Appeal No. 1999-2092 Page 5
Application No. 08/798,718
electronic welding, which joins the peripheral edges of the
overlapping sheets together. An inlet fitting 16 defining an
inlet port communicates with the internal chamber 14, and a
flexible inlet tube 18 (shown in phantom lines in Figure 1) is
connected at one end to a patient and at the opposite end to
the inlet fitting 16 so that fluid may be conducted from the
patient into the internal fluid chamber 14. Opening means 22
is integrally attached to the bag body 12 for forming a tear
in the polyvinyl chloride material of the bag body 12 to open
a permanent outlet passage (see Figures 4 and 5) in the
internal fluid chamber 14 through which fluid may be drained
from the bag 10. After drainage, the bag 10 is then
discarded.
Salvadori teaches (column 2, line 15, to column 3, line
56) that
[w]hile the bag 10 having integral opening means 22
may be variously constructed, in the illustrated
embodiment the internal fluid chamber 14 is formed so as
to include a main body portion 26 having an outlet port
28 which is normally sealed within the confines of the
bag body 12. More particularly, a truncated outlet
extension portion 30 is formed within the confines of the
bag body 12. The outlet extension 30 extends from the
outlet port 28 and has a sealed end 34 which is spaced
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