Apparatus and method for unwinding a needle portion
A container system is provided for removing a needle portion from a needle holder of a needle system. The system includes a receptacle defining an opening, a lid configured to cover the receptacle opening, wherein the lid defines an aperture having a shape configured to receive a needle system having a first configuration. The system also includes an adapter configured for engagement in the lid aperture, wherein the adapter defines an aperture having a shape configured to receive a needle system having a second configuration, and wherein the engagement of the adapter in the lid aperture resists rotation of the adapter with respect to the lid.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for unwinding a needle portion. More specifically, the invention relates to an adapter configured to unwind a needle portion from a needle holder so that the needle can be deposited in a disposal container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDue to concerns regarding contamination and injury, it is desirable to have a safe and simple method of disposing used medical needles (e.g. syringes, sharps). Emphasis has been placed on designing containers (e.g. phlebotomy disposal containers) that isolate the previously disposed needles from the medical professional that uses the container. Further, efforts have been made to provide a disposal container which a medical professional can operate easily and conveniently.
A typical needle disposal system is illustrated in
It is desirable to insert a used needle through an opening in the lid so that the used needle may be dropped into the container body 4 through the opening. Accordingly, lid 6 includes a first aperture 10 and a second aperture 12. Aperture 10 may be covered by a pivotal closure 14, and aperture 12 may be covered by a pivotal closure 16. Pivotal closures 14 and 16 may be joined by a bridge 18 so that they may be operated in tandem. Aperture 10 is sized larger than aperture 12. With pivotal closure 14 open, medical waste that fits through aperture 10 is simply deposited through aperture 10 and drops into container body 4.
Aperture 12 is specifically sized to receive a needle system 19, which is also illustrated in
Lid 6 also defines needle detaching device 20 adjacent to aperture 12. Needle detaching device 20 may be used to unscrew needles which are threaded to a needle holder.
While the disposal system illustrated in
Aperture 12 is not configured to unwind a needle from every configuration of needle holder. For example, while needle detaching device 20 may be used to unwind some types of needles from some types of needle holders, it can not accommodate every type of needle system which requires unwinding for disposal.
As such, medical professionals are often forced to choose one needle system and a corresponding disposal system over another type of system, or alternatively medical professionals stock numerous types of needle systems and disposal systems (resulting in higher costs). Accordingly, there remains a need for a disposal system that can accommodate more than one type of needle holder system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one aspect of this invention, an apparatus is provided for adapting a disposal container with an opening having a first configuration for use with a needle system having a second configuration. Specifically, in a preferred embodiment, the invention provides an adapter to be inserted into an aperture of a disposal container lid, so that the container may be used to unwind needles from needle systems with varying configurations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
This invention will now be described with reference to several embodiments selected for illustration in the drawings. It will be appreciated that the scope and spirit of the invention are not limited to the illustrated embodiments. It will further be appreciated that the drawings are not rendered to any particular proportion or scale. Also, any dimensions referred to in the description of the illustrated embodiments are provided merely for the purpose for illustration. The invention is not limited to any particular dimensions, materials, or other details of the illustrated embodiments.
Referring generally to
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
Medical waste, such as used needles, can be discarded by opening pivotal closure 32 and depositing the waste into the disposal container 2 through aperture 36. The discarded waste will drop into a container body attached to lid 30, similar to container body 4, shown in
Needle detaching device 40 can be used to unwind various needle systems that utilize unwinding for their disposal. For example, various needle systems may include a needle holder and a needle portion. Often, the needle portion includes a needle and a protective sheath made of plastic or the like; however, the needle portion may include a needle alone. The needle holder and the needle portion may be connected by threading a threaded portion of one of the elements into a receiving threaded portion of the other element. For example, the needle portion may include a threaded male end, and the needle holder may include a threaded female end. As such, to connect the needle holder and the needle portion, the needle portion is threaded to the needle holder. After using the needle system to draw blood or the like, the needle portion is preferably unwound from the needle holder in order to dispose of the needle portion. This can be accomplished by inserting the needle portion of the needle system into the needle detaching device 40 and rotating the needle holder until the needle portion separates from the needle holder and drops into the container body.
As explained above, needle detaching device 40 nor aperture 38, shown in
As shown in the perspective view of an exemplary adapter 50 provided in
Lower edge 59 includes a pair of detents 60 (only a single detent 60 is visible from the perspective view in
As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment included in
The use and operation of a disposal container according to this invention will now be described. Generally, this invention makes it possible to unwind a needle portion from a needle holder of a needle system having a second configuration using a container system including a receptacle and a lid such as lid 30, wherein the lid has an aperture such as aperture 38 configured to receive a needle system having a first configuration. An adapter such as adapter 50 configured to receive the needle system having the second configuration is engaged in the lid aperture, thereby modifying the lid from being configured to receive the needle system having the first configuration to being configured to receive the needle system having the second configuration. At least a portion of the needle system having the second configuration is inserted into the adapter aperture such as the aperture 52 of the adapter 50, thereby engaging the needle portion to resist rotation of the needle portion with respect to the adapter. The needle holder is then rotated with respect to the adapter, thereby unwinding the needle portion from the needle system such that the needle portion is released into the receptacle.
