Lockable and leak-proof sharps disposal container

In a sharps disposal container, an elongated tray adapted to be rotatably supported about a longitudinal axis and comprising a flat receiving member, a weighted member, and a curved sliding door member, the flat receiving member and the weighted member being joined along the pivoting axis of the tray and diverging from one another at an angle which is less than 180 degrees, the sliding door member being joined to the weighted member opposite to the receiving member, and the weighted member being heavier than the flat receiving member such that the flat receiving member, in the absence of a vertical restraint on its outer edge, would not normally lie in a horizontal position.

In a sharps disposal container, a dial assembly including a dial cup having its open end forming a dial cylinder receiving recess, the dial cup being of generally cup-shaped configuration, an eccentric locking pin projecting from the dial cylinder receiving recess, a cylindrical dial member occupying the dial cylinder receiver recess concentric with the dial cup, and frangible connectors securing the cylindrical dial member to an inner wall of the dial cylinder receiving recess.

A sharps disposal container comprising a receptacle, a cover having an opening for receiving items to be disposed, an elongated tray rotatably supported within the cover and accessible to the opening, hand-operated rotatable means associated with the cover and coupled to the tray for selectively rotating the tray to a closed position in which a portion of the tray closes the opening, hand-operated means adapted to be forced into a recess in the cover for locking the tray in its closed position, and hermetic sealing means for hermetically sealing the cooperating surfaces of the receptacle, the cover, and the hand-operated means.

In a sharps container having a receptacle, a cover with an opening therein, an elongated tray rotatably supported beneath said opening, and a means connected to said container for assisting the rotation of said tray, the improvement comprising:

• a locking means for selectively and permanently locking said tray in a locking position and thereby closing said container, said locking means, when actuated, displacing said tray rotation assist means into said cover so that the exterior of said tray rotation assist means is substantially flush with the adjacent exterior surface of said cover;
• and
• said tray and cover being having cooperating sealing means which provide a hermetically sealed interior when said tray is in said locking position, thereby preventing leakage of fluids from the interior of said container.