters here to interpret the container as a douche bag, the upper mouth portion 8 being open, perhaps (as often the case) cylindrical in cross-section. There is a suspension flap 10 at the top with a hole 12. to accommodate a nail or the like 14 on which the bag may be suspended. The lower or bottom portion is tapered and of funnel-like form, as at 16, and a hose 13 is connected thereto.

The aforementioned douche water medicating means comprises an absorbent sleeve 2% which, in common practice, is about one and one-half to two inches in length having a cross-section of slightly less than an inch. It may be a simple cotton tube or sleeve impregnated with a medicament (salt and soda) or any equivalent chemical commonly used when administering a douche. The bore of the sleeve is denoted at 22. It is such that the sleeve may be fitted over a prong-like post 24 carried by a disklike hub-member 21 formed at the lower converging ends of the circumferentially spaced radial spokes 26 of the hanger or rack 28. There is a ring 39 to which the spokes are connected and the ring has its outer peripheral portion seated in a channel provided therefor by way of an encircling bead or equivalent retaining means 32. This hanger may be made of non-corrodible metal, a suitable grade of commercial plastics, of synthetics or a combination of such materials. In practice, the absorbent cotton cartridge or sleeve (which has been properly impregnated with a soluble medicament) is merely slipped over the post 24 to assume the position seen in FIG. 3. The rack is plugged removably into the mouth portion of the bag (FIG. 1) so that as the water from the tap enters and is trapped it partially takes up the embodiment. Since the cartridge itself is immersed in the liquid the latter is conditioned for administering the treatment quickly and safely,

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use as a time and labor-saving aid when administering a douche, a douche bag having an unobstructedly open top mouth portion and a funnel-like bottom adapted to be connected with a fluid delivery hose, a readily insertable and removable sleeve made of absorbent material, said sleeve being charged with a prescribed medicament commonly used in administering a douche and which is liberated when immersed in water or otherwise subjected to the action of water coming in contact therewith, and an openwork rack embodying a ring removably mounted in the mouth portion for supporting said medicamentcharged sleeve, said ring suspending a hub member having an upstanding prong-like post on which the sleeve is removably mounted and held, said post being in axial alignment with the central axis of the ring.

2. For use in the upper end of the mouth portion of a douche bag or the like, a one-piece openwork readily insertable and removable suspension rack embodying a frame adapted to be positioned horizontally and retained in operative position in said mouth portion, an upstanding ertically disposed post the vertical axis of which is in axial alignment with the axis of said frame, said frame being provided with independentcircumferentially spaced depending spokes having lower ends thereof cooperable with and supporting said post, and a readily attachable and detachable medicated sleeve removably mounted on said post and constantly accessible by way of said frame.

3. For use in the upper part of the mouth portion of a hot water bottle or the like, an insertable and removable hanger rack having an upstanding retaining post, and an attachable and detechable medicated cartridge mounted removably on said post, said cartridge being of absorbent cotton which will liberate the medicament by dissolving the same, said rack comprising a ring-like frame, radial spokes carried by and depending from said frame, said spokes converging and being connected with said post by way of a disk-like member supporting said post.

4. For use in positioning and suspending a readily insertable and removable absorbent medicated sleeve centrally in the mouth portion of a hot water bottle, an openwork rack comprising a ring-like frame adapted to be ac cessible and removably fitted and suspended in the mouth of said Water bottle, a centrally disposed disk-like member located in a plane below the plane of said frame, said member being of an area in plan appreciably less than the diameter of said ring and having its marginal edge well within the space circumscribed by said frame, circumferentially spaced independent spokes connected at upper ends to said frame and converging toward and with their lower ends connected to said disk-like member and aft joining the disk-like member to the frame, said disk-like member being provided on an upper side thereof with an upstanding positioning and retaining post for said medicated sleeve.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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