Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Wearing apparel – fabric – or cloth
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-08
2002-03-12
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Wearing apparel, fabric, or cloth
C002S400000, C002S409000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06355263
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a clothing with an action promoting the metabolism of keratin layer and a method for attaching a preferable microcapsule.
Cells composing epidermis are keratinized over maturity because of the accumulation of keratin, so that keratin layer is formed on the surface of skin. Keratin layer is mostly composed of scaly dead cells but is responsible for such an important role for the protection of skin from outside by retaining moisture on skin.
When gets old, a keratin layer is peeled off. Then, a fresh keratin layer is formed on the portion. Bare skin can be retained at a good state by such smooth promotion of the metabolism of keratin layer. When the metabolism of keratin layer is deteriorated due to factors such as aging, stress, nutritional imbalance, and poor care, however, skin gets dry and puffy, causing, for example rough skin, wrinkle and spot.
So as to reduce skin dryness, skin roughness, wrinkle and spot, accordingly, it is most effective to ameliorate the state of keratin hypertrophy involving old keratin layer remaining on skin for a long term and thereby promote the metabolism of keratin layer. So as to resume skin moisture and softness once reduced, further, care is preferably taken on skin so that the metabolism of keratin layer can be promoted and moisture is appropriately retained on skin.
Alternatively, it has been known conventionally that &agr;-hydroxy acids, for example lactic acid, have an action to loosen and soften the binding of old keratin layer densely overlaid together. For example, &agr;-hydroxy acids at a high concentration of about 5 to 20% by weight are used as keratolytic agent for the treatment of callus, verruca and corn and also used as skin peeling agent at beauty salon.
In recent years, additionally, a proposition has been made of a method comprising sealing in a microcapsule a physiologically active substance conventionally used in the forms of external dermal agent and cosmetics and attaching the microcapsule to the fiber of clothing. Such clothing with the physiologically active substance-containing microcapsule attached thereto is intended to perform skin care while the clothing is continuously worn during day-time hours, although skin care has essentially been carried out, mainly before bathing or sleeping by external dermal agents and cosmetics, conventionally.
As one example thereof, Japanese Patent No. 2562233 proposes a fiber structure comprising a microcapsule for fiber-processing agents and a structural fiber to which the microcapsule is attached with a silicone-based or urethane-based resin binder, wherein the microcapsule contains and seals therein at least one substance with an action improving dermal physiological state, as selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acids, tocopherols, sea weed extracts, antipruritics and analgesics and comprises a wall membrane of a synthetic polymer substance and wherein the particle size of the microcapsule is within a range of 2 to 40 &mgr;m and the wall membrane is 0.3 to 4 &mgr;m thick and the content of the wall membrane is 3 to 60% by weight on a microcapsule weight basis and wherein the weight ratio of the microcapsule and the binder is within a range of 10:1 to 1:5 and the total amount of both the attached microcapsule and binder occupies 0.3 to 15% of the fiber weight in the attached portion.
As to the method for attaching such microcapsule to the fiber of clothing, furthermore, various methods have been proposed conventionally, where the binder types to be added and reaction conditions have been devised and modified. For example, Japanese Patent Publication 80121/1992 proposes, as one example of microcapsule with fragrance, a method for producing a stocking with fragrance, comprising charging a stocking in a process bath containing a microcapsule with fragrance and a silicone-based coating agent in mixture at a weight ratio of 1:1 to 1:2, and subjecting the stocking at a thermal process at 20 to 60° C. while the hydrogen ion concentration is preset and retained within a range of 4 to 6 in the process bath by using a buffer.
The method for attaching microcapsule as described in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 80121/1992, for example, specifies the conditions such as hydrogen ion concentration and reaction temperature for enhancing the binding between the microcapsule and the coating agent and between the microcapsule coating agent and the fabric, so as to suppress as much as possible the dissociation of the microcapsule after the attachment, due to washing. However, the method does not pay any consideration to the elevation of the attachment ratio of the microcapsule during adsorption reaction.
According to the method, thus, the amount of the microcapsule charged in a process bath is not equal to the amount of the microcapsule attached to the fiber and the attachment ratio thereof varies with a deviation, depending on the process conditions. From the standpoint of quality control, the method is problematic in that the amount of the microcapsule attached to panty stocking can hardly be retained constant.
Generally, a slight error in the amount of the microcapsule attached is not so problematic in case of a clothing attached with such a fragrance-containing microcapsule as described above. However, it is needless to say that a more strict quality control is demanded for a clothing attached with a microcapsule containing and sealing therein a substance with a physiological action on skin.
Although &agr;-hydroxy acids as natural acids contained in fruit and the like are highly safe, particularly, caution should be taken on the concentration thereof for use. More specifically, some of &agr;-hydroxy acids have been used conventionally at high concentrations of about 5 to 20% by weight as keratolytic agents and peeling agents. For the purpose of gently promoting the metabolism of keratin layer, essentially, &agr;-hydroxy acids are directly coated within a range of 1.5 to 3.0% by weight. At a concentration above the range, human skin sensitive to &agr;-hydroxy acids is potentially irritated.
Furthermore, because the microcapsule described in for example the Japanese Patent No. 2562233 is a decomposable microcapsule containing and sealing therein as the principal ingredient, a thermoset resin for example formalin resin or polyester resin, some of such microcapsules are decomposed under exposure to pressure and friction during fiber processing, prior to product shipping, so that the amount of the microcapsule still holding the effect is decreased by the time when a user wears it, which is problematic from the respect of quality control.
Additionally, the decomposable microcapsule is of a preferable membrane thickness specifically conditioned for gradual decomposition of the microcapsule over wearing. Because the microcapsule is practically at a high decomposition probability at an early stage of use where a larger volume of the microcapsule is attached to portions readily exposed to pressure or friction, the physiologically active substance in the microcapsule is released more at such early stage of use, disadvantageously.
For containing a physiologically active substance such as antipruritic, for which a relatively rapid efficacy is demanded, a decomposable microcapsule can be used, satisfactorily. Because the action of &agr;-hydroxy acids to promote the metabolism of keratin layer requires about one month until the action is exerted effectively as remedies of dry skin and rough skin, the effect preferable can hardly be recovered by using a decomposable microcapsule with a higher release level at an early stage of use.
In such circumstances with the conventional problems, the invention has been achieved. It is a main purpose of the invention to provide a preferable clothing exerting an action to promote the metabolism of keratin layer and overcoming the quality-control problems, and a method for attaching such microcapsule to fiber.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cl
Kashihara Hiromi
Shuku Kiyokazu
Fubara Blessing
Morrison Law Firm
Okamoto Corporation
Page Thurman K.
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