ROLE OF A MEDICAL BANDAGE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a roll of medical bandage for application to a human or animal body and a manufacturing method for such a roll.

[0002] Bandages or dressings with cohesive or adhesive properties, typically sold as rolls, have a rigid central core that prevents the innermost section of the bandage from collapsing on the roll. This central core is also often referred to as a sleeve. Without such a rigid core, the last section of the bandage would stick to itself and would be very difficult to pull apart and apply. Furthermore, the sleeve facilitates unrolling the bandage, as the user can hold the roll in place with a finger of one hand inside the sleeve and then unroll the bandage with the other hand.

[0003] The rigid central core is usually made of cardboard or plastic and, due to its rigidity, also ensures the bandage's round shape for transport.

[0004] However, a disadvantage is that the provision of the sleeve significantly contributes to the overall cost of the bandage roll. Not only are the manufacturing costs for the sleeve high, but it also incurs higher logistics costs because it increases the roll's weight.

[0005] From a sustainability perspective, it would also be desirable to eliminate the core, which requires a large amount of material and thus causes significant waste of plastic or cardboard. Another limitation of currently available rolls is the environmental impact associated with the disposal of the central cores.

[0006] US Patent 6,405,969 B1 discloses a manufacturing process for coreless rolls made of an adhesive tape material. The tape material is coated on one side with an adhesive, with the adhesive being covered by a liner at one end. After winding, the liner comes to lie inside, i.e., in the area of ​​an axial hollow passage, and lines the axial hollow passage along one complete turn.

[0007] EP 3 298 998 A1 discloses a roll of medical sheets made of paper material wound around a central hole. To produce this roll, the paper material is wound onto an elastic core, which is then removed from the roll at high speed. While such a coreless roll reduces the weight of the roll and, by omitting the core, lessens the environmental impact, the method is not applicable to self-adhesive or cohesive bandages. Coreless rolls of self-adhesive and cohesive bandages would collapse, with the last section of the bandage sticking to itself, and the individual layers could only be separated with great difficulty.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a roll of medical bandage that is easy and economical to manufacture and reduces environmental impact.

[0009] Furthermore, the task involves proposing a manufacturing process for such a roll of medical bandage.

[0010] These problems are solved according to the invention by a roller according to claim 1 and by a method according to claim 10.

[0011] According to the invention, a roll of medical bandage is provided for application to a human or animal body.

[0012] The roll comprises a flat, cohesive strip material wound spirally with numerous turns. The strip material has an end section at one free end and is wound longitudinally in such a way that the roll forms an axial hollow opening. The end section of the strip material lies inside the roll and thus at the axial hollow opening. The longitudinal direction runs from one free end of the flat strip material to the other. The flat material is therefore wound from one free end to the other, with the end section representing the inner turns. The axial hollow opening is located centrally with respect to the roll and extends along a transverse direction of the strip material. This transverse direction is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and typically runs parallel to the narrow side of the strip material.

[0013] According to the invention, a stiffening insert made of a planar material with a front end and a rear end is provided. The stiffening insert rests on the strip material in the end section, in particular with its entire surface, and surrounds the axial hollow passage at least along one complete turn.

[0014] The term "covering its entire surface" is not to be interpreted absolutely; rather, it should be understood to mean that the stiffening insert rests almost or essentially completely flat against the strip material. If the stiffening insert protrudes slightly beyond the end section or the strip material, or if it stands out somewhat from the strip material due to its wound state, then by definition, it is still considered to be in contact with its entire surface.

[0015] According to the invention, the term "winding" refers to the almost complete course of the strip material around the central axis of the roller. Thus, a winding exists when, for example, the strip material or the stiffening insert runs almost completely, i.e., 360°, around the axial hollow opening.

[0016] The roller according to the invention eliminates the need for a rigid sleeve in the area of ​​the axial hollow passage. Because the stiffening insert surrounds the axial hollow passage along a complete turn, the bandage is stabilized at the end and roll collapse is effectively prevented. A rigid sleeve is no longer required. Instead, the stiffening insert is wrapped into the roller at the end. This wrapping process can be integrated into existing manufacturing processes. Only minor adjustments to the production equipment are necessary. This results in a significant cost reduction.

[0017] Since the rigid sleeve, which usually has a higher basis weight than the stiffening insert, can also be dispensed with, the overall weight of the roll is reduced, which in turn leads to cost savings in logistics.

[0018] Thus, the roller according to the invention also reduces the environmental impact, since on the one hand less material is required for stiffening than for a rigid sleeve, and on the other hand less energy is consumed, both through the lower weight and the resulting lower fuel consumption during transport, as well as the energy savings in the production of the rigid sleeve.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the stiffening insert is designed to be flexible. A flexible stiffening insert arranged in the end section allows the strip material to be easily wound into a roll. At the same time, it prevents the roll from collapsing.

[0020] The stiffening insert has a length such that its front and rear ends overlap. It is not essential that the front and rear ends are in direct contact with each other. According to the invention, an overlap is also present if one or more layers of the strip material or the stiffening insert lie between the front and rear ends.

[0021] According to the invention, the length of the stiffening insert is configured such that it overlaps itself longitudinally over several turns to form a spirally shaped stiffening section. Thus, the stiffness of the stiffening section can be determined by the length of the stiffening insert. The longer the stiffening insert, the more often it overlaps itself. From the center of the roll, i.e., the axial hollow opening, the roll always consists of alternating turns of the stiffening insert and the strip material. After a predetermined number of turns, the rear end of the stiffening insert is reached, and each subsequent turn consists of strip material.

[0022] The stiffening insert can be selected in length such that it surrounds the axial hollow passage along 1 to 10 turns, preferably 1 to 6 and particularly preferably 2 to 4 turns. This allows for individual stiffness of the stiffening area, depending on the strip material used.

[0023] Particularly preferably, the stiffening insert can be arranged such that it lines the axial hollow passage. Thus, the inner coil forming the axial hollow passage consists of the stiffening insert.

[0024] According to a non-inventive embodiment, the length of the stiffening insert can be arranged such that the front and rear ends abut each other with their end faces, but without being rigidly or integrally connected to one another, as would be the case with a sleeve. This embodiment has the advantage that very little material is required for the stiffening insert, since the stiffening insert merely surrounds the axial hollow passage along one coil.

[0025] According to the invention, the stiffening insert is arranged such that it surrounds the axial hollow passage along at least two turns. The stiffening insert overlaps the strip material only with its outer turn, namely the turn furthest from the central axis of the roller. Thus, the stiffening insert constitutes a kind of core element that lines and surrounds the axial hollow passage. The strip material is wound spirally around the stiffening insert.

[0026] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the rear end of the stiffening insert can be connected to the band material. This prevents the stiffening insert from slipping and thus also increases its rigidity. Furthermore, this simplifies the manufacture of the roll according to the invention. The connection can, for example, be a slight adhesive bond that releases itself after the bandage has been unrolled or by gentle pulling.

[0027] The stiffening insert can have a basis weight between 20 and 500 g / m², and preferably between 60 and 120 g / m². This depends on the required stiffness of the roll and also on the material properties of the tape material. Generally, the basis weight must be such that the stiffening insert, together with the tape material, can be wound spirally into a roll. The aforementioned basis weight ranges allow the use of various standard materials such as paper and films, resulting in cost reduction.

[0028] The stiffening insert can be made from a variety of different materials. The material can be selected from the following groups: paper, paper towel material, non-woven material, binder-treated paper towel material, binder-treated non-woven material, cardboard, kraft paper, polyurethane, polyester, or synthetic polymer. This has the advantage of allowing the use of readily available and cost-effective materials.

[0029] The stiffening insert made of paper is particularly preferred, as it is readily available, inexpensive, and easily recyclable.

[0030] According to a preferred embodiment, the stiffening insert has a width equal to the width of the strip material. This ensures that the roll is stabilized across its entire width by the stiffening insert and that the strip material unwinds smoothly from the roll.

[0031] Preferably, the tape material is elastic. The tape material can be elastic in the longitudinal and / or transverse direction. In particular, the tape material can be a woven, knitted, or nonwoven fabric. The elasticity can be achieved by incorporating elastic threads, such as highly twisted cotton threads, spun or twisted crepe threads, textured polyamide or polyester yarns, rubber or polyurethane threads, or combinations thereof.

[0032] The axial hollow passage according to the invention extends along the central axis of the roll, which is essentially designed as a cylinder. Preferably, the axial hollow passage can have a diameter between 0.5 cm and 5 cm, and particularly 3 cm. This allows, on the one hand, a stable, easily wound roll to be provided. On the other hand, the roll can be easily held by a user who inserts a finger of one hand into the axial hollow passage and unwinds the bandage with the other hand.

[0033] According to a preferred embodiment, the bandage material is a woven, knitted, or nonwoven fabric. According to the invention, the bandage roll, also called a dressing, is suitable for fixation, compression, support, and relief bandages for medical purposes. These bandages are often cohesive, so that they adhere to themselves and can be applied without additional fixatives. Therefore, without a stabilizing inner sleeve, they tend to stick to themselves and thus cannot be unrolled smoothly to the end.

