Abstract:
A medical assembly includes a syringe and a cover wrapped around the syringe. The syringe is configured to hold and dispense a medicine therein. The cover includes information pertaining to the medicine. The cover is movable between a rolled configuration and an unrolled configuration. The cover includes a re-sealable device to removably couple the cover to itself when in the rolled configuration. The cover includes radiation blocking material to protect the medicine. A method of attaching the cover to the syringe is provided.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/777,740, filed Mar. 12, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The present invention is directed to medical assemblies, and more particularly, to covers for syringes. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    It is important that medicines and other compounds are used appropriately by patients. In particular, at-home syringes and other applicators are prone to improper usage and/or improper dosage of the medicine due to lack of information or training. Typically, information pertaining to the medicine and the syringe is provided separate from the syringe itself, thereby posing a risk for improper use of the medicine and/or the syringe. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A medical assembly may be summarized as including a syringe and a cover attached to and wrapped around the syringe. The cover may be movable between a rolled configuration and an unrolled configuration. The cover may contain dosage information for proper use of a medicine or other compound contained in the syringe. 
         [0007]    The syringe includes a longitudinal body having an outer surface and a chamber. The chamber is configured to hold a medicine therein to be dispensed by the syringe. The cover includes a first edge portion and a second edge portion. The first edge portion is attached to the outer surface of the longitudinal body. In the rolled configuration, the cover is wrapped around the outer surface and the second edge portion is removably coupled to the cover itself or to the longitudinal body, or to both. The cover includes a main sheet extending between the first and second edge portions. The main sheet may have information pertaining to use of the medicine and the syringe. The information may be accessible when the cover is in the unrolled configuration and/or the rolled configuration. 
         [0008]    In some aspects, the cover includes particular, advantageous features. At least a portion of the cover may be comprised of material to prevent radiation from passing through the cover to the compound contained in the chamber. Additionally, the first edge portion may include a perforated portion to remove the cover completely from the syringe. The second edge portion may include a re-sealable device to removably attach the cover when moved from the unrolled configuration to the rolled configuration. The information on the main sheet may include at least one of dosage information, compound information, instructional information, and brand information. 
         [0009]    A method of making a medical assembly may be summarized as including providing a syringe having a longitudinal body with an outer surface and a chamber having a medicine therein. The method includes coupling a cover to the longitudinal body, such as the cover having the features described in the present disclosure. The method may include removably attaching the cover to itself when moving the cover to a rolled configuration. The method includes providing information on the cover that is accessible when the cover is in an unrolled configuration. The information may include dosage information. The cover may be fabricated to include radiation blocking material to block harmful rays from damaging or altering the medicine contained in the chamber. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a medical assembly having a cover and a syringe, showing the cover in a rolled configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the medical assembly of  FIG. 1  in which the cover is an unrolled configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a partially exploded view of a container assembly for holding a medical assembly, according to one embodiment. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the container assembly of  FIG. 3 , showing the container assembly in a closed configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The following detailed description is directed toward covers for syringes and methods of making the same. The description and corresponding figures are intended to provide an individual of ordinary skill in the art with enough information to enable that individual to make and use embodiments of the invention. Such an individual, however, having read this entire detailed description and reviewed the figures, will appreciate that modifications can be made to the illustrated and described embodiments, and/or elements removed therefrom, without deviating from the spirit of the invention. It is intended that all such modifications and deviations fall within the scope of the invention, to the extent they are within the scope of the associated claims. 
         [0015]    Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.” 
         [0016]    Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. 
         [0017]    As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
         [0018]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show a medical assembly  10  comprising a syringe  12  and a cover  14  according to one aspect. The cover  14  is movable between a rolled configuration A and an unrolled configuration B, as depicted by arrows C. The cover  14  may be re-sealable to itself when moved to the rolled configuration for reuse of the cover  14 . 
         [0019]    The syringe  12  includes a longitudinal body  16 , a chamber  18 , a tip  20 , a cap  22 , and a plunger  24 . The chamber  18  is configured to hold contents therein, such as a medical compound  26 , and the syringe  12  is configured to dispense the medical compound  26  out of the tip  20 . The longitudinal body  16  includes an outer surface  28 . The cover  14  includes a main sheet  30  having a first edge portion  32  and a second edge portion  34 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the illustrated first edge portion  32  is removably attached to the outer surface  28  of the longitudinal body  16 . Accordingly, the first edge portion  32  can include a perforated edge to allow removal of the cover  14  from the syringe  12 , as exemplified by Arrow D. The second edge portion  34  includes a re-sealable device  36 , such as an adhesive, to re-seal the cover  14  to the syringe  12  when moving from the unrolled configuration B to the rolled configuration A. Thus, the cover  14  may be wrapped around the outer surface  28  of the longitudinal body  16  in at least one full 360 degree wrap ( FIG. 1 ). Alternatively, the cover  14  may be wrapped around the outer surface  28  less than one full 360 degree wrap, in which case the second portion  34  would be removably coupled to the outer surface  28  of the longitudinal body  16 . 
