GB2335911A

GB2335911A - Storage pack

Info

Publication number: GB2335911A
Application number: GB9806784A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terence John Lucas
Original assignee: CLINIMED
Current assignee: CLINIMED
Priority date: 1998-03-31
Filing date: 1998-03-31
Publication date: 1999-10-06
Also published as: GB9806784D0

Abstract

A storage pack (2) for the sterile storage of a plurality of dentist's drill bits comprises a base formed from a one piece plastics moulding and comprising side walls surrounding a central recessed area (6) which contains the plurality of drill bits (44), and a flat closure member positioned over and sealing the central recessed area. The side walls comprise outer side wall portions (8) extending to form a support for the base, top wall portions having flattened areas defining a sealing flange receiving said flat closure member, and inner wall portions (30) extending from the top wall portions to a floor portion (32) of said central recessed area. The floor portion has at one end a raised portion (34) having formed therein a plurality recesses, internally contoured to define sets of interdigitating finger members which receive and resiliently grip respective shafts (42) of the drill bits, so that the drill bits extend parallel to one another into the recessed area, spaced from surrounding portions of the base.

Description

2335911 1 STORAGE PACK The present invention relates to storage packs for

items which require storage under sterile or hygienic conditions, particularly though not exclusively dentists' drill bits.

Drill bits for industrial or DIY purposes are commonly stored in hard plastics cases with a hinged cover, the bits being in closely spaced rows, being located in apertures in a base member or in grooves having resilient side walls. However the need to maintain sterility of dental drill bits means that such DIY cases are unsuitable. Dental drill bits are commonly used in a single specialised dental procedure, and a storage pack must fulfil the following requirements:

1. The tips of the bits must not touch the package, to avoid damage to the finely engineered cutting edges; 2. The drill bits must be firmly secured during transit, but should be easily and conveniently removed by the dental surgeon or nurse with gloved hands during the procedure; 3. the pack must maintain sterility until it is opened in the "sterile field" of the operating theatre or surgery; and

4. the storage packs for dentists' drill bits to be as simple and inexpensive as possible, whilst being sufficiently rigid and strong to withstand forces which may be experienced in the surgery and during transit.

The present invention provides in a first aspect a storage pack for the sterile storage of a plurality of dentist's drill bits, the pack comprising a base formed from a one piece plastics moulded sheet and comprising side walls surrounding a central recessed area which contains the plurality of drill bits, and a flat closure member positioned over and sealing the central recessed area, 2 said side walls comprising outer side wall portions, top wall portions said flat closure member, and inner wall portions extending from the top wall portions to a floor portion of said central recessed area, the central recessed area having formed therein recess means which receive respective shafts of the drill bits, and the recess means being internally contoured to resiliently grip said shafts, so that the drill bits extend parallel to one another into the recessed area, spaced from surrounding portions of the base.

In accordance with the invention, one or more members may be stored securely in sterile conditions.

In a preferred embodiment, a pack is thermoformed from a single sheet of plastic by means of heating and vacuum causing the plastic to take the shape of a metal tool containing the requisite cavities and features to achieve the finished format. Such format provides four supportive walls, a sealing flange (for a lid to be added after the bits are inserted), a central cavity for the drill bits and a locking feature to hold the drill bits in position. Preferably up to three drill bits could be held, more could be held if desired. The drill bits, having been chemically cleaned, are inserted into a locking feature. The lid, a soft plastic diaphragm the same shape as the sealing flange on the package, is then heat sealed onto the package by use of a specially designed lidding machine. All these procedures (cleaning, inserting and lidding) take place in a "cleanroom" which has filtered air and within which the staff wear protective gloves and follow special procedures to ensure cleanliness. The ultimate sterilisation of the drills is carried out elsewhere by exposing the sealed packages to cobalt irradiation which kills any bacteria within them. The package is designed to maintain that sterility until the lid is peeled off immediately prior to use in an operating theatre or surgery. This is achieved because bacteria cannot penetrate the sealed package.

An important feature of the invention is the design of the locking feature which grips, and ultimately releases, the drill shafts within the pack. This is achieved by a horizontally "waved" or contoured slot just smaller than the drill shaft diameter. Pressure created by the displacement of the plastic when it is inserted and then its 3 retained elasticity thereafter ensures the drill is securely gripped. This pressure is applied by the packing operative pushing the drill shaft into the slot with a gentle manipulative finger motion from above. The drill bit is subsequently released by the dental practitioner applying a similar pressure to the underside of the package. The spacing between the slots is such as to enable the packer and the user to insert/remove each drill individually.

