GB2236483A

GB2236483A - Collapsible container for use as a compact & portable sterilising chamber

Info

Publication number: GB2236483A
Application number: GB9021797A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Radzan; Karen Radzan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-10-09
Filing date: 1990-10-08
Publication date: 1991-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-08
Also published as: CA2067245A1; WO1991004756A1; EP0495882A1; GB2236483B; AU653139B2; AU6611490A; GB8922675D0; GB9021797D0

Abstract

Apparatus for use in sterilising babies and infants feeding and teething equipment, comprises a collapsible liquid tight container which has therein a quantity of material (e.g. sodium dichloroisocyanurate) which when admixed with water will form a sterilising solution. The container may be of a translucent or transparent plastics (e.g. polyethylene) material and have a line, or other indicia on a wall in a position indicating the container has been filled with a predetermined volume of water. The container may comprise a bag formed at its mouth with a hem through which extends one or more drawstrings by which the bag may be closed after filling and by means of which the bag may be supported e.g. on a hook. The material in the bag to form the sterilising solution is preferably in tablet form and is located within a perforated sachet or pocket within the bag. A sachet, if provided may be loose within the bag. The pocket may be on a side wall of the bag (Fig. 1) or be a perforated portion of a plastics material tube attached to the upper edge of the container (Fig. 4). The bag is provided folded and/or rolled within a sealed sterilised envelope. With particular advantage sets of such folded and/or rolled bags, each located in a sealed sterilised envelope, are provided. A method of using the apparatus is described.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHODS OF STERILISATION DESCRIPTION TECHNICAL FIELD The invention concerns apparatus and methods of sterilisation, in particular, but not exclusively, apparatus and methods enabling sterilisation of articles used for babies and infants feeding and teething.

BACKGROUND ART The traditional method of sterilising such articles (which term is hereinafter to be taken to include inter alia bottles, teats, teething rings and the like) involve boiling them in water for at least twenty minutes to ensure they are sterile. With the increased use of plastics materials to such articles this method has lost favour and their sterilisation ia now increasingly effected by immersion of the articles in a sterilising solution.

In this method of sterilisation the articles are immersed in a chemical sterilising solution of the desired strength prepared in a rigid bowl or other container for at least two and perhaps up to 24 hours.

Such arrangements are readily usable when the person making use of them is at home, however, they have significant drawbacks when the person intending to use them is travelling or staying away from home - they must in these circumstances arrange to carry with them the bowl or other rigid container in which sterilisation of the articles is to take place and the sterilising solution (or a quantity of material to be admixed with water to prepare the sterilising solution).

An object of the present invention is the provision of apparatus and methods of sterilisation which may be used readily when the user is away from their normal place of abode and which are readily portable by them.

Another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus and methods of sterilisation which enable the ready preparation of a sterilising solution of a desired strength.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the invention provides apparatus for use in sterilising articles such as babies and infants feeding and teething equipment, the apparatus comprising a collapsible liquid tight container which has therein a quantity of material which when admixed with water will form a sterilising solution.

The apparatus may further include means enabling the volume of a liquid such as water passed to the container to be indicated.

The container may be of translucent or transparent material and said indicating means comprising a line, mark or other indicia on a wall of the container in a position indicating when the container has been filled with a predetermined volume of liquid.

Preferably the comprises a bag which is provided with means by which it may be supported. The bag may be formed at the mouth thereof with a hem through which extends a drawstring arrangement enabling the bag to be closed when filled with sterilising solution and by means of which the bag may be supported.

Preferably the bag is of polyethylene.

Desirably the material within the bag for forming the sterilising solution is in tablet form and is located in a perforated sachet or pocket within the bag. A sachet, if provided may be loose within the bag. If a pocket is provided this may be in the form of a perforated or mounted piece of material or the pocket may comprise a perforated portion of a plastics material tube attached to the upper edge of the container.

Preferably the material within the bag for forming the sterilising solution comprises sodium dichloroisocanurate.

