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BR-112021006921-B1 - A set of environmental controls and a method for controlling at least one environmental condition of one or more substances.

BR112021006921B1BR 112021006921 B1BR112021006921 B1BR 112021006921B1BR-112021006921-B1

Abstract

DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF SUBSTANCES. The present invention relates to an environmental control assembly for controlling at least one environmental condition of one or more substances, wherein the one or more substances are not contained or are contained within a substance container, wherein the assembly comprises a first enclosure comprising a thermal insulator configured to provide thermal protection for the substance, a second enclosure comprising at least one deformable environmental control material configured to regulate at least one environmental condition of the substance, wherein the second enclosure contacts, at least partially, physically either the substance or the substance container, and a housing comprising at least partially the first enclosure and the second enclosure.

Inventors

  • Ron Nagar

Assignees

  • RON NAGAR

Dates

Publication Date
20260317
Application Date
20191024
Priority Date
20181024

Claims (13)

  1. 1. Environmental control assembly (100) for controlling at least one environmental condition of one or more substances (102), wherein the one or more substances are not contained or are contained within a substance container (104), characterized in that the assembly comprises: a first enclosure (114) comprising a thermal insulator to provide thermal protection for the substance, a second enclosure (118) comprising: at least one environmental control material (120) for regulating at least one environmental condition of the substance and comprising a deformable material, including a phase change material contained in microcapsules and being conformable to the shape of any one or more substances and substance containers; and the second envelope (118) comprising at least one deformable surface (124) being conformable to the shape of one or more substances and containers of substances and enclosing one or more substances and containers of substances, wherein at least one deformable surface (124) physically contacts at least partially with at least one or more of the substance and the container of substance, and a housing (110) comprising at least partially the first envelope (114) and the second envelope (118).
  2. 2. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the environmental control material is thermally self-recharging.
  3. 3. Assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first envelope (114) at least partially encloses the second envelope (118).
  4. 4. Assembly, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: the second casing (118) forms a chamber (106) to receive at least one of the substance (102) and the substance container (104), and the deformable surface (124) is to contact contiguously at least one of the substance and the substance container so as to minimize air pockets formed between the deformable surface (124) and at least one of the substance (102) and the substance container (104).
  5. 5. Assembly, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second casing (118) comprises at least one compartment, in which at least two types of environmental control materials are mixed and placed in a single compartment.
  6. 6. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second casing (118) comprises a plurality of compartments and each compartment comprises a single type of environmental control material, wherein a first compartment of the second casing comprises a first type of environmental control material and a second compartment of the second casing comprises a second different type of environmental control material (120).
  7. 7. Assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that a first compartment of the second envelope (118) comprises a first type of environmental control material (120) and a second compartment of the second envelope (118) comprises a second different type of environmental control material.
  8. 8. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the environmental control material (120) comprises an additional type of phase change material (PCM) (126).
  9. 9. Assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the additional type of PCM (126) comprises a bulk PCM.
  10. 10. Assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the additional type of PCM comprises H2O.
  11. 11. Assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that the ratio of PCM (126) to H2O is in the range of 1:1 to 10:1 (PCM: H2O).
  12. 12. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it further comprises a heating element for heating the substance.
  13. 13. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the first casing (114) comprises a selectively inflatable and/or deflatable closure (300) for introducing air into it during its inflation and removing air from it during its deflation.

Description

RELATED ORDERS [001] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/749,769, filed October 24, 2018, entitled “Devices, Systems and Methods for Controlling and Maintaining Conditions of Substances” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/790,485, filed January 10, 2019, entitled “Devices, Systems and Methods for Controlling and Maintaining Conditions of Substances”. Each of the foregoing disclosures is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD [002] Some aspects of this disclosure generally refer to targeted control of the environmental conditions of the substance. FUNDAMENTALS [003] Drugs and other substances can be sensitive to environmental conditions such as light, humidity, temperature, atmosphere, pressure, and other conditions. Many drugs and other substances have limited thresholds for these conditions which, if exceeded, can degrade the drug's effectiveness or degrade the substance. [004] Furthermore, users receive drugs at the pharmacy and must take them home. When these drugs need to be kept refrigerated, users have difficulty ensuring that the drug volume is refrigerated during transport to their home refrigerator. Although they use ice packs, these ice packs do not come into contact with the drug and, as a result, do not guarantee that the drug is at the proper refrigeration temperature. In some cases, if the ice packs come into direct contact with the drug, it may freeze, causing drug degradation. [005] Although there are devices that can keep drugs and substance containers, such as drug delivery devices, under controlled environmental conditions, these current devices are quite large and typically require a regular AC power supply for their operation, or large batteries with limited lifespan. Other devices, such as cooling packs, require large amounts of cooling material (ice or water evaporation) to maintain an enclosure at cooling temperatures. [006] To date, there is no low-cost, simple device for maintaining pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive substances at refrigeration temperatures (e.g., 0 to 8 °C or 2 to 8 °C) or any other desired temperature, that is portable and does not require the user to perform unusual activity for the device to continue providing controlled conditions for periods of hours, days, weeks, and even years, without the need for the user to use external electrical power or other unusual specific activity to specifically “charge” the device. Specifically, there is a need to maintain the temperatures of substances stored in domestic refrigerators during power outages. Furthermore, there is a need to ensure that substances do not freeze during storage in domestic or other types of refrigeration. Additionally, there is a need for a transport device used to maintain the desired temperature of the substance when transporting the substance from the pharmacy to the domestic refrigerator/house and/or whenever the substance is outside the refrigerator. At the same time, it ensures that, substantially in all these circumstances, the substances, which may or may not be contained in one or more containers, will be maintained at the desired predetermined temperature within a predetermined temperature range. In other words, there is a need for a device configured so that the environmental conditions inside the device are uniform. SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE MODALITIES [007] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the environmental conditions of any substance can be controlled. Environmental conditions (which may be referred to as “condition” in this document) may include light, humidity, temperature, atmosphere, pressure, or any other condition that affects the substance. [008] The substance may comprise any material affected by the condition. By a non-limiting example, the substance may comprise a drug, a pharmaceutical product, a biological substance such as hormones, growth hormone, blood, enzymes, body fluids, body parts, body organs, body tissue, spermatozoa or ova. The substance may comprise analyte indicators, analyte sensors and/or analyte detectors comprising any type of material. The analyte indicator or sensor may comprise, for example, a blood glucose test strip or blood glucose-sensitive materials configured to indicate the blood glucose level. The blood glucose strip may comprise enzymes or any other biological material. By another example, the analyte indicator or sensor may comprise urine test strips. The analyte indicator or sensor may comprise any diagnostic tool based on a biological indicator comprising a biological and/or chemical material. The substance may include cosmetics, such as lipsticks, perfumes, hygiene products, hair or skin products, sprays, mousses, emulsions, and gels, for example. The substance may include, for example, resins, adhesives, glues, epoxy glue, or cyanoacrylate. The substance may include any suitable form, such as a solid, liquid, emulsion, gas, gel,