MXPA01003419A - Decorative adhesive bandage kit - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is for a kit containing components for making decorated adhesive bandages. The kit comprises:a) at least one adhesive bandage comprising a backing, an adhesive layer on one side thereof and an absorbent pad affixed to the adhesive;and b) at least one decorative element selected from adhesive stickers and adhesive tattoos. The decorative element comprises a substrate, a decorative pattern thereon and an adhesive layer. The decorative element is designed to be securely fixed to the upper surface of the bandage. The decorative element is separate from and unsecured to the bandage in the kit.

Description

DECORATIVE ADHESIVE BANDAGE PACKAGE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a package for the formation of decorative adhesive bandages, particularly for the treatment of wounds in children.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The patent of E.U.A. No. 4,094,316 discloses an adhesive bandage with an application that can be reused in sheet form. The application is prefixed to the bandage, and is preferably made of fabric and is substantially the same size as the underlying bandage to which it is adhered. The patent of E.U.A. No. 4,285,338 discloses an adhesive bandage with a rigid plastic cover attached to its outer surface. The cover serves to protect from the force applied to the wound. The cover can be molded to a novel configuration. Lisa Frank Inc. of Tucson, AZ markets a product in which a reclosable plastic container is housed inside a bubble pack. The resealable container contains a plurality of decorative adhesive bandages, each individually wrapped in a known manner. The decoration on the predecorated bandages extends over substantially the entire surface area of the bandage backing. The bandage itself is about 72 mm long and about 19 mm wide. The decorative print is about 72 mm long and about 16 mm wide. The resealable container also contains two sheets of decorative adhesive decals. The instructions and illustrations provided on the bubble pack do not indicate or suggest to the consumer that the decorative adhesive decals are designed to be applied to the bandage. In addition, the stickers in the aforementioned product are made of paper, do not adhere particularly well to the bandages that accompany them, and if applied to the accompanying bandages, they delaminate easily during normal stripping of the bandage. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a package, particularly for use by a child, that allows children to decorate-personalize their sell. Another object of the invention is to provide a decorative bandage package that allows consumers to decorate your bandages at the time of use. Another object of the invention is to provide decorations for use on bandages which, once applied, remain firmly attached to the bandage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bandage package containing flexible decorative elements that adapt to the movement of the part of the body to which the bandage is fixed. Another object of the invention is to provide a bandage package for making decorated bandages where the decorative element remains fixed to the bandage in humid environments. Another object of the invention is to provide a bandage package that provides a game element for the child for whom the bandages are designed. Another object of the invention is to provide a package that creatively involves the child in the healing process. These and other objects are obtained in the decorative bandage package of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a package containing components for making decorated adhesive bandages. The package comprises: a) at least one adhesive bandage comprising a backing, an adhesive layer on one side thereof and an absorbent pad affixed to the adhesive; b) at least one decorative element selected from adhesive stickers and adhesive tattoos. The decorative element comprises a substrate, a decorative pattern thereon and an adhesive layer. The decorative element is designed to securely attach to the upper surface of the bandage. The decorative element is separated from and not secured to the band in the package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of an adhesive bandage that can be included in the package of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of the guide 1; Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the bandage shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a sheet containing decals used in one embodiment of the package of the invention; Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the sheet of Figure 4; Fig. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a sheet containing decals to be used in the packages of the invention; Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a sheet of tattoos for use in the packages of the invention; and Figure 8 is a top plan view of an open box comprising the package of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The package of the invention comprises at least and preferably a plurality of adhesive bandages. A bandage that can be used in the invention package is shown in Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings. The bandage 1 comprises a backing strip 2, a layer of adhesive 3, an absorbent, a wound contact pad 4, and a pair of protective release tabs 5 and 6. As illustrated, the backing strip 2 is rectangular in configuration and comprises a first, or upper first surface 31 and a second, or lower, second main surface 32. The backing strip 2 can take other configurations, for example, the backrest can be square or circular. The adhesive 3, which can be any of the well known adhesive materials used for adhesive bandages, is applied to the lower surface 32 of the backing strip 2. The absorbent pad 4 is fixed to the lower surface of the bandage 1 by the adhesive 3. The absorbent pad is typically a non-woven material made of rayon fibers or polyester fibers or a mixture of said fibers. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other fibers, for example, cotton fibers or polyolefin fibers can be used to construct the absorbent pad. As seen in the drawings, the absorbent pad 4 is centered end-to-end of the bandage and its side edges are co-extensive with the longitudinally extending edges of the backing strip 2. The bandage may have other known configurations at The technique. For example, the bandage 1 may have an "island construction", that is, the absorbent pad 4 may be located on the backing strip 2 so that its end and its side edges are spaced inward from the adjacent end and side edges of the backing. backing strip 2. The bandage 1 also comprises a pair of adhesive protective peel-off tabs 5, 6 which may be, for example, paper having a peelable silicone release material coated thereon. Alternatively, the release tabs may be made of a low surface energy plastic film such as polyetherlene or polystyrene which, if desired, may have a silicone release material or the like applied thereto. It should be understood that the coated surface that can be peeled off from the tabs 5, 6 will contact the adhesive 3, and the release liner over the peelable tabs 5, 6 will be such that the adhesive 3 will remain on the backing of the band 2 instead on the release tabs when said tabs are removed to expose the adhesive before applying the bandage to the skin.

