U.S. patent application number 13/039367 was filed with the patent office on 2011-06-23 for instrument for impermanent sealed perforation of thin-walled packaging.
This patent application is currently assigned to MOCON, INC. Invention is credited to Daniel W. Mayer.
Application Number | 20110146842 13/039367 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43837014 |
Filed Date | 2011-06-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110146842 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mayer; Daniel W. |
June 23, 2011 |
INSTRUMENT FOR IMPERMANENT SEALED PERFORATION OF THIN-WALLED
PACKAGING
Abstract
An instrument for impermanent sealed perforation of thin-walled,
hermetically sealed packaging. The instrument includes a
longitudinally tapered needle and a septum with a hole. The
underside of the septum is coated with a pressure sensitive
adhesive. The hole through the septum is configured and arranged to
permit unrestricted passage of the distal longitudinal end portion
of the needle through the hole, while sealingly engaging the
longitudinal midsection of the needle. The septum is incapable of
sealing the hole through the septum after withdrawal of the needle
from the hole.
Inventors: |
Mayer; Daniel W.; (Wyoming,
MN) |
Assignee: |
MOCON, INC
Minneapolis
MN
|
Family ID: |
43837014 |
Appl. No.: |
13/039367 |
Filed: |
March 3, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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11077912 |
Mar 11, 2005 |
7921625 |
|
|
13039367 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
141/311R |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01N 35/1079 20130101;
B01L 2300/044 20130101; B01L 3/523 20130101; G01N 1/2226
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
141/311.R |
International
Class: |
B65B 1/04 20060101
B65B001/04 |
Claims
1. An instrument for impermanent sealed perforation of a
thin-walled, hermetically sealed packaging, comprising: (a) a
longitudinally-tapered, blunt-tipped, needle having a longitudinal
lumen, a proximal longitudinal end portion, a distal longitudinal
end portion and a longitudinal midsection, and (b) a septum having
(i) a pressure sensitive adhesive coating on an underside of the
septum, and (ii) a hole configured and arranged to (1) permit
unrestricted passage of the distal longitudinal end portion of the
tapered needle through the hole, and (2) sealingly engage the
longitudinal midsection of the tapered needle, (c) wherein the
septum is incapable of sealing the hole through the septum after
withdrawal of the tapered needle from the hole.
2. The instrument of claim 1 wherein the lumen has an access port
through a sidewall of the distal end portion of the needle.
3. The instrument of claim 1 wherein the tip is flat with a radius
of about 0.1 to 0.6 mm.
4. The instrument of claim 1 wherein the tip is rounded with a
radius of about 0.2 to 0.7 mm.
5. The instrument of claim 1 wherein the needle is plastic.
6. The instrument of claim 1 wherein the needle is
thermoplastic.
7. The instrument of claim 1 wherein the septum is a rubber
septum.
8. The instrument of claim 1 wherein the septum is flat and thin.
Description
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/077,912 filed Mar. 11, 2005.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to instruments and techniques for
sealed perforation of hermetically sealed packaging in order to
withdraw unadulterated gaseous content from the packaging.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Products susceptible to spoilage, such as processed foods,
nuts and sliced fruits and vegetables, are often placed in
hermetically sealed packaging which has been flushed with an inert
gas, such as nitrogen or argon, to achieve an oxygen concentration
within the packaging of less than about 3% and thereby prolong the
shelf-life of the product. Such packaging is commonly known as
controlled atmosphere packaging (CAP) or modified atmosphere
packaging (MAP).
[0004] Insufficient flushing and leaks in the packaging can
significantly reduce the anticipated shelf life, resulting in
undesired spoilage. Hence, production involving CAP/MAP typically
includes periodic testing of the gaseous content of the packaging
to measure the oxygen level in the packaging and/or detect the
presence of any leaks in the packaging in an effort to guide
changes or adjustments in the production process (e.g., increase or
decrease the flow of N.sub.2 into the fill and seal area of the
packaging process) and/or aid in determining the shelf-life of the
packaged product and thereby aid the production facility in
selecting product for shipment in order to reduce spoilage (e.g.,
shipping product from inventory based upon shortest remaining
estimated shelf life).
[0005] A variety of instruments and methods are known for
withdrawing gaseous samples from CAP/MAP, most of which involve
sealed perforation of the packaging with a hollow needle. In order
to prevent the tester from accidentally sticking themselves with
the needle during the testing procedure, the devices commonly
employ some type of a safety system which prevents the tester from
directly accessing the needle (e.g., packaging to be tested must be
placed within an enclosed chamber with the access door closed
before the needle can be extended from within a protective
sheathing towards the packaging). While effective for preventing
accidental sticking of the tester, such systems are expensive,
cumbersome to operate and difficult to transport.
