INSTRUMENT TRAY ASSEMBLY AND BRACKETS FOR INSERTING INTO AN INSTRUMENT TRAY

Abstract

An instrument tray assembly and support brackets for mounting in an instrument tray assembly, for example, for retaining medical supplies and medical devices, are provided. The brackets engage the instrument tray and are adapted to facilitate installation and removal of the brackets from the tray. The support brackets include a bottom and a plurality of side walls extending from the bottom. The plurality of side walls are adapted to engage a perforation in a planar surface of the instrument tray to secure the support bracket to the instrument tray. The side walls of the brackets include outwardly biased, cantilevered projections positioned to engage a perforation in the instrument tray. The projections releasably engage the tray for installation and removal. Methods of engaging a bracket into an instrument tray are also disclosed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to instrument trays and brackets adapted to be inserted into an instrument tray. More particularly, the present invention relates to instrument trays for medical supplies and devices and brackets that engage the trays to facilitate installation and removal of the brackets from the trays.

2. Description of Related Art

Medical device instrument trays, for example, for use in operating rooms or emergently rooms, to facilitate access and handling of medical supplies and device are common in the art. Some prior art trays may include brackets or structures that can be mounted to the tray to provide supports or cavities of retaining or locating medical supplies and/or devices. For example, a broad variety of medical instrument trays having some form of bracket structure can be found in the patent literature. U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,575 B1 issued to Frush, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,503 issued to Riley, et al. are representative of the prior art. Frush discloses a medical instrument bracket that includes a “clip part 12” and a “holder part 14” that cooperate to retain a bracket in a tray. Riley discloses brackets or fixtures that “plug into” a tray. However, neither Frush nor Riley, nor any of the other references encountered, provides the advantages of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention provide tray assemblies and tray brackets that facilitate the handling and manipulation of brackets and related structures mounted in a tray.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is an instrument tray assembly having a planar surface having one or more perforations; and at least one instrument support bracket, the instrument support bracket having a bottom and a plurality of side walls extending from the bottom, at least some of the plurality of side walls adapted to engage at least one of the one or more perforations in the planar surface to secure the support bracket to the planar surface. According to one aspect, the bracket may be adapted to “snap into” the planar surface, for example, releasably or removably snap into the planar surface of the instrument tray assembly. In one aspect, the bottom of the support bracket may be positioned below the planar surface when the at least some of the plurality of side walls of the support bracket engage the planar surface. In another aspect, the plurality of side walls may be outwardly biased, cantilevered projections positioned to engage at least one of the one or more perforations. In one aspect, the instrument tray assembly may be a medical device instrument tray assembly, though other uses for aspects of the invention are envisioned.

Another aspect of the invention is a an instrument tray support bracket having a bottom and a plurality of side walls extending from the bottom, the plurality of side walls adapted to engage a perforation in a planar surface of an instrument tray to secure the support bracket to the planar surface of the instrument tray. For example, in one aspect, the plurality of side walls may include outwardly biased, cantilevered projections positioned to engage a perforation in the instrument tray. In another aspect, the outwardly biased, cantilevered projections may engage ends of an elongated perforation in the instrument tray or the outwardly biased, cantilevered projections may be the outwardly biased projections in opposing side walls.

A further aspect of the invention is a method of engaging a bracket into a instrument tray by inserting a bracket having a plurality outwardly-biased, cantilevered projections into a perforation in the instrument tray; contacting the plurality of projections with edges of the perforation in the instrument tray and inwardly deflecting the outwardly-biased projections; passing the outwardly-biased projections through the perforation; allowing the outwardly-biased projections to outwardly deflect; and engaging the instrument tray with the outwardly-deflected projections. In one aspect, the method may further include, after passing the projections through the perforation, contacting the instrument tray with a second projection on the bracket whereby the bracket is retained on the instrument tray between the outwardly-deflected, outwardly-biased projection and the second projection.

Though aspects of the invention may be particularly useful for retaining and handling medical supplies and devices, aspects of the invention may be applied to any field that can benefit from a tray having brackets or other support structures.

These and other aspects, features, and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily understood from the following detailed description of aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an instrument tray assembly according to one aspect of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial exploded perspective view of the instrument tray assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one instrument support bracket shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 according to one aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the instrument support bracket shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a right-hand elevation view of the instrument support bracket shown in FIG. 3

FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of the instrument support bracket shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the instrument support bracket shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is perspective view of another instrument support bracket shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 according to another aspect of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of the instrument support bracket shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a right-hand elevation view of the instrument support bracket shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a rear elevation view of the instrument support bracket shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the instrument support bracket shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an instrument tray assembly 10 according to one aspect of the invention. FIG. 2 is a partial exploded perspective view of instrument tray assembly 10 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, instrument tray assembly 10 includes an instrument tray 12 having handles 13 (though only one handle 13 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) and a plurality of instrument support brackets 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 mounted in tray 12. As is known in the art, for example, as known in the art of surgical technology, trays similar to tray 12 are typically used to assemble and arrange surgical supplies, surgical devices, or surgical tools, such as, surgical implants and the like, for easy identification and access, for example, in the operating room. For example, the multiple slots of bracket 16 may be used to retain multiple shims to facilitate the fitting of prosthesis, and bracket 14 may be used to locate one or more knee implant trial supports, though other devices may be inserted also.

