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Cassette and delivery system

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/453,404, filed on Jun. 15, 2006, entitled CASSETTE AND DELIVERY SYSTEM, which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/737,399, filed on Dec. 15, 2000, entitled CASSETTE AND DELIVERY SYSTEM, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,512 on Sep. 5, 2006, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

The present invention relates to a system for storing and delivering cassettes to a device.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,876, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a sterilization system in which an agent such as hydrogen peroxide is introduced into an evacuated sterilizing chamber where it is vaporized and allowed to disperse onto the items to be sterilized. After a desired period of time, electrical energy is applied to the chamber to ionize the gas and form a plasma field at a power level sufficient to achieve sterilization.

This system has been successfully commercialized as the STERRAD® Sterilization System and is available from Advance Sterilization Products, Division of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Irvine, Calif. The system is used in hospitals and other environments where it is operated repeatedly throughout the day by personnel having a widely varying range of understanding of the apparatus. To ensure simple and automatic operation with adequate safeguards with respect to human error, the system employs an automated delivery system for delivering the liquid sterilant to the sterilization chamber. Measured portions of the sterilant, in this case hydrogen peroxide but many other sterilizing agents could be substituted therefor, are provided in rupturable cells within a rigid cassette housing. A transport system maneuvers the cassette within the STERRAD® sterilizer and releases the given quantity of hydrogen peroxide into the sterilization chamber automatically. One form of cassette and operation of the delivery system are more fully described in the Williams et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,817,800 issued Apr. 4, 1989; 4,913,196 issued Apr. 3, 1990; 4,938,262 issued Jul. 3, 1990; and 4,941,518 issued Jul. 17, 1990, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

An improved cassette and delivery system is shown in the Williams et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,611 directed to a sleeve which retains and protects the cassette and U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,716 directed to an indicia system on a cassette sleeve. Each of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. The '611 patent describes a sleeve having an inner layer of corrugated cardboard and an outer layer of pressboard, producing a sleeve of considerable thickness.

The present cassette and sleeve employ a single layer sleeve which eases manufacturing and reduces the expense of the sleeve and employs a pair of folded tabs to accommodate both the present type of cassette and sleeve and that shown in the '611 patent in the same machine by providing that the important external dimensions of the cassette and sleeve can be the same for each system even though the present system employs a sleeve having a different thickness.

A cassette assembly for delivering a substance according to the present invention comprises a cassette having at least one cell therein containing a quantity of the substance and a protective sleeve containing the cassette. The cassette has a first side, a second side opposite the first side and a first end and the sleeve has a first side, a second side opposite the first side and a first end. A first tab at the sleeve first end extends inwardly from the first side toward the second side and abuts the cassette's first side. A second tab at the sleeve first end extends inwardly from the second side toward the first side and abuts the cassette's second side. The cassette has a first lateral dimension between its first side and its second side which is smaller than a second lateral dimension between the sleeve first side and the sleeve second side.

Preferably, the cassette further comprises a first face between its first side and its second side and the sleeve further comprises a first edge at its first end between its first side and its second side with the sleeve having a retaining member connected to the sleeve by a hinge at the sleeve first edge and abutting the cassette first face, and with the first tab and the second tab extending inwardly from respective first and second lateral edges of the retaining member.

Preferably, the first and second tabs have at least one flap folded inwardly toward the sleeve sides. Preferably, the sleeve is formed of absorbent stock, as for instance cardboard or a coated cardboard, so that a small quantity of the substance on the cassette can be absorbed into the stock.

An indicator strip can be provided on the sleeve for indicating the presence of substance thereon. Identifying indicia on the cassette can be provided along with and an aperture through the sleeve in registry with the indicia whereby the indicia can be read through the aperture.

A method, according to the present invention, supplies a cassette encased in a sleeve for a machine, the machine having an opening sized to accommodate cassettes having a first fixed dimension between first and second sides thereof and to accommodate sleeves containing the cassettes having a second fixed dimension between first and second sides thereof, the difference between the second and the first dimensions being substantially greater than twice the thickness of the sleeve. The cassette is provided with the first dimension between the first and second sides thereof and the sleeve is provided with the second dimension between the first and second sides thereof. A first tab is folded inwardly from the sleeve first side and a second tab inwardly from the sleeve second side to create a space equaling the first fixed dimension between the first tab and the second tab and the cassette is contained within the sleeve between the first tab and the second tab. Preferably, the cassette is centered in the sleeve between the first and second sides of the sleeve.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cassette and sleeve according to the present invention, in preparation for entering a sterilization apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of a receiver on the sterilization apparatus of FIG. 1 for receiving the cassette and sleeve of FIG. 1;