Glove with medicated porous beads

• US 20050106201A1
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: O&M Halyard, Inc. (Owens and Minor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Janssen, Robert Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,175,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/402
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 19/0058 Three-dimensional gloves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 42/00 Surgical gloves; Finger-stalls specially adapted for surgery; Devices for handling or treatment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 42/10 Surgical gloves
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/30 Compounds of undetermined constitution extracted from natural sources, e.g. Aloe Vera
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/428 Vitamins, e.g. tocopherol, riboflavin
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/452 Lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/145 Hydrogels or hydrocolloids
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/16 Biologically active materials, e.g. therapeutic substances A61L31/047 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1352 Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1386 Natural or synthetic rubber or rubber-like compound containing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24372 Particulate matter
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2438 Coated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24405 Polymer or resin [e.g., natural or synthetic rubber, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/25 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and including a second component containing structurally defined particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/254 Polymeric or resinous material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/268 Monolayer with structurally defined element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/269 including synthetic resin or polymer layer or component

Abstract

An elastomeric article includes a substrate body formed from an elastomeric material, and a plurality of porous beads capable of containing a treatment within the pores of the beads and dispensing the treatment to an end user.

Claims

1. An elastomeric article comprising:

a substrate body including an elastomeric material;

a plurality of porous beads having pore sizes from about 0.01 microns to about 0.5 microns, the beads being covalently bonded to the elastomeric material; and

a treatment impregnated into the pores, the treatment being time releasable to an environment.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein the porous beads comprise a polymer having a vinyl group.

3. The article of claim 2 wherein the vinyl group is selected from the group consisting of a carbon-carbon vinyl group and an acrylate group.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein the treatment is selected from the group consisting of a moisturizer, an ointment, a drug, and an emollient.

5. The article of claim 1 wherein the treatment is selected from the group consisting of aloe, vitamin E, lanolin, polyethylene glycol, glycerin, and mineral oil.

6. The article of claim 1 wherein the environment comprises an end user'"'"'s skin and the treatment enhances the skin health of the end user.

7. The article of claim 1 comprising impregnating the porous beads with the treatment prior to bonding the beads to the elastomeric material.

8. The article of claim 1 comprising bonding the beads to the elastomeric material and subsequently impregnating the porous beads with the treatment.

9. The article of claim 8 comprising spraying the treatment onto the article thereby incorporating the treatment into the pores.

10. The article of claim 8 comprising dipping the article into the treatment thereby incorporating the treatment into the pores.

11. The article of claim 8 comprising coating the treatment onto the article thereby incorporating the treatment into the pores.

12. The article of claim 8 comprising rinsing excess treatment from the article so that the treatment remains substantially within the pores.

13. The article of claim 1 wherein the porosity of an exemplary bead comprises from about 0.1 percent to about 90 percent of the entire volume of the bead.

14. The article of claim 1 wherein the porosity of an exemplary bead comprises from about 20 percent to about 50 percent of the entire volume of the bead.

15. The article of claim 1 comprising a surfactant coating on the elastomeric material.

16. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is a glove.

17. An elastomeric article comprising:

a substrate body having a first surface; and

a donning layer overlying the first surface, the donning layer comprising a polymeric material containing a plurality of porous beads having pore sizes from about 0.01 microns to about 0.5 microns, the beads being covalently bonded to the donning layer; and

a treatment impregnated into the pores, the treatment being time releasable to an environment.

18. The article of claim 17 wherein the polymeric material comprises a hydrogel.

19. The article of claim 17 wherein the porosity of an exemplary bead comprises from about 0.1 percent to about 90 percent of the entire volume of the bead.

20. The article of claim 17 wherein the porosity of an exemplary bead comprises from about 20 percent to about 50 percent of the entire volume of the bead.

21. The article of claim 17 comprising a surfactant incorporated into the donning layer.

22. The article of claim 17 wherein the donning layer comprises from about 0.01 mass percent to about 80 mass percent porous beads.

23. The article of claim 17 wherein the donning layer comprises from about 1 mass percent to about 50 mass percent porous beads.

24. The article of claim 17 wherein the donning layer comprises from about 10 mass percent to about 25 mass percent porous beads.

25. The article of claim 17 wherein the porous beads comprise a polymer having a vinyl group.

26. The article of claim 25 wherein the vinyl group is selected from the group consisting of a carbon-carbon vinyl group and an acrylate group.