Identification device having antimicrobial properties

Abstract

An identification device, preferably a wristband or adhesive label, is configured to receive identifying indicia by means of a direct thermal printer. A direct thermal layer includes antimicrobial particles embedded therein and is exposed, i.e., does not have a protective overcoat or varnish covering the direct thermal layer. The antimicrobial particles increase the surface available silver ions and are preferably formed of an aqueous dispersion of silver chloride-coated titanium dioxide particles. The antimicrobial particles may also be formed of an inorganic silver-containing compound such as silver zirconium phosphates or a silver substituted zeolite.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention is directed to an identification device, preferably a wristband or an adhesive label, comprising a direct thermal printable surface having antimicrobial properties. Specifically, the identification device is configured for receiving identification information by means of a direct thermal printer and having antimicrobial properties without the use of a protective layer or overcoat on top of the direct thermal layer.[0002]Direct thermal printable media is used in printers and in other applications requiring permanent imaging such as wristbands, tags, labels and other identification media. In contrast to printing technologies that involve the transfer of ink from one location to another, direct thermal printing uses a special printable media that incorporates a color developing mechanism. Images are formed by exposing the color developing mechanism to concentrations of heat that produce localized chemical reactions involving a chan...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about an identification device that does not require a coating or varnish to protect it from bacteria growth. The device has a direct thermal reactive layer with embedded antimicrobial properties achieved by adding an antimicrobial additive during manufacture. This layer contains inorganic particles that release silver ions to safely inhibit bacterial growth. The device has advantages such as longer print head life, lower energies, higher speeds for printing processes, and consistent printability, scanability, and readability.

Problems solved by technology

Although such silver-based agents provide suitable antimicrobial properties within thermoplastic articles, and other types of articles, there are certain limitations as to the potential antimicrobial efficacy of such thermoplastic articles.

Such limitations are apparently due to relatively low amounts of surface-available silver within and / or on such thermoplastic articles.

Without intending to be bound to any specific scientific theory, it is believed that such low surface-available amounts of silver are the result of the inability of a sufficient amount of the integrated silver compounds to migrate to the thermoplastic surface.

However, these particular methods and plastics have proven to be costly (with the high expense of benzotriazoles initially), particularly since relatively high concentrations of the expensive stabilizing compounds are required, and do not provide any appreciable increase of available silver on the surface of such articles.

Also, as these stabilizers are not thermally stable, they introduce additional processing complications.

As such, there is no teaching or fair suggestion within the prior art which pertains to the needed improvement in increasing the amounts of surface-available silver compounds on target thermoplastics.

There are several disadvantages to using an antimicrobial varnish as in the Zebra product, including: inconsistent printing due to variation in the varnish thickness, discoloration of the varnish when exposed to UV light, shorter print head life, build-up of the varnish on printer rollers, and relatively lower speeds / higher heat energy requirement for the printing process.

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