GB2223002A

GB2223002A - Container for disposal of hypodermic needles

Info

Publication number: GB2223002A
Application number: GB8920510A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rosalind Elizabeth Davidson; George Rothnie Easton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-09-21
Filing date: 1989-09-11
Publication date: 1990-03-28
Also published as: GB8822214D0; GB8920510D0

Abstract

A container (1) for the disposal of hypodermic needles (13) comprises a closed vessel having a keyhole shape aperture (12) through which hypodermic needles (13) are located and held whilst the syringe (14) is withdrawn, so that the needle falls into and is retained by the container (1). Once full the container (1) may be incinerated or suitably disposed of. The aperture (12) may be formed in a panel (7) which may be fitted over a conventional hypodermic needle and syringe container (2). <IMAGE>

Description

CONTAINER The present invention relates to containers suitable for use in the disposal of hypodermic needles.

Various establishments involved in the use of hypodermic syringes such as hospitals and clinics generally use containers (usually known as "cinbins") for the disposal of used hypodermic needles and often also for disposable syringes after these have been finished with The containers have a relatively large opening closed by a trap door or flap means through which the needle and/or syringe can be placed. Where just the needle is being disposed of e.g. after taking a blood sample from a patient, then the needle must be taken hold of by the operative and pulled away from the syringe on which it is held by a push fit. In some cases this can be quite difficult due to jamming together of the needle and syringe connectors thereby requiring considerable force which can then result in sudden uncontrolled release of the needle and the risk of injury from the needle.In any event the needle will inevitably have on both its outside and inside a greater or lesser amount of body fluid which may present a greater or lesser hazard to anyone coming into contact with it.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimise one or more of the above disadvan tages.

The present invention provides a hypodermic needle disposal container suitable for use in the disposal of hypodermic needles having a female connector of a predetermined external diameter and formed and arranged for connection to a male connector of predetermined external diameter, which container comprises a substantially closed vessel having a wall means defining a generally keyhole shaped aperture having a wider portion for receiving therethrough said female connector of a said hypodermic needle attached to a said hypodermic syringe and a narrower portion having a width less than the external diameter of said female connector of said syringe needle but not less than the external diameter of said male connector of said hypodermic syringe, whereby in use of said container a hypodermic needle attached to a syringe can be inserted through the wider portion of said aperture, moved behind said narrower portion and syringe then withdrawn from tne hypodermic needle whilst engaging the needle against the wall means of the vessel adjacent the narrower portion of the aperture thereby to retain the needle inside said vessel.

With a container of the present invention hypodermic needles can be safely disposed of in a very simple and quick manner without the need for any handling of any part of the needle or the syringe adjacent its nozzle thereby substantially avoiding any danger of the operator coming into contact with any body fluid on the needle or in the syringe.

Preferably the container is of a material resistant to piercing by needles contained therein. Advantageously the container should be of a material which can be more or less readily incinerated or otherwise disposed of by conventional methods for the safe disposal of biohazards. Desirably also the material should be readily wipable so that any biological fluids accidentally deposited on the outside can be readily cleaned off. Conveniently the container is of a plastics material such as for example polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyacylate or the like.

In another aspect the present invention provides a method of disposalofahypodermic syringe which method comprises the steps of passing the hypodermic needle attached to the syringe through the wider portion of said aperture and then behind the narrower portion of the aperture and then withdrawing the syringe from the hypodermic needle whilst engaging the needle against the wall means of the vessel adjacent the narrower portion of the aperture thereby to retain the needle inside said vessel, It will be appreciated that the keyhole aperture may be formed in an integrally formed wall means of the container or in a separately formed panel means which can be secured over the opening of a conventional hypodermic needle and syringe disposal container.

Such conventional containers generally have a trap door or flat means in the top of the vessel which is moveable between a more or less secure closed position and an-open position. Thus in a further aspect the present invention provides a panel means for a hypodermic needle disposal container having an extended area opening and a door means for closing said opening, and suitable for use in the disposal of hypodermic needles having a female connector of a predetermined external diameter and formed and arranged for connection to a male connector of predetermined external diameter, whichpanel is provided with engagement means formed and arranged for inter-engagement with the container either side of the opening and which panel has a generally keyhole-shaped aperture having a wider portion for receiving therethrough said female connector of said hypodermic needle attached to the said hypodermic syringe and a narrower portion having a width less than the external diameter of said female connector of said syringe needle but not less than the external diameter of said male connector of said hypodermic syringe, whereby in use of said container a hypodermic needle attached to a syringe can be inserted through the wider portion of said aperture, moved behind said narrower portion and the syringe then withdrawn from the hypodermic needle whilst engaging the needle against the wall means of the vessel adjacent the narrower portion of the aperture thereby to retain the needle inside said vessel.

The panel may be of the same material as the container or of a different material. Thus for example it could be of metal, e.g. aluminium, which can readily be sterilised e.g. by washing a gluteraldehyde or other like suitable disi nfectant. Where the panel or, in the case of the other form of the invention, the whole container is of a plastics material, then the keyhole aperture may be provided with a metal surround reinforcement e.g. in the form of a disc with a correspondingly shaped aperture therein.