[0034] Unlike bandages coated with adhesive materials, which adhere to almost all everyday objects and materials and possess a permanent, aggressive tack, purely cohesive adhesive effects are characterized by the fact that the adhesive forces are only effective within the adhesive material itself, creating the internal cohesion of the material. A bandage coated with a cohesive adhesive therefore only adheres to itself. dh Layer upon layer or wrap upon wrap, but not on foreign surfaces such as e.g.Skin, hair, or clothing. This cohesive adhesive or bonding behavior has so far been achieved primarily by using interlocking surface structures, as described, for example, in WO 2007 / 131605 A1, or by using cohesive polymers. To avoid allergies in the user of the bandage, the cohesive polymer is preferably a latex-free synthetic polymer. It is also possible to achieve cohesive adhesion by combining a self-adhesive, in particular creped, surface structure with impregnation with an adhesive synthetic polymer, as is the case, for example, with the applicant's elastic fixation bandage "Peha-haft".

[0035] According to a further embodiment, the tape material is impregnated or coated with another substance. The inventive design is in no way limiting with regard to the substrate of the tape material, the cohesive adhesive, or other substances that a bandage may comprise.

[0036] The problem is further solved by a method for manufacturing rolls of bandage for application to a human or animal body. According to the invention, in a first step, a flat and cohesively designed band material with a free end is fed in. An end section is arranged along the free end. Furthermore, before, simultaneously with, or subsequently in the first step, a stiffening insert is fed in and positioned in the end section of the band material. The stiffening insert is fixed to the end section of the band material, and in a next step, the band material is wound spirally with a multitude of turns. This creates a long piece with an axial hollow opening, wherein the axial hollow opening is arranged centrally with respect to the long piece and extends along a transverse direction of the long piece.The stiffening insert surrounds the axial hollow opening along at least one complete turn. Subsequently, the strip material is cut perpendicular to its longitudinal direction to separate the long piece from the remaining strip material that has not yet been wound according to the invention. Finally, the long piece is cut into a number of rolls.

[0037] The method according to the invention has the advantage that no costly prefabricated sleeve is required; instead, a stiffening section is produced during the winding process of the roll or the long piece. This leads not only to cost optimization through the use of the inexpensive material for the stiffening insert, but also to an optimization and shortening of the manufacturing process. The stiffening insert thus replaces the otherwise conventional rigid sleeve in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

[0038] Another advantage is that the bandages do not need to be individually wound onto rigid sleeves; instead, a single long piece can be produced and then cut into individual rolls. This means the bandage width is not dependent on the sleeve and can be easily adjusted as needed during production. The bandage material and the stiffening insert are available in virtually any width and length, allowing for high throughput.

[0039] The stiffening insert can preferably be detachably fixed in the end section.

[0040] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the stiffening insert is fixed in the end section by means of negative pressure or suction. For this purpose, the stiffening insert is drawn in through the tape material and thus temporarily held in the end section. As soon as the stiffening insert is at least partially wrapped with the tape material, the fixing process can be completed, since the winding process securely holds the stiffening insert in the end section. This enables a fast manufacturing process while simultaneously saving raw materials such as adhesives.

[0041] To temporarily stabilize the axial hollow opening or to give the opening a specific shape, a core can be temporarily placed on the stiffening insert before the spiral winding, with the strip material and the stiffening insert being spirally wound around the core. The core is removed before the elongated piece is cut and can be reused.

[0042] The invention, as well as further advantageous embodiments and developments thereof, are described and explained in more detail below with reference to the examples shown in the drawings. The features that can be derived from the description and the drawings can be applied individually or in any combination according to the invention.

[0043] They show: Figure 1 a schematic section through a roll with overlapping stiffening insert (not according to the invention), Figure 2a further arrangement of the stiffening insert in the roll according to Figure 1 , Figure 3 the role from Figure 1 , however, with a stiffening insert lining the axial hollow passage (not according to the invention), Figure 4 a schematic view of the stiffening insert in the end section of the tape material, Figure 5 a further arrangement of the stiffening insert made of Figure 4 , Figure 6 a schematic side view of the arrangement of the stiffening insert in the end section, Figure 7 an alternative arrangement to Figure 6 , Figure 8 a perspective view of the partially unrolled roll and Figure 9 a schematic representation of the manufacturing process.

[0044] Figure 1Figure 1 shows a section in the longitudinal direction L through a roll 1. A strip material 10 is wound spirally, so that an axial hollow passage 20 is formed centrally along the axis of the cylindrical roll 1. This passage is lined by a stiffening insert 30 made of paper. According to the invention, "lined" means that the stiffening insert 30 forms the inner coil or layer in the hollow axial passage 20 and fills it like a sleeve.

