Shipping pallets and packaging systems for medical supplies

Abstract

The present invention discloses a transport tray and a packaging system for medical items. The present invention relates to a transport tray (20) for medical items (50), the tray (20) being provided with a plurality of receiving spaces (21), each receiving space (21) being used to receive a single medical item (50); the tray (20) having a plurality of caps underneath, the caps being arranged and sized so that when the tray (20) is stacked on an identical second tray, the caps (25) of the tray (20) can close the receiving spaces of the second tray. The present invention also relates to a packaging system (100), comprising: a container (10) having an opening, a bottom (10a) and a peripheral wall (10b); a stack formed by a plurality of trays (20); and a porous cover (40) sealed to the upper edge of the peripheral wall (10b) of the container (10) to close the container (10). The present invention also relates to a packaging method, in particular including a vacuuming step.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tray and a packaging system for packaging, transporting and distributing medical items. It also relates to a method for packaging medical items. More particularly, the present invention relates to the packaging of stoppers intended to close medical bottles (taking into account the distribution of stoppers). Technical Background

[0002] Such stoppers are typically delivered in batches and poured into a vibrating bowl feeder, or simply placed in trays to be placed one by one on the bottles, either by hand or automatically by a machine, to close the bottles.

[0003] These delivery solutions are inadequate if the stopper is intended to seal a bottle for medical use. In this case, both the stopper and the bottle must be free of any contamination, especially particulate contamination. However, if special precautions are not taken, contact and friction between the stoppers themselves or between the stoppers and the surfaces of the tray or vibrating cup feeder can easily generate particles, which can then be found on the stopper and subsequently in the bottle. This can have particularly serious consequences if the bottle is intended to contain a medical solution intended to be withdrawn by syringe, as the particles can then be found in the syringe and injected into the patient.

[0004] It is therefore important to have a solution for packaging and shipping stoppers (and more generally medical or packaged items) that limits particle generation.

[0005] Documents EP2753550 and US10064787 disclose trays and packaging systems that can store different types of medical items (syringes, bottles) separately. These medical items cannot come into contact with each other, thus reducing particle generation. EP2753550 more specifically seeks to reduce the contact surface area between the medical items and the tray surface in order to reduce the friction zone. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a tray, a packaging system and a packaging method that are different from and improve upon the prior art.

[0007] To achieve this goal, an object of the present invention is to provide a transport tray for medical items, the tray comprising a lower surface and an upper surface, the upper surface having a plurality of receiving spaces, each receiving space being used to receive a single medical item.

[0008] According to the present invention, the tray has a plurality of caps on its underside, and the arrangement and size of the caps are such that when the tray is stacked on an identical second tray, the caps of the tray can close the receiving space of the second tray.

[0009] According to other advantageous and non-limiting features of the invention, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination:

[0010] Each receiving space is defined laterally by a partition perpendicular to the upper surface of the tray;

[0011] Each cap is laterally delimited by a wall perpendicular to the underside of the tray;

[0012] The caps of the trays are respectively arranged to be aligned with the receiving spaces of said trays (referred to as first trays) and are respectively sized to close the receiving space of the same second tray and located below the first tray by interlocking or abutting the partitions of the receiving space of the second tray with the facing walls of the cap of the first tray;

[0013] The receiving spaces each have an inner surface, and the inner surface of the receiving space is provided with at least one lateral supporting element to support and limit lateral movement of the medical article in the receiving space.

[0014] Each receiving space has a solid bottom formed by the upper side of the tray, and each cap has a solid bottom formed by the lower side of the tray.

[0015] The caps are each provided with a vertical supporting element to support and limit vertical movement of medical articles arranged in the receiving space of the second tray on which the trays have been stacked.

[0016] each receiving space having a perforated bottom due to the presence of an aperture in the tray, and each cap having a perforated bottom, the aperture being centered in the bottom of each receiving space, the aperture associated with a receiving space being smaller in size than a medical article intended to occupy said receiving space;

[0017] The upper portion of the accommodating space is deformable.

