Disposable thermal body wrap

• US 6,336,935 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1999
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bridges Consumer Healthcare LLC
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: McCarthy, Nancy Jean, Davis, Leane Kristine
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda C. M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAM, JOCELYN D
• Application Number:
  US09/397,338
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 607/112, 607/114, 607/96
• US Class Current: 607/112
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0226 adhesive, self-sticking
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/038 Carbon or charcoal, e.g. active
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/032 using oxygen from the air, e.g. pocket-stoves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/034 Flameless

Abstract

The thermal body wraps of the present invention comprise a unified laminate structure having at least one continuous layer of a flexible material having a substantially rectangular, dog bone-like shape and having a first side, a second side, a first end, a second end, a plurality of heat cells, and means for releasably attaching the thermal body wrap to a user'"'"'s body. Preferably the heat cells are placed into positions fixed within or to the unified structure of the thermal body wraps, relative to each other and sufficiently close to provide controlled, sustained, and uniform heat to the body or body part of the user.

Claims

1. A disposable thermal body wrap having a unified structure comprising:

a) at least one continuous layer of flexible material having a substantially planar, rectangular shape, a first side, a second side, a longitudinal axis terminating at a first end and a diametric second end, a first edge and a second edge extending parallel to said longitudinal axis and terminating at said first end and said second end, and a narrowing of said continuous layer from said first edge to said second edge substantially midway between said first end and said second end;

b) a plurality of heat cells containing an exothermic composition spaced apart and fixed within or to said at least one continuous layer of flexible material in a substantially X-like pattern along said longitudinal axis; and

c) a means for releasably attaching said thermal body wrap to a user'"'"'s body, said attachment means located at or near said first and second ends comprising an adhesive having secure initial and prolonged attachment, reattachment capability, and easy/painless removal from the skin with substantially no residual adhesive remaining on the skin after removal of said wrap.

2. A disposable thermal body wrap according to claim 1 wherein said means for releasably attaching said thermal body wrap being located on said first side of said flexible material so that said first side of said flexible material may be placed directly against a user'"'"'s body, wherein said second side comprises an oxygen permeability means.

3. A disposable thermal body wrap according to claim 2 wherein said means for releasably attaching said thermal body wrap comprises an adhesive having a 90°

peel strength of from about 300 g/25 mm to about 1000 g/25 mm.

4. A disposable thermal body 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 ellipsoid having a width at its widest point of from about 0.3 cm to about 10 cm and a height at its highest point of from greater than about 0.2 cm to about 5 cm and a length at its longest point of from about 1 cm to about 10 cm, and wherein said heat cells, when filled with said exothermic composition, have a fill volume to cell volume ratio of from about 0.7 to about 1.0.

5. A disposable thermal body wrap according to claim 1 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.

6. A disposable thermal body wrap according to claim 5 wherein said exothermic composition further comprises from about 0.1 to about 30% by weight, of additional water-holding material.

7. A disposable thermal body wrap according to claim 1 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 further 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, and slugs.

8. A disposable thermal body wrap according to claim 7 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.

9. A disposable thermal body wrap according to claim 8 wherein said dry binder comprises from about 4% to about 30% by weight, of microcrystalline cellulose.

10. A disposable thermal body 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.

11. A disposable thermal body w rap according to claim 1 wherein the spacing between said at least one of said beat cells and each of said heat cells of said one or more pairings of said remaining beat 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.

12. A disposable thermal body wrap according to claim 1 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.