Portable pouch for insulin

A portable, flexible, refrigerating pouch for carrying and storing insulin needed by diabetics to prevent it from deterioration is disclosed. The pouch comprises an insulating layer and a liner whose structure provides separate compartments for a refrigerating agent, a vial of insulin and a syringe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to preservation of insulin from spoiling. 
More particularly, the invention relates to protection of liquid insulin 
from deterioration by carrying and storing it in a portable, insulated, 
refrigerated pouch. 
As is well known, persons afflicted by diabetes mellitus have an 
insufficient secretion of insulin causing an excess of sugar in their 
system. Such condition requires treatment consisting of hypodermic 
injections of insulin which assists the body in using the sugar. In order 
to maintain an insulin preparation in a fresh condition, it should be kept 
at a temperature lower than normal room temperature. This requires the 
storage of insulin in a refrigerator or other cooling means, such as an 
ice box. However, diabetics requiring a few injections of insulin per day 
are greatly inconvenienced while away from home for a day or longer with 
no available facilities needed to keep their supply of insulin under 
desired cool conditions. 
While rigid ice chests and pliable, insulated bags, such as the lunch bag 
disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,091, for temporary storage of 
foodstuffs are known, the present invention is directed to an improved, 
small size container, the purpose and constructional features of which are 
distinct therefrom and which can accommodate not only a supply of liquid 
insulin, but also a refrigerating means and one or more syringes for 
injection of insulin. Consequently, the present invention contemplates the 
provision of a complete, refrigerated kit containing insulin and its 
accessories for use by diabetics when away from home. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide 
a carrying means specifically adapted for storage of insulin without its 
spoilage. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a portable pouch containing a 
refrigerating agent, the pouch being capable of insuring storage of 
insulin at a sufficiently low temperature inside thereof to prevent 
effectively its deterioration for several hours. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an insulated, small and 
pliable pouch of sufficient storage capacity to accommodate a refrigerant, 
a vial of insulin and a syringe, the pouch being so constructed that, when 
closed, the cool air inside thereof maintains insulin in a fresh condition 
suitable for injection into the body. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible pouch having a 
special design for carrying and storing a vial of insulin and accessories 
of various shapes needed for injection thereof which is inexpensive to 
manufacture from readily available materials. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel method for 
protecting insulin from deterioration by keeping it in a portable, 
insulated and refrigerated pouch thereby permitting its use at any time 
while away from home. 
These and other objects of the invention will become more fully apparent 
from the following description considered in conjunction with the 
accompanying drawings. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a portable, 
flexible, insulated open-mouth pouch especially adapted for use in 
carrying and storing insulin to prevent deterioration thereof. The pouch 
comprises a pair of opposing walls joined to one another to form a closed 
bottom for said pouch. Each of said walls includes an outer wall, an inner 
wall and a layer of an insulating material distributed substantially 
evenly therebetween. The pouch further comprises means for opening and 
closing thereof which is secured to the pouch in the upper portion of its 
inner wall around the periphery thereof. Still further, the pouch 
comprises a water-repellent liner disposed inside thereof. The upper 
narrow portion of the liner is attached to the inner wall of the pouch 
adjacent the top thereof, the major portion of the liner being unattached 
and disposed adjacent the inner wall of the pouch. The construction of the 
liner includes a front partition and a rear partition forming a central 
pocket therebetween for holding a refrigerating means, the bottom of the 
pocket being disposed adjacent the bottom of the pouch. The front 
partition forms together with the front wall of the liner a first 
compartment for holding a vial of insulin, the rear partition forming 
together with the rear wall of the liner a second compartment for holding 
a hypodermic syringe.

Like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the 
views of the drawings. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to the drawings in detail, a flexible, insulated pouch 10 of the 
open-mouth type construction comprises a front outer wall 12, a rear outer 
wall 14, a front inner wall 18 and a rear inner wall 20, the walls being 
made of a durable, flexible fabric material, such as cotton, polyester, 
nylon or a plastic sheet. A layer of a suitable insulating material 16 
formed of a lightweight polymeric material, such as polystyrene or 
polyurethane foam, is disposed substantially evenly between the outer 
walls and inner walls filling the space therebetween. The walls are joined 
together by a seam 21, preferably formed by stitching, extending 
downwardly from the top to the bottom of pouch 10 on one side thereof and 
by a similar seam on the opposite side thereof thereby producing a pouch 
structure having open top and a rounded edge bottom 22, as illustrated in 
FIG. 2. 
