Abstract:
The disclosure relates to a polymeric or similar reclosable specimen package or bag wherein the bio-hazard symbol is printed, typically sideways, on the tear zone. This provides for obliteration of the bio-hazard symbol upon opening of the package and the disposal, if appropriate, of the specimen package or bag in regular trash.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/178,729 filed May 15, 2009, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Disclosure 
         [0003]    The present disclosure pertains to a reclosable package or bag with a tear-away feature. More specifically, the present disclosure pertains to a specimen bag which may be used to hold a specimen container and related paperwork. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  discloses a prior art embodiment of a specimen package or bag, which is a secondary package used to hold a primary specimen container and related paperwork. This prior art bag is marked with a bio-hazard marking, thereby requiring disposal of both the bag and primary specimen container as bio-hazardous waste. This kind of package or bag is typically marked with a bio-hazard marking which is away from the tear-line, thereby requiring disposal of both the bag and the primary specimen container as bio-hazardous waste even though the bag is typically not bio-hazardous. Disposal of bio-hazardous waste is significantly more expensive than the disposal of ordinary waste. Further, if this prior art specimen bag were to be disposed of in normal trash, people seeing such a package may become unnecessarily alarmed. 
         [0006]    The prior art further includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,216 entitled “Reclosable Plastic Bag with Non-Perforated Tear Zone” issued on Apr. 17, 2001 to Taheri and U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,302 entitled “Plastic Bag with Tamper-Evident Closure” issued on Nov. 21, 2000 to Taheri. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0007]    It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a reclosable package or bag for a primary specimen container for bio-hazardous material, and related paperwork wherein the bag can be disposed of in regular trash after the primary specimen container has been removed. 
         [0008]    This and other objects are obtained by providing a reclosable package or bag, with a tear-away feature, for a primary specimen container and associated paperwork, wherein the bio-hazard symbols or markings are printed along the tear-line of the package or bag, so that alter the bag has been torn open along the tear-line, the bio-hazard symbols or markings are obliterated and the bag can be disposed of with ordinary waste. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    Further objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a prior art specimen package or bag. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a variation of the embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of a further variation of the embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view along plane  4 - 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals indicate like elements, one sees plan views of variations of the embodiment of specimen bag  10  of the present disclosure in  FIGS. 2-4  and a corresponding cross-sectional view in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0016]    Specimen bag  10  includes a front panel  12  and a primary rear panel  14 , typically formed from a single sheet of polymeric material with lower fold  16  therebetween and sealed at first and second edges  15 ,  17  thereby providing a specimen storage space  100  accessed via mouth  18 . Mouth  18  is reclosably sealed by zipper  20  which includes first and second zipper profiles  22 ,  24  attached to front panel  12  and primary rear panel  14 , respectively. Additionally, a document storage space  102  is formed immediately outward of rear panel  14  by sealing a secondary rear panel  26  upwardly adjacent from lower fold  16  along seal line  28 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a lower portion  30  of secondary rear panel  26 , formed below seal line  28 , may include label portion  32  which is removable via lower perforated (or otherwise weakened) line  34 . Upper portion  36  of secondary rear panel  26  extends upwardly and immediately outwardly from primary rear panel  14 . Upper fold  38  is formed at the top of primary rear panel  14  so that upper flap or extension  40 , typically integral with primary rear panel  14 , extends toward the upper edge or portion of secondary rear panel  26  and is joined thereto by either an adhesive seal or a hard seal  42 . Upper perforated (or otherwise weakened) line  44  provides access to document storage space  102 . 
         [0017]    Front panel  12  of specimen bag  10  includes tear zone  50 , typically formed from successive sideways V-shaped or herringbone-shaped lines of weakness. Bio-hazard symbol  52  is printed in tear zone  50 . Bio-hazard symbol  52  is typically printed sideways (that is, with the text parallel to first and second edges  15 ,  17  or perpendicular to a direction of tear zone  50 , or to the direction of tearing therein). In this way, the text is more illegible when a tearing has been performed through tear zone  50  and through bio-hazard symbol  52 . 
         [0018]    Front panel  12  may optionally further include printed instructions  54  regarding the use of specimen bag  10 , as well as a checklist  56  with options which the user may choose with respect to the specimen bag  10  and its specific specimen content, in order to identify proper treatment of the specimen. 
         [0019]    To use specimen bag  10 , the user places a primary specimen container (not shown) and, optionally, some absorbent material (not shown) into specimen storage space  100  and closes zipper  20  by joining first and second profiles  22 ,  24  together. The user then may place paper documentation (not shown) into document storage space  102 . If seal  42  is an adhesive seal, the user may seal the adhesive seal  42 , with subsequent access being provided by tearing upper perforated line  44 . If seal  42  is a hard seal, then both initial and subsequent access is provided after tearing of the upper perforated line  44 . The user may also choose to check off items on checklist  56 . 
         [0020]    Subsequently, in order to remove the primary specimen container, the user (which may be the same or different from the user who originally placed the primary specimen container into specimen bag  100 ) would tear the specimen bag  10  along tear zone  50 , thereby making the bio-hazard symbol  52  illegible and allowing for the removal of the specimen. The specimen bag  10  could then be disposed of, if appropriate, in regular trash after removal of the primary specimen container and the documentation. Alternatively, if this user wished to keep the bio-hazard symbol  52  intact; this user could remove the primary specimen container via mouth  18  after opening zipper  20 . This user could also access the documentation in documentation storage space  102  via upper perforated line  44 . 
         [0021]    Thus the several aforementioned objects and advantages are most effectively attained. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims.