Sheaths of material having improved surface barriers
OwnerArthur A. Krause, George H. Carrollinventors
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Abstract
A process of treating natural rubber latex articles, such as gloves and condoms, to alter the characteristics of the article so as to improve its barrier properties and resistance to passage of harmful agents therethrough, and the article produced by the process. The article is manufactured in accordance with conventional methods and then treated with a reactive gas, in particular a halogen gas such as fluorine gas, or a mixture of gasses. The treatment is conducted in a sealed chamber in accordance with the protocol of the “Level 1” fluorination treatment performed by Fluoro-Seal, Inc., of Ontario, Calif.
Claims13
A natural rubber latex article intended for use in contact with human tissue, wherein the article is exposed to a reactive gas to modify the characteristics of the article and improve its barrier resistance to passage of harmful agents therethrough without the use of separate coatings.
A process for treating natural rubber latex articles to alter the characteristics thereof and improve the resistance to passage therethrough of harmful agents, without requiring the use of separate coatings, wherein:
- at least one said article is placed in a chamber, the chamber is sealed and purged of extraneous agents, and a suitable reactive gas is introduced into the chamber under predetermined pressure and temperature, and at a predetermined concentration and for a predetermined period of time, to alter the characteristics and improve the barrier to passage therethrough of harmful agents.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.