Microapplicators, delivery systems and methods for adhesives and sealants

#This invention relates to microapplicators, delivery systems and methods for applying adhesive and sealant compositions such as cyanoacrylate adhesives, particularly for medical use.

#Numerous swabs, applicators, dispensers and kits for dispensing and applying various materials, including adhesive materials, are known. However, these known arrangements possess various shortcomings that make them undesirable in many applications.

#For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,273 to Discko, Jr. discloses a package having wells or depressions for holding a medicament or material and an applicator for applying the medicament or material. The package includes a tray and a cover extending over the entire top surface of the tray. The tray includes an applicator well and a separate medicament well. A mixing area is placed on the cover. The tray further includes medicament wells and an applicator well. However, the '273 patent does not address providing effective storage and application of a polymerizable monomer compound. Moreover, the applicator disclosed in the '273 patent comprises a relatively large brush that is not suitable for certain medical applications.

#Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, with reference to the attached drawing figures, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a side view of a microapplicator according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a side view of a plunger corresponding to a first modification of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

#FIG. 1 illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, although the present invention is in no way limited to the specific design depicted therein. For the sake of description, the elements of the first embodiment, and subsequent embodiments, are illustrated as transparent. However, it should be understood that the elements need not be transparent in practice. Further, although particular dimensions of the applicator tip are described below, it should be understood that the size of the overall applicator is variable.

#As shown in FIG. 1, a microapplicator 100 comprises a handle portion 110 and an applicator tip 120. The handle portion 110 may be formed as a hollow barrel 112 as shown. While the barrel 112 is shown as a cylindrical tube, other configurations are possible, such as a contoured outer surface to facilitate gripping and/or manipulation by hand. All components of the microapplicator 100 are preferably sterilizable by conventional techniques.

#The applicator tip 120 comprises a microreservoir 122 that is designed to hold a very small amount of an adhesive or sealant material until dispensing. The very small amount is on the order of 20 microliters or less, preferably about 15 microliters or less, more preferably about 10 microliters or less, and most preferably about 5 microliters or less. The applicator tip 120 and the microreservoir 122 are designed for delivering very small amounts, such as about 3 microliters or less, of an adhesive or sealant material. This is unattainable using known applicator tips or delivery methods because such applicator tips and delivery methods generally rely on the formation of droplets, which have a size much greater than 3 microliters.