GB2087360A - Disposal Bin - Google Patents

Disposal Bin Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2087360A
GB2087360A GB8134841A GB8134841A GB2087360A GB 2087360 A GB2087360 A GB 2087360A GB 8134841 A GB8134841 A GB 8134841A GB 8134841 A GB8134841 A GB 8134841A GB 2087360 A GB2087360 A GB 2087360A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
container
door
aperture
container according
lever
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.)
Granted
Application number
GB8134841A
Other versions
GB2087360B (en
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Frontier Plastics South Wales Ltd
Original Assignee
Frontier Plastics South Wales Ltd
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Frontier Plastics South Wales Ltd filed Critical Frontier Plastics South Wales Ltd
Priority to GB8134841A priority Critical patent/GB2087360B/en
Publication of GB2087360A publication Critical patent/GB2087360A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2087360B publication Critical patent/GB2087360B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65FGATHERING OR REMOVAL OF DOMESTIC OR LIKE REFUSE
    • B65F1/00Refuse receptacles; Accessories therefor
    • B65F1/14Other constructional features; Accessories
    • B65F1/16Lids or covers
    • B65F1/1607Lids or covers with filling openings
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B50/00Containers, covers, furniture or holders specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments, e.g. sterile covers
    • A61B50/30Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments
    • A61B50/36Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments for collecting or disposing of used articles
    • A61B50/362Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments for collecting or disposing of used articles for sharps
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/178Syringes
    • A61M5/31Details
    • A61M5/32Needles; Details of needles pertaining to their connection with syringe or hub; Accessories for bringing the needle into, or holding the needle on, the body; Devices for protection of needles
    • A61M5/3205Apparatus for removing or disposing of used needles or syringes, e.g. containers; Means for protection against accidental injuries from used needles
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65FGATHERING OR REMOVAL OF DOMESTIC OR LIKE REFUSE
    • B65F2220/00Properties of refuse receptacles
    • B65F2220/128Properties of refuse receptacles transparent

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
  • Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
  • Surgery (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
  • Medical Informatics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Vascular Medicine (AREA)
  • Anesthesiology (AREA)
  • Hematology (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Accommodation For Nursing Or Treatment Tables (AREA)
  • Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)

