CA1299548C - Receptacle for storage and disposal of potentially injurious implements such as used scalpel blades hypodermic needles and the like - Google Patents
Receptacle for storage and disposal of potentially injurious implements such as used scalpel blades hypodermic needles and the likeInfo
- Publication number
- CA1299548C CA1299548C CA000528903A CA528903A CA1299548C CA 1299548 C CA1299548 C CA 1299548C CA 000528903 A CA000528903 A CA 000528903A CA 528903 A CA528903 A CA 528903A CA 1299548 C CA1299548 C CA 1299548C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- receptacle
- opening
- implements
- containment
- drop
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
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Landscapes
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
A self-contained receptacle for safely storing potentially dangerous implements, for example, hypodermic needles and scalpel blades includes a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member; the top member has an opening proportioned to receive a desired size of implements, a guide member extending generally angularly downwardly from the top member generally along one edge of the opening and a back-drop/stop member extending down-wardly from the top member on the other side of the opening adjacent to which the guide member is mounted; the back-drop/stop and guide members have distal edges which form a slot-like gap for aligning implements thereat in a generally horizontal orientation such that implements inserted through the opening are aligned in a generally horizontal orientation at the slot-like gap, thereafter to drop into the containment member for side-by-side stacking with other imple-ments deposited therein; the receptacle permits safe storage and ultimate disposal of potentially injurious or contaminated implements which pose a risk of causing infection or even disease by exposure to such implements.
A self-contained receptacle for safely storing potentially dangerous implements, for example, hypodermic needles and scalpel blades includes a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member; the top member has an opening proportioned to receive a desired size of implements, a guide member extending generally angularly downwardly from the top member generally along one edge of the opening and a back-drop/stop member extending down-wardly from the top member on the other side of the opening adjacent to which the guide member is mounted; the back-drop/stop and guide members have distal edges which form a slot-like gap for aligning implements thereat in a generally horizontal orientation such that implements inserted through the opening are aligned in a generally horizontal orientation at the slot-like gap, thereafter to drop into the containment member for side-by-side stacking with other imple-ments deposited therein; the receptacle permits safe storage and ultimate disposal of potentially injurious or contaminated implements which pose a risk of causing infection or even disease by exposure to such implements.
Description
~9~s~ ~
¦ BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present .invention re~ates generally to receptacles, containers and the like, and, more particularly, to receptacles for safe storage and ultimate disposal o~
potentially injurious or contaminated implements such as used scalpel blades, hypodermic ~eedles and like devices which pose i a risk of causing infection or even disease by exposure to such implements.
l With the advent of disposable medical implements such .
10 1 as surgical tools, hypodermic needles, scalpel blades and other :
I sharp implements, a need has developed for a receptacle tQ
i safely store, and safely handle for disposal, such implements ,~ after use without risk of e~posing people t~ injury, infection ~ made. The tragic outbreak of the highly contagious AIDS
i4~3 1 I disease has dramatically highlighted the need for safer ~ I handling, storage and disposal of such implements.
3 'I In the ease of disposable hypodermic needles, it had 4 i been common practice to break or cut the needles prior to 5 !¦ discarding the needle and syri~ge in order tG reduce the siæe 6 ¦ of the overall needle/syringe device and to eliminate the sharp 7 1 point from the needle to reduce the rlsk of injury which might B ~ otherwise result from handling. In breaking or cutting the 9 1 needles, however, a substantial danger exists of accidental 10 ¦ puncture during the breaking or cutting operation, thus 11 ¦ exposing the holder to possible injury and, further, to ¦
12 1 possible infection or disease as a result of such puncture. In 13 addition, any residual medication in the needle can splatter 14 onto the person or his clothes and there is a further danger that potentially harmful fumes can be inhaled. The blades of 16 the cutting tool also become a breedin~ ground for germs, 17 bacteria and other disease-causing micro-organisms to which the 18 unsuspecting person cuttin~ the needle is unnecessarily e~posed.
19 Recently, an even yreater danger has been recognized in connection with the handling an~ dismantling of used needles 21 and other sharp medical implements. It is now recognized that 22 certain di~eases, most notably Hepatitis B, can be transmitted 23 by covert percutaneous -- i.e., by merely contacting the 24 contamin~ted needle or implement.
As a result of the foreyoing dangers, the preferred 26 current practice is to dispose of such devices intact, without 27 dismantling them. Often, hypodermic needles are re-capped 28 after use with the protective sheaths used durin~ shipmen _, ,. ._. . = . .. ~
29 the manufacturer, in order to prevent injury while carrying the device to a suitable disposal unit. This practice itsel, ~ I
;4~3 however, often results in puncture wounds suffered while re-capping the needle point. Because of this danger it is now recommended that needles not be re-sheathed after use.
Although certain proposals have been advanced for eliminating some of the risks involved in the handling, storage and disposal of hypodermic needles and other sharp medical implements, they generall~ do not o~ercome all of the dangers.
In fact, they themselves can become the source of other pro-blems. For example, there are several specially designed con-tainers for storing used hypodermic needles, including somemade of all plastic and some made of all cardboard, as identi-fied, for example, in Canadian Patent 1,248,925, issued January 17, 1989, and Canadian Patent 1,265,770, issued February 13, 1990, both of John Bruno.
Although such specially designed devices provide adequate results under certain circumstances, they do suffer certain disadvantages as explained in my aforesaid copending applications. Of particular concern is the fact that in virtually all of these containers, either the entire syringe/-needle or the syringe with the needle stub is dropped verti-cally into the containers, thus creating a haphazard distri-bution of needles in the container. Such distribution usually results in an inefficiently filled container and can be the cause of possible injur to the user who may attempt to reach into the receptacle to rearrange the implements and make room for additional implements. Furthermore, the containers will likely end up in a dangerously overfilled condition wherein personnel will attempt to "stuff" more devices than can j: ~
J~r~
1,1 1 1~ be safely handled and thereby result in a ~serious risk of puncture.
¦ BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present .invention re~ates generally to receptacles, containers and the like, and, more particularly, to receptacles for safe storage and ultimate disposal o~
potentially injurious or contaminated implements such as used scalpel blades, hypodermic ~eedles and like devices which pose i a risk of causing infection or even disease by exposure to such implements.
l With the advent of disposable medical implements such .
10 1 as surgical tools, hypodermic needles, scalpel blades and other :
I sharp implements, a need has developed for a receptacle tQ
i safely store, and safely handle for disposal, such implements ,~ after use without risk of e~posing people t~ injury, infection ~ made. The tragic outbreak of the highly contagious AIDS
i4~3 1 I disease has dramatically highlighted the need for safer ~ I handling, storage and disposal of such implements.
3 'I In the ease of disposable hypodermic needles, it had 4 i been common practice to break or cut the needles prior to 5 !¦ discarding the needle and syri~ge in order tG reduce the siæe 6 ¦ of the overall needle/syringe device and to eliminate the sharp 7 1 point from the needle to reduce the rlsk of injury which might B ~ otherwise result from handling. In breaking or cutting the 9 1 needles, however, a substantial danger exists of accidental 10 ¦ puncture during the breaking or cutting operation, thus 11 ¦ exposing the holder to possible injury and, further, to ¦
12 1 possible infection or disease as a result of such puncture. In 13 addition, any residual medication in the needle can splatter 14 onto the person or his clothes and there is a further danger that potentially harmful fumes can be inhaled. The blades of 16 the cutting tool also become a breedin~ ground for germs, 17 bacteria and other disease-causing micro-organisms to which the 18 unsuspecting person cuttin~ the needle is unnecessarily e~posed.
19 Recently, an even yreater danger has been recognized in connection with the handling an~ dismantling of used needles 21 and other sharp medical implements. It is now recognized that 22 certain di~eases, most notably Hepatitis B, can be transmitted 23 by covert percutaneous -- i.e., by merely contacting the 24 contamin~ted needle or implement.
As a result of the foreyoing dangers, the preferred 26 current practice is to dispose of such devices intact, without 27 dismantling them. Often, hypodermic needles are re-capped 28 after use with the protective sheaths used durin~ shipmen _, ,. ._. . = . .. ~
29 the manufacturer, in order to prevent injury while carrying the device to a suitable disposal unit. This practice itsel, ~ I
;4~3 however, often results in puncture wounds suffered while re-capping the needle point. Because of this danger it is now recommended that needles not be re-sheathed after use.
Although certain proposals have been advanced for eliminating some of the risks involved in the handling, storage and disposal of hypodermic needles and other sharp medical implements, they generall~ do not o~ercome all of the dangers.
In fact, they themselves can become the source of other pro-blems. For example, there are several specially designed con-tainers for storing used hypodermic needles, including somemade of all plastic and some made of all cardboard, as identi-fied, for example, in Canadian Patent 1,248,925, issued January 17, 1989, and Canadian Patent 1,265,770, issued February 13, 1990, both of John Bruno.
Although such specially designed devices provide adequate results under certain circumstances, they do suffer certain disadvantages as explained in my aforesaid copending applications. Of particular concern is the fact that in virtually all of these containers, either the entire syringe/-needle or the syringe with the needle stub is dropped verti-cally into the containers, thus creating a haphazard distri-bution of needles in the container. Such distribution usually results in an inefficiently filled container and can be the cause of possible injur to the user who may attempt to reach into the receptacle to rearrange the implements and make room for additional implements. Furthermore, the containers will likely end up in a dangerously overfilled condition wherein personnel will attempt to "stuff" more devices than can j: ~
J~r~
1,1 1 1~ be safely handled and thereby result in a ~serious risk of puncture.
3 ¦ As set out in my aforesaid co-pen~ing applications, 4 1 the receptacles and containers disclosed therein (also sold 5 ¦ under the mark "D.D.BOX" by D.D.Bo~ Inc. o:E PatPrson, New ¦ Jersey and Highland Beach, Florida) overcome virtually all of 7 ¦ the foregoing drawbacks. However, even with the advantages 8 1 achieved by my previous containers and receptacles, some 9 1 hospital administrators and other medical personnel still .
express a desire for a self-contained, all-plastic 1l storage/disposal container which will provide protection 12 against injury from or contact with discarded implements and 13 still allow horizontal drop of implements as in my previous 14 containers and receptacle assemblies.
: 15 One all-plastic container which attempts to provide a 16 unitary, all-plastic, horizontal drop cont~iner is ~old by l? Frontier Plastics under the designation ~Sharpsafe". Although 18 the ~Sharpsafe" devi~e provides generally adequate results in 19 certain applications, it does suffer some notab~e drawbacks, 2Q For esample, although it includes a slanted-wall chute at its 21 opening to permit horizontal deposit of used needles, it 22 .provides no means for ensuring that the needles will remain in 23 a horizontal orientation as the~ fall into the ~ontainer. In 24 addition, there is no means for preventing a person either ~rom inserting a needle in a vertical or other non-horizontal .
26 orientation or from reachin~ into the container so as to risk 27 possible puncture or i~jury. Moreover, a person ha5 to rely on 28 his.or her visual depth perception when looking into the 29 opening to determine whether the container has reachecl a filled or overfilled condition, and, it is not di~ficult to try to 9~548 I 1.
1 remove implements from the container by reaching into it ~ !¦ especially when filled or overfilled. It also involves three 3 I separate parts that are assembled by a somewhat complicated 4 'i! interfitting arrangement.
5 1~ Accordingly, it is an object of ~he present invention 6 !i to provide a new and improved receptacle for storage and 7 disposal of hypodermic needles, scalpels and other sharp or 8 pointed implements which pose a hPalth risk by reason of 9 injury, puncture or even mere contact (hereinafter referred to collectively as "potentially injurious implements", or simply 11 "disposable implements"). It is another object of the present 12 ~ invention to provide a new and improved receptacle for storing 13 potentially injurious implements, which is sturdy and resistant 14 to puncture by the implements retained therein, yet permits conven~ent and complete disposal of the implements together 16 with the receptacle.
17 It is also an object of the invention to provide a new 18 and improved receptacle for storage and disposal of potentially 19 injurious implements, which is adapted to receive implements in a compact side-by-side horizontal configuration for maximum 21 storage capacity. It is another object of the invention to 22 provide such a receptacle which substantially prevents 23 implements stored therein from fal}ing out after closure of the 24 receptacle, and which provides a permanently sealable disposable container which can be conveniently discarded in an 26 appropriate disposal facility, In addition, it is an object of 27 the invention to provide such a receptacle which prevents a _2~ ~e___n ~ b~ o~g~o~c~g~oh lm~ m~ hi~ hsc__ _ _ 29 receptacle.
s4~ i l , It is yet a further object of the present invention to i provide a new and improved receptacle for ~storing potentially 3 injurious implements, which is compact, and can be conveniently ' 4 !I mounted to any wall or other desired structure, yet can also be 5 '¦ decorated for produciny an attractive receptacle which can be 6 ¦ i~stalled in docto~ ofices, patient rooms or other hospital 7 i area~. !