         [0020]    With continued reference to  FIG. 2 , the main sheet  30  of the cover  14  includes information  38 , which may be visible when the cover  14  is in the rolled configuration A and/or unrolled configuration B. For example, in the unrolled configuration B, the information  38  may be visible to a user on an inside surface  40  of the cover  14 . The information  38  may pertain to at least one of dosage information, compound information, instructional information, and brand information. 
         [0021]    In some aspects, the cover  14  includes additives for blocking ultraviolet rays from passing through the cover  14 . This provides the advantage to prevent harm to the compound  26  when the cover  14  is in the rolled configuration A, which can be critical for maintaining the medical properties of the compound  26 . In some aspects, the cover  14  includes brand information  42  on an outer surface  28  when in the rolled configuration A. Additionally, the plunger  24  may include information  44 , which may be similar to the information  38  on the cover  14 . 
         [0022]      FIGS. 3 and 4  show a container assembly  30  that is adapted to hold therein a medical assembly  10 , according to one embodiment. The container assembly  30  includes a first open-ended container  32  and a second open-ended container  34 , which interface with one another to encapsulate the medical assembly  10 . The first open-ended container  32  comprises four sidewalls  36  extending longitudinally from a bottom side  38  to define an internal chamber  40 . An opening  42  is formed at one end of the four sidewalls  36 , which end is opposite the bottom side  38 . The opening  42  is sized and shaped to receive therethrough the medical assembly  10  and the second open-ended container  34  as discussed in more detail below. Proximal to the opening  42  and at edges where the sidewalls  36  intersect one another, the first open-ended container  32  includes grooves  44 . The grooves  44  are formed on the outer surfaces of the sidewalls  36 . Extending inwardly from the internal surfaces of the sidewalls  36  into the internal chamber  40  are projections  46 , such as pegs or posts, or other engagement features. 
         [0023]    The second open-ended container  34  comprises four sidewalls  48  extending longitudinally from a bottom side  50  to define an internal chamber  52 . An opening  55  is formed at one end of the four sidewalls  48 , which end is opposite the bottom side  50 . The opening  55  is sized and shaped to receive therethrough the medical assembly  10 . Along edges where the sidewalls  48  intersect one another, the second open-ended container  34  includes a plurality of recesses  56  spaced apart from one another. The recesses  56  are formed on the outer surfaces of the sidewalls  48 . The recesses  56  are sized and shaped to engageably receive therein the projections  46  of the first open-ended container  32 . In this manner, the first open-ended container  32  can slideably receive the second open-ended container  34 . Although the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 3-4  includes recesses  56  that are substantially spherically shaped, in other embodiments, the recesses  56  may be formed of any other shape, such as cubical, trapezoidal, or may include any other engagement feature. 
         [0024]    Further, the plurality of recesses  56  are spaced apart from each other at distances that advantageously allow the container assembly  30  to receive therein a wide variety of medical assemblies  10  of varying lengths. By way of example,  FIG. 4  illustrates a container assembly  30  in a closed configuration wherein the first open-ended container  32  overlies the second open-ended container  34 . The first open-ended container  32  extends approximately three-quarter length of the second-open ended container  34  to encapsulate the medical assembly  10 , thereby accommodating the medical assembly  10  of a certain length. 
         [0025]    Similarly, where the medical assembly  10  is longer or shorter, the first open-ended container  32  may be moved further inwards or outwards relative to the bottom side  38  of the first open-ended container  32  to fully encapsulate the corresponding medical assembly  10 . 
         [0026]    Furthermore, the first and second open-ended containers  32 ,  34  both comprise bodies of transparent material, through which the contents thereof may be, at least, partially visible to a user. The first open-ended container  32  also includes an outer cover  60  that is coupled to the outer surfaces of the sidewalls  36 . The outer cover  60  may be fully wrapped around the first open-ended container  32  or may be partially wrapped around the first open-ended container  32 . The outer cover  60  may be coupled to the first open-ended container  32  via adhering or, in some embodiments, may be imprinted onto the cover using various imprinting techniques. The outer cover  60  includes information  68  that may be visible to the user. The information  68  may pertain to at least one of dosage information, compound information, instructional information, and brand information. 
         [0027]    Moreover, the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments. 
         [0028]    These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.