Whole blood storage structure

Claim 1

A CONTAINER FOR THE TREATMENT AND STORAGE OF WHOLE BLOOD, COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE BAG OF TRANSLUCENT COMPOSITION STERILIZED AFTER FABRICATION AND HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIALL ENCLOSURE PROVIDING A HERMETIC SEAL FOR THE CONTENTS OF THE CONTAINER, VALVE-CONTROLLED MEANS FOR SELECTIVE INTRODUCTION AND WITHDRAWAL OF FLUENT MATERIAL INCLUDING A MEASURED QUANTITY OF BLOOD AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF A STORAGE PERIOD, AT LEAST ONE LIQUID-SEALING PARTITION DIVIDING THE INTERIOR OF THE BAG INTO A PLURALITYL OF TREATMENT COMPARTMENTS, A PASSAGE IN SAID PARTITION FOR SELECTIVE EXCHANGE OF STORED MATERIAL BETWEEN COMPARTMENTS, AND MEANS EXTERIORLY OF THE BAG FOR CLOSING SAID PASSAGE BY FORCING OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BAG INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT IN SAID PASSAGE, AND SAID BAG BEING CHARACTERIZED BY: (A) ITS ABILITY TO WITHSTAND CENTRIFUGAL FORCES OF CENTRIFUGING, (B) MAINTAINING STERILITY OF ITS CONTENTS, (C) PROVIDING PROPER HEAT TRANSFERE IN FREEZING AND THAWING OPERATIONS, (D) BEING COMPATIBLE WITH BLOOD AND LIQUID NITROGEN, AND (E) BEING FLEXIBLE AT ALL TEMPERATURES IN A RANGE FROM AMBIENT TO THE TEMPERATURE OF LIQUID NITROGEN.