[0045] Surprisingly, it was found that as a stiffening insert, 30 conventional paper with a basis weight of 80 g / m²< of the roll 1 provides sufficient stability and reliably prevents the free end of the tape material 10 from sticking together.

[0046] The stiffening insert 30 has a front end 31 and a rear end 32, the rear end 32 being located at the free end of the strip material 10 oriented towards the axial hollow passage 20. The stiffening insert 30 rests with its entire surface in an end section 11 of the strip material 10. The end section 11 is defined as the area at the free end of the strip material 10 that lies inside the roll 1, i.e., at the axial hollow passage 20.

[0047] The length of the stiffening insert 30 is chosen such that the front end 31 and the rear end 32 overlap. The two ends 31 and 32 lie approximately on top of each other and are separated by a layer of the strip material 10.

[0048] Alternatively, the stiffening insert 30 can also form the second layer in the axial hollow passage 20, with the inner layer being formed by the strip material 10, as in Figure 2The stiffening insert 30 does not line the axial hollow passage in this embodiment, but nevertheless forms a stiffening area and prevents the axial hollow passage 20 from collapsing. The length of the stiffening insert 30 is shown in Figure 2 arranged such that the stiffening insert 30 overlaps itself over two turns in the longitudinal direction L to form a spiral stiffening area.

[0049] Figure 3 also shows role 1 according to Figure 1However, the length of the stiffening insert 30 is dimensioned such that it lines the axial hollow passage 20 exactly along the first coil. The front end 31 and the rear end 32 are butted together. Thus, the end faces at the front end 31 and the rear end 32 are in contact without being connected. For this embodiment of the invention, materials with a higher basis weight are preferably suitable for the stiffening insert 30, for example, in a range of 100 g / m² to 200 g / m².

[0050] Figure 4 Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of the end section 11 of the strip material 10. The stiffening insert 30 is arranged on it, with the stiffening insert 30 completely covering the end section 11 in this example. The stiffening insert 30 thus rests with its entire surface on the strip material 10 in the end section 11.

[0051] Alternatively, the stiffening insert 30 can also be slightly spaced away from the edges of the strip material 10, as shown in Figure 5 The stiffening insert 30 also rests fully on the strip material 10 in the area of ​​the end section 11. This may be necessary in certain machine configurations, but this does not impair the advantages of the invention.

[0052] The Figures 6 and 7 Figure 1 shows a schematic section through the stiffening area. This area runs around the axial hollow opening 20, with the strip material 10 being wound spirally at least one turn around the central axis of the roller 1. The stiffening insert 30 is in Figure 6 on the inwardly directed surface of the strip material 10 in the end section 11, so that the stiffening insert 30 completely lines the axial hollow passage 20.

[0053] In the embodiment according to Figure 7 During the manufacturing process, the stiffening insert 30 was positioned on the outwardly facing surface of the strip material 10 in the end section 11. This surface is therefore oriented away from the axis of the roller 1. In the spirally wound state of the bandage, the stiffening insert 30 does not line the axial hollow passage 20. The inner layer along the first turn is formed by the strip material 10.

[0054] Figure 8 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of roller 1 in the stiffening area. The tape material 10 is unwound to 1.5 turns. Since the stiffening insert 30 is not connected to the tape material 10, for example, glued, the front end 31 protrudes slightly from the end section.

[0055] To apply the bandage to the body, the user can grasp the roll 1 in the axial hollow opening 20 with the fingers of one hand and pull on the free end of the strap material 10 with the other hand. Because the stiffening insert 30 rests in the end section 11, the strap material 10 can be completely unwound from the roll 1 without the portion of the strap material 10 inside the roll 1 sticking to itself and having to be laboriously pulled apart again. Once the roll 1 has been completely unwound, the stiffening insert 30 can be removed or will detach itself, as it is no longer fixed in the end section 11.

