DETACHABLE CAPTURE DEVICE FOR BIOMATERIALS

A detachable capture device for biomaterials may include a capture unit and an attachment unit. The capture unit may have a certain area to be attached biomaterials that causes respiratory diseases thereon, and the attachment unit may be detachably attached to an inner surface of the mask or an outer surface of the mask to fix the capture unit to the mask.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates to a detachable capture device for biomaterials. More particularly, the present application relates to a capture device for biomaterials of easily collecting biomaterials regarding respiratory diseases by being detachable on a mask.

2. Description of the Related Art

Due to recent global pandemic of COVID-19, various methods have been attempted to block the spread of the causative agent (hereinafter referred to as ‘biomaterial’) that causes respiratory diseases. The biomaterials include bacteria and virus, e.g., Influenza Virus, Corona Virus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or the like, and are mainly spreaded through small droplets such as saliva generated when coughing or sneezing. Thus, a mask is widely used as a tool that can easily and effectively block droplet to cause spread of infection.

On the other hand, methods for checking whether or not biomaterials are actually on the mask surface include a smear method in which biomaterials are collected by scraping the mask surface with cotton swab, and a method of cutting out a part of the mask surface and inspecting it. However, these methods are inconvenient to prepare a medical cotton swab or medical scissors. Accordingly, there is a need for a method capable of easily collecting biomaterials on the mask surface without using a medical tool.

SUMMARY

Example embodiments provide a detachable capture device for biomaterials that can be easily attached to and detached from a mask, so that biomaterials adsorbed to the inner or outer surface of a mask on the market can be easily collected without using a medical tool.

According to example embodiments, a detachable capture device for biomaterials includes a capture unit having a certain area to be attached biomaterials that causes respiratory diseases thereon, and an attachment unit detachably attached to an inner surface of the mask or an outer surface of the mask to fix the capture unit to the mask.

In example embodiments, the capture unit includes at least one of paper, nonwoven fabric, and cotton cloth. And the capture unit includes two or more types of fibers having different fineness.

In example embodiments, the attachment unit includes an attachment body, a support, and an adhesive. The attachment body contacts to the inner surface or the outer surface of the mask, and has an opening therethrough. The support connects the attachment body on both sides of the opening across the opening. The adhesive is partially or entirely applied to the rear surface of the attachment body to detachably fix the attachment body to the inner or outer surface of the mask.

In example embodiments, an upper portion and a lower portion of the capture unit are in contact with the rear surface of the attachment body, respectively. And at least a portion between the upper and lower portions of the capture unit is in contact with the front surface of the support.

In example embodiments, the attachment unit is an adhesive that is partially or entirely applied to the rear surface of the attachment body.

In example embodiments, the capture unit and the attachment unit are coupled by a hook-and-loop fastener method.

According to another example embodiments, a detachable capture device for biomaterials includes a capture unit having a certain area to be attached biomaterials that causes respiratory diseases thereon, an attachment unit detachably attached to an inner surface of the mask or an outer surface of the mask to support the capture unit to the mask, and a cover covering a front surface of the capture unit and the attachment unit.

In example embodiments, the capture unit includes at least one of paper, nonwoven fabric, and cotton cloth. And the capture unit includes two or more types of fibers having different fineness.

In example embodiments, wherein the attachment unit surrounds the circumference of the capture unit. Here, the thickness of the attachment unit is thicker than the thickness of the capture unit, so that the capture unit is spaced apart from the mask and the cover.

In example embodiments, the cover includes a cutout portion in which a plurality of through holes spaced apart from each other are arranged linearly.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

With respect to the embodiments of the present invention disclosed hereinafter, specific structural or functional descriptions have been exemplified for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present invention only, and the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various forms. It should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Since the present invention can apply various changes and have various forms, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific form of disclosure, it is to be understood as including all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as “between” and “just between” or “adjacent to” and “directly adjacent to” should be interpreted as well.

The terms used in the present invention are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present invention, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of a set feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof, but it is to be understood that one or more other features or numbers the possibility of addition or presence of, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not preliminarily excluded.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same elements in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions for the same elements are omitted.

FIG. 1is a diagram illustrating a mask attaching a capture device for biomaterials thereon in accordance with example embodiments.FIG. 2is a diagram illustrating the capture device for biomaterials inFIG. 1.FIG. 3is a diagram illustrating a biomaterial collection kit including the capture device for biomaterials inFIG. 1.

Here, the term ‘biomaterial’ refers to a substance that causes various respiratory diseases, such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. For example, the biomaterial includes bacteria, influenza virus, corona virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and the like. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the causative agent that causes respiratory disease will be simply referred to as a ‘biomaterial’.

