Antimicrobial Adhesives

Abstract

A highly ductile and flexible antimicrobial adhesive film capable of being applied to wide variety of standardized objects with varying dimensions is disclosed. The antimicrobial adhesive may be precut with slits and perforations to aid in application and removal. The antimicrobial adhesive may easily be applied over themselves repeatedly without losing their ease of removal along the lines of perforation.

Claims

1. An antimicrobial adhesive, comprising: an antimicrobial adhesive film; and a liner, wherein the antimicrobial adhesive film comprises: an antimicrobial additive; a polymer film; and an adhesive layer disposed on the polymer film, wherein the liner is disposed on the adhesive layer.

2. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial additives comprise particles selected from the group consisting of silver, zinc, copper, copper ions, silver ions, zinc ions, and zinc-oxide.

3-4. (canceled)

5. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein the polymer film comprises the antimicrobial additives.

6. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein said adhesive layer comprises the antimicrobial additives.

7. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial adhesive is arranged in a roll.

8. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 7, wherein the antimicrobial adhesive has at least one of slits or perforation extending through at least one of the antimicrobial adhesive film or the liner.

9. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 7, wherein the antimicrobial adhesive film is ductile such that the antimicrobial adhesive film can be stretched around an object and maintain a shape of the object.

10. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 9, wherein the antimicrobial adhesive has at least one of slits or perforation extending through at least one of the antimicrobial adhesive film or the liner.

11. (canceled)

12. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial adhesive film is precut and sized to fit a shape of an object.

13. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 12, wherein the antimicrobial adhesive has at least one of slits or perforation in the liner.

14. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 12, the antimicrobial adhesive film is ductile such that the antimicrobial adhesive film can be stretched around an object and maintain a shape of the object.

15. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 14, wherein the antimicrobial adhesive has at least one of slits or perforation in the liner.

16. (canceled)

17. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein, at a thickness of 50.8 microns, the polymer has an elongation at break in the machine direction (MD) between 340% and 680% and an elongation at break in the transverse direction (TD) between 540% and 940% in accordance with ASTM D882, wherein the MD is perpendicular to the length of the polymer film, and wherein the TD is along the length of the polymer film.

18. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein, at a thickness of 50.8 microns, the polymer has a secant modulus in the machine direction (MD) between 0.432 and 0.536 GPa and a secant modulus in the transverse direction (TD) between 0.496 and 0.648 GPa in accordance with ASTM D882, wherein the MD is perpendicular to the length of the polymer film, and wherein the TD is along the length of the polymer film.

19. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein, at a thickness of 50.8 microns, the polymer has a tensile strength at break in the machine direction (MD) between 38.6 and 52.1 MPa and a tensile strength at break in the transverse direction (TD) between 42.7 and 63.8 MPa in accordance with ASTM D882, wherein the MD is perpendicular to the length of the polymer film, and wherein the TD is along the length of the polymer film.

20. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 1, wherein at a thickness of 50.8 microns, the polymer film has an elongation at break in the machine direction (MD) between 340% and 680% and an elongation at break in the transverse direction (TD) between 540% and 940% in accordance with ASTM D882, a secant modulus in the MD between 0.432 and 0.536 GPa and a a secant modulus in the TD between 0.496 and 0.648 GPa in accordance with ASTM D882, and a tensile strength at break in the MD between 38.6 and 52.1 MPa and a tensile strength at break in the TD between 42.7 and 63.8 MPa in accordance with ASTM D882, wherein the MD is perpendicular to the length of the polymer film, and wherein the TD is along the length of the polymer film.

21. The antimicrobial adhesive of claim 10, wherein the object is a doorknob, a handle, or a poll.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Various embodiments are described herein with reference to the following Drawings Certain aspects of the Drawings are depicted in a simplified way for reason of clarity. Not all alternatives and options are shown in the Drawings and, therefore, the Claims are not limited in scope to the content of the Drawings.

1. FIGURES

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates a plastic with an antimicrobial layer and a temporary adhesive, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a plastic with an antimicrobial layer and a permanent adhesive, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 3 Illustrates an antimicrobial adhesive in a roll with perforations and slits.

