PACKAGE FOR STERILE ARTICLES

Abstract: The distinguishing feature of the invention is that, in the sealed state of the package, a certain degree of pretension is imparted, by choice of material or otherwise, to the outer surface layer in relation to the corresponding inner layer of at least some of the package portion intended to be torn open for release of the contents of the package, which pretension is relaxed when opening the package thereby causing the prestretched package portion to curl with its interior, sterile surfaces exposed and its exterior, non-sterile surfaces concealed.

Description: PACKAGE FOR STERILE ARTICLES The present invention relates to a package intended to accommodate one or more sterile articles. Packages of this kind for the enclosure of disposabl articles used in surgery and for wound dressing, for example can be subdivided into two main types. Flat packages comprising two sheets of paper sealed together along their edges are used for thin sterile articles such as drying swab and small surgical pads, whereas plastic trays sealed with a paper lid are most commonly used for voluminous products suc as wound dressing sets- for example. A package belonging to any one of the above-describe types is opened by tearing apart the package portions along their bond lines with the use of both hands , exposing in thi way the enclosed sterile article. In order to maintain its sterility, the article must then be taken out of the package by someone else. To open the package correctly and remove the article, there are thus required two persons. After having opened the package, it is not possible to "pour" out its contents, for example, because the edges of the package, which are not sterile, could then get in touch with the contents of the package which would then be contaminated and lose its sterility. Even when properly handled, there is still the risk with conventional packages that their contents mav slip aside in the opened package and become exposed to contamination by the non-sterile edges of the package. In an urgent situation, or in the absence of an assistent dressed for sterility, it is easily understandable that someone could be tempted to empty the package incorrect and thereby jeopardize its sterility. As is evident from the aforesaid, the packages known up to now are most inconvenient due to the demands on avail¬ able staff members required to open such a package while als providing insufficient security for the sterility of the enclosed article to be maintained during opening and emptyin of the packages. The object of the invention is therefore to achieve a package for sterile articles which is easily openable while maintaining the sterility of its contents, and which in addition provides the possibility for one person alone to open and empty. By selecting the appropriate material therefor or by other means, a package for sterile articles which fulfills the demands set forth above has been accomplished with the present invention in that, in the sealed state of the package, a certain degree of pretension is imparted, by choice of material or otherwise, to the outer surface layer in relation to the corresponding inner layer of at least some of the package portion intended to be torn open for release of the contents of the package, which pretension is relieved by opening the package so that the prestretched material is caused to roll up thereby exposing the sterile interior surfaces and concealing the non-sterile exterior surfaces. The method of prestretching the package material can be selected from a wide range of alternative possibilities. For example, pretension may be originally built into the material which is then a laminate composed of layers prestretched to various degrees in relation to one another so as to produce a tensional difference between the two outer material layers. A corresponding tensional difference can also be obtained by the material of the layers included in the laminate having different coefficients of thermal expansion. Pretension can further be achieved with the aid of purely mechanical means such as metal wires, plastic springs and the like.. The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a cross section through a package according to a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a view of the package shown in Fig. 1 in an opened state; Fig. 3 is a cross section through a package according to a second embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4 is a cross section of the package shown in Fig. 3 in an open state; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the inventive package; Fig. 6 shows the .package of Fig. 5 when opened; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the inventive package; and Fig. 8 shows the package of Fig. 7 when opened. The package shown in Fig. 1 consists of an upper part 1 and a lower part 2, which parts are interconnected along their edge margins for the accommodation of a sterile article 3. The interconnection of the package parts can be carried out in different manners, for example by means of hot melt beads applied along the long sides of the package and with the short sides being heat sealed. The material of the package parts is prestressed in such a manner that the tension in the finished, sealed package is considerably higher in the outer than in the inner layer of the package parts, the package thereby striving to contract along said outer layer. With the package in a sealed state, the prestress forces are absorbed by the bonds between the package parts, whereas after opening it in a conventional manner by tearing the package parts apart, said forces can act freely and cause the parts 1 , 2 to curl, as shown in Fig. 2. The sterile article will then be uncovered while the outer surfaces of the package, which have become non-sterile by touching, are rolled inwards and away from the article, the sterile inner surfaces simultaneously being exposed. After rolling-up of the package parts 1, 2, the package may readily be emptied of its contents by letting them fall down onto a sterile surface provided for this purpose. Contrary to what is possible with conventional packages, the entire procedure of opening and emptying the inventive package can be carried out by one person alone without the risk of the enclosed article being