8 It is still another object of the invention to provide 9 a new and improved receptacle for storing potentially injurious I implements, which remains open and accessible for deposit of ll ~ implements, yet passively prevents hand entry into th~
12 I receptacle without requiring any moving parts such as a door, 13 ¦ lid or like closure membsr which must be ope~ed and closed each 14 I time it is used.
15 ¦ It is still a further object of the invention to 16 povide such a receptacle which permits simply placing the 17 ¦ potentially injurious implements at the opening of the 18 ¦ receptacle and ensures that each implement wil~ be deposited i~
l9 a horizontal orientation into the receptacle for efficient 23 side-by side stacking of implements, and prevents a person from 21 depositing such an implement in a ve~rtical or other 22 j non-horizontal orientation. In addition, it is an object of 23 I the invention to permit such~simple deposit of the implements 24 I while substantially preventing a person's hand from reaching 25 ~ inside the receptacle.
26 1 It is yet another object of the invention to provide 27 ¦ such a receptacle which facilitates a person's ability to _~ easily rei_ognize when -e rec-~t~cl- has b- ts 29 j intended capacity or has reached an overfill or dangerous 30 1 overfill condition. Furthermore, it is an object o~ the~
~ I
1 1! invention to provide a small co~partment which allows the ¦ receptacle to be safely overfilled with a few additional 3 1¦ implements when, for example, there may be insufficient time to 4 1¦ dispose of a filled receptacle and locate a ~resh one.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to ¦
6 1 provide a new and improved receptacle of the foregoing type 7 , which includes mounting means adapted to provide further 8 ¦ resistance to hand entry into the receptacle, yet still permits 9 ¦ easy visual detection of the overfill condition.
express a desire for a self-contained, all-plastic 1l storage/disposal container which will provide protection 12 against injury from or contact with discarded implements and 13 still allow horizontal drop of implements as in my previous 14 containers and receptacle assemblies.
: 15 One all-plastic container which attempts to provide a 16 unitary, all-plastic, horizontal drop cont~iner is ~old by l? Frontier Plastics under the designation ~Sharpsafe". Although 18 the ~Sharpsafe" devi~e provides generally adequate results in 19 certain applications, it does suffer some notab~e drawbacks, 2Q For esample, although it includes a slanted-wall chute at its 21 opening to permit horizontal deposit of used needles, it 22 .provides no means for ensuring that the needles will remain in 23 a horizontal orientation as the~ fall into the ~ontainer. In 24 addition, there is no means for preventing a person either ~rom inserting a needle in a vertical or other non-horizontal .
26 orientation or from reachin~ into the container so as to risk 27 possible puncture or i~jury. Moreover, a person ha5 to rely on 28 his.or her visual depth perception when looking into the 29 opening to determine whether the container has reachecl a filled or overfilled condition, and, it is not di~ficult to try to 9~548 I 1.
1 remove implements from the container by reaching into it ~ !¦ especially when filled or overfilled. It also involves three 3 I separate parts that are assembled by a somewhat complicated 4 'i! interfitting arrangement.
5 1~ Accordingly, it is an object of ~he present invention 6 !i to provide a new and improved receptacle for storage and 7 disposal of hypodermic needles, scalpels and other sharp or 8 pointed implements which pose a hPalth risk by reason of 9 injury, puncture or even mere contact (hereinafter referred to collectively as "potentially injurious implements", or simply 11 "disposable implements"). It is another object of the present 12 ~ invention to provide a new and improved receptacle for storing 13 potentially injurious implements, which is sturdy and resistant 14 to puncture by the implements retained therein, yet permits conven~ent and complete disposal of the implements together 16 with the receptacle.
17 It is also an object of the invention to provide a new 18 and improved receptacle for storage and disposal of potentially 19 injurious implements, which is adapted to receive implements in a compact side-by-side horizontal configuration for maximum 21 storage capacity. It is another object of the invention to 22 provide such a receptacle which substantially prevents 23 implements stored therein from fal}ing out after closure of the 24 receptacle, and which provides a permanently sealable disposable container which can be conveniently discarded in an 26 appropriate disposal facility, In addition, it is an object of 27 the invention to provide such a receptacle which prevents a _2~ ~e___n ~ b~ o~g~o~c~g~oh lm~ m~ hi~ hsc__ _ _ 29 receptacle.
s4~ i l , It is yet a further object of the present invention to i provide a new and improved receptacle for ~storing potentially 3 injurious implements, which is compact, and can be conveniently ' 4 !I mounted to any wall or other desired structure, yet can also be 5 '¦ decorated for produciny an attractive receptacle which can be 6 ¦ i~stalled in docto~ ofices, patient rooms or other hospital 7 i area~. !
8 It is still another object of the invention to provide 9 a new and improved receptacle for storing potentially injurious I implements, which remains open and accessible for deposit of ll ~ implements, yet passively prevents hand entry into th~
12 I receptacle without requiring any moving parts such as a door, 13 ¦ lid or like closure membsr which must be ope~ed and closed each 14 I time it is used.
15 ¦ It is still a further object of the invention to 16 povide such a receptacle which permits simply placing the 17 ¦ potentially injurious implements at the opening of the 18 ¦ receptacle and ensures that each implement wil~ be deposited i~
l9 a horizontal orientation into the receptacle for efficient 23 side-by side stacking of implements, and prevents a person from 21 depositing such an implement in a ve~rtical or other 22 j non-horizontal orientation. In addition, it is an object of 23 I the invention to permit such~simple deposit of the implements 24 I while substantially preventing a person's hand from reaching 25 ~ inside the receptacle.
26 1 It is yet another object of the invention to provide 27 ¦ such a receptacle which facilitates a person's ability to _~ easily rei_ognize when -e rec-~t~cl- has b- ts 29 j intended capacity or has reached an overfill or dangerous 30 1 overfill condition. Furthermore, it is an object o~ the~
~ I
1 1! invention to provide a small co~partment which allows the ¦ receptacle to be safely overfilled with a few additional 3 1¦ implements when, for example, there may be insufficient time to 4 1¦ dispose of a filled receptacle and locate a ~resh one.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to ¦
6 1 provide a new and improved receptacle of the foregoing type 7 , which includes mounting means adapted to provide further 8 ¦ resistance to hand entry into the receptacle, yet still permits 9 ¦ easy visual detection of the overfill condition.
10 ¦ It is also an object of the invention to provlde a 11 ¦ receptacle of the foregoing type which is adapted to permit 12 relatively simple but secure closure of the receptacle when 13 filled. Further, it is an object of the invention to provide 14 such a receptacle which is adapted to permit full c}osure even if the receptaclP has reached the overfilled or dangerously 16 overfilled condition.
17 The foregoing specific objects and advantages of the 18 invention are illustrative of those which can be achieved by 19 the present invention and are not intended to be e~haustive or limiting o~ the possible advantages which can be realized.
21 Thus, these and other objects and advantages of the invention 22 will be apparent from the description herein or can be learned 23 ~rom practicing the invention, both as eMbodied herein or as 24 modified in view of any variations which may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention 26 resides in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, 27 combinations and improvements herein shown and ~escribed.
2~_ .
_ 7 _ i s~
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention comprises a receptacle for the deposit, storage and ultimate disposal of disposable medical implements, which include a containment member adapted to store a plurality of implements and a top assembly securable to the containment member for forming the top por~ion of Ihe receptacle. The top assembly includes an opening for receiving implements to be stores in the receptacle, a guide member depending angularly downardly from adjacent one edge of the opening and a downwardly extending wall member, for 10 example a back-drop/stop member, depending downwardly from the top member along a portion of the opposite side of the opening from the guide member, with the distal edges of the downwardly extending wall member and guide member defining a slot-like gap wide enough to permit implements of predetermined size -to pass in a horizontal orientation into the contaiment portion.
As preferably embodied, a closure member is provided for sealing the opening in the top member after the receptacle is filled. In one embodiment, the closure member can be snap-fit over the opening, preferably along a recessed shoulder 20 formed along at least portions of the rim of the opening so that it is essentially flush with the top surface of the top member to resist prying open. In another embodiment, the closure member is pivotally mounted to the top member. The pivotal mounting may be accomplished either by a pin and recess arrangement or by forming the closure member integrally with the top member, attached by a reduced thickness web which forms a "living hinge" attachment.
Also as preferably embodied, an edge of the top member opening and the opposite, distal, edge of the guide member have ,.
1 i~ oppositely projecting jagged or serrated edging to deter hand 2 ll entry into the receptacle. Further advantageously, either or 3 ~¦ both of the top and containment members inolude a slotted 4 il flange to allow mountin~ to a wall bracket which, prefera~ly, 5 ¦ can be locked.
! According to a further preferred aspect of the 7 invention, the mounting flange is located along the edge 8 closest to the joinder of the sloping guide member. By such 9 location, the guide member not only blocks visual observation of the interior of the receptacle, but also increases the 11 difficulty for a person to attempt hand entry into the 12 ¦ receptacle, yet it still permits readily visible recognition of 13 an overfill condition.
14 As further preferably-embodied, the back-drop/stop is adapted to be rela~ively flexible so that it will yiel~ when 16 subjected to a force, such as needles being urged against it 17 when the closure member is closed against any needl~s that may 18 be located at the mouth of the receptacle opening. Such 19 fle~ibility may be provided either by tapering the back-drop/stop or by reducing the thickness of the 21 back-drop~stop along its line of joinder with the top member, 22 as by forming a weakened line of attachment.
23 It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art 24 that the foregoing brief description and the following d~tailed description are exemplary and e~planatory of the invention, but 26 are not intended to be restrictive thereo. Thus, the 27 accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constitllting a 28_ 29 and, together with the detailed description, serve to e~plain the principles of the invention.
_ 9 _ 1%9~:1548 .1 1 i ¦ 11 R . . F DE bG ll I ~= I 011 O' rllE I~RAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of one preferred 3 1 embodiment of a receptacle according to the present invention.
4 !I FIGURE 2 is a top view of the receptacle embodiment !I shown in Fig. 1.
¦¦ FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of 7 Fig. 2.
8 ¦ FIGURE 4 is an enlarged side view similar to E~IG. 3 9 1 illustrating how a person can easily inspect the receptacle to 0 l determine whether the receptacle has reached the fillad or 11 1 overfilled condition.
12 ¦ FIGURE 5 is another side view similar to FIG. g 13 t showing the closure sequence for the embodiment of receptacle 14 ~ illustrated in Figure 1.
FIGURE 6 is a top view of the receptaele embodiment .
16 shown in FIG. 1, showing how the invention prevents depo~it of .
1~ implements in a non-horizontal orientation.
18 ¦ FIGURE 7 is an isometric view of another preferred 19 embod-iment of a receptacle according to the present invention.
FIGURES 8 and 9 are front and side views, 21 respeotively, of a receptacle installed by wall mounting ~2 ¦ according to the present invention.
23 FIGURE 10 is an isometric view of still another 2~ preferred embodiment of receptacle accordin~ tQ the present invention.
26 FIGURE 11 is a sectional view of the top member of the 27 embodiment illustrated in FIG 10.
28 1 . FIGURES 1~ and 13 are side ~ie~_Q~ c~tac~e___. .
29 incorporating a preferred mounting arrangement accordin~ to the present invention.
,, ~.2~
.
1 I FIGURE 14 is a view similar to FIG. 12 illustrating ', preferred embodiment of back-drop/stop according to the present i 3 .j invention.
4 1 FIGURE 15A and l5B illustrate, respectîvely, a 1 preferred closure means and method of closure for the closure 6 member of the receptacle according to the present invcntion.
7 FIGURE 16 is a perspective view, with partial 8 cut-aways, of a preferred embodiment of the present invention 9 which incorporates various preferred features of the 0 embodiments described above with reference to Figures 1-15.
13 .
16 .
17 , 19 .
23 . I
24 . 1.
25 ~
. ~ _.
- ;l 5~8 1 1 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRE~ERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning now to the accompanyin~ drawings wherein like 3 reference characters refer to like parts throughout the various 4 '¦ views and in the various embodiments, there is shown in Figures 5 11 1-6, one preferred embodiment of the receptacle (indicated 6 ,¦ generally at 10~ for receiving and storing potentially 7 , injurious implements according to the present invention.
