Eugene P Dougherty, Camden-Wyoming, DE; Phillip Ebert, Camden-Wyoming, DE; and Keith Edgett, Middletown, DE.
Assigned to Edgewell Personal Care Brands, LLC., Chesterfield, MO.

Filed: 2/25/14
Issued: 11/21/17

A tampon applicator assembly, comprising: a tampon pledget having a longitudinal axis such that a top part and a bottom part adjacent and connected to said top part are positioned along said longitudinal axis, said top part and said bottom part having different levels of flexibility, said tampon pledget further comprising a removal string attached to said bottom part; and a tampon applicator, comprising: a barrel region having an insertion tip and a second end, said barrel region having dimensions to house said tampon pledget therein; a grip region having a barrel end adjacent said second end of said barrel region, said grip region having a plunger receiving end opposite said barrel end, said grip region sized and shaped to receive one or more of a user’s fingers, said barrel and said grip region are a single component; a plunger having a first plunger inserted into said grip region and a second plunger within said first plunger, wherein said second plunger extends out from said first plunger and is moveable within said first plunger to a plurality of positions increasing or decreasing a total length of said plunger, said first plunger and said second plunger are interlocking, wherein said first plunger and said second plunger have one or more plunger stops proximal to a distal end of said first plunger, wherein said string is threaded through said first plunger and said second plunger, wherein said plunger pushes said pledget through the barrel and out said insertion tip to a selected insertion depth, wherein at least a portion of said tampon applicator is transparent such that at least a portion of said tampon pledget is visible to said user, wherein said top part comprises a first segment that catches and/or absorbs fluid, wherein said bottom part comprises a second segment catches and/or absorbs fluid that would be likely to bypass said top part; wherein said to part and said bottom part having different levels of flexibility enables said pledget to conform to a curvature along said longitudinal axis where said bottom part is at an angle with respect to said top part.