AU2017261582A1

AU2017261582A1 - A Receptacle

Info

Publication number: AU2017261582A1
Application number: AU2017261582A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ben Chen
Original assignee: Multigate Medical Products Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Multigate Medical Products Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2012-06-13
Filing date: 2017-11-16
Publication date: 2017-12-07
Also published as: AU2015218418A1; AU2017261614A1; AU2012203428A1

Abstract

Abstract The present invention relates to a receptacle for holding a medical instrument having a sharp portion and a handle portion with a certain thickness. The receptacle includes two corresponding recesses adapted to receive the sharp and handle portions of the 5 medical instrument, respectively. The guiding means is adapted to guide the medical instrument placed in the receptacle into the recesses. Each of the recesses has a selected depth which is at least twice as deep as the thickness of the handle portion of the medical instrument.

Description

A Receptacle

Technical Field

This invention broadly relates to a receptacle. In particular, the present invention relates to a receptacle for holding one or more sharp medical instruments.

Background of the Invention

It is generally desirable in the medical equipment industry to provide a receptacle that enables the user to conveniently place one or more sharp medical instruments into a receptacle and that facilitates easy and safe access to the one or top sharp medical instruments.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receptacle for holding a medical instrument having a sharp portion and a handle portion with a certain thickness, the receptacle including: two corresponding recesses adapted to receive the sharp and handle portions of the medical instrument, respectively; and guiding means adapted to guide the medical instrument placed in the receptacle into the recesses; wherein each of the recesses has a selected depth which is at least twice as deep as the thickness of the handle portion of the medical instrument.

Preferably, each recess is defined by a pair of side walls and a floor. The selected depth is preferred to be measured from the floor to the highest point of the side walls.

Preferably, the guiding means is in the form of a web. More preferably, the web is downwardly curved towards the recesses.

In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle includes a pair of external walls. Preferably, the external walls meet at one end and diverge towards an opposite end. More preferably, each of the diverging external walls has a curved contour.

It is preferred that a pair of indents is provided near an upper edge of the web towards the opposite end of the receptacle.

Preferably, the curved web includes a trough adapted to facilitate access to the medical instrument for re-use.

Typically, the medical instrument includes a scalpel or a pair of scissors.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receptacle for holding a medical instrument with a sharp portion, the receptacle including: a first recess adapted to receive the sharp portion of the medical instrument; and a pair of external walls; wherein the external walls meet at one end of the medical instrument and diverge towards an opposite end.

In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle includes guiding means adapted to guide the sharp portion of the medical instrument placed in the receptacle into the recess. The guiding means is preferred to include a web defining a cavity. Preferably, the web is curved.

Preferably, the receptacle includes a second recess, both the first and second recesses being provided in the cavity.

Preferably, each of the diverging external walls has a curved contour.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of a preferred embodiment, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view from top of a receptacle in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the receptacle of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of the receptacle of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a left side view of the receptacle of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a right side view of the receptacle of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a plan view from bottom of the receptacle of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the receptacle of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a side view of an exemplary side wall of one of the recesses provided in the receptacle of Figure 1, and

Figure 9 is a side view of a scalpel.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

It is noted that the medical instrument of the present invention may include a scalpel, a pair of scissors or any other type of elongate medical instruments with a sharp portion.

Referring to Figures 1 to 7, a receptacle 10 for holding a scalpel 12, for example, is shown. As shown in Figure 9, the scalpel 12 has a sharp portion in the form of a blade 14 and a handle portion 16 with a certain thickness indicated by A-A.

As best shown in Figures 1, 6 and 7, the receptacle 10 has two corresponding recesses 18 & 20 which are designed to receive the sharp and handle portions 14 & 16 of the scalpel 12, respectively. The receptacle 10 also has a guiding means in the form of a web 22 which is downwardly curved towards the recesses 18 & 20 to guide the scalpel 12 placed in the receptacle 10 into the recesses 18 & 20. The web 22 defines a cavity 44.

