Patent Grant
9737497
The following related patents and patent applications have been assigned to TRUTEK Corp., Somerville, N.J. No priority is claimed thereto.
The Present Invention relates to the field of protective compositions and microfiltration of various pollutants and particulate matter of fine and ultra-fine (i.e., microscopic and submicroscopic) size range that typically enter the body through the respiratory airway and/or nasal mucosa. More particularly, the Present Invention relates to methods that involve the use of products developed for restricting the flow of (or filtering) the fine and ultra-fine (i.e., microscopic and submicroscopic) ambient airborne pollutants from the nasal passages by creating an electrostatic field in an area around the nose. This reduces or prevents the inhalation of airborne pollutants including but not limited to ultra-fine coal dust, yellow dust, smoke, tobacco smoke and other airborne particulate matter through the nasal passages by filtering the pollutants outside the body before being inhaled.
There has been a growing public health concern globally regarding the adverse health effects caused by the inhalation of fine and ultra-fine (submicroscopic/microscopic) particles. From the phenomenon of yellow dust dating back to ancient times to the Great Smog of London in 1952, ambient air contamination is ubiquitous and affects the world's population.
Atmospheric particulate matter or PM, is a mixture of solids and liquid droplets floating in the air. Some particles are released directly from a specific source, while others form in complicated chemical reactions in the atmosphere. PM2.5 is particulate matter of 2.5 μm or less in diameter. PM2.5 is generally described as fine particles. Ultra-fine particles are those with a diameter less than 0.1 μm or PM0.1.
It is generally recognized and well documented that smaller particles have been found to be more harmful long-term to human health. A study by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District entitled “Ultra-fine Particulate Matter Study in the San Francisco Bay Area” (release date 23 Aug. 2010) finds that PM0.1 can penetrate pulmonary tissue, enter the bloodstream, and circulate throughout the body, unlike larger particulates. Therefore, PM0.1 can damage a number of internal systems that are inaccessible to larger particles. Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization “Health Effects of Particulate Matter”, the health effects of inhalable PM are due to exposure over both the short term (hours, days) and long term (months, years) and include respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity, such as aggravation of asthma, respiratory symptoms and an increase in hospital admissions mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and from lung cancer.
People suffering from asthma and from cardiovascular diseases have been identified to be especially sensitive to air pollution (Palmgren et al., 2003). In epidemiological studies conducted over the past ten years, a very consistent quantitative picture has emerged between the levels of air pollution (especially fine fraction particles) and increases in morbidity and mortality (Palmgren et al., 2003). Furthermore, there is no evidence of a safe level of exposure or a threshold below which no adverse health effects occur.
In addition to ambient air pollution, indoor smoke is also a serious health risk for some 3 billion people who cook and heat their homes with coal and biomass fuels.
The harmful effects related to short-term respiratory exposure to atmospheric particulate matter include:
However, when one looks at the harmful effects from long-term exposure, a far bleaker picture is seen. These effects include:
There is a great need for effective and practical microfiltration of inhaled air in order to reduce inhaled quantities of fine and ultra-fine pollutants and particulate matter such as smoke and dust. Current methods of addressing this widespread problem include face masks which usually cover the nose and mouth, physical nose filters that go outside the nose, or intrusive nose filters that are inserted into the nasal passageway. In general, these methods are inferior to the Present Invention as they are awkward, uncomfortable, cumbersome, and not effective in filtering ultra-fine particulate matter from inhaled air.
The Present Invention discloses and claims a method to microfilter inhaled air for nasal application and a product for reducing the risk of inhalation of fine and ultra-fine sized atmospheric pollutants wherein a formulation is applied topically to the face above the upper-lip in close proximity of the nasal passages. The products of this formulation, when applied, create an electrostatic field that attracts and captures oppositely charged fine and ultra-fine airborne pollutants, while at the same time, repels similarly charged fine and ultra-fine airborne particles. Therefore, the risk of inhalation is greatly reduced because much fewer oppositely charged and similarly charged particles are inhaled through the nasal passages.
The principal ingredient of the product formulation is Behentrimonium Chloride, which may be obtained as Incroquat Behenyl TMC-85. This ingredient is a naturally derived Behenyl quaternary conditioning agent and self-emulsifier, which was developed for formulations preferred for utilizing a chloride quat.
It is an object of the invention to mitigate the harmful health effects due to the exposure or inhalation of fine and ultra-fine particulate matter contained in airborne pollutants.
There are no Drawings.
