SYSTEMS FOR IDENTIFYING AND CATEGORIZING MEDICAL WASTE
First Claim
1. An electronic system for identifying and categorizing waste, the system comprising:
- at least one sorting station comprising a plurality of containers;
a plurality of removable liners, wherein each of said containers is adapted to receive at least one of said liners,wherein each of said containers and said liners has an opening;
wherein each of the liners comprises a machine-readable identification key associated with at least one of a plurality of waste categories such that the machine-readable identification key identifies the liner to the control system, thereby defining a category of waste to be placed in the liner within the container;
a closure member adapted to movably cover each of said removable containers;
wherein the closure member is selectively movable to an open position and a closed position;
wherein each of the liners is associated with at least one of a plurality of medical waste categories, thereby facilitating disposal of medical waste items in the appropriate liner;
a handheld device configured to provide disposal instructions to a user, said handheld device comprising a scanner and a user input device for receiving information regarding a medical waste item;
wherein the scanner is configured to detect a first parameter of a medical waste item, said first parameter comprising information regarding a composition of such medical waste item;
wherein the user input device is configured to receive a second parameter regarding the medical waste item, said second parameter comprising at least one of whether the medical waste item is a sharps and whether the medical waste item or a container containing such medical waste item is empty; and
a control system configured to compare information obtained from the handheld device with medical waste item classification information contained in a database;
wherein the control system is further configured to assign the medical waste item to at least one medical waste category; and
wherein the control system is further configured to identify the appropriate container on the handheld device; and
wherein the closure member is adapted to cover the appropriate container is configured to lock in the closed position after receipt of the waste item.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods for using a liner in a waste sorting and disposal system are provided. The liner includes an internal space and an opening that provides access to that internal space. In some embodiments, the liner may also include a machine-readable identification key that is configured to identify a type of waste that the liner may receive. In some embodiments, the machine-readable key is optical, color-coded, alphanumeric or graphical. The liner can include one or more closure members to allow a user to securely seal the liner when it is removed from the container. In some embodiments, the liner can include a flange, lip, hook or other protrusion to secure its position relative to a container.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An electronic system for identifying and categorizing waste, the system comprising:
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at least one sorting station comprising a plurality of containers; a plurality of removable liners, wherein each of said containers is adapted to receive at least one of said liners, wherein each of said containers and said liners has an opening; wherein each of the liners comprises a machine-readable identification key associated with at least one of a plurality of waste categories such that the machine-readable identification key identifies the liner to the control system, thereby defining a category of waste to be placed in the liner within the container; a closure member adapted to movably cover each of said removable containers; wherein the closure member is selectively movable to an open position and a closed position; wherein each of the liners is associated with at least one of a plurality of medical waste categories, thereby facilitating disposal of medical waste items in the appropriate liner; a handheld device configured to provide disposal instructions to a user, said handheld device comprising a scanner and a user input device for receiving information regarding a medical waste item; wherein the scanner is configured to detect a first parameter of a medical waste item, said first parameter comprising information regarding a composition of such medical waste item; wherein the user input device is configured to receive a second parameter regarding the medical waste item, said second parameter comprising at least one of whether the medical waste item is a sharps and whether the medical waste item or a container containing such medical waste item is empty; and a control system configured to compare information obtained from the handheld device with medical waste item classification information contained in a database; wherein the control system is further configured to assign the medical waste item to at least one medical waste category; and wherein the control system is further configured to identify the appropriate container on the handheld device; and wherein the closure member is adapted to cover the appropriate container is configured to lock in the closed position after receipt of the waste item. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification