Patent ID: 7595355

Claim:
An antimicrobial coating system comprising: a curable base coat coating composition containing an inorganic antimicrobial agent and a top coat coating composition comprising a curable polymer, other than a polysaccharride or hyuluronan, and an inorganic antimicrobial agent; wherein the base coat, when cured, is a non-hydrophilic material and the curable polymer of the top coat, when cured, is (a) a hydrophilic material or (b) a non-hydrophilic material that is either (i) skin forming, provided that the inorganic antimicrobial agent is in particle form and the thickness of the top coat is such that an adequate number of particles of the antimicrobial agent are not skinned over so as to preclude the presence at the surface of the top coat of an antimicrobially effective amount of the antimicrobial agent, or (ii) non skin forming with respect to the antimicrobial agent; wherein said inorganic antimicrobial agent is an antimicrobial metal or metal ion containing agent and is ineffective in providing antimicrobial bioefficacy at the coating surface while entombed in the non-hydrophilic base coat; and wherein said cured non-hydrophilic base coat is thicker than and has long-term durability as compared to the top coat.