WO2005102036A1

WO2005102036A1 - Method and cap for treatment against lice and nits

Info

Publication number: WO2005102036A1
Application number: PCT/DK2005/000261
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pia Rasmussen
Original assignee: Thorsen, Roland
Priority date: 2004-04-20
Filing date: 2005-04-18
Publication date: 2005-11-03

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for treatment against lice and nits in an infested area, particularly the scalp/hair of a human head (2), and to a cap (3) for effective treatment of both lice and nits with said method.

Description

Method and cap for treatment against lice and nits

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for treatment against lice and nits from an infested area, particularly the scalp/hair of a human head, comprising the following steps: enclosure of said infested area with a sufficiently airtight enclosure; heat treatment of said infested area for a period of time, sufficient to kill said lice and nits; removal of said sufficiently airtight enclosure; and combing of said hair for removing dead lice and nits.

The present invention, furthermore, relates to a cap for effective treatment of both lice and nits.

Background of the invention

Lice are a group of parasitic insects that live on both human beings and various animals; and nits are the eggs of such insects. Head lice are common among children because of the frequency with which they put their heads together during games and work projects at schools, kindergartens, sport clubs or the like.

If one child is infested, then all the other children are likely to be infested. In severe cases, the lice can be seen, but in most cases the diagnosis is made after finding small, shiny, pearl-coloured nits (eggs) attached to the hairs of the scalp.

Furthermore lice can be present among people that do not have access to getting a regular bath, or people having a low hygienic standard.

One of the usual treatment methods involves applying a shampoo or a lotion, which includes artificial or natural active ingredients killing the lice and the nits.

However, this treatment method is not entirely satisfactory for several reasons: - the active ingredient may be harmful to the scalp, and must then be applied with care, - to acquire some preparations it is necessary to have a physicians prescription, - some preparations have to be left on the head for a long period of time, e.g. 12 hours, before washing the hair/head,

- the treatment must be repeated because of the difficulty of killing particularly the nits, and - some lice and nits have developed immunity towards particular preparations, which further increases the difficulty in killing them.

An alternative treatment method involves using a comb with teeth arranged closely to another for removing the lice and the nits.

However, this treatment method is not entirely satisfactory either because it most often causes discomfort or pain to people having long and/or curly hair when a comb is pulled though their hair, and especially children are unwilling to undergo such a treatment. Furthermore, living lice can freely move from uncombed hair to combed hair, so not only is it a time-consuming treatment, it must also be repeated.

Other alternative treatment methods are used for overcoming the disadvantages of the above-mentioned treatment methods.

E.g. in US 5,261,427 where a comb is described by which it is possible to blow hot air steam through the teeth of the comb when the comb is run though the hair. The temperature of the steam and/or the chemical or natural agent added to the steam will kill the lice and nits when the comb is pulled though the hair.

The disadvantages of this type of treatment are:

- the hair may be damaged by the concentrated heat applied by the steam and the chemical or natural agent added to the steam, thereby making it necessary to use time and maybe expensive hair products to revitalise the hair, - it can be difficult to direct enough steam into thick and curly hair to obtain the necessary temperature to kill the lice and nits that are near the hair roots, without applying too much steam and then either burning the scalp or damaging the hair, - the treated hair is left wet by the treatment. Wet hair is a source of irritation to especially women and/or people having long and curly hair because it take time to dry the hair.

Another alternative treatment method is described in EP 0 221 004, where a plastic or rubber cap is used for enclosing the hair, and where the breathable oxygen is substituted with an inert gas such as carbon dioxide, whereby the lice and nits are suffocated.

The disadvantages of this type of treatment are:

- It is necessary to use an inert gas, which has to be filled into e.g. a cartridge or another type of container, which mush be purchased prior to the treatment and discharged after the treatment. This causes continuous costs related to using the treatment and further waste when discharging the cartridges/containers. - The cap must be gas tight and have an opening that can fit closely to the scalp of the person in order for the lice and nits to be suffocated. This puts demands on the material and the method of producing the cap.

