Surgical tray corner protector

• US 7,413,157 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Hospital Supply Corporation
• Original Assignee: General Hospital Supply Corporation, Quadion Corporation
• Inventors: Curnow, Sam, Ahrenholtz, Ted Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver; J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUCKWORTH, BRADLEY
• Application Number:
  US11/779,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20070251855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 248/673, 248/678, 248/345.1, 248/346.01, 248/346.02, 248/94, 248/346.11, 248/346.4, 248/346.5, 248/220.1, 206/77.1, 206/453, 206/586, 428/99, 428/119, 428/35.7, 428/36.5, 428/36.8, 428/36.92
• US Class Current: 248/345.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/3011 having carrying handles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/00 Containers, covers, furniture or holders specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments, e.g. sterile covers drapes specially adapted for instruments A61B46/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/30 Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments for wound clamps A61B17/10; for ligaturing clips A61B17/122; packages or dispensers for surgical gloves or finger-stalls A61B42/40
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/33 Trays

Abstract

A surgical tray corner protector includes a base, a side wall that extends from an outer edge of the base, and support members extending from the top surface of the base to form a tray support surface, providing improved drainage and air flow.

Claims

1. A surgical tray having a plurality of corners fitted with corner protectors, and being wrapped with a sterilization wrap covering the surgical tray and the corner protectors, wherein each of the corner protectors comprises:

a base having a top surface, a bottom surface and an outer edge;

a side wall extending from the outer edge of the base in a first direction on only two sides of the outer edge of the base to form a rim for receiving one of the corners of the surgical tray; and

a plurality of support members spaced from one another extending from the top surface of the base in the first direction to define a support surface;

wherein the base, the side wall and the plurality of support members are all composed of a medical grade polymeric material.

2. The surgical tray of claim 1 wherein the plurality of support members of each of the corner protectors define the support surface in a single plane that is elevated from the top surface of the base.

3. The surgical tray of claim 1, wherein each of the corner protectors further comprises:

a plurality of apertures extending though the base.

4. The surgical tray of claim 1 wherein the rim of the side wall of each of the corner protectors has a generally rectangular shape.

5. The surgical tray of claim 3 wherein the apertures of each of the corner protectors are interposed between the plurality of support members.

6. The surgical tray of claim 1 wherein the support members of each of the corner protectors include a plurality of sloped support ribs adjacent the side wall, each of the plurality of sloped support ribs having a radius of curvature and having a portion that extends up at least a portion of the side wall.

7. The surgical tray of claim 1 wherein each corner protector has a bottom plurality of support members extending from the bottom surface of the base to define a bottom support surface.

8. A corner protector for use with a surgical tray, the corner protector comprising:

a base having a top surface, a bottom surface and an outer edge;

a wall extending from the outer edge of the base on only two sides of the outer edge of the base to form a rim for receiving a corner of the surgical tray;

a first plurality of support members spaced from one another extending from the top surface of the base to define a first support surface located in a first plane;

a second plurality of support members extending from the bottom surface of the base to define a second support surface in a second plane;

and a plurality of drainage apertures extending through the base;

wherein the base is tilted with respect to the first plane and second plane.

9. The corner protector of claim 8 wherein the corner protector is comprised of medical grade polymeric material.

10. The corner protector of claim 8 wherein the first and second plurality of support members comprise a first plurality of support ribs and a second plurality of support ribs, respectively.

11. The corner protector of claim 10 wherein the plurality of drainage apertures are interposed between the first and second plurality of support fibs.

12. The corner protector of claim 11 wherein the first and second plurality of support ribs comprise a single center support fib extending longitudinally along a diagonal axis of the base and an equal number of side support fibs which fan outward from either side of the center support rib.

13. The corner protector of claim 12 wherein a height of each of the first plurality of support ribs increases in a first direction and a height of the second plurality of support fibs increases in an opposite direction so that the first plurality of support ribs defines the first support plane and the second plurality of fibs defines a second support plane.

14. The corner protector of claim 8 wherein the first support plane is configured to elevate a surgical tray and the second support plane is configured to elevate the corner protector.

15. A surgical tray having a plurality of corners fitted with corner protectors, and being wrapped with a sterilization wrap covering the surgical tray and the corner protectors, wherein each of the corner protectors comprises:

a base having a top surface, a bottom surface and an outer edge, the base being composed of a fluid-impermeable medical grade polymeric material and including a plurality of support members spaced from one another extending from the top surface in a first direction to define a support surface that is elevated from the top surface of the base; and

a side wall extending from the outer edge of the base in the first direction on only two sides of the outer edge of the base to form a rim for receiving one of the corners of the surgical tray;

wherein the base is configured to drain moisture away from the side wall.

16. The surgical tray of claim 15, wherein the base of each of the corner protectors includes a plurality of drainage apertures extending therethrough.

17. The surgical tray of claim 15, wherein the support surface of each of the corner protectors is located in a plane, and the top surface of the base is tilted with respect to the plane.