More specifically, with reference to the embodiment selected for illustration in the Figures, in order to dispose of the needle system, a disposal container with a lid 30 is preferably utilized. In a preferred embodiment, lid 30 preferably includes funnel-shaped aperture 38, and adapter 50 is engaged within funnel-shaped aperture 38. In an exemplary embodiment, adapter 50 provides rectangular-shaped aperture 52. The needle portion of the needle system is inserted into rectangular-shaped aperture 52. The needle holder 64 is then rotated such that the needle portion unthreads from threaded receiver 66 of needle holder 64, and separates from the needle holder 64. The needle portion drops into the disposal container. The medical professional may then dispose of the needle holder in any approved manner, or may retain the needle holder 64 as desired.
Variations and modifications of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the Figures can be made without departing from the scope of this invention. It should be recognized that the aperture provided in the lid of the container system can be provided with any configuration and is, therefore, not to be limited to a funnel-shaped aperture. Likewise, the adapter can be provided with an aperture having any configuration and is not to be limited to a rectangular-shaped aperture. It is preferred, however, that the configuration of the lid's aperture differs from that of the adapter's aperture in either its size or its shape. In this way, the use of the adapter in connection with a container system changes the configuration of the engagement mechanism from one configuration or size to another configuration or size. By changing the configuration of the container's engagement mechanism, for example, the adapter makes it possible to reconfigure a container system that was manufactured for use with one type or size of needle holder system for use with another type of needle holder system.
For the foregoing reasons, neither the selected configuration of the aperture in the lid nor the selected configuration of the aperture in the adapter is important to this invention. Instead, those configurations are selected based on design parameters, manufacturing techniques, cost considerations, and other factors.
Also, the nature of the means for engaging an adapter within a lid aperture is not important to this invention. Most preferably, the means for engagement between the adapter and the lid resists rotational movement of the adapter with respect to the lid and/or resists axial movement of the adapter with respect to the lid. It is recognized, however, that the means for engagement between the adapter and the lid can alternatively be configured to permit movement, perhaps both axial and rotational, between the adapter and the lid if so desired.
It will be appreciated that additional variations and modifications of the disclosed, preferred embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of this invention, which is defined separately in the appended claims.
Claims
1.-12. (canceled)
13. A method of unwinding a needle portion from a needle holder of a needle system having a second configuration using a container system including a receptacle and a lid, the lid having an aperture configured to receive a needle system having a first configuration, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) engaging an adapter configured to receive the needle system having the second configuration in the lid aperture, thereby modifying the lid from being configured to receive the needle system having the first configuration to being configured to receive the needle system having the second configuration;
- (b) inserting at least a portion of the needle system having the second configuration into the adapter aperture, thereby engaging the needle portion to resist rotation of the needle portion with respect to the adapter; and
- (c) rotating the needle holder with respect to the adapter, thereby unwinding the needle portion from the needle system such that the needle portion can be released into the receptacle.
14. The method of claim 13, said engaging step comprising mating a detent formed on the adapter with a depression defined by the lid.
15. The method of claim 13, said engaging step comprising mating each of two or more detents formed on the adapter with a respective one of two or more depressions defined by the lid.
16. The method of claim 13, said engaging step comprising engaging a flange provided on the adapter with an edge of the lid.
17. The method of claim 13, said engaging step comprising engaging two or more flanges provided on the adapter with an edge of the lid.
18. A method for use with a needle system and a receptacle having an opening, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) covering the opening of the receptacle with a lid defining an aperture for engaging a needle system having a first configuration;
- (b) selecting a needle system having a second configuration that includes a needle portion and a needle holder;
- (c) engaging an adapter defining an aperture for engaging the needle system having the second configuration in the lid aperture, thereby modifying the lid from being configured to engage the needle system having the first configuration to being configured to engage the needle system having the second configuration; and
- (d) inserting the needle portion of the needle system having the second configuration into the adapter aperture, thereby engaging the needle portion with the adapter.
19. The method of claim 18, said engaging step comprising engaging the needle portion to resist rotation of the needle portion with respect to the adapter.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:
- rotating the needle holder with respect to the adapter, thereby unwinding the needle portion from the needle holder such that the needle portion is released into the receptacle.
21.-23. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 1, 2003
Publication Date: Nov 24, 2005
Inventors: Robert Panek (Huntley, IL), John Japuntich (Woodstock, IL), James Arendt (Elk Grove Village, IL)
Application Number: 10/632,877