US 5,340,039 A · Medical waste disposal apparatus

Abstract

The medical waste disposer has a frame and a receiving chamber connected with the frame. The receiving chamber has a discharge port and an anvil is connected with the receiving chamber adjacent the discharge port. The anvil has an anvil aperture extending through the anvil and aligned with the discharge port. A knife abuts and slides against the anvil along an axis. A knife hole extends through the knife. An assembly plate abuts the knife in sliding engagement to sandwich the knife between the anvil and the assembly plate. The assembly plate also has an opening extending through the plate. A drive is operatively connected with the knife to slide the knife. The knife slides between a first position in which the knife hole overlaps the anvil aperture and a second in which the knife hole is offset from the anvil aperture and overlaps the assembly plate opening. Each of the knife and the assembly plate may have a second hole or opening, spaced along the axis from the first hole or opening. Further, multiple knives and assembly plates may be stacked one upon the other to provide repeated, sequential cutting. The thickness of each knife may be sized progressively thinner to provide smaller cuttings and a desired mutilation of the waste being disposed.

Claims45

Dependent claims

A medical waste disposal apparatus comprising:

a frame;
a receiving chamber connected with said frame, said receiving chamber having a discharge port;
an anvil connected with said receiving chamber and positioned adjacent said discharge port, said anvil having a generally planar anvil surface on a side of said anvil positioned away from said receiving chamber, said anvil having a cooperating anvil aperture extending through said anvil and aligned with said discharge port;
a knife having two opposing, generally planar knife surfaces and positioned with a first knife surface of said two opposing knife surfaces abutting said anvil surface in sliding engagement, said knife sliding along an axis, said knife having a knife hole extending through said knife;
an assembly plate having a generally planar surface abutting a second knife surface of said two opposing knife surfaces in sliding engagement to sandwich said knife between said anvil and said assembly plate, said assembly plate having an opening extending through said assembly plate;
and
a drive operatively connected with said knife to slide said knife.

4 more elements

A medical waste disposal apparatus comprising:

a frame;
a receiving chamber connected with said frame, said receiving chamber having an access port and a discharge port, said discharge port including an anvil circumscribing said discharge port, said anvil having a generally planar anvil surface on a side of said anvil positioned away from said receiving chamber;
a knife having two opposing, generally planar knife surfaces and positioned with a first knife surface of said two opposing knife surfaces abutting said anvil surface in sliding engagement, said knife sliding along an axis, said knife having a first hole and a second hole, each of said first hole and said second hole extending through said knife, said first hole and said second hole being spaced from one another along said axis;
and
a member having a generally planar member surface abutting a second knife surface of said two opposing knife surfaces in sliding engagement to sandwich said knife between said anvil and said member, said member having an opening extending through said member;
and
a drive operatively connected with said knife to slide said knife.

4 more elements

A medical waste disposal apparatus comprising:

a frame;
a receiving chamber connected with said frame, said receiving chamber having an access port and a discharge port;
an anvil connected with said discharge port, said anvil including a generally planar anvil surface on a side of said anvil positioned away from said receiving chamber and including an anvil aperture corresponding to said discharge port, said anvil aperture extending through said anvil and being aligned with said discharge port;
a knife having two opposing, generally planar knife surfaces, said knife being positioned with a first knife surface of said two opposing knife surfaces abutting said anvil surface in sliding engagement, said knife sliding along an axis, said knife having at least one knife hole extending through said knife;
an assembly plate having a generally planar plate surface abutting a second knife surface of said two opposing knife surfaces in sliding engagement to sandwich said knife between said anvil and said assembly plate, said assembly plate having a plate opening extending through said assembly plate;
a first spacer interposed between said anvil and said assembly plate, said first spacer abutting a first of two opposing edges of said knife;
a second spacer interposed between said anvil and said assembly plate, said second spacer abutting a second of said two opposing edges of said knife;
and
a drive operatively connected with said knife to slide said knife.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Medical waste disposal apparatus

Life of this patent

Medical waste disposal apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims45