U.S. patent number 3,876,067 [Application Number 05/388,644] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-08 for collection box for syringe needles.
Invention is credited to Helmut Schwarz.
United States Patent |
3,876,067 |
Schwarz |
April 8, 1975 |
Collection box for syringe needles
Abstract
A collection box has a cover plate provided with a multiplicity
of square openings into which a needle is inserted detachably
fastened at a one-way-syringe, whereby the head of the needle is
caught behind the sharp-edged inside border of the opening and the
syringe can be pulled off from the needle which is being held in
position by a disinfectant filling into which the needle has been
pierced.
Inventors: |
Schwarz; Helmut (7872
Rengers/Allgau, DT) |
Family
ID: |
43243075 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/388,644 |
Filed: |
August 15, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/205;
206/63.5; 232/43.1; 422/300; 206/366; 312/209 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
85/24 (20130101); A61M 5/001 (20130101); A61M
5/3205 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61M
5/32 (20060101); B65D 85/24 (20060101); B65D
85/20 (20060101); B65d 025/00 (); B65f
007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/210,354,359,366,209,438,63.5,523,205,527 ;232/43.1,43.2,43.3
;21/82H,82R ;312/209 ;128/215 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Dixson, Jr.; William T.
Claims
What I claim is:
1. Storage box for used syringe needles, comprising a closed box; a
grid-forming plurality of tapered inwardly-narrowing openings
formed in at least one wall of said closed box for insertion of
respectively one needle into each opening, said openings each
having a generally square sharp-edged configuration facilitating
insertion therethrough into the box of the needle only and forming
a stop for the needle head upon withdrawing the syringe so as to
separate the syringe from the needle and retain said needle within
said storage box; and an anchoring plate for said needles located
within said closed box proximate to and coextensive with the wall
having said openings, said anchoring plate being constituted of a
material readily piercable by said needles, whereby upon insertion
of a used needle through said anchoring plate and subsequent
withdrawal of the syringe will cause said needle to remain embedded
in said anchoring plate with the point of the needle being located
within the closed box and the needle head being positioned between
anchoring plate and the wall having said openings.
2. Storage box as claimed in claim 1, comprising a filling in said
closed box containing a disinfectant solution; and a
liquid-impervious envelope of piercable material encompassing said
filling.
3. Storage box as claimed in claim 2, said anchoring plate
including supporting walls supported interiorly of the box for
preventing compression of said filling.
4. Storage box as claimed in claim 2, comprising maintaining the
interior of said envelope with the filling at a reduced
pressure.
5. Storage box as claimed in claim 1, said closed box being made of
two permanently fastened parts.
6. Storage box as claimed in claim 1, said closed box being
substantially cylindrical and having the circumferential
cylindrical wall thereof provided with said plurality of
openings.
7. Storage box as claimed in claim 6, comprising a housing; said
cylindrical box being rotatably supported within said housing so
that the latter encompasses at least the cylindrical wall of the
box; and a longitudinal slot extending parallel to the rows of
openings of the box formed in said housing providing access from
exteriorly to at least one of said rows at any time.
Description
In hospitals more and more one-way-syringes are used consisting of
a syringe and a detachably fastened needle. This invention relates
to a safe collection of the needles after use in such way that no
risk is entailed for others with a view to either injury or
infection during collection and transport to a trash dump.
One object of the invention is to provide a box for collecting used
needles of syringes, the needles having a head by which they can be
detachably fastened on syringes the box having a housing at least
one wall of which being provided with a multiplicity of openings
through which a needle is insertable into the housing, the edges of
the openings are shaped in such a way that an abutment is formed
for the needle head preventing an outward movement of the needle
when the syringe is pulled off.
Further objects consist in that the walls of the openings taper to
the inside of the housing, that the openings have a square
configuration and that the borders of the openings at the inner
surface of the wall are sharp-edged.
After use the syringe with its needle is inserted in one of the
openings and pressed slightly until the head of the needle is
caught behind the sharp-edged inside border of the wall provided
with the multiplicity of openings. The syringe then can be pulled
off from the needle and thrown away. The needle has been pierced
through a plastic foam wall arranged beneath the wall heaving the
multiplicity of openings, so that the needle will be anchored.