[0018] According to another aspect, the present invention provides a packaging system for a medical article, the packaging system comprising:

[0019] - a container having an opening, a bottom and a peripheral wall;

[0020] a stack formed from a plurality of trays as described above, said stack being placed in said container; and

[0021] - a porous lid that seals onto the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the container to close the container.

[0022] According to other advantageous and non-limiting features of the invention, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination:

[0023] The packaging system further includes a cover that is arranged on the stack of trays to close the receiving space of the top tray of the stack.

[0024] The cover is a rigid plate with a plurality of caps on the lower side thereof capable of closing the receiving space of the stacked top trays;

[0025] The cover is composed of a plurality of strips provided with caps capable of closing the receiving space of the top tray of the stack;

[0026] The strap and cap are made of a flexible material;

[0027] Each strap member includes a curved region formed between respective caps;

[0028] The receiving space of the top tray of the stack is closed by an integral stopper;

[0029] The bottom of the container is provided with a boss configured to fit into the cap of the bottom tray of the stack;

[0030] The container is placed into at least one water-tight bag under vacuum.

[0031] According to yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method for packaging a medical article, the method comprising the steps of:

[0032] - providing a container having an opening, a bottom and a peripheral wall;

[0033] - arranging a bottom tray as described above at the bottom of the container;

[0034] - arranging at least one additional tray as described above to form a stack of trays in the container, the cap of the additional tray closing the receiving space of the tray directly below;

[0035] - sealing the porous cover on the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the container;

[0036] - placing the container into at least one water-tight bag, and placing the at least one water-tight bag under vacuum.

[0037] According to other advantageous and non-limiting features of the invention, alone or in any technically feasible combination:

[0038] securing the porous cover to the container by welding the porous cover to an upper edge of a peripheral wall of the container;

[0039] The packaging method comprises the steps of arranging a cover on a top tray of the stack;

[0040] The porous cover is also sealed to the closure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0042] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a package according to the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 A shipping pallet according to the present invention is shown;

[0044] Figure 3 The interaction of a stack of two trays at a receiving space according to the invention is shown;

[0045] Figure 4a 、 Figure 4b and Figure 4c Shown are covers according to a first embodiment, a second embodiment, and a third embodiment, respectively;

[0046] Figure 5 、 Figure 6a and Figure 6b Two shipping pallets stacked according to the present invention are shown; the pallet receiving space has a solid bottom ( Figure 5 ) or perforated bottom ( Figure 6a and Figure 6b ). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Package System Overview

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the packaging system 100 according to the invention comprises: a container 10; a stack formed by a plurality of identical transport trays 20, each provided with a receiving space 21, stacked on top of each other parallel to the bottom 10a of the container 10; and a porous cover 40 placed on the opening of the container 10 to close the container 10. The packaging system 100 may also comprise a cover 30 arranged on the top tray 20" of the stack. The container 10 containing the tray 20 and closed by the porous cover 40 is intended to be placed in at least one airtight bag (and usually two of these bags) from which the air has been evacuated so as to place the entire assembly under vacuum.

[0049] For the sake of clarity, it should be noted that in the remainder of this specification, the term "top tray 20" refers to the stacked tray 20 located farthest from the bottom 10a of the container 10, and the term "bottom tray 20'" refers to the tray located closest to the bottom 10a.

[0050] Each tray 20 contains a plurality of medical articles 50, which are stored independently in one of the containing spaces 21 of the tray 20, without any possibility of contact between them. The term "medical article 50" denotes any type of article for medical use, which must be kept sterile and / or clean and free from any particulate contamination. In the examples described and shown, these are stoppers intended to close bottles, but they can also be any other type of medical article, such as syringes or bottles. Of course, the shape and volume of the containing spaces 21 will be adjusted so that they can accommodate the medical articles 50 in question. As will become apparent in the remainder of this description, stacking the trays 20 in the container 10 allows the containing spaces 21 to be closed and allows the medical articles 50 placed in the containing spaces 21 to be isolated so as to limit the risk of particulate contamination.