[0006] Accordingly, a substantial need exists for an inexpensive
and portable instrument which can quickly, easily and safely
perforate packaging for purposes of withdrawing unadulterated
gaseous content from the packaging.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A first aspect of the invention is an instrument for
impermanent sealed perforation of a thin-walled, hermetically
sealed packaging. The instrument includes a needle and a septum.
The needle is a longitudinally-tapered, blunt-tipped, needle having
a longitudinal lumen, a proximal longitudinal end portion, a distal
longitudinal end portion and a longitudinal midsection. The septum
has a pressure sensitive adhesive coating on an underside of the
septum, and a hole. The hole through the septum is configured and
arranged to permit unrestricted passage of the distal longitudinal
end portion of the tapered needle through the hole, and sealingly
engage the longitudinal midsection of the tapered needle. The
septum is incapable of sealing the hole through the septum after
withdrawal of the tapered needle from the hole.
[0008] A second aspect of the invention is a method for impermanent
sealed perforation of a thin-walled, hermetically sealed packaging.
The method involves the steps of (i) obtaining a septum having a
hole, (ii) obtaining a longitudinally-tapered, blunt-tipped, needle
having a longitudinal lumen, a proximal longitudinal end portion, a
distal longitudinal end portion and a longitudinal midsection,
(iii) adhering the septum to a packaging wall, (iv) inserting the
distal longitudinal end portion of the needle through the hole in
the septum until the needle perforates the packaging wall so as to
form an opening through the wall, and the longitudinal midsection
of the tapered needle is sealingly wedged within the hole, (v)
removing content from the packaging through the lumen, and (vi)
withdrawing the needle from the hole in the septum. Withdrawal of
the needle from the hole in the septum leaves an unsealed hole
through the septum and an unsealed opening through the packaging
wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the
invention.
[0010] FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of the
invention shown in FIG. 1 with the septum adhered to the sidewall
of packaging.
[0011] FIG. 2B is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of the
invention shown in FIG. 2A with the needle sealingly wedged within
the hole through the septum.
[0012] FIG. 2C is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of the
invention shown in FIG. 2A with the needle withdrawn from the hole
through the septum.
[0013] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional side-view of one
embodiment of the tip portion of a blunt-tipped needle.
[0014] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional side-view of a second
embodiment of the tip portion of a blunt-tipped needle.
[0015] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional side-view of a third
embodiment of the tip portion of a blunt-tipped needle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION INCLUDING A BEST MODE
Nomenclature
[0016] 10 Instrument [0017] 20 Needle [0018] 21 Proximal End of
Needle [0019] 22 Distal End or Tip of Needle [0020] 23d Distal End
Portion of Needle [0021] 23m Midsection of Needle [0022] 23p
Proximal End Portion of Needle [0023] 29 Lumen through Needle
[0024] 29i Lumen Access Opening through Tip of Needle [0025] 30
Septum [0026] 31a Upper Major Surface or Topside of Septum [0027]
31b Lower Major Surface or Underside of Septum [0028] 39 Hole
through Septum [0029] 40 Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Coating [0030]
50 Release Liner [0031] 100 Packaging [0032] 101 Sidewall of
Packaging
DEFINITIONS
[0033] As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase
"blunt-tipped" means a tip sharp enough to penetrate thin-walled
Mylar.TM. packaging with modest hand-applied force but insufficient
to penetrate human skin with modest hand-applied force whereby a
"blunt-tipped" needle remains effective for use in perforating
thin-walled packaging while preventing accidental penetration
through human skin during normal use of the needle.
[0034] As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase
"thin-walled" means a wall having a thickness of less than about
0.1 mm.
Construction
[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, a first aspect of the invention is an
instrument 10 for sealed perforation of hermetically sealed
packaging 100 in order to withdraw unadulterated gaseous content
(not shown) from the packaging 100
[0036] The instrument 10 can be effectively employed with a wide
variety of thin-walled hermetically sealed packaging 100 ranging
from fairly rigid packaging 100 such as thin-walled polyvinyl
chloride tubes, through semi-flexible packaging 100 such as
wax-coated cartons and thin-walled polyethylene bottles, to
flexible packaging such as bags made from polyethylene
terephthalate (i.e., MYLAR.RTM.) or polyethylene films.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 1, the instrument 10 includes a needle 20
and a septum 30.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, the needle 20 is longitudinally tapered
towards the distal end 22 of the needle 20 and defines a proximal
end portion 23p, a distal end portion 23d, and a midsection 23m
therebetween.
