Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-13
2001-09-04
Lee, Benjamin C. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S572100, C340S010100, C340S005610, C340S541000, C340S005810, C340S005860, C235S435000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285285
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Blood transfusion and more generally the medical use of blood and derivative products thereof pose the problem associated with the state of health of the donor(s), involving risk of contamination that can lead to the transmission of diseases to recipients. Blood and plasma donation collection centers currently have databases of information concerning the health history of the donors, which are stored in stationary computerized systems and which can be accessed from a label comprising a bar code read by a laser reader. These labels are affixed on the donation bags and on the corresponding control test tubes. Any supplemental information requires a new label, also comprising a bar code, to be affixed. Thus, a same bag can comprise a plurality of labels comprising a bar code providing access to one or several centralized databases.
It seems increasingly necessary to keep the possibility of subsequent access to the data of the donors or recipient patients, especially in the case of an accident during the transfusion; but also because of the discovery of new diseases whose incubation period is very long; it is then difficult to identify the origin thereof, unless statistical or correlative studies, involving a large number of patients are carried out over long periods of time; and this can be achieved only by systematically accumulating data that can be subsequently sorted out.
The use of labels comprising a bar code implies reading the label with a laser pen to retrieve the data from the corresponding databases, in order to then group and store them for subsequent use in another database. This operation, which is performed a posteriori, requires going back to the original source of the data each time, which is complicated and involves risks of omission, for it is always possible to overlook a label.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an easy and reliable acquisition of the data carried on blood bags and derivative products, and to facilitate access to this data as well as their storage for subsequent processing. The invention can also be used for numerous other applications, such as those which consist of monitoring a cell culture process, for which it is necessary to follow the successive steps, or monitoring an organ removed for transplant.
To this end, and according to one embodiment which utilizes some prior art features identified in documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,917 and WO 9614043, the invention provides for coupling at least one electronic chip and/or an electronic memory card to a container, such that they can be easily separated due to simple fixing and protective mechanisms enabling them to be recouped with a sample of the content of the container.
The invention provides an assembly comprising a container, a device for computerized monitoring of a contents of the container, the device having a flexible support and one of an electronic chip and a memory card affixed to the flexible support, the flexible support comprising a printed circuit and an antenna capable of communicating with a computerized system, the antenna being one of integrated with the flexible support and attached to the flexible support, a protective compartment containing a sample of the contents of the container, and the flexible support is coupled to the sample, wherein the protective compartment is removably attached to the container so as to be recouped for the purpose of one of examination or filing.
The protective compartment may be sealed and the flexible support is disposed within the protective compartment. The protective compartment may be integrally formed with the container and the container may be formed from first and second films. One wall of the protective compartment may comprise one of the first and second film of the container. The assembly may further comprise a precut for facilitating a separation of the protective compartment from the container. The protective compartment may comprise an adhesive flexible leaf attached to a wall, the flexible support being disposed between the adhesive flexible leaf and the wall, and the protective compartment may further comprise an opening adapted to receive the sample. The assembly may further comprise a flexible bag formed from plastic films. The flexible bag may comprise a surface having adhesive, the surface having adhesive releasably connecting the flexible bag to the container. The flexible bag may be attached to the protective compartment. The flexible bag may be attached to the container, the flexible bag being attached to one of a middle portion of a wall of the container and a perimeter edge portion of the container. The protective compartment may comprise a sheath which encloses the flexible support, the sheath being welded to the container. The sheath may comprise separating precuts and wherein the sheath comprises two edges which are attached to two corresponding edges of the container. The assembly may further comprise the memory card having a hole, the protective compartment comprising a hole which is aligned with the hole of the memory card. The assembly may further comprise a fixing device disposed in the holes and connecting memory card and the protective compartment. The assembly may further comprise a sheath for removably covering the memory card. The assembly may further comprise the memory card having a hole, wherein the protective compartment comprises a flexible two walled structure having a hole in each wall which is aligned with the hole of the memory card, and further comprising a fixing device disposed in the holes and connecting memory card and the walls of the protective compartment. The assembly may further comprise at least one pipe for delivering the contents into the container. The protective compartment may be connected to the pipe via a connecting sheath. The connecting sheath may be adapted to be hot pressed to the at least one pipe. The protective compartment may comprise a flexible bag which is connected to the at least one pipe. The flexible bag may be connected to the at least one pipe by one of welding and adhesive.
The invention also provides for an assembly comprising a container containing a blood sample, a protective compartment removably attached to the container, a device for computerized monitoring of a contents of the container disposed in the protective compartment, the device having a flexible support and one of an electronic chip and a memory card affixed to the flexible support, the flexible support comprising a printed circuit and an antenna capable of communicating with a computerized system, and the antenna being one of integrated with the flexible support and attached to the flexible support.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4871439 (1989-10-01), Enzer et al.
patent: 5618662 (1997-04-01), Lin et al.
patent: 5635917 (1997-06-01), Todman
patent: 5936527 (1999-08-01), Isaacman et al.
patent: 6036101 (2000-03-01), Hass et al.
patent: 6122704 (2000-09-01), Hass et al.
patent: 96/14043 (1996-05-01), None
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Lee Benjamin C.
T-LOG S.A.
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