WO1999022678A1

WO1999022678A1 - Improvements relating to adhesive devices such as strips, tapes, patches and the like, for application to the human body

Info

Publication number: WO1999022678A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/003195
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dean Sherriff
Original assignee: Clear Sport Ltd.
Priority date: 1997-11-04
Filing date: 1998-10-27
Publication date: 1999-05-14
Also published as: AU9553398A

Abstract

The invention provides a device for attachment to the face by means of an adhesive on or to be applied to the device. The device embodies a substance which emits or can be made to emit an odour in vapour form. The vapour is one which is inhaled by the user and is therapeutic and/or medicinal in nature. In the most preferred form, the device is a nasal dilator, as such a device provides the advantage that it dilates the nasal passages rendering them most susceptible to receiving the vapours which emanate from the device itself.

Description

Improvements relating to adhesive devices such as strips, tapes, patches and the like, for application to the human body.

This invention relates to adhesive devices, such as strips, tapes, patches and the like for application to the human body.

Of course it is common general knowledge that adhesive strips are well known in the filed of medicine, wherein adhesive strips for application to the human body carry medicines for the treatment of body wounds and abrasions, to prevent the invasion of infections into the wounds and abrasions, and also adhesive strips have been used for the holding of dressings, not in themselves adhesive, to the human body.

More recently, there has been introduced an adhesive strip known as a nasal dilator for use by sports people to enhance their breathing whilst participating in physically demanding sporting activity. This strip is simply adhered across the nose, and although we indicated in our UK patent application No. 98723234.2, from which priority is claimed that such a strip could be medical in nature in order to allow easier breathing, in fact such is not the case in that there has not been any use until now of such a strip for such medical use.

The known strip is in fact of a mechanical nature and acts when applied so as to spread the nostrils to a greater extent than normal to allow easier breathing, hence the name nasal dilators.

These nasal dilators are being used to an enormous extent, and large organisations are investing heavily in the manufacture of such dilators.

With the ever increasing showing of top class sport on television, these nasal dilators are being seen more and more by the members of the public as they are used extensively by top class sports people, and as leisure time is increasing in general, more and more members of the public are taking up sports, and in consequence, more and more of the nasal dilators are being used by members of the public.

Nasal dilators are also used as devices for preventing or reducing snoring, and this in itself represents an enormous market.

According to the present invention there is provided an adhesive device for application to the human face, said device including a substance which emits or can caused to emit an odour to be inhaled by the user, suitably for therapeutic and/or medical purposes.

Preferably the device is constructed to emit the odour without any further manipulation, movement or other operation of the device, but alternatively the device may be one which has to be manipulated, for example to activate the substance in order to cause the odour to be emitted.

Depending upon the needs of the user so the substance may be appropriately selected. For example, the substance may emit an odour in the form of a blend of essential oils, including basil, rosemary, peppermint, bergamot and/or juniper if the user has seasonal sinus problems or simply wishes to clear her or his head, whilst a relaxing odour may be created by the use of lavender, geranium, petitgrain clary or sage. For the assistance of sleep, one may use lavender, basil, origan or camomile roman. Winter ailments such as colds and flu may be alleviated by the emission of odours of eucalyptus, camphor or peppermint, and for ladies for fragrance one could use lavender, lemongrass and clary sage. Any of these substances may be used in blends and combinations. It can be understood that there will be a wide range of substances which can be used. The substances may be used in a form an element or elements which requires or require rupture before the odour is emitted, but it is preferred that the odour be emitted over a substantial length of time such as eight or more hours, as the user may apply the device upon going to bed so that the odour is emitted continuously during sleeping hours

The idea of use of the device is that it is applied to the face, preferably adjacent the breathing apertures of the face (nostrils, mouth) , so that the odour is directly inhaled. The user may apply pressure to cause the odour to be released, but in any event the user inhales the odour of medical or therapeutic benefit. Such a device in a preferred form is excellent for use during sleeping hours, in that the user may not need to take an oral decongestant, such as a sweet or drink, which only have a limited period of effectiveness. In any event, some people do not like to take oral decongestants, and the invention in a preferred from presents an excellent alternative.

The odour usually in vapour form, provides a palliative effect for the symptoms of influen2a, common colds and the like, such as blocked nasal passages. It can also serve to reduce stress, promote sleep, relieve hay fever and migraine. There are no drug additives which could cause side effects, and their effect is instantaneous.

