Surgery: splint – brace – or bandage – Bandage structure – Support covering
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-30
2001-02-20
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage
Bandage structure
Support covering
C602S054000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190346
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a method and apparatus employed to reduce or eliminate on a temporary basis the appearance of drooping or sagging eyelid skin without the use of surgical techniques.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Over time, as part of the natural aging process, it is common for the skin of a person's upper eyelid to sag or droop. This not only can be unattractive, other consequences result as well, including impairment of vision. Loose, sagging or drooping eyelid skin can also interfere with the proper application of eye makeup.
Surgical techniques have been developed for alleviating the condition, the most common being the surgical removal of some of the upper eyelid. Any surgical procedure has its risks. Furthermore, such procedures can be relatively expensive. For this reason, there are many persons who choose to avoid the surgical option.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,347, issued Feb. 21, 1984, discloses a non-surgical approach for temporarily correcting eyelid skin droop. According to this patent the eyelid skin is stretched and a narrow, curved, adhesive strip having adhesive on both sides is applied to the skin. The skin is adhesively secured to both sides of the strip. Some of the skin is folded back upon itself with its edge along the bottom edge of the adhesive strip to form an artificial supra tarsal fold which is deeper and higher than the natural fold.
Such a device is somewhat difficult to apply and one has to have a major sagging problem in order for the procedure to be applicable. The double-sided adhesive causes some discomfort due to the restriction of movement of the skin and one cannot apply makeup to the device itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,307, issued Aug. 8, 1989, discloses an alternative approach wherein liquid adhesive is applied to the eyelid skin and the eyelid manipulated to adhesively secure together folded portions of the skin. Again one is presented with the situation of having the skin on both sides of the fold secured against relative movement. A certain degree of discomfort is likely to result. Furthermore, the application of the adhesive can be difficult for an untrained individual, possibly even requiring a specialized tool as shown in the patent. There is the potential for unsightly over-application of the adhesive and adhesive removal can be a problem.
A search directed to the present invention also located the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,925, issued May 13, 1980, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,483, issued Mar. 31, 1987, the disclosure of the latter being closely related to the approach disclosed in above-described U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,347.
The invention disclosed and claimed herein is not taught or suggested by the above-referenced patents.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus which employ a flexible strip of material of a specified nature to temporarily reduce the droop associated with sagging eyelid skin, in particular the upper eyelid. In common with some of the prior art noted above, the present invention employs a flexible strip of material to accomplish the desired result. However, the flexible strip of material employed herein only has adhesive applied to one side thereof. This results in a number of advantages as compared to the prior art, including an increase in comfort level, ease of application, and allowing the user to apply makeup directly to the strip.
The method of the invention includes the step of positioning a flexible strip of material having an inner side and an outer side, an upper edge and a lower edge and adhesive applied only to the inner side thereof into engagement with the eyelid skin which forms the fold of an eyelid at a position wherein the upper edge of the flexible strip of material is located a distance from the ciliary margin of the eyelid greater than the distance of the supra tarsal fold from the ciliary margin.
The flexible strip of material is adhesively secured at the position with the adhesive, the adhesive being located between the inner side of the flexible strip of material and the eyelid skin, and the outer side of the flexible strip of material being unsecured to the eyelid skin.
The method also includes the step of folding the eyelid skin about the upper edge of the flexible strip of material after the flexible strip of material has been secured at the position so that a portion of the eyelid skin is disposed over the outer side of the flexible strip of material.
Also included in the method is the step of maintaining the portion of the eyelid skin which is disposed over the outer side of the flexible strip of material free of adhesive securement to the flexible strip of material whereby the portion of eyelid skin is freely movable relative to the outer side of the flexible strip of material.
Other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2001862 (1935-05-01), Battey
patent: 3949741 (1976-04-01), Hofmann
patent: 4202925 (1980-05-01), Dabroski
patent: 4432347 (1984-02-01), Clavin
patent: 4653483 (1987-03-01), Clavin
patent: 4854307 (1989-08-01), Elfenbein
patent: 5144944 (1992-09-01), Rice
Brown Michael A.
Hamilton Lalita
Lampe Thomas R.
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