[0031] FIG. 4 Illustrates a method of use for an antimicrobial adhesive designed to adhere to a doorknob.

[0032] FIG. 5 Illustrates antimicrobial adhesives adhered to a doorknob.

[0033] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several figures of the Drawings. Elements in the several figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale.

2. REFERENCES

[0034] 20 Antimicrobial Adhesive [0035] 22 Film [0036] 24 Liner [0037] 26 Temporary Adhesive [0038] 28 Permanent Adhesive [0039] 30 Roll [0040] 32 Slits [0041] 34 Perforations [0042] 36 Precut Antimicrobial Adhesive [0043] 38 Graphics [0044] 40 Instructions [0045] 42 Multiple Antimicrobial Adhesives

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of exemplary embodiments, many additional embodiments of this invention are possible. It is understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. The scope of the disclosure should be determined with reference to the Claims. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a feature, structure, or characteristic that is described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0047] Further, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the Detailed Description, numerous specific details are provided for a thorough understanding of embodiments of the disclosure. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure. Any alterations and further modifications in the illustrated devices, and such further application of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

[0048] Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read (e.g., arrangement of parts, proportion, degree, etc.) together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly” and “outwardly” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate. Also, as used herein, terms such as “positioned on” or “supported on” mean positioned or supported on but not necessarily in direct contact with the surface.

[0049] The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at least one of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together. The terms “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

[0050] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same.

[0051] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an antimicrobial adhesive 20 comprising: a film 22, a liner 24, and an adhesive 26. The liner 24 protects the adhesive 26 until the liner is removed and the film is applied. The liner 24 may be airtight so that adhesive 26 does not cure, dry, or evaporate until the liner 24 is removed. Additional airtight end-product packaging may also help to prevent the adhesive 26 from curing, drying, or evaporating until the liner 24 is removed.

[0052] As seen in FIG. 1, the adhesive 26 may be a pressure sensitive (PSA) removable, repositionable, and temporary adhesive, with varying tack and peel weight. As seen in FIG. 2, the adhesive 26 may also be an uncured, permanent adhesive 28; a permanent adhesive may require an airtight liner and possibly additional airtight packaging.

[0053] A high tack PSA adhesive 26 may allow the film 22 to be moored in place when pressed, but still moldable and flexible when stretched in an unmoored area of the plastic. The tack of the adhesive 26 is relative to the amount of adhesive applied, the density of the adhesive, the drying time of the adhesive, the drying process of the adhesive and the application of the adhesive. The tack itself determines its peel weight and may range from a 15 (fifteen) to a 30 (thirty)-ounce peel weight, which is the force necessary to unpeel the adhesive 26 and film 22 from its applied location.

[0054] A permanent adhesive 28 may also be used. The method for applying the permanent adhesive will be such that it will go through a minimal curing or drying period (30 seconds to 90 seconds). Thus, the permanent adhesive will not be fully cured when it is packaged. During the production process the liner 24 will seal the adhesive 26; once applied, the adhesive will likely cure to a low peel weight, losing up to 90% of its original adhesive tack. This allows the film embodied in sticker, tape or wrap to easily be removed once the curing is finished. The curing time is dependent on the physical surface the film is applied to and the environmental conditions, including exposure to friction, sunlight, temperature, and humidity. This method for creating a loss of tack in the adhesive may be utilized in bandages, wound dressings, and medical dressings, making a more painless bandage when removed from a person's skin. In this instance, the adhesive may be non-toxic and hypoallergenic.

[0055] The film itself 22 may be made of any material suitable to its purpose such as: polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and other plastics. In the preferred embodiment, the film material is ultra-malleable, flexible, has high tensile strength, and low elasticity. When the film 22 is applied with force, it has the ability to deform well under stress which reduces its volume (compressive stress). The film material can undergo non-reversible changes of shape in response to applied forces, known as plasticity. The plasticity of the material is directly proportional to the ductility and malleability of the material. These material characteristics allow the film to be easily stretching around an object and then remain in that shape.