Heat treatments can also be carried out by using a hair drying system comprising a cap which is connected to blowing and heating means. The document US5829157 and US5887357 discloses a cap for hair drying that can be used for heat treatment against lice and nits. However, practical experience has shown that heat treatment by the use of traditional hair drying caps against lice is poor due to the capability of the lice to adapt to the high temperatures under the cap. The ability of the lice to adapt and regulate to high temperatures are due to their exo-skeleton, which means that the skeleton is located on the outside on the lice.

Object of the invention

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method for treatment against lice and nits in an infested area, particularly the scalp/hair of a human head, which is applicable to any person, easy to use and which does not cause damage to the hair.

The object is obtained by a method described in the preamble of claim 1, and wherein said treatment comprises an initial heating step where hot air with a temperature of approximately 150-200 °C is applied to the infected area, for a first period of time, and a following second period where the temperature in the sufficiently airtight enclosure is reduced to 45-70 °C, preferably 50-65 °C, and where the temperature is maintained at a substantially constant level for a period of time.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cap, which can be used with said method and which is very effective and easy to use. This further object is obtained by a method described in the preamble of claim 5, and wherein the cap comprises a number of temperature sensors in order to control the means for providing hot air.

Description of the Invention

In the following, a method and a cap are described, which method and cap are used for treatment of a lice and nits infested area, such as a scalp of a human head. The method can be used on other parts of a human body and can also be used on hair/fur-bearing mammals.

When following the method according to the present invention, it is possible to perform an efficient treatment of any kind of lice and nits infested hair because the infested area is exposed to an initial heat burst where the temperature in the cap is raised to approximately 80-200 °C and preferably about 180 °C for a short period of time. The initial heat burst kills the lice because they are not able to adapt and regulate to the sudden change in temperature, which will cause a sort of heat stroke to the living lice. Even though the lice have an exo-skeleton structure, they are not capable of regulating to sudden changes in the temperature. The high temperature does not cause any damage or unpleasant feeling to the people who are being treated because the exposures of the high temperature are limited to approximately 15 seconds.

The temperature is subsequently reduced to approximately 45-70 °C and preferably about 55-60 °C, which temperature is maintained constant over a period of several minutes. This "steady-state" period causes the nits to dry out and the next generation of lice is hereby avoided. The invention is a great improvement compared to prior art because the method is very effective in the treatment of both lice and nits. Thus there is no need for different types of treatment against lice and nits respectively. Furthermore, the method is very easy to carry out and it does not damage the hair or the scalp.

Due to the simple method, it is possible to perform the treatment repeatedly without having to buy extra accessories in the form of e.g. shampoo, lotion or inert gas-filled cartridges. Thus the type of treatment according to the present invention is very cost efficient.

Another advantage of the present invention is that all of the person's hair on the scalp can be treated in one process, thereby eliminating the risk of surviving lice/living lice moving to portions of already treated hair and then start all over again by laying new nits.

Furthermore, neither lice nor nits will develop immunity against the heat treatment and there is no need for poisoning chemicals to be put in the hair.

A further advantage is that the method uses a simple heat treatment, and it can, therefore, be applied without a prescription from a physician and without the risk of injuring the person's scalp or hair. Furthermore, the treatment can be applied as often as desired, even when there is a mere suspicion that a person's hair is infested with lice.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the temperature in the sufficiently airtight enclosure is controlled by the steps of: - measurement of the temperature inside the sufficiently airtight enclosure, and - use of the temperature measurement as a feedback signal for controlling the temperature of the hot air that is applied to the cap.

It is, hereby, possible to make sure that the temperature of the hot air inside the cap is high enough to kill the lice and subsequently dry out the nits.

To ensure that every nit is dried out, the temperature in the second period is maintained at a substantially constant level for approximately 5-25 minutes, which has been found to be the period of time necessary. A period of approximately 10 minutes has shown to be effective in the drying out of the nits.

If it is uncertain whether all lice and nits have been killed, the method can easily be repeated several times a day or once in a while over a larger time span, thereby reducing the risk of having lice, e.g. every time a child has been in contact with other children at the playground or in kindergarten.

To ensure that the heat treatment is efficient for the whole of a person's hair, the infested area is enclosed with a sufficiently airtight enclosure, where the sufficiently airtight enclosure allows the distribution of heat into and/or around the hair without immediately releasing the heat to the surroundings, thereby reducing the amount of heat necessary to kill the lice and nits.