The bandages used in the packages of the invention are preferably individually packaged between two sheets of a material such as paper, which are sealed cohesively around their edges. The package of the invention may comprise a plurality of bandages, which may all be of the same size. Alternatively, the package may comprise bandages of different sizes to treat different wound sizes. The backing of the bandage can be selected from a plastic film, a plastic foam, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric or a spun fabric. Alternatively, the backing can be a composite material comprising two or more of these elements, such as a composite material of a film and a non-woven fabric. A plastic film backing is preferred for use in the bandages contained in the package of the invention. If it is made of a film or foam, the backing of the bandage is preferably perforated. Materials that may be useful for making the backing of the bandage include polyethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride and plasticized polyvinyl chloride. Polyvinyl chloride and plasticized polyvinyl chloride are preferred, and more preferably plasticized polyvinyl chloride. The adhesive layer comprising the bandages in the packages of the invention can be made of any adhesive material compatible with the skin known in the art of adhesive bandages. Exemplary adhesive materials include acrylic emulsion adhesive, solvent-based acrylic adhesive, hot melt acrylic adhesive, styrene-olefin copolymer such as styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer, natural rubber and silicone adhesive. Of these, an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive, and specifically, an acrylic pressure sensitive emulsion adhesive is preferred. The package of the invention also comprises at least and preferably a plurality of decorative elements 11. The decorative elements can be selected from adhesive stickers and adhesive tattoos. Of these, adhesive decals are preferred. The decals for use in packages of the invention are shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6. The adhesive stickers are typically supplied on a release paper sheet 15. The decal comprises a substrate 16. The decorative pattern 14 is typically printed on the upper surface 17 of the substrate 16. The surface of the substrate opposite the printed pattern, that is, the lower surface 18, carries the adhesive layer 13. The surface of the release paper 15 to which the stickers adhere includes a coating that allows that the decals are removed from the sheet at the same time the adhesive adheres to the decal. A plurality of decals on a sheet of peelable paper is shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, the sheet 10 contains a plurality of decals 11. The decorative elements 11 are typically made by printing a decorative pattern 14. on the surface 17 of the substrate 16. Each decal is surrounded by dotted lines 12 to allow the removal of individual transfers of the release sheet 15. The decal is removed from the release paper by flexing the sheet adjacent to one of the dotted lines 12 This causes an edge of the decal to rise from the release sheet and separate from the adjacent portions 19 of the substrate 16 which are intermediate adjacent transfers 11. Once an edge of the decal is exposed and removed from the release sheet, the decal can be removed with the fingers, raised from the sheet in its entirety and applied to the surface above 31 of the band 1 supplied in the package of the invention. In an alternative embodiment shown in cross section in Figure 6, sheets containing decals are provided wherein the portions of the intermediate adjacent decals of the substrate 19 are removed from the release paper 15. As shown in Figure 4, a sheet of elements Decorative designs can comprise a virtually unlimited number of patterns and decorative designs. Exemplary designs include sports designs, animals, celestial bodies, geometric figures, letters, words, flowers, caricature characters, automobiles, birds, insects and the like. The decorated bandages produced from the packages of the invention should have the following desirable characteristics: first, they should be durable. This means that the decorative element, once applied, must remain fixed securely to the surface of the bandage. Preferably, the decorative element should remain firmly fixed to the bandage under both wet and dry conditions. The decorative element should not be easily worn from the bandage and should be resistant to tearing. Second, the decorated bandage, as well as its individual elements, should be flexible and comfortable, so that the decorative elements do not delaminate it when, for example, the bandage is placed over a joint and the joint is flexed repeatedly. These properties are achieved by designing and selecting careful materials comprising the decorative element and carefully matching the decorative elements with their accompanying bandages in the packages