US2949880A - Suntan control device - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 23, 1960 s. FROMER 2,949,880

SUN'IAN CONTROL DEVICE Filed July 17. 1958 FIG.2

DANGER OPTIMUM Q MILD FIG.3

INVENTOR. Stephen Fromer X 4 ATTORNEY.

nited States atent SUNTAN CONTROL DEVICE Stephen Framer, 1535 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, N.Y.

Filed July 17, 1958, Ser. No. 749,137

3 Claims. (Cl. 116-114) The present invention relates to a device for controlling and preventing sunburn and more particularly to a lighttight package or enclosure containing a photosensitive paper element having a plurality of areas of diiferent photosensitivities, each of said areas being imprinted with a designation in a reducing agent such as sodium thiosulfate Which becomes visually apparent as the photosensitive areas darken upon exposure to actinic rays.

It is well known that sunburn is a common illness, especially in the summertime, and that it can be dangerous or even fatal due to excessive exposure to the suns rays. The usual practice is to use a sun tan lotion or preparation, but these are not particularly effective and even provide a sense of false security despite the fact that they contain various chemical agents such as so-called sunscreen compositions. Many people are sensitive to such agents which are capable of causing skin eruptions. These agents act by masking actinic rays which is an anomaly because the object of exposure to sunlight is to obtain a natural tan, which can be accomplished by judicious exposure.

In accordance with the present invention, a device is provided which will enable sunbathers and others to acquire safely the desired sun tan in a natural manner and without requiring the auxiliary use of lotions containing sun-screening agents or compositions, although such may be used, if desired.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view taken through a device according to the invention prior to removal of the photosensitive paper element from its light-tight enclosure;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the photosensitive paper element removed from the light-tight enclosure.

In the drawing, the numeral indicates a light-tight enclosure or package composed of any suitable material which will block out actinic rays. Aluminum foil is preferred, but other materials may be used so long as they are capable of protecting the photosensitive paper element 11 from actinic rays. The aluminum foil is formed into a suitable enclosure or package in any known manner such as by crimping together two aluminum foil sheets or by using a single piece of aluminum foil and folding it over over the element 11, under red light or in very subdued light in a manner clear to those versed in matters photographic, and then crimped or otherwise sealed. The enclosure or package can, for example, be made by automatic machinery of the Salfisberg or Ivers-Lee type used for packaging pharmaceutical powders, tablets and other products.

The photosensitive paper element 11 is provided on one side with an adhesive 12 of any suitable character such as that used for pressure-sensitive tapes and bandages so that the element adheres to articles or objects with which it is brought into contact and can be observed by the Patented Aug. 23, 1960 sunbather. The paper element 11 is provided with a plurality of areas of different photosensitivities which darken upon exposure to actinic rays in different elapsed times. One area darkens, for example, in approximately fifteen minutes, another in twenty-five minutes and a third in thirty-five minutes. The first area is used by persons with light complexions, the second by persons with medium complexions and the third by persons with dark complexions. This arrangement is preferred, but other combinations of times may be used such as when sunbathers have already had some exposure to sun or have had ultraviolet lamp treatments in which event they can safely take longer exposures to bright sunlight.

Each photosensitive area is imprinted with a designation selected for its guide relationship to exposure by the sunbather. Preferably, the designations Mild, Optimum and Danger are employed, but other designations or indicia may equally well be employed such as a series of numerals like 1, 2 and 3 or with words like Light, Medium and Dark, but it has been found best to employ the word Danger on the area of greatest elapsed time of darkening upon exposure because this is the danger point for all persons and will serve as a direct warning to discontinue sunbathing. Colors may also be used such as green, yellow and red, these signifying, respectively, safety, caution and danger. The specific designations or indicia do not constitute a limitation upon the invention and any one of these sets or combinations of them may be used within the purview of the invention.

These word, numerical, etc. designations and indicia are imprinted on the paper element in a reducing agent, preferably sodium thiosulfate, before the paper element is inserted into the enclosure or package, and are not visually apparent or particularly noticeable prior to exposure of the paper element to sunlight, but upon exposure, and as the paper darkens, the words, numerals, etc. become successively visible and clearly apparent. For instance, When the paper element has been exposed to sunlight for about fifteen minutes, the Mild designation is fully visible, but the Optimum and Danger designations are not, these latter becoming, respectively, clearly visible after total exposures of twenty-five and thirty-five minutes. The visibility results from the darkening of the various photosensitive areas in the pro-selected lapsed times, the designations themselves being white or otherwise contrasting.

The paper element itself is composed of printing-out paper of the type formerly used in photographic work and now used substantially only for proofs submitted by professional photographers. This printing-out paper is prepared with an emulsion containing free soluble silver compounds and was, according to prior usage of this type of paper, printed under a negative in strong light until the image was complete (Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 17, 800 (14th edition)). Printing-out paper is thus per se lmown in photography, but has never been made or used in a manner responding to the invention. By using silver-containing emulsions of pro-selected exposure times and combining a plurality thereof of difierent exposure times, the invention provides surprising and unexpected results not heretofore known or obtained.

In use, the aluminum foil or other light-tight package or enclosure is opened and the photosensitive paper element applied to a bathing suit, to the skin of the user or any nearby object or article where its progressive darkening can be observed. In this way, a simple, inexpensive device is provided which can be discarded after use.

What is claimed is:

1. A suntan control device comprising a photosensitive paper element provided on one side thereof with an adhesive and on its other side with a plurality of areas of different photosensitivities which darken at different elapsed times upon exposure to actinic rays of sunlight, each of the said photosensitive areas having printed thereon in sodium thiosulfate a designation which becomes visually apparent after the lapse of a predetertermined time of exposure and upon darkening of that area due to such exposure, whereby a person exposed to actinic rays is able to obtain a safe amount of suntan over a comparatively extensive period of time by observing said element and the appearance of such designations.

2. A suntan control device according to claim 1, in which each succeeding photosensitive area darkens after a longer elapsed exposure time than the preceding photosensitive area and in which the designations become progressively visible to guide the person exposed to the actinic rays and to prevent overexposure of said person 15 to said rays 3. A suntan control device according to claim 1, in which, by means of the adhesive, the element is maintained in a position for continuous observation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,262,444 Capstafi Apr. 9, 1918 2,046,409 Pleshker July 7, 1936 2,083,675 Ville June 15, 1937 2,253,231 Friedell Aug. 19, 1941 2,380,244 Jones July 10, 1945 2,680,816 Stern June 8, 1954 2,687,478 Land Aug. 24, 1954

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