In a most preferred embodiment, the compound includes a eucalyptus-based composition, or other natural nasal decongestant. Alternatively, the compound may include compositions based on other naturally occurring oils commonly associated with restorative effects, such as lavender oil, tea tree oil, jasmin etc. Other known herbal compositions may be used.

The substance may be based on naturally occurring materials which are associated with aroma-therapeutic effects, and in this manner the wearing of the device may alleviate stress, tension, headaches, and other ailments being at that time experienced by said wearer.

The construction of the device can take many forms, and can be for application to any part of the face or head. For example it may be for placement under the nostrils and on the top lip, but it is particularly preferred that the device should be in the form of a nasal dilator, as the use of an odour emitting substance in such a device provides the combined advantage that the device opens the nasal passage, and the odour can therefore be drawn in with maximum efficiency.

The substance may be embodied in the dilator in any suitable fashion, but we prefer that it should be provided by impregnating a layer of fibrous material, such as a tissue, which is one of the layers of the nasal dilator.

The adhesive of the device is preferably a hypoallergenic, clear, pressure sensitive.

The nasal dilator preferably comprises a spine to provide its springiness, the spine being sandwiched between an inner layer and an outer layer, of which the outer layer may comprise a plastic film having perforations therein, whilst the inner layer may comprise a double sided adhesive tape of which the outer side is covered by a release sheet which is removed before the strip is applied, the substance carrying layer being sandwiched between the spine and the outer layer.

The spine is preferably of plastics material, and preferably the surface of the carrier layer which contacts the elongated spine has a layer of adhesive thereon, by which the spine is adhered to the carrier layer and by which, in the regions beyond the spine, the inner layer is adhered to the carrier layer.

The release paper preferably has a "crack-back" line therein at the waist region of the nasal dilator and transverse to the length of the dilator, to split the release paper into two sections, so that the two sections can be peeled away from the centre of the waist region and removed from the double sided adhesive. This is to prepare the dilator for application to the nose of the user.

The dilators may be produced by laminating a first sheet material comprising a release paper and double sided adhesive on one side thereof for defining inner layers of the dilators, spaced ribbons of plastic material for defining the elongated spines, a sheet material defining the carrier layers, and a third sheet material comprising a perforated film with adhesive on one side for defining outer layers of the dilators. The first, second and third materials are unwound from rolls, and the ribbons are fed along guides to keep them spaced to allow for the formation of the wing portions when the dilators are punched or otherwise cut from the resulting laminated material. The dilators are cut from the laminated material in a way which makes most economical use of the material i.e., so that there will be minimal skeletal waste.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not to scale, wherein;-

Figs. 1 , 2, 3 and 4 respectively show in plan view, a lower layer, a spine, a fragrance layer and an upper layer of a nasal dilator according to the invention; Fig. 5 shows the elements shown in Figs. 1 , 2, 3 and 4 in end elevation;

Fig. 6 shows diagrammatically how nasal dilators according to the embodiment of the invention of Figs. 1 to 5 are mass produced;

Fig. 7 is a plan view to show how the punch shown in Fig. 6 is arranged to punch out the nasal dilators in a most economical way;

Fig. 8 shows a sectional view through a nasal dilator produced as shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8A shows how a dilator shown in Fig. 8 is used;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of another embodiment according to the invention to illustrate how diverse the embodiments of the invention can be; and

Fig. 10 is a view showing how the embodiment of Fig. 9 is used.

Referring to the drawings, in Figs. 1 , 2, 3 and 4 are shown respectively the layers of the nasal dilator according to the embodiment of the invention. The first and lower layer comprises a dog bone shaped blank 10 having a central narrow waist portion 12 and end wider wing portions 14 and 16. The blank as indicated in Fig. 5 is made up of a layer 18 of release paper to which is laminated a double sided adhesive layer 20. The paper 18 has a crack back perforation 22 to enable respective portions of the paper layer to be peeled back when the dilator is to be used.

The element shown in Fig. 2 is a plastic sheet material spine 24 of constant width approximately equal to that of the waist portion 12 of the blank of Fig. 1. This spine has mechanical springiness which when the dilator is applied to the nose will try to spring back to its original flat condition, which has the effect of dilating the nasal passages.

