COLD PACK FOR BANDAGE

A bandage, such as an adhesive bandage or non-adhesive bandage, can be modified to include a cold pack. The cold pack may be placed in a pocket formed by a gauze sponge of the bandage and a backing of the bandage. The cold pack may also be adhered to a surface of the bandage. The cold temperature of the cold pack can, in some instances, reduce swelling at the wound site, possibly facilitate faster healing, and possibly provide psychological benefits that promote healing.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY RELATED APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications, if any, for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet of the present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure provided in the following pages describes various example embodiments. The designs, figures, and description are non-limiting examples of some embodiments of the inventions described herein. Other embodiments may or may not include the features disclosed herein. Moreover, disclosed advantages and benefits may apply to only some embodiments and should not be used to limit the scope of the inventions described herein.

Bandages are commonly applied to wounds to stop bleeding and facilitate the healing process. Many bandages, including some adhesive bandages such as Band-Aid™ brand bandages, include adhesive wing portions and a central gauze sponge. The gauze sponge has absorbent properties and is typically placed directly on a wound to stanch blood flow. The adhesive wing portions are typically placed on an area of the skin other than the wounded area so as to hold the gauze sponge in place over the wound. Other types of bandages do not include an integral adhesive, but instead may be formed by applying a separate gauze sponge to the wound and then taping or otherwise securing the gauze sponge to the skin.

Both types of bandages, including bandages with integral adhesives and those without integral adhesives can be modified to include a cold pack. The cold temperature of the cold pack can, in some instances, reduce swelling at the wound site. As a result, the cold pack can reduce pain at the wound site and possibly facilitate faster healing. One possible additional benefit of including a cold pack with a bandage may be psychological. Children, for instance, may have greater confidence in the healing ability of a bandage with a cold pack. Thus, cold-pack bandages may provide greater comfort to children (and others) than existing bandages.

Referring toFIG. 1, an example bandage100is shown with an insertable cold pack130. The bandage100is a Band-Aid™ style bandage having adhesive wings110and a gauze sponge120. The gauze sponge120may be partially attached to the adhesive wings110so as to form a pocket with the bandage material behind it (see, e.g.,FIG. 2, described below). The cold pack130can be inserted into this pocket.

When affixed to a person, the gauze sponge120can be placed in contact with a wound surface, and the cold pack130behind the gauze sponge120can apply a cold temperature through the gauze sponge120to the wound surface (effectively absorbing heat from the wound surface). The adhesive wings110can hold the bandage110and associated cold pack130in place against the skin of the person.

The cold pack130can be made of a plastic (or other material) enclosure that encloses a gel material or the like. In an embodiment, the cold pack130can be placed in a freezer or refrigerator (or other cold place) to attain a temperature colder than room temperature. The cold pack130may be removed from the freezer and inserted into the pocket of the bandage100prior to application of the bandage to the wound site. When the bandage100is later removed from the wound site, the cold pack130can be removed from the pocket and placed back in the freezer for subsequent use. Thus, cold packs130may be sold separately and/or together with bandages110.

In other embodiments, the cold pack130can be an instant (or rapid) cold pack or the like that includes one or more chemicals that may create a cold temperature when the cold pack130is squeezed, snapped, twisted, or the like. Thus, the cold pack130need not be stored in a freezer or refrigerator in order to become cold in some embodiments. For instance, the cold pack130may include two bags; one containing water, which may be inside a bag containing a solid such as ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, or urea. When the inner bag of water is broken by squeezing the package, it is allowed to dissolve the solid in an endothermic reaction. This reaction absorbs heat from the surroundings, quickly lowering the cold pack's temperature.

