AU2020405624A1

AU2020405624A1 - First aid container

Info

Publication number: AU2020405624A1
Application number: AU2020405624A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gareth Horsfall; Marcus Horsfall
Original assignee: Vivaquip Pty Ltd T/as Fastaid
Current assignee: Vivaquip Pty Ltd T/as Fastaid
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2020-12-19
Publication date: 2022-08-18
Also published as: WO2021119722A1; EP4076323A1; AU2019101663A4; EP4076323A4

Abstract

A first-aid container comprising a pre-determined position for receiving at least one first-aid item, the position including a first indicia associated with the item, wherein when the item is located at the position, the item is substantially aligned with the first indicia.

Description

FIRST AID CONTAINER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a first-aid container. In particular, the present invention relates to a first-aid container which visually assists a user in determining if items in the first-aid container have been used.

Background of the Invention

The following references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the following prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.

Currently, first-aid bags or kits typically have a variety of different medical items such as bandages, gloves, cold packs and the like, placed into the bag in a disorganised manner. This often renders it difficult for first-aid officers or a person who has the responsibility to maintain the kits to ensure that the kits include sufficient supplies, and conform with workplace health and safety regulations. It is often difficult to determine if an item has expired or if the kit requires re-stocking, without extensive time and effort. Thus for example, often kits are completely emptied out in order to audit the items therein for re stocking, which can take time. It can be appreciated that if first-aid kits/containers are not re-stocked appropriately, this can be detrimental to health and safety, particularly in a work-place environment. The present invention seeks to provide a first-aid container which may ameliorate the foregoing shortcomings and disadvantages or which will at least provide a useful alternative. Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect, there is provided herein a first-aid container, the container comprising a pre-determined position associated with a first-aid item, wherein when in the first-aid container, the first-aid item is located or received at the pre-determined position.

According to another aspect, there is provided herein a first-aid container or apparatus, the container comprising a pre-determined position for receiving at least one first-aid item, the position including a first indicia associated with the item, such that the indicia indicates positioning of the item within the first-aid container.

According to another aspect, there is provided herein a first-aid container, the container comprising a pre-determined position for receiving at least one first- aid item, the position including a first indicia associated with the item, wherein when the item is located at the position, the item is substantially aligned with the first indicia.

It will thus be appreciated that if an item is missing or expired, it may be readily visible to a user of the first-aid container.

According to one example, the item includes a second indicia such that when the item is located at the position, the first indicia corresponds to or is aligned with the second indicia.

In yet another example, the container has a divider, the first indicia being disposed along at least a portion of the divider and the second indicia being disposed on a front-facing side of the item, such that when the item is placed near or next to the divider, the second indicia is near or next to the first indicia on the divider such that the first indicia and the second indicia are substantially aligned. According to another form, the second indicia extends a width of the front facing side of the item, and such that a width of the first indicia and the second indicia are approximately equal.

According to yet a further example, the container is configured to receive a plurality of first-aid items, the plurality of first-aid items being classified in accordance with an item type, the first indicia and second indicia being indicative of the item type.

In another example, at least some of the plurality of items having packaging associated with the item type. According to another example, the second indicia is disposed on the packaging. In another example, classification in accordance with item type includes any one or a combination of: a colour classification system; and, a unique identifier. Thus, for example, the first and second indicia can be used to indicate the item type, classification, expiry date, and/or positional information in the container.

According to another example, the packaging includes a tear-away section for indicating use of the item.

In yet another example, the container is substantially rectangular in shape. In one example, the container is hard-shelled, whereas in another example, container is a soft bag.

According to another aspect, there is provided herein a first-aid item for a first- aid container, the first-aid container having a pre-determined position for receiving the first-aid item, the position including a first indicia associated with the item, wherein when the item is located at the position, the item is substantially aligned with the first indicia.

According to another aspect, there is provided herein a first-aid container, the container comprising a pre-determined position for receiving at least one first- aid item, such that when the item is located at the position, a front-facing side of the item is visible.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that any combination of features, aspects, or examples described herein is possible. 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 front view of an example first-aid container, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; Figures 2 to 5 are photographic images of examples of a hard cover first-aid container, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; and,

Figures 6 to 10 are photographic images of examples of a soft cover first-aid container, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.

Detailed Description

There is provided herein a first-aid container or apparatus.

According to one example, there is provided herein a first-aid container, which comprises a pre-determined position associated with a first-aid item, wherein when in the first-aid container, the first-aid item is located or received at the pre-determined position.

According to one example, the container comprises a pre-determined position for receiving at least one first-aid item, the position including a first indicia associated with the item, such that the indicia indicates positioning of the item within the first-aid container.

