WO2010073169A1

WO2010073169A1 - Easily removable tape

Info

Publication number: WO2010073169A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/055628
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul A. J. Ackermans
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2008-12-22
Filing date: 2009-12-09
Publication date: 2010-07-01

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tape for attachment to a surface comprising an adhesive for attaching the tape to the surface, and a dissolvent for reducing the adhesiveness of the adhesive, the adhesive and the dissolvent being spatially separated, wherein the tape is arranged for facilitating the removal of the tape from the surface by blending the dissolvent with the adhesive when being subjected to a dedicated and contactless trigger that comprises focused energy aimed at triggering said blending.

Description

Easily removable tape

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an easily removable tape and a method for facilitating the removal of such a tape from a surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Adhesive tapes, such as tapes that use pressure sensitive adhesives are commonly used in the health care, first aid and other medical fields. These tapes are easy to apply to the skin surface, but removing them from the skin may be quite painful. The pain results from the tension applied to the skin by the adhesive during removal of the tape. This pain is especially severe in hairy areas since the tape pulls on the hair as it is removed. Beside the pain and discomfort associated with removal of the tape, it is common to shave the hair from the areas to be taped, which may result in embarrassment or inconvenience to the patient. For example, it is common to shave the chest hair before applying self-sticking ECG electrodes.

Pressure sensitive tapes are sometimes avoided for use over cuts, sutures, etc. because removal of the tape may break open the wound and thus interfere with the healing process. One common way to avoid this problem is to provide an area on the bandage that has no adhesive. This area is then placed over the most sensitive area of the wound. With such bandages, the area of the wound that would most benefit from the adhesive by being kept in close contact, e.g., the opposing edges of a cut, so that it would heal faster, is not held in place by the adhesive.

A solution to the above-mentioned problems is found in patent application GB2353219A which discloses an easily removable medical tape used to secure e.g. catheters and other medical devices in position on the body of a patient. The tape comprises a backing layer whose one side is provided with an adhesive layer. A reservoir or a conduit is provided in the adhesive layer, for supplying a liquid such that the adherence of the adhesive is reduced and removal of the tape becomes easier. The conduit has a release pull strip to secrete the liquid into the adhesive layer when being pulled. One drawback of this tape is that it requires the construction and the presence of the release pull strip as well as the need to pull it in order to secrete the liquid into the adhesive layer.

Other solutions use UV-light to harden the adhesive, or heat to soften the adhesive in order to ease the release of the tape or the tape. Using UV-light or heat may however be damaging to the exposed skin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention preferably seeks to mitigate, alleviate or overcome the above-identified drawbacks and problems in the art by providing an easily removable tape and a method for facilitating the removal of such a tape according to the appended patent claims.

According to one aspect the present invention relates to a tape for attachment to a surface comprising an adhesive for attaching the tape to the surface, and a dissolvent for reducing the adhesiveness of the adhesive, the adhesive and the dissolvent being spatially separated, wherein the tape is arranged for facilitating the removal of the tape from the surface by blending the dissolvent with the adhesive when being subjected to a dedicated and contactless trigger that comprises focused energy aimed at triggering said blending.

By using a tape having a contactless trigger according to the present invention, there is thus no need to activate the blending of the dissolvent and the adhesive by using mechanical hand force to pull a trigger, such as the prior art release pull strip.

In one embodiment, the trigger comprises ultrasound. In contrast to using UV- light or heat, ultrasound is not damaging to the exposed skin. Using ultrasound provides a convenient way of triggering, in a contactless manner, the blending of the dissolvent and the adhesive.

In another embodiment, the dissolvent is initially inside a capsule, the capsule being breakable by the ultrasound of the trigger. In yet another embodiment, the capsules are contained within the adhesive. One drawback of the tape described in patent application GB2353219A is that, due to the construction of the conduit in a confined area in the adhesive layer, the liquid is not guaranteed to be distributed evenly throughout the entire adhesive layer. The effect may then be that the remaining adherence properties vary throughout the adhesive layer, which reduces the easiness of removing of the tape. By using capsules, containers, or spheres that are filled with a dissolvent, it is possible, when manufacturing the tape, to achieve a uniform distribution of the capsules in the adhesive layer. When the capsules are broken, or disrupted, with the use of focused ultrasound, the dissolvent is therefore also distributed evenly throughout the entire adhesive layer - thus alleviating the above-mentioned problem.

In another embodiment, the capsules are microbubbles prefϊlled with the dissolvent. Microbubbles are used to carry a drug or gene until a specific area of interest is reached, and then ultrasound is used to burst the microbubbles, causing site-specific delivery of the bioactive materials. It is therefore considered advantageous in the present invention to apply this knowledge to use preloaded microbubbles as the capsules containing the dissolvent and to release the preloaded dissolvent by the ultrasound means.