The closure member or lid may be formed as a plastics sheet, but is preferably of card or paper, for example fabric reinforced paper. The member may have a layer of adhesive formed around its periphery, such as to permit peeling away of the member under finger pressure from the base, and preferably such as to permit at least temporary resealing of the pack, once opened.

The top wall portions may have flattened portions to define a sealing flange for receiving the closure member, and rib portions at their outer edges for locating the closure member and for gripping the base by hand without interfering with the removal of the closure member.

The outer wall portions are preferably formed with flanges at their lower ends for resting on a horizontal surface. The corner portions of the walls may be formed outstanding from adjacent outer wall portions to further reinforce the side walls when pressure is exerted on them, either for removing the closure member or for removing an item in the pack.

The internal contour of the slots or recesses may comprise interdigitating fingers, formed by pressing recesses into the plastics moulding to define fingers there between. The fingers may be located in the inner side wall portions, or in said floor portion. They are preferably formed so that when an item is secured between the fingers, it projects into the recessed area spaced from surrounding walls. For example the item may be located inclined to the plane of the floor by forming some fingers more deeply in the moulding than others so that the plane in which the fingers are located is inclined. Alternatively and as preferred, the fingers may be located in a raised portion of the floor portion, preferably at one end so that the stored items project free of the floor portion.

4 In a further aspect, the invention provides a storage pack for the sterile or hygienic storage of items, the pack comprising a base formed from a one piece plastics moulded sheet and comprising side walls surrounding a central recessed area for receiving at least one item to be stored, and a flat closure member for positioning over and sealing the central recessed area, said side walls comprising outer side wall portions extending to form a stable support for the base, top wall portions having flattened areas to define a sealing flange to permit the sealing thereto of said flat closure member, and inner wall portions extending from the top wall portions to a floor portion of said central recessed area, the central recessed area having formed therein recess means with internal contours for receiving and resiliently gripping a shaft or other portion of the item to be stored.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the base of the storage pack according to the invention; the base; 1; Figures 2 and 3 are side elevation views of the base, of two adjacent side walls of Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views of the base along lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Figure Figure 6 is a plan view of the closure member of the storage pack; Figure 7 is a top plan view of the base with dentists' drill bits stored therein; and Figure 8 is a sectional view along the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to the drawings, a storage pack for storing dentists' drill bits in sterile conditions comprises a base member 2 formed as a one piece plastics moulding from a sheet of 500 microns thick PET plastics sheet. Base member 2 is rectangular with four side walls 4 surrounding a central recessed area 6. Side walls 4 have outer side wall portions 8 extending vertically to horizontal flanges 10 at their lower ends. The corners 12 of the side walls are outstanding from adjacent side wall portions to provide reinforcement of the walls. A flat rim portion 14 extends around the base of the corner 12 and flanges 10.

The side walls have flattened top wall portions 16 to define a sealing flange for receiving a closure member 18, as shown in Figure 6. Closure member 18 is a generally rectangular and flat member formed of fabric reinforced paper, with a finger grip tab 20 extending from one corner. Edge regions 22 of one side of the paper have adhesive formed thereon, of a type which will securely fix to plastics, but will permit peeling away of the paper under suitable force.

Flattened top wall portions 14 have outstanding ribs 24 at their outer edges for positioning closure member 18 and for gripping the base. One corner of the base has a sloping portion 26 to permit gripping of the closure member should tab 20 not be usable.

Inner side wall portions 30 of the side walls extend from top wall portions at a slight angle to the vertical to a floor portion 32 of central recessed area 6. Floor portion 32 is spaced a short distance in the vertical direction from flanges 10 to ensure it does not engage a support surface during use. One end of the floor portion has a raised portion 34 over approximately one quarter of the floor region, and being about 0.5 em higher than floor portion 32. Raised portion has recesses 36 formed in its upper surface defining three sets of interdigitating fingers 38, which define there between recesses 40 for receiving the shafts 42 of dentists' drill bits 44 (Figures 7, 8). The shafts 42 are slightly wider than recesses 40, so that the tips of fingers 38 resiliently deform and firmly grip shafts 42. Drill bits 44 extend into recessed area 6 parallel to one another, spaced apart 1 em from each other, and spaced 0.5 em from the floor portion 32.

