Special receptacle or package – For a tool – Body treatment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-15
2001-10-23
Sewell, Paul T. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For a tool
Body treatment
C206S459500, C206S807000, C206S497000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305541
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the packaging for a cartridge assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medicament containing cartridges are well known in the art and are in widespread commercial use. One such cartridge conventionally includes a cylindrical glass body (wall) closed at the distal end with a flexible plunger (grommet) slidable within the bore of the cartridge and closed at the proximal end with a septum secured to the cartridge by a crimped-on collar. The grommet is typically positioned within the cartridge so that the glass wall extends below the grommet. The necked down proximal end conventionally is fitted with a needle hub assembly. One such cartridge is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,729. This patent is incorporated herein by reference. The needle-hub assembly and cartridges are described collectively as a “cartridge assembly.” The details of the application of the cartridge assemblies are not pertinent to this discussion and therefore will not be described here. Suffice it to say, the cartridge assemblies are typically used in a hospital and are assembled as a syringe to dispense medicament. The cartridges are filled with medicament before they are made commercially available.
There are many types of medicaments that are commercially available in a cartridge. Some of those medicaments have been designated by the government as controlled substances. That is, access to such substances is limited to medical personnel having proper authorization. Controlled substances such as morphine are often the subject of theft. The criminal act may entail actually stealing the cartridges outright or more frequently, may entail inserting a needle in the grommet in the distal end of the cartridge to withdraw the controlled substance. The thief may even replace the controlled substance with water. In this respect, the puncture may cause contamination and may go undetected for some time.
Cartridge assemblies today are packaged in different forms. One such form is shown in
FIGS. 1 and 1A
. The packaging is currently marketed by Abbott Laboratories under the trademark Detecto Seals®. The cartridge assemblies
12
are bundled in plastic packaging
10
in a linear or side-by-side spaced relationship. The packaging
10
includes a metal tray
14
at the bottom thereof for receiving the distal ends of the cartridge assemblies
12
. The metal tray
14
serves to prevent a thief from inserting a needle through the bottom of the packaging
10
and into a grommet of an individual cartridge assembly
12
, in an attempt to withdraw the controlled substance.
Although this type of packaging has been useful, it has its disadvantages. First, in order to gain access to an individual cartridge assembly
20
, the authorized medical professional must bend the top portion
16
of the packaging
10
so that the portion tears along the serrated edge
18
. See FIG.
1
A. However, quite often the medical professional inadvertantly tears further along the serrated edge
18
which exposes the adjacent cartridge assembly
22
. Once that area is open the exposed cartridges must be discarded to protect against contamination and/or possible tampering. This loss in supply becomes quite costly. Further, the shape of the packaging is disadvantageous for its use in the hospital. Automated dispensing machines (ADM) are used in the hospitals to dispense the cartridge assemblies prefilled with controlled substances. In one such machine made by Pyxis, Inc. of San Diego, Calif., the drawers are not large enough to receive the package shown in FIG.
1
.
Another form of packaging used today is a cardboard rectangular container designed to enclose an individual cartridge assembly. This type of packaging also has its disadvantages. First, the cardboard does not provide any protection against withdrawing the controlled drug via a needle through packaging and through the grommet of the cartridge assembly. Further, in other automated dispensing machines such as those made by Diebold, Inc. of North Canton, Ohio, cartridges may be dispensed individually, one at a time, by a module which allows such cartridges to roll down a smooth path toward the medical professional. However, the rectangular cardboard container cannot be used because it cannot roll.
It would be desirable to provide a packaging for a cartridge assembly that would avoid the disadvantages of the prior art described above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is provided a package for enclosing a cartridge assembly including a cartridge pre-filled with medicament. In one embodiment, the package includes (1) a tube having a first open end, a second closed end and a cylindrical wall defining a hollow interior chamber in communication with said ends for receiving said cartridge assembly, (2) a cover for covering said first open end of said tube; and (3) a first structure for securing said cover to said tube.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a package for enclosing a cartridge assembly including a cartridge pre-filled with medicament. The package includes a tube having a first open end, a second closed end and a hollow interior chamber in communication with said ends for receiving said cartridge assembly; a cover for covering said first open end of said tube; a first structure for securing said cover to said tube; and a second structure for protecting against access to the medicament in the cartridge assembly adjacent said second closed end.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly of individually packaged cartridge assemblies. The assembly includes a plurality of cartridge assemblies, each assembly including a cartridge pre-filled with medicament; an individual package enclosing each of said cartridge assemblies; and a combining structure for combining said individually packaged cartridge assemblies together as a unit. The individual packages each include: a tube having a first open end, a second closed end, and a hollow interior chamber in communication with said ends for receiving said cartridge assembly; a cover for covering each of said first open end of said tubes; and a label for securing said cover to said tube.
Other advantages will become readily apparent upon references to the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in light of the accompanying drawings.
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patent: 4303190 (1981-12-01), Ditto et al.
patent: 4377234 (1983-03-01), Kaplan
patent: 4585445 (1986-04-01), Hadtke
patent: 4781697 (1988-11-01), Slaughter
patent: 4836400 (1989-06-01), Chaffey et al.
patent: 4892525 (1990-01-01), Hermann, Jr. et al.
patent: 4931043 (1990-06-01), Ray et al.
patent: 4935014 (1990-06-01), Haber
patent: 5048708 (1991-09-01), Musco
patent: 5385105 (1995-01-01), Withers, Jr. et al.
patent: 5544770 (1996-08-01), Travisano
patent: 5605230 (1997-02-01), Marino, Jr. et al.
patent: 5730729 (1998-03-01), Bergstresser et al.
patent: 6032823 (2000-03-01), Bacon
Flex Products, Carlstadt, NJ—Product Brochure, prior to Sep. 15, 1999.
Carrington, III Julian L.
Cronin Darlene
Freund James G.
Lokay Joseph D.
Perry James P.
Luong Shian
Sewell Paul T.
Woodworth Brian R.
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