Backgrot of the Invention Sanitary protection products, such as tampons, are most often disposed of by wrapping and toilet paper and throwing away. Should the user not be in a place where disposal is convenient, then one solution is to use a type of tampon that at is generally commercially available with individual protective wraps. To use the typical tampon, the wrap is opened, and the tampon is removed from the wrap p and inserted within the body. In order to assist with hygienie disposal, the wrapping should be retained so that it can be used to store the used tampon. The user is thus typically required to retain the initial packaging in order to to facilitate hygienic disposal.

An exemplary patent showing the use of product packaging to dispose of a a tampon applicator is US Patent No. 5,133,457.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is thus provided a tampon comprising a tampon body having a first end and a second end, and a sheath attached substantially at the first end, the e sheath being of a sufficient length to cover and close the tampon pon body when extended past the second end.

The tampon may thus be covered by the sheath to foun a hygienically wrapped tampon for disposal.

Preferably, the sheath has a first surface and a second surface and is attached to the first end. In a first, in use state, the sheath presents the first surface cc outwardly whilst extending from the first end away from the tampon body.

Preferably, the sheath presents the second surface outwardly when the sheath is extended over the tampon body towards the second end to form the disposable state.

Preferably, the first end is a tail end of the tampon body and the second end is a head end of the tampon body.

The tampon preferably comprises a withdrawal, string attached to the tail end of the tampon body.

Preferably, the withdrawal string is of sufficient length to extend along the tampon body to tie the sheath at the head end, thereby to close the tampon body within the sheath to fone the disposable state.

Preferably, the sheath is at least twice as long as the tarnpon body.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sheath is substantially three times as long as the tampon body.

Preferably, the withdrawal string is substantially longer than the sheath.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the withdrawal string is substantially a third longer than the sheath.

Preferably, the sheath comprises a liquid impervious material, which may for example be plastic or rubber or nylon. In any of the embodiments the sheath may be attached to the tampon body using any suitable method, including fusing, gluing and stitching. Preferably the attachment is itself liquid impermeable, According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a hygienically disposable tampon comprising: taking a tampon body having a head end and a tail end, and attaching a sheath, being longer than a length of the tampon body, to the tail end.

Preferably the method further comprises attaching a withdrawal string to the tail end, the withdrawal string being of sufficient extension from the tail end to reach above the head end to close to the sheath over the head end.

Preferably the method further comprises using a material substantially impervious to to form the sheath.

The sheath may for example be plastic or rubber or nylon.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a tampon comprising a tampon body having a first end and a second end and a sheath having a first side and a second side, e, attached to the first end, the tampon having an in-use state with the sheath extending distally from the first end with the first side presented outwardly, the tampon further having a second, disposal state with the sheath extending from the frist end to the second end and closed over the second end with the second side presented outwardly.

Preferably the tampon further comprises a withdrawal string attached to the first end, the withdrawal string being of sufficient length to extend beyond the second end to close the sheath beyond the second end in the disposal state.

Brief Description of the Drawings For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, pruely by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, With specific reference now to the drawings m detail, it is stressed'that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the came of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. In the accompanying drawings : Fig. 1 is a simplified drawing of a tampon according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention in a state prior to hygienic disposal, Pig. 2 is a simplified drawing of a tampon according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention in a first stage of hygienic disposal, Fig. 3 is a simplified drawing of a tampon according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention during a second stage of hygienic disposal,

Fig. 4 is a simplified drawing of a tampon according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention during a wrapping stage of hygienic disposal Fig. 5 is a simplified drawing of a final stage of hygienio disposal, and Fig. fi is a simplified drawing showing an approximately to scale dra of a a prototype of a tampon according to the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawing. The invention is applicable to other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

Also, it is to be understood that the t the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Reference is now made to Fig. 1, which is a simplified schematic drawing of a tampon according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

A tampon 10 comprises a tampon body 12 and a withdrawal string 14 attached to a tail il end 18 of the tampon body 12. Additionally, wrapped around the tail end 18 of the tampon body 12 is a membranous sheath or sleeve 16, which,

when opened out is long enough to cover the tampon jjody with room to spare.

The sheath is preferably either glued or stitched onto the tail end of the tampon <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> although, any suitable method of attachment may be used. The sheath preferably has a funneled distal end 21.

The sheath may be made out of any kind of plastic including nylon or of any other imtterial which is substantially impermeable to the passage of blood and like fluids that are to be found on a used tampon.

The tampon is inserted in the normal way, and M withdrawn after use m the normal way, preferably using withdrawal string 14.

Reference is now made to Fig. 2, which is a simplfieid diagram showing the tampon of Fig. 1 with the sheath 16 unrolled. As an alternative to the embodiment of Fig. 1, it is possible to supply the tampon with the sheath in the unrolled state. Alternatively the user may unroll the sheath following withdrawal. In order to assist with unrolling, so that unrolling may be carried out without soiling the hands, an unrolling string may be attached to the end of the sheath. In the rolled embodiment of Pig. 1, it is important to roll or fold the sheath such that the side of the sheath facing outwardly in the rolled state faces inwardly in the later state to be discussed below in which the sheath closes the tampon.

Reference is now made to Figs. 3A and 3B, which are simplified diagrarns showing the tampon after being removed and in an early part of a wrapping stage of ge of the hygienic disposal procedure. The user inserts one or

more fingers into a funneled end of the sheath 16, subsequently stretching the sheath and then inverting the sheath and pushing it over the tampon body 12.

Fig. 3B is a slightly more advanced stage than Fig. 3A in the inversion process showing the membrane further stretched from inside the funneled end 21, prior to inverting over the tampon body.

Reference is now made to Fig. 4, which is a simplified drawing showing a further part of the hygienic disposal procedure of the tampon 10. In Pig. 4, the inverted sheath 14 is pulled over the head end 19 of the tampon body 12. It will be appreciated that the act of inverting the sheath 16 ensures that the clean side of the sheath is outwardly exposed, as opposed to the side tat was exposed when the tampon was in use and which it is desired not to expose for disposal.

Reference is now made to Pig. 3, which ; is a simplified schematic diagram showing a final stage of the disposal procedure of the tampon. In Fig.

5, the distal end of the sheath, now extending past the head end 19 of the tampon body 12 is preferably tied using the end of the withdrawal string 14, thus hygienically sealing the tampon to form a package for disposal.

Reference is now made to Fig. 6* which is a simplified approximately to scale drawing of a prototype of the tampon 10. Parts that are the same as those in previous figures are given, the $a. me reference numerals and are not described again except as necessary for an understanding of the present embodiment. In Fig. 6, the tampon body 12 has a length of between 40 <BR> <BR> <BR> and 50mm. The extended sheath 16 prior to inversion is approximately 80mm

and the withdrawal strmg 14 is approximately 120mm, that is to say approximately a third longer than the sheath itself, the sheath being approximately three times as long as the body 12. The fumneled end 19 of the sheath preferably has a diameter of around 17mm to allow easy insertion of the user's finger. It will be appreciated that the measurements given are examplary only, the sidled person being aware of the ranges that each of the dimensions may take. Likewise the skilled person will be aware of leeway in the proportions ieferred to hereinabove.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, ibr brevity, desofibed in the context of a. single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable gubcombination.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rat'her the scope, of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and includes both combinations and subcombinaiions of the various features described hereinabvoe as well as variations and modifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description,