To provide the sufficiently airtight enclosure, a cap is provided for treatment against lice and nits in the hair on a human head. Other sufficiently airtight enclosures can be formed for applying the heat treatment to other human body parts or to animals.

To perform the heat treatment to the enclosed hair in the cap, the cap is provided with means for providing hot air, such as a blower with an integrated heating element or the like. The means for providing hot air can be activated when said cap has been arranged on the head and deactivated when the necessary period of time has elapsed. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cap comprises means for automatic running of a treatment program. The treatment program controls the timing of the treatment and is in an advantageous embodiment implemented as firmware in a microprocessor or the like.

By "sufficiently airtight enclosure" equipment is meant where air can be restrained for a necessary period of time. A cap with an aperture adapted for a human head could provide the "sufficiently airtight enclosure".

After the heat treatment the sufficiently airtight enclosure is removed and dead lice and nits can either be shaken, combed or washed out of the hair. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the cap comprises a number of temperature sensors in order to control the means for providing hot air. This way, it is possible to control the temperature inside the cap during the heat treatment in order to ensure that the temperature is sufficient to kill the lice and nits. Furthermore, the temperature sensors can also be used in order ensure that the hot air is not causing any harm or damage to the hair an scalp of the person who is being treated. This is a great advantage compared to traditional caps, which do not have feedback means for measuring the temperatures of the hot air inside the cap.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the means for providing hot air is connected to a controller, which controller is connected to the temperature sensors that are used as feedback in order to adjust the means for providing hot air. A closed loop control system for adjusting the temperature of the hot air is hereby achieved. The control system can be implemented by analogue or digital electronics such as microprocessors / controllers or the like

In one embodiment of the invention the controller means is a differential controller for adjusting the temperature of the hot air based on the temperature difference of the input from a number of temperature sensors. For instance, the temperature difference between the hottest and the lowest temperature can be used as a parameter for adjusting the temperature of the hot air applied to the cap in order to optimize the heat treatment.

The temperature sensors are placed around the cap in order to measure the temperature at locations around the head. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the temperature are measured in the neck area and behind the ears, which are favourite spots for the lice and nits to sit. In another embodiment, the cap comprises a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature on top of the scalp. This way, it is possible to optimize the treatment for people with long and short hair.

People with long hair have to put all their hair under the cap in order to get a sufficiently airtight enclosure. In order for the treatment to be as efficient as possible, it is necessary to take account of the amount of hair under the cap. This can be done by placing a number of temperature sensors around the cap, which makes it possible to regulate and adapt the temperature in the cap to the amount of hair.

In an embodiment of the invention, the controller means and temperature sensors are connected to each other by a wireless connection. The wireless connection can be implemented by Bluetooth® technology or the like. In another embodiment, the controller means and temperature sensors are connected to each other by wires.

In one embodiment of the present invention said means for providing heat treatment are a number of electrical heating elements integrated in the cap, and said electrical heating elements are connected to a switch for being activated/deactivated.

In another embodiment of the present invention said means for providing heat treatment are at least one hot air source connected to said cap, where said hot air source e.g. can be blowers with electrical heating elements, whereby the blower blows hot air into the cap via at least one connection. The blower can be an electrical fan, an exhaust pipe from a vacuum cleaner or the like.

To allow for the continuous hot air supply provided by said blower(s), said cap is provided with a number of venting apertures, which e.g. are arranged opposite to the connection(s) of said blower(s) to said cap, thereby ensuring that the hot air has to pass through the hair before being released through said venting apertures into the surroundings.

In one embodiment of the present invention said cap is provided in a heat resistant and resilient material, thereby allowing the same cap to be used for persons with different head sizes and the cap will reduce the volume of the hair and ensure that heat can be supplied into the hair by hot air convection or heating element conduction.

In another embodiment of the present invention said cap is provided in a heat resistant and solid material and is with an opening with a resilient edge. This embodiment will typically be used with a hot air source and said resilient edge around the opening will ensure that the cap closes sufficiently airtight around the head of a person during the heat treatment. Furthermore, the cap is insulated in order to keep the temperature relatively high under the cap.

