Subject: Notification received from Peoples Republic of China for grant of FlatPack packaging patent
"In early June, notification of "Grant Patent Right for Invention" was received from the China Patent intellectual Property Office in Beijing, People's Republic of China (PRC) for the FlatPack petri plate packaging invention. The Patent provides intellectual property protection in the PRC, a country with nearly 19% of the world's population. The Company expects the patent to provide assistance in marketing for our Singaporean representatives and anticipates sub-licensing rights for use and manufacture to a group or groups in the region. The multiple claims of the patent allowed in the USPTO Patent Grant 8,413,800 were accepted as presented:
1. A flat package containing a plurality of petri dishes for prolonged shelf life and preservation thereof, comprising: an optically clear, high-barrier, moisture-, gas- and microbial-resistant pouch containing a plurality of sterile petri dishes therein, said pouch having an interior cavity, each of said plurality of petri dishes located adjacent one another within the interior cavity of the pouch, wherein the clarity of the pouch and the placement of the petri dishes therein allow for prolonged shelf life and preservation of sterility of the petri dishes, reduced mobility of the petri dishes, and enhanced visibility of each of the petri dishes by a user.
2. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of petri dishes are aligned in one plane of the pouch.
3. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the pouch is comprised of a visibly clear plastic material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, oriented polypropylene (OPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and combinations thereof.
4. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein a vacuum is applied to the interior cavity of the pouch to evacuate atmospheric air therefrom.
5. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the interior cavity of the pouch optionally is flushed with an inert gas after application of the vacuum.
6. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the inert gas is nitrogen gas.
7. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the pouch is heat sealed after application of the vacuum and, optionally, being flushed with the inert gas.
8. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the pouch has an easy open means such as a zip-lock.
9. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the pouch and the plurality of petri dishes are handled aseptically in an aseptic environment.
10. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of petri dishes consists of about ten to about twenty petri dishes.
11. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the pouch is selected from the group consisting of circular, rectangular, elliptical and square.
12. The flat package according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of petri dishes has a shelf life and remains sterile for at least twelve months.
13. A method of producing a flat package containing a plurality of petri dishes for prolonged shelf life and preservation thereof, comprising:
obtaining an optically clear, high-barrier, moisture-, gas- and microbial-resistant pouch, said pouch having an interior cavity;
inserting a plurality of petri dishes within the interior cavity of the pouch, each of said plurality of petri dishes located adjacent to another petri dish;
applying a vacuum to the pouch to evacuate atmospheric air from the pouch and the plurality of petri dishes;
optionally flushing the pouch with an inert gas; and
heat sealing the pouch, wherein the clarity of the pouch and the placement of the petri dishes therein allow for prolonged shelf life and preservation of sterility of the petri dishes, reduced mobility of the petri dishes in the pouch, and enhanced visibility of each of the petri dishes by a user.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of petri dishes are aligned in one plane of the pouch.
15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the pouch is comprised of a visibly clear plastic material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, oriented polypropylene (OPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and combinations thereof.
16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the inert gas is nitrogen gas.
17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sealed pouch has an easy open means such as a zip-lock.
18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the pouch and the plurality of petri dishes are handled aseptically in an aseptic environment.
19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of petri dishes consists of about ten to about twenty petri dishes.
20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of petri dishes has a shelf life and remains sterile for at least twelve months."
IMO, This should be considered as an excellent development.
