Disposable container for use in a waste sorting system

• US 7,341,147 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Vesta Medical LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Davidner, Alan A., Mallett, Scott R., Danta, Randall C., Corey, Alan D., Regla, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brooks; Matthew L.
• Application Number:
  US10/946,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20050119915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 206/364
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/0059 parallel to the lid plane
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/006 perpendicular to the lid plane, e.g. by a downward movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/185 Drawers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0805 automatically, e.g. by means of magnetic, optical or photoelectric detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/10 Furniture specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/13 Trolleys, e.g. carts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/15 Mayo stands; Tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/18 Cupboards; Drawers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/36 for collecting or disposing of used articles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/06 Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3412 according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/005 Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 21/28 Frames, Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3735 using a digital network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 : for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 : Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/93 : Municipal solid waste sorting

Abstract

A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.

Claims

1. A disposable container for use in a medical waste system, the disposable container comprising:

a plurality of walls defining an internal space wherein the walls are dimensioned for insertion into a compartment within a medical waste sorting system;

an opening that provides access to the internal space;

an automatically operable door comprising a connector for engaging with the medical waste system, wherein the automatically operable door selectively occludes and/or reveal-reveals the opening, the door operated by the medical waste system in which the container is placed; and

a flange extending from a portion of the container, the flange comprising a machine-readable pattern of holes where in the machine-readable pattern of holes is one of a plurality of different machine-readable patterns of holes, wherein the different machine-readable patterns of holes correspond to different categories of waste and wherein the machine-readable pattern of holes on the container communicates to the medical waste system the corresponding a category of waste to be placed in the container.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the door is further configured to be automatically mechanically locked.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein at least two of the walls are substantially translucent.

4. The container of claim 1, further comprising a transparent viewing window configured to allow a user to visually determine a contents of the container.

5. The container of claim 4, wherein the viewing window extends substantially the entire height of the container to allow a user to visually determine a fill level of the container.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is made of a material selected from the group consisting of:

polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, polypropylene and high molecular weight polyethylene.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is configured to interface with a fill-level sensor.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein the machine readable identification key is optically-readable.

9. The container of claim 1, wherein the machine readable key is magnetically-readable.

10. The container of claim 1, wherein the machine readable key is an RFID tag.

11. The container of claim 1, wherein the machine readable key is integrally molded with a portion of the container.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein the container type is selected from the group consisting of:

sharps containers, chemotherapy agent containers, infectious waste containers, ignitable waste containers, hazardous P-list waste containers, hazardous U-list waste containers, toxic pharmaceutical waste containers, non-toxic pharmaceutical waste containers, chemotherapy sharps containers, corrosive waste containers, and reactive waste containers.

13. The container of claim 1, wherein the flange extends laterally from the container.

14. The container of claim 1, wherein the flange extends from an upper portion of the container.

15. The container of claim 1, further comprising a door configured to selectively occlude and reveal the opening.

16. The container of claim 15, wherein the door is located adjacent the flange.