Within the housing there is a filling of disinfectant material
enclosed by a tightly closed plastic foil which is also pierced
through by the needle during its insertion. Within the filling is a
slight vacuum so that any liquid rest within the needle will be
sucked into the filling. Because of the square shape of the
openings needle heads of different sizes and shapes can be used.
Even needles provided with very small heads can be inserted and
anchored when the corners of the square openings are used to strip
off the needle from the syringe. Also heads of greater diameter can
be pressed through the square openings as it would be possible if
the openings would have a circular shape.
In the following detailed description two examples will be
described.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a storage box for syringe
needles,
FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show the way in which the needles are anchored
within the box and stripped from the syringe,
FIG. 5 shows a longitudinal cross-section of the box according to
FIG. 1, and
FIG. 6 shows a cross-section of a further embodiment of the storage
box.
A box 10 consists of an upper portion 12 and a lower portion 14.
Both of the portions 12, 14 have outer flanges contacting each
other and being held together undetachably by rivets 16. The upper
portion 12 has a wall 18 provided with a multiplicity of openings.
This wall has the configuration of a grid plate. The openings 20
all are of equal square shape and the cross-section of which is
greater at the outer surface than at the inner surface of each
opening. That means that the openings taper to the inside of the
box. Both of the walls are made of plastic material.
Within the box 10 immediately below the wall 18 an anchoring plate
22 is provided consisting of slightly piercable material as foamed
plastics. The anchoring plate 22 has supporting walls 24 standing
on the lower box portion 14. Below the anchoring plate 22 a filling
26 is provided within the box containing a disinfectant solution
and which is tightly surrounded by an envelope 28 in form of a
sealed plastic foil. Within the envelope 28 a low pressure
exists.
When a needle 32 detachably fastened on a syringe 30 is inserted
into an opening 20 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 first
the plastic foam anchoring plate 22 and then the envelope 24 is
pierced. Because of the vacuum within the filling any liquid rest
is sucked into the filling. When the syringe is pressed slightly
into the box the head 34 of the needle 32 is deformed elastically
by the shape of the opening inside edges and then is caught behind
the wall 18 (FIG. 3). In this position the needle is securely
anchored within the box by the resilient effect of the plastic foam
plate holding the head of the needle against the wall 18 and by the
filling 26 anchoring the front portion of the needle. Now the
syringe 30 can be pulled off (FIG. 4) and the needle 32 remains in
the box.
The supporting walls 24 of the plate 22 prevent the filling 26 from
being pressed when a needle is inserted and a reaction force is
created by the anchoring plate 22. Therefore no over pressure can
be produced within the filling, which could result in pressing
liquid rests through the needles outside of the box. The square
configuration of each opening 20 permits the use of a larger number
of different shaped and sized needle heads 34 as it would be the
case with circular openings, because heads of circular
cross-section can be elastically deformed at a greater extent by
square openings and if there are especially small heads the corners
of the edges can be used catching the heads. It is important that
the lower border of the openings in the wall 18, that means the
border at the inner surface of that wall is made sharp-edged.
FIG. 6 shows a cylindric box 40, the whole circumferential wall of
which being provided with a multiplicity of openings. The box 40 is
rotatably supported in a housing 42 substantially surrounding the
box 40 leaving free only an axially extending slot 44 providing
access for one row of openings into which needles can be inserted.
After this row of openings has been filled the box is rotated for a
small angle until the next row of openings is accessible. In the
box 40 also anchoring means being provided in this embodiment
having a cylindric shape, but made of slightly piercable material
as the plate 22. Within the anchoring cylinder a filling is
provided as the filling 26 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 - 5. Below
the cylindric box 40 a sponge 46 is disposed within the housing
absorbing any liquid from the box.
It is common to all embodiments that a one-hand-performance permits
the secure anchoring of syringe needles in a storage box which
having been filled with needles can be transported without danger
for others with a view to either injury or infection.
* * * * *