Refrigeration – Using electrical or magnetic effect – Thermoelectric; e.g. – peltier effect
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-19
2001-07-17
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Using electrical or magnetic effect
Thermoelectric; e.g., peltier effect
C362S003000, C362S371000, C362S405000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260360
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a container.
The increasing incidence of organ transplants, and the increasing use of temperature-sensitive drugs in the treatment of disease in both humans and animals, has led to a need for a reliable portable container for such organs and drugs. It is currently usual for organs and drugs to be transported in boxes packed in ice. This is unsatisfactory for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the use of ice means that the highest temperature which the organs or drugs can be kept at is freezing point, or 0° C. Ice crystals will start forming at this temperature, and the growth of these ice crystals can damage the cells of an organ being transported for transplant, unless steps are taken to avoid this. In addition, 0° C. may not be the optimum temperature at which drugs should be kept.
Secondly, the ice will melt in time, and so the temperature at which the drugs or organs will be held is not steady. It may be necessary to replenish the ice during transportation.
To avoid these problems, it is desirable to provide a container with some means of regulating its temperature, for example with a Peltier effect device which can heat or cool the contents and a control unit.
A further use of medical containers is in the transport of samples of infectious or contaminated material. For example, samples of such material may need to be taken to a laboratory for analysis. It is frequently necessary to maintain such samples at given temperatures, to ensure that bacteria in the samples are still alive when they reach the laboratory and can then be cultured and identified. However, it will be appreciated that transport of such samples poses a number of problems. In particular, following such transportation, it is necessary to ensure that the container is properly sterilized afterwards, to prevent cross-contamination. This can be done by washing or autoclaving, but it will be understood that these methods may not be ideally suited to cleaning a Peltier device.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable container for receiving contents for transport whilst regulating the temperature of the contents, the portable container comprising heating and/or cooling means in the form of a Peltier effect device, a removable inner receptacle for receiving the contents, an air gap around the outside of the inner receptacle, and a control unit for controlling the Peltier effect device so as to regulate the temperature of the air around the outside of the inner receptacle and thereby regulate the temperature of the contents of the inner receptacle.
The heating and/or cooling means may comprise a heating means only, or a cooling means only. However, it is preferred that both heating and cooling means are provided.
The control of the temperature of the air in the air gap around the inner receptacle enables regulation of the temperature of the contents whilst still permitting the inner receptacle to be removed. Removal of the inner receptacle is useful, for example enabling it to be washed or autoclaved. In addition, when removed the inner receptacle may be placed in a refrigerator. It may thus be refrigerated to the desired temperature, before being placed into the main container, which can then be closed and activated to regulate the temperature of the contents of the inner receptacle. This reduces the amount of power used by the portable container, as it is only necessary to keep the contents cold, rather than having to cool them down initially. If for example the container is powered by a battery, then the length of time for which the container can keep its contents cold, and thus the length of journey which can be undertaken, can be increased.
The portable container can be used to carry drugs, tissue samples, organs for transplant, or indeed any other material which must be transported at a given temperature.
The container will generally have an outer housing, with the air gap being defined between the outer housing and the inner receptacle. The outer housing may comprise a base portion and a lid portion.
A fan is preferably provided to assist air circulation in the air gap. This is advantageously provided adjacent to the Peltier device, both for example being located in a lid portion of the container.
Preferably, the container comprises projections which extend from the outer housing of the container to support the inner container. Air can then circulate between the projections around the inner receptacle. In addition, the projections help to locate the inner container securely in the main container.
Preferably, the control unit of the container is arranged to store a desired temperature for the contents of the container, to receive a signal from a temperature sensor located within the container, and to generate a signal to control the Peltier effect device. From a comparison of the sensed temperature signal with the desired temperature, the control unit decides whether to operate the Peltier effect device, and in what sense (heating or cooling the interior of the container). The temperature sensor is preferably arranged to sense the temperature in the air gap. More than one sensor may be provided, e.g. one above the inner receptacle and one below.
The temperature at which the contents of the container are to be maintained can be set permanently in the control unit. However, as the container may be used with different materials, it is preferred that the temperature at which the contents of the container are to be maintained is entered into the control unit.
This information can be entered in any suitable manner. In a preferred version, a keypad is mounted on the container for entering the desired temperature. However, the keypad may be susceptible to damage, and so alternatively or additionally, the container may comprise an electromagnetic or ultrasonic receiver , and the temperature is set using an external transmitter. In a further version, the container may be connectible to a computer, either directly or via a modem, and this is used to set the temperature.
It may be important that the desired temperature, once set, is not changed without authorization, and thus it is preferred that the control unit includes means for verifying the status of a user before the temperature at which the contents of the container are to be maintained is set. If a key-pad is used, then it may be necessary to enter a code (such as a PIN) before the set temperature can be changed. Codes can also be used if a radio or a computer system is used to enter the information. A card system, for example using swipe cards, or a system where a key has to be inserted into a lock before the set temperature can be modified, could also be used.
It is also generally desirable to know the temperature history of the contents of the container.
In previous containers, there is no guarantee that the organs or drugs have not been damaged during transit by exposure to inappropriate temperatures, as there is no record of the temperatures to which they have been exposed. Thus, it is preferred that the control unit also comprises a temperature logging system, said temperature logging system providing means to verify the temperature history of the container.
This feature is considered to be of independent inventive merit, and so according to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable container for receiving contents for transport whilst regulating the temperature of the contents, the portable container comprising heating and/or cooling means, and a control unit for controlling the heating and/or cooling means so as to regulate the temperature of the contents of the container, said control unit comprising a temperature logging system, said temperature logging system providing means to verify the temperature history of the contents of the container.
The temperature logging system can take a number of forms. For example, a device similar to a tachograph can be used, to sample the temperature at given intervals and make a mark on a record sheet. The marks could (as in a tachogr
Doerrler William
Isosafe Limited
Jones Melvin
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
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