US3007571A - Adhesive bandage - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 7, 1961 A. M. MARINARO ADHESIVE BANDAGE Filed May 2, 1956 Illlll "1 A y J IIIIIIIIIIIIHIUH ZZ /4 j 526 Z/ TTOR United States Patent O 3,007,571 ADHESIVE BANDAGE Armand M. Marinaro, Milltown, NJ., assgnor to Johnson & Johnson, a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 2, 1956, Ser. No. 582,174 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-6'3.2)

The present invention relates to individually packaged adhesive bandage units of the type, in which each unit comprises and adhesive bandage and a wrapper therefor. The adhesive bandage has a flexible lbacking coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition and may consist of a simple strip of adhesive tape or may be of the dressing type, in which an abs-orbent compress or pad is atlixed to the flexible adhesively coated backing to expose the adhesive on the parts of the backing beyond the pad. An adhesive bandage of this dressing type may take the form, for example, of a strip, patch, spot or so-called middle wound bandage.

The usual adhesive bandage of the general type described, has its exposed adhesive surface and its pad or compress, if such pad is provided, protected by a facing sheet member or members, and such a bandage is sterile and is packaged individually in ysuch a manner, that sterility is maintained until the package is opened. For that purpose, the bandage protectively faced as described, is enclosed in an envelope or wrapper. Before such a bandage can be applied to an injured part of the skin, it is necessary t-o remove the wrapper and then the facing member or lmembers therefrom, in case such facing members are separate yfrom the wrapper.

The present inventionis adapted for, although not restricted to, use in individually packaged adhesive bandages of the type, in which the facing -member or 4members serve not only the function of directly protecting the ex posed parts of the adhesive surface but also as part of the individual Wrapper for the bandage either as a lamina or coating therefor, or as lan integral part thereof and has among its objects to provide a newv and improved bandage especially of this type, which is designed to ensure economy of material and easey of manufacture, which is constructed to permit removal ofthe combined wrapper and adhesive protection or facing and simultaneous withdrawal of the adhesive `bandage by a simple .balanced peeling operation Without distorting the bandage or curling it out ofv shape, which is designed to-permit removal of the adhesive facing .and the simultaneous withdrawal of the adhesive bandage without the fingers coming into contact with the pad or compress or with lthe adhesive surface, which can be conveniently handled for application to the injured skin after at least part of the Wrapper has been removed without the fingers coming into contact with'the pady or compress or with the adhesive surface, which has no projectingbulges, aps or parts, and, therefore, lends itself easily and compactly to storage in -a container as part of a pack, and which affords the maximum protection of the adhesive bandage against contamination during storage with minimum of wrapper material. i

Various other objects of the invention are apparent from the following description and from the -accompanying drawings, in which: t

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FIG. 5 is a perspective showing the adhesive bandage package unit of the present invention in the process of being opened to withdraw the adhesive bandage from the wrapper therefrom; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective of the adhesive bandage incorporated into the package unit embodying the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown therein applied to an adhesive bandage package unit of the elongated strip type having an absorbent compress or pad and exposed adhesive surfaces, although as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, it may be applied to other types of adhesive bandages, as will be described more fully hereinafter. The package unit illustrated comprises essentially an adhesive bandage 10 and an expendable wrapper 11 of flexible material. The adhesive bandage 10 comprises a .strip 12 of adhesive tape backing material, which may be either woven material, or non-woven material, such as extensible polyvinyl chloride film, and which may have the usual ventilation holes. Deposited on the strip 12 is a layer 13 of pressure-sensitive adhesive, which affords the necessary degree of adhesion for the attachment of the dressing thereto. A dressing pad 14 composed preferably of suitably folded woven or non-woven fabric, paper or other absorbent material, is placed on and secured to the strip 12 by the adhesive layer 13 thereon. This dressing pad 14 is slightly narrower than the adhesive strip 12 and much shorter and is centered on the adhesive strip to form exposed tape end sections 16 and 17 of adhesive beyond the ends of the p pad.

