Bag Assembly with Integrated Absorbent Pad for Liquid Sample Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bag assemblies for transporting liquid body fluids, such as blood or urine, face challenges in preventing spillage due to improper container sealing or damage during transit, posing a risk to personnel opening the bags for analysis, and require manual insertion of absorbent pads, which is time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A bag assembly with a plastics bag formed from two liquid impervious sheets bonded together, containing an absorbent pad, and a backing component with a bonded flap, produced through a continuous process where absorbent pads are sandwiched between plastics webs and heat sealed, allowing for efficient and secure containment of liquid samples.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If absorbent pads are manually inserted into pre-formed bags, then the bags can contain liquid samples safely, but the production process becomes time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the absorbent pad insertion operation with the bag sealing operation by integrating both functions into a single automated machine. The pad is inserted into the bag opening, and then the same machine automatically seals the bag around the pad and container, eliminating the need for separate manual insertion steps and improving both safety and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The absorbent pad is pre-positioned in the bag opening before the container is placed inside. This preliminary action ensures that if liquid spills from the container, the pad is already in place to absorb it, maintaining safety while allowing automated high-speed production
2Reliability
If the plastics bag is sealed tightly to secure the container, then the sample is protected, but it becomes difficult to open the bag for analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The bag sealing system uses segmented heat seal bars that create multiple separate seal points around the bag opening rather than one continuous seal. This segmentation allows the bag to be opened by breaking individual seal points, making it easier to access the container while still providing secure containment during transport
Solution Approach 2:
The heat sealing process uses controlled temperature and pressure parameters that create strong seals for security during transport, but the seal strength is optimized to allow easy mechanical breaking at the seal points when opening is required for analysis
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a secure and efficient means to absorb any leakage, minimizing risk to personnel and streamlining the production process by enabling continuous manufacturing of bag assemblies with integrated absorbent pads, ensuring effective containment of 40ml of liquid.
Implementation Method 1
The plastics web has a longitudinal fold so as, in effect, to comprise two layers. Subsequently the advancing web is passed through a heat seal arrangement at which successive (longitudinally spaced) transverse heat seals are made to join the two layers of the plastics web together along the heat seals.
Implementation Method 2
legislation requires that the plastics bag incorporates a pad of an absorbent material capable of absorbing 40ml of liquid In the event of spillage from the container Into the bag
Data Source
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Figure 3A
AI summary
A bag assembly (1) comprises a backing component (2) and affixed thereto a plastics bag (3) for receiving and holding a container of a liquid sample (particularly a container holding a specimen of a liquid body fluid such as blood, urine, or sputum to be sent to a laboratory for analysis. The plastics bag (3) is formed from two sheets of liquid impervious plastics material (9, 10) bonded together to form the bag (3) and leave a mouth therefor and contains a pad (4) of absorbent material. The bag assembly may be produced by a method which comprises the steps of: (a) advancing a web (203) of a backing component, (b) laying onto the advancing web (203) of the backing component an advancing first web (205) of a liquid impervious plastics material and bonding the webs (203 and 205) together along a join line (204), (c) depositing pads of absorbent material (4) at intervals onto the exposed surface of the advancing first plastics web (205), (d) laying advancing second web of liquid impervious plastics material (207) onto the first web of plastics material (205) so as to sandwich the absorbent pads (4) between the first and second plastics webs (205, 207), (e) bonding said first and second plastics webs (205, 207) together along a line extending transversely of the plastics webs between successive absorbent pads, and (f) severing the web produced in step (e) along said first transverse lines.