8 As here embodied, receptacle 10 comprises a 9 container-like housing which, for convenience of fabrication, includes a containment member (12) which provides sufficient 11 1 volume to enable storage of a desired number of implements, and 12 1 a top member (14) which provides means for safely depositing 13 1 the implements into the receptacle in a horizontal orientation 14 for efficient stora~e in the chamber portion while preventing a person from reaching his hand into t~e receptacle in ac~ordance 16 with the present invention. It will be understood that 17 containment member 12 is proportioned to accommodate any size 18 implement desired and any number thereof. Since the top and 19 containment member~ are aavantageously made separately for ease o~ fabrication (e.g., by simple two-part i~jection molding 21 techniques) they may preferably include an~ known ~eans for 22 securely attaching or loeking them together, such as 23 interlocking sear members (13a) formed on top member 14 and lip 24 members (indicated at 13b in Fi3. 11) formed along the top rim ~f containment member 12~
26 It will also be understood that the material and wall 27 thickness of containment member 12 should be seiected to ensure 28 tha~t none of_t~ ~mEL~ hl~d-~hQ~ oa~ ma~ ~ ' 29 cause poke-through. For example, for most commonly used thermoplastic materials, the wail thicknes5 should be at least l - 12 -1 l¦ about 40 thousanths of an inch ~0.040") thick and more ~ ¦I preferably at least about 50 thousanths of an inch (0.050") 3 thick. As preferably embodied, top member ~4 should likewise be made of a material and wall thickness which are su~ficiently ¦
strong and resilient to withstand the repeated deposit of 6 ¦ implements and provide a secure closure of the receptacle.
7 Advantageously, top member 14 includes a top wall 14a with two 8 ¦ oppositely disposed downwardly extending side walls 14b and two 9 ¦ oppositely disposed downwardly extending end walls 14c to 1 lockably engage the containment member. It will be understood 11 that the sear and lip engagements between top member 14 and the 12 1 upper rim of containment member 12 provide a secure interlock 13 between the two members while the continuous depending side and 14 end walls, 14b and 14c, provide a protective skirt around the top of containment member 12 to prevent access into the 16 receptacle along the line of joinder between these two members.
17 Top member 14 is adapted to recieve disposable 18 implements as large as 60 cc syringes yet prevent a person from 19 reaching his or her hand into the receptacle to touch the implements stored therein. To this end, the top member 14 21 includes a generally rectangular opening 16 which is at least 22 j long and wide enough to receive the largest implement 23 ~including the flange on a syringe~ desired to be stored in the 24 receptacle. Thus, for example, ~or a 60cc needle and syringe opening 16 ma~ be about 8-12 inches long and about 1 3~4-~ 1/2 26 inches wide.
27 ~dvantageously, guard tabs 18 may be formed along one 28 or both side edges of opening 16 to allow passage of the 29 implement while preventing access into the receptacle by a 30 ~ person's hand. A~vantageously, there are at least two guard i - 13 -i 1 I tabs and they are provided with sharply pointed distal edges~ ¦
as indicated at 18a in Figure 2. It will be understood that~ ¦
3 to ensure a person~s hand will not fit through opening 16 and 4 into the receptacle/ the spacing between adjacent gl-ard tabs 18 should be about 3 1/2-4 inches or less, and, the spacinq ¦
6 between the distal points 18a and the opposite edge of ~pening 7 16 should be no greater than about 1 1/8 inches which will 8 still allow 60cc syringes to pass through the opening.
9 Depending on the size of implements to be deposited in the receptacle, the distance between the distal edge of guide panel 11 22 and the top wall 14a rnay be as much as about 1 1~2~ to 12 accept 60cc syringes and the spacing between the distal ed~e o~
13 panel 22 and back-drop panel 24 may likewise be about 1 1~2~.
14 Advantageously, the edge of opening 16 opposite distal points 18a has a serrated or sharp saw-tooth edge, as indicated ~6 at 16a in Figure 2, to further deter a person ~rom trying to 17 reach his or her hand through opening 16. Thus, as ~how~ in 18 Figure 2, introduction of a large needle/s~ringe (indicated at 19 20) is carried out simply by l~ying it horizontally over openin~ 16, with the syringe flange (20a) located in a space 21 between one ~f the guard tabs 18 and the end edge of opening 22 16, so it will drop through opening 16 simply by the action o~
23 gravity.
24 Turning now to Figures 3 5 thPrs are shown additional 2~ features according to the invention. Top member 14 26 advantageously includes panel-like guide member 22 e~t:ending 27 angularly inwardly from an inward edge (here, the front inward 2~__ ~ e ~ _~16 toJ~L~ hQ-i~plem~ts-in~-ihe~
29 containment member once they are past opening 16, as will be described more full~ hereinafter. Advantageously, guide panel 54~3 ~
1 , ~2 extends from the same edge as guard tabs 18 to facilitate ~ fabrication by two-part injection molding techniques. (It will 3 ,! be understood by those skilled in the art that guide panel 22 4 I may be forrned with openings corresponding in shape to guard I tabs 18 in order to form tabs 18 by such molding techni~ues,) 6 ¦¦ As further preferably embodied, the inwardly 7 l' projecting distal edge tindicated at 22a) of guide panel 22 is 8 ~ serrated or otherwise formed with a sharp or jagged saw-tooth 9 1 edge similar to edge 16a, to further deter a person from 1 reaching into the receptacle. Jagged edge 22a may be used in 11 1 addition to or instead of ~uard tabs 18. For ease of moldins, 12 1 it may be pre~erable to form only the oypositely projecting 13 il jagged edges 15a and 22a which, in combination with the 14 somewhat tortuous entry path provided by members~22 and 24 (described below), should be sufficient to deter hand entry 16 into the receptacle.
17 Also advantageously and as preferably embodied, top 18 member 14 includes back-drop/stop member, here in the form of 19 panel~like wall 24 which extends perpendicularly from top wall 14a. Back drop/stop 24 not only cooperates with guide panel 22 ~1 to ensure that implements drop into the receptacle in a 22 ¦ horizontal orientation and that hand entry is deterred, but it 23 1 also acts as a visual 4ack drop to ~acilitate inspection of the 24 interior of the receptacle to determine whether the receptacle is filled or over-filled.
26 In operation, once an implement is dropped through 27 opening 16, it travels tby slidin~ or rolling) along guide 28 member 2~ under the in1uence of gravity until it reaches 29 back-drop/stop 24. Member 24 momentarily ~lows~stops travel of the implement to ensure that it is aligned in a horizontcal '~" ~ - 15 -1%99548 1 orientati~n and parallel to the walls of containment me~oer 12, before it free-falls, through the slot-like gap (G) between the 3 I distal edges of members 22 and 24, into containment member 12, as illustrated in Fi~ure 3. In this way, the implements will S land and become h~rizontally stacked (generally parallel to the 6 receptacle walls) in side-by-side relation for the 7 most-efficient packing of implements. Moreover, as illustrated 8 by Figure 6, it will be readily apparent that even if a person 9 tries to introduce implements in a configuration other than a generally horizontal orientation, the implements will ll necessarily become re-oriented to a horizontal orientation by 12 the co-action of their impact against guide member 22 and 13 back-drop/stop 24. Thus, if a person tries to inser~ a 14 needle/syringe at a 45 angle relative to the receptacle~walls ~as indicated in phantom in Figure 6), the guide panel 2~ and 16 back-drop panel 24 will ~orce the implement to assume the 17 horizontal/parallel orientation described above (as indicated 18 by the darkened implement shown in Figure 6).
l9 Fi~ure 4 illus~rates how back-drop panel 24 also aids a person's visual inspection of the level of fill in the 21 receptacle. As the receptacle is filling, the level of 22 implements rises. However, without bac~-drop panel 24, a 23 person would have to rely on his or her visual depth perception 24 while looking through a slot or opening to determine whether a receptacle is filled, and it may-be very difficult to determine 26 whether it has reached an overfilled ~r a dangerously 27 overfilled condition w~ere no further implements should be _28 deposited. With the back-dr-oJ~-e3nQ~ Dl~ca~L~As;~ ucin~
29 by a quick glance whether the receptacle is filled becau~a an implsment will be immediately visible a~ainst back-drop panel I' I
!l ' 1 ll 24, as can be seen from the illustration in Figure 4. Of course, it will be understood that the receptacle c~n be qently 3 I tapped to ensure that the implements are settled in the 4 ¦i recep~acle so that it will fill to capacity.
S ¦I The combination of back-drop/stop 24 and guide member 6 11 22 are further advantagious in providing a small chamber above 7 1! the containment member to recieve a few a~ditional implements, 8 thereby allowing the receptacle to be overfilled without 9 reaching a dangerously overfilled condition, (e.g., with sharp points immediately at, or protruding from, opening 16), and, it 11 permits an immediately visible indication that the receptacle 12 ¦I has reached an overfill condition. Thus, guide panel 22 acts 13 ¦1 as a guide for deposit of implements, a barrier against 14 insertion of a person's hand, and an overfill tray to help support a few additional implements without resulting in a 16 dangerous overfill condition.
17 Referring to Figure 5, there is illustrated one 18 embodiment of closure means according to the invention for 19 securely closing the receptacle after it has been filled with implements and ready for disposal. As here embodied, the 21 closure means includes an essentially flat closure panel 26 22 which is proportioned to fit fully over opening 16. To secure 23 closure panel 26 in place, a recessed shoulder or shelf is 24 formed (indicated generally at i8) at least along the side of opening 16 opposite guard tabs 18, with a comparable shoulder 26 or ~helf preferably formed along the side on which guard tabs 27 18 are ~ormed. To this end and advantageously, guide panel 22 28 includes a curved portion adjacent its point of connection to 29 ~ top wall 14a so as to create a shel or shoulder to receive one j - ~7 -9 ~ 8 1 11 edge of closure panel 26. The curvature also facilitates ,I sliding of the panel during the closure step.
3 ¦¦ In operation the closure panel 26 can be slidably 4 ll stored adjacent o2enins 16 under lips formed in oppositely 1 disposed storage lugs 30 formed on the top of top wall 14a, as 6 ¦ illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. When the receptacle is filled 7 1 and is re~dy for closure, closure panel 26 is removed from lugs 8 ~1 30 and moved towards opening 16 with one side edge slid under 9 guide tabs 18 until seated in abutting relation with the opposite edge of opening 16, as indicated in full lines in 11 ¦ Figure 5. At the sarne time, the opposite side edge of closure 12 ¦ panel 26 becomes seated on shoulder 28. Advantageously, in 13 ll order to ensure secure closure of the receptacle, one or more ~4 1l sear~like locking tabs (indicated at 32 in Figure 3) may be j formed on bottom surface of closure panel to snap into place 16 ! under the opposite end edges of opening 16.
17 ¦ ~lternatively and advantageously, the closure panel 18 ¦¦ may be pivotally mounted to top member 14 to further facilitate 19 closure of the receptacle.
In one embodiment, shown in Figure 7, the closure 21 panel (indicated at 126) may be formed with a pair of rod-like 22 projections (each designated 127) to act as the hinge pin for 23 .enabling pivotal connection of closure panel 126 to top member 24 114. (In essentially all other respects, top member 114 is the same as top rnember 14 described above with reference to Figures 26 1-6. Thus, like parts will he indicated by similar numbers, 27 e.g., top mernbers 14, 114 and 214, back-drop/stop 24, 124 and 28 Z24, etc.) Top member 119 includes Means for recieving 29 rod-like members 127 in order to permit pivotal movement (appoximately 180) o~ closure panel lZ6.
, ' ,, ~, li ~2~59L~
1~
1 !l As here embodied, the recieving means are in the form ~ ~l of lugs 129 in which are formed recesses (not numbered) which 3 i~ are proportined to recieve (in a snapping action) and retain 4 i! rod-like members 127 in such a way as to permit pivotal 1 movement of the closure panel.
6 1 To ensure secure closure of the receptacle after it is 7 , filled with implements, the bottom of closure panel 126 8 ¦¦ includes a pair of sear-like locking tabs (each indicated at g 1 1~1) proportioned and positioned to cam over their 1 corresponding side edges of openin~ 116, thereby to securely 11 ~ lock cover panel 126 to the top member 114. In order to 12 ¦ preve~t the cover panel from being easily pryed off at hinges 13 1l 127/129, one or more L-shaped locking tabs 133 are preferably 14 ! formed at the back edge o~ closure panel 126. The parallel 15 -~ legs (133a) of tabs 133 will project under the bottom surface 16of top member 114 when panel 126 is closed to ensure that the 17 hinged edges cannot be pried open.
18Also illustrated in Figure 7 is flange 135 which may 19 be formed along the back edge of top member 114 to facilitate lockable mounting to a wall bracket ~indicated generally at 21137). To this end, flange 135 is formed with a slot 139 for 22 insertion of bracket tongue 137a which is advantageously 23 I adapted to recieve a lock for securing the receptacle in 24 ¦ place. Bracket tongue 137a may be ~ormed with a notched segment as illustrated in Figure 7 to recieve a lock shackle, 26 or it may simply include one or more apertures to recieve the 27 shackle ~e.g., as shown in Fig. 16). It will also be 28 i understood that the containment member can also be ~ormed with 29 a slotted flange through which the bracket c~n project to 30 1l support both members o~ the receptacle and to lock them l together.
~" , . .
1 ¦ Figures B and 9 illustrate how bracket 137 can be mounted to a wall and ~he receptacle secured to the bracket.
3 I It will be understood that the bracket ca~ be mounted by screws or any other convenient fasteners since they will be co~ered by S the receptacle and thereby rendered inaccessible by 6 unauthorized personnel. I~ will also be understood that the 7 containment member can also be formed with a slotted flange 8 through which the bracket can project to support both members 9 of the receptacle and to lock them together.
10Referrin~ now to Figures 10 and 11, there is shown 11 still another preferred embodiment of receptacle according to 12 the present invention. According to this embodiment, the 13 closure panel ~here indicated at 226) is advantageously formed 14 integrally wlth top member 214, preferably by means of a ~living hinge" arrangement~ As here embodied, panel 226 is 16 integrally attached along the back edge of opening 216 by 17 reduced thickness web 227 which servss to pro~ide a Ulivin~
18hinge~ connection of panel 226 to the top wall 214a of top 19 member 214. It wi}l be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing integral formation and "living hin~e"
21 arrangement stilI permit top member 214 to be fabricated by 22 simple two-part injection molding t~chniques, and, enable the 23 overall receptacle to be made from only two separate parts 24 which c~n snap-fit together for relatively easy and inexpensive fabrication and assembly.
26AdYantageously, top member 214 can be molded 27 es~entially in the configuration illustrated in full lines in 28 Fi~ure 11 by two-part injection molding tech~ s~ It thus ..
29 includes top wall 214a with depending oppositely disposed side 30walls 214b and oppositely disposed end walls 214c. It further i l ~2~s4a includes angularly downwardly extending guide panel 222 (with a saw-tooth or otherwise.jagged distal edge substantially as 3 described above with references to Figures 1-6) and downwardly ¦
4 projecting back-drop/stop 224. Closure panel 2Z6 is attached S by thinned web~"livin~ hinge" 227 and may e~tend generally 6 perpendicular to top wall 214a and parallel to back drop 2240 ¦
7 In addition, the inward edge (indicated at 226-a) of closure 8 panel 226 is advantageously formed with a saw-tooth or other 9 jagged edging. It will thus be appreciated that when closure panel 226 is folded back in the direction of arrow A and held 11 open by latch tab 241, jagged edge 226a of the closure panel 12 projects into opening 216 to deter a person from reaching into 13 the receptacle, in substantially the same way as the jagged 14 edge lip 16a disclosed above with reference to Figures 1-6.
After the receptacle is filled closure panel 226 can 16 thence be rotated in the direction of arrow B until lock tabs 17 231 engage the opposite end edges of opening 216 to close the 18 opening. To facilitate engagement and release of panel 226 19 ~rom latch tab 241, the outward edge tindicated at 226b) may ~e rounded. Once the closure p~nel is so secured over opening 21 216, the implements are safely stored therein, and the 22 receptacle can even be turned upside-down ~ithout risk that 23 implements will fall outO Thereafter, the filled receptacle 24 can be taken to an incinerator or other appropriate disposal 2S unit for ultimate disposal of both the receptacle and its 26 contents.
27 Advantageously, in order to facilitate moldin~ by 28 two-part injection moldins teçhniques, the distal-edqe--og the--~ ~~ _~
29 guide member may terminate at about a point directly below the opposite edge of the implement-receivin9 opening (i.e., the ~L~9~548 1 edge formed with jagged edging 16a, 116a or 216a). The ~ back~drop~stop member may thus be recesseci away from such 3 opening edge to provide sufficient spacing to create th~ gap 4 (G) between the distal edges of the guide member and the back-drop/stop member. This arrangement still provides a 6 sufficiently tortuous path to deter hand insertion into the 7 receptacle.
8 It will also be understood that a tear-drop shaped 9 aperture may be formed in the guide members (as indicated in Figure 7) to facilitate removal, if desired, of the needle 11 portion from a syringe. The needle hub is simply wedged into 12 the narrow portion of the aperture. The syringe portion is 13 twisted until the needle is released, whereupon the needle will 14 fall into the containment member. The area around the tear-drop aperture may be thickened to withstand repeated 16 removal operations.
17 Figure ll also illustrates the formation of dual 18 mounting flan~es on both a top member and a containment 19 member. As here embGdied, top member 214 includes flange 235 with sl~t 239 formed therein to permit passage o~ bra~ket 21 tongue 137a therethrough. Containment member 212 includes 22 flange 245 with a similar slot 249 ~rmed therein to likewise 23 permit passage of bracket tongue 137a~ In this way, both the 24 top and containment members can be locked together ~by use of a lock shackle passing through ton~ue 137a), while the weight or 26 ~he receptacle will be sustained by the containment member 27 rather than by the top member alone. .
28~ ~ 3~ ther~ Q~_a~ -29 pre~erred arrangement o~ mountin~ ~langa and bracket ~or mo ting the receptacle to a wall. ~s here embodled, the ~2.~5~
1 ¦! slotted mounting flange (here formed both on top member 214 and ~ on containment member 212 and indicated at 235 and 245, 3 ill respectively) is advantageously rormed along the receptacle 4 I edge closest to the line of attachment of guide member 222 to ¦ the top wall. The guide member thus projects away from the 6 ¦ wall and towards a person who would be inserting used 7 ' implements into the receptacle. Also advantageously, the slots 8 1 239' and 249` in the flange members are proportioned to allow 9 I the top of the receptacle to tilt slightly forward, away from I the wall. Since the mounting tongue, 137a or 237a (in Fig.
11 1 13), of the wall mounting bracket, 137 or 237, will generally 12 ~! be spaced from the wall in order to accommodate the mounting 13 li ~lange, the mounting bracket will facilitate such tilting, 14 ¦i whether or not the containment portion is tapered.
It will be understood that mounting the receptacle 16 with the guide member projecting towards the user, the tortuous 17 nature of the path for hand entry is even further enhanced, as 18 indicated in Figure 13. Moreover, since the guide member 19 substantiall~ blocks visual access to the contents within the containment member (except at the overfill condition), a person 21 is, in any event, less likely to attempt hand entry into 22 ¦¦ opening 216 because it means reaching into a blind opening with 23 ¦¦ contaminated implements that are concealed from sight. In 24 jl addition, the person's finger tips would be upside-down thereby 1I making it difficult, if not impossible, to grasp such 26 ¦ implements to try to withdraw them. Despite this, one can 27 l¦ still easily observe an overfill con~ition because the 28 !I disposable instruments will be directly visible against the ~9 ', guide panel 222, as indicated in Flg. 12.
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~ g548 1 Turning now to Figure 14, there illustrated a further ~ aspect of the invention. According to this feature, the 3 back-drop/stop member (indicated at 224') is adapted to be 4 somewhat flexible. By providing such fle~ibility, it will be understood that secure elosure of the receptacle ca~ be 6 achieved even if the receptaele is overf~lled to such a point 7 that discarded implements protrude beyond the top surface of 8 top member 214. Accordingly, as closure panel 226 is rotated 9 into its final closure position, it will urge any discarded implements in the overfill chamber (indicated generally at 223 11 and made up of the space bounded by the guide member, the 12 back-drop/stop member and the top wall of the top member) back 13 into the containment chamber, as illustrated by arrows A in 14 Fig. 14. Because back-drop~stop 224' has flexibility, it will move forward to accommodate the implements in the overfill 16 chamber, as indicated by arrow 8 in Fig. 14.
17 Thus, even if the receptacle rea~hes a ~angerously 18 overfilled condition, the reeeptacle can still be safely closed 19 and secured for ultimate di~posal. It will also be understood that even though there may be a small unfilled volume in the 21 containment member because of the presence o the guide and 22 back-droptstop members, the minimal amount of lost ~torage ~3 space is far outweighed by the advantages achie~ed by the 24 inve~tion, particularly the deterence against hand entry; the side-by-side stacking of impleme~t~ and the ability to securely 26 and safely close the receptacle even when dangerously 27 overfilled without contacting any of the implements in the 2~ overfill chamber.
, , ~ ~
29 In one embodiment o~ fle~ible back-drop/~top, the actual back-drop/stop member may be form~d in a generially , 1~954~
l tapered configuration. Thus, it becomes thinner and more ~ ¦ flexible towards its inwardly projecting distal edge. In 3 I another embodiment, the back drop/stop member may be of 4 ¦ substantially uniform thickness, but is secured to the top .
5 ¦ member through a weakened line of attachment, to form a .
6 ¦ hinge-like attachment.
7 ¦ Turning now to Figures 15A and 15B, there is shown an 8 alternate preferred embodiment of closure securing means according to the present invention which can be used instead of forming tabs 231 on the bottom of closure panel of 226. ~s 11 here embodied, closure panel 226 includes locking tab-like 12 projection 229 extending from its distal edge 226b. An 13 opening, indicated at 233, is formed in the opposi~e portion of l4 guide memb~r 222. The opening 233 is positioned so as to be in correspondence with locking tab 229 on the closure member 226 16 which, in turn, also corresponds to the holding lug 2~1 to 17 retain the top member in an open configuration. -18 In operation, a user rele~ses closure pa~el 229 from 19 retaining lug 241, then begins to close it substantially as described above. As ~he panel reaches its fully closed 21 position, the user can simply push down in the area designated 22 237, causing panel 226 to bend sli~htly or assume a bowed 23 configuration, to allow the locking tab 229 to snap into 24 opening 233. ~nce tab Z29 is received in opening ~33, the receptacle is permanently secured for ultimate disposal.
26 Re~erring now to Figure 16, there is shown a preferred 27 embodiment o~ a receptacle according to the present invention, 28 which incorporates vario.u~ preferred.features.o~ the~
. ~ _ 29 embodiments disclosed above with reference to Figures 1-15.
30 . T i embodiment is particularly advantageous in that it 5~
i 1 l¦ incorporates features and advantages of the present invention ¦ in a durable structure capable of relatively ine~pensive 3 I fabrication by simple two part inject}on molding techniques.
4 il As here embodied, the receptacle includes container ¦ member 312 which is similar to containers 12, 112 and 212 6 1 described above and includes a reinf~rced rim portion 7 j (indicated at 313~. Rim 313 serves both to rigidify the open 8 ~ top of the container and to provide a downardly facing lip 9 1 (indicated at 313b) which engages sear members 313a formed on lD the top ~ember 314 for securing top member 314 to container 11 1 312. As in the foregoing embodiments, top member 314 includes 12 ¦ downwardly projecting side and end walls t314b and 314c) which 13 1 provide a protective skirt surrounding the top of container 312 14 ~ (when interlocked together as shown in one of the broken away lS segments in Fi~ure 16) to prevent access into the container.
16 Top member 314 is substantially the same as top 17 members 1~, 114 and 214 described above. Guide me~ber 322 is 18 substantially planer in configuration and need ~ot include any 19 curved portions. The distal free end of guide panel 322 includes serrations or jagged teeth 322a, substantially as 21 described above. In addition, the opposite edge of the opening 22 (316) is also formed with serations or jagged teeth (316a) here 23 shown projecting downardl~ into receptacle container 312 (as 24 best seen in the other brok~n away segment in Figure 16).
~hus, as is readily apparent fro~ the previously disclosed 26 embodiments, jagged teeth 316a ~ormed on the edge of ope~ing 27 316 (and on the distal edge o~ panel 3~2 if desired) can be .
28 . . oriented ln any dir~- p~Q~a~f~ a~e 29 ~abrication tpre~erably by two-part molding techni~ueæ~ while I s ving as ~ physical deterront to hand insertion through 54~
ll l .
1 1 opening 316. For example, top member 314 can be molded with ~! closure panel 326 ex~ending vertically upwardly ~as shown in 3 , phantom) while the teeth 316a extend vertically downwardly in !
4 generally the same plane as panel 326 except that they are formed directly on the horizontal portion (314a) of top member 6 l 314 rather than projecting directly from the rear edge of panel 7 1 326.
8 1 The locking mechanism for closure panel 326 here 9 includes one or more tabs (each indicated at 329) projecting outwardly from the near edge of opening 316 (i.e. the edge from 11 ~ which panel 322 projects) to enga~e the distal edge of closure 12 ¦ panel 326, rather than forming a closure tab on the closure 13 panel itself as shown at 229 in Figures 15. As here embodied, 14 there are three such tabs which can be easily formed by two-part injection molding techni~ue~. To facilitate such 16 molding, it may be necessary to leave openings 329a in the w~ll 17 portion formed at the junction of panel 322 and top member 314 18 of the opposite edge. Shoulders 328 are ~lso provided along 19 opposite sides of openin~ 316 to help support closure panel 326 when finally closed. Thus, once the container has been illed 21 to capacity~ panel 326 is released from hold-down tabs 3~1 and 22 rotated lBO until it abuts the tops of tabs 329 (as indica~ed 23 by the arrow in Fig. 16). By pressing panel 326 on opposite 24 s des of ach tab 329, the panel will snap under the tabs ~or s~cure closure.
26 Also as here embodied, the li~ing hinge joinder 27 between to~ 314 and closure panel 326 need not extend 28 1 ~ ~Q~an~ u~ ith~_ 29 member 314. Rather, it may be formed by one or m~re segments as is evident from the presence o~ slit-like voids 327 which result between the hinge segments. In that event, it may be 1 I preferable to form a hinge segment generally opposite as many locking tabs 329 as possible ~preferably, all) to help ensure 3 .' that the closure panel 326 cannot be pried open once it is ¦ closed and locked under the tabs 329.