The wrapper 11 individually packages the adhesive bandage 10, so that after sterilization, said bandage will remain sterile. This wrapper 11 desirably comprises a sheet 20 for the back Iface of the adhesive bandage 10 and a pair of shorter similar sheets 21 and 22 for the front face of the adhesive bandage, the sheets being joined together to form an envelope for the adhesive bandage and the front sheets 21 and 22 having free end sections 23 and 24 respectively, passing by each other and extending Hat against the adhesive band-age in overlapping relationship near the center of the package unit to form an outer lap anda concealed inner lap, the opening between said free end wrapper sections or laps being closed by a transverse seam or seal 25, as will be described more fully hereinafter. Y

"The specific materials from which the different components of the adhesive bandage package unit are made are preferably those described in the U.S. Patent No. 2,708,083. This patent discloses a facing member, which serves as protection for the adhesive surface of the bandage and which is smooth and continuous and constituted FIG. l is the front face view of the adhesive bandage l package unit embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is the rear face view of the adhesive bandage package unit embodying the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the adhesive bandy j of organic material substantially inert with respect to the adhesive. This type of facing member serves to develop substantially the full sticking powers of the adhesive to which it is protectively applied. Materials proposed for that purpose in lthe aforesaid patent are vinyl chloride resins and copolymers thereof with vinyl acetate and vinylidene chloride, cellulose acetate, cellophane, epoxy resins, and many others and also resins which may be employed as coatings. These materials are also suitable to form for the purpose of the present invention the'wrapper sheets 120, 21 and 22, with the sheets l21 and 22 juxtaposed to the adhesive side of the adhesive bandage 10 to serve also as protective facing members therefor. In the specific form shown, thevvrapper sheets 20, 21 and 22 desirably consist of heat-scalable sterilizable material and preferably polyethylene, such as Marlex 50 and Irrathene 101.

The back wrapper sheet 20 lies flat against the nonadhesive back of the adhesive bandage 10 and is shaped, dimensioned and positioned in relation to the adhesive bandage to define seam forming side margins projecting beyond the corresponding sides of the adhesive bandage and seam forming end margins projecting beyond the corresponding ends of the adhesive bandage. The front overlapping wrapper sheets 21 and 22 are shaped, dimensioned and positioned in relation to the adhesive bandage to define seam forming side marginsA projecting beyond the corresponding sides of the adhesive bandage and to form seam forming end margins respectively projecting beyond the corresponding ends of the adhesive bandage.

The two wrapper sheets 20 and 21 -at their projecting margins come together face to face and are secured together by heat-sealing or by adhesive according to the nature of the wrapper material, to form side seams 26 and an end seam 27. In the case of polyethylene, which is the material mentioned as suitable for the wrapper, heat-sealing would be employed to produce the seams 26 and 27. Whether heat-sealing or adhesive is employed, these are strong enough to seal effectively the interior of the wrapper against contamination but are weak enough to permit the side seams 26 to open up by a neat peeling operation, Without tearing the wrapper sheet 21, when the wrapper sheet 21 is pulled away from the wrapper sheet 20 in the process of opening the wrapper to remove the adhesive bandage 10 therefrom.

The two wrapper sheets 20 and 22 at their projecting margins similarly come face to face and are similarly secured together by heat-sealing or by adhesive according to the nature of the wrapper material and in a manner `described in connection with the wrapper sheets 20 and 21, to form side seams 28 and end lseam 29.

The two front wrapper sheets 21 and 22 overlap in the center of the package unit fiat against the adhesive bandage 10, the end section of 4the wrapper sheet 22 being shown forming the outer lap. To assure complete sealing of the wrapper 10 and -at the same time to assure the maintenance of the overlapping end sections of the wrapper sheets 21 and 22 at against the adhesive bandage 10, these overlapping sections lare secured together transversely by the seam 25, which may be constructed by heat-sealing or adhesive according to the nature of the wrapper material, and which is strong enough to seal but weak enough to be opened without tearing upon pull ing of the outer lap of the seam. This transverse seam 25 meets and merges into the side seams 26 and 28 and is spaced inwardly from the overlapping ends of the wrapper sheets 21 land 22. With this construction, the overlapping end sections 23 and 24 of the wrapper sheets 21 and 22 respectively beyond the transverse seam 25 serve as finger tabs, by which the wrapper 11 may be opened to permit withdrawal of the adhesive bandage `10 therefrom.

The sheets 21 and 22 are in adhesive contact with the adhesive bandage end sections 16 and 17 either directly or through a suitable inner coating or lamina of the type described, to serve not only as wrapper sheets but also as facing sheets for the adhesive bandage. In case polyethylene is employed as the wrapper material, the wrapper sheets 21 and 22 need no smooth coating or lamina but directly contact the adhesive end sections 16 and 17 of the bandage to serve as facing sheets therefor.

The three wrapper sheets 20, 21 and 22 are described and shown as constituting three separate sheets joined at the ends to form the end seams 27 and 29. However, as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, the three wrapper sheets 20, 21 and 22 may constitute a single piece of material folded near the ends of the adhesive bandage I10 to form the three sheets or panels arranged in the manner described and joined together by the side beams 2-6 and 28 and the transverse seam 25.