[0056] A preferred embodiment of a plastic film has the following material properties at a thickness of 50.8 microns (2 mil, or 0.002 inches): the Film Elongation at Break (MD, ASTM D882) is between 340% and 680%; the Film Elongation at Break (TD, ASTM D882) is between 540% and 940%; the Secant Modulus (MD, 2% Secant, ASTM D882) is between 0.432 and 0.536 GPa; the Secant Modulus (TD, 2% Secant, ASTM D882) is between 0.496 and 0.648 GPa; the Coefficient of Friction (Dynamic, Film to Metal, ASTM D1894) is between 0.423 and 0.627; the Film Tensile Strength at Break (MD, ASTM D882) is between 38.6 and 52.1 MPa; the Film Tensile Strength at Break (TD, ASTM D882) is between 42.7 and 63.8 MPa.

[0057] The material properties of the plastic can be adjusted or changed, depending on the use of additional additives, agents, ingredients, surfactants and methods of production. This particular range works better for this application than the broader range: A preferred embodiment of a plastic film has the following material properties at a thickness of 63.5 microns (2.5 mil, or 0.0025 inches): the Film Elongation at Break (MD, ASTM D882) is between 520% and 600%; the Film Elongation at Break (TD, ASTM D882) is between 580% and 620%; the Secant Modulus (MD, 2% Secant, ASTM D882) is between 0.432 and 0.448 GPa; the Secant Modulus (TD, 2% Secant, ASTM D882) is between 0.534 and 0.601 GPa; the Coefficient of Friction (Dynamic, Film to Metal, ASTM D1894) is between 0.472 and 0.518; the Film Tensile Strength at Break (MD, ASTM D882) is between 43.1 and 45.2 MPa; the Film Tensile Strength at Break (TD, ASTM D882) is between 44.3 and 46.5 MPa.

[0058] In general, the preferred film material has a measurable Yield Strength at which unrecoverable plastic deformation begins that satisfies one of the following conditions: either have an elongation to failure of at least 6%, or an area reduction to rupture at least 25%, or true strain to rupture of at least 4%.

[0059] These specific combinations of material characteristics for the film were derived through extensive testing and achieve a flexibility and malleability specific to being easily applied onto a variety of complex surfaces, specifically over a wide variety of sizes of doorknobs, handles, and polls. Moreover, the different layers of the material were created in such a way as to still accept adhesive on one side, and to enhance the antimicrobial on the top side. The adhesive was chosen and designed to achieve the greatest adhesion to surfaces and itself, while also allowing for the greatest flexibility while also leaving zero residue.

[0060] In use the antimicrobial adhesive is commonly applied to knobs, handles, poles and surfaces of human touch that are often similarly shaped to conform to the shape of a hand but with small variances in sizes, making the production of one-size fits all precut adhesives impossible and the use of this antimicrobial adhesive over prior types of antimicrobial adhesive far superior as single, precut, adhesives in general shapes can be applied over a wide range of knobs, handles, poles with small variances in sizes. Previous versions of antimicrobial adhesive sought to overcome this by removing the old adhesive each time, heat shrinking the adhesive, or simply not precutting them; none of which is as easy, safe, and efficient as the solution presented by material disclosed in this patent.

[0061] The highly ductile material of the preferred embodiment becomes highly important when the film is repeatedly applied to the same surfaces, such as handles or door knobs; as each subsequent application must stretch over not only the original object, but also the previously applied antimicrobial films; completely covering them; the material itself allows many identical films to be applied to the same object without the need to remove previously applied films to completely cover them, and without losing their ease of removal along the lines of perforation which aligns as each subsequent adhesive is applied.

[0062] Additionally, the adhesive in the film or the film itself may contain an antimicrobial and/or antibacterial and/or antiseptic and/or antiviral mixture of one or more additives that may work as an antiseptic to clean and sterilize the skin or a wound. In the case of a wound, the adhesive 26 is employed as a medium from which the antimicrobial and/or antibacterial and/or antiseptic and/or antiviral mixture of one or more additives will be released into the wound. This mixture or adhesive will not adversely affect a person's skin or health.