Typically, the first-aid item can be located at the position, such that the item is substantially aligned with the first indicia. According to one example, the first- aid item can include a second indicia such that when the item is located at the position, the first indicia corresponds to or is aligned with the second indicia.

According to another example, the container can have a divider, such that the first indicia is disposed along at least a portion of the divider, or on the divider, and the second indicia is disposed on a front-facing side of the item, such that when the item is placed near, on, or next to the divider, the second indicia is near or next to the first indicia on the divider such that the first indicia and the second indicia are substantially aligned or matched. In one specific example, the second indicia can extend a width of the front facing side of the item, and such that a width of the first indicia and the second indicia are approximately equal.

It will be appreciated that can receive a plurality of first-aid items. Thus, for example, the plurality of first-aid items can be formed to be placed adjacent each other contiguously or sequentially in a pre-determined organisation, depending on their pre-determined positions.

In one specific example, the plurality of first-aid items can be classified in accordance with a type of first-aid item, where the first indicia and second indicia are indicative of the type of first aid item. Thus, for example, the one or more first-aid items can also comprise of packaging associated with or dependent on the item type. Accordingly, the second indicia can be disposed on the packaging.

It will be appreciated that the one or more first aid-items can be classified in accordance with any one or a combination of: a colour classification system; and, a unique identifier system, typically depending on the type of first-aid item. Thus, the first and second indicia can indicate any one or a combination of first-aid item type; classification of the first-aid item; expiry date of the first and item; and, positional information of the first-aid item in the container.

As an example, indicating or classifying the first-aid item type can include classifying in accordance with the use of the first-aid item, the type of injury, and/or or medical need.

In a further example, the first and second indicia can include primary and secondary indicators, where the primary indicator determines a type or category of first-aid item, and the secondary indicator determines a sub-type or sub-category of first-aid item.

It will also be appreciated that the packaging can include a tear-away section for indicating use of the item, although it will be appreciated that other forms of indicia (such as a third indicia) can be used to indicate use of an item. It will be appreciated that although any shape of container is possible, according to one example, the container is substantially rectangular in shape (or a rectangular prims or parallelepiped). In one particular example, packaged first-aid items can be placed contiguously in an order determined by their predetermined locations in the container. Further, although the container can be made of any material, in one example, the container can be hard-shelled or a soft bag.

More specific examples of a first-aid container or apparatus is shown in Figures 1 to 10.

According to a particular example, as shown in Figure 1 , the first-aid container 5 includes a pre-determined position 25 for receiving at least one first-aid item 10. Typically, the position 25 includes a first indicia 20 associated with the item 10, such that when the item 10 is located at the position 25, the item 10 is substantially aligned or matched with or corresponds to the first indicia 20. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that by having a pre- determined position 25 whereby the item 10 is located, it may be easier to determine visually if the item 10 is missing from the container 5. Thus, according to another example, placing the first aid item at the predetermined position can allow for a front-facing side 35 of the item 10 to be visible.

In these examples, the item 10 can include a second indicia 15 such that when the item 10 is located at the position 25, the first indicia 20 corresponds to or is aligned with the second indicia 15.

In these examples, the container also includes a divider 30. The first indicia 20 is typically disposed along at least a portion of the divider 30 and the second indicia 15 is disposed on a front-facing side 35 of the item 10, such that when the item 10 is placed near or next to the divider 30, the second indicia 15 is near or next to the first indicia 20 on the divider 30 so that the first indicia 20 and the second indicia 15 are substantially aligned or matched.

According to a more specific example, the second indicia 20 can extend a width 40 of the front-facing side 35 of the item 10, such that a width of the first indicia 20 and the second indicia 15 are approximately equal. Furthermore, the container 5 can be configured to receive a plurality of first-aid items 10, where the items 10 are classified in accordance with an item type, and further can also be classified in accordance with an item sub-type. In this example, the first indicia 20 and second indicia 15 are typically indicative of the item type.

Classifying the items 10 by type and/or sub-type can be in any suitable form, such as for example, any one or a combination of a colour classification system and/or a unique identifier system.

Thus, for example, in a first-aid container 5 having medical items 10, the items 10 can be grouped/classified in accordance with the type of item (such as the particular first-aid item depending on what the item is used for) and an indicia may then be applied accordingly. As can be seen in the examples of Figures 2 to 10, the dividers 30 can be shelves or the like, which separate items 10. Further, items are grouped by type - for example, in a medical or first-aid kit, dressings may all be the same colour, whereas bandages may be another colour. The colours of the packaging that the items/products 10 come in will then be the indicia which is then replicated on the divider 30 so that the products are placed in their specific pre-determined positions accordingly.

