Methods and apparatus for collecting and disposing of sharps
AssigneeBemis Manufacturing Company
InventorsBarry Anderson, Joseph Hand
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A receptacle for holding a meltable sharps container during a sterilization process in which the meltable sharps container and any contained sharps are heated. The receptacle includes a side wall and a bottom wall having respective interior surfaces defining a space for receiving the meltable sharps container. The receptacle also includes a plurality of recessed areas in the interior surface of the bottom wall, and a plurality of elevated areas on the interior surface of the bottom wall, whereby as the sharps container melts, material from the sharps container flows into the recessed areas and the elevated areas hold the contained sharps above the recessed areas, so as to inhibit the contained sharps from protruding through the melted sharps container.
Claims22
A method of collecting and disposing of sharps, the method comprising:
- collecting the sharps in a meltable sharps container having a bottom;
- providing a receptacle including a side wall and a bottom wall having respective interior surfaces defining a space, a plurality of recessed areas in the interior surface of the bottom wall, and a plurality of elevated areas on the interior surface of the bottom wall;
- placing the sharps container in the space of the receptacle so that the bottom of the sharps container is above or supported by the elevated areas;
- melting the sharps container in the receptacle such that as the sharps container melts, material from the sharps container flows into the recessed areas and the elevated areas hold the sharps above the recessed areas, so as to inhibit the sharps from protruding through the melted sharps container;
- removing the melted sharps container from the receptacle;
- and
- disposing of the melted sharps container and sharps.
A method of collecting and disposing of sharps, the method comprising:
- collecting the sharps in a meltable sharps container having a bottom;
- providing a receptacle including a side wall and a bottom wall having respective interior surfaces defining a space, a plurality of recessed areas in the interior surface of the bottom wall, and a plurality of elevated areas on the interior surface of the bottom wall;
- placing the sharps container in the space of the receptacle so that the bottom of the sharps container is above or supported by the elevated areas;
- melting the sharps container in the receptacle such that as the sharps container melts, material from the sharps container flows into the recessed areas, the elevated areas hold the sharps above the recessed areas, and the sharps container forms a melted body encapsulating and supporting the sharps, so as to inhibit the sharps from protruding through the melted body;
- removing the melted body from the receptacle;
- and
- disposing of the melted body.
A method of collecting and disposing of sharps, the method comprising:
- collecting the sharps in a meltable sharps container having a bottom;
- providing a receptacle including a side wall and a bottom wall having respective interior surfaces defining a space, a plurality of recessed areas in the interior surface of the bottom wall, and a plurality of elevated areas on the interior surface of the bottom wall;
- placing the sharps container in the space of the receptacle so that the bottom of the sharps container is above or supported by the elevated areas;
- melting the sharps container in the receptacle such that as the sharps container melts, material from the sharps container flows into the recessed areas, any meltable contents melt and blend together with the melting sharps container to form a melted body of material, sharps and other non-melting materials descend toward the bottom wall of the receptacle and rest either directly on the elevated areas or on a layer of melted plastic between the sharps and the elevated areas, and sharps are supported and maintained away from the recessed areas and inside the melted body;
- removing the melted body from the receptacle;
- and
- disposing of the melted body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.