BACKGROUND-DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Many medications, chemicals, and adhesives require applicators to retrieve and apply it to the designated location. Generally, the procedure is as follows: 1.) Open the container for the medication, chemical, or adhesive ; 2.) Use an applicator to retrieve the medication, chemical, or adhesive from the container ; 3.) Apply the medication, chemical, or adhesive to designated location; 4.) Dispose of the used applicator ; 5.) Close the container for the medication, chemical, or adhesive.

Many people prefer to use a disposable swab as the applicator due to its convenience and ease of control. However, the existing disposable swab has several disadvantages. The existing disposable swab is not sanitary for medical use and the procedure for using the existing disposable swab to apply medication, chemical, or adhesive to a designated location require numerous steps to be completed as explained above. During the process of using the existing disposable swab, it is also very easy to contaminate the content of the container into which it was extended.

Another method that is devised to apply medication and chemicals to designated location is to use a cotton patch which contain the desired medication and chemicals all in a hermetically sealed package usually made of aluminum or plastic. The procedure for using such a patch is as follows: 1.) Open the hermetically sealed package to expose the cotton patch; 2.) Use a tweezers or similar devise to extract the cotton patch from the hermetically sealed package; 3.) Use the tweezers to apply cotton patch to the designated location; 4.) Dispose of the cotton patch and its packaging; 5.) Clean, sanitize, and store the tweezers in a sanitary location.

The advantages of the hermetically sealed cotton patch are economical and more sanitary than using the existing disposable swabs. However, the main advantage of the hermetically sealed cotton patch is the necessity of using a tweezers to extract and apply the cotton patch. This is very inconvenient. Furthermore, after using the tweezers, it must be cleaned, sanitized, and stored properly for its next use. Many people will use their fingers instead, to extract and apply the cotton patch due to the inconvenience of using a tweezers. However, the fingers will contaminate the hermetically sealed cotton patch, and the fingers themselves will also be contaminated with the medication or chemical on the cotton patch.

The present invention solves all of the above inconveniences and problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a disposable swab that is easy to use, sanitary, and is self- contained. The present invention comprises of a thin applicator with an absorbent patch attached thereon, which contains the desired medication, chemical, or adhesive, hermetically sealed with another thin member. To use the present invention, simply bend the applicator to expose the absorbent patch and apply the medication, chemical, or adhesive on the absorbent patch to designated location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows the top view of the disposable swab.

Figure 2 shows the side view of the disposable swab.

Figure 3 shows the top view of the thin flexible bottom member of the disposable swab.

Figure 4 shows the side view of the thin flexible bottom member of the disposable swab.

Figure 5 shows the top view of the break-open thin flexible top member of the disposable swab.

Figure 6 shows the side view of the break-open thin flexible top member of the disposable swab.

Figure 7 shows the disposable swab ready for application with the break-open thin flexible top member opened.

Figure 8 shows another embodiment of the disposable swab ready for application with the thin membrane removed.

Figure 9 shows the top view of the disposable swab with a thin flexible bottom member.

Figure 10 shows the side view of the disposable swab with a thin flexible bottom member.

Figure 11 shows the disposable swab ready for application with the thin membrane removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Figure 1 shows the top view of the disposable swab 1 with a thin flexible bottom member 3 and a thin flexible top member 4 enclosing an absorbent patch 2 between the two members. The thin flexible bottom member 3 and the thin flexible top member 4 are selected from materials capable of hermetically sealing the absorbent patch 2 between the two members. The thin flexible bottom member 3 and the thin flexible top member 4 are attached together to form a hermetical seal. The absorbent patch 2 is attached to the thin bottom member 3.

Figure 2 shows the side view of the disposable swab 1 with a thin flexible bottom member 3 and a thin flexible top member 4 enclosing an absorbent patch 2 between the two members.

Figure 3 shows the top view of the thin flexible bottom member 3 of the disposable swab 1. The thin flexible bottom member 3 of the disposable swab 1 has a line 5 formed across it such that the thin flexible bottom member 3 will bend at the line 5 when the thin flexible bottom member 3 is bent.

Figure 4 shows the side view of the thin flexible bottom member 3 of the disposable swab 1. The thin flexible bottom member 3 of the disposable swab 1 has a line 5 formed across it such that the thin flexible bottom member 3 will bend at the preformed line 5 when the thin flexible bottom member 3 is bent. The preformed line 5 may be formed in the form of a"V,""U,"or any other shape.

Figure 5 shows the top view of the break-open thin flexible top member 4 of the disposable swab 1. The break-open thin flexible top member 4 of the disposable swab 1 has a line 6 formed across it such that when the break-open thin flexible top member 4 is bent, it will break in half at the preformed line 6.

Figure 6 shows the side view of the break-open thin flexible top member 4 of the disposable swab 1. The break-open thin flexible top member 4 of the disposable swab 1 has a line 6 formed across it such that when the break-open thin flexible top member 4 is bent, it will break in half at the preformed line 6. The preformed line 6 may be formed in the form of a"V,""U,"or any other shape that will allow the break-open thin flexible top member 4 to break in half at the preformed line 6 when it is bent.

Figure 7 shows the disposable swab 1 ready for application with the break-open thin flexible top member 4 opened. When the disposable swab 1 with the break-open thin flexible top member 4 is bent, the thin flexible bottom member 3 will bend at its preformed line 5 and the break-open thin flexible top member 4 will break in half at its preformed line 6, exposing the absorbent patch 2 enclosed between the break-open thin flexible top member 4 and the thin flexible bottom member 3.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in figure 8. In this embodiment of the present invention, a thin membrane 11 replaces the break-open thin flexible top member 4. The thin membrane 11 is selected from materials capable of hermetically sealing the absorbent patch 2 between the thin membrane 11 and the thin flexible bottom member 3. The thin membrane 11 and the thin flexible bottom member 3 are attached together to form a hermetic seal enclosing an absorbent parch 2. The absorbent patch 2 is attached to the thin flexible bottom member 3. Figure 8 shows the disposable swab 1 ready for application with the thin membrane 11 removed and the thin flexible bottom member 3 bent at the preformed line 5 to expose the absorbent patch 2.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in figure 9. Figure 9 shows the top view of the disposable swab 1 with a thin flexible bottom member 10 that is selected from materials capable of bending without breaking and also capable of hermetically sealing an absorbent patch 2 between it and a thin membrane 11. The thin membrane 11 is also selected from materials capable of hermetically sealing the absorbent patch 2 between the thin membrane 11 and the thin flexible bottom member 10.

The absorbent patch 2 is attached to the thin flexible bottom member 10. The thin membrane 11 and the thin flexible bottom member 10 are attached together to form a hermetic seal enclosing an absorbent parch 2.

Figure 10 shows the side view of the disposable swab 1 with the thin flexible bottom member 10 and the thin membrane 11 hermetically sealing an absorbent patch 2.

The thin membrane 11 will be removed when-using the disposable swab 1.

The disposable swab 1 is ready for application after the thin membrane 11 is removed and the thin flexible bottom member 10 is bent. Figure 11 shows the disposable swab 1 ready for application with the thin membrane 11 removed and the thin flexible bottom member 10 bent, exposing the absorbent patch 2.