[0051] In this regard, it should be noted that medical items 50 cannot be placed in the top tray 20" of the stack. In this case, the only purpose of this top tray 20" is to close the receiving space of the stack tray directly below it. As an alternative to this possibility, and as already mentioned, provision can be made for a cover 30 to be arranged on the top tray 20" of the stack in order to close its receiving space. This cover 30 can take various forms, which will be described later in this description.

[0052] Container Description

[0053] Container 10 is a hollow packaging element, which is intended to accommodate the tray 20 for placing medical items 50. Container 10 comprises an opening, a bottom 10a and a peripheral wall 10b that defines its overall shape. The peripheral wall 10b can be provided with a shoulder that allows container 10 (particularly by automatic equipment) to be operated. Advantageously, container 10 has a parallelepiped shape, to optimize the space required for storing a given number of medical items 50. The size of container 10 is selected according to the quantity of medical items 50 to be packaged. These sizes can meet specification or standard, so that they can be used on an industrial scale. Container 10 can be formed by plastic material, such as polypropylene, amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (amorphous polyethylene terephthalate) or styrene polymers (such as polystyrene).

[0054] In the example shown, the bottom 10a of the container 10 is provided with bosses 11 that allow the bottom tray 20' to be wedged and / or centered, for example, by fitting these bosses onto reliefs arranged on the underside of the tray 20'. These reliefs can, for example, constitute caps, as will be described in detail later in this disclosure. The bottom tray 20' (and the entire tray stack) is thus secured in the container 10, and friction between the tray 20' and the container 10 is limited, thereby preventing particle generation.

[0055] The bottom 10a of the container 10 may optionally include height adjustment pads (not shown) on which the bottom tray 20' rests. These pads allow the stacking height of the trays 20 to be adjusted so that the top tray 20 (or lid 30, if present) is always flush with the level of the opening of the container 10 and the level of the sealing lid 40, regardless of the unit height of the trays 20; in fact, this unit height can vary depending on the size of the medical items 50.

[0056] Shipping Pallet Instructions

[0057] Figure 1 The tray stack 20 is composed of a plurality of trays that are all identical to each other and which according to an example of the present invention are Figure 2 Each tray 20 includes an upper surface 20a and a lower surface 20b.

[0058] The top 20a is provided with a plurality of receiving spaces 21, each receiving space 21 being intended to receive a single medical item 50 so as to prevent any contact between two of the items 50. The receiving spaces 21 are generally arranged in a row on the top of the tray 20. The tray receiving spaces 21 have a bottom 21a formed by the top 20a of the tray 20 and an opening 21b for inserting the elements 50. Each receiving space 21 is laterally delimited by a partition 22 perpendicular to the top 20a of the tray 20, which defines the shape of the receiving space 21. This can be any shape adjusted to the shape and / or size of the medical items 50 that the receiving space 21 is intended to receive, such as a circle, a hexagon or a rectangle. The partition 22 is solid so as to laterally isolate each medical item 50 when the medical item 50 is arranged in the receiving space 21.

[0059] The inner surface of the partition 22 (i.e., the surface oriented toward the interior of the receiving space 21) can be provided with at least one flexible transverse support element 23, such as a flexible lug 23. This support element 23 makes it possible to retain the medical article 50 in the receiving space 21 and to limit lateral movement of the medical article 50. This reduces the likelihood of friction between the medical article 50 and the partition 22 and the risk of particle generation. The flexible nature of the transverse support element 23 allows the receiving space 21 to be used for articles 50 of different sizes and thus allows for dimensional differences to be taken into account (even if the articles are identical to one another).

[0060] Advantageously, each receiving space 21 is provided with at least one stopper 24 to prevent extensive contact between the medical article 50 and the bottom 21a of the receiving space 21. This stopper 24 allows the friction surface with the bottom to be limited and reduces particle generation. The stopper can be formed by thin ribs (e.g., three of these ribs) defined on the bottom 21a of the receiving space 21, or by periodic supports (e.g., three of these supports).