! Back-stop~wall 32~ is tapered, as described above, for 6 ~. flexibility and for ease of molding. ~If desired, serrations 7 ~ or jagged teeth could be formed on the back-stop/wail). As 8 1 described above with reference to the foregoing embodiments, 9 ¦ the combination of the back-stop/wall and yuide panel provides 10 1 wall means which enable a person to readily observe when the 11 1 container is reaching the filled condition. This results from 12 j the visual contrast of impliments immediately against the 13 ¦ background of the back-stop/wall or guide panel~ Thus, it will 14 be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that should .
a disposal receptacle be desir~d which need onl~ provide means 16 for facilitating recognition of an almost filled condition, one 17 or more wall segménts can be provided adjacent the opening so 18 1 as to depend at any angle (e.y. 90) from the interior surface 19 ¦ of in the top member. Such wall means thus enable ready 20 ¦ recognition of a filled co~ditio~ fr~m any direction ~f 21 1 observation.
17 The foregoing specific objects and advantages of the 18 invention are illustrative of those which can be achieved by 19 the present invention and are not intended to be e~haustive or limiting o~ the possible advantages which can be realized.
21 Thus, these and other objects and advantages of the invention 22 will be apparent from the description herein or can be learned 23 ~rom practicing the invention, both as eMbodied herein or as 24 modified in view of any variations which may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention 26 resides in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, 27 combinations and improvements herein shown and ~escribed.
2~_ .
_ 7 _ i s~
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention comprises a receptacle for the deposit, storage and ultimate disposal of disposable medical implements, which include a containment member adapted to store a plurality of implements and a top assembly securable to the containment member for forming the top por~ion of Ihe receptacle. The top assembly includes an opening for receiving implements to be stores in the receptacle, a guide member depending angularly downardly from adjacent one edge of the opening and a downwardly extending wall member, for 10 example a back-drop/stop member, depending downwardly from the top member along a portion of the opposite side of the opening from the guide member, with the distal edges of the downwardly extending wall member and guide member defining a slot-like gap wide enough to permit implements of predetermined size -to pass in a horizontal orientation into the contaiment portion.
As preferably embodied, a closure member is provided for sealing the opening in the top member after the receptacle is filled. In one embodiment, the closure member can be snap-fit over the opening, preferably along a recessed shoulder 20 formed along at least portions of the rim of the opening so that it is essentially flush with the top surface of the top member to resist prying open. In another embodiment, the closure member is pivotally mounted to the top member. The pivotal mounting may be accomplished either by a pin and recess arrangement or by forming the closure member integrally with the top member, attached by a reduced thickness web which forms a "living hinge" attachment.
Also as preferably embodied, an edge of the top member opening and the opposite, distal, edge of the guide member have ,.
1 i~ oppositely projecting jagged or serrated edging to deter hand 2 ll entry into the receptacle. Further advantageously, either or 3 ~¦ both of the top and containment members inolude a slotted 4 il flange to allow mountin~ to a wall bracket which, prefera~ly, 5 ¦ can be locked.
! According to a further preferred aspect of the 7 invention, the mounting flange is located along the edge 8 closest to the joinder of the sloping guide member. By such 9 location, the guide member not only blocks visual observation of the interior of the receptacle, but also increases the 11 difficulty for a person to attempt hand entry into the 12 ¦ receptacle, yet it still permits readily visible recognition of 13 an overfill condition.
14 As further preferably-embodied, the back-drop/stop is adapted to be rela~ively flexible so that it will yiel~ when 16 subjected to a force, such as needles being urged against it 17 when the closure member is closed against any needl~s that may 18 be located at the mouth of the receptacle opening. Such 19 fle~ibility may be provided either by tapering the back-drop/stop or by reducing the thickness of the 21 back-drop~stop along its line of joinder with the top member, 22 as by forming a weakened line of attachment.
23 It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art 24 that the foregoing brief description and the following d~tailed description are exemplary and e~planatory of the invention, but 26 are not intended to be restrictive thereo. Thus, the 27 accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constitllting a 28_ 29 and, together with the detailed description, serve to e~plain the principles of the invention.
_ 9 _ 1%9~:1548 .1 1 i ¦ 11 R . . F DE bG ll I ~= I 011 O' rllE I~RAWINGS
FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of one preferred 3 1 embodiment of a receptacle according to the present invention.
4 !I FIGURE 2 is a top view of the receptacle embodiment !I shown in Fig. 1.
¦¦ FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of 7 Fig. 2.
8 ¦ FIGURE 4 is an enlarged side view similar to E~IG. 3 9 1 illustrating how a person can easily inspect the receptacle to 0 l determine whether the receptacle has reached the fillad or 11 1 overfilled condition.
12 ¦ FIGURE 5 is another side view similar to FIG. g 13 t showing the closure sequence for the embodiment of receptacle 14 ~ illustrated in Figure 1.
FIGURE 6 is a top view of the receptaele embodiment .
16 shown in FIG. 1, showing how the invention prevents depo~it of .
1~ implements in a non-horizontal orientation.
18 ¦ FIGURE 7 is an isometric view of another preferred 19 embod-iment of a receptacle according to the present invention.
FIGURES 8 and 9 are front and side views, 21 respeotively, of a receptacle installed by wall mounting ~2 ¦ according to the present invention.
23 FIGURE 10 is an isometric view of still another 2~ preferred embodiment of receptacle accordin~ tQ the present invention.
26 FIGURE 11 is a sectional view of the top member of the 27 embodiment illustrated in FIG 10.
28 1 . FIGURES 1~ and 13 are side ~ie~_Q~ c~tac~e___. .
29 incorporating a preferred mounting arrangement accordin~ to the present invention.
,, ~.2~
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1 I FIGURE 14 is a view similar to FIG. 12 illustrating ', preferred embodiment of back-drop/stop according to the present i 3 .j invention.
4 1 FIGURE 15A and l5B illustrate, respectîvely, a 1 preferred closure means and method of closure for the closure 6 member of the receptacle according to the present invcntion.
7 FIGURE 16 is a perspective view, with partial 8 cut-aways, of a preferred embodiment of the present invention 9 which incorporates various preferred features of the 0 embodiments described above with reference to Figures 1-15.
13 .
16 .
17 , 19 .
23 . I
24 . 1.
25 ~
. ~ _.
- ;l 5~8 1 1 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRE~ERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning now to the accompanyin~ drawings wherein like 3 reference characters refer to like parts throughout the various 4 '¦ views and in the various embodiments, there is shown in Figures 5 11 1-6, one preferred embodiment of the receptacle (indicated 6 ,¦ generally at 10~ for receiving and storing potentially 7 , injurious implements according to the present invention.
8 As here embodied, receptacle 10 comprises a 9 container-like housing which, for convenience of fabrication, includes a containment member (12) which provides sufficient 11 1 volume to enable storage of a desired number of implements, and 12 1 a top member (14) which provides means for safely depositing 13 1 the implements into the receptacle in a horizontal orientation 14 for efficient stora~e in the chamber portion while preventing a person from reaching his hand into t~e receptacle in ac~ordance 16 with the present invention. It will be understood that 17 containment member 12 is proportioned to accommodate any size 18 implement desired and any number thereof. Since the top and 19 containment member~ are aavantageously made separately for ease o~ fabrication (e.g., by simple two-part i~jection molding 21 techniques) they may preferably include an~ known ~eans for 22 securely attaching or loeking them together, such as 23 interlocking sear members (13a) formed on top member 14 and lip 24 members (indicated at 13b in Fi3. 11) formed along the top rim ~f containment member 12~
26 It will also be understood that the material and wall 27 thickness of containment member 12 should be seiected to ensure 28 tha~t none of_t~ ~mEL~ hl~d-~hQ~ oa~ ma~ ~ ' 29 cause poke-through. For example, for most commonly used thermoplastic materials, the wail thicknes5 should be at least l - 12 -1 l¦ about 40 thousanths of an inch ~0.040") thick and more ~ ¦I preferably at least about 50 thousanths of an inch (0.050") 3 thick. As preferably embodied, top member ~4 should likewise be made of a material and wall thickness which are su~ficiently ¦
strong and resilient to withstand the repeated deposit of 6 ¦ implements and provide a secure closure of the receptacle.
7 Advantageously, top member 14 includes a top wall 14a with two 8 ¦ oppositely disposed downwardly extending side walls 14b and two 9 ¦ oppositely disposed downwardly extending end walls 14c to 1 lockably engage the containment member. It will be understood 11 that the sear and lip engagements between top member 14 and the 12 1 upper rim of containment member 12 provide a secure interlock 13 between the two members while the continuous depending side and 14 end walls, 14b and 14c, provide a protective skirt around the top of containment member 12 to prevent access into the 16 receptacle along the line of joinder between these two members.
17 Top member 14 is adapted to recieve disposable 18 implements as large as 60 cc syringes yet prevent a person from 19 reaching his or her hand into the receptacle to touch the implements stored therein. To this end, the top member 14 21 includes a generally rectangular opening 16 which is at least 22 j long and wide enough to receive the largest implement 23 ~including the flange on a syringe~ desired to be stored in the 24 receptacle. Thus, for example, ~or a 60cc needle and syringe opening 16 ma~ be about 8-12 inches long and about 1 3~4-~ 1/2 26 inches wide.
27 ~dvantageously, guard tabs 18 may be formed along one 28 or both side edges of opening 16 to allow passage of the 29 implement while preventing access into the receptacle by a 30 ~ person's hand. A~vantageously, there are at least two guard i - 13 -i 1 I tabs and they are provided with sharply pointed distal edges~ ¦
as indicated at 18a in Figure 2. It will be understood that~ ¦
3 to ensure a person~s hand will not fit through opening 16 and 4 into the receptacle/ the spacing between adjacent gl-ard tabs 18 should be about 3 1/2-4 inches or less, and, the spacinq ¦
6 between the distal points 18a and the opposite edge of ~pening 7 16 should be no greater than about 1 1/8 inches which will 8 still allow 60cc syringes to pass through the opening.
9 Depending on the size of implements to be deposited in the receptacle, the distance between the distal edge of guide panel 11 22 and the top wall 14a rnay be as much as about 1 1~2~ to 12 accept 60cc syringes and the spacing between the distal ed~e o~
13 panel 22 and back-drop panel 24 may likewise be about 1 1~2~.
14 Advantageously, the edge of opening 16 opposite distal points 18a has a serrated or sharp saw-tooth edge, as indicated ~6 at 16a in Figure 2, to further deter a person ~rom trying to 17 reach his or her hand through opening 16. Thus, as ~how~ in 18 Figure 2, introduction of a large needle/s~ringe (indicated at 19 20) is carried out simply by l~ying it horizontally over openin~ 16, with the syringe flange (20a) located in a space 21 between one ~f the guard tabs 18 and the end edge of opening 22 16, so it will drop through opening 16 simply by the action o~
23 gravity.
24 Turning now to Figures 3 5 thPrs are shown additional 2~ features according to the invention. Top member 14 26 advantageously includes panel-like guide member 22 e~t:ending 27 angularly inwardly from an inward edge (here, the front inward 2~__ ~ e ~ _~16 toJ~L~ hQ-i~plem~ts-in~-ihe~
29 containment member once they are past opening 16, as will be described more full~ hereinafter. Advantageously, guide panel 54~3 ~
1 , ~2 extends from the same edge as guard tabs 18 to facilitate ~ fabrication by two-part injection molding techniques. (It will 3 ,! be understood by those skilled in the art that guide panel 22 4 I may be forrned with openings corresponding in shape to guard I tabs 18 in order to form tabs 18 by such molding techni~ues,) 6 ¦¦ As further preferably embodied, the inwardly 7 l' projecting distal edge tindicated at 22a) of guide panel 22 is 8 ~ serrated or otherwise formed with a sharp or jagged saw-tooth 9 1 edge similar to edge 16a, to further deter a person from 1 reaching into the receptacle. Jagged edge 22a may be used in 11 1 addition to or instead of ~uard tabs 18. For ease of moldins, 12 1 it may be pre~erable to form only the oypositely projecting 13 il jagged edges 15a and 22a which, in combination with the 14 somewhat tortuous entry path provided by members~22 and 24 (described below), should be sufficient to deter hand entry 16 into the receptacle.
17 Also advantageously and as preferably embodied, top 18 member 14 includes back-drop/stop member, here in the form of 19 panel~like wall 24 which extends perpendicularly from top wall 14a. Back drop/stop 24 not only cooperates with guide panel 22 ~1 to ensure that implements drop into the receptacle in a 22 ¦ horizontal orientation and that hand entry is deterred, but it 23 1 also acts as a visual 4ack drop to ~acilitate inspection of the 24 interior of the receptacle to determine whether the receptacle is filled or over-filled.
