Patent Application
20120304600
The field of the invention is portable, secure, tamper-evident, laminated containment devices for medication, pills, capsules, crime scene evidence, samples, specimens, small parts, jewelry, and other objects that need to be preserved for use in the future.
It is often necessary for crime scene evidence, such as bullets, casings, fibers, fragments, and other objects, to be removed from a crime scene and preserved and protected so that the evidence will not be contaminated by environmental substances that were not part of the crime scene. Such evidence must be preserved and protected from unrelated materials and contaminants such as DNA, dust, pollen, fibers, and trace chemicals.
Similarly, when inspections of industrial or workplace areas or equipment require samples or specimens of materials used in, or produced as a result of, industrial or workplace processes, it is necessary to protect and preserve the samples collected at the location of the process so that the specimens or samples may later be identified, tested, and analyzed without exposing them to contamination from outside, unrelated sources.
It is also necessary to provide pills, capsules, or other medications to persons for use at a later time. For example, a child may need to take a medication at school, or a child may be given medication by a school nurse or doctor for use a later time. Sometimes, it is also necessary for a parent to provide a medication for a child to take at school or during some other event away from home, in which case it is desirable to provide the medication to supervisors, teachers, or school nurses in a tamper evident package or containment device with the physician information and instructions for taking the medication on the containment device.
When adults must travel or be away from sources of medication for a period of time, it is also desirable to have a containment device to store, preserve, and protect the medication, not only from contamination, but also from becoming lost in a pocket, purse, or other place where the medication may be stored during travel or other activities.
Although blister packs are used for some kinds of pills and capsules, the blister packs frequently contain large numbers for pills or medications that need not be transported by the user who only needs to ingest the medication at certain times or at long intervals. Moreover, such blister packs, especially factory-sealed blister packs, do not allow special or individualized instructions (for individual use of medication, for example) to be written on the blister pack, nor do they allow for identification information to be placed or written upon the blister pack.
Sometimes it is necessary to carry small parts when traveling, or simply necessary to prevent small parts from getting lost before use. For example, small screws, transistors, bolts, nuts, pins, jewelry, and other similar parts or objects may easily become lost if the user does not have an appropriate container to store them and keep them from being mislaid or lost. Some such parts must also be identified and/or segregated when stored, as, for example, when several sizes of screws, pins, nuts, jewelry, and other objects must be kept for future use.
It is desirable to have a lightweight, portable, laminated containment device to identify, save, protect, and preserve evidence, specimens, and samples. It is also desirable to have a light, portable lamination device in which pills and capsules may be placed for future use and to have a portable lamination device to collect, save, and identify small parts.
In each situation, a method of identifying the parts, pills, other objects should be part of the device. The lamination device should be made in various sizes for the containment of various sizes of objects, should be lightweight and have a relatively compact, flexible shape for storage prior to use. Moreover, the containment device should be capable of use without sealing equipment, tools, or other equipment, and should be a single construction that does not have separate parts that might become separated and difficult to locate when needed.
A flexible, portable, storable containment device comprising a substrate, a transparent laminate, and a liner is used to identify, preserve, and protect medications, specimens, samples, small parts, and other objects. The substrate contains a hole or opening that allows the object being stored and preserved to be seen through the transparent laminating material. The device may be made of light weight, flexible material for easy transportation and storage. Alternative embodiments of the containment device may have a rigid substrate to assist in the protection and identification of the object that is being preserved and protected, or simply saved for future use. The containment device is a single, connected, ready-to-use, tamper-evident structure that does not require portions of the device to be stored separately.
The laminate is bound or fixed to a side of the substrate, but also extends beyond the substrate. The portion of the laminate that extends beyond the substrate is removably secured to a liner with an adhesive, such as a patterned adhesive, that remains on the laminate when the liner is removed. The substrate forms a hole or window such that the object being preserved and protected may be seen after lamination. The removable liner may contain instructions in the method of use of the containment device. The substrate forms a location for identification of, and information about, the object in the containment device. The containment device is easily storable and mailable and is tamper-evident both as to the item stored and the information that may be placed on the containment device.
The method of use of the containment device requires no equipment, tools, or separate parts that might become separated and difficult to locate when needed. When a sample, pill, specimen, or other object is acquired or ready for identification, storage, and containment, the identification or instructions relating to the sample, pill, or object may be written on the substrate. The liner is removed, and the laminate is folded over the substrate and secured to the substrate by the patterned or other adhesive that remains on the laminate when the liner is removed. The transparent laminate, so folded, is secured to the substrate, covers the identification, and preserves the object contained therein, as well as the identification or instructions for the object. The window allows the contained object to be seen while contained. The lamination may be removed or broken when the object contained therein is needed for later use, consumption, testing, inspection, or analysis. If the lamination is accidentally broken, or otherwise improperly damaged, it will be evident that the integrity of the containment device has been violated.
The laminate 2 is attached to the substrate 1 by an adhesive such as acrylic adhesive, or some other suitable adhesive. The liner 3 is attached to the transparent laminate 2 by the same adhesive; however, the liner 3 is made of paper with a silicone coating, or some other suitable material such that it does not permanently adhere to the laminate 2, but, instead, may be removed from the laminate 2 via a tab 4, which is shown in
When the liner 3 is removed from the laminate 2, the adhesive, or a sufficient amount of the adhesive, remains on the laminate 2, so that the laminate 2 may be attached to the first side 1A of the substrate 1 as shown in
The substrate 1 may be made of heavy paper, cardboard, plastic, or some other suitable substance that maintains the desired amount of rigidity when a sample, object, pill, or specimen is contained in the containment device 10. The substrate 1, of course, may be made in various thicknesses, depending on the type of object to be placed in the containment device 10 and the manner in which the containment device 10 will be stored, handled, mailed, or otherwise transported.
In use the containment device 10 is stored in the configuration shown in
Since there is adhesive on the laminate 2 after the liner 3 is removed, the laminate 2 is adhesively secured to the first side 1A of the substrate 1 when it comes in contact with the first side 1A of the substrate 1. In the configuration shown in
When the object is to be removed from the containment device 10, the laminate 2 covering the opening 5 may be broken and the object removed from the opening 5 in the substrate 1 of the containment device 10. Alternatively, the substrate 1 may be torn or cut to expose the object so that it may be removed from the containment device 10.
As noted above, the first side 1A of the substrate 1 of the containment device 10 may be written or printed upon to identify the object contained in the containment device 10 and to provide other information containing its original location, the date collected, instructions for taking medication, or other information for future use when the object is removed from the containment device 10. Such information written or printed on the first side of the substrate 1 will be covered and protected by the laminate 2 when it is folded over and secured to the first side 1A of the substrate 1 as shown in
The liner 3 may contain instructions for the use of the containment device 10, as shown in
Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. The specific configurations and contours set forth in the accompanying drawings are illustrative and not limiting.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 61/491,820, filed May 31, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61491820 | May 2011 | US |