The element shown in Fig. 3 is a blank of a sheet carrier member 10X of tissue paper or the like absorbent material which is impregnated with the substance which emits or will emit the odour from the device as explained herein. It is of the same shape as the layer 10, and has an adhesive 12X on the lower surface thereof, by which the layer is laminated to the lower layer 10, trapping the spine 24 between it and the lower layer 10. The carrier may be flesh coloured to blend with the skin in use.

The element shown in Fig. 4 is a blank 27 similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but is made up of a layer of adhesive 26 and a film 28 of perforated plastics material. This element is preferably translucent or transparent, so that the carrier layer can be seen therethough in use.

The elements shown in Figs. 1 , 2, 3 and 4 may be of any colour, but a novel arrangement having some advantage results when they are of sufficient clarity to enable the colour of the skin to show through the nasal dilator when it is applied. The paper 18 which is removed before the nasal strip is so applied will of course be opaque, but of course it need not be.

Fig. 5 illustrates how the respective elements of Figs. 1 , 2, 3 and 4 are layered together to form the dilator. As is clear, the adhesive layer 20 is applied to one side of the spine 24, and the adhesive layer 12X is applied to the other side. The adhesive layer 26 is applied to the carrier 10X. In those portions 14 and 16 of the dilator which are wider than the spine 24, the adhesive layers 20 and 12X come together. This provides firm anchorage for the spine in the finished product.

Fig. 6 illustrates how the strips are mass produced, and referring to that figure 30 represents a roll of the material used to make the blanks 10, 31 indicates a roll of material to make the blanks 10X, and 32 indicates a roll of the material for the blanks 27.

The spines 24 are arranged in a roll 34, and are produced from long strips of the plastic material which are arranged spaced in the roll 34. These strips pass through guides 36 as the lengths are unrolled, and simultaneously the rolls 30, 31 and 32 are unrolled so that all layers come together at a pair of nip rollers 38, the laminated material being fed in a direction 40. The laminated material is cut at a cutting station 42 and the dilators are cut out in the layout shown in Figure 7 in order to maximise use of the material. At station 44 the dilators are removed from the laminated material and are collected in a bin or hopper 46, whilst the skeletal waste material is wound on a roll 48 for disposal.

Fig. 7 shows that the spines 24 are located centrally of the dilators in transverse direction and extend for the length thereof. At the ends, the dilators are provided with decorative arcuate segments as shown, but it is to be pointed out that the shape of the dilators shown in only one form and the shape can be any suitable.

Any suitable materials may be used for the elements of the dilator, having regard to its use it should be as thin as possible consistent with achieving its objective.

In one example silicone coated release paper is used for the layer 18 and the double sided adhesive tape 20 is a suitable polyolefin. The spine 24 preferably is of PVC of a thickness of the order of 0.3 mm to provide the mechanical springiness.

The carrier layer 10X may be of tissue or other impregnable material such as fabric which will hold a sufficient quantity of the substance which is to emit the odour. The carrier is preferably pre- impregnated before manufacture of the dilators, but in other embodiments, impregnation can take place after of even during manufacture.

The film 28 which is perforated may be polyethylene with the adhesive 26 being a suitable medical grade adhesive. The perforations allow the odour to escape more easily than when there are no perforations.

Providing perforations in the film 28 also assists in allowing the passage of air through the dilator. This has the effect of providing that the dilators remain in position (see Fig. 8A) for longer, which is especially important in the case where the strips are being used for long periods of time, i.e overnight. The double sided tape may comprise a thin polyolefin membrane film with medical grade acrylic adhesive coating on both sides and the paper may comprise 74 lbs bleached Kraft poly coated silicone treated on both sides.

Figure 8 shows in sectional elevation, the nasal dilator 50 according to the embodiment described above.

As can be seen, the dilator comprises the perforated film 52 constituting the outer or uppermost layer of the nasal strip to one side of which is applied the carrier layer 54 impregnated with for example an aromatic medicinal substance. The plastic spine 56 with mechanical springiness is adhered by the adhesive of the carrier layer to that layer, and the plastic spine is further adhered to the inner layer 60, by a conventional or medicinally enhanced adhesive composition.

The medicinal properties of the dilator as a whole are improved if the spine is also perforated (not shown) .

