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AMENDED CLAIMS
[Received by the International Bureau on 25 June 2004 (25.06.2004) ; original claims 1, 5, 7 to 12, 14 to 16, 19, 25 to 29, 31 to 34, 36 and 37, amended ; original claims 2, 17 and 30, new ; original claims 3, 4, 6, 13, 20 to 24, 35 and 38 to 42, deleted]
1. A kit of hand-portable articles for disinfection of an object suspect of being infected, the object being enveloped in a wrapping having a wrapping outside and a wrapping inside, and the kit comprising: a list of instructions to be followed for guiding an untrained user to operate chemical disinfection in situ in do-it-yourself mode, in a manner safe to the user and to the environment, a disinfectant, supplied as a given amount of substance selected as sodium dichloro-isocyanurate, and a container with an outside and having a chamber inside, the container being sealingly closeable and openable, for receiving therein both the disinfectant and the object, wherein disinfection of the object is achieved by following instructions for handling the disinfectant and for insertion thereof together with the object in the chamber inside, then sealingly closing the container and waiting for a delay lasting for a specific duration of time before opening the container to retrieve the disinfected object from the chamber inside, characterized in that: the container is either one of both flaccid and rigid, and disinfection of the object is achieved by transmission and by diffusion of the active disinfecting solution from the chamber inside and the wrapping outside, through the wrapping, to the wrapping inside, and to the object.
2. The kit according to Claim 1, wherein the chamber inside comprises: a liner covering at least a portion of the chamber inside, and the object which is deposited therein prior to sealingly closing the container.
5. The kit according to Claim 1, further comprising: a perforator provided as an article of the kit and residing in the chamber inside, for use when the object is enveloped inside either one of both a permeable and an impermeable wrapping, the object further comprising:
a wrapping enveloping the object inside therein, wherein the perforator provided in the chamber inside is configured for receiving the wrapping and for opening therethrough a passage allowing fluid communication from the wrapping outside and through the wrapping to the wrapping inside and to the object, and wherein the perforator is operated after the container is sealingly closed and prior to waiting for the delay to start.
7. The kit according to Claim 1 or 5, wherein: the wrapping is a mail envelope and the object is an infected substrate bearing legible inscriptions, which remain legible after the object is disinfected.
8. The kit according to Claim 1 or 5, wherein: the wrapping is a mail envelope and the object is an infected letter bearing legible inscriptions, which remain legible after the object is disinfected.
9. The kit according to Claim 5, wherein: disinfection of the object enveloped in a wrapping is achieved by transmission and by diffusion of the active disinfecting solution, comprising use of a perforator when the wrapping is not permeable, for opening a passage for fluid communication from the wrapping outside, through the wrapping, to the wrapping inside, and to the object.
10. The kit according to Claim 1, wherein: the disinfectant is provided inside a sprayer, which is openable and closeable, and contains therein the given amount of disinfectant, and handling the sprayer comprises: opening the sprayer and adding a determined quantity of water inside thereof, after which the sprayer is closed and shaken for dissolution of the disinfectant in situ into an active disinfecting solution, and operating the sprayer to spray the active disinfecting solution inside the chamber before sealingly closing the container.
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11. The kit according to Claim 10, further comprising: a perforator disposed in the chamber inside, for use when the object is enveloped inside either one of both a permeable and an impermeable wrapping, for operation after the container is sealingly closed and prior to waiting for the delay to start, the perforator being configured for receiving the wrapping and for opening therethrough a passage allowing fluid communication from the wrapping outside, through the wrapping inside, and to the object, whereby disinfection is achieved by transmission and by diffusion of the active disinfecting solution to the object.
12. The kit according to Claim 10, wherein: the object is a sheet of paper bearing inscriptions, which remain legible after the object is disinfected.
14. The kit according to Claim 2, wherein: the disinfectant is retained in solid state in the liner in a marked location, and handling comprises: preparing an active disinfecting solution in situ by pouring a determined quantity of water on the marked location of the liner for dissolving the disinfectant, after which the object is inserted in the chamber inside and deposited on the marked location prior to sealingly closing the container.
15. The kit according to Claim 14, further comprising: a perforator provided as an article of the kit and residing in the chamber inside, for use when the object is enveloped inside either one of both a permeable and an impermeable wrapping, the object further comprising: a wrapping enveloping the object inside therein, wherein the perforator provided in the chamber inside is configured for receiving the wrapping and for opening therethrough a passage allowing fluid communication from the wrapping outside and through the wrapping to the wrapping inside and to the object, and
28 wherein the perforator is operated after the container is sealingly closed and prior to waiting for the delay to start.
16. The kit according to Claim 14, wherein: the wrapping is a mail envelope and the object is an infected substrate bearing inscriptions, which remain legible after the object is disinfected.
17. The kit according to Claim 15, wherein: the wrapping is a mail envelope and the object is a letter bearing legible inscriptions, which remain legible after the object is disinfected.
18. The kit according to Claim 1, further comprising: at least one towel impregnated with the disinfectant, with the object being wrapped inside the at least one towel prior to insertion thereof in the chamber inside and sealingly closing the container.
