Disposable elastic thermal back wrap

• US 6,074,413 A
• Filed: 05/20/1998
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wyeth (Pfizer Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Martini, Amy Michelle, Kimble, Dawn Michele, Cramer, Ronald Dean, Ouellette, William Robert, Davis, Leane Kristine
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARTER, RYAN CHRISTOPHER
• Application Number:
  US09/082,348
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 607/108-112, 607/114, 165/46, 126/204, 602/2, 62/4
• US Class Current: 607/108
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0026 Middle part of back
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0098 ways of manufacturing heating or cooling devices for therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0268 having a plurality of compartments being filled with a heat carrier heat packs stored in pockets A61F2007/023, A61F2007/0238
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/03 thermophore, i.e. self-heating, e.g. using a chemical reaction

Abstract

The present invention relates to disposable thermal back wraps having one or more thermal packs comprising a plurality of heat cells, wherein heat is applied to specific areas of the user'"'"'s back, for pain relief. More particularly, the present invention relates to disposable elastic thermal back wraps having good conformity to user'"'"'s back which provides consistent, convenient and comfortable heat application.

Claims

1. A disposable thermal back wrap comprising:

a) at least one substantially rectangular piece of flexible material having a first end, a second end, and one or more elastic portions therebetween said first end and said second end wherein said elastic portion is stretchable along a longitudinal axis of said piece of flexible material;

b) one or more thermal packs, said thermal pack having a unified structure comprising at least one continuous layer of a semirigid material having a tensile strength of about 0.7 g/mm², or greater, and at least two-dimensional drape at a temperature of about 25°

C., and wherein said material has a tensile strength, at a temperature of about 35°

C. or greater, substantially less than said tensile strength of said material at about 25°

C., and having a plurality of individual heat cells spaced apart and fixed within or to said unified structure of said thermal pack; and

c) a fastening means in order to hold said thermal back wrap around said user'"'"'s torso.

2. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 1 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises a tensile strength of about 0.85 g/mm², or greater, and at least two-dimensional drape at a temperature of about 25°

C.

3. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 2 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises a tensile strength of about 1 g/mm², or greater, and at least two-dimensional drape at a temperature of about 25°

C.

4. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 1 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, polystyrene, saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, natural rubber, reclaimed rubber, synthetic rubber, and mixtures thereof.

5. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 4 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises an extruded material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, polystyrene, saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

6. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 5 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises a coextruded material having a first side selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, and polystyrene, and a second side selected from the group consisting of saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

7. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 6 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises a coextruded material having a first side of polypropylene and a second side of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

8. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 7 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises a coextruded material having a first side of polypropylene and a second side of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, wherein said polypropylene comprises from about 10% to about 90% of the total thickness of said material.

9. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 8 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises a coextruded material having a first side of polypropylene and a second side of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, wherein said polypropylene comprises from about 40% to about 60% of the total thickness of said material.

10. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 1 wherein said fastening means is reclosable.

11. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 10 wherein said reclosable fastening means comprises a hook and loop fastening system.

12. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 11 wherein said hook and loop fastening system comprises a two-part hook and loop fastening system.

13. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 1 wherein said disposable elastic thermal back wrap further comprises a lower flap portion extending outwardly from second edge.

14. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 1 wherein said disposable elastic thermal back wrap further comprises one or more stiffening layers.

15. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 1 wherein said heat cells comprise a shape selected from the group consisting of a disk, triangle, pyramid, cone, sphere, square, cube, rectangle, rectangular parallelepiped, cylinder, and ellipsoid, said disk having a diameter of from about 1 cm to about 5 cm and a height of from greater than about 0.2 cm to about 1 cm, and said triangle, pyramid, cone, sphere, square, cube, rectangle, rectangular parallelepiped, cylinder, and ellipsoid having a width at its widest point of from about 0.5 cm to about 5 cm and a height at its highest point of from greater than about 0.2 cm to about 1 cm and a length at its longest point of from about 1.5 cm to about 10 cm, and wherein further said heat cells, when filled with an exothermic composition, have a fill volume to cell volume ratio of from about 0.7 to about 1.0.

16. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 15 wherein said exothermic composition comprises:

a.) from about 30% to about 80% by weight, iron powder;

b.) from about 3% to about 25% by weight, carbonaceous material selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, non-activated carbon, and mixtures thereof;

c.) from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight, metal salt; and

d.) from about 1% to about 40% by weight, water.

17. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 16 wherein said exothermic composition further comprises from about 0.1% to about 30% by weight, of additional water-holding material.

18. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 15 wherein said exothermic composition comprises:

a.) from about 30% to about 80% by weight, of iron powder;

b.) from about 3% to about 20% by weight, carbonaceous material selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, non-activated carbon, and mixtures thereof;

c.) from about 0% to about 9% by weight, of an agglomeration aid selected from the group consisting of corn syrup, maltitol syrup, crystallizing sorbitol syrup, amorphous sorbitol syrup, and mixtures thereof; and

d.) from about 0% to about 35% by weight, of a dry binder selected from the group consisting of microcrystalline cellulose, maltodextrin, sprayed lactose, co-crystallized sucrose and dextrin, modified dextrose, mannitol, microfine cellulose, pre-gelatinized starch, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, and mixtures thereof;

wherein from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight, of a metal salt selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, transitional metal salts, and mixtures thereof is added to said composition as part of the dry mix or subsequently in an aqueous solution as brine, and wherein said exothermic composition comprises a physical form selected from the group consisting of dry agglomerated granules, direct compaction articles, and mixtures thereof, wherein said direct compaction articles are selected from the group consisting of granules, pellets, tablets, slugs, and mixtures thereof, and wherein said tablets and slugs comprise a geometric shape selected from the group consisting of disk, triangle, square, cube, rectangle, cylinder, and ellipsoid, said disk having a diameter of from about 1 cm to about 5 cm and a height of from about 0.08 cm to about 1 cm and said triangle, square, cube, rectangle, cylinder, and ellipsoid having a width at its widest point of from about 0.5 cm to about 5 cm and a height at its highest point of from about 0.08 cm to about 1 cm and a length at its longest point of from about 1 cm to about 10 cm.

19. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 18 wherein said exothermic composition further comprises from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight, of additional water-holding materials selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid salt starch co-polymer, isobutylene maleic anhydride co-polymer, vermiculite, carboxymethylcellulose, and mixtures thereof.

20. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 18 wherein said dry binder comprises from about 4% to about 30% by weight, of microcrystalline cellulose.

21. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 18 wherein said tablets comprise a geometric shape selected from the group consisting of a disk shape having a hole passing perpendicular to and through the middle of the top and bottom surfaces and a disk shape wherein the top and bottom surfaces are concaved forming a reservoir conducive to holding a liquid.

22. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 18 wherein said direct compaction articles comprise a density of greater than about 1 g/cm³.

23. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 1 further comprising additional components selected from the group consisting of active aromatic compounds, non-active aromatic compounds, pharmaceutical actives, and mixtures thereof.

47. A method of treating back pain, selected from the group consisting of acute muscular, acute skeletal, acute referred, recurrent muscular, recurrent skeletal, recurrent referred, chronic muscular, chronic skeletal, and chronic referred back pain, by applying a disposable thermal back wrap of claim 1 to the back of a person needing such treatment, to maintain a skin temperature to the back of from about 32°

C. to about 50°

C. for a time period of from about twenty seconds to about twenty-four hours, wherein said skin temperature and said period of time of maintaining said skin temperature is appropriately selected by said person needing such treatment, to substantially relieve said pain without adverse events.

48. A method of treating back pain according to claim 47 wherein said skin temperature is maintained from about 32°

C. to about 39°

C.

49. A method of treating back pain according to claim 47 wherein said skin temperature is maintained at a temperature of from about 32°

C. to about 43°

C. for a time period of greater than about 1 hour, wherein said relief of said pain is substantially prolonged for at least about 2 hours after removal of said heat from the back of said person needing such treatment.

