US3750661A

US3750661A - Intrauterine contraceptive device

Info

Publication number: US3750661A
Application number: US00080313A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Knoch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-10-14
Filing date: 1970-10-13
Publication date: 1973-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-07
Also published as: NL6915483A; GB1328813A

Abstract

The present contraceptive intra-uterine device includes a Vshaped member and a cross member both of which are connected to a ring member so that the ring member is located inside a configuration substantially resembling a triangle formed by the V-shaped member and by the cross member. Said triangle having such a size and shape relative to the uterus size that a definite clearance is provided between the lateral sides of the triangle and the respective opposite wall of the uterus, said clearance extending all around the triangle.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Knoch Aug. 7, 1973 INTRAUTERINE CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICE [76] Inventor: Max Knoch, Djalan Rangga Malela 15, Bandung, Indonesia [22] Filed: Oct. 13, 1970 [21] App]. No.: 80,313

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 14, 1969 Netherlands 6915483 [52] US. Cl. 128/130 [51] Int. Cl. A6lt 5/46 [58] Field of Search 128/130, 127

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,077,879 2/1963 Knoch 128/130 1/1968 Robinson 128/130 11/1969 Burnhill 128/130 Primary ExaminerWilliam E. Kamm Attorney-W. G. Fasse 571 ABSTRACT The present contraceptive intra-uterine device includes a V-shaped member and a cross member both of which are connected to a ring member so that the ring member is located inside a configuration substantially resembling a triangle formed by the V'shaped member and by the cross member. Said triangle having such a size and shape relative to the uterus size that a definite clearance is provided between the lateral sides of the triangle and the respective opposite wall of the uterus, said clearance extending all around the triangle.

8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED w 1 ms Fig-5 ig.4 Fig.5

Inventor:

MAX H. KNOCH M A INTRAUTERINE CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention Articles for Introduction into the uterus.

2. Description of the Prior Art Articles for introduction into the uterus, comprising a loop configuration of elastic thread of which the loops lie practically fully in the same plane, are already known from the US. Pat. No. 3,077,897 corresponding to Netherlands Pat. No. 105,769 of the present applicant. According to said prior art it was suggested to make the article such that it consists of three rings, which do not, or anyway for the greater part do not, overlap one another and are interconnected by elastic thread in such a manner that the centre of one of the rings lies in the middle perpendicular of the connecting line of the centres of the two other rings. In this way a loop configuration is obtained of which the centres of the loops form approximately an equilateral triangle. The results meanwhile obtained with this article have shown that a relatively large number of cases complications of very diverging kinds can arise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention aims at substantially avoiding said complications without decreasing the birth control action of the article.

According to the invention this is obtained in that the dimensions of the article are adapted to the individual uterus size, such that the article lies free from the opposie uterus walls along the top side and the two lateral sides. The invention depends on the insight that complications encountered with the known intra-uterine article were caused to a high extent by the imperfect fitting, whereby the article locally pressed against the uterus walls and caused undesired reactions. By the dimensioning according to the invention these reactions can be avoided.

Preferably the dimensions of the article are chosen in such a manner that along the top side and the two lateral sides an average clearance of about 1-2 mm is present. Such a clearance can be used without any difficulties as far as the contraceptive effectiveness of the article is concerned.

The loop configuration used hitherto has a construction which makes it less appropriate for a configuration which is adapted to the internal shape of the uterus in its main plane, namely the plane in which lie the tube corners and the ostium uteri internum. As a further development of the above described invention therefore now another shape is suggested for the loop configuration, which further according to the invention has a mainly triangular form with parts extending in the direction of the three sides. This form is particularly suitable for adaptation to the general shape of the internal space of the uterus and at the same time this form enables to take into account the many differences in di' mensions of the internal uterus space occurring in practice.

For preventing hooking in the uterus space of the ends of the elastic threads, of which the loop configuration of the article is composed and for enabling the introduction and removal without danger, advantageously the parts extending along the triangle sides are bent back to loop at the corners where these sides meet.