Abstract

A disposable container for used items of medical equipment such as hypodermic needles, has an entry chute (15) in its upper wall and an internal self-closing door flap (16) which will swing downwards to allow an object to enter and swing upwards under gravity to close the chute. When the container is full a locking probe (30) is inserted through a hole (27) in the top wall, where it is locked by barbs (33) and presses down on a lever (18) attached to the door (16) to hold the door positively closed without any risk of accidental opening. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Disposal bin This invention relates to a bin or container designed to receive items for disposal and is particularly though not exclusively applicable to a container for used items of medical equipment.
It is normal practice in hospitals, for example, to provide disposal boxes to receive different types of medical refuse for disposal. One special class of items for disposal is commonly referred to as "Sharps" and includes items such as used hypodermic needles, or broken glass phials or pharmaceutical containers. After use these artices may be potentially very dangerous, if not insanitary or unhygenic.
Some of the articles may, for example, be coated with blood or contaminated in other ways. Other objects may still carry quantities of drugs and in addition there is the physcial danger of injury to hands or fingers from the presence of sharp points or edges. Attempts have been made to provide disposal containers for such items but existing containers for the purpose suffer from various disadvantages and it is an object of this present invention to provide an improved container which will meet some of the requirements and satisfy some of the present problems.
Broadly stated, the invention consists in a container for used items of medical equipment, or other refuse, having an entrance opening at or near the top, a movable door biassed to a position closing the entrance and locking means for irreversibly holding the door closed.
According to a preferred feature of the invention the locking means is operable externally from outside the container. The locking means may include an irreversible catch or detent, and in a particular preferred construction it includes a probe which can be inserted through an aperture in a container and will close the aperture and become locked therein when inserted.
According to another preferred feature of the invention the container has a transparent window. This provides a number of important advantages. It is possible to observe when the container is nearly full so that it can be removed and replaced, any mistaken or accidental disposal of an object which ought not to have been placed in the container can also be observed, and importantly, a person using the container can observe externally whether there are any dangerous sharp points or cutting edges close to the entrance.
in any case, the container is preferably provided with a duct or chute extending partly inwards into the body of the container. Thus, if the container should accidentally be overturned, it is most unlikely that any of the contents will escape. The container is also preferably provided with a device for remov- ing needles from syringes, associated with an aperture to allow the needle to fall into the container.
To hold the door irreversibly closed it is convenient to use a probe or other stem inserted through a small aperture in the container wall to engage a lever attached to the door. After being inserted the probe will then lock in position in the aperture and form a seal, to prevent the contents escaping. This aperture may also act as the entry for hypodermic needles and to prevent the needles or other objects from accidentally engaging the door lever this lever is preferably provided with a sharp operating point or knife edge to be engaged by the probe.
The invention may be performed in various ways and one specific embodiment, with a number of possible modifications, will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:~ Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of disposal container according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation through the container of Fig. 1.
In this example the disposal container comprises a small bin formed in synthetic plastics material and generally square or rectangular in plan. There is a base portion 10 with four side walls and a bottom wall, and an upper cover or lid 11 also with four inward tapering side walls and a generally flat top wall 12.
The cover is formed separately from the base and is permanently and irremovably attached by a snap-acting, flange fitting 13. The cover is formed in a translucent plastics whereas the base is preferably opaque.
Offset laterally from the centre of the cover 11 is an inwardly tapering chute 1 5 providing an entrance to the container at its lower end or mouth. This is normally closed by a transparent hinged door 16 which is mounted on a horizontal hinge or pivot axis 17 and has a laterally projecting arm or stirrup 18 on the opposite side of the hinge pivot. At the remote end of this lever 18 is a transverse bar 19 provided with a sharp knige edge ridge 20. The door 16, lever 18 and bar 19 are so balanced that normally the door 16 is held upwards against the mouth of the entrance chute 15. When an object to be disposed of is dropped through the chute however the door 1 6 automatically opens downwards and then re-closes.
One of the more common objects to be disposed of is a hypodermic needle. For this special item the container is formed with a small depression 25 in its top wall with a depressed bottom wall 26 formed with a keyhole slot 27. The slot will accept the standard sized hypodermic needle and then by drawing the needle into the narrow part of the slot and pulling back on the syringe, the needle will be detached and will fall through into the body of the container. In doing so it may accidentally impinge on the knife edge bar 20 but naturally will not be retained.
When the container is substantially full and is to be disposed of, it is necessary to close the top door 16 permanently to prevent the contents escaping. For this purpose the body of the container is provided with an external operating probe 30 which is conveneiently moulded integral with the body and attached to the side wall by a short easily broken stalk 34. The probe can easily be removed from the body and it comprises a cruciform stem with a slightly enlarged upper head 31, and a notch 32 at the lower end of the stem. By inserting the stem through the opening in the depressed wall 26 it can be made to engage the knife edge 20 thus locking the lever 18 to hold the door 16 firmly against the entrance mouth of the chute. Four barbs or detents 33 on the side surfaces of the stem pass through the aperture in the wall 26, and spring outwards to prevent the stem being withdrawn.
The head on the stem then occupries and substantially fills the depression 25 which makes even deliberate removal of the stem extremely difficult.

Claims (9)

1. A container for used items of medical equipment, or other refuse, having an entrance opening at or near the top, a movable door biassed to a position closing the entrance and locking means for irreversibly holding the door closed.
2. A container according to claim 1, in which the locking means is operable externally from outside the container.
3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the locking means includes an irreversible catch or detent, or locking plug.
4. A container according to any of the preceding claims, in which the locking means includes a probe which can be inserted through an aperture in a container and will close the aperture and become locked therein when inserted.
5. A container according to any of the preceding claims, in which the door and/or upper part is transparent.
6. A container according to any of the preceding claims, in which the entrance opening is positioned at the inner end of a duct or chute extending partly inwards into the body of the container.
7. A container according to any of the preceding claims, including a device for removing needles from syringes, associated with an aperture to allow the needle to fall into the container.
8. A container according to any of the preceding claims, in which the door is operated by means of a lever having a point or knife edge positioned below an aperture in the container wall, to allow the lever to be operated externally but to avoid objects falling through the aperture from lodging on the lever.
9. A disposable container substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
GB8134841A 1980-11-19 1981-11-19 Disposal bin Expired GB2087360B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8134841A GB2087360B (en) 1980-11-19 1981-11-19 Disposal bin