In another embodiment, the trigger comprises an electrical field. In contrast to using UV-light or heat, applying an electrical field is not damaging to the exposed skin. Applying an electrical field provides another convenient way of triggering, in a contactless manner, the blending of the dissolvent and the adhesive.

In another embodiment, the tape is arranged for iontophoresis of the dissolvent into the adhesive. By applying an electric field over the tape the dissolvent becomes charged and may thus be moved into the adhesive by the iontophoresis principle.

In other embodiments, the tape comprises an electrode for applying the electrical field and a connector for coupling the electrode to a voltage source. The voltage source may be supplied by a voltage source, such as a battery, comprised in the tape, but an external voltage source may also be connected to the electrode via said connector. The advantage of having a battery comprised in the tape is that the user is free to activate the triggering at any time.

In another embodiment, the electrode, the dissolvent, and the adhesive are structured in layers, and the adhesive and the dissolvent are spatially separated by a separation membrane layer. In the previous embodiments related to the trigger comprising an electrical field, the adhesive and the dissolvent may be spatially separated e.g. by capsules that contain the dissolvent. In this embodiment there is a separation membrane layer between the layers of the adhesive and the dissolvent.

According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for facilitating the removal of a tape from a surface which tape comprises an adhesive for attaching the tape to the surface and a dissolvent for reducing the adhesiveness of the adhesive, the adhesive and the dissolvent being spatially separated, the method comprising the step of facilitating the removal of the tape from the surface by blending the dissolvent with the adhesive by subjecting the tape to a dedicated and contactless trigger that comprises focused energy aimed at triggering said blending. The aspects of the present invention may each be combined with any of the other aspects. These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional side-view of a portion of an easily removable tape according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional side-view of a portion of an easily removable tape according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Figures 1 and 2 show, respectively, a cross-sectional side-view of a portion of an easily removable tape according to preferred embodiments of the present invention. The Figures shows the portion of the tape which has the adhesive. Not shown may be those parts of the tape which also has a wound-contacting part of e.g. absorbent, i.e. there is a lack of adhesive, and thus no need for a dissolvent for reducing the adhesiveness of the adhesive.

Figure 1 shows a surface 10 onto which a tape is attached. The tape may be a medical tape, such as a plaster, a surgical tape, or an adhesive bandage, but it could also be any kind of tape which is adhesive, such as a packaging tape, a masking tape, an electrical tape, or the like. The surface 10 may be the skin of the human body, but it could also be any kind of surface 10 which is requires specific care when removing the tape, e.g. a masking tape which is attached onto a sensitive surface 10, like a painting, a painted wall, or a fabric.

The tape comprises an adhesive 12 for attaching the tape to the surface 10. There exist many well-known adhesives for tapes, such as, for example, natural rubber, carboxylated styrene-butadiene rubber latices, acrylic latex, copolymers based on styrene end blocks and a rubbery midblock of isoprene, butadiene, ethylene-butylene and styrene- butadiene multiblock copolymers.

The tape further comprises a dissolvent 14 for reducing the adhesiveness of the adhesive 12. The adhesive 12 may be any adhesive 12 that is weakened or released by the dissolvent 14 supplied to release the adhesive 12. In this embodiment the adhesive 12 and the dissolvent 14 are spatially separated by the walls of capsules. When desiring to remove the tape from the surface 10, the tape is exposed to e.g. ultrasound, whereupon the capsules break and the adhesive 12 and the dissolvent 14 become blended. The capsules are preferably made of a biodegradable material, although a biocompatible material suffices. The capsules should be large enough and numerous enough to contain sufficient dissolvent 14 and be able to be disrupted by means of focused ultrasound. At the same time, the capsules should, before being breaken, not influence the adhesive properties of the tape too much, such that the tape attaches insufficiently to the surface 10. The dissolvent 14 may be an aqueous liquid, and accordingly the adhesive 12 should then be water-releasable. Preferred pressure-sensitive adhesives include the acrylate ester copolymer, polyvinyl ethyl ether and polyurethane based pressure-sensitive adhesives conventionally used in adhesive wound dressings and medical tapes, and described for example in GB-A- 1280631. However, the adhesive 12 could also be a non-acqueous liquid, such as the liquid used in Hollister's Medical Adhesive which is a medical grade silicone adhesive. It is designed to attach e.g. prosthetic devices bonded to the skin, but it could also advantageously be used for attaching the tapes according to the present invention. Medical Adhesive is based on 1,1-Difluoro ethane and Hexamethyldisiloxane. It can be used on sensitive skin, it allows the skin to breathe and remains flexible and comfortable. Hollister Adhesive Remover is a corresponding dissolvent arranged to ease the release of e.g. a tape attached to the skin. Adhesive Remover is based on Isobutane and Hexamethyldisiloxane.

