Abstract A dually sealable, non-leaking vial for shipping liquid radioactive materials, particularly sterile radioactive materials, and other sterile liquid materials in which the mouth of the vial, as shipped, is sealed by a needle pierceable septum seal and in which a threaded cap is located and held over the septum seal and mouth with the threads thereby held out of engagement with mating threads on the vial by the septum seal. However, upon removal of the sepum seal after shipment, the threads of the cap mate with the threads of the vial whereby the cap can be removably threaded tightly over the mouth to seal it. The capped and septum-sealed loaded vial is placed in a heat shrinkable plastic envelope having a bottom end wall and an upstanding cylindrical wall of greater height than the capped, septum-sealed vial and of lesser thickness than the bottom end wall and the envelope is heat shrunk circumferentially, tightly and sealably around the capped septum-sealed vial with the upper part of the envelope being shrunk circumferentially and downwardly tightly over the margin of the upper surface of the cap to securely seal the capped septum-sealed vial.
A method of packaging a sterile liquid material comprising placing a predetermined amount of said liquid material in the body portion of a vial also having a neck portion forming a mouth for receiving the liquid material, said mouth being formed by an enlarged diameter lip at one end of said neck portion, the other end of which extends into an externally threaded portion, securing to said mouth a septum seal having a needle pierceable disc and means for sealably securing said disc to said mouth, placing a threaded cap over said septum seal said cap having a wall depending around said septum seal, placing the capped septum-sealed vial in a cylindrical heat shrinkable envelope, which is of greater height than said capped vial and which is open at its top and closed at its bottom by a bottom wall, with the bottom of the vial resting on said bottom wall of said envelope and the cylindrical wall of said envelope extending upwardly beyond the top of said cap and with the enlarged body portion of said vial snugly received by said envelope, heat shrinking said envelope circumferentially, sealably and tightly around said capped septum-sealed vial with the portion of said envelope above said cap being heat shrunk inwardly, downwardly, tightly and sealably over the outer margin of the top surface of said cap to thereby seal the capped septum-sealed vial and secure the cap to the vial.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
238 words
A method of packaging a sterile liquid material comprising placing a predetermined amount of said liquid material in the body portion of a vial also having a neck portion forming a mouth for receiving the liquid material, said mouth being formed by an enlarged diameter lip at one end of said neck portion, the other end of which extends into an externally threaded portion, securing to said mouth a septum seal having a needle pierceable disc and means for sealably securing said disc to said mouth, placing a threaded cap over said septum seal said cap having a wall depending around said septum seal, placing the capped septum-sealed vial in a cylindrical heat shrinkable envelope, which is of greater height than said capped vial and which is open at its top and closed at its bottom by a bottom wall, with the bottom of the vial resting on said bottom wall of said envelope and the cylindrical wall of said envelope extending upwardly beyond the top of said cap and with the enlarged body portion of said vial snugly received by said envelope, heat shrinking said envelope circumferentially, sealably and tightly around said capped septum-sealed vial with the portion of said envelope above said cap being heat shrunk inwardly, downwardly, tightly and sealably over the outer margin of the top surface of said cap to thereby seal the capped septum-sealed vial and secure the cap to the vial.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 1, said liquid material being a radioactive material and said vial being sterilized either bEfore or after loading with said liquid material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
63 words
A method according to claim 2, also including aseptically removing said cap from said septum-sealed vial by twisting it relative to the vial to break a circumferential line of weakness in said envelope between the cap-enclosing portion thereof and the enlarged vial body-enclosing portion thereof, removing said septum seal from said mouth and threading said cap on said vial to seal said mouth.