Turning toFIG. 2, an exploded perspective view of an example bandage200is shown. The bandage200can include some or all of the features of the bandage100described above. In the depicted embodiment, the example bandage200includes a bandage substrate202that includes two adhesive wing portions210and a non-adhesive layer212. An absorbent layer240, which may include gauze or the like, can form a pocket with the non-adhesive layer212. Both the non-adhesive layer212and the absorbent layer240do not include an adhesive in an embodiment so as to facilitate slipping a cold pack230in and out of the pocket. The absorbent layer240may be attached to the substrate202of the bandage200at two or three edges of the absorbent layer240.

It should be noted that in other embodiments, the entire substrate202of the bandage200may include adhesive, such that the cold pack230is adhered to the substrate202. Similarly, the back of the absorbent layer240may include adhesive that adheres to the cold pack230instead of (or in addition to) the substrate202. Thus, in some embodiments the cold pack230is not a separate piece from the rest of the bandage200, but rather is connected to other components of the bandage200and may thus be sold as a single unit with the bandage200. The entire bandage200may therefore be stored in a freezer or refrigerator (or other cold place), or the cold pack230may be an instant cold pack as described above.

Although not shown, a cold pack may be coupled or packaged solely with a gauze sponge so that the cold pack may be used with bandages that do not have integral adhesives. Further, any of the bandages described herein can be of any size suitable to treat a given wound, including small bandages suitable for treating wounds on the face, knuckle bandages, larger bandages, and the like. Moreover, the bandages described herein are not limited to a rectangular shape, but instead may be circular, oval, ovaloid, square, triangle shaped, H-shaped (e.g., as in a knuckle bandage), or the like. In other embodiments, the cold pack is disposed in a pocket formed on the outside of the bandage, rather than a pocket formed with the absorbent layer240. For instance, a pocket may be formed between the back of the non-adhesive layer212(which may actually have an adhesive in this embodiment to hold the absorbent layer240in place) and another surface. Similarly, the cold pack can be attached to the back of the layer212with an adhesive another embodiment. In yet another embodiment, the cold pack can be attached to the back of the layer212with a hook-and-loop fastener, such as a Velcro™ fastener or the like.

FIG. 3depicts an embodiment of a bandage usage process300. The bandage usage process300can be performed using any of the example bandages described herein.

At block302, a cold pack is frozen, for example, by a user. The cold pack may be cooled rather than frozen in other embodiments. At block304, once a person has need to use a bandage, the cold pack can be inserted into the bandage pocket. The bandage may then be applied to the effective area at block306. The cold pack can optionally be saved for subsequent use after the bandage is removed at block308.

FIG. 4depicts another exploded perspective view of an example bandage400. The bandage400can include all the features of the bandages100,200described above. In addition, the example bandage400shown includes a circuit layer450, which includes light sources452, a battery454, and a controller or processor456. The light sources452can be ultraviolet (UV) light sources, such as UV light-emitting diodes (LED) or the like. In some patients, UV light can help control or reduce infection. In addition, UV light can control or reduce itching from bug bites, stings, and the like.

The battery454can power the light sources454, and the controller or processor458can control a duty cycle of the light sources454. The controller or processor458may, for instance, include firmware, digital logic, and/or analog hardware configured to cause the light sources454to emit light at regular intervals, such as 10 seconds every hour that the bandage400is applied to a person, or a few seconds every 5-10 minutes, or the like. The controller or processor458may cause the light sources454to emit light in short bursts or in longer bursts.

While four light sources452are shown, there may be more or fewer in other embodiments, including one or more light sources452. In an embodiment, the light sources452include one or more strips of UV LEDs. Although UV light may be used, the light sources452may also implement other wavelengths of light, including visible and infrared wavelengths. Further, the light sources452may emit light at different wavelengths.

The cold pack230may also be omitted in some embodiments, such that the bandage400includes the circuit layer450(with light sources454) but not the cold pack230. Thus, the light sources454may be coupled between the absorbent layer240and the non-adhesive layer212(which may be adhesive in an embodiment to adhere to the circuit layer240).

Terminology

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the logical blocks, modules, and processes illustrated may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As will be recognized, certain embodiments of the inventions described herein may be embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately from others.