[0061] The lower side 20b of the tray 20 has a plurality of caps 25, the number of which is generally equal to the number of the receiving spaces 21 arranged on the upper side 20a of the tray 20. The caps 25 are arranged on the lower side 20b so that each cap 25 is aligned with the receiving space 21. Similar to the receiving spaces 21, the caps 25 here are bounded by walls 26 so as to have dimensions complementary to those of the receiving spaces 21, so that when the first tray 20 is stacked on a second tray identical to the first tray 20, the caps 25 of the first tray 20 can close the receiving spaces of the second tray, for example, by interlocking. Figure 1 ), the cap 25 of the first tray 20 overhangs the receiving space of the second tray. It is also conceivable that the walls 26 defining the cap 25 are completely aligned with the partitions 22 defining the receiving space 21, so that the receiving space is closed by placing the walls 26 of the first tray 20 edge to edge on the partitions 22 of the second tray 20 directly below the first tray 20 in the stack: the receiving space 21 of the second tray 20 is then closed by the abutment of the partitions 22 of said receiving space 21 and the abutment of the walls 26 of the cap 25 of the first tray 20 arranged on the second tray 20 facing the receiving space 21 ( Figure 5 ). The wall 26 is solid so as to laterally isolate each medical item 50 when each medical item 50 is arranged in the receiving space 21 closed by the cap 25 of the upper tray 20.

[0062] Each cap 25 is also defined by a bottom 25 a formed by the lower face 20 b of the associated tray 20 .

[0063] As already mentioned, the cap 25 of the bottom tray 20' of the stack may also allow the tray to be assembled by fitting it onto the boss 11 of the bottom 10a of the container 10 ( Figure 1 ).

[0064] If the accommodation space 21 is closed by assembly, the inner dimensions of the cap 25 are advantageously larger than the outer dimensions of the accommodation space 21 so that the possible friction area between the accommodation space 21 and the cap 25 is positioned on the outer surface of the partition of the accommodation space 21, as shown in FIG. Figure 321. In other words, the wall 26 of the cap 25 surrounds the partition 22 of the receiving space 21 from the outside and is in contact with the outer surface of the partition 22. This prevents the generation of particles within the receiving space 21 during any friction between the wall 26 and the partition 22. Advantageously, a slight lateral gap (typically between 0.1 mm and 1 mm) is provided between the wall 26 defining the cap 25 and the partition 22 defining the receiving space 21 to prevent the trays 20 from being forced to interlock during the stacking process, which could make it difficult to subsequently access the medical items retained in the trays.

[0065] According to a first variant, in particular Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, each receiving space 21 has a solid bottom 21a formed by the upper side 20a of the tray 20, and each cap 25 has a solid bottom 25a formed by the lower side 20b of the tray 20. When two trays 20 are stacked, the medical items 50 (e.g., stoppers) arranged in the receiving spaces 21 of the lower tray 20 are completely isolated from each other and protected from potential particulate contamination generated during transportation of the packaging system 100 or when the packaging system 100 is opened.

[0066] according to Figure 6a and Figure 6b In the second variant shown in FIG, each receiving space 21 has a perforated bottom 21a, and each cap 25 also has a perforated bottom 25a, owing to the presence of an orifice 28 in the tray 20, centered on the bottom 21a of each receiving space 21. The dimensions of the orifice 28 associated with a receiving space 21 are then smaller than the dimensions of the medical article 50 intended to occupy said receiving space 21, so that the outer upper part of the medical article 50 can close the orifice 28. The lower part of the medical article 50, in turn, comes into contact with the bottom 21a of the receiving space 21.

[0067] The advantage of this second variant is that it limits the amount of material used to manufacture the tray 20. It is particularly suitable for the case of medical articles 50 in the form of stoppers 51 with locking caps 52, such as Figure 6a and Figure 6b As shown. The stopper 51 is generally made of an elastic material and has a head and a foot intended to be inserted into the neck of the bottle (in use). A locking cap 52 surrounds the stopper 51 and is intended to be clamped under the flange of the bottle (in use) when the foot of the stopper 51 is fully inserted into the neck: the locking cap 52 includes a retaining member that can be stopped under the collar to secure the stopper 51 to the bottle. The locking cap 52 also includes a device that ensures that the stopper 51 is maintained in the cap 52 during storage and transportation in the packaging system 100. Non-limiting examples of medical articles 50 of this type can be found in documents EP2464577 or EP2464580.