26 In operation, once an implement is dropped through 27 opening 16, it travels tby slidin~ or rolling) along guide 28 member 2~ under the in1uence of gravity until it reaches 29 back-drop/stop 24. Member 24 momentarily ~lows~stops travel of the implement to ensure that it is aligned in a horizontcal '~" ~ - 15 -1%99548 1 orientati~n and parallel to the walls of containment me~oer 12, before it free-falls, through the slot-like gap (G) between the 3 I distal edges of members 22 and 24, into containment member 12, as illustrated in Fi~ure 3. In this way, the implements will S land and become h~rizontally stacked (generally parallel to the 6 receptacle walls) in side-by-side relation for the 7 most-efficient packing of implements. Moreover, as illustrated 8 by Figure 6, it will be readily apparent that even if a person 9 tries to introduce implements in a configuration other than a generally horizontal orientation, the implements will ll necessarily become re-oriented to a horizontal orientation by 12 the co-action of their impact against guide member 22 and 13 back-drop/stop 24. Thus, if a person tries to inser~ a 14 needle/syringe at a 45 angle relative to the receptacle~walls ~as indicated in phantom in Figure 6), the guide panel 2~ and 16 back-drop panel 24 will ~orce the implement to assume the 17 horizontal/parallel orientation described above (as indicated 18 by the darkened implement shown in Figure 6).
l9 Fi~ure 4 illus~rates how back-drop panel 24 also aids a person's visual inspection of the level of fill in the 21 receptacle. As the receptacle is filling, the level of 22 implements rises. However, without bac~-drop panel 24, a 23 person would have to rely on his or her visual depth perception 24 while looking through a slot or opening to determine whether a receptacle is filled, and it may-be very difficult to determine 26 whether it has reached an overfilled ~r a dangerously 27 overfilled condition w~ere no further implements should be _28 deposited. With the back-dr-oJ~-e3nQ~ Dl~ca~L~As;~ ucin~
29 by a quick glance whether the receptacle is filled becau~a an implsment will be immediately visible a~ainst back-drop panel I' I
!l ' 1 ll 24, as can be seen from the illustration in Figure 4. Of course, it will be understood that the receptacle c~n be qently 3 I tapped to ensure that the implements are settled in the 4 ¦i recep~acle so that it will fill to capacity.
S ¦I The combination of back-drop/stop 24 and guide member 6 11 22 are further advantagious in providing a small chamber above 7 1! the containment member to recieve a few a~ditional implements, 8 thereby allowing the receptacle to be overfilled without 9 reaching a dangerously overfilled condition, (e.g., with sharp points immediately at, or protruding from, opening 16), and, it 11 permits an immediately visible indication that the receptacle 12 ¦I has reached an overfill condition. Thus, guide panel 22 acts 13 ¦1 as a guide for deposit of implements, a barrier against 14 insertion of a person's hand, and an overfill tray to help support a few additional implements without resulting in a 16 dangerous overfill condition.
17 Referring to Figure 5, there is illustrated one 18 embodiment of closure means according to the invention for 19 securely closing the receptacle after it has been filled with implements and ready for disposal. As here embodied, the 21 closure means includes an essentially flat closure panel 26 22 which is proportioned to fit fully over opening 16. To secure 23 closure panel 26 in place, a recessed shoulder or shelf is 24 formed (indicated generally at i8) at least along the side of opening 16 opposite guard tabs 18, with a comparable shoulder 26 or ~helf preferably formed along the side on which guard tabs 27 18 are ~ormed. To this end and advantageously, guide panel 22 28 includes a curved portion adjacent its point of connection to 29 ~ top wall 14a so as to create a shel or shoulder to receive one j - ~7 -9 ~ 8 1 11 edge of closure panel 26. The curvature also facilitates ,I sliding of the panel during the closure step.
3 ¦¦ In operation the closure panel 26 can be slidably 4 ll stored adjacent o2enins 16 under lips formed in oppositely 1 disposed storage lugs 30 formed on the top of top wall 14a, as 6 ¦ illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. When the receptacle is filled 7 1 and is re~dy for closure, closure panel 26 is removed from lugs 8 ~1 30 and moved towards opening 16 with one side edge slid under 9 guide tabs 18 until seated in abutting relation with the opposite edge of opening 16, as indicated in full lines in 11 ¦ Figure 5. At the sarne time, the opposite side edge of closure 12 ¦ panel 26 becomes seated on shoulder 28. Advantageously, in 13 ll order to ensure secure closure of the receptacle, one or more ~4 1l sear~like locking tabs (indicated at 32 in Figure 3) may be j formed on bottom surface of closure panel to snap into place 16 ! under the opposite end edges of opening 16.
17 ¦ ~lternatively and advantageously, the closure panel 18 ¦¦ may be pivotally mounted to top member 14 to further facilitate 19 closure of the receptacle.
In one embodiment, shown in Figure 7, the closure 21 panel (indicated at 126) may be formed with a pair of rod-like 22 projections (each designated 127) to act as the hinge pin for 23 .enabling pivotal connection of closure panel 126 to top member 24 114. (In essentially all other respects, top member 114 is the same as top rnember 14 described above with reference to Figures 26 1-6. Thus, like parts will he indicated by similar numbers, 27 e.g., top mernbers 14, 114 and 214, back-drop/stop 24, 124 and 28 Z24, etc.) Top member 119 includes Means for recieving 29 rod-like members 127 in order to permit pivotal movement (appoximately 180) o~ closure panel lZ6.
, ' ,, ~, li ~2~59L~
1~
1 !l As here embodied, the recieving means are in the form ~ ~l of lugs 129 in which are formed recesses (not numbered) which 3 i~ are proportined to recieve (in a snapping action) and retain 4 i! rod-like members 127 in such a way as to permit pivotal 1 movement of the closure panel.
6 1 To ensure secure closure of the receptacle after it is 7 , filled with implements, the bottom of closure panel 126 8 ¦¦ includes a pair of sear-like locking tabs (each indicated at g 1 1~1) proportioned and positioned to cam over their 1 corresponding side edges of openin~ 116, thereby to securely 11 ~ lock cover panel 126 to the top member 114. In order to 12 ¦ preve~t the cover panel from being easily pryed off at hinges 13 1l 127/129, one or more L-shaped locking tabs 133 are preferably 14 ! formed at the back edge o~ closure panel 126. The parallel 15 -~ legs (133a) of tabs 133 will project under the bottom surface 16of top member 114 when panel 126 is closed to ensure that the 17 hinged edges cannot be pried open.
18Also illustrated in Figure 7 is flange 135 which may 19 be formed along the back edge of top member 114 to facilitate lockable mounting to a wall bracket ~indicated generally at 21137). To this end, flange 135 is formed with a slot 139 for 22 insertion of bracket tongue 137a which is advantageously 23 I adapted to recieve a lock for securing the receptacle in 24 ¦ place. Bracket tongue 137a may be ~ormed with a notched segment as illustrated in Figure 7 to recieve a lock shackle, 26 or it may simply include one or more apertures to recieve the 27 shackle ~e.g., as shown in Fig. 16). It will also be 28 i understood that the containment member can also be ~ormed with 29 a slotted flange through which the bracket c~n project to 30 1l support both members o~ the receptacle and to lock them l together.
~" , . .
1 ¦ Figures B and 9 illustrate how bracket 137 can be mounted to a wall and ~he receptacle secured to the bracket.
3 I It will be understood that the bracket ca~ be mounted by screws or any other convenient fasteners since they will be co~ered by S the receptacle and thereby rendered inaccessible by 6 unauthorized personnel. I~ will also be understood that the 7 containment member can also be formed with a slotted flange 8 through which the bracket can project to support both members 9 of the receptacle and to lock them together.
10Referrin~ now to Figures 10 and 11, there is shown 11 still another preferred embodiment of receptacle according to 12 the present invention. According to this embodiment, the 13 closure panel ~here indicated at 226) is advantageously formed 14 integrally wlth top member 214, preferably by means of a ~living hinge" arrangement~ As here embodied, panel 226 is 16 integrally attached along the back edge of opening 216 by 17 reduced thickness web 227 which servss to pro~ide a Ulivin~
18hinge~ connection of panel 226 to the top wall 214a of top 19 member 214. It wi}l be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing integral formation and "living hin~e"
21 arrangement stilI permit top member 214 to be fabricated by 22 simple two-part injection molding t~chniques, and, enable the 23 overall receptacle to be made from only two separate parts 24 which c~n snap-fit together for relatively easy and inexpensive fabrication and assembly.
26AdYantageously, top member 214 can be molded 27 es~entially in the configuration illustrated in full lines in 28 Fi~ure 11 by two-part injection molding tech~ s~ It thus ..
29 includes top wall 214a with depending oppositely disposed side 30walls 214b and oppositely disposed end walls 214c. It further i l ~2~s4a includes angularly downwardly extending guide panel 222 (with a saw-tooth or otherwise.jagged distal edge substantially as 3 described above with references to Figures 1-6) and downwardly ¦
4 projecting back-drop/stop 224. Closure panel 2Z6 is attached S by thinned web~"livin~ hinge" 227 and may e~tend generally 6 perpendicular to top wall 214a and parallel to back drop 2240 ¦
7 In addition, the inward edge (indicated at 226-a) of closure 8 panel 226 is advantageously formed with a saw-tooth or other 9 jagged edging. It will thus be appreciated that when closure panel 226 is folded back in the direction of arrow A and held 11 open by latch tab 241, jagged edge 226a of the closure panel 12 projects into opening 216 to deter a person from reaching into 13 the receptacle, in substantially the same way as the jagged 14 edge lip 16a disclosed above with reference to Figures 1-6.
After the receptacle is filled closure panel 226 can 16 thence be rotated in the direction of arrow B until lock tabs 17 231 engage the opposite end edges of opening 216 to close the 18 opening. To facilitate engagement and release of panel 226 19 ~rom latch tab 241, the outward edge tindicated at 226b) may ~e rounded. Once the closure p~nel is so secured over opening 21 216, the implements are safely stored therein, and the 22 receptacle can even be turned upside-down ~ithout risk that 23 implements will fall outO Thereafter, the filled receptacle 24 can be taken to an incinerator or other appropriate disposal 2S unit for ultimate disposal of both the receptacle and its 26 contents.
27 Advantageously, in order to facilitate moldin~ by 28 two-part injection moldins teçhniques, the distal-edqe--og the--~ ~~ _~
29 guide member may terminate at about a point directly below the opposite edge of the implement-receivin9 opening (i.e., the ~L~9~548 1 edge formed with jagged edging 16a, 116a or 216a). The ~ back~drop~stop member may thus be recesseci away from such 3 opening edge to provide sufficient spacing to create th~ gap 4 (G) between the distal edges of the guide member and the back-drop/stop member. This arrangement still provides a 6 sufficiently tortuous path to deter hand insertion into the 7 receptacle.
8 It will also be understood that a tear-drop shaped 9 aperture may be formed in the guide members (as indicated in Figure 7) to facilitate removal, if desired, of the needle 11 portion from a syringe. The needle hub is simply wedged into 12 the narrow portion of the aperture. The syringe portion is 13 twisted until the needle is released, whereupon the needle will 14 fall into the containment member. The area around the tear-drop aperture may be thickened to withstand repeated 16 removal operations.
17 Figure ll also illustrates the formation of dual 18 mounting flan~es on both a top member and a containment 19 member. As here embGdied, top member 214 includes flange 235 with sl~t 239 formed therein to permit passage o~ bra~ket 21 tongue 137a therethrough. Containment member 212 includes 22 flange 245 with a similar slot 249 ~rmed therein to likewise 23 permit passage of bracket tongue 137a~ In this way, both the 24 top and containment members can be locked together ~by use of a lock shackle passing through ton~ue 137a), while the weight or 26 ~he receptacle will be sustained by the containment member 27 rather than by the top member alone. .
28~ ~ 3~ ther~ Q~_a~ -29 pre~erred arrangement o~ mountin~ ~langa and bracket ~or mo ting the receptacle to a wall. ~s here embodled, the ~2.~5~
1 ¦! slotted mounting flange (here formed both on top member 214 and ~ on containment member 212 and indicated at 235 and 245, 3 ill respectively) is advantageously rormed along the receptacle 4 I edge closest to the line of attachment of guide member 222 to ¦ the top wall. The guide member thus projects away from the 6 ¦ wall and towards a person who would be inserting used 7 ' implements into the receptacle. Also advantageously, the slots 8 1 239' and 249` in the flange members are proportioned to allow 9 I the top of the receptacle to tilt slightly forward, away from I the wall. Since the mounting tongue, 137a or 237a (in Fig.
11 1 13), of the wall mounting bracket, 137 or 237, will generally 12 ~! be spaced from the wall in order to accommodate the mounting 13 li ~lange, the mounting bracket will facilitate such tilting, 14 ¦i whether or not the containment portion is tapered.
