Winding suture reel-labels

Claim 1

A method of loading and unloading a reel-label surgical suture combination, in which the reel-label has: two superimposed panels of stiff sterilizable label stock having a heat sealable facing on one side; said panels being rectangular, with rounded corners, with the superimposed rounded corners having different radii; accordion pleat folds joining the two panels on two parallel edges; an infolded panel ear strengthening the top and bottom of each said panel; cut-out tabs near the top and bottom of each panel, said tabs being heat sealed to tabs from the opposing panel, to hold said panels together; said panels each having therein a hole, said holes being in registration, and forming a spin axis substantially at the center of said panels; said tabs and said accordion pleat folds forming a suture holding groove, to frictionally hold a suture therein; said groove being effectively continuous and operatively centered towards said spin axis; at least one of said panels having therein at least one needle retaining cut-out adapted to hold the sharp end of at least one needle between panels in protective relationship; comprising inserting a surgical needle attached to a suture into a needle retaining cut-out, and winding the suture in friction holding relationship into a suture holding groove around the periphery of said reel-label, with the free end being wound onto said reel-label last; retaining the suture in the groove by friction of the pleats against the suture during shipment and storage; and on serving at time of use, under sterile conditions, removing said needle first, and then unwinding the suture with the initial windings passing the later windings in said suture holding groove while retaining said later windings by friction in said groove, so that the free end is released from frictional retention in said suture holding groove in said reel-label last.

Claim 2

A method of loading and unloading a reel-label surgical suture combination, in which the reel-label has: two superimposed panels of stiff sterilizable label stock having a heat sealable facing on one side; said panels being rectangular, with rounded corners, with the superimposed rounded corners having different radii; accordion pleat folds joining the two panels on two parallel edges; an infolded panel ear strengthening the top and bottom of each said panel; cut-out tabs near the top and bottom of each panel, said tabs being heat sealed to tabs from the opposing panel, to hold said panels together; said panels each having therein a hole, said holes being in registration, and forming a spin axis substantially at the center of said panels; said tabs and said accordion pleat folds forming a suture holding groove, to frictionally hold a suture therein; said groove being effectively continuous and operatively centered towards said spin axis; at least one of said panels having therein at least one needle retaining cut-out adapted to hold the sharp end of at least one needle between panels in protective relationship; comprising inserting a surgical needle attached to a suture into a needle retaining cut-out, and winding the suture in friction holding relationship into a suture holding groove around the periphery of said reel-label, with the free end being wound onto said reel-label last; retaining the suture in the groove by friction of the pleats against the suture during shipment and storage; and on serving at time of use, under sterile conditions, removing said needle first, and then unwinding the suture with the initial windings passing the later windings in said suture holding groove while retaining said later windings by friction in said groove, so that the free end is released from frictional retention in said suture holding groove in said reel-label last.