As is typical of the art, tray 12 may include a substantially planar surface 26. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, tray 12 may have opposing handles 13, a skirt 28 along one edge of planer surface 26, and contoured edge 29 opposite skirt 28. As is typical, planar surface 26 and skirt 28 may have a plurality of through holes 30, 31, for example, randomly or regularly distributed about planar surface 26 and skirt 28. Through holes 30, 31 are typically provided to reduce the weight of tray assembly 10 and to facilitate cleaning of tray assembly 10, for example, to facilitate autoclave sterilization.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, brackets 14 and 16 comprise aspects of the present invention, while brackets 18, 20, and 22 are typical prior art brackets over which the present invention is an improvement. Typically, prior art brackets 18, 20, and 22 are rigidly and permanently mounted to tray 12, for example, mounted by means of welding, brazing, or mechanical fasteners. In contrast, brackets 14 and 16, according to aspects of the present invention, though they may be welded or otherwise mounted to tray 12, may be adapted to easily be inserted into and removed from tray 12 with little effort, for example, without the breaking of a weld or the removal of a fastener. As will be discussed below, aspects of the present invention provide brackets 14, 16 that are adapted to engage perforations in tray 12 to assist in assembling and disassembling instrument tray assembly 10, for example, for cleaning, servicing, and/or replacement.

As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to through holes 30 and 31, according to aspects of the invention, tray 12 also includes perforations 34 and 36 into which brackets 14 and 16, respectively, can be inserted and retained, for example, temporarily retained, in tray 12. That is, according to aspects of the invention, brackets 14 and 16 are designed to engage perforations 34 and 36, respectively, as indicated by arrows 15 and 17, respectively, to facilitate assembly and disassembly of tray assembly 10. In the aspect shown, perforations 34 include ends 33 and sides 35 and perforation 36 includes ends 37 and sides 38. An extension or tab 39 may also be associated with perforations 34 to, for example, isolate or separate one or more devices retained in bracket 14. One or more perforations 34 and one or more perforations 36 may be located in tray 12, for example, randomly or regularly positioned as needed. As shown in FIG. 1, in one aspect, the bottoms of the support brackets 14 and 16 are positioned below the planar surface 26.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of instrument support bracket 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 according to one aspect of the invention. FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of instrument support bracket 14 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a right-hand elevation view of instrument support bracket 14 shown in FIG. 3, which may substantially be the same as a left-hand elevation view. FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of instrument support bracket 14 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 is a top plan view of instrument support bracket 14 shown in FIG. 3. Though bracket 14 shown in FIGS. 3-7 is generally a rectangular parallelepiped in shape, according to aspect of the invention, bracket 14 may assume many different geometric shapes while still functioning according to aspects of the invention. For example, bracket 14 may be cylindrical in shape, for example, circular, triangular, rectangular, or polygonal cylindrical in shape.

A shown in FIGS. 3-7, bracket 14 typically includes a bottom or base 42 and a plurality of sidewalls, for example, at least two sidewalls, 43, 44, 45, and 46 extending from bottom 42. Bottom 42 may include one or more perforations 62. According to aspects of the invention, at least two of sidewalls 43-46 are adapted to mount to tray 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2 to at least temporarily engage bracket 14 with tray 12, for example, with one or more perforations or holes in the planar surface 26 of tray 12 to secure the bracket 14 and/or 16 to planar surface 26. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, perforation 34 in tray 12 is configured to receive bracket 14. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3-7, according to one aspect of the invention, opposite sidewalls 43 and 44 of bracket 14 include through holes 47, 48 and cantilevered, outwardly biased, flexible projections or tabs 49 and 50, respectively. For instance, as shown most clearly with aid of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 (where planar surface 26 is shown in phantom), in one aspect, as bracket 14 is inserted into perforation 34 from the bottom of tray 12, tabs 49 and 50 are positioned to engage or secure, for example, releasably secure, the support bracket to perforation 34 of planar surface 26. For example, when perforation 34 is an elongated perforations having ends 33, the projections or tabs 49 and 50 may engage or impact ends 33 of perforation 34 and deflect inward due to the force of insertion into perforation 34, typically, a manual force but automated means may be used. In addition, according to an aspect of the invention, the width of bracket 14, the height of side walls 45 and 46, and the width between sides 35 of perforation 34 are sized whereby the top edges 52 and 54 of sidewalls 45 and 46, respectively, contact the bottom surface of tray 12 adjacent to perforation 34. At approximately the same time, the end of tabs 49 and 50 pass the top surface of tray 12 and are free to elastically deflect to an outward position. Again, this engagement of bracket 14 with tray 12 is shown most clearly in phantom in the front elevation view of FIG. 4. As a result, according to this aspect, bracket 14 is retained in perforation 34 due to interference between the extended tabs 49 and 50 and tray 12 and the contact between the upper edges 52 and 54 of sidewalls 45 and 46, respectively, against the bottom surface of tray 12. According to a further aspect of the invention, bracket 14 may be disengaged from tray 12 by depressing flexible tabs 49, 50, for example, manually, to disengage tabs 49, 50 from the ends 33 of perforation 34 whereby bracket 14 may be disengaged by drawing bracket 14 downward through perforation 34.