To the Applicant's knowledge, the only existing material prior art consists of a patent and published patent applications resulting from the inventions of Ashok Wahi, a co-inventor of the Present Invention. These references are:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,488 (the '488 patent) is the first patent in a group of two. It is based upon application Ser. No. 08/080,775, filed on 1993 Jun. 24. It is a method patent and not a product patent because it was subject to restriction/election. It teaches and claims a method for restricting the flow of airborne contaminants into a nasal passage by creating an electrostatic field in an area near the nasal passage. The electrostatic field may either repel or attract airborne contaminants. A person applies a topical formulation comprising one or more electrostatic ingredients in a carrier just below the nasal passage. The patent consists of one independent method claim followed by thirteen dependent claims. The independent claim restricts the ingredients to electrostatic polymers having an average cross-sectional area ranging between 1 square millimeter to about 50,000 square millimeters. The resulting electrostatic field can either be positively or negatively charged.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,481 (the '481 patent) results from application Ser. No. 08/560,659, filed on 1995 Nov. 20. application Ser. No. 08/560,659 was a continuation-in-part of its parent application Ser. No. 08/080,775. This CIP claims only the product disclosed and claimed in its parent '488 patent. It is applied under the nasal passages as disclosed and claimed in the parent patent. The electrostatic material may be:
1. solid-flexible, semi-rigid or rigid;
2. foam-flexible, semi-rigid or rigid;
3. semi-solid, gel, or hydrogel;
4. solution-ointment, cream, or paste;
The patent provides four examples of formulations that may be used to electrostatically attract or repel airborne contaminants and prevent them from entering a person's nasal passages.
The patent consists of one independent product claim followed by ten dependent claims, and application of the claimed product implements the method taught and claimed in the '488 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,844,005 (the '005 patent) results from application Ser. No. 10/082,978 filed on 2002 Feb. 25. There was no parent continuity. The patent is for a product that also uses the method taught in the '488 patent. This patent was allowed after response to an Ex-Parte Quayle action cited in the first office action. In allowing the application, the Examiner reviewed both the '488 and '481 patents. The '005 patent has one independent claim followed by nineteen dependent claims. In allowing the application to issue, what distinguishes the claims of the '005 patent from the earlier two patents is that the claimed formulations (based on claim 1) specified a comprised ingredient as an electrostatic polymer poly(dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride) in an amount at least 10% by weight. Inclusion of this ingredient in the formulation provides a significantly increased electrostatic charge over the formulations of the '481 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,163,802 (the '802 patent) results from application Ser. No. 12/467,271 filed on 2009 May 16. Priority was based upon two provisional applications filed in 2008. There is no other parent continuity. This patent is both a method and product patent. Claim 1 is an independent method claim, while claim 2 is an independent product claim, which is followed by five claims depending directly or indirectly from claim 1. Claim 8 is an independent product claim, which is followed by fourteen claims depending directly or indirectly from claim 8.
The independent method claim of the '802 patent differs from the independent method claim of the '488 patent in that claim 1 of the '802 patent utilizes a thin film of a formulation in a carrier applied in the vicinity of the nasal passages, wherein the formulation includes ingredients that electrostatically attract airborne particulates, causing the particulates to adhere to the thin film, and inactivating the particulates, thereby rendering them harmless. Claims 2 and 8 recite formulations not claimed in either the '408 or '005 patents. The Examiner reviewed and considered the '488, '481, and '005 patents as well as the Applicant's Application Publication 2003/0223934. All 23 claims were allowed.
The published US patent applications listed in the above table did not mature into patents. US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0223934 A1 teaches a diagnostic method that uses the methodology of the '488 patent. The formulation is applied to a patient in the vicinity of the nasal passage and then removed and analyzed for the presence of particulates.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0235933 A1 teaches the use of an electrostatically charged surgical or permeable mask that prevents contaminants from entering the nose or mouth of the person wearing the mask. The mask provided increased filtration efficiency of commercially available masks. Here, the mask repels some particulates and attracts and traps other particulates.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0258946 A1 teaches a product formulation that includes a cationic agent, which is:
Another product formulation would be a nasal spray including an ingredient which is one of those listed above.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0055152 A1 teaches a method and product applied to the vicinity of a person's nasal passages, creating a barrier that prevents airborne allergens from contact with nasal passages. The application contains some previously undisclosed formulations.
Studies have long shown that there is a strong link between exposure to airborne contaminants and adverse health effects. Despite minor improvements of air quality over the years, the health risks associated with ambient air pollution remain a public health concern. There is sufficient evidence that reducing the inhalation of airborne pollutants can reduce the burden of disease from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases such as asthma and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
The Present Invention aims to reduce the inhalation of fine and ultra-fine airborne pollutants and, therefore, alleviate the adverse health effects they cause by creating an electrostatic field around the nasal passages for microfiltration which cannot be expected by current methods of filtration.
Particulates having diameters larger than about 80-100 microns are visible to the naked eye. Grains of beach sand are slightly larger than 100 microns in diameter. Although some pollen particles are visible to the naked eye, most are not. Fine particulates are those not visible to the naked eye. Their diameters range from 0.1 micron to about 80 microns. Fine particle classification includes pollen, dust, bacteria, mulled flour, coal dust, and asbestos. Ultra-fine particulates have a diameter of less than 0.1 micron. These include tobacco smoke, viruses, and colloidal silica.