The bag may be provided folded and/or rolled within a sealed sterilised envelope, and advantageously this aspect of the invention provides a plurality of folded and/or rolled bags each located in a sealed sterilised envelope.

In a second aspect the invention provides a method of sterilising babies and infants feeding and teething apparatus comprising the steps of filling a collapsible container as set forth first above, with a liquid such that a sterilising solution is formed therein and thereafter placing within the sterilising solution in the container articles to be sterilised.

The method may make use of a collapsible bag which has therein a quantity of material which when admixed with water will form a sterilising solution, the bag being of translucent or transparent material and having a line, mark or other indicia on a wall thereof at a position indicating when the container has been filled with a predetermined volume of water.

Other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: BRIEF-DESCRIPTION OF-THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates schematically one form of container embodying the invention prior to filling with a sterilising solution, Figure 2 schematically illustrates the container of Figure 1 folded and within a sterile outer envelope, Figure 3 schematically illustrates the container of Figure 1 in use to sterilise babies and infants feeding equipment, and Figure 4 illustrates schematically a modified form of the container of Figure 1, prior to filling with a sterilising solution.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION With reference now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the container for sterilising solution embodying the invention to comprise a bag 10 of (250 - 500) gauge transparent polyethylene material. The bag carries a mark or index 12 to indicate to a user, when filling the bag with water, that a desired volume of water has been placed in the bag. Conveniently the mark 12 has been placed at a level on the surface of the bag which is reached when 4.5 litres (one Imperial gallon) of liquid has been placed in the bag.

The inner wall of the bag of Figure 1 is provided at 14 with a pocket having a perforated inner wall and within which are provided two or more tablets 16 each including, as the active ingredient, 500mg of Sodium Dichloroisocanurate which when admixed with 4.5 litres water will form a suitably concentrated solution for sterilising articles of babies and infants feeding and teething equipment.

The upper end of the bag is provided with a drawstring 18 passing through a reinforced tube 20 formed on the outer surface of the bag.

Figure 2 shows the bag folded several times such so it occupies a relatively small space and is held within a sealed, sterile, clear plastic wrapper 24 which completely envelopes and encloses the folded bag.

When a user wishes to use the bag he or she simply opens the envelope 24, removes the bag 10 and unfolds it until it adopts the flattened condition shown in Figure 1.

The user then fills the bag to the level of the mark 12 (having first - perhaps - manipulated the bag such that the tablets 16 are broken up).

Thereafter the user places within the bag any babies or infants feeding equipment which he or she wishes to be sterilised - such as is indicated at 26 in Figure 3).

As soon as the equipment which it is desired to sterilised has been placed within the bag the user closes the bag by pulling on drawstring 18 and may then use the drawstring 18 to support the bag, filled with sterilising solution and equipment to be sterilised, on a convenient hook or other projection - as shown at 30 in Figure 3.

After having allowed the equipment being sterilised to remain in the bag for sufficient time to ensure that the equipment has been properly sterilised the user simply removes the sterilised equipment therefrom and may, if desired, place in the bag other equipment to be sterilised. After 24 hours the user simply disposes of both the bag and the spent sterilising solution.

When the user wishes next to sterilise babies or infants feeding equipment he or she simply takes another sealed envelope 24 and operates in exactly the same way as described above.

It is envisaged that the bags as herein described will be provided as sets of 7, 14 or 21 - a convenient number to be taken by a person travelling, for example, when on holiday.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the disclosed arrangements without departing from the scope of the present invention, some of which are illustrated in Figure 4.

The bag 40 shown in Figure 4 is, it will be seen, provided with a plurality of indicia 42 marked on the surface thereof to enable different volumes of water to be placed therein (and thereby different concentrations of sterilising solution to be formed within the bag).

The drawstring arrangement of the bag 40 comprises a pair of drawstrings 44 and 44' each of which is arranged to pass through a hem 46 formed at the mouth of the bag by turning over the.upper edge of the plastics bag material and then Suitably fixing it to the wall of the bag (for example by stitching or solvent welding).