19. The kit according to Claim 18, wherein: the object is an envelope containing a sheet of paper bearing inscriptions, which remain legible after the object is disinfected.
25. A method for guiding an untrained user to perform chemical disinfection of at least one object suspect of being infected, the object being enveloped in a wrapping having a wrapping outside and a wrapping inside, by following a list of instructions for operating in situ a kit of hand-portable articles in do-it-yourself mode, in a manner safe to the user and to the environment, comprising the steps of: preparing an active disinfecting solution in situ by dissolving a disinfectant, supplied in the kit as a given amount of a commercially available substance and selected as a chlorine compound, in a determined quantity of water, using a container supplied in the kit, the container being sealingly closeable and openable, and comprising an outside and a chamber inside covered at least in portion with a liner configured for receiving, holding, and releasing at least a portion of the active disinfecting solution,
29 inserting in the chamber inside the at least one object and the active disinfecting solution, and closing the container sealed and waiting for a delay lasting for a specific duration of time before opening the container to retrieve the disinfected at least one object from the chamber inside, characterized in that: the container is either one of both flaccid and rigid, and disinfection of the at least one object is achieved by transmission and by diffusion of the active disinfecting solution to the at least one object, from the chamber inside and from the wrapping outside, through the wrapping, to the wrapping inside, and to the object.
26. The method according to Claim 25, wherein: the active disinfecting solution is poured onto at least a portion of the liner prior to insertion of the at least one object in the chamber inside.
27. The method according to Claim 26, wherein: the disinfectant is retained in solid state in the liner in a marked location, and the active disinfecting solution is prepared in situ by pouring a determined quantity of water on the marked location for dissolving the disinfectant.
28. The method according to Claim 25, further comprising the steps of: using a perforator provided as an article of the kit and residing in the chamber inside, for use with the at least one object which is enveloped inside a wrapping being either one of both a permeable and an impermeable wrapping, configuring the perforator for receiving the wrapping and for opening therethrough a passage allowing fluid communication from the wrapping outside, through the wrapping, to the wrapping inside, and to the at least one object, and operating the perforator after the container is sealingly closed and prior to waiting for the delay to start.
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29. The method according to Claim 25 or 28, wherein: the wrapping is a mail envelope, and the at least one object is an infected substrate bearing inscriptions, which inscriptions remain legible after the at least one object is disinfected.
30. The method according to Claim 25 or 28, wherein: the wrapping is a mail envelope, and the at least one object is an infected letter bearing legible inscriptions, which remain legible after the at least one object is disinfected.
31. A method for guiding an untrained user to perform chemical disinfection of an at least one object suspect of being infected, the object being enveloped in a wrapping having a wrapping outside and a wrapping inside and the method permitting to obtain a disinfected at least one object, by following a list of instructions for operating in situ a kit of hand-portable articles in do-it-yourself mode, in a manner safe to the user and to the environment, comprising the steps of: supplying a given amount of chlorine compound, and a container as articles comprised in the kit, providing an active disinfecting solution created by dissolving the chlorine compound available as a commercially disinfectant, in a determined quantity of water, using the container, which is sealingly closeable and openable, and comprising an outside, and a chamber inside into which the active disinfecting solution and the at least one object are inserted, and closing the container sealed and waiting for a delay lasting for a specific duration of time before opening the container to retrieve the disinfected at least one object from the chamber inside, characterized in that: the container is either one of both flaccid and rigid, and disinfection of the at least one object is achieved by transmission and by diffusion of the active disinfecting solution to the at least one object, from the chamber inside and from the wrapping outside, through the wrapping, to the wrapping inside, and to the object.
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32. The method according to Claim 31 further comprising the steps of: providing a sprayer as an article of the kit, wherein the sprayer is openable and closeable, and contains therein the given amount of disinfectant, opening the sprayer and adding a determined quantity of water inside thereof, after which the sprayer is closed and shaken for dissolution of the disinfectant in situ into an active disinfecting solution, and disposing the at least one object in the chamber inside and operating the sprayer for spraying the active disinfecting solution onto the at least one object before sealingly closing the container.
33. The method according to Claim 31, further comprising the steps of: providing a perforator residing inside the container as an article of the kit, and configured for opening a passage allowing fluid communication from a wrapping outside and through the wrapping enveloping the at least one object, and operating the perforator when the at least one object is enveloped inside either one of both a permeable and an impermeable wrapping, after the container is sealingly closed and prior to waiting for the delay to start.
34. The method according to Claim 33, wherein: the at least one object is a sheet of paper bearing inscriptions, which inscriptions remain legible after disinfection is achieved.
36. The method according to Claim 31, further comprising the steps of: providing as an article of the kit, at least one towel impregnated with the active disinfecting solution created by dissolving the disinfectant in a determined amount of water, and wrapping the at least one object inside the at least one towel prior to insertion thereof in the chamber inside and sealingly closing the container.
37. The method according to Claim 36, wherein: the at least one object is a sheet of paper bearing inscriptions, which inscriptions remain legible after disinfection is achieved.