Packaging and method for selective volume dispensing

Abstract

The invention relates primarily to the field of packaging sterile articles for use in the medical device field. In an embodiment, the invention includes a package for a repetitive volume sectionally separable medical device. The package can include support material for receiving and retaining a repetitive volume sectionally separable medical device. The support material can have a plurality of sealable portions suitable for sealing after placement of the medical device in contact with the support material. The package can also include indicia placed on said sealable portions of the support material. Other embodiments are included herein.

1 . A package for a repetitive volume sectionally separable medical device comprising:
 a. support material for receiving and retaining a repetitive volume sectionally separable medical device, said support material having a plurality of sealable portions suitable for sealing after placement of the medical device in contact with the support material, said sealable portions having a length and a width;   b. indicia placed on said sealable portions of the support material to guide the user of the package to a separation location where the user may separate portions of the repetitive volume sectionally separable medical device while maintaining an adjacent portion of the repetitive volume sectionally separable medical device in a sealed configuration.   
   
   
       2 . The package of  claim 1 , the support material comprising a polymer selected from the group consisting of spun-bond high density polyethylene, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamides, polyimides, polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride. 
   
   
       3 . The package of  claim 1 , in which the support material sealable portions are at least 3 millimeters in length and extend across the width of the package. 
   
   
       4 . The package of  claim 3 , in which the indicia on said support material sealable portions defines the locations of the sealable portions that are actually sealed. 
   
   
       5 . The package of  claim 4 , in which the indicia on said support material sealable portions defines the locations within said sealable portions that are adequate for separating the package into a first usable package section and a second storable package section, with each of said first and second package sections having a portion of the repetitive volume sectionally separable medical device therein. 
   
   
       6 . The package of  claim 4 , in which the repetitive volume sectionally separable medical device therein is a wound spacer bead chain having flexible linking material connecting a plurality of geometrically shaped wound spacer beads. 
   
   
       7 . A packaged sterile medical device comprising:
 a support material defining a plurality of enclosed volumes, each enclosed volume separated from adjacent enclosed volumes by a sealed region of the support material;   a plurality of high volume components, the high volume components disposed within the enclosed volumes; and   a plurality of low volume components, the low volume components disposed between adjacent high volume components, wherein one or more of the low volume components pass between adjacent enclosed volumes through the sealed region.   
   
   
       8 . The packaged sterile medical device of  claim 7 , wherein between one and one hundred high volume components are disposed within each enclosed volume. 
   
   
       9 . The packaged sterile medical device of  claim 7 , the plurality of high volume components comprising a plurality of beads. 
   
   
       10 . The packaged sterile medical device of  claim 7 , the plurality of low volume components comprising a plurality of flexible linking elements, the flexible linking elements integral with one another. 
   
   
       11 . The packaged sterile medical device of  claim 7 , further comprising indicia disposed on the support material identifying the sealed regions. 
   
   
       12 . The packaged sterile medical device of  claim 7 , the enclosed volumes are sterile and hermetically sealed. 
   
   
       13 . The packaged sterile medical device of  claim 7 , wherein each enclosed volume is configured to be separable from adjacent enclosed volumes without disrupting the sterility of the adjacent enclosed volumes. 
   
   
       14 . The packaged sterile medical device of  claim 7 , wherein the sealed regions of the support material are at least 3 millimeters in length and extend across the width of the support material. 
   
   
       15 . The packaged sterile medical device of  claim 7 , the support material comprising a tubular shape. 
   
   
       16 . A method of packaging a medical device comprising:
 disposing the medical device within a support material, the medical device comprising a plurality of high volume components and a plurality of low volume components, the low volume components disposed between adjacent high volume components; and   forming sealed regions with the support material, the sealed regions separating a plurality of enclosed volumes from each other, each sealed region coincident with a low volume component.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , the support material comprising a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein forming sealed regions with the support material comprises sealing the top portion to the bottom portion. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein a low volume component is sandwiched between the top portion and the bottom portion when a sealed region is formed. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the sealed regions extend across the width of the support material.