JPH0454464B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Description of the technical field to which the invention pertains] The present invention relates to a heat insulator that is used in direct contact with the human skin.

[Prior art]

Compositions that generate heat upon contact with water and air have been widely used for various purposes as so-called chemical coatings. When this composition is used as a chemical cauldron, it is usually sealed in an air-permeable packaging material along with water-soaked sawdust, stored in an airtight bag, and removed from the bag when used. By kneading the packaging material, the water-containing sawdust is dispersed,
Some products start generating heat by drawing air through the packaging material.

According to a chemical heater in which a heating element is housed in an outer bag and used, by applying an adhesive or an adhesive to the outer surface of the outer bag, it can be attached to another object and used as a heat insulator for that object. For example, if it is applied directly to the human skin, it can be used as a warm compress or moxibustion device. However, if adhesives or adhesives are used to attach the adhesive to the human body, it may cause irritation or eczema on the skin, which is inconvenient.

[Purpose of the invention]

Therefore, the present invention provides a heat insulator that can be directly attached to the human body without using any adhesive or adhesive.

[Structure of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the heat insulator according to the present invention has a heating element and an outer bag, and the heating element contains a mixture mainly consisting of at least iron powder and a metal acid salt. It is enclosed in an inner bag that has air permeability and water permeability, and the outer bag houses the heating element, and is constructed like a bag with a smooth sheet-like material, and has an insertion opening for the heating element. However, the sheet material has adhesive properties due to the properties of the material or the properties of the additives contained in the material, and the heating element insertion opening is airtightly covered with a cover sheet attached to the outside and can be opened and closed. One side of the outer bag has a heating temperature adjustment hole that supplies air to the heating element, and the other side serves as an adhesive surface for attaching to the human body.

[Explanation of Examples]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, a heat insulator 1 of the present invention includes a heating element 4 formed by enclosing a mixture 2 mainly composed of iron powder and a metal acid salt in an inner bag 3 having water permeability and air permeability, and It consists of a water-absorbent water carrier 5 to which the water of the body 4 is added, and an outer bag 6 that accommodates the heating element 4 and the water carrier 5.

The iron powder used for the heating element 4 is not only the pure reduced iron used in conventional chemical heating, but also sufficiently ground shavings of cast iron, pig iron, etc. that contain carbon in the iron. . In the case of pure iron, it is necessary to add coal powder, but if the iron contains carbon, there is no need to add carbon powder. Moreover, pig iron powder is a solid solution system with carbon, which is advantageous in terms of the utilization of iron. When charcoal powder is added to iron powder, the oxidation reaction of the iron often stops at the surface, leaving the inside unreacted. The particle size of the powder is not particularly limited, but 100 to 400 mesh is sufficient. As salts to be mixed with iron, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, aluminum, and iron mineral salts are suitable, and alkali metal hydrochlorides and nitrates are particularly preferred, and dilute mineral acids and organic acids are also effective. . The proportion of these metal salts used alone or in combination is approximately 1 to 10% based on the iron powder. Specific examples of metal acid salts include potassium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, barium chloride, magnesium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, ferric sulfate, aluminum chloride, citric acid, malic acid, etc. can be mentioned. Inner bag 3
The material is not limited as long as it is a combination of a breathable sheet and a water-absorbent sheet, but a heat-sealable material is advantageous in terms of work. For example, a fixed amount of the mixture 2 is sandwiched between a seal made of paper impregnated with resin, nonwoven fabric, paper, or woven fabric with a number of holes punched in a heat-sealable film such as polyethylene. Fold it in half and heat seal the overlapping edges to make a thin bag.

The water carrier 5 controls the duration of heat generation, and is made of a water-containing material such as sponge, paper (cellulose), rubber, or synthetic resin foam. The amount of water added to the mixture 2 in the inner bag 3 by impregnating the water carrier 5 must be within 20% of the amount of the mixture 2. Note that it is desirable to use a sheet-like material as thin as possible as the water carrier.

The outer bag 6 is a case that houses the heating element 4 and the water carrier 5, but in the present invention, it also has the function of being attached to the human body.

The material of the outer bag 6 is a smooth sheet-like material that has adhesive properties depending on the properties of the material or the properties of the additives contained in the material, and this sheet-like material is processed into a bag shape,
A cover sheet 8 covering an insertion port 7 opened at one edge is attached to a part of the outer bag 6. This cover sheet 8 is made of the same material as the outer bag 6, and its sheet surface is brought into close contact with the surface of the outer bag 6 by utilizing the adhesive properties of the material itself or the additives contained in the material.

An example of a material that has adhesive properties itself is vinyl acetate/polyethylene copolymer (EVA). When processed into smooth sheets, these sheets can be easily adhered to each other or to the skin of the human body. Further, examples of materials that have adhesive properties due to the properties of additives (plasticizers) contained in the material include vinyl chloride resin, for example. Using sheets made of these materials and processed to have a smooth surface, two or more sets of outer bags 6 are made with the insertion openings 7 facing each other as shown in FIG.
are integrally molded in two rows, and a cover sheet 8 is attached between both rows to seal the insertion opening 7 in each outer bag 6, or as shown in FIG. Similarly, two rows are formed by shifting the positions of 6 and 6'. Note that the inner surface of the outer bag 6 is desirably made rough to prevent adhesion. A plurality of heat generation temperature adjustment holes 9 are opened on one side of the outer bag 6 and are distributed over the entire surface, and the holes 9 are attached and detached with adhesive tape 10 as shown in FIG. 1 so that the total opening area can be adjusted. Close as possible.