Thus, for example, the packaging of products can be colour-coded, where the colour-coding is associated with a grouping of the contents of the products, such that the grouping is associated with or relevant to particular use /injury (that is, an item type). Examples of colour-coding relation to particular item/product type can include green for plasters, purple for bandages, blue for eye-care, yellow for dressings, orange for antiseptics and wound-cleansing, grey for instruments and other miscellaneous items, red for burns, pink for tapes, and light blue for resuscitation.

Other types of classifications using letters/numbers or other forms of unique identifiers can also be used. For example, all bandages may be assigned the letter “B” and depending on the number of boxes of bandages, they can be identified as B1, B2,... BN., etc. Thus, particular groupings or classifications may be provided a unique identifier with the same letter and variation in number, or vice versa to further indicate a sub-type of the first-aid item.

In a further example, both colour-coding and unique identifiers can be used together. Thus, for example, the indicia (both first and second indicia) can have primary and secondary indicators where the primary indicator can identify a category or type of first-aid item, and the secondary indicator can identify a sub-category or sub-type. In this example, the colour-coding of items can be a primary indicator of the type of item, and a further unique-identifier (such as an alpha-numeric identifier) can be used as a secondary indicator of the sub-type or sub-category of the item. Thus, it will be appreciated that the pre-determined position of the item within the container can thus be determined based on the primary and secondary indicators and items can be matched/aligned to their position accordingly, thereby organising first-aid items in categories and sub-categories.

It will thus be appreciated that, at least some of the plurality of items 10 can include packaging associated with the item type, and the second indicia 15 can thus be disposed on the packaging.

According to another example, in order to allow for missing items or expired items to be identifiable expeditiously, it will be appreciated that the height of the packaging for all products can be made to be uniform or equal. Accordingly, if there is an item missing, it can be easily identifiable. In terms of packaging size, it will be appreciated that the packages described herein are not limited to a particular size, however, can be made available in any suitable form which allows the packages to be neatly packed within the container. As an example, the packages may be provided in three different sizes - 20mm, 40mm, and 60mm, for each type of medical item/product, as required.

According to another example, the packaging of the items 10 can include a tear-away section or portion 45 (shown in Figure 2). The tear-away section can indicate use of the item 10, so that users can be aware that the packaging has been opened and items therein have been used. Thus, in one example, the tear-away section can include perforations in the packaging that weaken the packaging in the particular tear-away section, and allow for that particular section to be torn away or opened. It will be appreciated that other forms of indicia (such as other forms of visual indicia) can be used on the packaging to indicate use of a first-aid item.

According to yet further examples, and as specifically shown in Figures 1 to 10, the packaging of the first-aid items can be formed as a rectangular prim or the like, where when placed on a divider of the container, a side of the packaging faces towards the user and a base of the item is placed on the divider such that the indicia on the front-facing side is at or near the base of the item. In this specific example, the indicia on the packaging and the divider can also be substantially rectangular in shape such that when the item is placed on the divider, the first and second indicia are matched/correspond to each other accordingly. It will be appreciated that, in this particular example, the divider can be a shelf, which can be used to divide first-aid items in accordance with their position and/or classification. As an example, first-aid items can be colour-coded by category and then further arranged by subcategories (sub-types), such that the items are placed contiguously on the shelf, in their pre-determined position. Thus, the dividers/shelving can be used to separate items or their pre-determined positions as required.

In this particular example, the first-aid items are aligned such that they are substantially vertical, or aligned vertically with respect to each other. Further in this example, the first-aid items are aligned contiguously, parallel to each other. Additionally, they are typically of the same height which can provide a well-organised appearance as well as further adding to the visual need of a user being able to easily identify a missing item. However, it will be appreciated that many different shapes are possible and the shapes of the packaging or indicia are not limited to rectangular or square-like shapes.

In yet a further example, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that other information in relation to the item can be disposed on the front-facing side of the packaging. For example, the front-facing side can further include expiry date information in relation to the product/item within the packaging. Thus it can be easy for users of the first-aid container to easily identify if a product is near to or passed its expiry date and thus re-stock the kit as required.

Other information that can be provided on the front-facing side 35 of the packaging can include other types of visual indicators. For example, the packaging may include expiry indicators such as coloured stickers which change colour over time, thus providing a visual indication of whether a product has expired or is close to expiry. It will be appreciated that supplying information on the front-facing side of the packaging can make it clearer and easier for users in managing the first-aid kit.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the first indicia can be disposed at any location on the container and is not limited to a divider or the like. As an example, the first indicia can be located on a rear-wall of the container such that when the first-ait item is placed in its pre-determined position, a back-facing side of the first-aid item corresponds to the associated indicia.

