STERILE PACKAGE FOR CLINICAL THERMOMETERS AND THE LIKE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT

• US 3,552,558 A
• Filed: 06/11/1968
• Issued: 01/05/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George W. Poncy
• Original Assignee: George W. Poncy
• Inventors: Poncy, George W.
• Application Number:
  US04/736,218
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• US Class Current: 206/306
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/316 double- or multiple-walled
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/25 Protective devices therefor, e.g. sleeves preventing contamination

Abstract

A sterile, disposable, sheath and sheath cover for thermometers and the like, and method of making it, packaged so as to preserve the sterility of the sheath during handling and storage, the sheath cover comprising the packaging material being strippable from the sheath along a tear seal to expose the same for clinical use when a thermometer or the like is inserted into the sheath. The package is particularly designed for economical mass production.

Claims

1. A flexible sheath package for clinical tools and instruments comprising:

a. a sheath body of heat sealable material having an open end for the insertion of an instrument;

1. said sheath having a sterilizable exterior surface;

b. a separable, disposable outer cover for said sheath comprising heat sealable material wholly enclosing the outer surfaces of the sheath and sealed thereto on each side at the area of said sheath opening;

1. said cover having a sterilizable interior surface;

c. said sheath being defined by a seal line in the form of a tear seal, said tear seal joining said sheath and said cover together along the line of said seal, thereby enclosing said sheath body within the interior body of said cover; and

d. said outer cover and the waste portions of said sheath material outside of said seal line being separable from said sheath along said tear seal to expose said sheath for clinical use when said instrument is inserted therein.

2. each of said intermediate layers being sealed along a marginal portion to its adjacent outer layer;

c. all of said layers being united by a seal defining the outline of the sheath, whereby a sheath is formed by said intermediate layers within the line defining said seal, said line forming a tear seal in said intermediate layers, said sheath having an open end and a closed end;

d. said upper and lower layers being strippable from said sheath and from each other substantially along said tear seal to expose said sheath for clinical use when an instrument is inserted therein.

3. A sheath package according to claim 1, in which the outer cover comprises a cloth having a sealable coating on the interior surface thereof.

4. A sheath package according to claim 1 in which said outer cover comprises upper and lower layers of heat sealable material, and said sheath comprises upper and lower layers of heat sealable material, the layers forming the sheath being sandwiched between said upper and lower layers of said outer cover.

5. A sheath package according to claim 1, in which said outer cover comprises a material different in kind from that of said sheath.

6. A sheath package according to claim 4, in which the material of the outer cover comprises paper having its facing surfaces coated with said heat sealable material.

7. A sheath package according to claim 5 in which the paper is glassine.

8. A sheath package according to claim 4 in which the outer upper and lower layers are each separately strippable from said sheath.

9. A sheath package according to claim 4, in which each layer of said sheath is of a thickness less than that of each layer of the outer cover.

10. A sheath package according to claim 1 in which the material of said outer cover comprises glassine, said glassine being of a thickness greater than that of the material of said sheath.

11. A sheath package according to claim 1 in which said heat sealable material is ethylene-vinyl-acetate.

12. A sheath package according to claim 1 in which the interior surface of said cover and the exterior surface of said sheath are sterilized.

13. Means for sheathing instruments against transmission of infectious diseases comprising an assembly having:

a. upper and lower layers of material with heat sealable, sterilizable facing surfaces;

b. intermediate layers of heat sealable, sterilizable material disposed between said upper and lower layers;

14. Means according to claim 13 in which said upper and lower layers are paper having thermoplastic coated facing surfaces.

15. Means according to claim 13 in which one of said layers is longer than the other to form a projecting tab at each end of said assembly.

16. Means according to claim 13 in which said layers are in the form of strips.

17. Means according to claim 15 in which said sheath is formed between said tabs.

18. A sheath package according to claim 1, in which the said seal line forms a visual impression on the surface of said outer cover to guide the insertion of an instrument into said sheath.

19. Means according to claim 13 in which the contacting surfaces of the respective upper and lower, and their adjoining intermediate, layers are sterilized.

20. A flexible sheath package for instruments comprising:

a. an outer cover having a heat sealable coating on its inner surface;

b. an inner sheath member of heat sealable material;

c. said cover and sheath having an opening for the insertion of an instrument into said sheath;

d. said sheath comprising a material having a greater tensile strength than said outer cover material; and

e. the walls of said cover and sheath being welded along the tear seal line;

21. A sheath package according to claim 20 in which said package comprises a strip having said opening at one end and a tab at the other end for stripping said cover from said sheath.

22. A sheath package according to claim 20, wherein said tear seal line defines the outline of the instrument to be inserted into said sheath.

23. A sheath package according to claim 20, wherein said tear seal maintains said sheath in a fixed position with respect to said outer cover.

24. A flexible sheath package for clinical tools and instruments comprising:

a. a sheath body of sealable material having an open end for the insertion of an instrument;

25. A sheath package according to claim 24 in which the material for the outer cover is cloth and in which the sealable material thereof is a pressure-sensitive-type cement.

26. The method of making sterilizable sheath packages for clinical thermometers and like instruments, requiring sterilization before use, from a plurality of sepaRate layers of sheet material, comprising:

a. simultaneously feeding a continuous, impervious, thermoplastic coated sheet material into contacting relationship with a transparent, impervious, thermoplastic sheet with the thermoplastic sheet facing downwardly;

b. simultaneously feeding similar sheets of greater width than said first mentioned sheets, with the thermoplastic sheet facing upwardly;

c. subjecting the moving contacting faces of said sheets to the action of ultraviolet rays to sterilize the surfaces thereof before they are brought into said contacting relationship;

d. forming a continuous seal between the first of said two sheets along one edge thereof, said sheets forming an upper layer of said sheath package;

e. forming a continuous seal between the second of said two sheets, along each edge thereof, said sheets forming a lower layer of said sheath package;

f. superimposing said upper layer over said lower layer with the thermoplastic sheets thereof in facing contact, with the edges of said upper layer spaced from the edges of said lower layer; and

g. subjecting said superimposed moving layers, between said edge seals of said upper layer, to the repeated action of a die to form successive spaced seals in said thermoplastic sheets, sealing them together along the line formed by said die, said die line defining an enclosure, open at one end, between said thermoplastic sheets, to receive an instrument such as a clinical thermometer.

27. The method of making sheath packages for clinical thermometers and like instruments from a plurality of separate layers of sheet material comprising:

a. simultaneously feeding a continuous, impervious, thermoplastic coated sheet material into contacting relationship with a transparent, impervious, thermoplastic sheet, with the thermoplastic sheet facing downwardly;

b. simultaneously feeding similar sheets of greater width than said first mentioned sheets, with the thermoplastic sheet facing upwardly;

c. forming a continuous seal between the first of said two sheets along one edge thereof, said sheets forming an upper layer of said sheath package;

d. forming a continuous seal between the second of said two sheets, along each edge thereof, said sheets forming a lower layer of said sheath package;

e. joining said upper layer to said lower layer with the thermoplastic sheets thereof in facing contact, with the edges of said upper layer spaced from the edges of said lower layer; and

f. subjecting the said joined moving layers, between said edge seals of said layers, to the action of a die to form successive spaced seals in said thermoplastic sheets, sealing them together along the line formed by said die, said die line defining an enclosure, open at one end, between said thermoplastic sheets, to receive an instrument.

28. The method of claim 27, including the step of cutting said sheets along a line disposed substantially between said die impressions to form individual sheath package strips.

29. The method of claim 28, including the step of stripping off said upper and lower layers along said die line of a strip to expose said enclosure.