DRESSING

Abstract

A dressing for application to human or animal skin and/or to medical devices, comprising a fixing web provided with an adhesive on a fixing surface, covering means removably attached to the fixing surface, and support means connected to the covering means and removably attached to an outer surface of the fixing web facing away from the fixing surface, wherein the outer surface has an exposed shaping surface which is at least partially surrounded by the support means.

Claims

1-16. (canceled)

17. A dressing for application to human or animal skin and/or to medical devices, comprising a fixing web provided with an adhesive on a fixing surface, covering means removably attached to the fixing surface, and support means connected to the covering means and removably attached to an outer surface of the fixing web facing away from the fixing surface, wherein the outer surface has an exposed shaping surface which is at least partially surrounded by the support means, characterised in that the covering means has two, three or more foil or paper-like covering strips wherein at least one covering strip has an edge that is folded back over itself to form a gripping aid and an edge of one of the covering strips overlaps the edge that is folded back over itself of a neighbouring covering strip and in that at least one covering strip is formed integrally with the support means, in particular with a supporting part of the support means and/or at least one covering strip is connected to the support means, in particular to a supporting part of the support means, by a film hinge running around an edge of the fixing surface.

18. A dressing, comprising a fixing web provided with an adhesive on a fixing surface, covering means removably attached to the fixing surface, and support means connected to the covering means and removably attached to an outer surface of the fixing web facing away from the fixing surface, characterised in that the covering means has two, three or more foil or paper-like covering strips wherein at least one covering strip has an edge that is folded back over itself to form a gripping aid and an edge of one of the covering strips overlaps the edge that is folded back over itself of a neighbouring covering strip and in that the support means has two, three or more supporting parts which are independently removable from the outer surface, of which at least one at least partially overlaps a covering strip in a projection direction which is perpendicular to the fixing surface, wherein said at least one supporting part is connected to said covering strip such that, after removal from the fixing surface, the covering strip forms a gripping aid for the supporting part connected therewith, wherein at least one covering strip is formed integrally with the support means, in particular with a supporting part of the support means and/or at least one covering strip is connected to the support means, in particular to a supporting part of the support means, by a film hinge running around an edge of the fixing surface.

19. The dressing according to claim 18, characterised in that the shaping surface occupies more than 20%, preferably more than 30%, more preferably 40% or more of the outer surface.

20. The dressing according to claim 18, characterised in that the shaping surface occupies less than 90%, preferably less than 80%, more preferably 70% or less of the outer surface.

21. The dressing according to claim 18, characterised in that a supporting part covers more than 10%, preferably more than 15% of the outer surface, and the covering strip connected therewith covers 20% or more of the fixing surface.

22. The dressing according to claim 18, characterised in that a supporting part covers less than 30%, preferably less than 20% of the outer surface, and the covering strip connected therewith covers 50% or less, preferably 40% or less of the fixing surface.

23. The dressing according to claim 18, characterised in that a supporting part is approximately U-shaped and has two exterior legs connected to each other by a connecting leg, wherein the exterior edge of the connecting leg runs along an edge of the fixing web and is connected with a covering strip particularly via a reinforcing strip running around this edge.

24. The dressing according to claim 18, characterised in that the support means has two U-shaped supporting parts, wherein the ends of the exterior legs extending away from the connecting legs of individual supporting parts face each other to form a frame for the shaping surface.

25. The dressing according to claim 8, wherein a space is left free between the respective mutually opposite ends of the exterior legs.

26. The dressing according to claim 18, characterised in that the fixing web is, at least in sections, transparent, particularly in the area of the shaping surface.

27. The dressing according to claim 18, characterised in that the fixing web is substantially rectangular, optionally with rounded corners, oval, circular and/or polygonal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention is described more fully below, with reference to the drawings illustrating all details which are essential to the invention and are not explained further in the description. In the accompanying drawings:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a dressing according to a first embodiment of the invention, and

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a dressing according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0034] FIG. 1a) shows a cross-section across a dressing of the invention, along a sectional plane running perpendicular to the fixing web. FIG. 1b) shows a top view of a boundary surface of the dressing as per FIG. 1a), provided with a support means. FIG. 1c) shows a top view of the boundary surface of the dressing as per FIG. 1a), provided with a covering means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The dressing illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises an approximately rectangular fixing web with rounded corners (see FIGS. 1b) and 1c)). A fixing surface of the fixing web 10 is provided with an adhesive 12. The adhesive 12 is covered with a two-piece covering means 20.