[0063] The antimicrobial and/or antibacterial and/or antiseptic and/or antiviral mixture of one or more additives; which is harmless in nominal quantities to humans; harnesses the oligodynamic effect of certain elements and minerals as small particles or ions, including but not limited to: silver, zinc, copper, copper ions, silver ions, zinc ions, and zinc-oxide. These particles typically range in size from 2 (two) nanometers to 1,000 (one thousand) nanometers. These particles may be diluted in an aqueous solution, oil-based solution, solvent-based solution, alcohol-based solution, or in a master batch as solid pellets. Essential oils may also be used in the final additive mixture. These elements, minerals or oils may be mixed with the film or adhesive in concentrations of roughly 20 (twenty) parts per billion to 20,000 (twenty thousand) parts per billion.

[0064] For the purposes of this patent and the claims below the term (“antimicrobial”) shall mean “one or more antimicrobial and/or antibacterial and/or antiseptic and/or antiviral additives”.

[0065] While using certain additives; as well as the antimicrobial and/or antibacterial and/or antiseptic and/or antiviral mixture of one or more additives; gives the film or adhesive specific, necessary material qualities, the additives can distort the aesthetic appeal and visual clarity of the film or adhesive; thus, there is a need to balance the necessary effects of the additives with the visual clarity and aesthetic of the plastic which can be masked by tinting the plastic with a variety of colors.

[0066] As seen in FIG. 3 the antimicrobial adhesive 20 may be produced in long sheets which may be cut into shapes, designs and patterns. These sheets may be packaged as rolls 30. The antimicrobial adhesive 20 may be used for stickers, tapes, wraps, bandages, wound dressings and medical dressings; and may have a removable, repositionable, or temporary PSA.

[0067] The film and/or the liner may also comprise slits 32, or perforations 34. The slits may be in the liner only, allowing certain sections of the liner to be removed first; which allows the adhesive to be exposed in only one part of the film, allowing it to be applied to a surface easier. In FIG. 3 there are slits through the liner on each side of liner running parallel with the roll 30 of film 22 allowing the liner to be revealed on only a thin strip allowing it to be easily aligned on a straight line. As illustrated in FIG. 3 there are also numerous ways to use perforations 34 which can go through the liner and the film, allowing for exact lengths and widths to be torn for use in specific applications.

[0068] The perforations 34 may also serve an important function in conjunction with the highly ductile nature of the preferred embodiment of the film 22. As the film is stretched over itself repeatedly the perforations will stretch as well, lining up with the prior applications, and completely covering them, so that multiple layers of adhesive film can be removed simultaneously with great ease by pulling or cutting along the multilayer perforation.

[0069] FIG. 4 illustrates a precut antimicrobial adhesive 36. In this embodiment it is precut to fit a paddle doorknob of the type commonly used in hospitals. The precut antimicrobial adhesive 36 has graphics printed on it 38, and those graphics may be instructions 40 for proper application of the adhesive. The graphic may be created using a corona treatment in the production of the film 22 or liner 24, the film can be printed on or stamped with ink or toner. The film can then be used as an advertising or marketing medium with the use of high-resolution images and text. Similarly, the expiration date or other significant product information can be printed or stamped on the antimicrobial adhesive 20. FIG. 5 shows multiple precut antimicrobial adhesives 42 installed on top of each other.

[0070] Information as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described object of the present disclosure, the presently preferred embodiment of the present disclosure; and is, thus, representative of the subject matter; which is broadly contemplated by the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and is to be limited, accordingly, by nothing other than the appended claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment and additional embodiments as regarded by those of ordinary skill in the art are hereby expressly incorporated by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims.

[0071] Moreover, no requirement exists for a system or method to address every problem sought to be resolved by the present disclosure, for such to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. However, that various changes and modifications in form, material, work-piece, and fabrication material detail may be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the appended claims, as may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, are also encompassed by the present disclosure.