Abstract:
The present invention meets the above-described need by providing a container having at least one sidewall with an inner surface and an outer surface. A bottom wall connects to the side wall to form an enclosure. The inner surface and the bottom wall define some of the boundaries of a cavity that is formed within the container. A lid is designed to attach to a portion of sidewall where an opening is defined of the cavity. An absorbent material is disposed within the container. The absorbent material absorbs and retains, in some instances immobilizes, a liquid material such as a medical specimen that is deposited inside the container for shipping.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
   The present patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/558,982 filed Apr. 27, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,681 which relies on the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/184,917, filing date of Feb. 25, 2000. 

   FIELD OF INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to containers for shipping liquid materials, and specifically to a container for shipping medical specimens for testing. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   There is a need for shipping containers that are suitable for shipping medical specimens such as urine for pregnancy tests or the like. In remote areas where the distance to a medical offices or testing facilities is substantial, a device for shipping medical specimens such as urine would be desirable. 
   Absorbent materials have been used to control leaking materials as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,600 which discloses a packet for absorbing and immobilizing a liquid. The packet looks like a sugar packet (FIG. 3 of the &#39;600 patent) by having an outer layer and inner contents. When the packet is to be used, it is inserted within an outer container, i.e., a Federal Express package. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,087, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a packaging container designed to transport an inner container containing a liquid. The packaging container has at least one sealing multi-layer comprising a first water soluble film and an absorbent material. 
   These patents are directed at providing leak protection for containers or vials shipped within outer containers. None of these patents disclose a container that is suitable for use as a primary container for shipping medical specimens. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention meets the above-described need by providing a container having at least one sidewall with an inner surface and an outer surface. A bottom wall connects to the side wall to form an enclosure. The inner surface and the bottom wall define some of the boundaries of a cavity that is formed within the container. A lid is designed to attach to a portion of sidewall where an opening is defined of the cavity. An absorbent material is disposed within the container. The absorbent material absorbs and retains, in some instances immobilizes, a liquid material such as a medical specimen that is deposited inside the container for shipping. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures of which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the container of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the container of the present invention with the lid removed; 
       FIG. 3  is a cut-away side view of the container; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a first alternate embodiment of the present invention; and, 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second alternate embodiment. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   In  FIG. 1  a container  10  having a side wall  13 , a lid  22 , and a bottom wall  16  that defines the boundaries of a cavity  8  is shown. The side wall  13 , as shown, is cylindrical and defines the side boundaries of the cavity  8 . The bottom wall  16  is planar and defines the bottom boundary of the cavity  8 . Other shapes would also be suitable for these elements, for example, wall  13  can have a polygon shape and wall  16  corresponds to the shape of wall  13  except it can be planar as shown in  FIG. 1 , indented into the cavity as shown in  FIG. 3 , or protrude beyond the wall  13 . Also, the side wall  13  and bottom wall  16  may be constructed of any suitable material such as cardboard, wood, plastic, or metal. 
   The bottom wall  16  closes off one end of the container  10 . At the opposite end, an opening  19  is defined at the end of the side wall  13 . A lid  22  attaches to the open end of the container  13  and is designed to define the top boundary of the cavity  8 . 
   The lid  22  may be provided with a ribbed surface  23  for easier gripping. The lid  22  may also be provided with a set of internal threads capable of engaging with a set of external threads  24 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , disposed on the container  13 . Alternatively, the lid  22  could attach to a set of internal threads  25  or internal ribs (not shown.) The lid  22  may be freely removable or it may be a conventional one-way locking lid such that once the lid  22  is attached to the container  10  it cannot be removed without evidence of the lid being tampered with. 
   The lid  22  and container  10  may be provided with a lock that does not allow the lid  22  to be removed without creating a visual indication of the fact that it has been removed, tampered with or it may cause damage to the container  10 . The lid  22  may be constructed from a translucent or transparent material so the contents of the container  10  can be viewed without opening the lid  22 . 
   Turning to  FIG. 3 , in a first embodiment the side wall  13  is covered with an absorbent material  25 . When released by contact with liquid, the material  25  absorbs and then retains large volumes of liquids, preferably aqueous solutions including dilute alkalis, dilute acids and body fluids. An example of material  25  is sodium polyacrylate having the formula (C 3 H 3 O 2 N a ) n . The material is available under the trademark WATER LOCK J-550 from Grain Processing Corporation. 