Each of the recesses 18, 20 has a selected depth which is defined by a pair of side walls and a floor. For example, as shown in Figures 1 and 8, the recess 18 has a side wall 24 and a floor 26. The selected depth indicated by B-B as shown in Figure 8 is measured from the floor 26 to the highest point 28. The depth B-B in this example is twice as deep as the thickness A-A of the handle portion 16 of the scalpel 12. It should however be noted that the depth B-B may be more than double the thickness A-A such that three of more scalpels may be held within the recesses 18 & 20.

As best shown in Figures 1, 6 and 7, the receptacle 10 has a pair of external curved walls 30 & 32. The external walls 30 & 32 meet at the front end 34 and diverge towards the rear (opposite) end 36 of the receptacle 10. This rear end 36 is designed to be substantially wider than the front 34 such that when the medical instrument is a pair of scissors for example, the finger grips thereof can be accommodation within the interior of the receptacle 10 at the rear end 36.

Referring to Figures 1 and 7, a pair of indents 38 & 40 is provided near an upper edge 42 of the web 22 towards the rear end 36 of the receptacle. The pair of indents 38 & 40 are provided to support the finger grips (usually in the form of loops) when the receptacle is a pair of scissors.

As best shown in Figures 1 & 7, the curved web 22 has a trough 42 at its bottom. The trough 42 divides the two recesses 18 & 20 and functions to facilitate access to the scalpel 12.

Now that a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in some detail, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the receptacle of the present invention may offer at least the following advantages: 1. it is capable of holding more than one type of sharp medical instrument; 2. it is capable of holding one than one scalpel at a time; 3. it provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance; 4. it enables a user to place a sharp instrument into the receptacle within paying specific attention; and 5. it enables the user to retrieve the sharp instrument easily without the danger of coming into contact with the sharp portion of the instrument and getting injured.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. For example, each of the recesses may have a selected depth which is three or more times as deep as the thickness of the handle portion of the medical instrument. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

Claims

Claims

1. A receptacle for holding a medical instrument having a sharp portion and a handle portion with a certain thickness, the receptacle including: two corresponding recesses adapted to receive the sharp and handle portions of the medical instrument, respectively; and guiding means adapted to guide the medical instrument placed in the receptacle into the recesses; wherein each of the recesses has a selected depth which is at least twice as deep as the thickness of the handle portion of the medical instrument.
2. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein each recess is defined by a pair of side walls and a floor.
3. The receptacle of claim 2, wherein the selected depth is measured from the floor to the highest point of the side walls.
4. The receptacle of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guiding means is in the form of a web.
5. The receptacle of claim 4, wherein the web is downwardly curved towards the recesses.
6. The receptacle of claim 5, which includes a pair of external walls which meet at one end and diverge towards an opposite end of the receptacle.
7. The receptacle of claim 6, wherein each of the diverging external walls has a curved contour.
8. The receptacle of either claim 6 or 7, wherein a pair of indents is provided near an upper edge of the web towards the opposite end of the receptacle.
9. The receptacle of any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the curved web includes a trough adapted to facilitate access to the medical instrument.
10. The receptacle of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the medical instrument includes a scalpel or a pair of scissors.
11. A receptacle for holding a medical instrument with a sharp portion, the receptacle including: a first recess adapted to receive the sharp portion of the medical instrument; and a pair of external walls; wherein the external walls meet at one end of the medical instrument and diverge towards an opposite end.
12. The receptacle of claim 11, which includes guiding means adapted to guide the sharp portion of the medical instrument placed in the receptacle into the recess.
13. The receptacle of claim 12, wherein the guiding means includes a web defining a cavity.
14. The receptacle of claim 13, wherein the web is curved.
15. The receptacle of any one of claims 11 to 14, which includes a second recess, both the first and second recesses being provided in the cavity.
16. The receptacle of any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein each of the diverging external walls has a curved contour.
17. A receptacle substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.