Further preferred features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example of some preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment; and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation through a second embodiment in use of the hypodermic syringe.

Fig. 1 shows a generally conventional hypodermic needle disposal container 1 in the form of a generally box-shaped vessel 2 having at its top 3 an extended area aperture 4 closable by a hingedly mounted 5 trap door or flap 6 shown in its open position. A generally rectangular panel 7 of the invention has engagement means in the form of depending flanges 8 at either side 9 for more or less secure engagement with the outer edges 10 of the top 3 at opposite sides 11 of the opening 4. The panel 7 has a generally keyhole-shaped aperture 12 which registers with the opening 4 so that a hypodermic needle passing through the aperture 12 can enter inside the container 1.

In Fig.2 like parts are identified by like reference numerals. In this case the container 1 is of substantially unitary construction, the keyhole aperture 12 being formed directly in the top 3 of the container.

In use of the container a hypodermic needle 13 attached to a syringe 14 is passed through a larger diameter end portion 15 of the aperture 12 and the syringe 14 then moved sideways along the aperture to a narrower diameter end portion 16 which is narrower than the diameter of the needle connector portion 17 so that the latter engages the top 3 at either side of the aperture and is captively retained inside the container. The hypodermic syringe 14 may then be readily withdrawn from the needle 13 which then falls into the bottom 18 of the container where it is safely stored alongide other used needles 19, without the need for any handling of the needle 13 at all thereby minimising the risk of infection to the operative.

As may be seen in Fig. 1 the flap 6 is provided with suitable securing means 20 for retaining it in its closed position. With the embodiment of Fig. 1 it is also possible to remove the panel 7 for reuse with other containers or to allow disposable syringes also to be placed inside the container. Any suitable form of co-operating engagement means may be used in the panel 7 and vessel 2. Generally these will be in the form of respective male and female portions, conveniently formed and arranged to allow sliding inter-engagement, e.g. generally complementary ridge and groove means.

In order to facilitate mounting and demounting of the panel 7, one end 21 is provided with an upwardly inclined tab 22 which can be readily gripped.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the container 1 of Fig. 1 in which the tab 22 may be readily seen together with the inwardly turned lower edge portions 23 of the depending panel flanges 8, which portions 23 engage the underside 24 of the outer edges 10 of the container top 3 to hold the panel 7 captively engaged on the vessel 2.

Claims

1. A hypodermic needle disposal container suitable for use in the disposal of hypodermic needles having a female connector of a predetermined external diameter and formed and arranged for connection to a male connector of predetermined external diameter, which container comprises a substantially closed vessel having a wall means defining a generally keyhole shaped aperture having a wider portion for receiving therethrough said female connector of a said hypodermic needle attached to a said hyprodermic syringe and a narrower portion having a width less than the external diameter of said female connector of said syringe needle but not less than the external diameter of said male connector of said hypodermic syringe, whereby in use of said container of hypodermic needle attached to a syringe can be inserted through the wider portion of said aperture, moved behind said narrower portion and syringe then withdrawn from the hypodermic needle whilst engaging the needle against the wall means of the vessel adjacent the narrower portion of the aperture thereby to retain the needle inside said vessel.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 which is of a material resistant to piercing by needles contained therein.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 and 2 which is of a material that can be more or less readily incinerated.

4. A container as claimed in claim 1 to 3 wherein the keyhole aperture is provided with a metal surround reinforcement.

5. A panel means for a hypodermic needle disposal container having an extended area opening and a door means for closing said opening, and suitable for use in the disposal of hypodermic needles having a female connector of a predetermined external diameter and formed and arranged for connection to a male connector of predetermined external diameter, which panel is provided with engagement means formed and arranged for inter-engagement with the container either side of the opening and which panel has a generally keyhole-shaped aperture having a wider portion for receiving therethrough said female connector of said hypodermic needle attached to the said hypodermic syringe and a narrower portion having a width less than the external diameter of said female connector of said syringe needle but not less than the external diameter of said male connector of said hypodermic syringe, whereby in use of said container a hypodermic needle attached to a syringe can be inserted through the wider portion of said aperture, moved behind said narrower portion and the syringe then withdrawn from the hypodermic needle whilst engaging the needle against the wall means of the vessel adjacent the narrower portion of the aperture thereby to retain the needle inside said vessel.

6. A panel as claimed in claim 5 which is of a material resistant to piercing by needles contained thereunder

7. A panel as claimed in claims 5 and 6 which is of a material that may be readily sterilised.

8, A panel as claimed in claim 5 to 7 wherein the keyhole aperture is provided with a metal surround reinforcement.

9. A method of disposal of a hypodermic syringe which method comprises the steps of passing the hypodermic needle attached to the syringe through the wider portion of said aperture and then behind the narrower portion of the aperture and then withdrawing the syringe from the hypodermic needle whilst engaging the needle against the wall means of the vessel adjacent the narrower portion of the aperture thereby to retain the needle inside said vessel.

10. A hypodermic needle disposal container substantially as described hereinbefore with particular reference to Figs. 1 and 3 or Fig.2 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A panel substantially as described hereinbefore with particular reference to Figs. 1 and 3.

12. A method substantially as described hereinbefore with particular reference to the drawings.