Flexible medical supplies packaging for convenience kits

• US 7,673,754 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medline Industries Incorporated (Medline Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aplicare, Inc. (Clorox Company)
• Inventors: Hamrock, Philip Justin, Lang, Joan Marie, Wilson, Bruce H. Jr., Art, Gregory Robert, Kimmell, Steven D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, LUAN KIM
• Application Number:
  US11/865,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20080237086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 206/234, 206/438, 206570-572, 206363-366, 206/525.1, 206/484, 128/849, 128/852, 128/853, 128/855, 383 38- 40, 383/109, 383/110, 383/113, 383/123
• US Class Current: 206/572
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/00 Surgical drapes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/30 Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments for wound clamps A61B17/10; for ligaturing clips A61B17/122; packages or dispensers for surgical gloves or finger-stalls A61B42/40

Abstract

A sterile, compact packaging is provided to present components in order of preferred or required use in a medical procedure. Pockets are arranged along one or more end sections of the packaging, and an absorbent material is at least partially adhered to the moisture proof sheet at a workspace thereon. Components are placed in the pockets in order of use, and the packaging is folded up. The folded packaging is sealed in a gas-permeable pouch, which maintains the components in a sterile condition until use. In use, the packaging is unfolded to expose the medical components.

Claims

1. A kit for a medical procedure, the kit comprising:

a plurality of medical supplies for use in the medical procedure; and

a flexible, compact, and disposable packaging for the medical supplies, the packaging comprising;

a flexible, rectangular sheet defined by four sheet edges, and by a central longitudinal axis parallel to two of the sheet edges, a central latitudinal axis parallel to the other two sheet edges, and two relative axes each being equidistant between a central axis and a sheet edge parallel thereto, but on opposing sides of said central axis, said central and relative axes defining eight equally sized sections of said sheet;

a first plurality of pockets having pocket openings, the pockets being individually sized to permit insertion and retention of one or more of the medical supplies, wherein each pocket is positioned within a single sheet section and at a sheet edge so that the pockets are closed at the sheet edges corresponding to said sheet section, and

a sterile, absorbent material adhered to the sheet, positioned within an another single sheet section, wherein the medical supplies are disposed in the pockets of the packaging.

2. The kit of claim 1, further comprising one or more top pockets, each said top pocket being layered on top of and thereby corresponding to one of the first plurality of pockets,

wherein the top pockets are defined by three closed sides, and a fourth open side, and

wherein none of the closed sides of the top pockets extend beyond a sheet edge.

3. The kit of claim 2, wherein the top pockets and the corresponding first pocket are formed by folding an edge of the sheet in a z-fold, and partially adhering the same to the sheet.

4. The kit of claim 1,

wherein the sheet has an exterior and interior surface, and wherein the exterior surface is moisture proof comprising materials selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, plastic sheeting, foil laminate, plastic impregnated paper, and any combination thereof,

wherein the exterior surface of the flexible sheet is slip-resistant, and

wherein the pockets are positioned on the interior surface of the sheet.

5. The kit of claim 1, wherein the pockets are positioned on the sheet such that the medical supplies intended to be placed therein are in a sequential order.

6. The kit of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of pockets traverse multiple sheet edges.

7. A method of folding the sheet as claimed in any one of claims 1, and 2-6,

whereby first and second folds are made by folding two opposite edges in towards the central axis of the sheet, at the relative axes, a third fold is made at or about the same central axis,

and a fourth fold is made at or about the other central axis.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising placing infection control supplies in the package prior to the fourth fold.