[0056] Figure 9 schematically shows the manufacturing process of the roller according to the invention. 1.A long section L1 has already been wound according to the invention and is separated from the remaining strip material 10 in step S5. For a second subsequent long section L2, the strip material 10, which is cohesively designed, is inserted into the machine with one end free after the first long section L1 has been cut along the section 42. The end section 11 is located at this free end. Subsequently (S2), the stiffening insert 30, which has already been cut to its length, is placed in the end section 11 of the strip material 10. Figure 9The rear end 32 of the stiffening insert 30 terminates with the edge of the free end of the strip material 10 and is positioned on the later inwardly facing surface of the strip material 10. In a third step (S3), a suction is applied through the strip material 10 in the end section 11, temporarily fixing the stiffening insert 3 to the end section 11 of the strip material 10. Subsequently, starting at the end section 11, the strip material 10 is wound spirally with a multitude of turns (S4), so that the elongated pieces are formed with an axial hollow opening 20. The axial hollow passage 20 is arranged centrally around the axis of the long pieces (as shown for long piece L1) and extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the strip material 10. Thus, the stiffening insert 30 lies at least along one complete turn in the axial hollow passage 20 and lines the axial hollow passage 20.

[0057] The finished wound long piece L1 is separated from the supply of strip material 10 by cutting the strip material 10 along a transverse cut 42 (S5). The manufacturing process can now begin again for the production of another long piece.

[0058] In a final step, the long piece L1 is cut into the predetermined number of rolls 1 by cutting the long piece L1 lengthwise along the cutting lines 43 (S6).

Claims

1. Roll (1) of a medical bandage for applying to a human or animal body, comprising a planar and cohesive strip material (10) wound in a spiral shape with multiple windings, wherein the strip material (10) has an end portion (11) and is wound in a longitudinal direction (L) in such a way that the roll (1) is formed with an axial hollow passage (20), wherein the axial hollow passage (20) is located centrally with respect to the roll (1) and extends along a transverse direction of the strip material (10), and wherein the end portion (11) in the interior of the roll (1) lies on the axial hollow passage (20), characterized in that a stiffening insert (30) made of a planar material with a front end (31) and a rear end (32) is provided, wherein the stiffening insert (30) lies on the strip material (10) in the end portion (11), in particular over its entire surface area, and the stiffening insert (30) surrounds the axial hollow passage (20) at least along one complete winding, wherein the stiffening insert (30) overlaps itself in the longitudinal direction (L) over at least two windings, in order to form a spiral-shaped stiffening region.

2. Roll (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the stiffening insert (30) has a length selected such that the front end (31) and the rear end (32) of the stiffening insert (30) overlap each other.

3. Roll (1) according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stiffening insert (30) has a basis weight of between 20 and 500 g / m2 and preferably of between 60 and 120 g / m2.

4. Roll (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stiffening insert (30) has a width which is equal to the width of the strip material (10).

5. Roll (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axial hollow passage (20) has a diameter of between 0.5 cm and 5 cm, in particular 3 cm.

6. Roll (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stiffening insert (30) comprises a material selected from the group consisting of paper towel material, nonwoven material, paper towel material treated with a binder, nonwoven material treated with a binder, cardboard, kraft paper, polyurethane, polyester or synthetic polymer, particularly preferably paper or film.

7. Roll (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the strip material (10) is a woven fabric, knitted fabric, crocheted fabric or nonwoven fabric.

8. Roll (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the strip material (10) is coated with a preferably latex-free cohesive adhesive composition and / or bears adhesive surface structures, such that the strip material adheres to itself.

9. Roll (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the strip material (10) is impregnated with a further substance.

10. Method for producing rolls (1) of a bandage according to Claims 1-9 for applying to a human or animal body, the method comprising the following steps: - feeding (S1) a planar and cohesive strip material (10) having a free-standing end, wherein an end portion (11) is arranged along the free-standing end, - feeding (S2) a stiffening insert (30) and positioning same in the end portion (11) of the strip material (10), - fixing (S3) the stiffening insert (30) on the end portion (11) of the strip material (10), - spirally winding (S4) the strip material (10) with multiple windings beginning at the free-standing end, such that an elongate piece (L1) with an axial hollow passage (20) is formed, wherein the axial hollow passage (20) is located centrally with respect to the elongate piece (L1) and extends along a transverse direction of the elongate piece (L1), wherein the stiffening insert (30) surrounds the axial hollow passage (20) at least along one complete winding, and the stiffening insert (30) overlaps itself in a longitudinal direction (L) over at least two windings, in order to form a spiral-shaped stiffening region, - severing (S5) the strip material (10) at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the strip material (10), - cutting (S6) the elongate piece (L1) into a number of rolls (1).

11. Method according to Claim 10, characterized in that the stiffening insert (30) is fixed releasably.

12. Method according to Claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the stiffening insert (30) is fixed by negative pressure or suction.

13. Method according to any one of Claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, before the spiral winding (S4), a core is temporarily arranged on the stiffening insert (30), wherein the strip material (10) and the stiffening insert (30) are wound spirally around the core, and the core supports the predetermined axial hollow passage (20).