In practice further the article is preferably composed of a central ring, along the upper side of which extends a mainly straight transverse thread to both sides, while along the two lateral sides there lies a mainly V-shaped bent thread of which the free end lie closely under the free ends of the transverse thread. Such an article can also easily be compressed in lateral direction, while the transverse thread is bent round upwardly, so that the whole can be brought into a very narrow form for the introduction through the cervix, while by the elasticity of the thread material the article can broaden again after the introduction into the uterus space and can fill it out in an adequate manner without causing complications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 shows a top elevation of an intra-uterine article according to the invention, around which the inner walls of the uterus space and the cervix with the ostium uteri externum are shown diagramatically in dotted lines,

FIG. 2 shows a probe for determining the transverse width according to the invention the condition for introduction, i

FIG. 3 shows the probe. according to FIG. 2 in the condition for use, v

FIG. 4 shows an introducing device according to the invention,

FIG. 5 shows an additional device which can be sli over the rod-shaped part of the device according to FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 shows an introducing device with additional device belonging to it and slid on and an intra-uterine article hooked to it, and

FIG. 7 shows the upper portion of the introducing device according to FIG. 6, but with the additional device slid on, in which the intra-uterine article lies enclosed for the greater part.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The intra-uterine article according to the invention and shown in FIG. 1 comprises a ring 1 of elastic thread, more particularly silkworm thread, which can comprise two or more windings and of which the ends meet at the top side and are secured together by a binding 2 with gold thread. The binding at the same time serves for connecting the centre of a transverse thread 3, consisting of a same number of separate threads as the ring, and ending at both extreme ends in a

loop

4 and 5 respectively, bent back upwardly, the thread ends being again bound at 6 and 7 respectively by bindings of gold thread with the transverse thread. Along the two lateral portions of the central ring 1 the legs 8 and 9 of a V-shaped bent multiple thread 10 are connected with the ring with the aid of

bindings

11 and 12 of gold thread. The

ends

13 and 14 of the two V-legs are finished with interned loops l5 and 16 which are secured with

gold thread bindings

17 and 18. The article thus formedis in its shape and dimensions mainly triangular and adapted to the internal size of the uterus space of the person for whom it is destinated and which is indicated diagramatically in the drawing by dotted lines.

In addition the dimension of the article are made such' that it lies free all around with a clearance of about l-2 mm from the fundus uteri 20 and the

side walls

21 and 22 with the fully closed loops at the ends of the threads lying near the two tube corners 23 and 24 and the open loop-shaped bent back portion near the ostium uteri internum 25 to which joins the cervix uteri 26, ending at the outer end in the ostium uteri externum 27.

For adapting the article to be introduced to the individual uterus size, it is necessary to determine the shape and dimensions of the interior of the uterus. This occurs by first measuring the distance A from the fundus uteri to the ostium uteri externum' 2 7 with the aid in a condition in which it is turned a quarter of a revolution. The distance B is indicated directly and diagrammatically at the outside in FIG. 1, but it is measured through theinterior of the uterus. Furthermore, also the distance C is measured, that is to say the distance from the ostium uteri externum 27 to the place where the interior of the uterus has a definite width D of e.g., 2 cm. This measuring occurs by means of a tool, shown in the FIGS. 2 and 3 and which could be defined as width probe and which has been developed in behalf of the invention. This probe consists mainly of two

straight rods

30 and 31 lying beside one another and provided with a scale 32 and33 respectively and having each an inclined

front end

34 and 35 respectively and being rotatable round their axes while lying beside one another. For the introduction the two

inclined end portions

34 and 35 are turned-against one another, as shown in FIG. 2, but after the introduction of the front end of the tool into the interior of the uterus, the two

rods

30 and 31 can be turned a quarter of a revolution with the aid of the actuating

members

36 and 37, whereby the

inclined end portions

34 and 35 get into a position in which they lie diametrically opposite one another, as shown in FIG. 3, and enclose between the outer ends the definite chosen width D, which therefore amounts to 2 cm in the chosen example. The tool or the width probe is then withdrawn until the two inclined end portions 34 and 35abut against the

side walls

21 and 22 of the interior of the uterus, after which the definite width D is read at the ostium uteri externum 27 on the rods. The probe can then be removed again after returning the rods to their introduction posi tion with the aid of the actuating

members

36 and 37.

