Collection device and material
Inventors
Young, Terry • TEMPLET, Timothy • Dube, Paul • DIXON, Todd • Lewis, Armand F. • Kim, Yong K.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10948385-B2
Publication Date
2021-03-16
Expiration Date
Abstract
Swabs, materials, and methods of making same, include randomly arranged sea-island bicomponent fibers. According to certain embodiments, swabs and methods of using such swabs are provided so as to collect and release a biological sample comprising a flock fiber tipped applicator wherein the flock fibers are sea-island bicomponent fibers attached to an end portion of the applicator with an adhesive selected from the group consisting of a photocurable acrylic adhesive and a polyurethane adhesive, the bicomponent fibers being structurally stable in water and the sea component of the bicomponent flock fibers being intact.
Core Innovation
A swab constructed to collect and release a biological sample includes a flock fiber tipped applicator with an applicator and flock fibers attached to an end portion of the applicator. The flock fibers are sea-island bicomponent fibers attached using an adhesive selected from a photocurable acrylic adhesive and a polyurethane adhesive. The bicomponent fibers include a first polyester sea material and a second polyester island material.
The core fiber architecture is defined by solubility and melting behavior between the sea and island materials, where the first polyester sea material has a lower melting point and a greater solubility than the second polyester sea material. The bicomponent flock fibers remain structurally stable in water, with a sea component intact, and the sea component is intended to be more soluble than the island component in alkaline solutions while remaining intact under use conditions.
Biological sample collection is described by contacting the swab with a source of biological material such that the biological material is retained on the swab. Exemplary swabs include randomly arranged sea-island bicomponent flock fibers attached to a swab applicator tip via photocurable acrylic or polyurethane adhesives.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims define three inventive features across swab configurations and a collection method. The swab claims center on a flock fiber tipped applicator with sea-island bicomponent fibers attached with a specified adhesive, and the polymer pairing is distinguished by either a polyester sea/island solubility and melting relationship or a PET sea and polyamide island combination.
Sea-island polyester bicomponent flock fibers with lower-melting, more-soluble sea and specified adhesives
A swab with a flock fiber tipped applicator comprising an applicator and flock fibers attached to the applicator, where the flock fibers are sea-island bicomponent fibers attached to an end portion with an adhesive selected from photocurable acrylic adhesive and polyurethane adhesive; the bicomponent fibers comprise a first polyester sea material and a second polyester island material; and the first polyester sea material has a lower melting point and a greater solubility than the second polyester sea material.
PET sea with polyamide island in sea-island bicomponent flock fibers and specified adhesives
A swab with a flock fiber tipped applicator comprising an applicator and flock fibers attached to the applicator, where the flock fibers are sea-island bicomponent fibers attached to an end portion with an adhesive selected from photocurable acrylic adhesive and polyurethane adhesive; and the bicomponent fibers comprise a polyester terephthalate (PET) sea material and a polyamide island material.
Biological sample collection by contacting a swab with a source of biological material
A method for collecting a biological sample by contacting a swab with a source of biological material so the material is retained on the swab.
The claim set provides swab coverage requiring a flock fiber tipped applicator with sea-island bicomponent fibers attached by photocurable acrylic or polyurethane adhesive. The core differentiation is either a polyester sea/island solubility and melting relationship or a specific PET sea material paired with a polyamide island material, and the method claim covers contacting the swab with a source of biological material to retain the material on the swab.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Biological sample collection by contacting the swab with a source of biological material so the material is retained on the swab.
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