Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Wearing apparel – fabric – or cloth
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-14
2001-03-27
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Wearing apparel, fabric, or cloth
C424S078020, C424S078030, C424S401000, C424S447000, C424S448000, C424S449000, C514S844000, C514S846000, C156S326000, C536S045000, C536S102000, C536S105000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06207176
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the use of selected starch based adhesives in skin cleaning tapes to remove keratotic plugs as well as dirt and other matter from skin and skin pores.
Keratotic plugs are dead epidermal cells and oil which together with sebum, dirt and other skin debris can block and plug the pores of the skin. The formation of such plugs and skin build up are often conspicuous and can provide undesirable cosmetic effects. Additionally, if proper treatment is not given and these plugs and other build ups are not removed, various skin problems can arise.
Since keratotic plugs are formed deep in the skin, the use of traditional cleansers and detergents like soap, make-up removers and face masks are usually not effective in their removal. There has not been much disclosure of skin cleaning compositions or methods to alleviate this problem. One method shown to remove keratotic plugs is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,277 issued on Apr. 30, 1996 to T, Uemura et al, which discloses the use of synthetic cationic polymer compositions containing salt forming groups.
There is the need for additional skin cleaning and keratotic plug removing products particularly one which is based on the use of natural readily available materials.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to skin cleaning tapes for removing keratotic plugs and other debris and dirt found on the skin and in skin pores and comprising a remoistenable starch based adhesive composition applied to a substrate backing material. More particularly, this invention involves skin cleaning products comprising a starch based remoistenable adhesive composition wherein the starch has from about 0 to 70% by weight of amylose content and is converted to from about 30 WF (water fluidity) to 20 DE (dextrose equivalents).
This invention further involves a method for removing keratotic plugs from the skin using the selected remoistenable starch based adhesive as described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides water-soluble, remoistenable, starch based adhesives for use as keratotic plug removers. The water soluble adhesives are coated or otherwise formed on a backing substrate which is then used to apply the adhesive composition to the skin to be treated.
The adhesive polymer used in this invention has good film forming properties, is easily remoistenable or re-wettable and provides good adhesion to the skin. More particularly, the adhesive polymer is a starch material which has an amylose content of from about 0 to 70% by weight, preferably from about 0 to 55% by weight and more preferably from about 0 to 30% by weight. This starch material is converted or degraded by techniques such as acid hydrolysis, oxidation or enzyme conversion to a level of conversion of from about 30 WF (water fluidity) to 20 DE (dextrose equivalents) and more particularly from about 70 WF to 10 DE.
The base material used as the adhesive or polymer material in this invention is a starch and may be derived from any plant source including corn, potato, wheat, rice, tapioca, sago, sorghum, waxy maize and high amylose starch such as high amylose corn having up to 70% and preferably up to 55% by weight of amylose content. More particularly, the starch material will have an amylose content of from about 0 to 55% and preferably from about 0 to 30% by weight.
The starch material used in this invention is converted to from about 30 WF (water fluidity) to 20 DE (dextrose equivalents) and preferably from about 40 WF to 10 DE. Water fluidity and dextrose equivalents are measures which indicate the degree of conversion or degradation of starch. Water fluidity (WF) is an inverse viscosity measurement with higher numbers representing a more degraded starch with thinner viscosity. One way to measure WF is by use of a Thomas Rotational Shear Type Viscometer (manufactured by Arthur H. Thomas Co., Philadelphia, Pa.) in accordance with standard procedures as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,116 issued Feb. 12, 1985 to Zwiercan et al. Dextrose equivalent is also a measure of starch conversion and is an indication of the total reducing value of starch or converted starch calculated as dextrose and expressed as a percentage of total dry substance. One known method of determining dextrose equivalents is the Fehling Volumetric method as adapted from the Exyon-Lane Volumetric Method #423 of the Cane Sugar Handbook by Spencer and Mead (John Wiley and Son Inc.).
The conversion of starch for use in this invention may be accomplished by known techniques such as acid hydrolysis, oxidation or enzyme conversion. Acid hydrolysis typically involves treatment of heated granular starch with mineral acid such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. Oxidation involves treatment of starch with an oxidizing agent such as sodium hypochlorite or using hydrogen peroxide and a catalytic amount of manganese salt as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,944 issued Jun. 13, 1989 to L. Kruger. Enzyme conversion involves treatment of granular starch slurried in water using an enzyme, e.g., alpha amylase enzyme at pH of about 5.6 to 5.7. A recently disclosed method involving enzyme conversion is the single phase, high solids enzyme conversion process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,845 issued Nov. 18, 1997 to J. Eden et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,395 issued Aug. 18, 1998 to Y. Shi et al and pending application Ser. No. 08/643,719 filed May 6, 1996 to Y. Shi et al. A further description of known starch conversion processes may be found in “Converted Starches” by O. B. Wurzburg,
Modified Starches, Chapter
2, pp. 17-40, 1986.
The single phase, high solids enzyme conversion process described in the '845 and '395 patents and the pending Ser. No. 643,719 application referred to above comprises the steps of:
(a) adding, to a modified or unmodified, pregelatinized or ungelatinized starch, water and a starch-hydrolyzing enzyme in an amount sufficient to produce a single phase powdered mixture without a visible free water phase;
(b) activating the enzyme by heating the powdered mixture to about the optimum temperature for the enzyme while maintaining a substantially constant moisture content (i.e., within ±5% from the starting moisture content) in the mixture;
(c) allowing the enzyme to hydrolyze the starch; and
(d) optionally inactivating the enzyme.
Suitable enzymes for use herein include bacterial, fungal, plant and animal enzymes such as endo-alpha-amylases which cleave the 1→4 glucosidic linkages of starch, beta-amylases which remove maltose units in a stepwise fashion from the non-reducing ends of the alpha-1→4 linkages, glucoamylases which remove glucose units in a stepwise manner from the non-reducing end of starch molecules and cleave both the 1→4 and 1→6 linkages, and debranching enzymes such as isoamylase and pullulanese which cleave the 1→6 glucosidic linkages of amylopectin-containing starches. Alpha-amylases or mixtures thereof with other enzymes are preferred and are used for preparing the enzyme-converted maltodextrins with defined bimodal or polymodal molecular weight profiles as described herein.
Process conditions for the use of a particular enzyme in the single phase enzyme conversion process will vary and will usually be suggested by the supplier. The variables include temperature, pH, substrate solids concentration, enzyme dose, reaction time and the presence of activators. Very often there are no absolute optimum reaction conditions. The “optimum” pH may depend on temperature; the “optimum” temperature may depend on reaction time; the “optimum” reaction time may depend on cost, and so on. More particularly, suitable activation temperatures can vary from about 20 to 110° C. and the pH can vary from about 3 to 8 The reaction time can vary from 10 minutes to 24 hours or more, typically 1 to 4 hours for alpha-amylase.
The term “single phase”, as used herein, means a mixture which has no visible free water, whereas a “slurry” consists of two phases, i.e. a water phase and a starch phase. Suitabl
Eden James L.
Howard Doreen L.
Martino Gary T.
Nowak, Jr. Frank A.
Solarek Daniel B.
Kaiser, Esq. Karen G.
National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation
Page Thurman K.
Roland, Esq. Thomas F.
Ware Todd D
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