   In one embodiment, the material  25  is bonded to the side wall  13  by a conventional adhesive(s) or the like. 
   In  FIG. 4 , an alternate embodiment of the invention is shown where the absorbent material  25  is disposed on the bottom wall  16 . As an additional alternative, the absorbent material  25  may be disposed on both the side wall  13  and the bottom wall  16 . 
   In another alternate embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , the container  10  has an additional layer  28  of a water permeable material. Layer  28  is any conventional water permeable material, such as starch paper, polyvinyl acetate, water-soluble synthetic polymer films and water-soluble natural polymers. Examples of water permeable synthetic polymer films include partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol, polyethers, such as polyethylene oxide and the like, polyvinylpyrolidone, ethylenically unsaturated acids, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, and polymers formed from the salts thereof. 
   Examples of water permeable semisynthetic polymer films include cellulose derivatives, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, and starch derivative such as cyclodextrin. As for the water soluble natural polymers, those include carrageena, starch, gelatin, and chitin. 
   The layer  28  attaches to predetermined portions of the side wall  13 . The absorbent material  25  is contained between the side wall  13  and the layer  28 . 
   In operation, the layer  28  dissolves when a liquid material contacts it or allows the liquid to penetrate through the layer  28 . The liquid then contacts the absorbent material  25  which absorbs and then retains the liquid as described above. After the liquid is retained, the liquid can be extracted from the material  25  through a process that is described in another U.S. patent application that is licensed to the assignee of this application. 
   Accordingly, in some instances it may be desirable to have an additional layer  28  cover the absorbent material  25  until a liquid material is deposited into the container  10 . It is desired that the deposit be directly inserted into the container  10 . For example, if a pregnancy test is to be conducted, the user can urinate directly into the container  10 . The bodily fluid contacts the absorbent material which converts the bodily fluid into a “gelatinous” state. The bodily fluid should not be released from the “gelatinous” state until the predetermined receiver of the gelatinous material extracts the bodily fluid from that gelatinous state. 
   In connection with this option there may be a disposable funnel or the like that could be used to direct the flow into the container  10 . Once the liquid enters the container  10  and makes contact with the absorbent material  25 , the liquid is absorbed and retained, in some instances immobilized, for shipping. The combined urine and absorbent material forms a gelled, gelatinous or gel-like substance that retains the liquid in an immobilized state. With the liquid retained, the material handling becomes much simpler and the problems associated with shipping liquids in vials, i.e., spilling, leaking, or the like are eliminated. 
   In another embodiment, the bodily fluid could be blood that is extracted from the body through a syringe. The extractor of the blood then deposits the blood from the syringe directly into the container  10 . The blood, like the urine, is formed into a gelatinous state. 
   In another embodiment, the liquid can be water from a contaminated body of water, like the Hudson River. The user could scoop some of the contaminated water directly into the container  10  or indirectly through a second container that deposits the liquid into the container  10 . In any case, the liquid is formed into a gelatinous state for further investigation. 
   As an option and in order to avoid the possibility of contamination, the container  10  may be constructed of a size and shape that is suitable for specific purposes. The container  10  need not have a fixed bottom wall  16 , as shown in FIG.  1 . Instead, the bottom wall  16  could be a seal of the sidewalls as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,087. 
   Once the liquid is placed in the container  10 , the lid  22  is attached to the top of the container  10  by screwing or snapping it onto the end of the side wall  13  of the container  10 . As discussed above, the lid  22  may be a standard removable type with a set of threads capable of engaging with threads disposed on the container  10 . As an alternative, the container  10  can also be provided with a locking lid that will provide a visual indication if the lid is tampered with before it is received at its predetermined destination. Another alternative is to have a locking lid of the type where it cannot be removed without a special tool. If the lid  22  is removed without the tool, damage to the container  10  will occur and it will be obvious that the container  10  has been tampered with. 
   Once the container  10  is received at its destination, the liquid material, like urine, blood or water, can be separated from the gelatinous form through an osmosis process without any adverse ingredients being incorporated in the formerly gelled urine. 
   Accordingly, the present invention provides a container for shipping a liquid material and also provides a method for shipping urine, or other medium, specimens from a remote location for testing such as for pregnancy tests and the like. 
   While the invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth, but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.