[0068] The locking cap 52 of the medical article 50 may include a capsule 52a forming an outer upper portion of the medical article 50. Figure 6a and Figure 6b As shown, it is this outer upper portion 52a that closes the aperture 28 and enables medical items 50 in the same column (ie, directly above one another in the stacked trays 20) to be isolated from one another.

[0069] In particular, the stopper 51 of the medical article 50, which constitutes the most sensitive part in terms of contamination, is completely isolated in the receiving space 21 of the tray 20 by:

[0070] By interlocking or abutting the partitions 22 of the receiving space 21 of the tray 20 with the facing walls 26 of the cap 25 of the upper tray,

[0071] Since the outer upper portion 52a of the locking cap 52 of the medical article 50 arranged in the receiving space 21 of the tray 20 closes the perforated bottom 25a of the cap 25 of the upper tray, and potentially,

[0072] The perforated bottom 21 a of the receiving space 21 is closed due to the outer upper portion 52 a of the locking cap 52 of the medical object 50 arranged in the tray below the tray 20 .

[0073] In the particular case of the bottom tray 20' (closest to the bottom 10a of the container 10), the aperture 28 of the perforated bottom 21a of the receiving space 21 of said tray 20' may be closed by providing an additional cap or seal at the bottom 10a of the container 10, or the aperture 28 may remain open.

[0074] According to a third variation that is a mixture of the first and second variations described above, only a portion (at least one) of the accommodation space 21 of the tray 20 may have a perforated bottom 21 a and another portion may have a solid bottom 21 a .

[0075] Returning to the general description, it may be advantageous to provide the tray 20 with vertical support elements 27 for at least some of the caps 25 (in Figure 3 The vertical support elements 27 are in the form of flexible flaps 27, as can be seen in the figure, to maintain and limit the vertical movement of medical items 50 arranged in the receiving space of the tray below. This reduces any friction associated with the movement of medical items 50 within the receiving space 21. As with the transverse support elements 23, the flexible nature of the vertical support elements 27 allows the receiving space 21 to be used for items 50 of different sizes and / or to allow for variations in the sizes of such items.

[0076] Advantageously, the upper portion of the accommodating space 21 (ie, the upper end of the partition 22) is deformable. Figure 3In the example shown, the upper ends of the partitions 22 have a pointed profile. The compressive forces applied to the upper ends of the partitions 22 during the stacking of the trays 20 cause them to deform by squeezing, which makes it possible to compensate for any imperfections in the flatness of the trays 20. This ensures that all the receiving spaces of the tray are properly closed, in particular during the subsequent vacuuming step of the container.

[0077] The tray may be made of a plastic material such as polypropylene or a thermoplastic elastomer or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).

[0078] Each tray 20 advantageously includes a peripheral gripping edge 20c which may be located in the lateral extension of the upper and lower faces 20a, 20b, as shown. Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 Alternatively, as shown Figure 5 、 Figure 6a and Figure 6b As shown, the peripheral gripping edge 20 c may be located in the lateral extension of the upper end of the partition 22 of the receiving space 21 .

[0079] Capping Instructions

[0080] The term "cover" is used to denote any element placed in the container 10 on the top tray 20" of the stack to close its containing space. This thus avoids leaving this top tray 20" devoid of any medical items 50, as previously described.

[0081] according to Figure 4a In the first embodiment shown, the cover 30 can be a rigid plate 30, on the underside of which are provided a plurality of caps 32 capable of closing the receiving space 21 of the bottom tray 20 ″, for example by interlocking. These caps 32 are therefore identical to the caps 25 of the tray 20 in terms of shape, size and arrangement on the underside of the plate 30. The rigid plate 30 and the caps 32 can be formed from the same material as the material forming the tray 20, and the plate can have similar dimensions.