In use of the storage pack, the drill bits 44 are installed under sterile conditions, as described above, into the central recessed area 6, and the closure member 18 is sealed to the top wall portions 16.

6 When it is desired to use the drill bits in a dentist's surgery, the pack is placed on a flat surface. The dentist grips the pack by placing the fingers of one hand on opposing side walls 4 and ribs 24. The outer side wall portions 8, formed with flanges 10 and corners 12 provide a strong support for reacting against the flat surface while the closure member is peeled off the top wall portions 14 by gripping tab 20, or the corner of the closure member extending over sloping corner portion 26.

With the drill bits exposed, they may be selectively removed with an appropriate tool. Alternatively, their wide spacing permits removal by a hand, with surgical gloves. The dentist may apply a gentle manipulative pressure to the underside of the raised portion 34, to release the selected drill bit from the recess 40, by releasing the grip of the interdigitating fingers 38. By virtue of the spacing between the drill bits and the spacing from the floor portion 32, this can be done without touching adjacent drill bits.

If the drill bit is to be reinserted in the pack, the end of the drill bit may be gripped between the fingers and the shaft reinserted between fingers 38. The pack may then be resealed by applying closure member 18.

There has thus been shown and described a simple and inexpensive storage pack for dentists' drill bits which is strong and robust enough for anticipated conditions of use, and which permits removal of the drill bits in a simple manner without disturbing other drill bits.

The storage pack according to the invention may be adapted for other items which require storage in sterile conditions, for example picks or tweezers or forceps. In such cases the pack will be elongated in form, and the interdigitating fingers formed in a central recessed area for gripping mid-portions of the picks, tweezers, etc.

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Claims

1. A storage pack for the sterile storage of a plurality of dentist's drill bits, the pack comprising a base formed from a one piece plastics moulded sheet and comprising side walls surrounding a central recessed area which contains the plurality of drill bits, and a flat closure member positioned over and sealing the central recessed area, said side walls comprising outer side wall portions to form a support for the base, top wall portions said flat closure member, and inner wall portions extending from the top wall portions to a floor portion of said central recessed area, the central recessed area having formed therein recess means which receive respective shafts of the drill bits, and the recess means being internally contoured to resiliently grip said shafts, so that the drill bits extend parallel to one another into the recessed area, spaced from surrounding portions of the base.

2. A storage pack according to claim 1, wherein the recess means has interdigitating fingers formed therein.

3. A storage pack according to claim 2, wherein the interdigitating fingers define an internal passage smaller than the shaft diameter of the drill bit to permit the fingers to resiliently grip the shaft.

4. A storage pack according to any preceding claim, wherein said floor portion has at one end a raised portion in which the recess means are defined.

5. A storage pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the recess means are formed such that drill bits may be released by applying pressure to the underside of the base in the region of the recess means.

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6. A storage pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the lower edges of the outer wall portions have flanges extending therefrom for engaging with a support surface.

7. A storage pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the side walls have corner portions outstanding from adjacent outer wall portions for reinforcement.

8. A storage pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the top wall portions have ribs at their outer edges for locating the closure member.

9. A storage pack according to any preceding claim, wherein a corner of the top wall portions has a portion sloping away to permit gripping of the closure member.

10. A storage pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the closure member is formed of fabric reinforced paper with a layer of adhesive formed around its periphery on one surface thereof.

11. A storage pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the closure member has a finger grip tab at one corner thereof.

12. A storage pack for the sterile or hygienic storage of items, the pack comprising a base formed from a one piece plastics moulded sheet and comprising side walls surrounding a central recessed area for receiving at least one item to be stored, and a flat closure member for positioning over and sealing the central recessed area, said side walls comprising outer side wall portions extending to form a stable support for the base, top wall portions having flattened areas to define a sealing flange to permit the sealing thereto of said flat closure member, and inner wall portions extending from the top wall portions to a floor portion of said central recessed area, the central 9 recessed area having formed therein recess means with internal contours for receiving and resiliently gripping a shaft or other portion of the item to be stored.

13. A storage pack substantially as shown and described with reference to the accompanying drawings.