WO1985001272A1

WO1985001272A1 - Package for risk samples

Info

Publication number: WO1985001272A1
Application number: PCT/SE1984/000295
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jan Söderholm; Hugo Cedraeus
Original assignee: Soederholm Jan; Hugo Cedraeus
Priority date: 1983-09-13
Filing date: 1984-09-12
Publication date: 1985-03-28
Also published as: DE3470141D1; SE8304910D0; EP0189406B1; SE8304910L; SE444555B; EP0189406A1; AU3396084A

Abstract

Package with shock-absorbing material for shipment of risk samples contained, for instance, in a primary package. The object of the invention is to provide a leak-proof, light-weight sample package which is inexpensive in manufacture and the contents of which can be checked from the outside without opening of the package. According to the invention this is achieved by the provision of a shock-absorbing, translucent inner casing with liquid-absorbing material and a partly translucent outer casing with a cover flap (14) permitting liquid-tight sealing of the inner casing, and the outer casing can be opened and a specification or the like can be taken out, without opening of the inner casing, at the same time as the outer casing may be provided with text.

Description

PACKAGE FOR RISK SAMPLES

The invention relates to a package with shock-absorbin material for shipment of samples contained in a primary package, as claimed in the preamble of claim 1.

Various so-called risk samples, such as microbiologi- cal samples, chemicals, infectious substances, radioactive substances, nasty-smelling masses or material that is dis¬ agreeable for one reason or another, contained in so-called primary packages must sometimes be shipped by post, by messenger, courier or some other way, and in this connectio certain directions, announcements, provisions, etc. are to observed. Thus, for instance infectious samples must be pre vented from leaking out through the outer package if the primary package is or has become untight.

Enclosed to the package is usually a covering letter, a specification, a referral or other message which must not either be infected, contaminated or come into contact in any other way with the sample in question, if the sample container should not be tight or not be carefully sealed. It should not be possible to read the specifi ation from the outside, i.e. not without opening the package, but in certain cases it should be possible to identify it from the outside. Moreover, the package must fulfil certain criteria for shock-proofness, dustlessness, tightness, etc. It shoul also be possible to inspect the sealed package from the out side and thus ascertain whether or not the sarrole in questi has leaked out from its primary package. After sealing the sample pocket must be tight outwards, and leakage from the sample pocket into the specification pocket must also be prevented. Further, it must be possible to indicate the sender and addressee on the sample bag and possibly also other notations, e.g. warning texts. Often it is required that the package should not be difficult to open. It should preferably also be easy to manufacture in large series and be inexpersive.

- Thus, on one hand, the sample package must be very tight and shock-protected. On the other hand, it must be easy to open and in any case it should be possible to take out the specification or like notes without making it necessary to open at the same time the sample compartment that may possibly contain a leaked-out sample.

The object of the invention is to provide a package primarily for samples of the above-mentioned type, ful¬ filling to the greatest possible extent the above criteria and being rational and easy to manufacture also in large series. It should also be possible to apply a clearly visib warning text and/or other texts and it should be possible t ascertain any leakage from the primary package in the sampl pocket without any risk of someone coming in touch with the leakage.

This object is achieved by the present invention in accordance with the characterizing part of claim 1. Further developments of the invention and special embodiment details are apparent from the subclaims. The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section through an empty package according to the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a similar cross-section through the upper part of a package according to the invention, including a sample contained in a primary package in sealed condition.

As is seen in Fig. 1 the package includes an inner casing 1 of shock-absorbing material, e.g. so-called blister foil. This blister foil consists of translucent plastic foils welded or glued together so as to form a large number of small tablet-size air cushions. The casing 1 has a slit-like opening 2 having edges 3, 3' overlapping each other according to Fig. 1 or situated substantially edge to edge according to Fig. 2 . Arranged in the inner casing 1 is a liquid-absorbing material 4, in this case in

» the form of a sheet of blotting-paper. Instead of blotting- paper use may be made of other liquid-absorbing materials. e.g. powder or gels, i.a. recently developed super-absorbin gels of modified starch or fibre sheets impregnated with such starch.

The inner casing 1 may consist of a blister foil sheet which is folded up according to Fig. 1 and welded together at the edges extending in parallel with the section plane o the drawing, and it may either lie loose or be welded into outer casing 6. The inner casing 1 includes a pocket 5 into which a sample 8 packed in a primary package 7 is to be in- serted, as is seen in Fig. 2. The primary package may in turn be put into an outer package, e.g. of glass or plastic with screw cover, in a way not shown in the drawing figures while a foamed plastic plug may preferably first be placed in the bottom, whereupon the sample is introduced and another foamed plastic plug is put on and the cover is screwed or pressed on.