[0039] The needle 20 is configured and arranged with a longitudinal
lumen 29. The proximal end portion 23p of the needle 20 shown in
FIG. 1 is generically shown, but will typically be configured and
arranged for sealed connection to flexible tubing (not shown).
[0040] The distal end 22 of the needle 20 is blunt--meaning the tip
22 is sharp enough to penetrate thin-walled Mylar.TM. packaging 100
with modest hand-applied force but insufficient to penetrate human
skin with modest hand-applied force. The tip 22 of the needle 20
can be blunted by any of the common techniques including rounding
of the tip 22 as shown in FIG. 3 or flattening of the tip 22 as
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The dimensions of the tip 22 necessary to
provide a blunt tip 22 depend upon a number of factors including
the material of construction (e.g., flexible plastic v. metal) and
the shape of the tip 22 (e.g., rounded v. flat). Generally, a blunt
tip can be achieve by providing a rounded tip 22 with a radius of
about 0.2 to 0.7 mm or providing a flat tip 22 with a radius of
about 0.1 to 0.6 mm. A radius of less than the suggested minimum
can penetrate human skin under a modest hand-applied force (e.g.
accidental sticks are possible) while a radius of greater than the
suggested maximum requires excessive force to penetrate the
sidewall 101 of typical thin-walled packaging 100.
[0041] The needle 20 can be configured and arranged with a side
access port 29i as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 or an end access port 29i
as shown in FIG. 5, with a preference for a side access port 29i in
order to reduce the chances of plugging the access port 29i with a
piece of the packaging 100 during perforation of the packaging
100.
[0042] The needle 20 may be constructed from any of the materials
commonly used in the manufacture of needles including specifically,
but not exclusively, metals such as stainless steel and plastics
such as polypropylene.
[0043] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2C, the septum 30 has a hole 39
therethrough configured and arranged to accommodate introduction
and unrestricted passage of the distal end 22 of the needle 20
through the hole 39 while permitting the septum 30 to sealingly
engage the midsection 23m of the needle. The septum 30 is intended
to be used as a disposable item and is preferably a single thin
layer of an inexpensive material having a simple flat profile.
[0044] The underside 31b of the septum 30 is coated with a pressure
sensitive adhesive 40 so that the septum 30 may be sealingly
applied to the sidewall 101 of packaging 100. A release liner 50 is
provided over the pressure sensitive adhesive 40. The septum 30
serves to both sealingly engage an inserted needle 20, and prevent
creation of an elongated rip in the sidewall 101 of the packaging
100 when perforating the sidewall 101 with the needle 20.
[0045] The septum 30 may be constructed from any of the materials
commonly used in the manufacture of septums including specifically,
but not exclusively, flexible plastics such as polyethylene and
polypropylene, and natural and synthetic rubbers.
[0046] The radius of the distal end 22 of the needle 20, the angle
of taper of the needle 20 and the radius of the hole 39 through the
septum 30 need to be cooperatively selected so that a user may
easily and consistently introduce the distal end 22 of the needle
20 into the hole 39 by hand (e.g., tip radius substantially smaller
than hole radius), and the midsection 23m of the needle 20 will
sealingly engage the septum 30 after insertion of the needle 20
through the hole 39 a distance sufficient to ensure that the access
opening 29i in the tip 22 of the needle 20 is positioned entirely
within the confines of the packaging 100.
Use
[0047] Referring generally to FIGS. 2A-2C, the instrument 10 is
used by (i) peeling the release liner 50 from the underside of the
septum 30 to reveal the pressure sensitive adhesive 40, (ii)
adhering the septum 30 to a sidewall 101 of packaging 100 to be
tested, (iii) introducing the tip 22 of the needle 20 into the hole
39 in the septum 30, and (iv) inserting the needle 20 through the
hole 39 a sufficient distance and under sufficient force to
perforate the sidewall 101 of the packaging 100 and sealing wedge
the midsection 23m of the needle 20 within the hole 39. When
testing of the contents of the perforated packaging 100 is
complete, the needle 20 may simply be withdrawn and the perforated
packaging 100 discarded along with the attached septum 30. The
procedure may then be repeated for another packaging 100 using the
same needle 20 and a new septum 30.
[0048] The instrument 10 is particularly suited and adapted for use
in removing unadulterated gaseous content from hermetically sealed
CAP/MAP packaging 100.
* * * * *