[0082] In a variation of this embodiment, the plate may consist of a plurality of separate strips 30' for covering and respectively closing the rows of receiving spaces 21 of the top tray 20". These strips 30' may be fixed to the porous cover 40, for example by welding, so that removing the cover 40 (when opening the packaging system 100) naturally results in the receiving spaces 21 of the top tray 20" being opened. In this embodiment in which the strips 30' are rigid, they are preferably arranged perpendicular to the removal direction of the porous cover 40 to facilitate its removal.

[0083] according to Figure 4bIn the second embodiment shown, the cover 30 is composed of a flexible sheet or a plurality of flexible strips 30', which are provided with caps 32 similar to the caps of the trays 20 below. As in the first embodiment, the strips 30' are configured to enclose a row of receiving spaces 21 of the top tray 20" of the stack. In order to impart or improve the flexible properties of the strips 30', the strips 30' can be formed by interconnecting relatively narrow bending areas 33 with relatively wide supporting areas that carry the caps 32.

[0084] The flexible strip 30 ′ and the cap 32 may be formed from a flexible material, for example based on a thermoplastic elastomer.

[0085] This second embodiment is particularly advantageous when the flexible sheet 30 or strip 30 ′ is fixed to the lid 40 of the closed container 10. When the lid is removed, the receiving space 21 of the stacked top tray 20 ″ placed in the container is opened, and the medical items 50 stored in the receiving space 21 of the top tray 20 ″ are immediately accessible. If the strips 30 ′ are sufficiently flexible, they can be arranged without any specific orientation relative to the opening direction of the lid 40.

[0086] according to Figure 4c The third embodiment shown can also provide a cover 30 made of a plurality of integral caps 30 ″ which are respectively arranged on the receiving spaces of the top tray 20 ″ in order to close them. They can be soft caps or hard caps.

[0087] Cover Instructions

[0088] Once the container 10 has been filled with the tray 20 carrying the medical items 50 and the optional cover, the porous cover 40 is intended to be sealed (e.g. by a plastic seal) on the upper edge of the wall 10b of the container 10. The porous cover is intended to keep the medical items 50 clean and prevent particles from entering the container 10. The air porosity of the cover 50 makes it possible to extract air from the container during the subsequent vacuuming step. For example, it can be made of a material commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry. Made.

[0089] When provision is made for the closure 30 to be placed in the container on the top tray 20 ″ of the stack, as already mentioned with reference to the two embodiments of the closure 30 , the porous cover can also be sealed (e.g. by welding) to the closure 30 at the same time as being sealed to the upper edge of the wall 10 b of the container 10 .

[0090] To allow this, the elements of the packaging system 100 are sized so that when the lid 30 is placed on the top tray 20" of the stack of trays, the exposed surface of the lid 30 (regardless of which embodiment is chosen) is flush with the upper edge of the wall of the container 10.

[0091] Packaging Description

[0092] To minimize particulate contamination and to maintain the possible sterility of the medical article 50, the various steps described below are preferably performed in a controlled environment.

[0093] The first tray 20' (i.e., the bottom tray 20' of the stack) is placed on the bottom 10a of the container 10 so that the cap 25 of the lower face 21a of the first tray 21' is aligned with and fits with the boss 11 (if present) of the bottom 10a of the container 10. The medical items 50 are then or previously placed in the receiving space 21 of the first tray 20'.

[0094] Then, the second tray 20 is placed on the first tray 20'. The cap 25 placed on the lower side of the second tray closes the receiving space 21 of the first tray 20'. Before or after this operation, medical items 50 are placed in each receiving space 21 of the second tray 20. This is repeated as many times as there are trays 20 to be placed in the container 10, until the last tray 20" is placed, thereby forming the top tray 20" of the stack.

[0095] In the absence of the provision of the cover 30 , the final tray 20 ″ remains empty, that is to say no medical items are placed in its receiving space 21 .