Referring toFIG. 1, a mask10may include an inner surface11covering the wearer's respiratory tract, an outer surface12attached to the back of the inner surface11and having a shape corresponding to the inner surface11, a filter (not illustrated) inserted between the inner surface11and the outer surface12to remove biomaterials or fine dust, and a pair of circular shaped bands13provided on both sides of the inner surface11or the outer surface12to be hung on the wearer's ear. The wearer may wear the mask10by hanging the band13on the ear while the inner surface11of the mask10is in close contact with the face to cover the respiratory tract. InFIG. 1, the mask10is a three-stage folding-type mask in which a nose pad15on the upper part of the mask10and a bib16on the lower part of the mask10are folded, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the present invention can be applied equally or similarly to various types of masks, e.g., two-stage folding-type mask that is folded left and right sides, a dental mask that is folded in multiple stages, or the like. In addition, the present invention can also be applied equally or similarly to an object which contamination by biomaterials is concerned.

Meanwhile, inFIG. 1, the capture device for biomaterials100is attached to the inner surface11of the mask10, but it is not be limited thereto. For example, the capture device for biomaterials100may be selectively attached to the outer surface12of the mask10instead of the inner surface11of the mask10. When the capture device for biomaterials100is attached to the inner surface11of the mask10, it can be checked whether the biomaterials derived from the wearer's saliva is stained on the mask10. Alternatively, when the capture device for biomaterials100is attached to the outer surface12of the mask10, it can be checked whether the biomaterials derived from the outside is stained on the mask10. Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, only an embodiment in which the capture device for biomaterials100is attached to the inner surface11of the mask10will be described.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 3, the capture device of biomaterials100may include a capture unit110capturing the biomaterials, and an attachment unit120attached to the surface of the mask10to fix the capture unit110to the surface of the mask10.

The capture unit110may be made of a material capable of easily capture biomaterials, e.g., paper, nonwoven fabric, cotton cloth, or the like to have a certain area. The capture unit110may be selectively fixed to the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10by the attachment unit120. Accordingly, when the droplet is sprayed toward the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10, biomaterials included in the sprayed droplet may be attached to the surface of the capture unit110.

The shape or size of the capture unit110may be appropriately changed, as necessary. For example, as shown inFIG. 2, when the capture unit110has a rectangular shape of a narrow width, the capture unit110can be easily accommodated in the virus transport medium40(seeFIG. 3). On the other hand, the larger the area of the capture unit110is, the wider the area of the mask10may be covered.

In some example embodiments, the capture unit110may include two or more types of fibers having different fineness, respectively. The fineness means the thickness of the fiber. When a nonwoven fabric or cotton fabric is manufactured by mixing a plurality of fibers having different fineness, the density of the capture unit110may be increased, which leads to an increase in the capture efficiency of biomaterials. Accordingly, the capture efficiency of the biomaterial may be improved by making the capture unit110by mixing two or more types of fibers having different fineness.

In some example embodiments, to maximize the capture efficiency of saliva or virus, polysaccharides with adhesive properties may be applied to the capture unit110. Here, the polysaccharides are water-soluble polysaccharides formed by regularly repeating 1 to 6 monosaccharide subunits in a linear or linear form having some branches, and the polysaccharides may have a molecular weight of 10 to 200 kDa. Preferably, the polysaccharides may include any one of xanthan gum, dextran, welan gum, gellan gum, diutan gum, pullulan, hyaluronan, alginic acid, carrageenan, agar gum, guar gum, karaya gum, locust bean gum, and tamarind gum, or may include a mixture thereof. More preferably, the polysaccharides may be a mixture of carrageenan, alginic acid, and xanthan gum in a ratio of 1:0.1˜100:1:0.01˜100.

In some example embodiments, the capture unit110may be coated with 0.01% (w/v) to 0.1% (w/v) of an aqueous solution containing the polysaccharide. That is, by performing a pretreatment process of applying the polysaccharide aqueous solution to the capture unit110and drying it, the capture efficiency of the capture unit110may be improved.

The attachment unit120may be attached to the surface of the mask10to fix the capture unit110to the surface of the mask10.

As shown inFIG. 2, the attachment unit120may include an attachment body121in contact with the surface of the mask10, an opening123penetrating the attachment body121to expose the capture unit110, a support125crossing the opening123to support the rear surface of the capture unit110, and an adhesive127firmly fixing the attachment body127to the surface of the mask10.

The attachment body121may be made of a various material, e.g., paper, nonwoven fabric, cotton cloth, plastic film, or the like. Preferably, in order to remove feeling of irritation when wearing the mask10, the attachment body121may be made of the same material as the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10.

The opening123may be formed by removing a part of the attachment body121, and may provide a space in which the capture unit110is exposed to the outside. Thus, the width and length of the opening123may be appropriately changed according to the size and shape of the capture unit110.

