Patent ID: 11857402
Assignee: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  C | IPC A  C

Claim 14:
15. A reusable osmotic sanitary collection bag for use in absorbing a fluid discharged from a user, the reusable osmotic sanitary collection bag comprising:
an absorbent sponge having a first surface, a second surface, and a body extending therebetween, the body including a plurality of drainage apertures extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein an amount of salt is infused within the absorbent sponge and configured to facilitate, via osmosis, movement of the fluid discharged from the user to a collection bag;
the collection bag disposed in underlying relation to the absorbent sponge and secured thereto using an adhesive, wherein a reservoir is disposed within the collection bag, the reservoir being extended away from the second surface of the sponge, whereby the fluid discharged from the user is absorbed by the absorbent sponge and flows through the plurality of drainage apertures into the reservoir of the collection bag;
a semi-permeable membrane disposed in overlying relation to the absorbent sponge and configured to prevent the salt-infused within the absorbent sponge from contacting the vagina while permitting passage of the fluid through the semi-permeable membrane;
a first plurality of adhesive strips disposed in underlying relation to the absorbent sponge and extending away from a first end of the absorbent sponge at a predetermined distance;
a second plurality of adhesive strips disposed in underlying relation to the absorbent sponge and extending away from a second end of the absorbent sponge at the predetermined distance;
wherein the first plurality of adhesive strips, the second plurality of adhesive strips, or both comprise an impermeable layer disposed between each strip, the impermeable layer being configured to facilitate the separation of each strip from one another;
wherein upon the discharge of a fluid by a user, the fluid is absorbed by the absorbent sponge and received within the reservoir of the collection bag;
wherein the body of the absorbent sponge comprises at least one protrusion at least partially disposed within the collection bag, whereby the at least one protrusion maintains an open configuration of the reservoir in the collection bag, thereby facilitating intake of the discharged fluid into the reservoir of the collection bag; and
wherein the impermeable layer is configured to be removably affixed to at least one of the first and second plurality of adhesive strips, whereby when at least one of the absorbent sponge and the reservoir of the collection bag are cleaned for reuse, the impermeable layer prevents at least a portion of an adhesive of at least one of the first and second plurality of adhesive strips from being removed.