It should be noted that the package unit described s flat and free from bulges except those due to the pad 14, since the end flap sections 23 and 24 of the wrapper shee- ts 21 and 22 lie flat against the adhesive bandage 10. The simplicity of this construction makes manufacture comparatively easy and inexpensive and produces a urut which can be closely packed in stacks in a container occupying minimum of space. Moreover, there :are two overlapping layers of wrapping material over the pad 14, which requires the most protection against contamination, thereby assuring greater sterility of the package unit.

For opening the wrapper 11 to yield the adhesive bandage 10 therein, the fingers of one hand grasp and hold one end of the package unit, while the fingers of the other hand grasp the end fiap section 24 of the wrapper sheet 22 and pull on said end section until the transverse seam 25 is peeled open. Continued pull on the end ap section 24 of the wrapper sheet 22 breaks open the side seams 28 progressively towards the end seam 29 and this is continued beyond the end flap section 23 of the wrapper sheet 21 to expose fully said end ap section 23. At this stage, the fingers of the `two hands grasp the two end ap sections 23 and 24 of the wrapper sheets 21 and 22 respectively and pullthereon in opposite directions, to break open the side seams 26 and 28 neatly without tearing, to peel the wrapper sheets 21 and 22 away from the end adhesive sections 16 and 17 of the adhesive bandage 10, and to expose thereby progressively the adhesive bandage 10, as shown in FIG. 5. The pulls on the wrapper sheets 21 and 22 in the manner described are balanced and the wrapper 11, although flexible, has sufficient rigidity to prevent curlback of the adhesive bandage 10 as it it progressively exposed.

When a substantial portion of the adhesive'bandage 10 has been exposed by the manipulations described, the bandage may be applied to the affected skin or surface, while the fingers of the two hands still hold the end tab sections 23 and 24 of the wrapper sheets 21 and 22, and the pulls on said tab sections are continued to complete the removal of the wrapper sheets 21 and 22, whereupon the back wrapper sheet 20 may be lifted off the adhesive lbandage and the application of the adhesive bandage to the affected skin or surface completed.

It is seen, therefore, that the package unit constructed as described, can be expeditiously opened without curling the adhesive bandage 10 and without the fingers coming into contact with the adhesive side of the bandage, :and the bandage can be applied to the affected skin or surface without the fingers coming into contact with the adhesive side of the bandage.

The invention has been shown applied to a form of adhesive bandage containing an elongated rectangular strip of adhesive to which is affixed an absorbent rectangular pad or compress. -However, as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, the invention may be applied to adhesive bandages of other shapes. For example, it can be applied to a so-called patch type of adhesive bandage, in which a square piece of backing material coated with adhesive has a square absorbent pad in the center or to a so-called spot type of adhesive bandage in which a round piece of backing material coated with adhesive has a round absorbent pad in the center, or to a so-called middle wound type of bandage in which a comparatively large piece of gauze in the form of a pad has connected thereacross one or more strips of adhesive tape projecting beyond the gauze.

Also, as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, the adhesive bandage protected and wrapped in accordance with the present invention may consist simply of a piece of adhesive tape without an absorbent pad, such as the pad 16.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto, but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An adhesive bandage package unit comprising an adhesive bandage having an adhesive surface on one face thereof and a wrapper therefor, including a sheet extending along the other face thereof and two flat sheets extending along the adhesive face `of the adhesive bandage in direct contact therewith and forming facing sheets therefor, each of said two sheets being of substantially equal size and shape and being connected at one end to the corresponding end of the inst-mentioned sheet, all of said sheets having side margins projecting beyond the corresponding sides of the 'adhesive bandage, the projecting side margins of the two sheets being in face Contact with the projecting side margins of the first-mentioned sheet and being connected thereto by sealing means to form seams along the sides of the wrapper and to shape said wrapper in the form of an envelope, the inner end Isections of said two sheets opposite said connected ends respectively passing by each other and overlapping iat against said one face of the bandage in the center section of the bandage to dene an outer lap and an inner lap, said sealing means being strong enough to prevent contamination through the seams formed thereby but weak enough to permit the projecting margins connected together by said sealing means to peel apart upon the pulling of said end wrapper sections in opposite directions, said overlapping end wrapper sections defining therebetween an opening closed by a breakable transverse seam formed between said end wrapper sections and connecting into the side seams of the wrapper, said outer and inner laps being of substantial lengths to extend over a substantial portion of the center section of the bandage and said transverse seam being located intermediate the inner ends of said two sheet sections and being spaced substantially equidistant therefrom, the inner end sections of said two sheets ,beyond said transverse seam defining finger tabs by which References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Freiberger June 29, 1954 Banff Oct. 25, 1955

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