Method and apparatus for diverting sweat, liquid, moisture or the like from an eye

Abstract

Moisture diverters attachable to a region above the eye and below the eyebrow that prevents sweat, liquid, moisture, or the like from entering the eyes of a wearer is described. A moisture diverter may include a substrate having an inner surface facing the wearer and an outer surface facing away from the wearer. The inner surface comprises a lower adhesive section and an upper adhesive-free section, the adhesive section releasably attaches the diverter to the wearer at a point above the eye and below the eyebrow, the adhesive-free section shaped or shapeable to abut or protrude from eyebrow region of a wearer and to divert moisture away from the eye.

1 . A diverting apparatus comprising:
 a substrate comprising an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface comprising a lower section and an upper section, the lower section comprising an adhesive useable for releasably attaching the diverting apparatus to a wearer in a region above the eye and below the eyebrow of the wearer, the upper section shaped or shapeable to abut or protrude from the eyebrow region of the wearer to divert sweat, liquid, moisture, or the like away from the eye.   
     
     
         2 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the upper section is adhesive-free. 
     
     
         3 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the lower section is attachable to the upper orbit of the eye of the wearer. 
     
     
         4 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the lower section is shaped or shapeable to fit the contour of the orbit of the eye 
     
     
         5 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the upper section protrudes slightly from the brow region of the wearer to create a channel that diverts the sweat, liquid, moisture, or the like away from the eye. 
     
     
         6 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the upper section comprises an enlarged upper edge portion for contacting or making near contact with the brow region of the wearer. 
     
     
         7 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the enlarged upper edge portion comprises an elongate tube having perforations. 
     
     
         8 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the upper section comprises a raised lip at an upper edge. 
     
     
         9 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the inner surface further comprises a moisture absorbent material located between an upper edge and lower edge of the substrate. 
     
     
         10 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises a material that does not absorb liquid. 
     
     
         11 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the adhesive is selected from the group of adhesives comprising: acrylic-based adhesives (monomers and polar monomers or a combination thereof), polymer-based adhesives, uncrosslinked elastomeric polymers, synthetic rubber-based adhesives, hydrocolloid absorbent adhesives and silicone-based adhesives. 
     
     
         12 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises a gas permeable material. 
     
     
         13 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises perforations to permit the passage of air or gases through the substrate. 
     
     
         14 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises perforations or scores that produce frangible lines for variably sizing the diverter. 
     
     
         15 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein diverting apparatus is made from a single piece of material. 
     
     
         16 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises one or more reinforcing members. 
     
     
         17 . A diverting apparatus for diverting sweat, liquid, moisture, or the like from both eyes of a wearer comprising:
 a right eye diverter, a left eye diverter and a middle section joining the right and left eye diverters, each of the right eye and left eye diverters comprising a substrate comprising an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface comprising a lower section and an upper section, the lower section comprising an adhesive useable for releasably attaching the diverting apparatus to the wearer in a region above the eye and below the eyebrow of the wearer, the upper section shaped or shapeable to abut or protrude from the eyebrow region of the wearer to divert sweat, liquid, moisture, or the like away from the eye.   
     
     
         18 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the diverting apparatus is made from a single piece of material. 
     
     
         19 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the upper section is adhesive-free. 
     
     
         20 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the lower section is attachable to the upper orbit of the eye of the wearer. 
     
     
         21 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the lower section is shaped or shapeable to fit the contour of the orbit of the eye. 
     
     
         22 . The diverting apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the substrate comprises one or more reinforcing members. 
     
     
         23 . A method for fabricating a moisture diverting device that is releasably attachable to a region above the eye and below the eyebrow of a wearer, the method comprising:
 shaping a substrate that comprises an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface having an upper section and a lower section, the upper and lower sections each having an adhesive surface covering at least a portion thereof, the outer surface having an adhesive-free upper section located opposite the upper section of the inner surface, the substrate being shaped so that the moisture diverting apparatus is conformable to be worn at a region directly above the eye of the wearer when the fabrication method is complete; and   folding back the adhesive-free upper section of the outer surface onto at least a portion of the upper section of the inner surface to create an adhesive-free region on the inner surface.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the folding back step is performed prior to the substrate shaping step. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the substrate is shaped by cutting the substrate.