The topical products of the formulations of the Present Invention contain quaternary compounds that are cationic in nature, which attract oppositely-charged particles, and which repel similarly-charged particles. Therefore, these products, when applied to the skin, reduce or prevent the inhalation/flow of airborne pollutants including but not limited to ultra-fine coal dust, yellow dust, smoke, smoke including tobacco and industrial and other airborne particulate matter to the nasal passages by filtering the pollutants outside the body before being inhaled.
In order to accomplish the above objects of the invention, an aqueous formulation is developed.
A formulation of the invention comprises:
It may further comprise without limitation a combination of the following:
The principal ingredient of all of the formulations herein is Behentrimonium Chloride. It is a long-chain polymer having the following chemical structure:
Another name for the polymer is docosyltrimethylammonium chloride. It is normally used as an antistatic agent and, sometimes, a disinfectant. It is commonly found in conditioners, hair dye, and mousse, and also in detergents. In water treatment, it acts as an algaecide. it is a naturally derived Behenyl quaternary conditioning agent and self-emulsifier, which was developed for formulations preferred for utilizing a chloride quat.
Behentrimonium Chloride is just one example of a class of compounds that may be used in the formulation. As a substitute ingredient, one may use a chloride based quaternary long-chain polymer. A long-chain polymer is defined as having at least 22 links. Quaternary compounds in the previous patents and applications discussed previously had shorter chains ranging between 10-18 links, and were keratin protein-based quaternary compounds.
It has been experimentally verified that formulations containing Behentrimonium Chloride, when applied in the vicinity of nasal passages, prevent fine and ultra-fine particles from entering the nasal passages by creating an electrostatic field that trap these particles prior to inhalation. This result was unanticipated and unexpected in the prior patents and patent applications listed above, which only prevent inhalation of much larger particulates.
Examples of typical formulations found to be effective appear in the eight tables that follow. Percentages are given by weight.
All of the formulations described in TABLES 1 to 8 representing various embodiments of the Present Invention operate in the manner that was disclosed herein. The same results may be achieved by varying the percentages for the key ingredients. Varying the percentages for the ingredients affects the efficacy and consistency of the formulation.
Another ingredient that may be included in the formulation is Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin. This is a quaternized permanent conditioning protein developed specifically to give immediate and perceptible conditioning effects in salon hair care products. It offers both permanent conditioning and enhanced substantivity. It consists of a cystine-containing keratin protein (average molecular weight 1000) and a fatty moiety (C10-C18) attached to the protein backbone.
Ideally, the formulations are applied as a thin film around the vicinity of the nasal passages to prevent inhalation through the nose. However, it may be applied along a person's entire face for greater effectiveness. The adhesion of the thin film should be adjusted to permit the film to stick to the skin or tissue and the cohesion of the formulation should be adjusted to provide adequate impermeability to the thin film.
The formulation may be contained in a liquid further comprising a solvent that evaporates quickly. Alternatively, it may be contained in an ointment, a gel, or a cream.
The desired results may be achieved by varying the ingredients and their composition by those skilled in the art without undue experimentation.
Regarding the disclosure and claims in this Present patent application, the co-inventors choose to be their own lexicographers. The definitions of terms contained within the specification, abstract, and claims of this Application supersede the plain and ordinary meaning of those terms.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1071015 | Adler | Aug 1913 | A |
| 2237954 | Wilson | Apr 1941 | A |
| 2433565 | Korman | Dec 1947 | A |
| 2751906 | Irvine | Oct 1953 | A |
| 2777442 | Zelano | Apr 1955 | A |
| 3145711 | Berber | Aug 1964 | A |
| 3513839 | Vacante | May 1970 | A |
| 4030491 | Mattila | Jun 1977 | A |
| 4052983 | Bovender | Oct 1977 | A |
| 4220150 | King | Sep 1980 | A |
| 4267831 | Aguilar | May 1981 | A |
| 4401117 | Gershuny | Aug 1983 | A |
| 4652282 | Ohmori et al. | Mar 1987 | A |
| 4789504 | Ohmori et al. | Dec 1988 | A |
| 4874659 | Ando et al. | Oct 1989 | A |
| 5468488 | Wahi | Nov 1995 | A |
| 5674481 | Wahi | Oct 1997 | A |
| 6494205 | Brown | Dec 2002 | B1 |
| 6844005 | Wahi et al. | Jan 2005 | B2 |
| 7156098 | Dolezal et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
| 8163802 | Wahi | Apr 2012 | B2 |
| 8481480 | Lam | Jul 2013 | B1 |
| 20030223934 | Wahi | Dec 2003 | A1 |
| 20040261798 | Rimkus | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20090235933 | Wahi | Sep 2009 | A1 |
| 20090258946 | Wahi | Oct 2009 | A1 |
| 20100055152 | Wahi | Mar 2010 | A1 |
| 20100278906 | Sondgeroth | Nov 2010 | A1 |
| 20140143960 | Reid | May 2014 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170105950 A1 | Apr 2017 | US |