With the aid of the data obtained by the above described measurements the form and the dimensions in the main plane of the interior of the uterus, that is to say in the plane through the tube corners 23 and 24 and the ostium uteri internum 25, can be determined with an accuracy of about a quarter of a centimeter, which suffices in view of the clearance of the article maintained in the interior of the uterus.

Experiments have shown that the interior of the uterus can show a great number of variations in form and dimensions for several persons. In order, however, that nevertheless the persons can be helped in a single operation, a table was drafted of the most occurring internal sizes of the uterus which follows further below and in which, beside the main measures'A, B, C and D further a number for particular measures a, b, c, d and e of the fitting intra-uterine articles are indicated. The

main measures A, B, C and D were already illucidated above, as well as the way in which they are determined. The particular measures of the parts of the article are:

a is the distance between the gold bindings of the transverse thread, b is the outer diameter of the central thread ring, 0 is the distance between the gold thread bindings with which the V-shaped bent back thread is connected to the central ring, d is the distance from the gold thread bindings under 0 to the gold thread binding of the end loops of the V-shaped thread, and e is the distance from the bottom portion of the central ring to the top of the back bent of the V-shaped thread.

By maintaining the measures indicated in the table articles of the right dimensions are obtained for the uterus sizes belonging to them, which article will not cause complications after introduction.

By keeping a stock of articles of the sizes according to the table in most cases the persons can be helped in a single operation, without it being necessary that they have to wait until the intra-uterine article fitting to them is made, or that they would have to come back especially for the introduction thereof.

TABLE Uterus measures in cm article measures in mm yp A B C D a b c d e U1 5 5 5% 2 15 10 5% 7 6 U2 5 4 5 2 20 14 10% 9 6 U3 5% 5 6 2 I9' 13 9 8% 6 U4 5% 4% 6 2 21 15 ll 9 8 U5 6 5 6% 2 25 15 ll 11 8 U6 6 4% 6% 2 24 17 13 ll 7 U7 6% 5% 7 2 22% l5 10 10V: 8 U8 6% S 7 2 24 17x12 12 8 U9 7 5% 7% 2 26 17 ll 13 8 U10 7 S 7 2 26 20 16 14 8 Ul'l 7% 6 8 2 28 I716 l1 l3 9 U12 7%51e 8 2 28 20 14% 14 9 U13 8 6 8% 2 32 20 14 I5 9 U14 8 5 8% 2 32 22 l8 l4 9 U15 8% 5% '9 '2 i 35 21 l6 l6 9 U16 9 6% 9% 2 36 22 15 18 9 U17 9% 6% 10 2 37 22% 1714 17 1O U18 l0 7 10% 2 40 24 23 19 10 When for a definite person the size of the uterus has been determined and a fitting intra-uterine article has been chosen, it can be introduced with the aid of an introducing device as shown in the FIGS. 4-7. In these figures FIG. 4 shows the proper introduction device, comprising a rod 41 provided with a grip 40, which rod is provided at the extreme end with a slot 52 in which the underloop 10 of an article can be inserted and can be temporarily secured with the aid of a slide 43 with an actuating knob 44. Before the article is connected with the introducing device in this manner, however, first a tubular

additional device

50, 51 is slid over this introducing device, which additional device is shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 shows the two devices slid on one another, the additional device having such a length that in fully slid on condition the slot 42 for hooking the article to be introduced lies outside the additional device. By sliding up of the additional device the tubular end thereof slides over the article which is thereby compressed laterally, while the two arms of the transverse thread 3 are bent up and finally lie in the tube end 50 with the

loops

4 and 5 lying at the inside. In this situation, which is mainly shown in FIG. 7, the combined de vice can be brought into the interior of the uterus until it abuts against the fundus uteri 20. Then the tubular

additional device

50, 51 is withdrawn again. it is also possible, after releasing the transverse thread 3, which can be determined by reading the scale on the additional device 50 at the ostium uteri externum 27, to push up the article accordingly and thereafter to release it fully from the additional device, whereafter finally the article is also released from the introducing device by operating the fixing

slide

43, 44 on it and the introducing device can be withdrawn, together with the additional device. The article then lies free all around the uterus slime and it can hardly cause any complications anymore.