of the invention. The substrate 16 of the decorative element can be selected from plastic film comprising a polymer selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride and plasticized polyvinyl chloride; a metallized plastic film; and a metal sheet. Preferably, the substrate is a plastic film comprising a polymer selected from polyvinyl chloride and plasticized polyvinyl chloride. Most preferably, the substrate is a plastic film comprising plasticized polyvinyl chloride. The material comprising the substrate of the decorative element should preferably be the same material comprising the backing of the bandage so that the decorative element and the bandage have substantially the same characteristics of flexibility in use. Preferably, both the substrate of the decorative element and the backing of the bandage comprise plasticized polyvinyl chloride. In addition to the selection of materials, the substrate of the decorative element should be carefully selected to optimize the properties of the decorative band. The thickness of the substrate should be in the range of about 0.00127 cm to about 0.0152 cm. Preferably, the thickness of the substrate 16 should be from about 0.00508 cm to about 0.0101 cm. At smaller thicknesses, the decorative element becomes difficult to handle as it is removed from its release sheet. At a larger thickness, the decorative element loses flexibility and comfort. The selection of adhesive material for the decorative element depends on the materials comprising the backing of the bandage and the decorative element substrate. The adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive, preferably selected from an acrylic emulsion adhesive, a solvent based acrylic, a hot melt acrylic adhesive, a styrene-olefin copolymer such as a styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer. , natural rubber and silicone adhesive. When the backing of the bandage and the substrate of the decorative element comprises plasticized polyvinyl chloride, the adhesive is preferably a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive, and still most preferably an acrylic emulsion pressure sensitive adhesive. The adhesive layer is contained in the decorative element at a dry weight of between 10 and about 100 grams per square meter of surface area of the decorative element. Preferably, the adhesive is contained in the decorative element at a dry weight of about 20 to about 50 g / m2 surface area. The decorative elements are preferably configured to fit in their entirety on at least one of the adhesive bandages contained in the package without extending beyond the edges of said bandage. The bandages used in the packages of the invention are preferably substantially undecorated, that is, the backing of the bandage is free of decorative patterns of the type contained in the decorative elements. The backing of the bandage can be transparent or translucent or opaque. Alternatively, the bandage backing can be printed with a regular pattern such as a striped pattern. Preferably, the backing of the bandage is transparent. The use of decorative elements on a transparent bandage is desirable because it provides the illusion of a tattoo on the surface of the skin. The substrate material comprising the decorative element is preferably opaque because the opaque substrates are better for "highlighting", or underlining the colors of the decorative pattern contained thereon. The packages of the invention preferably comprise a plurality of decorative elements and a plurality of bandages in a resealable container. Exemplary matepales comprising the container include paper, cardboard, metal and plastic. The packages of the invention preferably contain indicia indicating that the decorative elements are designed to be used and can be used in conjunction with the accompanying bandages to decorate said bandages. These signs can be in the form of graphics or text or a combination of these. The signs can be displayed on the outside of the container, on the reverse side 20 of the release sheet of the decorative element 15 or on an insert included separately in the package container or in a combination of these locations. As previously indicated, an alternative modality for the decorative element is a "tattoo". A tattoo is drawn in cross section in figure 7. As shown in figure 7, the tattoo consists of a clear plastic film 25 that can be removed from the tattoo. Adjacent to the film 25 is an adhesive layer 26. Adjacent to the adhesive on the side opposite the clear plastic film is a layer of substrate 27 on which a decorative pattern is printed. The substrate 27 is supported on carrier paper 28. In use, the tattoo is applied to the substantially undecorated bandage by removing the transparent plastic film 25, and adhering the remainder thereof to the bandage with adhesive film 26. The back side 29 of the carrier paper 28 is moistened, and, after waiting for some time, the carrier paper 28 is removed from the tattoo.