Between the inner casing 1 and the outer casing 6 ther is formed another pocket 9 for a specification, a referral, a covering letter or other message 10. In Fig.2 this has be represented in the form of a folded sheet. In order that th latter should not be readable from the outside an opaque liner 11 has been inserted on said specification pocket 9. This liner may also be utilized for indication on its out¬ ward face of the name and address of the addressee, any warning text required, information about contents, sender, etc. It is also possible to place an outwardly visible address label 17 in the interspace between the liner 11 and the outer casing.

The outer casing 6 is wholly or at least partly trans- lucent and has, as seen at the top of the figures, a slit- shaped opening 13 and a cover flap 14 which for its major part is provided with a self-adhering layer 15 which, prior to use, is covered with a removable protective tape 16. In Fig. 1 the package according to the invention is shown, on one hand, with the cover flap 14, the self-adhering layer 1 and the protective tape 16 in upright outstanding position and, on the other hand, with full lines and removed protec-

UR£ tive tape 16, folded over the opening of the outer casing 6 As is seen in both Figs. 1 and 2 the edges 3, 3* of the slit-shaped opening 2 will be sealed by the self-adhering layer - after the protective tape 16 has been removed and the layer 15 has been pressed against the understructure - simultaneously as the outer casing is sealed. The differenc between Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is that in the first case the edges 3 and 3' overlap while according to Fig. 2 they are situated more or less edge to edge. As the inner casing is welded at its outer edges and the slit-shaped opening is completely covered by the cover flap 14 with the self- adhering layer 15 there is obtained an entirely hermetic and leakage-free sealing of the inner pocket. The air in the inner pocket will further contribute to the shock- absorbing effect of the package.

If the package is to be opened the outer casing 6 can be split up by means of a knife along the transition of the cover-flap 14 with the outer casing or be torn up along the upper edge for instance by means of a tear thread glued to it. Thereby only the specification pocket is opened, and the specification, the covering letter or the like may be taken out without opening the inner casing including the sample. If also the inner casing is to be opened, the cover flap is pulled off from one side and thus also the contents of the inner pocket will be accessible.

The package according to the invention is very apt for mass production in large series. One way of proceeding is t fold, around a sheet-cut absorbing material 4, a blister foil with the foil edges edge to edge or with a slight over lap, and then apply the opaque liner 11, which may also be unwound from rolls, whereupon an outer foil,* which is trans lucent or provided with appropriate printing, with an adhesive^*protective tape is finally folded over and under the inner pocket and the band thus formed is welded with double transverse weld seams between which the packages are cut. This method of manufacture may be modifif d by any person skilled in the art without requiring any inventive activity and the package may also be further varied in accordance with the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A package including an inner casing (1) , an outer casing (6] and shock-absorbing material, for instance for shipment of risk samples (8) contained in a primary package (7), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that one casing (1) is shock-absorbing and has a compart¬ ment (5) for the sample (8) which is visually checkable from the outside, and a slit-shaped opening (2) with openin edges (3, 3') which overlap or are substantially situated edge to edge, that the second casing (6) is at least partly translucent and provided with a slit-shaped opening (13) with a cover flap (14) , that the cover flap (14) has or consists of a self-adhering tape (15) covered by a remov¬ able protective tape (16) and permitting liquid- and gas- tight sealing of the opening (2) of the first casing (1), i which casing (1) a liquid-absorbing material (4) is pro¬ vided, and that a compartment (9) is formed between the first (1) and second (6) casings for insertion of a speci¬ fication, a covering letter or the like (10) without per¬ mitting reading thereof from the outside.

2. A package as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r z e d in that the second casing (6) has a writing field which is visible from the outside or a compartment (12) for insertion of data which are readable from the outside.

3. A package as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r z e d in that the liquid-absorbing material (4) consists of a sheet of blotting-paper, a liquid-absorbing gel or a liquid-absorbing powder.

4. A package as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the blotting paper, the gel or powder is of such nature that its colour will change on contact with th sample (8) .

5. A package as claimed in claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that an opaque liner (11) is provided in the compartment (9) .

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6. A package as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a tear thread (18) or the like to facilitate opening of the casing is fitted on the cover flap (14) of the second casing (6) in parallel with the foot line.

7. A package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that both the casings (1, 6) are quite translucent while both the liner (11) and the absorbing material (4) is opaque, and the absorbing material (4) is sheet-shaped.

OMPI