Skin Adhesive Patch With Refreshable Perimeter for Longer Wear
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices that attach to the skin suffer from adhesive edges that loosen, fray, or lift away over time, compromising the coupling and appearance, and reducing the effective wear life.
Innovation Solution
A skin adhesive component with a removable region or segment that can be refreshed to maintain a clean appearance and extend the device's wear life, featuring a durable component with a periphery and a skin adhesive component divided into separable regions, allowing for easy replacement of frayed or dirty edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a continuous adhesive layer is used to secure the device to the skin, then the device maintains stable attachment, but the adhesive edges loosen, fray, or lift away over time compromising the coupling and appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive component is divided into a first region and a second region that are separably connected along a boundary. The second region can be removed to refresh the perimeter, while the first region remains attached to the durable component. This segmentation allows the adhesive to maintain stability during wear while enabling renewal of the edges to prevent fraying and lifting.
2Shape
If the adhesive perimeter is made durable to maintain appearance, then the device looks clean and professional, but the edges fray or lift away reducing effective wear life
Solution Approach 1:
The second region of the adhesive component, which forms the outer perimeter, is designed to be removable. When the edges become frayed or lifted, the user can remove the second region to expose a fresh, intact perimeter from the first region. This allows the device to maintain its appearance throughout the wear period while extending the effective wear life by renewing the edges.
3Ease of manufacture
If the adhesive component is designed as a single piece for simplicity, then the device is easy to manufacture, but the edges cannot be refreshed and must be replaced entirely
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive component is segmented into two separably connected regions. The first region remains attached to the durable component and provides stable attachment, while the second region forms the removable perimeter. This segmentation enables edge refresh without requiring complete replacement of the adhesive component, balancing manufacturing simplicity with ease of repair.
4Reliability
If the entire adhesive component is replaced when edges fray, then the device maintains reliable attachment, but the wear life is reduced due to frequent replacements
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive component is divided into a first region that remains attached and a second region that can be removed. When the perimeter edges become frayed or lifted, only the second region needs to be removed to refresh the edges, while the first region continues to provide stable attachment. This partial replacement approach maintains reliability while extending wear life by avoiding complete replacement.
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 maintains a stable and clean attachment to the skin, extending the device's wear life by protecting the intact adhesive region and preventing exposure to elements.
Implementation Method 1
a skin adhesive component coupled to the durable component to facilitate securing the durable component to the user's skin
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus adherable to a user's skin, such as a wearable medical device, is presented here. An embodiment of the apparatus includes a durable component having a periphery defining a footprint of the durable component, and a skin adhesive component coupled to the durable component to facilitate securing the durable component to the user's skin. The skin adhesive component includes a first region and a second region removably attached to the first region. The first region of the skin adhesive component resides completely within the footprint of the durable component. After removal of the second region of the skin adhesive component, the first region remains intact and protected underlying the durable component.