Patent ID: 11931075
Assignee: PHERDAL, LLC
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 11:
12. A method of sterilizing an intracervical insemination (ICI) fertility kit, comprising:
1) sealing an ICI fertility syringe and a semen collection jar in a plastic wrap, wherein the syringe and the jar are in a same wrap or a separate wrap, and the plastic wrap is permeable to air and gas, and impenetrable to pathogens, wherein the ICI fertility syringe and the semen collection jar comprise:
a) a wrapped, sterilized disposable plastic fertility syringe (10) comprising,
i) an outer rigid tubular barrel (12), comprising a curved distal end (14) with a distal opening (16) and a sealed proximal end (18), and said barrel enclosing an inner hollow tube (20) with a narrowed distal end at an opening (31) joined to the barrel distal opening (16);
ii) the barrel sealed proximal end (18) further comprising a handle combination comprising two opposing substantially hollow circular members (26) forming about 75% or 100% of a complete circle, and a centered proximal flat handle (36);
iii) a plunger (22) positioned within the inner hollow tube (20) and able to slide within said tube (20) to draw up and expel semen from the barrel distal opening (16), with a plunger distal end (52) encircled by a rubber seal (32) comprising a plurality of flexible rings (41) decreasing in diameter distally and able to prevent semen backflow;

b) a wrapped, sterilized, disposable plastic semen collection jar (40) comprising:
i) a hand-held container (42), with round shaped smooth seamless edges (48) on an inner surface (48i) and outer surface (48o) on the hand-held container, the seamless edges of the inner surface (48i) able to prevent the semen from being trapped within the seamless edges;
ii) a sealable lid (44), comprising a snap-on lid or screw threads; and

c) wherein each wrapped syringe and jar are is sterilizable via exposure to ethylene oxide or gamma radiation;

2) determining a sterilization dose level and duration, and setting a sterilization machine to the dose level, wherein the sterilization machine emits ethylene oxide or gamma radiation;
3) placing a plurality of the wrapped syringes and the wrapped jars into the sterilization machine, and exposing to sterilization at the determined dose level and duration; and
4) removing the plurality of sterile wrapped syringes and wrapped jars from the sterilization machine, and placing one to three sets of the syringes and jars into a kit.