Skin attachment member
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A skin attachment member of plastic resin, includes a sheet-form backing, and an array of skin penetrating elements extending integrally from the backing. The skin penetrating elements are configured to penetrate into the epidermal skin layer and are sized to limit painful contact with nerves below the epidermal skin layer. At least many of the skin penetrating elements each include at least one retention barb extending from an outer surface of the skin penetrating element. The barbs are configured to cooperate to resist removal of the skin attachment member from skin. The skin penetrating elements have a cone-shaped body with a pointed tip. The skin penetrating elements can have a groove in their outer surface. The skin attachment member is formed by molding.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1-18. -18. (canceled)
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19. A method of making a skin attachment member, the method comprising:
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from a single plastic resin, forming an array of skin penetrating elements extending integrally from a backing, the skin penetrating elements sized to avoid contact with nerves below the epidermal skin layer during use; and
from the plastic resin, forming a discrete retention barb extending integrally from a surface of at least a plurality of the skin penetrating elements. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of delivering a drug to a subject, the method comprising
providing a member comprising a backing and an array of skin penetrating elements extending integrally from a surrounding surface of the backing to a tip and sized to avoid contact with nerves below an epidermal skin layer of the subject when the skin penetrating elements fully penetrate the epidermal skin layer, wherein a plurality of the skin penetrating elements each define a longitudinal groove in an outer surface thereof, and wherein the array of skin penetrating elements are formed integrally of a single plastic resin; -
penetrating the epidermal skin layer of the subject with the skin penetrating elements; and
delivering the drug to the subject along the longitudinal grooves on the skin penetrating elements. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of attaching a skin attachment member to an epidermal skin layer of a subject, the method comprising;
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providing a skin attachment member comprising a backing and an array of skin penetrating elements extending integrally from a surrounding surface of the backing to a tip and sized to avoid contact with nerves below the epidermal skin layer when the skin penetrating elements fully penetrate the epidermal skin layer, wherein a plurality of the skin penetrating elements each includes a retention barb extending from an outer surface of the skin penetrating element, and wherein the array of skin penetrating elements, including each retention barb, is formed integrally of a single plastic resin;
positioning the skin attachment member on the epidermal skin layer of the subject; and
applying sufficient pressure to the skin attachment member to cause penetration of the skin penetrating elements into the epidermal skin layer, such that the retention barbs resist removal of the attachment member from the epidermal skin layer. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification