US846030A - Instrument-tray. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

W. G. HULLHORST.

INSTRUMENT TRAY. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 13, 1906.

2 SEEETSSHBBT 1.

WITNESSES:

INVENTOR.

' No. 846,030. PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

w. G. HULLHORST. INSTRUMENT TRAY.

7 APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, I906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

WITNESSES INVENTOR 6. MLd/W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. HULLHORST, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE RANSOM & RANDOLPH COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

INSTRUMENT-TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed January 13, 1906. Serial No. 295,866.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. HULL- HORST, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Instrument- Trays; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to apparatus employed by dentists, surgeons, and the like for sterilizing the instruments used by them; and it has for its object the provision of a simple, cheap, and efficient tray or receptacle for holding dental, surgical, or other instruments of the kind both during their immersion in the sterilizing bath or vapors and while in the instrument-cabinet, the construction of which tray or receptacle is such as to enable a plurality of instruments to be placed therein with their points or operative ends free from contact with the metal or other material forming the tray, whereby during the sterilizing process the sterilizing vapors or gases may be permitted to freely encircle the operative ends of the instruments and to reach all crevices and parts of the instrument liable to carry bacterial organisms.

It is also the object of my invention to provide a pan or tray of the kind described the construction of which is such as to enable a plurality of them to be placed in superimposed position within the sterilizing-chamber in a manner whereby to permit the sterilizing vapors or gases to freely circulate through and around each pan or tray to act upon the contents of each.

The invention is fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan of the pan or tray comprising the novel feature of my invention with several instruments positioned therein. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a plurality of superimposed pans or trays disposed within a sterilizing-chamber. Fig. 3 is a cross-section ofone of the pans or trays. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a modified form of my invention; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the modified tray or pan, taken on the dotted line 0c 90 in Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the draw ing, A represents the pan or tray comprising my invention and is shown in plan as being rectangular in form, but may be of any other desired shape without departing from the spirit of the invention. The bottom a of the pan or tray is surrounded by the customary vertical flange b and has a portion at one end depressed or drawn outwardly to form an elongated depression or outwardly-bulged portion 0 therein of any desired contour in crosssection. This depression or bulged portion has its ends severed and drawn downwardly from the lower or bottom connecting edge of the flange b to provide an opening (Z at each of such ends, through which the sterilizing vapors or gases are permitted to pass to or from the interior of the pan or tray. The de pressed or bulged portion 0 also acts as an elevating means for one end of the pan or tray whereby the fluid resulting from the condensation of the sterilizing vapors or gases is caused to flow to the opposite end thereof and to find an exit therefrom through the drain ports or openings 6 instead of accumu lating on the flat or major portion of the bottom whereon the handles of the instruments B lie. This bulged formation of the bottom a is also important in the insuring of a perfect circulation of the sterilizing-vapors between and within the several pans or trays when placed in superimposed position, as the bulge, which is of suitable length to pass freely between the side flanges b of a pan or tray of corresponding shape and size, seats upon the bottom of the pan or tray next be low or upon the handles of the instruments therein and elevates the corresponding end of its tray, so that the plane of its bottom at such end is above the plane of the upper edge of the flange I), while the other end of the tray rests upon and is supported by the flange at the elevated or bulged end of the surmounted tray, each superimposed tray being reversely positioned to the one next below for this purpose, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to provide an open circulatingspace between the upper edge of the flange b of one tray and the bulged end of the next superimposed tray, as shown in Fig. 3, the bulged portion 0 of a tray is made of slightly greater depth than the depth of the flange b.

This, however, is not essential, as the thickness of the instrument-handles on which the bulge portion 0 seats tends to elevate the end. of the tray sufliciently to provide a circulating-space between the trays. A series of ribsf are shown as being formed on the upper surface of the bottom a, at right angles to the depressed portion 0 thereof, for the purpose of dividing the major portion of the bottom into two or more spaces for receiving instruments of different classifications, the spaces being sullicicntly wide to accommodate a desired number of instruments.

In Fig. 2 a plurality of trays carrying instruments are shown as being disposed in superimposed relation within a sterilizingchamber C, which may be of any suitable shape, size, or construction.

In Figs. 4 and 5, which illustrate a modified form of my invention, 1 represents the major portion of the bottom of the pan or tray; 2, the depressed or outwardly-drawn portionof the bottom; 3, the rim forming the sides and ends of the receptacle; 4, the spaced ribs or raised portions formed in the bottom 1; 5, the drainage-ports in the major portion of the bottom, and 6 drainage-ports in the bottom of the depressed portion 2. In this construction the ends of the depressed or outwardly-drawn portion 2 are closed, as shown at 7 in Fig. 5, and in lieu of the openings provided in the ends of the depressed portion of the pan (shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3) it is provided in its bottom with one or more drainage-ports 6, through which the condensationof sterilizing-vapors, which would otherwise accumulate in the bottom of such depressed portion, may pass. IVith this construction when the pans are placed in superimposed position the sterilizing vapors and gases will have free ingress and egress to and from the interior of each pan through. the space left between the rim of one pan and the bottom of the pan next above, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

With either construction of pan or tray .it will be apparent that the delicate and line pointed or edged instruments used by dentists, surgeons, and the like may be placed therein with their operative ends projecting over the depressed portion of the pan or tray bottom, either for the purpose of storage in the instrument-cabinet or for sterilization, whereby to prevent injury to such operative ends by contact with the bottom and when placed in the sterilizing-bath to permit a free circulation of the sterilizing vapors or gases around the instrument-points. It is also apparent that free access of the sterilizing-vapors to each pan of a series when placed in superimposed position is insured.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A sterilizing utensil for surgical and the like instruments consisting of a broad. shallow oblong tray having a portion of its bot tom adjacent one edge bulged downward to form an external protuberance and an internal trough-like depression extending parallel to said edge, and having the remainder of its bottom constituted as an expanded instrument-receiving region provided with drainage-openings adjacent its edge remote from said depression, said edge and protuberance constituting the supporting means for the tray and bearing such relative relation that the instrument-receiving region is inclined downward from said depression toward said drainage-openings.

2. A sterilizing utensil for surgical and like instruments consisting of a broad shallow oblong tray having a small portion of its bottom severed at opposed edges from the remainder of the tray and bulged downward between said severed edges to leave drainage and circulation openings and also to constitute an external supportingprotuberance and an internal depression.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM G. HULLHORST.

Witnesses:

O. W. OWEN, MARY I. SHAY.

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