Keith Edgett, Middletown, DE; Patrick Gorham, Wyoming, DE; George Jarmon, Camden/Wyoming, DE; and Jessica LeMay, Portland, OR.
Assigned to Edgewell Personal Care, Chesterfield, MO.

Filed: 7/8/19
Issued: 1/3/23

A tampon assembly comprising: a barrel comprised of a single layer tubular wall and having a first end and a second end, the barrel having a cylindrical section located between the first end and the second end and a plurality of discrete petals at the first end that define a tapered insertion tip section, the discrete petals being separated from each other by a plurality of cuts through the tubular wall, each of the plurality of cuts having a terminal end adjacent a base region of the plurality of discrete petals, the tapered insertion tip section extending a first length measured from the cylindrical section of the barrel to the first end of the barrel, the cylindrical section of the barrel being longer than the first length of the tapered insertion tip section, the tapered insertion tip section having a first taper ratio defined as a radius of the barrel at the base region divided by the first length of the tapered insertion tip section; a pledget located within the barrel, the pledget having a cylindrical portion that is located within the cylindrical section of the barrel, the pledget having an insertion end region that has been compressed to form a tapered pledget tip that has a tip density that is greater than an adjacent region density, the tapered pledget tip having an outer radial dimension that is at least about 75% of an inner radial dimension of the insertion tip section such that the tapered pledget tip supports a portion of an inner surface area of the plurality of the petals when the pledget tip is positioned adjacent the first end, the tapered pledget tip having a second taper ratio that is defined as a radius of the pledget at the cylindrical portion divided by a second length of the tapered pledget tip, the second taper ratio being greater than the first taper ratio, the tapered pledget tip fitting within the tapered insertion tip section and occupying at least about 50% of the first length of the tapered insertion tip section of the barrel; and a plunger slidably received in the second end of the barrel, the plunger moving through the cylindrical section of the barrel while expelling the pledget from the barrel.