When the article is to be removed from the uterus, this can occur with the aid of a hooking probe known in itself, having one or more crowns of hooks which can engage behind a loop portion of the article after introduction into the interior of the uterus and it can take along the article when it is pulled out.

The invention is above described with reference to a preferred embodiment, but variations are possible. Thus the threads may, if desired, consist of an adequate synthetic material or of metal. Further for the definite total transverse distance an other value may be chosen, provided that it is chosen smaller than the smallest occurring length of the fundus uteri. The loop configuration may be chosen in an other form.

What is claimed is:

l. A contraceptive article for introduction into the uterus comprising a V-shaped member, a central ring member, and a cross member, as well as first means for interconnecting said ring member and said V-shaped member at two points along the ring member so that the ring member is located in the V-shaped member, and second means for connecting said cross member to said ring member so that the cross member extends substantially across the legs of the V-shaped member, said cross member and said V-shaped member forming substantially a triangle enclosing said ring member, said triangle being adapted to avoid contact with the uterus along all three sides of the triangle.

2. The contraceptive article according to claim 1, wherein said ring member has an outer diameter (b) ranging from about 10 to 24 mm, said cross member having a length (a) ranging from about l5 to 40 mm, said two points having a spacing (c) from each other ranging from about 5.5 to 23 mm, wherein said ring is spaced from the bottom of the V-shaped member by a distance (e) ranging from about 6 to 10 mm.

3. The contraceptive article according to claim 1, wherein said V-shaped member has legs with free ends extending from said connection points between said ring member and said V-shaped member toward said cross member, said free ends having a length (d) ranging from about 7 mm to 19 mm.

4. The contraceptive article according to claim 1, wherein said free ends of the legs of the V-shaped member each include a coiled up element.

5. The contraceptive article according to claim 4, further comprising means for securing said coiled up element to the respective free end.

6. The contraceptive article according to claim 1, wherein said cross member has a wide open V-shape having a blunt tip with free ends,each of said free ends of the cross member including a coiled up element, said ring member and said cross member being connected to each other at said blunt tip.

7. The contraceptive article according to claim 6, further comprising means for securing said coiled up element to the respective free end of the cross member.

8. The contraceptive article according to claim 1, wherein said ring member, said V-shaped member, and

said cross member are made of elastic thread material.

Claims

1. A contraceptive article for introduction into the uterus comprising a V-shaped member, a central ring member, and a cross member, as well as first means for interconnecting said ring member and said V-shaped member at two points along the ring member so that the ring member is located in the V-shaped member, and second means for connecting said cross member to said ring member so that the cross member extends substantially across the legs of the V-shaped member, said cross member and said V-shaped member forming substantially a triangle enclosing said ring member, said triangle being adapted to avoid contact with the uterus along all three sides of the triangle.

2. The contraceptive article according to claim 1, wherein said ring member has an outer diameter (b) ranging from about 10 to 24 mm, said cross member having a length (a) ranging from about 15 to 40 mm, said two points having a spacing (c) from each other ranging from about 5.5 to 23 mm, wherein said ring is spaced from the bottom of the V-shaped member by a distance (e) ranging from about 6 to 10 mm.

6. The contraceptive article according to claim 1, wherein said cross member has a wide open V-shape having a blunt tip with free ends, each of said free ends of the cross member including a coiled up element, said ring member and said cross member being connected to each other at said blunt tip.

8. The contraceptive article according to claim 1, wherein said ring member, said V-shaped member, and said cross member are made of elastic thread material.