SPECIFICATIONMethod and device for applying an elastic sheath to a penisIn the management of urinary incontinence in men it isfrequently necessary to apply an elastic sheath to the penis. Such sheaths can be made with an integral spigot connection atthe tip ofthe sheath, to permit its connection to a connecting tube to carry urine away to a container. Normally, double sided adhesive tape positioned between the sheath and the penis is used to retain the sheath in place.
Problems arise in the application of these sheaths due mainlyto their extreme flexibility. In the usual case application is by one person unaided and, in such a case, since one hand is invariably needed to manipulate the penis, what is needed is a method and device forapplying the sheath which permits onehanded manipulation of the sheath. The present invention, in its preferred embodiments at least, seeks to meetthis need, and also to facilitate the positioning ofthe adhesive tape.
According to a first aspect ofthe invention there is provided a method of applying an elastic sheath to a penis, comprising the steps of:i. arranging thetip end ofthesheath within on open end of a tubular support of an applicator device and stretching the root end ofthe sheath over the open end and outer surface of the support;ii. introducing the head ofthe penis into the tip end of the sheath at the open end of the support; andiii. effecting relative longitudinal movement between the sheath and the support to cause the sheath the move around the open end ofthe support as the said open end moves over and along the length of the penis, so asto applythesheath to the penis.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a device for applying an elastic sheath to a penis comprising:atubularsheath support with an outer surface and an open end at which, in use of the device, the penis is received intothesupport; andmeans to effect relative longitudinal movement between the support and the sheath, arranged with the root end of the sheath stretched over the outer surface ofthe supportwhilethe tip end ofthe sheath is accommodated within the open end of the support, whereby a length ofthe sheath moves around and into the open end of the support as the said open end moves over and along the length of the penis, so as to applythesheath to the penis.
The invention overcomes the above-mentioned problem by applying the sheath from an initial position in which it is turned inside-out over a tube.
The adhesive, normally supplied in double sided tape form, can be easily and accurately applied to the sheath while it is stretched overthe outside ofthe tube.
Reference is nowmade, byway of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is a longitudinal, diametrical section of a device in accordance with the invention; and Figures2a tog are like sections, but shown only schematically, indicating how the device may be used.
The device 10 comprises a supporttube 11 of light alloy or plastics material and of dimensions such that an open end 12 thereof comfortably receives the penis of the sheath wearer.
A woven transport tube 13 is turned inside out over the open end 12 and extends between a NYLON inner tube 14 (which constitutes an anchor member of the transporttube) and a moulded, resilient plastics ring 15,to both of which components the tube 13 is securely bonded. Both the tube 14 and the ring 15 slide easily on the tube 11.
Apin 16through thetube 14 and a slot 17 in the tube 11 captivates the NYLON tube and allows itto slide between positions T and R in the tube 11. The moulded ring 15 has a pairofinwardlydirected stop surfaces 21 which engage a pair of slots 18 in the tube 11 to limit movement ofthe ring 15 between corresponding positionsTTand RR.
Thetube 11 has an end moulding 19 with a smoothly rounded end surface 20 over which the tube 13 will slide. The woven tube 13 is radially extensible but, longitudinally, it is substantially inextensible so that movement ofthe ring 15from RR to TT, or movement ofthe pin l6from Tto R,will bring about an equal movement of the other end of the tube 13.
The device can be assembled by prefabricating the tube 13 with its end components 14 and 15, and then captivating the ring 15 in the slots 18 by pushing the ring overthe end moulding 19, with elastic deformation ofthe stop surfaces 17, and captivating thetube 14 with the pin 16.
The device is used as shown in Figure 2.
a) With the ring 15 atTTand thetube 13 in tension on the outside ofthe support tube 1.1, the tip of a penile incontinence sheath 30 is introduced into the open end 12 of the tube 11.
b) With one hand steadying the sheath and the other urging the pin 16 towards the other end 31 of the tube 11, and the R position, the sheath 30 is drawn into the tube 11.
c) The root end 32 ofthe sheath 30 is turned out over the open end ofthesupporttube 11.
d) The ring 15 is moved towa rds TT to expose on the outward facing surface of the support tube 11 a length ofthe sheath 30 which corresponds to the length of the penis of the intended wearer. A band 33 of double sided adhesive tape is applied around the sheath. The head 34 of the penis 35 is introduced to the open end 12 ofthe supporttube 11.
e) With one hand steadying the penis, the other urges the pin 16 steadilytowards the end 31 and into the R position, thereby to transportthe sheath 30 on thetransporttube 13 around the open end 12 of the supporttube 11 and onto the penis.
f) The root end 32 of the sheath is manually removed from the outer surface of the supporttube 1 1 .
g)Thedevicel0iscarefullyremovedwith one hand while the other hand of the person applying the sheath is on the exposed root end 32 of the sheath to eliminate any possibility of the sheath being pulled off the penis with the device 10. Thereafter, a tube (not shown) to a urine collection vessel can be connected to a spigot connection 36 at the tip of the sheath 30.
It may be convenient to replace the transport tube 13 with a plurality oftransport bands arranged around the circumference of the supporttube. It is conceivable that a "one-shot" disposable device could be developed and, provided some convenient means can be found of gripping the tip of the sheath and pulling it down the interior of the support tube 11 and some way of allowing the sheath to slide overthe open end 12 of the tube 11, it is thought possible that at least in a "one-shot" device, the transporttube 13 could be eliminated from the device.