Expandable tampon inserter having a constraining ring

Claim 1

A tampon inserter comprising: a. a sleeve, the sleeve having a radially expandable portion, the expandable portion being adjacent the proximal end of the sleeve, said expandable portion being expandable by outwardly directed forces acting on the interior surface of said sleeve; b. ejection means operatively associated with said sleeve to eject a tampon contained within the sleeve; and c. a constraining member coaxially disposed with and being exterior of said sleeve, said member having minimal frictional engagement with the unexpanded outside diameter of the expandable portion whereby a free sliding fit is provided between the inside diameter of the member and the outside diameter of the unexpanded expandable portion; d. the member being positioned in a first position, said first position being over the expandable portion of the sleeve, and the member being moveable between the first position and a second position adjacent the distal end of said sleeve, whereby said expandable portion is constrained to a comfortably insertable size with the constraining means in the first position and the ejection force required to eject a resiliently compressed tampon is reduced with the constraining means in the second position e. stop means at said distal end; f. said member having a labia bearing surface disposed toward the proximal end of the sleeve, at least 1/3 of the outside periphery of said labia beating surface being at least about 1/8 inch larger, on a radius, than the unexpanded periphery of the expandable portion, whereby said labia bearing surface is large enough to provide a bearing surface to prevent the said member from penetrating a vagina during insertion of the inserter thereinto.