In this fixing operation, an elongate plastics tube 50 is attached to the mouth of the bag to extend into the bag as shown in Figure 4. The upper end 52 of tube 50 is open whilst the lower end 54 tube is closed. Over the lowermost region of the tube 50 there are provided a plurality of small perforations 56 as shown.

Within tube 50 - placed therein via the open upper end 52 of the tube - there are provided two or more tablets 58 of sodium dichloroisocanurate.

The bag shown in in Figure 4 may be used in the same way as that described above with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 and is preferably provided in a sealed envelope as described with the arrangement of Figure 2.

It will be appreciated that when the bag is filled with water to the level of one or other of the indicia 42 the plastics tube 50 will extend down into the water and will be movable therein to an extent which enhances the rate at which the tablets 58 dissolve.

Other modifications, not shown in the drawings, may be made to the described arrangements without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example the form of the container, described above as a foldable, flexible, polyethylene bag may be provided as semi-rigid but foldable container of any other plastics - or any other suitable material.

Although conveniently provided with a pocket into which tablets of Sodium Dichloroisocanurate (or any other suitable chemical) may be placed it will be appreciated that the the material within the bag for forming the sterilising solution may simply be provided loose in the bottom of the bag or be provided within a sachet of the same material as the bag, which sachet has perforated walls and is loose in the bag as provided to a user.

If provided as a foldable, flexible bag - the drawstring 18 (or 44, 44') may be supported on the outer surface thereof by use of a reinforced tube 20 (or in a hem 46) as described or in any other suitable way.

Although conveniently provided folded flat within the sealed envelopes 24 it will be appreciated that the bags 10 may be provided rolled up, to form cylindrical elements within the wrappers 24.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY It will be appreciated that the described arrangements may be used to sterilise things other than babies and infants feeding equipment; that the size of the foldable container may be varied from that described; and that the amount of anhydrous sterilising chemical may be varied from that described.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention provides a readily usable, readily disposable system enabling babies and infants feeding equipment to be easily sterilised whilst the user is travelling away from home.

It will further be appreciated from the foregoing that the invention provides a container which may readily and easily be filled with water to provide a selected concentration of sterilising solution.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in sterilising articles such as babies and infants feeding and teething equipment, the apparatus comprising a collapsible liquid tight container which has therein a quantity of material which when admixed with water will form a sterilising solution.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, further including means enabling the volume of a liquid such as water passed to the container to be indicated.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the container is of translucent or transparent material and said indicating means comprising alive, mark or other indicia on a wall of the container in a position indicating when the container has been filled with a pre-determined volume of liquid.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the collapsible container comprises a bag which is provided with means by which it may be supported.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the bag is formed at the mouth thereof with a hem through which extends a drawstring enabling the bag to be closed when filled with sterilising solution and by means of which the bag may be supported.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the bag is of polyethylene.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the material within the bag for forming a sterilising solution is in tablet form and is located within a pocket within the bag.

8. - Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the pocket comprises a perforated portion of a plastics material tube attached to the upper edge of the container.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the material within the bag for forming a sterilising solution is in tablet form and is located within a perforated sachet loose within the bag.

10. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said the material within the bag for forming a sterilising solution comprises sodium dichloroisocanurate.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, -wherein said bag is provided folded and/or rolled within a sealed sterilised envelope.

12. Apparatus comprising a set of folded and/or rolled bags each located in a sealed sterilised envelope as claimed in Claim 11.

13. A method of sterilising babies and infants feeding and teething apparatus comprising the steps of filling a collapsible container as claimed in any one of claims 1 :to 12, with a liquid such that a sterilising solution is formed therein and thereafter placing within the sterilising solution in the container articles to be sterilised.

14. A method as-claimed in claim 13, making use of apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 and any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein the bag is filled with water to form a desired concentration of sterilising solution therein, articles to be sterilised are then placed in the bag, and the drawstring pulled tight to close the bag is used as means by which the bag may be supported from a hook formation.

15. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings.

16. A method as claimed in Claim 13 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.