Patent Publication Number: US-2006013512-A1

Title: Foldable blank in use with a bag material for securing and retaining articles of evidence in tamper-evident fashion

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to a foldable and reclosable blank having an open center. More particularly, the present invention discloses a blank in use with an attachable bag-like structure for the purpose of providing for secure holding and retention of evidence, such as in particular by law enforcement personnel.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      The prior art is well documented with varying examples of storage and retention articles, such including bag-like structures, containers and the like. These articles are configured for a variety of different uses, among these being the storage and retention of solids and fluids for varying applications.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,008, issued to Shaw, teaches a device for the removal and disposition of animal waste and which includes, in a preferred embodiment, a body consisting of first and second planar shaped members arranged in parallel extending and proximate fashion and such that the planar members define opposingly facing surfaces. First and second elongate handles extend from the planar members and a flexible bag having an open end and a closed end is fitted to the device so that the planar members define a perimeter of the open end. The first and second handles are engaged to outwardly actuate the first and second planar shaped members relative to one another and so that the open end of the bag encompasses a solid waste object setting upon a ground location. The opposingly facing surfaces of the planar shaped members are capable of grasping and elevating the solid waste object and the device is adapted to being inverted to deposit the object with the bag interior.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,900, issued to Jenson, teaches a blood collection and transportation assembly for evidentiary purposes and which includes an impact resistant outer container having a soft foam cushioning pad disposed across the bottom and top thereof. A protective wrap of plastic bubble packaging material surrounds a pair of blood sampling tubes and a multi-sample syringe assembly disposed between the cushioning pads. Additional items include a sealable evidence bag, tamper evidencing tapes, an instruction manual, a non-alcoholic swab, and a liquid absorbent packet contained therein. The outer container and its contents are initially enclosed and sealed in a tamper evidencing wrapper and such that the assembly can be subjected to rough handling with the contents of the blood sampling tubes remaining intact.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,113, issued to Taylor, teaches a security bag arrangement having a transparent polymeric material comprising a pair of side walls and a transverse weld forming a receptacle. A paper panel is applied on the inner surface of one side wall, and closure members in the form of strips of adhesive material join the other side wall to the paper panel in such a way that breaching of the adhesive material is evident by delaminating or tearing the panel.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,588, issued to Davis, teaches a sealed carton with tamper indicating means. An outermost closure panel is provided with a tuck flap which extends down between inner and outer panels of a double wall carton body wall, the inner surface of the tuck flap being bonded to the exterior surface of the inner panel to provide an inaccessible bond. Panels of the cartons which are bonded together have an accessible seam and may be provided with an arrangement of weakening lines so that, if one attempts to destroy the bond using a knife or razor blade, the exposed outer panel will give evidence of rupturing and thus indicate tampering even though the two panels are later resealed. The inner panels may further include an arrangement of weakening lines which match that of the exterior panel and which may be arranged in rows extending transversely of the panels so that the bonded together panels may be readily torn to effect an opening of the package.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,634, issued to Kohler et al., teaches another example of a one-piece tamper-evident paperboard carton having overlapped end flaps secured to each other in such a way that the ends of the carton cannot be opened without tearing the paperboard and so that observation of the carton would indicate that it had been previously opened.  
      Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,297, issued to Davis et al., teaches a tamper resistant carton wherein the outermost closure flap is provided with a sealing flap of which at least a portion functions as a tuck flap and which passes between a front panel and a terminal inner panel with a tuck flap portion being bonded on its inner surface to the outer surface of the inner terminal panel in an inaccessible position whereby the carton cannot be opened without rupturing the same to the extent that tampering would be apparent.  
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION  
      The present invention discloses a blank for use with an attachable bag-like structure, such including either a waterproof/non-fluid absorbent or fluid absorbent material, and for the purpose of providing for secure holding and retention of items of evidence. The present invention is particularly suited for use by law enforcement personnel in the collection of evidence for criminal prosecution.  