It will be understood that mounting the receptacle 16 with the guide member projecting towards the user, the tortuous 17 nature of the path for hand entry is even further enhanced, as 18 indicated in Figure 13. Moreover, since the guide member 19 substantiall~ blocks visual access to the contents within the containment member (except at the overfill condition), a person 21 is, in any event, less likely to attempt hand entry into 22 ¦¦ opening 216 because it means reaching into a blind opening with 23 ¦¦ contaminated implements that are concealed from sight. In 24 jl addition, the person's finger tips would be upside-down thereby 1I making it difficult, if not impossible, to grasp such 26 ¦ implements to try to withdraw them. Despite this, one can 27 l¦ still easily observe an overfill con~ition because the 28 !I disposable instruments will be directly visible against the ~9 ', guide panel 222, as indicated in Flg. 12.
.. . .
~ g548 1 Turning now to Figure 14, there illustrated a further ~ aspect of the invention. According to this feature, the 3 back-drop/stop member (indicated at 224') is adapted to be 4 somewhat flexible. By providing such fle~ibility, it will be understood that secure elosure of the receptacle ca~ be 6 achieved even if the receptaele is overf~lled to such a point 7 that discarded implements protrude beyond the top surface of 8 top member 214. Accordingly, as closure panel 226 is rotated 9 into its final closure position, it will urge any discarded implements in the overfill chamber (indicated generally at 223 11 and made up of the space bounded by the guide member, the 12 back-drop/stop member and the top wall of the top member) back 13 into the containment chamber, as illustrated by arrows A in 14 Fig. 14. Because back-drop~stop 224' has flexibility, it will move forward to accommodate the implements in the overfill 16 chamber, as indicated by arrow 8 in Fig. 14.
17 Thus, even if the receptacle rea~hes a ~angerously 18 overfilled condition, the reeeptacle can still be safely closed 19 and secured for ultimate di~posal. It will also be understood that even though there may be a small unfilled volume in the 21 containment member because of the presence o the guide and 22 back-droptstop members, the minimal amount of lost ~torage ~3 space is far outweighed by the advantages achie~ed by the 24 inve~tion, particularly the deterence against hand entry; the side-by-side stacking of impleme~t~ and the ability to securely 26 and safely close the receptacle even when dangerously 27 overfilled without contacting any of the implements in the 2~ overfill chamber.
, , ~ ~
29 In one embodiment o~ fle~ible back-drop/~top, the actual back-drop/stop member may be form~d in a generially , 1~954~
l tapered configuration. Thus, it becomes thinner and more ~ ¦ flexible towards its inwardly projecting distal edge. In 3 I another embodiment, the back drop/stop member may be of 4 ¦ substantially uniform thickness, but is secured to the top .
5 ¦ member through a weakened line of attachment, to form a .
6 ¦ hinge-like attachment.
7 ¦ Turning now to Figures 15A and 15B, there is shown an 8 alternate preferred embodiment of closure securing means according to the present invention which can be used instead of forming tabs 231 on the bottom of closure panel of 226. ~s 11 here embodied, closure panel 226 includes locking tab-like 12 projection 229 extending from its distal edge 226b. An 13 opening, indicated at 233, is formed in the opposi~e portion of l4 guide memb~r 222. The opening 233 is positioned so as to be in correspondence with locking tab 229 on the closure member 226 16 which, in turn, also corresponds to the holding lug 2~1 to 17 retain the top member in an open configuration. -18 In operation, a user rele~ses closure pa~el 229 from 19 retaining lug 241, then begins to close it substantially as described above. As ~he panel reaches its fully closed 21 position, the user can simply push down in the area designated 22 237, causing panel 226 to bend sli~htly or assume a bowed 23 configuration, to allow the locking tab 229 to snap into 24 opening 233. ~nce tab Z29 is received in opening ~33, the receptacle is permanently secured for ultimate disposal.
26 Re~erring now to Figure 16, there is shown a preferred 27 embodiment o~ a receptacle according to the present invention, 28 which incorporates vario.u~ preferred.features.o~ the~
. ~ _ 29 embodiments disclosed above with reference to Figures 1-15.
30 . T i embodiment is particularly advantageous in that it 5~
i 1 l¦ incorporates features and advantages of the present invention ¦ in a durable structure capable of relatively ine~pensive 3 I fabrication by simple two part inject}on molding techniques.
4 il As here embodied, the receptacle includes container ¦ member 312 which is similar to containers 12, 112 and 212 6 1 described above and includes a reinf~rced rim portion 7 j (indicated at 313~. Rim 313 serves both to rigidify the open 8 ~ top of the container and to provide a downardly facing lip 9 1 (indicated at 313b) which engages sear members 313a formed on lD the top ~ember 314 for securing top member 314 to container 11 1 312. As in the foregoing embodiments, top member 314 includes 12 ¦ downwardly projecting side and end walls t314b and 314c) which 13 1 provide a protective skirt surrounding the top of container 312 14 ~ (when interlocked together as shown in one of the broken away lS segments in Fi~ure 16) to prevent access into the container.
16 Top member 314 is substantially the same as top 17 members 1~, 114 and 214 described above. Guide me~ber 322 is 18 substantially planer in configuration and need ~ot include any 19 curved portions. The distal free end of guide panel 322 includes serrations or jagged teeth 322a, substantially as 21 described above. In addition, the opposite edge of the opening 22 (316) is also formed with serations or jagged teeth (316a) here 23 shown projecting downardl~ into receptacle container 312 (as 24 best seen in the other brok~n away segment in Figure 16).
~hus, as is readily apparent fro~ the previously disclosed 26 embodiments, jagged teeth 316a ~ormed on the edge of ope~ing 27 316 (and on the distal edge o~ panel 3~2 if desired) can be .
28 . . oriented ln any dir~- p~Q~a~f~ a~e 29 ~abrication tpre~erably by two-part molding techni~ueæ~ while I s ving as ~ physical deterront to hand insertion through 54~
ll l .
1 1 opening 316. For example, top member 314 can be molded with ~! closure panel 326 ex~ending vertically upwardly ~as shown in 3 , phantom) while the teeth 316a extend vertically downwardly in !
4 generally the same plane as panel 326 except that they are formed directly on the horizontal portion (314a) of top member 6 l 314 rather than projecting directly from the rear edge of panel 7 1 326.
8 1 The locking mechanism for closure panel 326 here 9 includes one or more tabs (each indicated at 329) projecting outwardly from the near edge of opening 316 (i.e. the edge from 11 ~ which panel 322 projects) to enga~e the distal edge of closure 12 ¦ panel 326, rather than forming a closure tab on the closure 13 panel itself as shown at 229 in Figures 15. As here embodied, 14 there are three such tabs which can be easily formed by two-part injection molding techni~ue~. To facilitate such 16 molding, it may be necessary to leave openings 329a in the w~ll 17 portion formed at the junction of panel 322 and top member 314 18 of the opposite edge. Shoulders 328 are ~lso provided along 19 opposite sides of openin~ 316 to help support closure panel 326 when finally closed. Thus, once the container has been illed 21 to capacity~ panel 326 is released from hold-down tabs 3~1 and 22 rotated lBO until it abuts the tops of tabs 329 (as indica~ed 23 by the arrow in Fig. 16). By pressing panel 326 on opposite 24 s des of ach tab 329, the panel will snap under the tabs ~or s~cure closure.
26 Also as here embodied, the li~ing hinge joinder 27 between to~ 314 and closure panel 326 need not extend 28 1 ~ ~Q~an~ u~ ith~_ 29 member 314. Rather, it may be formed by one or m~re segments as is evident from the presence o~ slit-like voids 327 which result between the hinge segments. In that event, it may be 1 I preferable to form a hinge segment generally opposite as many locking tabs 329 as possible ~preferably, all) to help ensure 3 .' that the closure panel 326 cannot be pried open once it is ¦ closed and locked under the tabs 329.
! Back-stop~wall 32~ is tapered, as described above, for 6 ~. flexibility and for ease of molding. ~If desired, serrations 7 ~ or jagged teeth could be formed on the back-stop/wail). As 8 1 described above with reference to the foregoing embodiments, 9 ¦ the combination of the back-stop/wall and yuide panel provides 10 1 wall means which enable a person to readily observe when the 11 1 container is reaching the filled condition. This results from 12 j the visual contrast of impliments immediately against the 13 ¦ background of the back-stop/wall or guide panel~ Thus, it will 14 be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that should .
a disposal receptacle be desir~d which need onl~ provide means 16 for facilitating recognition of an almost filled condition, one 17 or more wall segménts can be provided adjacent the opening so 18 1 as to depend at any angle (e.y. 90) from the interior surface 19 ¦ of in the top member. Such wall means thus enable ready 20 ¦ recognition of a filled co~ditio~ fr~m any direction ~f 21 1 observation.
22 It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art 23 that the present invention in its broader aspects is not 24 limited to the particular embodiments ~hown and d~scribed 25 herein, and that variations may be made which are within the 26 1 scope o~ the accompanying claims without departing f.rom the 27 principle of the invention and without sacri~icing its chief ~ _ 1! - 28 --
Claims (53)
1. A self-contained receptacle for safely storing potentially dangerous implements such as hypodermic needles, scalpel blades and the like, comprising:
a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements; and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member, said top member including an opening propor-tioned to receive a desired size of implements, a guide member extending generally angularly downwardly into said receptacle from said top member generally along one edge of said opening and a back-drop/stop member extending downwardly from said top member adjacent the side of said opening opposite the side adjacent to which said guide member is mounted, said back-drop/stop and guide members having distal edges which form a slot-like gap for allowing implements to drop into said receptacle, said back-drop/stop member and said guide member being posi-tioned and proportioned relative to each other to cause at least a momentary slowing of travel of implements along said guide member to ensure that each implement assumes a generally horizontal orientation before actually dropping into said containment member such that implements inserted through said opening are aligned in a generally horizontal orientation by cooperation between said guide and back-drop/stop members at said slot-like gap, thereafter to drop into said containment member for side-by-side stacking with other implements deposited therein.
a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements; and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member, said top member including an opening propor-tioned to receive a desired size of implements, a guide member extending generally angularly downwardly into said receptacle from said top member generally along one edge of said opening and a back-drop/stop member extending downwardly from said top member adjacent the side of said opening opposite the side adjacent to which said guide member is mounted, said back-drop/stop and guide members having distal edges which form a slot-like gap for allowing implements to drop into said receptacle, said back-drop/stop member and said guide member being posi-tioned and proportioned relative to each other to cause at least a momentary slowing of travel of implements along said guide member to ensure that each implement assumes a generally horizontal orientation before actually dropping into said containment member such that implements inserted through said opening are aligned in a generally horizontal orientation by cooperation between said guide and back-drop/stop members at said slot-like gap, thereafter to drop into said containment member for side-by-side stacking with other implements deposited therein.
2. A receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the distal edge of said guide member and an opposite edge of said opening are sharply jagged to deter hand entry into the receptacle.
3. A receptacle according to claim 1, wherein said top member is adapted to be sealed by a closure member once filled with implements to a desired level.
4. A receptacle according to Claim 3, wherein said closure member is adapted to be snap-fit adjacent the opening in said top member.
5. A receptacle according to Claim 4 which further includes a recessed shoulder formed around at least part of said opening for supporting said closure member when snap-fit adjacent said opening to allow the top surface of said closure member to be essentially flush with the top surface of said top member.
6. A receptacle according to Claim 5 wherein said top member includes at least one guard tab formed at one edge of said opening and projecting over said opening to help deter hand entry into the receptacle, each said guard member being sufficiently spaced from a portion of said recessed shoulder to permit an edge of said closure member to become seated between said guard tab and said shoulder portion.
7. A receptacle according to Claim 6, wherein the distal edge of each said guard tab is formed sharp to deter hand entry into the receptacle.
8. A receptacle according to Claim 7, wherein the distal edge of said guide member and an opposite edge of said opening are sharply jagged to deter hand entry into the receptacle.
9. A receptacle according to Claim 6, which further includes means for retaining said closure panel in place on top of said top member while said opening is to remain free to accept implements.
10. A receptacle according to Claim 3, wherein said closure member is a panel-like member pivotally mounted to said top member such that it can be rotated from a first position with the opening free to accept implements to a second position wherein the closure member secures the openings to prevent access through the opening.
11. A receptacle according to Claim 10, wherein said closure member includes hinge pin means receivable in recess means formed at the top of said top member.
12. A receptacle according to Claim 11, wherein said closure panel includes locking tabs on its bottom to lockably engage edge portion of said opening when said closure member is positioned to secure the opening.
13. A receptacle according to Claim 12, wherein said closure member further includes at least one additional locking tab formed generally near its pivotally connected edge, each said additional locking tab adapted to prevent the closure member from being pried open at its pivotally connected edge when said closure member is in the second position.
14. A receptacle according to Claim 13, wherein the distal edge of said guide member and an opposite edge of said opening are sharply jagged to deter hand entry into the receptacle.
15. A receptacle according to Claim 14, wherein each said additional locking tab is a generally L-shaped member having one leg recessed back from the pivotally connected edge of said closure member and its other leg proportioned to reside under said opposite edge of said opening when said closure member is in said second position.
