Patent: Tug Ahoy foreskin restoration device
The Tug Ahoy was a popular foreskin restoration device introduced around 2000. The Tug Ahoy was invented by Dr. James A. Haughey and patented in 2003. Dr. Haughey was a medical doctor who returned to school to become a biomedical engineer. He was a man of many talents, including inventor. Unfortunately, James passed away in January 2009 at age 69.
The Tug Ahoy was one of the first tapeless devices sold for restoring the foreskin. Because of Dr. Haughey's death the Tug Ahoy is no longer being marketed. Its popularity and use is waning and other tapeless tuggers have stepped up to fill the gap. The Tug Ahoy website at TugAhoy.com is unavailable, although a copy of the website is available on the Wayback Machine. His website had the famous milk jug picture, which shows two 1-gallon milk jugs as weights for the Tug Ahoy. James demonstrated his tugging device at NORM-SoCal meetings, where he was an active member.
Dr. Haughey received United States Patent Number 6,579,227 for his Tug Ahoy foreskin restoration device. The patent discusses the various restoration devices available in 2001, including Foreballs, PUDs, the Recap EZ, and the DILE. A pdf file of the patent is available here or it can be viewed at the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) website.
In accordance with the present invention, a skin gripping device, consisting of an inner and an outer gripping member, for applying tension to the skin of the shaft of a circumcised penis. The space formed between these two gripping members is approximately uniform and approximately the thickness of the double layer of skin which they grip when they are pressed together. In response to the stimulus provided by skin tension, new skin grows, and the result is a new foreskin which approximates the original in structure and function.
Figures 4a to 4d from the patent are shown below. The figure shows how the Tug Ahoy is applied and used as a tapeless tugger.
In FIGS. 1 through 4D are shown the inner gripping member 11 and outer gripping member 12 of the device. The inner member 11 has approximately the size and shape of one half of the shell of a very small hen's egg and is relatively rigid. At or near the tip of this inner "shell" is attached a rigid or semirigid rod or strut 16. At the end of the strut can be attached a cord or band as a means of applying tension to the inner shell. The device in actual use is shown in FIGS. 2 through 4D.
The open end of this half shell 11 is placed over the glans penis 13, FIG. 4A, so as to partially or fully cover it. The skin 14,15 of the penile shaft just below the glans is then pulled part way up against the outer surface of the shell, FIG. 4B and held in place with the fingers. The second, outer gripping member 12 is also approximately the shape of half an egg shell, but is flexible, minimally stretchable, and a little larger so that it will fit snugly over the skin which has just been pulled up to cover the lower portion of the inner shell. This outer shell has an opening (from approximately one-fifth to three-quarters inch in diameter) at its small end, through which the wire strut can move freely.
When in use, the space between the two gripping members is, at least in part, approximately uniform and equal to the thickness of the double layer of foreskin between them. The result is a nearly uniform pressure over a relatively large area. This reduces the chance of pressure points and increases comfort.
The outer shell is actually detached from other parts of the device; however, it functions in a rather surprising manner when it is placed snugly over the skin which was pulled up over the inner shell and tension is applied to the wire strut. By applying increasing tension to the strut, the outer shell of the clamp is actually drawn ever more tightly against the skin, so that as the tension increases, so too does the clamping pressure.
The patent also has drawings showing different variations of foreskin tuggers. Dr. Haughey discussed using a filled pusher that mates with the tip of the glans. He also described grippers of different shapes and sizes. The good doctor was very thorough in describing various variations for his foreskin tugging device.
The YouTube video below is a clip from a 2006 British documentary showing three men explaining the foreskin restoration devices they sell. Dr. James Haughey, Roland Clark, and Ron Low appeared in the BBC documentary Circumcise Me. Dr. Haughey shows his foreskin restoring device.
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