As a further example, the container can include a look-up table or the like, which indicates the pre-determined location of a first-aid item in the container. The look-up table can be a reference for a user placing an item in the container so that the user can dispose the item in its pre-determined location, as indicated on the look-up table.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the container 5 can be of any shape. According to one particular example, the container 5 is substantially rectangular in shape.

Further, the container 5 can be made of any material. According to one particular example, the container 5 can be made of a hard-case, as shown in Figures 2 to 5. It will be appreciated that the hard-case container can be configured to be hung or provided on a wall, and can include a lid that can be readily opened such that the items therein can be accessed. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 6 to 10, the container 5 can be made of a soft material.

Thus, the container can be a portable first-aid container, or one that is fixed to a specific location and accessed as required.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled the art that the first-aid container/apparatus described herein can include a number of visual indicators to allow first-aid users to effectively and efficiently use the container/apparatus. These indicators can include indicia (such as positional indicia matched to a location for storing/holding first-aid items in the container), indication of use of the first-aid items (such as through a tear-away portion of the packaging), and pre-determined package size and pre-determined positioning or placement of the first-aid item whereby a user can easily visually identify if a particular item is missing in the first-aid container.

It will also be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the first-aid container described herein can provide advantages, including and not limited to:

- Users being able to easily locate items in an emergency, easily identify missing, used or expired items, as well as reduce the time and cost associated with refiling the kit/container.

- Making it easy to identify through colour-coded contents what product/item may be required for a particular type of injury or medical emergency. Thus, for example, if a person administering the first-aid does not understand the different product types, by following the colour- coded guide of what each type of product is for, they may then be able to determine which item/product to use in a particular emergency situation

- Providing a visual guide for faster use of the products/items in an emergency

- Indicia/indicators provided on the container/product can allow for refilling/re-stocking of the container to be done expeditiously and further, allows for the kit to be maintained as required by any first-aid guideline or regulation. The term “comprise” and variants of that term such as “comprises” or “comprising” are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or integers but not to exclude any other integer or integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. 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

1. A first-aid container, the container comprising a pre-determined position associated with a first-aid item, wherein when in the first-aid container, the first-aid item is located or received at the pre-determined position.

2. The container of claim 1 , wherein the position includes a first indicia associated with the item, such that the first indicia indicates positioning of the item within the first-aid container.

3. The container of claim 2, wherein when the first-aid item is located at the position, the item is substantially aligned with the first indicia.

4. The container of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the item includes a second indicia such that when the item is located at the position, the first indicia corresponds to or is aligned with the second indicia.

5. The container of claim 4, wherein the container has a divider, such that the first indicia is disposed along at least a portion of the divider and the second indicia is disposed on a front-facing side of the item, such that when the item is placed near, on, or next to the divider, the second indicia is near or next to the first indicia on the divider such that the first indicia and the second indicia are substantially aligned or matched.

6. The container of claim 5, wherein the second indicia extends a width of the front-facing side of the item, and such that a width of the first indicia and the second indicia are approximately equal.

7. The container of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the container is configured to receive a plurality of first-aid items, the plurality of first-aid items being classified in accordance with a type of first-aid item, where the first indicia and second indicia are indicative of the type of first aid item.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein at least some of the plurality of items comprise of packaging associated with the item type.

9. The container of claim 8, wherein the second indicia is disposed on the packaging.

10. The container of any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the plurality of first- aid items are classified in accordance with any one or a combination of: a colour classification system; and, a unique identifier system.

11. The container of any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the first and second indicia indicate any one or a combination of first-aid item type; classification of the first-aid item; expiry date of the first and item; and, positional information of the first-aid item in the container.

12. The container of claim 11 , wherein indicating or classifying the first-aid item type includes classifying in accordance with the use of the first-aid item, the type of injury, and/or or medical need.

13. The container of claim 12, wherein the first and second indicia include primary and secondary indicators, the primary indicators determining a type of first-aid item, and the secondary indicator determining a sub- type of first-aid item.

14. The container of claim 8, wherein the packaging includes a tear-away section for indicating use of the item.

15. The container of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the container is substantially rectangular in shape.

16. The container of claim 15, when dependent on claim 8, wherein packaged first-aid items are placed contiguously in an order determined by their predetermined locations in the container.

17. The container of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the container is hard-shelled.

18. The container of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the container is a soft bag.