16. A receptacle according to Claim 10, wherein said closure member is integrally formed with said top member by pivotable mounting.
17. A receptacle according to Claim 16, wherein said closure member is integrally mounted to said top member by a reduced thickness web member which forms a living hinge therebetween.
18. A receptacle according to Claim 17, wherein said closure member includes an inward segment beyond said living hinge web extending into said opening, said inward segment having a jagged distal edge such that when said closure member is in said first position said jagged distal edge projects into said opening to deter hand entry into said receptacle, yet when said closure member is turned to the second position said jagged distal edge remains harmlessly within said receptacle while closure member seals said opening.
19. A receptacle according to Claim 17, wherein said guide member is formed with a jagged distal edge to further deter hand entry into the receptacle.
20. A receptacle according to Claim 19, wherein when said panel member is fabricated, said closure member extends generally perpendicular to the top surface of said top member and said living hinge/web extends from one edge of said opening to a surface portion of said closure panel to permit fabrication by two-part injection molding techniques.
21. A receptacle according to Claim 3, wherein said top member includes a substantially continuous downwardly depending side wall member to form a protective skirt which overlaps said containment member to prevent access into said receptacle between said top and containment members.
22. A receptacle according to Claim 10 wherein said top member includes a substantially continuous downwardly depending side wall member to form a protective skirt which overlaps said containment member to prevent access into said receptacle between said top and containment members.
23. A receptacle according to Claim 16, wherein said top member includes a substantially continuous downwardly depending side wall member to form a protective skirt which overlaps said containment member to prevent access into said receptacle between said top and containment members.
24. A receptacle according to Claim 3, wherein at least one of said top and containment members includes a flange adapted to be mounted to a support bracket for attachment to wall or other support member.
25. A receptacle according to Claim 24, wherein a said flange is formed on both said top and containment members.
26. A receptacle according to Claim 10, wherein at least one of said top and containment members include a flange adapted to be mounted to a support bracket for attachment to a wall or other support member.
27. A receptacle according to Claim 26, wherein a said flange is formed on both said top and containment members.
28. A receptacle according to Claim 16, wherein at least one of said top and containment members includes a flange adapted to be mounted to a support bracket for attachment to a wall or other support member.
29. A receptacle according to Claim 27, wherein a said flange is formed on both said top and containment members.
30. A receptacle according to Claim 11, wherein said closure member includes a tab-like locking tab projecting from its outward distal edge, and wherein said guide member included a receiving opening positioned and proportioned to receive said locking tab such that said closure member can be urged towards its fully closed configuration so as to bend and allow said locking tab to snap into said receiving opening for permanently secure closure of said receptacle.
31. A receptacle according to Claim 18, wherein said closure member includes a tab-like locking tab projecting from its outward distal edge, and wherein said guide member includes a receiving opening positioned and proportioned to receive said locking tab such that said closure member can be urged towards its fully closed configuration so as to bend and allow said locking tab to snap into said receiving opening for permanently secure closure of said receptacle.
32. A receptacle according to Claim 24, wherein each said flange is formed along an edge closest to said one edge of said opening and is proportioned such that when mounted to a bracket on a wall, said guide member projects away from the wall, thereby to substantially prevent visual observation of the contents in the containment chamber and to provide a substantially tortuous path to deter hand entry into the containment chamber when installed on a wall bracket.
33. A receptacle according to Claim 26, wherein each said flange is formed along an edge closest to said one edge of said opening and is proportioned such that when mounted to a bracket on a wall, said guide member projects away from the wall, thereby to substantially prevent visual observation of the contents in the containment chamber and to provide a substantially tortuous path to deter hand entry into the containment chamber when installed on a wall bracket.
34. A receptacle according to Claim 28, wherein each said flange is formed along an edge closest to said one edge of said opening and is proportioned such that when mounted to a bracket on a wall, said guide member projects away from the wall, thereby to substantially prevent visual observation of the contents in the containment chamber and to provide a substantially tortuous path to deter hand entry into the containment chamber when installed on a wall bracket.
35. A receptacle according to Claim 1, wherein said back-drop/stop member is adapted to be generally flexible such that when said closure member is closed, said flexible back-drop/stop member yields to allow any implements protruding from said opening to be forced into the receptacle merely by urging the closure member against them without requiring a person to contact of such implements.
36. A receptacle according to Claim 35, wherein said back-drop/stop member is gradually tapered so as to be increasingly more flexible towards its distal end.
37. A receptacle according to Claim 35, wherein said back-drop/stop includes a weakened line of connection between its distal end and said top member.
38. A receptacle according to Claim 35, wherein said back-drop/stop includes jagged edging generally facing said guide member for enhancing the deterrence to hand entry into the receptacle.
39. A receptacle according to Claim 4, wherein said top member includes tab means at said opening for securing said closure panel in a locked configuration by a generally snap-fitting action.
40. A receptacle according to Claim 17, wherein said top member includes jagged edging at said opening generally adjacent said living hinge.
41. A receptacle according to claim 40, wherein said jagged edging projects inwardly of said receptacle.
42. A receptacle according to claim 2, wherein said containment member includes a downwardly projecting lip for engaging seal means on said top member to securely lock said top and containment members together.
43. A receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the distal edge of said back-drop/stop member extends at least slightly deeper in-to said containment member than the distal edge of said guide member.
44. A receptacle according to claim 2, wherein the distal edge of said back-drop/stop member extends at least slightly deeper into said containment member than the distal edge of said guide member.
45. A receptacle according to claim 35, wherein the distal edge of said back-drop/stop member extends at least slightly deeper into said containment member than the distal edge of said guide member.
46. A receptacle for safely storing potentially dangerous implements such as hypodermic needles, scalpel blades and the like, comprising:
a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements; and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member, said top member having an opening proportioned to receive a desired size of implements and wall means extending downwardly from said top member from its interior surface generally adjacent said opening, said top member further including a guide member extend-ing generally angularly downwardly into said receptacle from said top member generally along an edge of said opening generally opposite at least a portion of said wall means so as to form a slot-like gap for allowing implements to drop into said receptacle, said wall means and said guide member being positioned and proportioned relative to each other to cause at least a momentary slowing of travel of implements along said guide member to ensure that each implement assumes a generally hori-zontal orientation before actually dropping into said containment member to ensure that implements inserted through said opening are aligned in a generally horizon-tal orientation by cooperation between said guide member and said wall means at said slot-like gap, such that as said receptacle is filled with implements, a person can readily observe that the receptacle is reaching a filled condition by visual contrast of implements against said wall means.
a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements; and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member, said top member having an opening proportioned to receive a desired size of implements and wall means extending downwardly from said top member from its interior surface generally adjacent said opening, said top member further including a guide member extend-ing generally angularly downwardly into said receptacle from said top member generally along an edge of said opening generally opposite at least a portion of said wall means so as to form a slot-like gap for allowing implements to drop into said receptacle, said wall means and said guide member being positioned and proportioned relative to each other to cause at least a momentary slowing of travel of implements along said guide member to ensure that each implement assumes a generally hori-zontal orientation before actually dropping into said containment member to ensure that implements inserted through said opening are aligned in a generally horizon-tal orientation by cooperation between said guide member and said wall means at said slot-like gap, such that as said receptacle is filled with implements, a person can readily observe that the receptacle is reaching a filled condition by visual contrast of implements against said wall means.
47. A receptacle according to claim 46, wherein said wall means generally surrounds said opening in said top member.
48. A self-contained receptacle for safely storing potentially dangerous implements such as hypodermic needles, scalpel blades and the like, comprising:
a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements; and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member, said top member including an opening propor-tioned to receive a desired size of implements, a guide member extending generally angularly downardly into said receptacle from said top member generally along one edge of said opening and a back-drop/stop member extending downardly from said top member adjacent the side of said opening opposite the side adjacent to which said guide member is mounted, said back-drop/stop and guide members having distal edges which form a slot-like gap for allowing implements to drop into said receptacle, said back-drop/stop member including jagged edging facing said guide member, and said back-drop/stop member and said guide member being positioned and proportioned relative to each other to cause at least a momentary slowing of travel of implements along said guide member to ensure that each implement assumes a generally horizontal orientation before actually dropping into said contain-ment member such that implements inserted through said opening are aligned in a generally horizontal orientation by cooperation between said guide and back-drop/stop members at said slot-like gap, thereafter to drop into said containment member for side-by-side stacking with other implements deposited therein and said jagged edging helping to deter hand entry into said receptacle.
a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements; and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member, said top member including an opening propor-tioned to receive a desired size of implements, a guide member extending generally angularly downardly into said receptacle from said top member generally along one edge of said opening and a back-drop/stop member extending downardly from said top member adjacent the side of said opening opposite the side adjacent to which said guide member is mounted, said back-drop/stop and guide members having distal edges which form a slot-like gap for allowing implements to drop into said receptacle, said back-drop/stop member including jagged edging facing said guide member, and said back-drop/stop member and said guide member being positioned and proportioned relative to each other to cause at least a momentary slowing of travel of implements along said guide member to ensure that each implement assumes a generally horizontal orientation before actually dropping into said contain-ment member such that implements inserted through said opening are aligned in a generally horizontal orientation by cooperation between said guide and back-drop/stop members at said slot-like gap, thereafter to drop into said containment member for side-by-side stacking with other implements deposited therein and said jagged edging helping to deter hand entry into said receptacle.
49. A receptacle according to claim 48, wherein said containment member includes a downwardly projecting lip for engaging seal means on said top member to securely lock said top and containment members together.
50. A self-contained receptacle for safely storing potentially dangerous implements such as hypodermic needles, scalpel blades and the like, comprising:
a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements; and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member, said top member including an opening propor-tioned to receive a desired size of implements, a guide member extending generally angularly downardly into said receptacle from said top member generally along one edge of said opening and a back-drop/stop member extending downardly from said top member adjacent the side of said opening opposite the side adjacent to which said guide member is mounted, said back-drop/stop and guide members having distal edges which form a slot-like gap for allowing implements to drop into said receptacle, said back-drop/stop member including jagged edging facing said guide member, said back-drop/stop member and said guide member being positioned and proportioned relative to each other to cause at least a momentary slowing of travel of implements along said guide member to ensure that each implement assumes a generally horizontal orientation before actually dropping into said containment member, said top member including a closure member to seal said top member once said receptacle is filled with implements and tab means at said opening for locking said closure member by a generally snap-fitting action such that implements inserted through said opening are aligned in a generally horizontal. orientation by cooperation between said guide and back-drop/stop members at said slot-like yap, thereafter to drop into said containment member for side-by-side stacking with other implements deposited therein and said closure member can be secured closed over said opening once the receptacle is filled.
a containment member proportioned to retain a plurality of implements; and a top member adapted to be attached to said containment member, said top member including an opening propor-tioned to receive a desired size of implements, a guide member extending generally angularly downardly into said receptacle from said top member generally along one edge of said opening and a back-drop/stop member extending downardly from said top member adjacent the side of said opening opposite the side adjacent to which said guide member is mounted, said back-drop/stop and guide members having distal edges which form a slot-like gap for allowing implements to drop into said receptacle, said back-drop/stop member including jagged edging facing said guide member, said back-drop/stop member and said guide member being positioned and proportioned relative to each other to cause at least a momentary slowing of travel of implements along said guide member to ensure that each implement assumes a generally horizontal orientation before actually dropping into said containment member, said top member including a closure member to seal said top member once said receptacle is filled with implements and tab means at said opening for locking said closure member by a generally snap-fitting action such that implements inserted through said opening are aligned in a generally horizontal. orientation by cooperation between said guide and back-drop/stop members at said slot-like yap, thereafter to drop into said containment member for side-by-side stacking with other implements deposited therein and said closure member can be secured closed over said opening once the receptacle is filled.
51. A receptacle according to claim 50, wherein said closure member is integrally mounted to said top member by a reduced thickness web member which forms a living hinge therebetween.
52. A receptacle according to claim 51, wherein said top member includes jagged edging at said opening generally adjacent said living hinge.
53. A receptacle according to claim 52, wherein said jagged edging projects inwardly of said receptacle.
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US82628886A | 1986-02-05 | 1986-02-05 | |
| US826,288 | 1986-02-05 | ||
| US83333586A | 1986-02-25 | 1986-02-25 | |
| US833,335 | 1986-02-25 | ||
| US89897386A | 1986-08-22 | 1986-08-22 | |
| US898,973 | 1986-08-22 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1299548C true CA1299548C (en) | 1992-04-28 |
Family
ID=27420185
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000528903A Expired - Lifetime CA1299548C (en) | 1986-02-05 | 1987-02-03 | Receptacle for storage and disposal of potentially injurious implements such as used scalpel blades hypodermic needles and the like |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1299548C (en) |
-
1987
- 1987-02-03 CA CA000528903A patent/CA1299548C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKLA | Lapsed |