Infectious/medical waste containment carrier

Abstract

This invention, Infections/Medical Waste Containment Carrier, is a manufactured, flexable container in which solid and/or liquid infectious/medical waste is placed for containment, storage, transport and incineration. The Infectious/Medical Waste Containment Carrier consists of three integral functional components: 1. A coextruded polyethylene tube with walls of a given thickness. 2. A closure pouch with a self-contained tie cord. 3. A bottom seal of dual thermo-sealed bars with enforced cross members and air pockets. Once the bottom seal is applied to the coextruded polyethylene tube the tube becomes a bottom closed container. When the pouch is applied at a specific position located in the center and near the top of the container carrier and the bottom and top are serrated, the containment carrier is constructed to serve as a depository for infectious/medical waste. Once the infectious/medical waste is deposited in the containment carrier, the closure pouch opened and the tie cord is applied as directed, the Infectious/Medical Waste Containment Carrier becomes a self-contained atmosphere that will not allow the emission of solid, liquid or gas infectious/medical wastes. The Infectious/Medical Waste Containment Carrier's walls are manufactured from a combination of polyethylene polymers that when incinerated will not emit environmentally damaging gases. These polymers when coextruded from a wall of the containment carrier that is highly resistant to puncture and provides a high degree of structural integrity.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A bag for infectious and medical waste containment comprising: (a) inner and outer walls of polyethylene;   (b) a bottom seal consisting of dual thermo-sealed bars and spaced air-pockets between said thermo-sealed bars for reinforcement of the bottom seal;   (c) a closed, polyethylene pouch thermo-sealed to the outer wall with a closure cord to close the bag contained within the pouch.   
     
     
       2. The bag of claim 1 wherein the outer wall is red in color. 
     
     
       3. The bag of claim 1 wherein the pouch includes a tab that is integral with and alongside an edge of a pouch wall for facilitating the opening of the pouch and releasing the closure therefrom. 
     
     
       4. The bag of claim 3 wherein the closure cord is welded to the inside of the pouch. .Iadd. 
     
     
       5.  A seal between two layers of heat sealable polymer material, which are a minimum of 2 mils thick, comprising: a pair of straight parallel spaced apart thermo-sealed transverse members and a plurality of thermo-sealed angle members each extending at an acute angle between said transverse members and defining and closing with said transverse members a plurality of closed continuous triangular air-pockets extending along said seal, two adjacent angle members forming each closed pocket, meeting only at an apex of a respective closed continuous triangular pocket and at one of said transverse members to close each pocket. .Iaddend. .Iadd.   
     
     
       6.  A seal according to claim 5, wherein said angle members each extend at an angle of about 45 degrees to said transverse members. .Iaddend. .Iadd.7. A seal according to claim 5, wherein the two layers of sealable material comprises a tube of polyethylene material. .Iaddend. .Iadd.8. A seal according to claim 5, wherein each layer comprises a plurality of polymer layers each having a thickness of at least two mils. .Iaddend. .Iadd.9. A seal according to claim 5, including, in combination, the two layers forming a bag, said seal comprising a bottom seal for said bag, the combination including means for closing the bag at a location spaced away from the bottom seal. .Iaddend.