Abstract:
An Insulin Pump Pouch Assembly is disclosed The pouch is sized to receive a conventional personal insulin pump. The pouch provides not only physical protection for the pump, but also provides an aesthetically-pleasing container. One particularly important aspect is that the dispense tube is protected both physically and from view to improve aesthetics. The pouch is further attachable by belt or clip.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates generally to portable drug delivery systems and, more specifically, to an Insulin Pump Pouch Assembly.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Individuals suffering from diabetes often must receive regular injections of insulin. Somewhat recently, a less-intrusive method of receiving insulin treatments has become available—the portable insulin pump.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional portable insulin pump/dispensing system  10 . The system  10  comprises a pump apparatus  12  having a control panel  20  to allow the user to schedule the dosages and/or to demand a manual dose. The insulin “injection” travels down thin tubing  18  that leads from the pump apparatus  12  to the users body at the infusion site (usually located at the patient&#39;s stomach, buttocks or thigh). At the end of the tubing  18 , is the dispensing head  14 , which attaches to the patient&#39;s body with an adhesive-coated patch  16 .  
         [0005]     While evolution of the portable insulin dispensing system  10  provides the user with flexibility and comfort never before experienced by diabetics, there are some drawbacks. First, the user must have constant access to the control panel  20  in the event that adjustment is necessary—the problem is that the tubing  18  must lead into the person&#39;s clothing so that it can contact the skin. Since the tubing  18  leads from outside to inside of the patient&#39;s clothes, it is very hard to disguise, and can tend to make the patient self-conscious. Second, the tubing  18  is fairly fine in gauge; it is very easy to get is hung up on things during the course of the patient&#39;s day—this can result in the patch  16  actually being pulled off of the patient&#39;s skin, sometimes without their knowledge.  
         [0006]     What is needed, then, is a device for holding the pump apparatus  12  external to the patient&#39;s body to hide the tubing  18  and further prevent the tubing  18  from getting snagged.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior systems and devices, it is an object of the present invention to provide an Insulin Pump Pouch Assembly. The pouch should be sized to receive a conventional personal insulin pump. The pouch should provide not only physical protection for the pump, but should also provide an aesthetically-pleasing container. One particularly important aspect is that the dispense tube be protected both physically and from view to improve aesthetics. The pouch should be attachable by belt or clip.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional personal insulin dispensing system;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the insulin pump pouch assembly of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is another front perspective view of the assembly of  FIG. 2 ; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a partial rear perspective view of the assembly of  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out her invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide an Insulin Pump Pouch Assembly.  
         [0014]     The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the insulin pump pouch assembly  30  of the present invention. The assembly  30  comprises a pump pouch  32  for holding the insulin pump, and a belt  34  (or clip) for attaching the assembly  30  to the patient&#39;s body. The pouch  30  is sized to accept the pump apparatus (see  FIG. 1 ) within it. There is further an aperture  58  in the side of the pouch  32  where the tubing  18  can protrude.  
         [0015]     The assembly  30  provides protection for the tubing  18  in the form of the tubing protector  40 . The tubing protector  40  extends from the side of the pouch  32  and terminates in a first flap  42 A and second flap  42 B. The flaps  42  are configured to wrap around the tubing  18  and belt  34  closely adjacent to the pouch and then attach to one another on the other side of the belt  34 . The result is that the tubing  18  is held securely close to the patient&#39;s body to prevent it snagging. Furthermore, the tubing  18  is hidden from view in order to eliminate potential embarrassment for the patient. The fastener flap  44 A at the end of the first flap  42 A and its counter-part at the end of the second flap  42 B are preferably the two parts of a hook-and-loop type of fastener, which secures the tubing  18 .  
         [0016]     The pouch  32  has a cover flap  40  that can be closed over the face of the pouch  32 , for decorative and protective purposes. The pouch  32  and its related components will typically be constructed from a washable cloth material that provides a durable, yet aesthetically pleasing appearance. Versions may be available that incorporate patient identity or other indicia inscribed thereon, as well as having portions made from or covered with decorative cloth. Now turning to  FIG. 3 , we can continue to examine the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is another front perspective view of the assembly  30  of  FIG. 2 . In this view, the cover flap  46  has been lifted to expose the top face  47  of the pouch  32 . The top face  47  has a pump access opening  54  formed in it to enable the pump apparatus  12  to be placed in, or removed from, the pouch  32 . The opening  54  will be held closed by a zipper  56  or other conventional closure device.  
         [0018]     The cover flap  46  has a fastener pad  44 C at its distal edge that cooperates with another fastener pad  44 D located on the bottom face of the pouch to hold the cover flap  46  closed tight against the front face  48  of the pouch  32  (as depicted in  FIG. 2 ). The pouch  32  has a window  52  on its front face  48 , through which the control panel of the pump apparatus  12  is viewable, and through which the touch controls on the control panel are operable. By closing the cover flap  46 , the user disguises the purpose of the pouch  32 , and further prevents the inadvertent operation of buttons on the control panel of the pump apparatus  12 .  
         [0019]     The tubing protector  40  is depicted here with its two flaps attached to one another wrapped around the tubing  18  and the belt  34 . As can be seen, the tubing  18  is shielded from view by the tubing protector. If we finally turn to  FIG. 4 , we can examine the final details of this novel invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a partial rear perspective view of the assembly  30  of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . This view depicts the pouch  32  with the cover flap  46  in the closed position. The tubing protector  40  is partially open in order to expose the fastener pads  44 A and  44 B at the tips of the flaps  42 A and  42 B.  
         [0021]     When attached to a person&#39;s body, the tubing  18  may be fed on the inside of the belt  34  until it reaches the entry point in the person&#39;s clothing. The rear face  60  will be held tight to the waist of the wearer, and will appear to be a small “fanny pack,” rather than a medical device. The belt  34  may be fixedly attached to the pouch  32 , as shown here, or it might pass through a loop or loops formed on the rear face  60  of the pouch  32  to permit easy adjustment of the location of the pouch  32  in relation to the buckles.  
         [0022]     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.