The cap according to the present invention can be equipment which a family will buy when lice are found, or equipment bought by schools or kindergartens to reduce the risk of transfer office at premises where there are many children.

Description of the Drawing

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein: fig. 1 shows a cap with a hot air source according to the present invention, fig. 2 shows a cross section of said cap with integrated temperature sensors, and fig. 3 shows a plot of temperature vs. time according to the method of the present invention.

The reference numbers in the figures indicate the following:

I Human 2 Head

3 Cap

4 Edge part

5 Hot air source connection

6 Temperature sensors 7 Plot of temperature vs. time according to the method of the present invention

8 Connecting piece

9 First period - Initial heating step

10 Second period substantially constant temperature level

I I Maximum temperature in the first period (Initial heating step) 12 Temperature level in the second period Detailed Description of the Invention

Figs. 1 and 2 show a human 1 with a cap 3 on his/her head 2, where said cap 3 is provided with an edge part 4, which causes the cap 3 to adapt sufficiently airtight around said head 2, and a hot air source connection 5 shown in the form of a tube.

The hot air source connection 5 can be an integral part of said cap 3 or be a separate part applied on a connecting piece 8 on said cap 3.

Said hot air source connection 5 can be connected to a blower (not shown), which provides hot air having the necessary temperature to the cap 3.

A number of temperature sensors 6 are shown in fig. 2. The temperature sensors 6 are in a preferred embodiment of the invention connected to control means (not shown). The connection between the temperature sensors 6 and the control means (not shown) is in an embodiment of the invention based on a wireless connection such as

Bluetooth® or the like.

Fig. 3 shows a plot 7 of temperature vs. time according to the method of the present invention where the first period 9 represents an initial heating step where the temperature 11 in the cap 3 reaches approximately 80-200 °C in a short time. The duration of the first period 9 is in an embodiment of the invention set to approximately 15 seconds, which have shown to be ideal to kill the lice.

The first period 9 is followed by a second period 10 where the temperature 12 in the cap 3 is reduced to 45-70 °C, preferably 50-65 °C. The duration of the second period is in a preferred embodiment of the invention approximately 10 minutes, which have shown to be ideal for drying out the nits.

It is important to note that only a part of the second period 10 is shown.

Claims

1. Method for treatment against lice and nits in an infested area, particularly the scalp/hair of a human (1) head (2), comprising the following steps of: - enclosure of said infested area with a sufficiently airtight enclosure (3), - heat treatment of said infested area for a period of time, sufficiently long to kill said lice and nits, - removal of said sufficiently airtight enclosure, characterized in that the heat treatment comprises: - an initial heating step where hot air with a temperature of approximately 80-200 °C is applied to the infected area, for a first period of time, and - a following second period where the temperature in the sufficiently airtight enclosure is reduced to 45-70 °C, preferably 50-65 °C, and where the temperature is maintained at a substantially constant level, for a period of time.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature in the sufficiently airtight enclosure is controlled by the following steps: - measurement of the temperature inside the sufficiently airtight enclosure, - use of the temperature measurement as a feedback signal for controlling the temperature of the hot air that is applied to the cap.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature in the second period is maintained at a substantially constant level for approximately 5-25 minutes.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat treatment is repeated a number of times.

5. Cap (3) for providing said sufficiently airtight enclosure (3) in said method according to claim 1, where said cap comprises means for providing hot air to the enclosure, characterized in that the cap comprises a number of temperature sensors in order to control the means for providing hot air.

6. Cap (3) according to claim 4, characterized in that the means for providing hot air is connected to a controller, which controller is connected to the temperature sensors that are used as feedback in order to adjust the means for providing hot air.

7. Cap (3) according to claim 6, characterized in that the controller means is a differential controller for adjusting the temperature of the hot air based on the temperature difference of the input from a number of said temperature sensors.

8. Cap (3) according to claim 5, characterized in that said temperature sensors are placed around the cap.

9. Cap (3) according to claim 5, characterized in that the controller means and temperature sensors are connected to each other by a wireless connection.

10. Cap (3) according to claim 5, characterized in that said cap (3) is provided with a number of venting apertures.