Appeal No. 2000-0320 Page 10
Application No. 08/480,082
polymer when contacted therewith. The disintegration agent is
trapped within and chemically isolated from the matrix polymer
such as by
encapsulation, and is releasable within the matrix polymer
upon contact of the device with a releasing agent which
liberates the encapsulated disintegration agent.
Thompson teaches that the matrix polymer may be
fabricated from anionic or cationic crosslinkable polymers and
may include but are not limited to carboxylic, sulfate, and
amine functionalized polymers such as polyacrylic acid,
polymethacrylic acid, polyethylene amine, polysaccharides such
as alginic
acid, pectinic acid, carboxymethyl cellulose, hyaluronic acid,
heparin, chitosan, carboxymethyl chitosan, carboxymethyl
starch, carboxymethyl dextran, heparin sulfate, chondroitin
sulfate, cationic guar, cationic starch, and their salts.
Preferred ionically crosslinkable polymers are alginic acid,
pectinic acid, carboxymethyl cellulose, hyaluronic acid,
chitosan, and their salts. Most preferred ionically
crosslinkable polymers are alginic acid, pectinic acid, and
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