EXAMPLE A sheet of decorative decals is prepared from pigmented white opaque plasticized polyvinyl chloride film (film JK4709W from Occidental Chemical Corp. of Burlington, NJ) having a thickness of about 0.0076 cm. An acrylic emulsion polymer is applied to the release surface of a release sheet coated with silicone. The acrylic emulsion comprises a polymer mainly (> 80%) of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate with minor amounts (less than 20%) of vinyl acetate and other monomers. The emulsion contains approximately 50% solids. Suitable emulsion polymers are well known in the art and commercially available. One such polymer useful in this regard is acrylic emulsion pressure sensitive adhesive AE1200 available from Chemical Division fo Avery Dennison of Mili Hall, PA. The emulsion is applied to the release paper at a coating weight of 35 g / m2 on a dry solids basis. The volatiles are evaporated from the emulsion in an oven and the plasticized polyvinyl chloride film is laminated to the adhesive on the release paper to form a removable paper-adhesive-film laminate. The multicolored decorative patterns shown in Figure 4 are printed on the surface of the laminate film using UV curable inks. A topcoat of a clear varnish is applied after printing the decorative pattern to further increase the durability of the pattern. After UV curing, the sheet containing the decorative patterns is dotted gently using a scoring blade containing penknives in register with the pattern printed on the laminate. The height of the knife is adjusted to cut through the thickness of the substrate without cutting through the release paper. Adhesion of the decorative element to a bandage was determined as follows: The decals produced as described above were applied to transparent BAND-AID® brand adhesive bandages marketed by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company, a division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. The backing of these bandages comprises plasticized polyvinyl chloride film. The bandages were applied on the joints of the fingers of one hand. As a comparative example, the stickers and bandages marketed by Lisa Frank, Inc., referred to above were applied to the finger joints of the other hand. The fingers of both hands flexed correspondingly to normal daily activity. Shortly after starting the test, the decals supplied by Lisa Frank, Inc. began to delaminate from the bandages on their outer edges, indicating an early expected failure of these components. In contrast, the decals that are used in the packages of the invention, described in the previous example, remained in place without signs of delamination of their underlying bandages. Adhesion of the decorative elements to a bandage under wet conditions was established as follows: Five tests were carried out. In each of these, the bandages were decorated by applying a decal to the top surface of a transparent BAND-AID® adhesive bandage from Johnson & Johnson over the pad area of the band. Sixteen panelists applied the test bandages to their fingers. After applying the bandages, the panelists dipped their hands in soapy water at 37.7 ° C for 10 minutes at the same time they flexed their fingers. The degree of adhesion of the stickers to the bandages after being subjected to the soaking conditions described above was established using the following scale: 1 = approximately 1-15% of the decal is adhered 2 = approximately 16-30% of the decal 3 = approximately 31-45% of the decal is adhered 4 = approximately 46-60% of the decal is adhered 5 = approximately 61-75% of the decal is adhered 6 = approximately 76-90% of the decal is adhered 7 = the sticker is fully adhered The decals used in these tests are shown in table 1 and the results of the adhesion test are shown in table 2.