An option to the above-mentioned capsules, is to use microbubbles which are prefilled with the dissolvent 14. Microbubbles are typically less than 5 microns in diameter, which makes them no bigger than red blood cells. Their shell is normally manufactured from albumin or a biodegradable material such as polylactic acid or galactose. Applying ultrasound on the microbubbles causes their walls to burst.

The tape further comprises a backing layer 16 which is substantially impermeable to liquids and microorganisms. Preferably, the backing layer 16 is semipermeable. That is to say, the backing layer is permeable to water vapor, but not permeable to aqueous liquids. Suitable polymers for forming the backing layer 16 include polyurethanes and polyalkoxyalkyl acrylates and methacrylates, such as those disclosed in GBA 1280631.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional side-view of a portion of an easily removable tape according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a surface 10 onto which a tape is attached. The tape comprises an adhesive 12 for attaching the tape to the surface 10. The tape further comprises a dissolvent 22 for reducing the adhesiveness of the adhesive 12. In this embodiment the adhesive 12 and the dissolvent 22 are spatially separated by a separation layer 20. The tape further comprises a backing layer in the form of an electrode 24 which is arranged to be electrically connected to the surface 10. The electrode 24, the dissolvent 22, and the adhesive 12 are all structured in layers. By switching on an electric field over the tape the dissolvent layer 22 becomes charged and may thus be moved into the adhesive layer 12 by the iontophoresis principle. The charged dissolvent 22 may either be chartered by itself, or bound to or incorporated in a suitable carrier.

In a preferred embodiment, the electrical power is available in the tape, such as in the Philips' Raven patch. It consists of an adhesive electrode system with a clip on the back of the parch. This clip holds a monitoring device, with electronics and a battery. Connection to the patch is made via flexible, conducting polymer contacts. Advantageously, the power that is provided by the battery could be used for applying the electrical field to achieve the iontophoresis effect as well. With an adaptation of the electronics the existing electrode structure may be arranged to produce the electrical field necessary for the dissolvent 22 to be transported to the adhesive layer for blending them.

Certain specific details of the disclosed embodiment are set forth for purposes of explanation rather than limitation, so as to provide a clear and thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it should be understood by those skilled in this art, that the present invention might be practiced in other embodiments that do not conform exactly to the details set forth herein, without departing significantly from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Further, in this context, and for the purposes of brevity and clarity, detailed descriptions of well-known apparatuses, circuits and methodologies have been omitted so as to avoid unnecessary detail and possible confusion.

Reference signs are included in the claims; however the inclusion of the reference signs is only for clarity reasons and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A tape for attachment to a surface comprising: an adhesive for attaching the tape to the surface and a dissolvent for reducing the adhesiveness of the adhesive, the adhesive and the dissolvent being spatially separated, wherein the tape is arranged for facilitating the removal of the tape from the surface by blending the dissolvent with the adhesive when being subjected to a dedicated and contactless trigger that comprises focused energy aimed at triggering said blending.

2. A tape according to claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises ultrasound.

3. A tape according to claim 2, wherein the dissolvent is initially inside a capsule, the capsule being breakable by the ultrasound of the trigger.

4. A tape according to claim 3, wherein the capsules are contained within the adhesive.

5. A tape according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the capsules are microbubbles prefilled with the dissolvent.

6. A tape according to claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises an electrical field.

7. A tape according to claim 6, wherein the tape is arranged for iontophoresis of the dissolvent into the adhesive.

8. A tape according to claim 7, wherein the tape comprises an electrode for applying the electrical field.

9. A tape according to claim 8, wherein the electrode comprises a connector for coupling the electrode to a voltage source.

10. A tape according to claim 8, wherein the tape comprises a voltage source for generating the electrical field.

11. A tape according to claim 7-10, wherein the electrode, the dissolvent, and the adhesive are structured in layers, and the adhesive and the dissolvent are spatially separated by a separation membrane layer.

12. A method for facilitating the removal of a tape from a surface which tape comprises an adhesive for attaching the tape to the surface and a dissolvent for reducing the adhesiveness of the adhesive, the adhesive and the dissolvent being spatially separated, the method comprising the step of: facilitating the removal of the tape from the surface by blending the dissolvent with the adhesive by subjecting the tape to a dedicated and contactless trigger that comprises focused energy aimed at triggering said blending.