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8037154 1980-11-19
GB8134841A GB2087360B (en) 1980-11-19 1981-11-19 Disposal bin

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2087360A true GB2087360A (en) 1982-05-26
GB2087360B GB2087360B (en) 1984-06-27

Family

ID=26277572

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8134841A Expired GB2087360B (en) 1980-11-19 1981-11-19 Disposal bin

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2087360B (en)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0156517A1 (en) * 1984-03-01 1985-10-02 Frontier Plastics (South Wales) Ltd. Containers
EP0221378A2 (en) * 1984-03-01 1987-05-13 Frontier Plastics (South Wales) Ltd. Containers
GB2211487A (en) * 1987-10-28 1989-07-05 C P R Medical Limited Container for disposal of contaminated or dangerous articles
EP0387389A1 (en) * 1989-02-27 1990-09-19 Jitsuo Inagaki Method of treating medical wastes and containers to be used for the treatment method
EP0431879A1 (en) * 1989-12-05 1991-06-12 Med-Safe Systems, Inc. A secure container for disposable sharps
US5395008A (en) * 1987-04-20 1995-03-07 Bemis Manufacturing Company Sharps disposal container
WO1995009663A1 (en) * 1993-10-05 1995-04-13 Scientific Concepts, Inc. A safety device for holding and retaining hyposyringes and the like
WO1995026210A1 (en) * 1994-03-25 1995-10-05 Lawrence Michael Bloomfield A sharps container
FR2743357A1 (en) * 1996-01-05 1997-07-11 Edec Sa Sealable container for dangerous hospital waste
FR2770500A1 (en) * 1997-11-06 1999-05-07 Metalforming Antiterrorist street litter bin

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8998031B2 (en) 2011-08-26 2015-04-07 Stericycle, Inc. Waste container assembly

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU632291B2 (en) * 1984-03-01 1992-12-24 Frontier Plastics (South Wales) Limited Containers
EP0221378A2 (en) * 1984-03-01 1987-05-13 Frontier Plastics (South Wales) Ltd. Containers
EP0221378A3 (en) * 1984-03-01 1987-08-05 Frontier Plastics (South Wales) Ltd. Containers
EP0156517A1 (en) * 1984-03-01 1985-10-02 Frontier Plastics (South Wales) Ltd. Containers
US5413243A (en) * 1987-04-20 1995-05-09 Bemis Manufacturing Company Sharps disposal container
US5395008A (en) * 1987-04-20 1995-03-07 Bemis Manufacturing Company Sharps disposal container
GB2211487A (en) * 1987-10-28 1989-07-05 C P R Medical Limited Container for disposal of contaminated or dangerous articles
EP0387389A1 (en) * 1989-02-27 1990-09-19 Jitsuo Inagaki Method of treating medical wastes and containers to be used for the treatment method
EP0431879A1 (en) * 1989-12-05 1991-06-12 Med-Safe Systems, Inc. A secure container for disposable sharps
WO1995009663A1 (en) * 1993-10-05 1995-04-13 Scientific Concepts, Inc. A safety device for holding and retaining hyposyringes and the like
WO1995026210A1 (en) * 1994-03-25 1995-10-05 Lawrence Michael Bloomfield A sharps container
GB2301341A (en) * 1994-03-25 1996-12-04 Lawrence Michael Bloomfield A sharps container
GB2301341B (en) * 1994-03-25 1997-10-22 Lawrence Michael Bloomfield A sharps container
FR2743357A1 (en) * 1996-01-05 1997-07-11 Edec Sa Sealable container for dangerous hospital waste
FR2770500A1 (en) * 1997-11-06 1999-05-07 Metalforming Antiterrorist street litter bin

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2087360B (en) 1984-06-27

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PE20 Patent expired after termination of 20 years

Effective date: 20011118