CARRYING CASE FOR STERILE OBJECTS

Abstract

A carrying case for sterile objects includes: an outer container, having a lid; an optional tamper-proof seal coupled to said lid; a removable inner tray made of thermoplastic polymer; and a handle coupled to said inner tray. In another embodiment, the outer container is constructed of a polymeric material capable of being sanitized to be transported in its entirety into a sterile environment, providing a user with a greater selection of items since the user could have access to the entire contents of the case. The material and design of the case with the removable tray make it lightweight, enable easy and effective cleaning, and minimize the risk of contamination. In an operating room environment, the case provides faster access to required medical equipment while minimizing the risk to patients. The case would also be valuable in research and forensic laboratory environments where contamination is a major concern.

Claims

1. A carrying case comprising: an outer container having an outer lid; a removable inner tray having a compartment for holding an object; and an inner handle coupled to the inner tray.

2. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein the outer container is composed of a material selected from a polymeric material, metal, and/or a composite material.

3. The carrying case of claim 2, wherein the polymeric material is selected from silicone, plastic, and vinyl.

4. The carrying case of claim 2, wherein the metal is selected from aluminum and stainless steel.

5. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein the outer container has a waterproof interior surface.

6. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising: an outer handle coupled to an outer surface of the outer container.

7. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising: a carrying strap coupled to an outer surface of the outer container.

8. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising: a roller coupled to an outer surface of the outer container.

9. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising a first tamper-proof seal selected from an adhesive tape and an airtight zipper.

10. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein the removable inner tray includes: a bottom surface; and a plurality of side walls coupled to the bottom surface.

11. The carrying case of claim 1, further comprising: a divider forming a plurality of compartments for respectively storing a plurality of objects.

12. The carrying case of claim 11, wherein each compartment includes an inner lid coupled to a tamper-proof seal.

13. The carrying case of claim 1, wherein the removable inner tray is composed of one or more materials selected from a polyethylene foam, polypropylene foam, a thermoplastic polymer, a metal, or silicone.

14. A method comprising: providing a case with an outer container, a tray, and an outer lid; cleaning the tray and the inside of the outer container; placing the tray in the outer container; placing an object in the tray; and securing the outer lid to the outer container.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: forming a plurality of compartments for respectively storing a plurality of objects using a divider.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: providing an inner lid for each compartment.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: sealing the inner lid with a tamper-proof seal.

18. A method comprising: providing a case with an outer container, a tray, and an outer lid, wherein the tray holds an object; opening the outer lid; removing the tray with the object; and transporting the tray with the object to a destination.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: forming a plurality of compartments for respectively storing a plurality of objects using a divider; and removing a selected object from a respective compartment.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: providing an inner lid for each compartment; and unsealing a selected inner lid with a tamper-proof seal to remove the selected object.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

[0019] In the drawings:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the case of the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tray of the present invention in an unfolded configuration;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tray of the present invention in a folded configuration;

[0023] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tray of the present invention with dividers installed therein;

[0024] FIG. 5 are plan views of the dividers of the present invention; and

[0025] FIG. 6 is a top front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the case of the present invention with parts separated.

[0026] To facilitate an understanding of the invention, identical reference numerals have been used, when appropriate, to designate the same or similar elements that are common to the figures. Further, unless stated otherwise, the features shown in the figures are not drawn to scale, but are shown for illustrative purposes only.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The article a is intended to include one or more items, and where only one item is intended the term one or similar language is used. Additionally, to assist in the description of the present invention, words such as top, bottom, side, upper, lower, front, rear, inner, outer, right and left are used to describe the accompanying figures. The terminology includes the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 1, the case 1 of the present invention comprises: (i) an outer container 102, having a lid 104; (ii) an optional tamper-proof seal (not shown) coupled to said lid 104; and (iii) a removable inner tray 202, having a handle 204.

[0029] In the exemplar embodiment, the outer container 102 is made of a polymeric material such as silicone or plastic, with a waterproof interior surface that can be cleaned. The polymeric material enables the container 102 to be lightweight, comfortable to carry, easy to clean, and allows for a lid 104 without a separate hinge component. In other embodiments, the outer container 102 is made of metal or metal alloy such as stainless steel, or a composite material.

[0030] In the exemplar embodiment, an outer handle 106 is coupled to the outer container 102 as well as a carrying strap 108 to facilitate transport. Optionally, rollers could be operably coupled to the outer container 102 on an outer surface thereof to further assist a user for transport.

[0031] The optional tamper-proof seal (not shown) can be used to secure the lid 104 of the outer container 102 in a closed position (not shown) and would provide a visual indication of whether the lid 104 has been opened. The tamper-proof seal may be an adhesive tape that must be removed or severed to open the lid 104. This ensures that the contents of the container 102 are not exposed to the outside environment prior to its intended use.

[0032] Alternatively, the optional tamper-proof seal could be an airtight zipper having means for securing the zipper closed. For example, the zipper could include one or more pull tabs having holes so that a lock, e.g., combination lock, key lock or zip tie, could be secured to holes of adjacent pull tabs or between one pull tab and another engagement on the outer portion of the outer container 102.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the case 1 of the present invention includes a removable inner tray 202 having a plurality of side walls or surfaces 210 coupled to a bottom surface 212. Referring to FIG. 2, in the exemplar embodiment, the side walls or surfaces 210 of the tray 202 can be unfolded to be planar to the bottom surface, creating a single flat surface for easier cleaning. When folded, as shown in FIG. 3, the walls 210 are coupled together by heat welding, adhesive or by fasteners, for example, hook-and-loop, and snap buttons in combination with straps. The removable inner tray 202 also includes at least one handle 204 integral to at least one wall 210 to allow the tray 202 to be easily removed from the container 102.

[0034] Referring to FIGS. 4-5, the removable inner tray 202 also includes one or more compartments for storing sterilized objects. In the exemplar embodiment, the removable inner tray 202 further comprises one or more dividers 206 to form a plurality of compartments. The dividers 206 may be integral to the tray 202 or removable for easier cleaning. Each divider 206 may have one or more notches enabling dividers 206 to intersect each other, creating additional compartments. The dividers 206 can be arranged in multiple configurations to form compartments of varying sizes.

[0035] In another embodiment, each compartment comprises a lid coupled to a tamper-proof seal. This enables individual objects to be removed from the compartments without the risk of contaminating the other objects.

[0036] Alternatively, the case 1 could be provided with multiple inner trays. For example, the case 1 could include inner trays stacked on top of each other to accommodate for quantity or size of the content within the case 1. As a further alternative, the case 1 could be provided with multiple compartments, with each compartment having its own inner tray. For example, an upper compartment could be separated from a lower compartment with an intermediate floor between the compartments while each compartment is accessed by a separate tamper-proof seal.

[0037] In the exemplar embodiment, the removable inner tray 202 is made of polypropylene foam. The material is lightweight, safe for operating room use, easily cleaned, and does not have any stray fibers that can enter the sterile field. In other embodiments, the removable inner tray 202 is made of silicone, a thermoplastic polymer, or metal.

[0038] Referring to the method for preparing the case, the method comprises the steps of: (i) cleaning the tray and the inside of the outer container; (ii) placing the tray in the container; (iii) placing objects in the tray; (iv) closing the lid; and (v) optionally applying a tamper-proof seal.

[0039] In the exemplar embodiment, the inside of the outer container 102 and the removable inner tray 202 are cleaned by hand or machine and the tray 202 is placed in the container 102. Sterile objects, such as medical implants, are placed in the tray 202. The lid 104 of the container 102 is closed and a tamper-proof seal is applied to hold the lid 104 closed. The container 102 can then be transported or stored to maintain inventory.

[0040] Referring to the method for using the case 1, the method comprises the steps of: (i) removing the tamper-proof seal; (ii) opening the lid 104; (iii) removing the tray 202; and (iv) transporting the tray 202 to the final destination.

[0041] At the point of use, the optional tamper-proof seal if used is broken, the lid 104 of the outer container 102 is opened, the removable inner tray 202 is removed, and the tray 202 is transported to the final destination, such as an operating room. This ensures that only the tray 202 and its contents are transported and not the container 102, which had been exposed to the outside environment and possibly contaminated.

[0042] In another embodiment, the outer container 102 is made of material that can be easily and effectively cleaned. The outer container 102 is cleaned prior to transport into a sterile environment. Thus, the entire case 1 and its contents therein are available in the sterile environment.

[0043] The case 1 is cleaned and sanitized by methods known in the art. These methods include the methods specified in the Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities published by the Center for Disease Control of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0044] In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, a case 300 includes an outer container 302 which is composed of vinyl, although other materials may be used such as silicone and plastic. Alternatively, the outer container 302 may be composed of a layer of materials, with an exterior material composed of vinyl, and an interior material composed of nylon. Other known materials may be used for the outer container 302. The outer container 302 has an outer lid 304 which may be connected to the outer container 302 by a hinge or other types of fasteners. A tamper-proof seal may optionally be used to removably seal the outer lid 304 to the outer container 302. The outer container 302 may optionally include a handle 306 and/or a carrying strap 308.

[0045] At least one tray 310, 312 is provided which is shaped and dimensioned to fit inside the outer container 302. Each tray 310, 312 may optionally include at least one handle 314, 316, respectively, for manipulating and inserting or removing the trays 310, 312 into or out of the outer container 302. Each tray 310, 312 may be a corrugated box composed of plastic or other materials. Furthermore, at least one insert 318, 320 is provided which is shaped and dimensioned to fit inside a tray 310, 312, respectively. Each insert 318, 320 may be composed of polyethylene (PE) foam or other known materials, and each insert 318, 320 may include at least one compartment 322-330, respectively, which are shaped and dimensioned for receiving sterilized objects.

[0046] In addition, each of the compartments 322-330 may be shaped and dimensioned to receive dividers 332-348, respectively, which may be composed of polypropylene (PP) foam or other known materials, for further subdividing respective compartments 322-330 laterally and/or longitudinally into subcompartments for individually receiving sterilized objects.

[0047] As such, the case of the present invention provides a solution for transporting sterile objects, including transporting entire cases or trays of the sterile objects into a sterile environment, while minimizing the risk of contamination of a sterile environment. The case of the present invention could be used in a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, hospitals, research centers and forensic laboratories.

[0048] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention will be, therefore, indicated by claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes, which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims, are to be embraced within their scope.