Of course, the outer bag 6 can be used alone as shown in FIG. 1, but it can also be used as a pair as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, or as a pair as shown by the solid line in FIG.
It is convenient to cut and use the two pieces facing each other in series.

In the embodiment, the water carrier 5 is impregnated with water, superimposed on the heating element 4, and inserted into each outer bag 6,
The insertion port 7 is sealed with a cover sheet 8, and the non-porous surface of the outer bag 6 is brought into direct contact with the skin B of the affected area of the human body as shown in FIG. Due to the properties of the material, the outer bag 6 maintains a close contact state, but if it tends to come off easily depending on the place where it is attached, the close contact can be made easier by wetting the surface to which it is attached. When two or more outer bags 6 are arranged in a row, the contact area is large, so the adhesion force is increased. Also, when attaching it to the shoulder, it is sufficient to straddle the front and back. The heat generation temperature adjustment hole 9 is opened by removing the adhesive tape etc. 10, but since the heat generation temperature reaches a maximum of 55° to 60°C, it is necessary to adjust the total opening area of the adjustment hole 9 so as to maintain the appropriate temperature.

In the outer bag 6, the water impregnated into the water carrier 5 permeates into the inner bag 3 of the heating element 4, and the inner bag 3 is supplied with this water and air flowing in through the heat generation temperature adjustment hole 9.
The iron powder inside generates heat by oxidation, and this heat is transmitted to the affected area through the skin B, producing a warm compress effect or a moxibustion effect. When heat generation stops during use, by replenishing water with the water carrier 5, heat generation can be restarted repeatedly as long as unoxidized iron powder remains. When the skin is heated by heat generation, it sweats, and a wet surface is formed on the surface of the outer bag 6 in contact with the skin, improving adhesion.

Further, the water supplied into the outer bag 6 becomes water vapor due to heat generation, and a part of the water vapor flows around the contact surface between the cover sheet 8 and the outer bag 6 to increase the adhesion and completely close the insertion port 7. Can be sealed in As a result, the heating element 4 generates heat according to the amount of air defined by the total opening area of the heating temperature adjustment hole 9, and the heating temperature is kept substantially constant during the heating period.

As described above, the present invention uses vinyl acetate-polyethylene copolymer or vinyl chloride resin as the material of the outer bag that houses the heating element, or a smooth thin sheet having adhesive properties due to the properties of the material or the properties of the additive. Since a material is used, it can be easily attached to the skin without using any adhesive or adhesive, and the adhesion to the skin can be further increased by utilizing the perspiration effect from the skin. Therefore, according to the present invention, there is no itching or rash on the skin, and an excellent feeling of use can be obtained. Furthermore, by using a sheet of the same quality as the outer bag as the cover sheet for sealing the insertion opening, the insertion opening can be completely sealed and temperature control can be easily performed.

BACKGROUND ART Vinylidene chloride sheets with adhesive properties have been used as packaging materials such as Saran Wrap (trade name). The present invention utilizes the properties of the material of such a sheet in the bag for the heating element, but if the heat insulator of the present invention is used with a heating element that supplies water from the outside during use, the filling of the inner bag will be reduced. requires only a minimum of iron powder and metal acid salts, and therefore can be made small, lightweight, and thin. However, it is not limited to the case where a heating element is used by adding water from the outside at the time of use, and it is of course possible to use a conventional heating element that contains water in advance in consideration of weight. According to the present invention, it is possible to easily attach and fix the adhesive to various parts of the body without using an adhesive or the like.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially sectional perspective view showing an embodiment of the heat insulator of the present invention, Figs. 2 and 3 are plan views each showing an embodiment of the outer bag, and Fig. 4 is a side view showing the state of use. be. 1... Heat insulator, 2... Mixture, 3... Inner bag, 4
... Heating element, 5 ... Water carrier, 6 ... Outer bag, 7 ...
Insertion slot, 8...cover sheet, 9...heat generation temperature adjustment hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A heat insulator having a heating element and an outer bag,
The heating element is made by enclosing a mixture mainly consisting of at least iron powder and metal acid salts in an inner bag that is breathable and water permeable.The outer bag houses the heating element and has a smooth surface. It has a bag-like structure with a sheet-like material, and has an insertion opening for the heating element, and the sheet-like material has adhesive properties depending on the properties of the material or the properties of the additives contained in the material. The insertion opening is airtightly covered with a cover sheet attached to the outer bag, and can be opened and closed. One side of the outer bag has a heating temperature adjustment hole that supplies air to the heating element, and the other side has a heat-generating temperature adjustment hole that supplies air to the heating element. A heat insulator characterized in that it serves as an adhesive surface to be attached to.