The inner layer adhesive 62 is provided to adhere the inner layer to the sheet of release paper 64.

Perforations 66 provided in the outer layer 52 allow vapours released by the medicinal composition in the layer 54 (and optionally any other layers which have been impregnated with such a medicinal composition) to permeate as shown at 68 through the nasal strip into the atmosphere surrounding the face of the wearer of said nasal strip. Said vapours are thus inhaled by the user for the advantageous effect referred to herein.

The effect is illustrated in Fig. 8A, wherein a user is shown with the dilator attached, and reference 68 indicates the odour in vapour form which circulates around the users breathing aperture of mouth and nasal passages.

Although the device described above is a nasal dilator, it could be modified in that the spine could be omitted, which would mean that the device was not a dilator as it is the spine which causes the dilation of the nasal passages. Such a modified device however could be used as a patch on the face, for example under the nose, on the upper lip, so that the odours would be present under the nasal passages, providing some advantageous effect, even if the nasal passages would not be open quite to the same extent as in the case when the device is a dilator. Such a device could be for positioning on other parts of the face. Figs. 9 and 10 show another and quite different device according to the invention. This device 100 is simply is a small flexible pad 101 having adhesive 102 of appropriate anti allergenic quality on one face 104. On the other face of the pad is a fabric sac 106 in which are contained micro capsules 108 in which is contained the substance which will emit the odour. To use the device, the user simply sticks it by means of the adhesive, to his or her face, typically under the nose on the upper lip as shown for example in Fig. 10. The device could be applied at any time, for example when driving to or from work or at any other suitable time, for example when watching TV, or taking part in sport. After the device has been applied, it is pressure is applied by the fingers on the sac to break the capsules, to release the substance from the capsules, which in turn allows the release of the soothing and or therapeutic/medicament odour.

It will be realised that the invention can take many and diverse forms, and it should be pointed out that the wearing of a device according to the invention particularly by a sports person during exercise will further enhance the medicinal effect of the device, because during exercise, the rate of intake of air of said person increases, giving rise to a concomitant increase in the medicinal vapours which will be inhaled by said person, enhancing any effect such vapours have. Furthermore, the skin and eyes of such a person may become more susceptible to ingress of the said medicinal vapours with exercise.

As mentioned above, the device can embody alternative medicines, such as natural aroma-therapeutic oils which are believed to relieve stress, headaches, migraines, and in some cases have beneficial effects on the mood and energy levels of the wearer. The embodiment of these substances in a nasal dilator is of particular advantage in that the nasal dilator puts the nasal passages in the best condition for the inhalation of the vapours which emanate from the dilator itself.

Claims

CLAIMS.

1. An adhesive device for application to the human face, characterised in that said device includes a substance which emits or can caused to emit an odour to be inhaled by the user, suitably for therapeutic and/or medical purposes.

2. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is constructed to emit the odour without any further manipulation, movement or other operation of the device.

3. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is one which has to be manipulated, for example to activate the substance in order to cause the odour to be emitted.

4. A device according to claim 1 , 2 or 3, wherein the substance emits an odour in the form of a blend of essential oils, taken from basil, rosemary, peppermint, bergamot and/or juniper, lavender, geranium, petitgrain clary or sage, origan, eucalyptus, camphor, lemongrass and clary sage.

5. A device according to claim 1 , 2, 3 or 4, wherein the device is in the form of a nasal dilator.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the substance is embodied in the dilator by impregnating a layer of fibrous material, such as a tissue, which is one of the layers of the nasal dilator.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the nasal dilator comprises a spine to provide its springiness.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the spine is sandwiched between an inner layer and an outer layer.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein the outer layer comprises a plastic film having perforations therein.

10 A device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the inner layer comprises a double sided adhesive tape of which the outer side is covered by a release sheet which is removed before the strip is applied, the substance carrying layer being sandwiched between the spine and the outer layer.

1 1. A device according to claim 7, 8, 9 or 10, wherein the spine is of plastics material.

12 A device according to claim 1 1 , wherein the spine has perforations therein.

13 A device according to any of claims 8 to 12, wherein one surface of the carrier layer has a layer of adhesive thereon, by which the spine is adhered to the carrier layer and by which, in the regions beyond the spine, the inner layer is adhered to the carrier layer.