50. A method of treating back pain according to claim 49 wherein said skin temperature is maintained at a temperature of from about 32°

C. to about 41°

C. for a time period of greater than about 4 hours, wherein said relief of said pain is substantially prolonged for at least about 1 day after removal of said heat from the back of said person needing such treatment.

24. A disposable thermal back wrap comprising at least one thermal pack having a unified structure comprising at least one continuous layer of material and a plurality of individual heat cells placed into positions fixed within or to said unified structure of said thermal pack which are sufficiently close and relative to each other, so as to block some or all possible axes across said at least one continuous layer, which otherwise would have passed uninterrupted between said heat cells, through said thermal pack, or select regions thereof.

25. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 24 wherein at least one of said heat cells of four adjacent said heat cells, whose centers form a quadrilateral pattern, blocks one or more of said axes that could otherwise form at least one fold line tangential to the edges of one or more pairings of the remaining said heat cells in the quadrilateral pattern.

26. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 25 wherein the spacing between said at least one of said heat cells and each of said heat cells of said one or more pairings of said remaining heat cells in said quadrilateral pattern is the same or less than the spacing obtained by dividing the measurement of the smallest diameter of the smallest diameter heat cell of said heat cells within said quadrilateral pattern by 2 and multiplying the result by 0.75.

27. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 24 wherein at least one of said heat cells of three adjacent said heat cells, whose centers form a triangular pattern, blocks one or more of said axes that could otherwise form at least one fold line tangential to the edges of the remaining pair of said heat cells in the triangular pattern formed by said three heat cells.

28. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 27 wherein the spacing between said at least one of said heat cells and each of said heat cells of said remaining pair of said heat cells in said triangular pattern is the same or less than the spacing obtained by dividing the measurement of the smallest diameter of the smallest diameter heat cell of said heat cells within said triangular pattern by 2 and multiplying the result by 0.3.

29. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 24 wherein said at least one continuous layer comprises a semirigid material having a tensile strength of about 0.7 g/mm², or greater, and at least two-dimensional drape at a temperature of about 25°

C., and wherein said material has a tensile strength, at a temperature of about 35°

C. or greater, substantially less than said tensile strength of said material at about 25°

C.

30. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 29 wherein said continuous layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, polystyrene, saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, natural rubber, reclaimed rubber, synthetic rubber, and mixtures thereof.

31. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 30 wherein said continuous layer comprises a coextruded material having a first side selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyurethane, and polystyrene, and a second side selected from the group consisting of saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

32. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 31 wherein said continuous layer comprises a coextruded material having a first side of polypropylene and a second side of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

33. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 24 wherein said heat cells comprise a shape selected from the group consisting of a disk, triangle, pyramid, cone, sphere, square, cube, rectangle, rectangular parallelepiped, cylinder, and ellipsoid, said disk having a diameter of from about 1 cm to about 5 cm and a height of from greater than about 0.2 cm to about 1 cm, and said triangle, pyramid, cone, sphere, square, cube, rectangle, rectangular parallelepiped, cylinder, and ellipsoid having a width at its widest point of from about 0.5 cm to about 5 cm and a height at its highest point of from greater than about 0.2 cm to about 1 cm and a length at its longest point of from about 1.5 cm to about 10 cm, and wherein said heat cells, when filled with an exothermic composition, have a fill volume to cell volume ratio of from about 0.7 to about 1.0.

34. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 33 wherein said exothermic composition comprises:

a.) from about 30% to about 80% by weight, iron powder;

b.) from about 3% to about 25% by weight, carbonaceous material selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, non-activated carbon, and mixtures thereof;

c.) from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight, metal salt; and

d.) from about 1% to about 40% by weight, water.

35. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 34 wherein said exothermic composition further comprises from about 0.1% to about 30% by weight, of additional water-holding material.

36. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 33 wherein said exothermic composition comprises:

a.) from about 30% to about 80% by weight, of iron powder;

b.) from about 3% to about 20% by weight, of carbonaceous material selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, non-activated carbon, and mixtures thereof;

c.) from about 0% to about 9% by weight, of an agglomeration aid selected from the group consisting of corn syrup, maltitol syrup, crystallizing sorbitol syrup, amorphous sorbitol syrup, and mixtures thereof; and

d.) from about 0% to about 35% by weight, of a dry binder selected from the group consisting of microcrystalline cellulose, maltodextrin, sprayed lactose, co-crystallized sucrose and dextrin, modified dextrose, mannitol, microfine cellulose, pre-gelatinized starch, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, and mixtures thereof;

wherein from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight, of a metal salt selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, transitional metal salts, and mixtures thereof is added to said composition as part of the dry mix or subsequently in an aqueous solution as brine, and wherein further said exothermic composition comprises a physical form selected from the group consisting of dry agglomerated granules, direct compaction articles, and mixtures thereof, wherein said direct compaction articles are selected from the group consisting of granules, pellets, tablets, slugs, and mixtures thereof, and wherein said tablets and slugs comprise a geometric shape selected from the group consisting of disk, triangle, square, cube, rectangle, cylinder, and ellipsoid, said disk having a diameter of from about 1 cm to about 5 cm and a height of from about 0.08 cm to about 1 cm and said triangle, square, cube, rectangle, cylinder, and ellipsoid having a width at its widest point of from about 0.5 cm to about 5 cm and a height at its highest point of from about 0.08 cm to about 1 cm and a length at its longest point of from about 1 cm to about 10 cm.

37. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 36 wherein said exothermic composition further comprises from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight, of additional water-holding materials selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid salt starch co-polymer, isobutylene maleic anhydride co-polymer, vermiculite, carboxymethylcellulose, and mixtures thereof.

38. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 36 wherein said dry binder comprises from about 4% to about 30% by weight, of microcrystalline cellulose.

39. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 36 wherein said tablets comprise a geometric shape selected from the group consisting of a disk shape having a hole passing perpendicular to and through the middle of the top and bottom surfaces and a disk shape wherein said top and bottom surfaces are concaved forming a reservoir conducive to holding a liquid.

40. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 36 wherein said direct compaction articles comprise a density of greater than about 1 g/cm³.

41. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 24 wherein said fastening means is reclosable.

42. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 41 wherein said reclosable fastening means comprises a hook and loop fastening system.

43. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 42 wherein said hook and loop fastening system comprises a two-part hook and loop fastening system.

44. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 24 wherein said disposable elastic thermal back wrap further comprises a lower flap portion extending outwardly from second edge.

45. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 24 wherein said disposable elastic thermal back wrap further comprises one or more stiffening layers.

46. A disposable thermal back wrap according to claim 24 further comprising additional components selected from the group consisting of active aromatic compounds, non-active aromatic compounds, pharmaceutical actives, and mixtures thereof.

51. A method of treating back pain, selected from the group consisting of acute muscular, acute skeletal, acute referred, recurrent muscular, recurrent skeletal, recurrent referred, chronic muscular, chronic skeletal, and chronic referred back pain, by applying a disposable thermal back wrap of claim 24 to the back of a person needing such treatment, to maintain a skin temperature to the back of from about 32°

C. to about 50°

C. for a time period of from about twenty seconds to about twenty-four hours, wherein said skin temperature and said period of time of maintaining said skin temperature is appropriately selected by said person needing such treatment, to substantially relieve said pain without adverse events.

52. A method of treating back pain according to claim 51 wherein said skin temperature is maintained from about 32°

C. to about 39°

C.

53. A method of treating back pain according to claim 51 wherein said skin temperature is maintained at a temperature of from about 32°

C. to about 43°

C. for a time period of greater than about 1 hour, wherein said relief of said pain is substantially prolonged for at least about 2 hours after removal of said heat from the back of said person needing such treatment.

54. A method of treating back pain according to claim 53 wherein said skin temperature is maintained at a temperature of from about 32°

C. to about 41°

C. for a time period of greater than about 4 hours, wherein said relief of said pain is substantially prolonged for at least about 1 day after removal of said heat from the back of said person needing such treatment.