By the way, in order to fix the capture unit110to the attachment unit120without any other structure supporting the capture unit110besides the opening123, one side of the capture unit110have to contact with the rear surface of the attachment body121, and the other side of the capture unit110have to contact with the front surface of the attachment body121. Here, ‘the front surface’ refers to a surface located in the direction F toward the wearer's face, and ‘the rear surface’ refers to a surface located in the direction R toward the surface of the mask10.

However, in such a coupling form, since a sufficient coupling force between the capture unit110and the attachment unit120cannot be expected, an adhesive or the like must be additionally used. If the capture unit110is fixed using an adhesive, it may be difficult to separate the capture unit110from the attachment unit120after collecting the biomaterials. Further, since the rear surface of the capture unit110is contaminated with the adhesive, accurate inspection may be difficult. To solve this problem, in the present invention, the support125crossing the opening123to connect the capture unit110on both sides of the opening123is additionally formed. In this case, the capture unit110sequentially contacts to a rear surface of the attachment body121, an upper surface of the support125, and a rear surface of the attachment body121along the longitudinal direction of the capture unit110. That is, both sides of the capture unit110contact to the rear surface of the attachment body121, and thus sufficient bonding force can be secured between the capture unit110and the attachment unit120even if an adhesive is not used.

The capture unit110may be detachably coupled to the attachment unit120, which is shown inFIG. 3. As shown inFIG. 3, the capture unit110in which biomaterials are captured therein may be easily separated from the attachment unit120using tweezers30or the like. The separated capture unit110may be accommodated in the virus transport medium40and transported to the analysis site. That is, a biomaterial collection kit for collecting the biomaterials B attached on the mask10and transporting it to the laboratory for analysis, may be composed of the capture device for biomaterials100, tweezers30, and the virus transport medium40.

The adhesive may be partially or entirely applied to the rear surface of the attachment body121. The adhesive may firmly fix the attachment body121to the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10.

By the way, inFIGS. 1 to 3, the attachment unit120is firmly attached to the surface of the mask10and the capture unit110is detachably coupled to the attachment unit120, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In some example embodiments, the capture device for biomaterials100may be composed of only the capture unit110without the attachment unit120.

For example, by partially or entirely applying an adhesive to the rear surface of the capture unit, the capture unit110may be directly attached to the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10. In this case, the capture device for biomaterials can be downsized.

As described above, the capture device for biomaterials100according to the present invention may be detachably attached to the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10. When the capture device for biomaterials100is attached to the inner surface11of the mask10, the biomaterials B included in the mask wearer's saliva or the like can be easily collected. Alternatively, when the capture device for biomaterials100is attached to the outer surface12of the mask10, the biomaterials B introduced into the mask10from the outside can be easily collected. In particular, the present invention can be easily applied to various types of masks sold on the market and can be manufactured at a low price. Accordingly, it is possible to more effectively prevent the spread of respiratory diseases by easy sample collection.

Additionally, the present invention can easily check the degree of exposure to the biomaterials B in the usual living environment wearing the mask10without visiting a respiratory disease testing facility such as a hospital or a screening clinic. Particularly, in case of COVID-19, one of the serious problems is asymptomatic infection, and there is a problem that it is difficult to expect an asymptomatic infected person to voluntarily visit specialized testing facilities. However, if the capture device for biomaterials100according to the present invention is used, anyone can inexpensively and easily collect the biomaterial B stained on the mask10without visiting a specialized inspection facility. Accordingly, samples of asymptomatic infected individuals can be easily collected to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention having a patch type will be described with reference toFIG. 4.

FIG. 4is a diagram illustrating the capture device for biomaterials in accordance with example embodiments.

As shown inFIG. 4, the capture device for biomaterials200may include a capture unit210capturing the biomaterials B, an attachment unit220detachably attached to the inner surface11or the outer surface12of the mask10to fix the capture unit210to the surface of the mask10, a cover230covering a front surface of the attachment unit220, and a protecting film240covering a rear surface of the attachment unit220and the cover230.

The capture unit210may be made of a material capable of easily capture biomaterials, e.g., paper, nonwoven fabric, cotton cloth, or the like, and may be selectively fixed to the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10by the attachment unit220. The role, material, and shape of the capture unit210are the same as or similar to those of the capture unit110described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 3, and thus a redundant description thereof will be omitted.

The attachment unit220may surround the circumference of the capture unit210. The attachment unit220may attached to the inner surface11or the outer surface12of the mask10to fix the capture unit210to the surface of the mask10. Here, the thickness of the attachment unit220may be thicker than the thickness of the capture unit210. That is, the front surface of the attachment unit220may contact the rear surface of the cover230, and the rear surface of the attachment unit220may contact to the inner surface11or the outer surface12of the mask10. And due to the thickness of the attachment unit220, the capture unit210may not contact both of the cover230and the surface of the mask10. Accordingly, the attachment unit220may prevent contamination of the capture unit210by preventing the capture unit210from directly contacting the cover230and the surface of the mask10.