[0096] Otherwise, the cover 30 is placed on the upper side 21a of the stacked top tray 20" to close its storage space 21, in which medical items have been pre-placed. As already mentioned, the cover can be formed by a plate provided with a cap, so that the cover is arranged integrally on the top tray 20". Alternatively, it can be a plurality of flexible or rigid strips 30' that carry caps and are placed in a row on the top tray 20" to close the storage space 21, or an integral cap 30". arranged on each storage space 21. Optionally, a combination of these options can be used to close the storage space 21 of the top tray 20".

[0097] The porous cover 40 is then placed on the top tray 20" or lid 30 and then secured to the upper edge of the wall 10b of the container 10 and possibly to the flexible sheet 30 or strip 30' and / or integral cap 30" (when these are present).

[0098] In the next step, the container 10, the opening of which has been closed by the porous cover 40, is placed in at least one airtight bag (preferably two bags for safety reasons) and, before being hermetically sealed, the bag is evacuated. The evacuation of the assembly allows the various components of the assembly 100 to be vertically blocked and, therefore, allows each receiving space 21 to be individually closed. Any defects in the flatness of the tray 20 and the cover 30 are compensated by the deformable properties of the partitions 22 of the receiving space 21 and the relative flexibility of the tray 20. The evacuation also makes it possible to horizontally block the various components of the assembly 100 by deforming the peripheral wall 10b of the container 10 to press it against the edge of the tray 20. Thus, the evacuation limits the friction between the various elements of the assembly 100 and, therefore, limits the generation of particles by friction by blocking the vertical and horizontal movement of the elements.

[0099] Open packaging system

[0100] In order to open the packaging system and access the medical items packaged therein, the stack of containers 10 containing the trays 20 is first removed from the bag. The cover 30, when present, is then removed from the lid 40 to expose the cover 30. When the cover 30 is in the form of a rigid plate, the cover 30 is removed from the container, for example using a suction cup, to expose the receiving space 21 of the top tray 20". When it is in the form of a rigid or flexible strip sealed to the cover 30, opening this cover naturally results in the removal of the cap from the receiving space 21 without the need for any additional operation. The medical items 50 can then be picked up individually or row by row, manually and / or automatically by machine. Once the top tray 20" has been emptied of its medical items 50, the top tray 20" is also removed to expose the medical items 50 and the receiving space 21 of the tray 20 below. These operations are repeated until all medical items 50 stored in the container 10 have been removed.

[0101] Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and variations may be added without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

[0102] While a single type of receiving space defined by partitions is described herein, other shapes or configurations are contemplated. For example, the receiving spaces could be arranged in cells to optimize space within the container, with the inner surface of the partitions of one receiving space forming the outer surface of the partitions of another receiving space. The receiving spaces could also correspond to recesses formed in the tray, or a combination of recesses and partitions.

[0103] Finally, although we have proposed here that the cap is assembled on the receiving space from the outside in order to position the possible friction zone on the outer surface of the receiving space, the opposite is of course also possible. In this case, the outer dimensions of the cap 25 are smaller than the inner dimensions of the receiving space 21, so that the cap 25 is assembled from the inside.

Claims

1. A transport tray (20) for medical items (50), the tray (20) comprising a lower portion (20b) and an upper portion (20a), the upper portion (20a) having a plurality of receiving spaces (21), each receiving space (21) being used to receive a single medical item (50); The tray (20) is characterized in that the lower side (20b) of the tray (20) has a plurality of caps (25), and the arrangement and size of the caps (25) are such that when the tray (20) is stacked on an identical second tray, each cap (25) of the tray (20) is capable of closing the receiving space (21) of the second tray. in, The medical article (50) comprises a stopper (51) and a locking cap (52) surrounding and holding the stopper (51), wherein the locking cap (52) comprises an enclosure (52a) forming an outer upper portion of the medical article (50), Wherein, due to the presence of an orifice (28) in the tray (20), at least one receiving space (21) has a perforated bottom (21a), the orifice (28) is centered on the bottom (21a) of the at least one receiving space (21), and the size of the orifice (28) is smaller than the size of the packaging body (52a) of the medical item (50) occupying the receiving space (21), so that when the tray (20) is stacked on the second tray, the orifice (28) of the tray (20) is closed by the packaging body (52a) of the medical item (50) occupying the receiving space of the second tray.

