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AssigneeHoward I. Podell
InventorsHoward I. Podell, Albert Goldstein, David C. Blackley, Michael H. James, David M. Bratby, Roger Duck
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A skin-contacting lubricating layer formed from a hydrogel polymer bonded to a rubber article (such as a surgeon's glove) is treated by means of surfactant material (such as a bactericidal cationic surfactant which preferably has a 6-18C alkyl or alkenyl group, such as an N-hexadecyl group) or a long chain fatty amine so as to substantially improve the lubricity of the layer with respect to damp skin. The hydrogel polymer is preferably a copolymer of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) with methacrylic acid (MAA) or with 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) or with both MAA and EHA. Such a hydrogel polymer has improved lubricity to dry skin and, if used for this purpose, need not be treated with a surfactant or fatty amine to improve the lubricity with respect to damp skin.
A flexible rubber article having a lubricating layer formed from a hydrogel polymer bonded thereto so as to provide a skin-contacting surface of said article in which a member of the group consisting of surfactant materials and long chain fatty amines has been applied to said skin-contacting surface so as to substantially improve the lubricity of said surface with respect to damp skin, said hydrogel polymer being a copolymer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with at least one of methacrylic acid and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.