Meanwhile, inFIG. 4, an embodiment in which both the capture unit210and the attachment unit220have circular shape is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the shapes of the capture unit210and the attachment unit220may be appropriately changed as necessary, such as an oval, a square, a polygon, or the like.

The cover230cover a front surface of the capture unit210and the attachment unit220. Here, ‘the front surface’ refers to a surface located in the direction toward the wearer's face. That is, the cover230may cover the front surface of the capture unit210to prevent the capture unit210from directly contact the wearer of the mask10. At this time, the attachment unit220and the cover230may be firmly bonded with an adhesive or the like.

In some example embodiments, a cutout portion235for easily separating the attachment unit220from the cover230may be formed in the cover230. For example, the cutout portion235may be formed in which small through holes penetrating the cover230are linearly and densely arranged to include at least the outer boundary of the attachment unit220. In this case, after the biomaterial B is sufficiently collected, a part of the cover230along the cutout portion235may be easily removed by applying force to the cutout portion235with tweezers30or the like. Therefore, even if the entire cover230is not removed, the capture unit210and the attachment unit220can be easily separated from the cover230.

Meanwhile, an adhesive may be partially or entirely applied to the rear surface of the cover230or the rear surface of the attachment unit220. Due to the adhesive, the capture device for biomaterials200may be detachably attached to the surface of the mask10. The protecting film240may be bonded to the rear surface of the cover230and the attachment unit220in a state before the start of use to preserve the adhesive performance of the adhesive, and to prevent contamination of the capture unit part210.

As illustrated above, the capture device for biomaterials200according to the present invention may be detachably attached to the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10. Accordingly, the biomaterials B on the inner surface11or the outer surface12of the mask10can be easily collected. In particular, the present invention can be easily applied to various types of masks sold on the market and can be manufactured at a low price. Accordingly, it is possible to more effectively prevent the spread of respiratory diseases by easy sample collection.

The capture device for biomaterials300ofFIG. 5is substantially the same as or similar to the capture device for biomaterials100described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 3except for a coupling method between the capture unit310and the attachment unit320. Therefore, only the above differences will be described, and duplicate descriptions of the same components will be omitted.

Referring toFIG. 5, the capture device for biomaterials300may include a capture unit310capturing the biomaterials B, and an attachment unit320detachably attached to the inner surface11or the outer surface12of the mask10to support the capture unit310.

The capture unit310may be made of a material capable of easily capture biomaterials, e.g., paper, nonwoven fabric, cotton cloth, or the like. Polysaccharides with adhesive properties may be applied to the surface of the capture unit310.

The attachment unit320may detachably attached to the inner surface11or the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10. For example, an adhesive may be partially or entirely applied to the rear surface of the attachment unit320. Here, ‘the rear surface’ refers to a surface located in the direction R toward the surface of the mask10, and ‘the front surface’ refers to a surface located in the direction F toward the capture unit310.

In some example embodiments, the capture unit310and the attachment unit320may be detachably coupled with a hook-and-loop fastener method widely known under the trade name of Velcro.

For example, a loop315may be provided on the rear surface (a surface facing the R direction) of the capture unit310, and a hook325may be provided on the front surface (a surface facing the F direction) of the attachment unit320. Since the hook325is coupled to the loop315, the capture unit310can be easily attached to the attachment unit320without using a chemical adhesive. In addition, it is possible to easily separate the capture unit310from the attachment unit320with little force.

Alternatively, a hook may be provided on the rear surface of the capture unit310, and a loop may be provided on the front surface of the attachment unit320.

As illustrated above, the capture device for biomaterials300according to the present invention may be detachably attached to the inner surface11of the mask10or the outer surface12of the mask10. Accordingly, the biomaterials B on the inner surface11or the outer surface12of the mask10can be easily collected. In particular, since the capture unit310for collecting the biomaterials is coupled by a hook-and-loop fastener method, it can be easily attached and detached without using a chemical adhesive.

The foregoing is illustrative of example embodiments and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few example embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the example embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present inventive concept.

Additionally, although it is described that the capture device for biomaterials of the present invention is attached to the mask, but it is not be limited thereto. The capture device for biomaterials also used for monitoring by attaching it to a place where it is necessary to collect biomaterials related to respiratory diseases other than a mask, e.g., karaoke microphones, personal computer, interior of sealed vehicles, air conditioner vent of the school or group's catering room, a vent of a building or an office, a vent of public facilities, or the like.