TABLE 1 Decals used in wet adhesion tests Decal designs Sandylion from Markham, Ontario Canada * Lisa Frank, Inc. from Tucson, AZ TABLE 2 Wet adhesion of decals to bandages The data in the tables indicate that excellent adhesion is obtained under moist conditions using the decorative decals used in the example described above. In contrast, wet adhesion to the bandages is very poor using prior art transfers. Figure 8 shows a top plan view of a package of the invention in a resealable box. The box 35 has side wings 36 and 37 and an upper wing 38 with insert portion 39 that joins the box when the box is closed. The package comprises individually wrapped adhesive bandages 40. The package also includes a plastic bag 41 adhered to an inner surface of the box at the edges 43 and 44. The bag contains a folded sheet of stickers 42 on a sheet of release paper. The bag contains dotted lines running along the length of the bag at 45 and 46 in Figure 8. The dotted lines of the bag allow the bag to be easily removed from the box. The box is decorated on the outside with signs in text and illustrations that indicate that the box contains both bandages and decorative stickers and that the stickers are designed to decorate the bandages.

Claims (25)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A package comprising components for making a decorated adhesive bandage, said package comprising: a) at least one adhesive bandage comprising a backing, an adhesive layer on one side thereof and an absorbent pad affixed to said adhesive; and b) at least one decorative element selected from adhesive stickers and adhesive tattoos; said decorative element comprises a substrate, a decorative pattern thereon and an adhesive layer, said decorative element being designed to be firmly fixed to the upper surface of said bandage, said decorative element being separated from said bandage in said package.

2. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises instructions suggesting the use of the decorative element to decorate the adhesive bandage.

3. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises a plurality of adhesive bandages.

4. The package according to claim 3, further characterized in that it comprises adhesive bandages of at least two different sizes.

5. - The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that the bandage backing comprises a plastic film, said plastic film comprising a polymer selected from polyethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride and plasticized polyvinyl chloride.

6. The package according to claim 5, further characterized in that the plastic film of the backing of the bandage comprises a polymer selected from polyvinyl chloride and plasticized polyvinyl chloride.

7. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that said bandage comprises detachable tabs and each bandage in said package is individually wrapped.

8. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that said decorative element is an adhesive decal.

9. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises a plurality of decorative elements.

10. The package according to claim 9, further characterized in that a plurality of decorative elements are adhered to a sheet of release paper.

11. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that said decorative element substrate is selected from a plastic film comprising a polymer selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride and plasticized polyvinyl chloride; a metallized plastic film; and a metal sheet.

12. The package according to claim 11, further characterized in that said decorative element substrate is a plastic film comprising a polymer selected from polyvinyl chloride and plasticized polyvinyl chloride.

13. The package according to claim 11, further characterized in that said plastic film of the decorative element substrate has a thickness of about 0.00127 centimeters to about 0.0152 centimeters.

14. The package according to claim 11, further characterized in that said plastic film of the decorative element substrate has a thickness of about 0.00508 centimeters to about 0.0101 centimeters.

15. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that said adhesive layer of the decorative element comprises an adhesive selected from an emulsion acrylic adhesive, solvent-based acrylic, hot melt acrylic, a styrene-olefin copolymer, natural rubber and silicone adhesive.

16. The package according to claim 15, further characterized in that said adhesive layer of the decorative element comprises an adhesive selected from an acrylic emulsion adhesive, a solvent-based acrylic and a hot-melt acrylic adhesive.

17. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that said decorative element is configured to fit in its entirety on the adhesive bandage without extending beyond the edges of said bandage.

18. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that said bandage backing comprises a plasticized polyvinyl chloride film and said decorative element substrate comprises a plasticized polyvinyl chloride film.

19. The package according to claim 18, characterized in that said adhesive layer of the decorative element comprises an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive.

20. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that said backing of the bandage is substantially undecorated.

21. The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises a plurality of bandages and decorative elements and wherein said bandages and decorative elements are packaged in a resealable container.

22. The package according to claim 20, further characterized in that the backing of the bandage is optically transparent.

23. - The package according to claim 1, further characterized in that the substrate of the decorative element is opaque. 24.- The decorated bandage produced using the adhesive bandage and the decorative element in accordance with claim 1. 25.- The decorated bandage according to claim 24, further characterized in that the decorative element is resistant to the delamination of the bandage under humidity conditions.