Abstract:
A multiple medicament container and method for retaining a plurality of medicaments for students on excursions from school is disclosed. The container is configured to securely hold medicaments of a variety of configurations including epinephrine pens and asthma inhalers as well as other forms. The container also holds cards identifying medical conditions relating to each student for which medicaments are provided as well as cards denoting administration protocols for each medicament loaded into the container. A single medicament embodiment of the container is also disclosed wherein the container is already paired to the subject student.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The instant invention relates to containers for transporting pluralities of differing medicaments as well as associated medical sundries and a method of use thereof. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Children having medical conditions are frequent users of medicaments in a school environment. Often, in a school setting these medicaments are stored at the station of the school nurse. Such medicaments take a variety of forms and are for both chronic conditions such as insulin for diabetes as well as acute crises such as injectable epinephrine for allergic reactions. In a school environment these medicaments are well controlled, both in their distribution as well as in having their proper storage assured. In a school nurse&#39;s station such medicaments are located in a secure location and care is taken that each medication is carefully labeled and stored to assure that the right medication is delivered to the correct student. Additionally each medicament is stored so that degradation of the medicament is prevented. Such prevention takes the forms of refrigerating medications like insulin that need to be cooled, keeping light-sensitive medications in a darkened storage area, maintaining temperature control for those medications that may be stored at room temperature but within a specified limit or the like. 
         [0003]    All of these carefully crafted controls are much more difficult or nearly impossible to achieve once students having medical conditions leave the school premises for field trips; outings or other supervised extracurricular activities off the school grounds. Even though allergic students run a higher risk of being exposed to allergens, diabetic students run a higher risk of their glucose exceeding tolerable limits and other students each having any of a multitude of medical conditions having their respective conditions exacerbated by being in an uncontrolled environment, there presently exists only the most rudimentary methods for storing and transporting student medicaments to these various events. Bulky coolers are itinerantly used to transport medicaments that require cooling and a variety of non-specific carryalls are used to transport medicaments and other sundries in an inefficient and disorganized way. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The instant invention provides for an organized, safe and effective way to transport medicaments by responsible school officials including instructions for the use of such medicaments should the need arise in an environment outside of the school. Additionally the invention provides for a method of use for such a transport apparatus to assure maximizing efficacy in the administration of such medicaments to the right patient, in the right dose, via the right means of administration at the right time. Also the invention provides for a way to enter and record notes relating to such administration as well as providing an organized way to maintain instructions for the administration of such medicaments. The invention further provides for a transport apparatus for medicaments so configured to assure that medicaments are transported at an allowable temperature for extended periods without refrigeration. These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent in the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment and Claims appended hereto. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the container. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of the interior of the container showing the inside cover. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the medial divider of the medicament container with cutaway showing the interior thereof. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of the interior rear compartment. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a cutaway view of the front cover. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a diagram of an Emergency Information Card. 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a diagram of an Action Plan card. 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is a diagram of a Medication Sheet. 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the single medicament embodiment if the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0014]    As shown if  FIG. 1  the container  100  comprehends a body  110  and a handle or strap  120 . The body,  110  having a cover  130  attached thereto by the cover&#39;s  130  upper edge  140  which may be made integral with the body  110 . Cover  130  and body  110  are preferably made of a sturdy synthetic material which is water resistant and contains insulating material  135 . Cover  130  additionally has a closure  150  attached near the distal edge  160  of the cover  130 . This closure is operative to releasably affix the cover  130  to the body  110  on a closed position. Preferably, closure  150  is magnetic and therefore corresponds to a ferromagnetic insert  150 A shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , Cover  130  has an interior side  170  which comprehends a first pocket  180  which is configured to accept standard student emergency information cards  185 . These emergency information cards  185 , as best shown in  FIG. 6  contain student specific information directing the school official carrying the container  100  which student should be receiving which medicament contained in the container  100  as well as proper dosing and administration instructions for the particular student for which the medicament is to be used. First pocket  180  also comprehends a flap  187  and a closure  189  to insure that the contents  185  are not accidently lost. The cover  130  also features a second pocket  190  which includes interior dividing tabs  195  which operate to separate materials contained therein. These materials preferably consist of emergency action plans  197  as shown in  FIG. 7  which instruct the school official using the container in the correct procedures for caring for students having conditions needing specialized attention. The materials carried in second pocket also preferably comprehend medication sheets  199 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , which describe the medicaments contained in the container  100 . The second pocket  190  also features a flap  198  and a closure  200  which operate similarly to the flap  187  and closure  189  of the first pocket  180 . Cover  130  also features a retainer  210  affixed along the perimeter of the cover  130  opposite the first pocket  180  which is operative to retain paper or note cards  220  to allow the school official to keep notes on emergency situations which occur while the container  100  is in use or to take notes of medications administered to inform the school nurse or student&#39;s parent of medicaments administered by the school official. 
