Patent Application
20200100934
This invention relates generally to skin and subcutaneous tissue cooling and treatment and, in particular, to devices and methods that use cold temperatures for needle injections, cosmetic uses and localized pain relief.
There are many reasons to reduce skin and tissue temperatures, and there are many approaches and procedures used to achieve this goal. Injections of anesthetics such as lidocaine can dramatically reduce pain associated with skin procedures, but the discomfort of the injection can be as painful as the procedure itself. As such, there remains an outstanding desire to numb the skin and tissues without inflicting pain in the process.
With specific regard to needle injections, alternatives include needle-free syringes that deliver vaccines through a quick, fluid stream that penetrates the skin, and medicated sprays that are puffed into the nostrils. There are also hand-held devices that track veins and the direction of blood flow on an imaging device, giving users a real-time digital image of the patient's blood pattern to track especially difficult veins needed for medical procedures and injections.
Topical anesthetics have been widely researched, but they have proven to be largely ineffective in many situations. Although topical anesthetics can take the sting out of needle punctures, they have not been routinely used for immunizations or blood draws due to high cost and they inconvenience associated with waiting for them to take effect.
Vapocoolants and anesthetic gels containing amethocaine are cheaper and work more quickly than topical anesthesics. Vapocoolants halt pain signals through rapid cooling. These sprays contain chemicals that evaporate quickly under normal room conditions. When applied topically, they extract heat from the skin as they evaporate. Vapocoolants are inexpensive and provide nearly instant skin cooling. However, since numbness lasts only a few seconds, they are appropriate only for procedures that can be completed quickly. Some patients may find vapocoolants uncomfortable, and the coolants must be applied with care to avoid freezing the skin, which could cause blistering or even frostbite. There may be environmental drawbacks if the vapocoolant releases chlorofluorocarbons, and some vapocoolants are flammable.
Skin cooling is also known to reduce the volume of subcutaneous fat, thereby achieving pain relief. In this regard, one alternative includes immersive cooling. However, the equipment associated with such techniques can be costly, and the procedures present some risks of cold injury.
This invention addresses and solves problems associated with prior-art skin skin/tissue cooling apparatus by providing an extremely cost-effective article adapted for use with a coolant spray in an existing canister. The apparatus comprises a housing with an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end of the housing includes a structure enabling the housing to be removably coupled (i.e, snapped on) to the rim of the existing canister. A component supported over the outlet end of the housing is adapted for skin contact. When a user presses a button on the housing, the coolant spray is directed within the housing to the component supported on the outlet of the housing, causing the component to become cool, which is placed against a region of skin to be cooled.
A tubular structure, disposed within the housing, includes an inlet end configured to engage with the push-activated spray tube of the canister, and an outlet end directed toward the skin-contacting component supported over the outlet end of the housing. A pushbutton, accessible on the outer surface of the housing, is coupled to the tubular structure, such that depressing the pushbutton causes the inlet end of the tubular structure to depress the push-activated spray tube, thereby causing the coolant spray to be carried though the tubular structure and out the outlet end thereof to cool the skin-contacting component.
In a preferred embodiment, the canister is a conventional compressed-air canister having a 1-inch or other diameter circular rolled rim or ‘doughnut.’ The inlet end of the housing is likewise circular, and configured to removably coupled to the canister by way of a series of barbs or projections that engages with the circular rim of the canister. The outlet end of the housing may be at an angle relative to the inlet end such a ninety degrees, with the pushbutton being conveniently accessible on an upper surface of the housing.
The tubular structure may be coupled to the housing by way of a living hinge, such that depressing the pushbutton causes the entire tubular structure to move. This also enables the entire housing, including the pushbutton structure, to be made with as few as a single injection-molded plastic piece. The skin-contacting component is preferably a round disk of aluminum or other thermally conductive material.
This invention resides in an article that couples to an existing canister of coolant spray to cool skin surfaces to reduce or eliminate pain. While geared towards children and adults with needle phobia, it is applicable to a wide range of users including pediatricians to diabetics who inject themselves on a daily basis. Another application is for cooling the skin instantly after a first or second degree burn or sprain as opposed to, or in conjunction with, applying an ice pack. It may further be used as a cosmetic device to cool the skin and tissues in the facial area, for example, to low temperatures to help the skin maintain a youthful appearance.
In the preferred embodiment, the housing 102 is molded from a single piece of injection-molded plastic, and the skin-contacting component 110 is a thermally conductive disc. The disk may be round, and may be constructed from a metal such as aluminum. The invention is not limited in these aspects, however, as multiple pieces may be used to form the housing, and the disc 110 made be made in other shapes and from other materials, including layered composites.
Different canisters with different coolant sprays may also be used, though in the preferred embodiment, a canister of “compressed air” is used due to its inertness. While compressed air is not generally known as a coolant, when the canister is tilted, the propellant forms a rapidly cooling spray that the invention uses to advantage. In the most preferred embodiments, the invention uses a standard or conventional canister having a circular, 1-inch diameter rolled rim or “doughnut” ordinarily used to retain the cap of the canister. In accordance with the method of use, the plunger cap is removed, exposing a push-activated spray tube 202 extending from the canister.
In
The tubular structure 212 includes an inlet end 214 configured to engage with the push-activated spray tube 218 of the canister, and an outlet end 216 directed toward the skin-contacting component 110 supported over the outlet end 108 of the housing 102. The pushbutton 112 is coupled to the tubular structure 212 in a manner whereby depressing the pushbutton causes the inlet end of the tubular structure to depress the push-activated spray tube 202, thereby causing the coolant to be carried though the tubular structure 212, and out the outlet end 216 thereof, to cool the skin-contacting component 110.
In the preferred embodiment, the outlet end 108 of the housing at an angle relative to the inlet end such as a right angle. Such a construction enables the pushbutton 112 to be conveniently located on the top of the housing, such that when a user grasps the canister with their hand, the index finger may easily be used to depress the button 112. Further in accordance with the preferred embodiment, the tubular structure 212 is coupled to the housing by way of a living hinge 210, such that depressing the pushbutton 112 causes the entire tubular structure 212 to move.
As shown in
While the preferred embodiment includes a cooling disc, other embodiments possible in accordance with the invention for other purposes. For example,
In all embodiments of the invention, including the cosmetic embodiment, the skin-contacting component is typically cooled in advance of application to prepare the device for use. Once the cooled component is in contact with the skin, however, the additional coolant may be administered to re-cool the component or maintain the component at a desired temperature. The mechanism to release the cooling spray may be in the form of an electromechanical push-button mechanism 508. It may also be in the form of a mechanical lever release 514 or living hinge squeeze mechanism 516. Any of these can function by causing repetitive intermittent release of coolant. In some embodiments, a liquid-crystal or other material may be used in conjunction with the cooled, skin-contacting component to give a user an indication of application temperature.