The upper portions of each wall are folded inwardly and downwardly over a 
relatively short distance from the top edge of pouch 10, as shown in FIGS. 
2 and 4, the end portion of each overlapping fold being positioned between 
inner wall 18 and the means for opening and closing 36 of the pouch 10, 
preferably a strip of an adhesive tape fastener sold commercially under 
the trademark "Velcro." The tape fastener 36 is disposed around the inner 
periphery of pouch 10 a short distance below the top edge thereof in a 
direction generally parallel thereto. When the opposing surfaces of tape 
fastener 36 are brought in contact and pressed together, a substantially 
air-tight seal is produced thereby preventing the cooled air to escape 
from the interior of pouch 10. Other similar tape fasteners capable of 
forming a strong but readily detachable bond therebetween are also 
suitable. Likewise, other known types of means for opening and closing 
pouches or bags, such as zippers, snaps, buttons, etc. are satisfactory. 
The strip of tape fastener 36 is secured to the folded end portions of 
opposite walls 12, 18 and 14, 20 by an upper stitch 38 which is disposed 
in the upper portion of the fastener 36 and by a lower stitch 40 which 
extends through the entire combined thickness of the upper end portion of 
liner 24, the inner wall 18 adjacent thereto, the layer in insulating 
material 16 and the outer wall 18, as illustrated in FIG. 4. A 
corresponding lower stitch (not shown) is arranged in the same manner on 
the opposite side of pouch 10. 
The liner 24 is preferably made of a waterproof or water-repellent sheet 
material, such as a continuous, relatively thin but resistant to tear, 
flexible plastic film of the vinyl type or a rubber-treated fabric. Its 
construction includes front wall 24a and rear wall 24b and is specifically 
designed to accommodate a refrigerant, such as a frozen ice pack 42, a 
rubber-stoppered vial 44 containing liquid insulin and one or more 
hypodermic syringes, as shown in FIG. 3. A central pocket 26 having closed 
bottom is formed by a front partition 28 and a substantially identical 
rear partition 30, each partition being formed of a double layer of the 
same liner material and so arranged as to form a first compartment 32 
between the front wall 24a and front partition 28, as well as a second 
compartment 34 between the rear partition 30 and rear wall 24b. As the 
size of the central pocket 26 must be sufficient to accommodate a 
removably insertable frozen ice pack 42, the pocket 26 extends vertically 
over a distance preferably equal to more than a half of the height of 
pouch 10, as shown in FIG. 2. 
Although the weight of the ice pack 42 placed in the central pocket 26 
causes the bottom of the pocket 26 to contact the interior of liner 24 
adjacent the bottom 22 of pouch 10, thereby forming separate compartments 
32 and 34, the outer edge portion of the bottom of pocket 26 may be 
joined, if desired, by stitching or any other suitable manner, to liner 24 
at the bottom portion thereof thereby providing a permanent separation of 
the two compartments 32 and 34. 
The portable pouch 10 according to this invention provides an improved 
method of protecting insulin from deterioration, particularly in extreme 
hot or cold weather conditions, by placing a vial of liquid insulin in one 
of the two compartments 32 or 34 in the pouch 10 having an inserted 
therein frozen ice pack 42. When pouch 10 is tightly closed by means of 
tape fastener 36 or the like, the chilled air in the interior of the pouch 
preserves insulin from spoilage. This is highly desirable and advantageous 
for diabetics who must give themselves insulin injections while away from 
home for at least several hours either traveling by car, train or plane or 
in an office, a school, a factory, etc. By the present invention I have 
provided a solution to a long sought problem of insulin-dependent 
diabetics whose primary concern is not to expose insulin to unfavorable 
weather conditions and who now can carry with them a supply of chilled, 
fresh insulin with either disposable or reusable syringes together with a 
suitable sterilization means for the needle, such as prepackaged alcohol 
sponge, if necessary, regardless of the outdoor temperature level. The 
invention is especially applicable to the users of short-acting regular 
insulin who require three to four subcutaneous injections per day. Due to 
its small size, the pouch of this invention may conveniently be placed in 
a purse, a totebag, a satchel or even in a coat pocket, as well as in the 
glove compartment of an automobile. Moreover, the invention may be used in 
preservation of other medicinal preparations requiring storage at a low 
temperature. 
Various changes in the form of this invention herein described and 
illustrated may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention 
and the scope of the claims which follow.