Patent US3621994A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3621994A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Laboratory specimen mailer
Assignee: Metropolitan Pathology Lab Inc
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Filing: 1969-11-25
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Granted: 1971-11-23
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Expires: 1989-11-25
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to new and improved, reusable mailer packages specially adapted for the safe transportation to a laboratory of a specimen, e.g., human blood, contained in a plurality of fragile test tubes and a fragile microscope slide, through the mails, regardless of the severity of rough handling to which the specimen mailer may be subjected. The complete mailer assembly comprises nested, elongated cylindrical plastic cups both of which are closed by end caps. The nested cups are disposed and maintained in a predetermined spaced relationship to one another by a cushioning disc spacer fabricated of a suitable resilient material such as expanded plastic foam. Disposed within the inner cylindrical plastic cup is a plastic divider structure which divides the inner cup into four test tube compartments and one microscope slide compartment.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul A Brown
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 14:32
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D81/00; B65D81/02; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S220/00; Y10S220/918
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
172 words
A laboratory specimen mailer comprising a. an outer generally cylindrical cup of lightweight, shatterproof, high impact resistant material, b. a closeable outer sealing cap for said outer cup, c. an inner generally cylindrical cup of lightweight, shatterproof, high impact resistant material, d. a closeable inner sealing cap for said inner cup, e. said inner cup being telescopically receivable within said outer cup in a nested relation, f. said outer cup being deeper than said inner cup and accommodating therein limited lateral and longitudinal displacement of said inner cup, g. cushioning spacer means disposed between the bottom walls of said nested cups, h. divider means of less than full inner cup depth disposed within said inner cup to compartmentalize the same, i. said divider means comprising a pair of abutted tubular members definitive of a plurality of specimen compartments, j. at least one of said tubular members including a flat wall, having a rectangular recess formed at the uppermost end thereof, and k. said recess defining, in part, a microscope slide receiving slot.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
172 words
A laboratory specimen mailer comprising a. an outer generally cylindrical cup of lightweight, shatterproof, high impact resistant material, b. a closeable outer sealing cap for said outer cup, c. an inner generally cylindrical cup of lightweight, shatterproof, high impact resistant material, d. a closeable inner sealing cap for said inner cup, e. said inner cup being telescopically receivable within said outer cup in a nested relation, f. said outer cup being deeper than said inner cup and accommodating therein limited lateral and longitudinal displacement of said inner cup, g. cushioning spacer means disposed between the bottom walls of said nested cups, h. divider means of less than full inner cup depth disposed within said inner cup to compartmentalize the same, i. said divider means comprising a pair of abutted tubular members definitive of a plurality of specimen compartments, j. at least one of said tubular members including a flat wall, having a rectangular recess formed at the uppermost end thereof, and k. said recess defining, in part, a microscope slide receiving slot.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The laboratory specimen mailer of claim 1, in which a. said shatterproof material is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene, b. said spacer means is a foam disc.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The laboratory specimen mailer of claim 1, in which a. said outer cup is slightly convergently tapered from top to bottom.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
57 words
The laboratory specimen mailer of claim 1, which further includes a. a plurality of fragile specimen tubes, b. said divider means defining plural compartments, c. the outer diameter of said specimen tubes being slightly less than the width of the compartments defined by said divider means, d. whereby said specimen tubes are slightly displaceable within said compartments.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
174 words
A laboratory specimen mailer comprising a. an outer generally cylindrical cup of lightweight, shatterproof, high impact resistant material, b. a closeable outer sealing cap for said outer cup, c. an inner generally cylindrical cup of lightweight, shatterproof, high impact resistant material, d. a closeable inner sealing cap for said inner cup, e. said inner cup being telescopically receivable within said outer cup in a nested relation, f. said outer cup being deeper than said inner cup and accommodating therein limited lateral and longitudinal displacement of said inner cup, g. cushioning spacer means disposed between the bottom walls of said nested cups, h. divider means of less than full inner cup depth disposed within said inner cup to compartmentalized the same, i. said divider means comprising a pair of vertical tubular members having a generally B-shaped cross section definitive of four test tube compartments, j. outer vertical surfaces of said tubular members engaging inner vertical surfaces of said inner cup for retention thereby when said members are butted in back-to-back relation within said inner cup.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
174 words
A laboratory specimen mailer comprising a. an outer generally cylindrical cup of lightweight, shatterproof, high impact resistant material, b. a closeable outer sealing cap for said outer cup, c. an inner generally cylindrical cup of lightweight, shatterproof, high impact resistant material, d. a closeable inner sealing cap for said inner cup, e. said inner cup being telescopically receivable within said outer cup in a nested relation, f. said outer cup being deeper than said inner cup and accommodating therein limited lateral and longitudinal displacement of said inner cup, g. cushioning spacer means disposed between the bottom walls of said nested cups, h. divider means of less than full inner cup depth disposed within said inner cup to compartmentalized the same, i. said divider means comprising a pair of vertical tubular members having a generally B-shaped cross section definitive of four test tube compartments, j. outer vertical surfaces of said tubular members engaging inner vertical surfaces of said inner cup for retention thereby when said members are butted in back-to-back relation within said inner cup.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
52 words
The laboratory specimen mailer of claim 5, in which a. each of said tubular elements havinG vertical flat walls, b. an open recess being defined at the upper portions of said flat wall, c. said tubular members being butted with said recesses in substantial registry to define a microscope slide receiving slot.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The laboratory specimen mailer of claim 5, in which a. said vertical tubular members include bottom horizontal walls generally spanning the lower ends of said members, b. said horizontal walls include means for engaging said stabilizing spherical test tube bottoms.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The laboratory specimen mailer of claim 7, in which a. said means for engaging and stabilizing test tube bottoms comprises the edges of apertures formed in said bottom horizontal walls.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-11-22 | 1975-05-24 | 1975-11-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-11-22 | 1979-05-24 | 1979-11-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-11-22 | 1983-05-24 | 1983-11-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |