Equine Poultice Pads with Adhesion-Resistant Release Sheet

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional poultice application methods for horses are time-consuming, messy, and wasteful, with inconsistent application and reduced effectiveness due to the use of bilaminar quilted fibre paper sheets that struggle with water absorption and adhesion to the animal's skin.

Innovation Solution

The use of poultice application pads with an adhesion-resistant release sheet and a backing sheet to facilitate easy separation, reduce mess, and ensure consistent application, where each pad is pre-filled with a mud or clay poultice mixture and stored in a sealed container to maintain moisture and prevent waste.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If ready-made poultice mixtures are provided in bulk containers, then storage and reusability are improved, but mess and waste during application increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage and reusabilityVSAvoidmess and waste
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The bulk poultice mixture is divided into individual single-use pads, each containing a predetermined amount of poultice mixture. This segmentation eliminates the mess and waste associated with bulk containers while maintaining storage and reusability benefits, as each pad is self-contained and disposable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention employs disposable single-use pads instead of reusable bulk containers. Each pad is designed for one-time use, eliminating contamination risks and mess while reducing waste through precise portion control. The pads are inexpensive enough to be disposable yet provide consistent, clean application.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Manufacturing precision

If poultice mixture is applied manually with rubber gloves, then adhesion to the treatment area is improved, but application time and mess increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesion to treatment areaVSAvoidapplication time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The poultice mixture is pre-applied to the pad during manufacturing, with the exact amount and distribution predetermined. This preliminary action eliminates the time-consuming manual application process while ensuring consistent, even coverage and proper adhesion to the treatment area without the mess of manual handling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The pad is designed to self-adhere to the treatment area through its粘性 poultice mixture layer, eliminating the need for manual manipulation with rubber gloves. The pad applies itself when wrapped around the limb, reducing application time and mess while maintaining proper adhesion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Quantity of substance

If bilaminar quilted fibre paper sheets are used, then poultice retention is improved, but water absorption and adhesion effectiveness decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepoultice retentionVSAvoidwater absorption and adhesion effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pad uses a composite structure combining a porous absorbent core layer with adhesive layers. This composite material design provides both excellent poultice retention through the porous core and effective water absorption and adhesion through the specialized adhesive layers, overcoming the limitations of simple bilaminar quilted paper.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The pad incorporates porous absorbent material in its core structure, which efficiently absorbs and retains the poultice mixture while maintaining proper moisture levels. This porous structure improves water absorption capability and adhesion effectiveness compared to non-porous bilaminar paper sheets.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

4Reliability

If poultice mixture is applied in thick layers, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but mess and difficulty in consistent application increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment effectivenessVSAvoidconsistent application
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The desired thick layer of poultice mixture is pre-applied to the pad during manufacturing with precise thickness control. This ensures consistent, even application at the correct thickness without the mess and variability of manual thick-layer application, while maintaining treatment effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution simplifies the application process, reduces waste, ensures even and consistent poultice distribution, and improves adhesion to the animal's skin, making the application more efficient and effective while minimizing manual dexterity requirements.

Implementation Method 1

At least a back face of the backing sheet is adhesion-resistant to facilitate release and removal from the poultice layer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion resistance: Adhesive

Implementation Method 2

The first side of the poultice layer is applied to contact the treatment area of the limb of the animal

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Implementation Method 3

stored in a sealed container to maintain moisture

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMoisture retention: Evaporation

Data Source

PatentEP3380039B1Equine poultice application pads
Publication Date: 2022.09.14 ARION EQUINE INC
  • EP3380039B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3380039B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3380039B1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

A poultice application pad includes a generally planar poultice layer for application to a treatment area of a limb of an animal, and a backing sheet, adjacent to the poultice layer, which backing sheet supports and holds the form of the poultice layer when contacting the first side of the poultice layer to the treatment area to reduce application time and displacement of the mud/clay mixture beyond the treatment area. Also disclosed is a set of such poultice application pads stacked one on top of another within a sealable container.