Abstract:
An adhesive bandage comprising a base portion having a gauze portion to contact a wound and an adhesive portion, and the base portion defining a pocket adapted for storing the gauze portion, and allowing inspection and replacement thereof without having to remove the entire bandage.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/258,594, filed Nov. 23, 2015, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to sterile adhesive bandage products and, more particularly, to adhesive bandages comprising a pocket for positioning gauze pads on a wound. 
         [0003]    Present day wound care requires the application of adhesive bandages thereto and their frequent replacement. Each such replacement requires the often painful and harmful ripping-off of the old bandage from the patient&#39;s skin, and with the attendant risk of exposing the wound to pathogens. 
         [0004]    Currently, therefore, there is a need for a more user-friendly wound care system that significantly reduces the chances of infection of the wound. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    One embodiment of the present invention provides an adhesive bandage comprising a pocket in which sterile, wound-contacting gauze may be positioned, thereby allowing inspection and replacement thereof without having to remove the entire bandage, thus avoiding the above-noted disadvantages associated with conventional adhesive bandages. 
         [0006]    These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken on line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is front elevation view of the first step in making the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken on line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a front elevation view of the second step in making the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a front elevation view of the third step in making the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is an exploded side cross-sectional view showing the invention in use. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a side cross-sectional view showing the invention in use. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
         [0016]    A preferred embodiment of the invention is depicted in  FIGS. 1 through 8 , wherein: 
         [0017]      10  is the adhesive bandage of the invention, 
         [0018]      12  is the base, 
         [0019]      14  is the adhesive, 
         [0020]      16  is the flap, 
         [0021]      18  is the permanent gauze pad, 
         [0022]      20  are the clipped off corners, 
         [0023]      22  is the pocket, 
         [0024]      24  is a second gauze pad, 
         [0025]      26  is the flesh, and 
         [0026]      28  is the wound. 
         [0027]    The adhesive bandage  10  of the invention comprises base  12  coated with adhesive  14 . Flap  16  is positioned on the base  12 , preferably with adhesive, to form pocket  22  in which a first permanent gauze pad  18  and, optimally, a second gauze pad  24  are housed. Corners  20  may be clipped off so that the remainder of the top may be folded over to secure the permanent gauze pad  18  and to prevent its unraveling, and to facilitate adherence and ultimate removal of the bandage from the wound  28  in the flesh  26 . 
         [0028]    The bandage of the invention renders wound care easier and less painful. It saves time, effort and money in that it is not necessary to remove the bandage to inspect the wound or replace the gauze dressing contacting the wound. Therefore, the inspection and dressing replacement processes are less painful to the patient since the portion of the bandage adhered to the skin does not need to be removed, thereby being more convenient to the medical staff and/or patient. 
         [0029]    In addition, the bandage of the invention maintains an environment of sterility around the wound which is unmatched by those currently available. Thus, the bandage of the invention significantly reduces the chances of infection of the wound under care by opportune pathogens. 
         [0030]    Preferably, the bandage  10  is adhered to the skin  26  such that the pocket  22  is at least one to two inches above the wound  28  as preferred or needed. Pocket  22  is filled with gauze layers  18  and, optimally  24 , which contact the wound. The gauze dressing may be inspected and changed as often as needed with no need to de-adhere the adhesive layer  14  from the skin  26 . 
         [0031]    The sterile adhesive ‘pocket’ ( 22 ) may be of any convenient size; e.g., 4″×4″, 6″×6″ and/or shapes: square, horseshoe, rectangle or round, provided an opening is provided therein for the insertion of gauzes, dressing, other medical material, or any of the other elements listed above. 
         [0032]    The sterile pocket  22  is, in addition, preferably of a size to hold items other than gauze dressings such as, for example, thermometers, small medical devices, small anti-bacterial items, and social media devices so that the patient or health care provider can access them while bed ridden. They may be pleated so they can hold more, or bulkier gauzes, sponges, materials, products that are deemed necessary by medical staff and/or patient. The pockets may also be adorned with designs to render the bandage product pleasing to the eye of the adult or child patient. 
         [0033]    It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the elements of the adhesive bandage of the invention may be constructed from any of the materials conventionally employed. 
         [0034]    The base ( 12 ) material may comprise, for example, porous or perforated films, plastics, textiles, nonwoven materials, impregnated composites thereof, and combinations thereof. The bandage substrate can be an elastic material, such as a woven material containing elastomeric fibers, or a laminate of one or more bandage layers with one or more elastomeric layers. 
         [0035]    The gauze pads ( 18 ) and ( 24 ) may consist of, for example, a cellulosic material, such as gauze, an airlaid web, a wetlaid web, a hydroentangled web containing pulp and synthetic fibers, a coform web, and the like. In other embodiments, the base ( 12 ) may comprise a bonded carded web, a foam, a film, a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a hydroentangled web containing synthetic fibers only, a meltblown web, a spunbond web, and laminates thereof. 
         [0036]    Any of the commonly available suitable adhesives may be employed for the adhesive layer ( 14 ), such as, for example, any hypoallergenic, skin-friendly adhesive known in the art, such as rubbery adhesives, acrylic adhesives, polyurethane adhesives, silicone adhesives, and block copolymer adhesives and those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,147,831, 4,551,490, and EPO 361 72261, EP 1008330A2, and WO 00/12038. 
       EXAMPLE 
       [0037]    A 6″×6″ square of sterile vinyl adhesive (clear or flesh colored) is positioned with adhesive side up. A 4″×4″ square of gauze is placed and secured on the center of the vinyl adhesive, leaving an approximately one inch border on all sides. At the top of the 6″×6″ adhesive square, 1″ squares of adhesive layer is cut off of the corners on the top left and right sides of the adhesive square. The adhesive layer that is left over in the middle (at top of adhesive square) is folded down, covering the top of the gauze (this seals the gauze at the top so that it does not start to unravel). 
         [0038]    A separate adhesive ‘tab’ (not shown) may be provided at the opening of the pocket to facilitate its closing, if needed or desired. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the adhesive bandage of the invention may be provided with any of the accoutrements conventionally employed in the medical care field such as, for example, a color strip to alert the nurse/caregiver/patient of when it is best to change the dressing in the pocket. 
         [0039]    The pocket may be constructed of optically clear material to facilitate inspection of the dressing contained therein. 
         [0040]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the wound-contacting gauze pads may be impregnated with therapeutic agents, bioactive agents, antibiotics, bactericides, fungicides, drugs, growth factors, peptides, proteins, enzymes, emollients, antiseptics, anti-oxidants, wetting agents, and mixtures thereof. For example, the gauze pads ( 18  and  24 ) may be treated with antiseptic benzalkonium chloride and an antibiotic mixture of polymixin B-sulfate and bacitracin-zinc, or any of those antibacterial agents disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,192,299, 4,147,775, 3,419,006, 3,328,259, and 2,510,993. 
         [0041]    Finally, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a bandage as described above wherein the pocket is sufficiently large to allow significant air circulation which, upon contacting the wound area, aids in the healing process. 
         [0042]    It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.