2. The transport pallet (20) according to claim 1, wherein: - each receiving space (21) is delimited in the transverse direction by a partition (22) perpendicular to the upper surface (20a) of the tray (20), - each cap (25) is delimited laterally by a wall (26) perpendicular to said lower face (20b) of said tray (20), and -The caps (25) of the trays (20) are respectively arranged to be aligned with the receiving spaces (21) of the trays (20), and the sizes of the caps (25) are respectively designed to close the receiving space (21) of the second tray below the tray (20) by interlocking or abutting the partitions (22) of the receiving space (21) of the same second tray below the tray (20) with the walls (26) of the caps (25) in the tray (20) facing the second tray.

3. The transport pallet (20) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The accommodating spaces (21) each have an inner surface, and the inner surface of the accommodating space (21) is provided with at least one transverse supporting element (23) to support and limit the transverse movement of the medical article (50) in the accommodating space (21).

4. The transport pallet (20) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The caps (25) are each provided with a vertical support element (27) to support and limit vertical movement of medical articles (50) arranged in the accommodation space of the second tray on which the trays (20) have been stacked.

5. The transport pallet (20) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The upper portion of the accommodating space (21) is deformable.

6. A packaging system (100) for a medical article (50), the packaging system (100) comprising: - a container (10) having an opening, a bottom (10a) and a peripheral wall (10b); a stack formed from a plurality of trays ( 20 ) according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , the stack being placed in the container ( 10 ); as well as - a porous cover (40) which is sealed on the upper edge of the peripheral wall (10b) of the container (10) to close the container (10).

7. The packaging system (100) according to claim 6, further comprising a cover (30) arranged on the stack of trays to close the receiving space (21) of the top tray (20") of the stack.

8. The packaging system (100) according to claim 7, wherein The cover (30) is a rigid plate, and a plurality of caps (32) capable of closing the receiving space (21) of the stacked top trays (20") are provided on the lower side of the rigid plate.

9. The packaging system (100) according to claim 7, wherein: The cover (30) is composed of a plurality of strips (30') provided with caps (32) capable of closing the receiving space (21) of the top tray (20") of the stack.

10. The packaging system (100) according to claim 9, wherein The strip (30') and the cap (32) are formed of a flexible material.

11. The packaging system (100) according to claim 10, wherein Each strip (30') includes a curved region (33) formed between the caps (32).

12. The packaging system (100) according to claim 6, wherein The receiving space (21) of the top tray (20") of the stack is closed by an integral plug (30").

13. The packaging system (100) according to any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein: The bottom (10a) of the container (10) is provided with a boss (11) configured to fit into the cap (25) of the bottom tray (20') of the stack.

14. The packaging system (100) according to any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein: The container (10) is placed in at least one sealed bag under vacuum.

15. A method of packaging a medical article (50), characterized in that The method comprises the following steps: - providing a container (10) having an opening, a bottom (10a) and a peripheral wall (10b); - arranging a bottom tray (20') at the bottom (10a) of the container (10), the bottom tray (20') being a tray according to any one of claims 1 to 5; - arranging at least one additional tray according to any one of claims 1 to 5 to form a stack of trays (20) in the container (10), the cap (25) of the additional tray closing the receiving space (21) of the tray directly below; - sealing the porous cover (40) on the upper edge of the peripheral wall (10b) of the container (10); - placing the container (10) in at least one water-tight bag and placing the bag under vacuum.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The porous cover (40) is rigidly connected to the container (10) by welding the porous cover (40) to the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the container (10).

17. Method according to claim 15 or 16, comprising the step of arranging a cover (30) on the top tray (20") of the stack.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The porous cover (40) is also sealed to the closure (30).

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