Patent ID: 6928793

Claim:
A method for transporting diagnostic specimens, comprising: collecting a diagnostic specimen at a remote clinical site; placing a diagnostic specimen into a flexible, air tight, liquid impervious inner bladder, the inner bladder capable of being sealed; placing the inner bladder into a flexible, air permeable, liquid permeable containment envelope comprising a first end and a second end, the first end further comprising a cavity and the second end further comprising a pocket; folding the containment envelope in a manner that the distal portion of the first end is adjacent to the distal portion of the second end; placing the distal portion of the first end into the pocket of the second end creating a friction fit to seal the containment envelope; and transporting the diagnostic specimen in conditions below −20° C. to a centralized laboratory facility without risking the integrity of the packaging; wherein the cavity of the containment envelope is smaller than the fully expanded inner bladder creating a pressure differential, the inner bladder being placed in compression inside the cavity of the containment envelope whereby the containment envelope remains dimensionally stable at a maximum intended pressure differential.