Patent ID: 8381498

Claim:
A method of making a packaged dressing, the dressing having a width, an extent and a perimeter, the dressing comprising a skin adhering side having an affixation adhesive thereon, and a back side opposite the skin adhering side, the dressing further comprising a first terminus at one end of the extent and a second terminus at the other end of the extent, the second terminus defining an opening end for the packaged dressing, the method comprising: A) coating at least a portion of a first surface of a cover material with a detachable high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive; B) modifying the tack of at least one predetermined area of the detachable high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive in a predetermined pattern so that the at least one predetermined area becomes a tackless area bounded by unmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive, and such that, following the modifying, the high tack, the pressure sensitive adhesive that was not subject to the modifying will be unmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive and will include a dressing receiving area, the predetermined area being located (i) so as to correspond to and encompass at least a substantial portion of an edge of the first terminus and at least a portion of the surface of the cover material just beyond the edge of the first terminus, (ii) such that the unmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive will be disposed to affix the back side of the dressing to the first surface of the cover material along most of the extent of the dressing when the back side of the dressing is brought into contact with the unmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive on the first surface of the cover material in the dressing receiving area, C) forming a release island, on a first surface of a backing material, having a size and shape corresponding to at least the width, extent and perimeter of the dressing; D) sandwiching the dressing between the first surface of the cover material and the first surface of the backing material such that (i) the skin adhering side of the dressing will be in contact with and substantially correspond to the release island, (ii) substantially all of the extent of the back side of the dressing will be in contact with, and held by, the unmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive in the dressing receiving area on the first surface of the cover material, (iii) a substantial portion of the edge of the first terminus of the back side of the dressing overlays the tackless area, and (iv) the unmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive will form a hermetic seal encompassing at least the entire perimeter of the dressing and the tackless area.