[0036] The boundary surface of the fixing web 10 which faces away from the adhesive 12 is provided with a support means generally denoted with reference numeral 30.

[0037] The covering means 20 comprises two approximately rectangular covering strips 22 and 26 with parallel edges. Edge 24 of covering strip 22 facing towards covering strip 26 is folded back over itself. Edge 28 of covering strip 26 facing towards covering strip 22 overlaps edge 24 of covering strip 22 which is folded back over itself. This leads to complete coverage of the fixing surface, or adhesives 12 applied thereon, and simultaneously, through edges 24 and 28, provides a gripping aid for the covering strips.

[0038] The edges of covering strips 22 and 26 which are facing away from overlapping edges 24 and 28 are connected with support means 30 using hinge-forming reinforcing strips 60. These reinforcing strips overlap boundary surfaces of covering strips 22 and 26 facing away from the fixing web on the one hand, and boundary surfaces of support means 30 facing away from the fixing web on the other hand, and run around opposite edges of fixing web 10.

[0039] As is clearly visible in FIG. 1b), support means 30 is a two-part member, wherein supporting part 40 is connected with covering strip 26 using a reinforcing strip, whereas supporting part 50 is connected with covering strip 22 using another reinforcing strip. Both supporting parts are approximately U-shaped, having two respective exterior legs 42, 44 and 52, 54 connected pairwise through respective connecting legs 46 and 56. Connecting legs 46 and 56 are parallel to the edges of the fixing web which are overlapped by reinforcing strips 60, whereas exterior legs 42, 44 and 52, 54 are perpendicular to these edges.

[0040] As is clearly visible in FIG. 1b), supporting parts 40 and 50 form a frame for a shaping surface 14 disposed on the boundary surface of the fixing web 10 which is facing away from fixing surface 12 and is uncovered by the support means. A space is left free between the mutually opposite ends of exterior legs 42, 44 and 52, 54 of supporting parts 40 and 50 to facilitate the shaping of the shaping surface to the contours of medical instruments and/or human or animal skin. As is visible in FIG. 1c), fixing surface 12 of fixing web 10 is completely covered by covering strips 22 and 26.

[0041] To apply the dressing illustrated in FIG. 1, covering strips 22 and 26 are detached simultaneously or sequentially from fixing surface 12 of fixing web 10 using gripping aids 24 and 28. They remain connected with the support means or support parts 40 and 50 through reinforcing strips 60. During this process, the assembly remains stable, even after detaching covering strips 22 and 26 from fixing surface 12. This simultaneously provides a shaping surface 14 which is not covered by supporting parts 40 and 50 and facilitates the shaping of the fixing web.

[0042] Once the fixing web has been shaped, supporting parts 40 and 50 may be detached from the boundary surface of fixing web 10 facing away from the fixing surface, wherein covering strips 22 and 26 may be used as gripping aids. The dressing may thus be applied in a simple and secure manner.

[0043] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, covering strips 22 and 26 cover approximately similar surface portions of fixing surface 12 of fixing web 10. The support means is disposed substantially in mirror-symmetry to a surface bisectrix of the fixing web's outer surface.

[0044] The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2 differs substantially from the embodiment of FIG. 1 in that different surface portions of the fixing surface are covered by individual covering strips 22 and 26. Similarly to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the parting line separating the covering strips is substantially parallel to connecting legs 46 and 56 of supporting parts 40 and 50. This embodiment allows for an increased variability during application of the dressing because a smaller surface portion of the fixing surface or a larger surface portion of the fixing surface may be exposed first depending on the requirements for the application site.

[0045] The invention is not limited to the above embodiments illustrated for explanatory purposes, but is intended to include the use of dressings having three or more supporting parts, wherein the covering means may be produced as a one-piece member in some cases. In other embodiments of the invention, the outer surface of the fixing web may be totally covered by the support means. In such embodiments, it should be noted that the support means is to be produced as a multi-piece member. In other embodiments of the invention, the support means may be formed as an integral or continuous frame and may completely surround the shaping surface.

[0046] The fixing web may, for example, be made of transparent polyurethane. The covering strips may consist of covering paper. Other embodiments are also possible, such as those in which the covering strips are formed integrally with the supporting parts.