      A blank includes first and second planar shaped and pivotally connected panels. In a preferred application, the blank may be constructed either of a paperboard material or plasticized material, and which includes aligning handle cutout portions.  
      A bag includes an open perimeter edge and is secured to first selected facing surfaces of the pivotally connected panels. Typically, the bag exhibits a plurality of fold lines such that, upon expanding to a full open position, the blank is supported in an upwardly displaced position and such that an interior of the bag is communicable through an aperture defined between the panels.  
      The first and second panels are folded from an open position, following placement of evidentiary items within an interior of the bag, to a closed position in which opposingly facing surfaces of the panels are adhered against one another in order to maintain, in tamper-evident fashion, items placed within the bag enclosure. An adhesive surface covers at least a portion of at least one opposing surface of a panel and, upon removal of a tear-away strip or like covering, permits the panels to be retrained in a tamper-evident fashion upon being folded together. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Reference will now be made to the attached drawings, when read in combination with the following detailed description, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a foldable blank incorporated into an evidence bag according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the blank incorporated into  FIG. 1  and showing the feature of the tear-away adhesive strip for accomplishing sealing of the bag interior;  
       FIG. 3  is a cutaway side view illustration taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1  and again illustrating the blank in a fully opened and loading position;  
       FIG. 4  is a succeeding side view illustration of the blank in a partially sealed condition;  
       FIG. 5  is a further succeeding side view illustration of the blank in a fully closed and sealed position;  
       FIG. 6  is an illustration of a plurality of blanks and such as which may be produced according to a manufacturing process; and  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a foldable blank and evidence bag application according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a tamper-evident evidence bag is illustrated at  10  according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As described previously, the present invention also discloses a blank in use with an attachable bag-like structure for the purpose of providing for secure holding and retention of evidence, such as in particular by law enforcement or crime scene investigation personnel.  
      As best shown in the illustrations of  FIGS. 1-5 , the tamper-evident evidence bag  10  includes a blank constructed of a first planar shaped panel  12  and a second panel  14  pivotally attached to the first panel  12  along center line  16 . The panels  12  and  14  each typically exhibit a substantially planar and polygonal shape and which are constructed of a paperboard (such as corrugated material for providing strength) or, alternatively, a plasticized or other suitable material exhibiting the necessary properties of strength and durability. The centerline  16  further exhibits a hinge which, as will be subsequently described, facilitates opening and closing of opposing facing surfaces of the panels  12  and  14  in the manner shown in  FIGS. 3-5 .  
      A bag  18  having an open perimeter edge (see as referenced at  20  in  FIG. 1 ) is secured to first selected, and underside facing surfaces  22  and  24 , of the pivotally connected panels  12  and  14 . As illustrated, the bag  18  may be of a conventional paperboard variety and which exhibits a plurality of fold lines such that, upon expanding the bag to a full open position, the blank is supported in an upwardly displaced position, and further such that an interior of the bag  18  is communicable through an aperture (see inwardly facing and rectangular defining side walls  26 ,  28 ,  30  and  32 ) to defined between the panels  12  and  14 .  
      In a preferred application, the bag  18  is constructed of a somewhat fluid absorbent material, this typically being preferred in evidence gathering operations where it is necessary to maintain the integrity of items such as blood or semen covered clothing. In applications such as these, it has been found that a non-breathing, or waterproof/impermeable, material would result in compromising the contained evidence items. In additional applications, it is desired that the bag enclosure exhibit some degree of non-absorbency of fluids, and this may be provided either by substituting the paperboard bag material with another material exhibiting the necessary properties. Alternatively, it is also envisioned that a plasticized film or like suitable insert may be provided for placement within the paperboard bag enclosure in order to establish the necessary retention properties.  
      Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the panels  12  and  14  each include aligning and cutout portions, see at  34  for panel  12  and at  36  for panel  14 . In particular, and in a preferred embodiment, the cutout portion  34  is provided as a pivotally attached portion and which, upon rotating the panels to the position illustrated in  FIG. 5 , engages through aligning aperture  36  in panel  14  and in order to further assist in securing the panels together. Although not further shown, it is envisioned and understood that carrying handles can be formed in the nature of extending or looped portions projecting from outermost extending edges of the panels  12  and  14 , or in any other suitable fashion to facilitate grasping and portability of the device.  
      An adhesive surface is represented, see at  38  in  FIG. 2 , upon at least a portion, and typically all, of an opposing and inwardly facing surface of the first panel  12  (this further being defined as being the surface opposite that to which the bag  18  is secured). In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the adhesive backing extends to a portion of the second panel  14  just beyond the contiguous and hinged center line  16  and it is also envisioned that the adhesive may extend across the entire opposing faces of the first and second panels.  
      A peel-away strip  40  (see again  FIG. 2 ) may be provided and which, upon being removed from the adhesive backing  38 , permits the hingedly connected panels  12  and  14  to be pivoted, from the fully open position of  FIG. 3 , through the closing position (illustrated by intermediate positions  12 ′ and  14 ′ in  FIG. 4 ), and to their closed and tamper-evident positions (see at  12 ″ and  14 ″ in  FIG. 5 ) and upon pre-insertion of desired evidence items, see as further represented at  42  in  FIG. 5 . It is also envisioned that, within the scope of the present invention, the adhesive backing and peel-away strip can be substituted by other structure for securing together the opposing facing surfaces of the panels, these including the provisions of other types of mechanical or chemical based fasteners and including, without limitation, clips, heat staking portions and the like.  
      Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an elongated wand element  44  (such as a sanitized pencil, chopstick or like item) is secured to one of the panels, in this instance panel  14 . The purpose of the wand may be twofold, firstly to provide for lifting and depositing of the evidence items in a non-contaminating fashion and, secondly, to provide a convenient writing utensil for recording information relevant to the evidence item, and such as which may be provided upon an indicia recording surface of the bag or blank for recording such information. In a preferred embodiment, the wand element  44  is releasably secured to a surface of the panel (again  12  or  14 ) and this may further include the provision at least one pair of opposing and biasingly resilient tabs, see pairs of tabs at  46  and  48 , extending from a surface of said panel and which grippingly engages therebetween said wand.  
      Referring further to  FIG. 6 , a general representation is shown at  50  of a plurality of blanks  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60 . The blanks  52 - 60  each exhibit a specified shape and size (and such as which are substantially identical to those described in reference to  FIGS. 1-5 ), the blanks further being detachable engaged together along selected and interconnecting edges, see at  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68  and  70  and such as which may be produced according to a manufacturing process.  
      The illustration of  FIG. 6  is intended to illustrate that the blank design is usually produced separately from the bag (although the present invention also contemplates that the bag and blank can be produced together in certain embodiments). One envisioned manufacturing process contemplates a corrugated cardboard forming and stamping operation, succeeded by a cutting process for sectioning the individual blanks  52 - 60  at their interconnecting edges  62 - 70 .  
      Referring finally to  FIG. 7 , a general illustration is shown at  72  of a foldable blank and evidence bag application according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention. A blank is provided, similar in function to that described in  FIGS. 1-5 , with the exception that the hingedly connected panels  74  and  76  are reconfigured such that they define a larger central opening, see hinged center line  78  and inwardly facing and aperture defining edges  80 ,  82 ,  84  and  86 .  
      Handle portions  88  and  90  are formed in the panels  74  and  76  and, as also with the first disclosed embodiment, an adhesive backing  92  is applied to the first panel  74 . The embodiment  72  of  FIG. 7  is generally understood to qualify as a larger-sized tamper-evident and sealable bag and in order to secure and retain larger sized evidence items, and which is further characterized by a larger sized bag  18 ′ with open perimeter edge  20 ′.  
      Having described my invention, other and additional preferred embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains, and without deviating from the scope of the appended claims.