contaminated, which is a significant advantage. Fig. 3 illustrates a second embodiment where the lower part 2 of the package consists of a prestretched material, whereas the upper part 1 is made of a conventional packing material such as varnished paper. The upper part 1 has two portions 5, 6 joined together by a seal 4. The package seals around a sterile article 3 which will be exposed when the package is opened by one 5 of the portions of the upper part 1 being torn off. Fig. 4 illustrates how the underside of a package as shown in Fig. 3 has rolled together for giving access to the sterile article. With this embodiment of the invention as well, there is completely avoided the risk of the sterile article being contaminated during removal from the package by allowing it to fall down onto a sterile surface since all areas the article could possibly get in touch with, including the edge surface of the remaining portion 6 of the upper part 1, will then remain sterile. Fig. 5 illustrates an example of an embodiment of the invention which is particularly useful for accommodating voluminous articles. The package shown in Fig. 5 has a tray-shaped lower part 2 and a flat, rectangular upper part 1 consisting of four triangular sections 7-10 defined by the diagonals and edges of the upper part. The triangular sections are united by two intersecting tape strips 11, 12, the resulting rect¬ angular lid 1 being joined along its edge portions to the lower part 2. The package is unwrapped by tearing off the tape strips 11, 12 whereby the triangular sections, which have been prestretched as previously exemplified, will roll together as shown in Fig. 6. The edges of the triangular sections, which are located under the tape strips, are sterile and cannot contaminate the sterile article 3. One advantage of this package is the possibility of using it as a receptacle for sterile swabs and pads which are to be soaked before use with a sterile liquid such as, for example, a salt solution. The solution can then be poured over the pads or swabs directly into the package. When utilizing the articles for wound-dressing purposes, liquid- soaked sterile swabs can be taken out of the package one by one without the risk of touching any non-sterile surface of the package. Fig. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the inventive package which, like the previous embodiment, has a tray- shaped lower part 2 and a flat lid 1. The lid 1 is sealed to the lower part 2 with a strip of tape 13, and the package is opened by tearing off the strip 13 to allow for the pre¬ stretched lid to roll up, as shown in Fig. 8. In this manner the sterile article 3 will be acessible for use. Because the tray has been covered with tape throughout the sterilization process, the entire edge 14 thereof remains sterile. As is the case with the embodiment of Figs. 5 and 6, this package as well is particularly useful for voluminous articles and can also be utilized, when dressing wounds for example, as a container for moistened pads and the like. The manner of accomplishing pretension has not been touched upon in the foregoing. For example, the package parts intended to roll together could be formed of a laminate of which one outer layer is laminated under prestress onto one or more stress relieving layers. Another prestress method is the attachment of one or more prestretched elastic bands or the like to the side of the packing material constituting the outer surface of the package. Pretension can also be attained by selectinσ a material to which has been imparted during manufacture a stress-generating gradient. As an alternative, pretension may be initially built into the material, or become activated by means of heat " treatment of the finished -package made of this material, for example. The above-described packages all exemplify embodi¬ ments of the invention with the sole purpose of illustrating the inventive principle without defining the limits thereof. A plurality of other embodiments are conceivable within the scope of the patent claims. For example, there are no restrictions whatsoever for a package according to the presen invention with regard to its physical shape or the type of material used.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A package for one or more sterile articles, characterized in that, in the sealed state of the package, a certain degree of pretension is imparted, by choice of material or otherwise, to the outer surface layer in relation to the corresponding inner layer of at least some of the package portion intended to be torn open for release of the contents of the package, which pretension is relieved when opening the package so that the prestretched material is caused to roll up said opened package portion thereby exposing the sterile interior surfaces of the package and concealing the non-sterile exterior surfaces thereof. 2. A package according to Claim 1, characterized in that the pretension is built into the package material, which is a laminate composed of two or more layers one of which being a surface layer and stretched in relation to the other layers during lamination. 3. A package according to Claim 2, characterized in that the laminate is composed of more than two layers, and that the layers forming part of the laminate have been subjected to a tension that gradually increases in the direction from a preferably non-stretched surface layer towards the opposite surface layer. 4. A package according to Claim 1, characterized in that pretension has been accomplished by prestretched elastic bands or the like being applied to said outer surface layer. 5. A package according to Claim 1, characterized in that the package material is prestretched with the aid of resilient means such as metal wire or plastic springs. 6. A package according to Claim 1, characterized in that the package material consists of at least two layers with different coefficients of thermal expansion and that lamination of the layers in a stretched state has taken place at an increased temperature, each layer included in the laminate thereby being given a different degree of tensile stress at room temperature.

Inventors: HANSSEN CARL-OTTO, HANSSEN, CARL-OTTO
Applicants: MOELNLYCKE AB
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B65D81
IPC codes: A61F13, A61F15, A61L2, B65D65, B65D75, B65D77