         [0015]    As best shown in  FIG. 5 , the front cover  130  further comprehends an interior platen  240  which completely subtends the area of cover  130  and is adhered to the outer skin  105  of the cover  130 . In operation, the platen  240  provides for a planar surface on the exterior of cover  130  having sufficient smoothness and stiffness, to provide for a writing surface thereon. 
         [0016]    Interior to cover  130  resides a medial divider  260 . The medial divider  260  serves to divide the container  100  into two separate sections transversely along the long axis thereof. The medial divider  260  further features an interior volume  280  which is preferentially subdivided into three vertical sections  300 . These vertical sections  300  are accessed by a closure  320  which resides along the free edge  340  of the medial divider  260 . The other three edges being firmly affixed to the side walls  125  of the container  100 . These vertical sections  300  provide for storage of miscellaneous items necessary or desirable to be carried with the various other medicaments or medical sundries contained within the container  100 . The distal wall  360  of the medial divider  260  further features an elastic retainer  380  adapted to receive and retain a pair of scissors and diagonally opposite thereto the distal wall  360  further has defined thereon an insulated pocket  400  adapted to receive at least one container of temperature sensitive medicament. Insulated pocket  400  additionally has a flap closure  410  to seal the interior thereof. The flap closure  410  is preferentially sealed to the insulated pocket  400  via a hook and loop closure  420 . Additionally, all sides of the insulated pocket  400  and including the flap closure  410  are filled with insulating material between the exterior skin and interior skin defining the pocket  400  and flap closure  410 . 
         [0017]    Moving toward the rear interior wall  440  of the container  100 , the rear interior wall  440  comprehends a first set of loop retainers  460  adapted to receive epinephrine pens. The first loop retainers  460  are disposed near the top edge of the rear interior wall  440  so as to be easily accessible to school personnel as a timely administration of epinephrine is critical in an emergency. Laterally adjacent to first loop retainers  460  are second loop retainers  480  which are adapted to receive aerosol inhalers for treating asthma and the like. As with the epinephrine pens since quick access to these aerosol inhalers is of primary importance so the second loop retainers  480  are also disposed near the top edge of the rear interior wall  440 . Below the first loop retainers  460  is a rear wall pocket  500  which is adapted to receive and retain adhesive bandages of various sizes. Top web  520  which connects the exterior cover  130  and rear interior wall  440  additionally features a third loop retainer adapted to receive and retain a pen. 
         [0018]    An alternative embodiment of the instant invention as shown in  FIG. 9  is adapted to retain a single emergency medicament. Container  600  comprehends an interior pocket  610  and a sidewall  620  which has a window  630  defined thereon. Sidewall  620  is preferably of a bright color so as to alert school officials of the presence of the container. This coloration is preferred since in the case of the single medicament container, the normal mode of transport of the container is by the patient rather than the school official. Interior to the window  630  is a document pocket  640  adapted to retain an emergency information card  185  and an emergency action plan  197  for the single medicament and individual to which the medicament pertains. As a single medicament is most likely to be used in a crisis situation such as anaphylaxis, immediate access to the information on the card  185  and action plan  197  is specifically desired. The top edge of the container  600  has a closure defined thereon to selectively close the interior pocket  610  to retain the medicament therein. Adjacent to the closure is an affixment  650  to attach the container  600  to a backpack or the like. Operatively this alternative embodiment is used similarly to the multiple medicament container as subsequently described with the differences being that the single medicament embodiment of the container  600  is already paired to the student or patient to which the medicament within the container pertains therefore allowing the school official or employee to administer the medicament immediately upon identifying the student with the information contained in the individuated container. Additionally, in a transport situation such as a bus or the like, the single use container could be paired to an identifying card carried on the bus and accessible to the driver identifying the student as having an allergy and carrying a single medicament container. 
         [0019]    In use the instant container  100  is loaded with appropriate medicaments for the students for which the instant container  100  is scheduled to accompany outside of the school environment; for example on a field trip. Additionally, corresponding to the students and their medications, a plurality of emergency information cards  185  corresponding to each of the students related to the instant container  100  as well as a corresponding plurality of emergency action plans  197  and medication sheets  199 , each of which corresponds to an individual student related to the medicaments in the container  100 . 
         [0020]    Subsequent to loading the container  100 , the container  100  accompanies the students on their activity outside of the school environment. Should the need arise and a student fall ill, the appropriate school staff member having possession of the container  100  opens cover  130  and looks in first pocket  180  and retrieves the appropriate emergency information card  185  for the specific student and identifies the appropriate medicament contained in the container  100 . Then, the school official retrieves the appropriate emergency action plan  197  from second pocket  190  which, as said, contains the administration instructions for delivering the particular medicament. The school official then administers the medicament to the student and notates such administration on the action plan  197  and then contacts the appropriate emergency personnel and school officials per the procedure on the action plan  197 . 
         [0021]    This detailed description is merely indicative of the presently preferred embodiment of the instant invention and is not to be construed as limiting the scope thereof in any way beyond that recited in the Claims appended hereto.