In one aspect of the invention, the engagement of bracket 14 with perforation 34 may be enhanced by providing one or more projections 56 on one or more sidewalls 43-46 sized and positioned to engage one or more holes 57 on tray 12. The engagement of projections 56 in holes 57 may facilitate the positioning of bracket 14 into perforation 34 and may also enhance the engagement of bracket 14 with tray 12. In one aspect of the invention, bracket 14 may be fixedly mounted to tray 12 by fusing projections 56 with holes 57, for example, by soldering, brazing, or welding metallic parts or thermally fusing plastic parts, or by deforming parts to prevent disengagement, for example, by peening or otherwise deforming to prevent disengagement of projections 56 from holes 57. Other means of preventing disengagement of projections 56 from holes 57 will be apparent to those of skill in the art while still within the purview of aspects of the present invention.

In one aspect of the invention, bracket 14 may include one or more projections 60 positioned and adapted to facilitate handling of bracket 14. For example, projection 60 may be adapted to facilitate insertion or removal of bracket 14 from perforation 34 in tray 12, or to facilitate the positioning or placement of instruments (not shown) on tray 12 or within bracket 14. In the aspect of the invention shown in FIGS. 3-7, projection 60 projects upward from bottom or base 42 of bracket 14; however, according to aspects of the invention, projection 60 may project from any convenient location on bracket 14, for example, upward or downward from bottom 42 or upward, downward, or laterally from one or more of sidewalls 43-46. A shown in FIGS. 3-7, projection 60 may be a substantially thin rectangular projection, for example, to facilitate manually handling projection 60; however, again, projection 60 may take many convenient forms, including extensions, projections, indentations, through holes, surface treatments, and the like to further facilitate handling, for example, either manual by a health technician or automated handling, for instance, by a robotic manipulator.

In addition, one or more projections 60 on bracket 14 may be provided for positioning hardware or instruments (not shown) on tray 12 or bracket 14. For example, projections 60 may define one or more widths (not shown) between two projections 60, of substantially equal or varying dimension, for retaining one or more instruments (not shown) as needed. Also, projections 60 may provide one or more means for retaining hardware or instruments (not shown) about projections 60, for example, looped over or inserted over projection 60.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, bottom 42 of bracket 14 may also be perforated, for example, having one or more perforations or through holes 62. Through holes 62 may be provided to facilitate handling of bracket 14, to facilitate cleaning of bracket 14, and/or to reduce the weight of bracket 14, among other motivations for providing holes 62.

FIG. 8 is perspective view of instrument support bracket 16 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 according to another aspect of the invention. FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of instrument support bracket 16 shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a right-hand elevation view of instrument support bracket 16 shown in FIG. 8, which may be substantially identical to a left-hand elevation view. FIG. 11 is a rear elevation view of instrument support bracket 16 shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 12 is a top plan view of instrument support bracket 16 shown in FIG. 8. As discussed above with respect to bracket 14, though bracket 16 shown in FIGS. 8-12 is generally a rectangular parallelepiped in shape, according to aspects of the invention, bracket 16 may assume many different geometric shapes while still functioning according to aspects of the invention. For example, bracket 16 may be cylindrical in shape, for example, circular, triangular, rectangular, or polygonal cylindrical in shape.

A shown in FIGS. 8-12, bracket 16 typically includes a bottom or base 82 and a plurality of sidewalls, for example, at least two sidewalls, 83, 84, 85, and 86 extending from bottom 82. Base 82 may include one or more perforations 102. According to aspects of the invention, at least two of sidewalls 83-86 are adapted to mount to tray 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2 to at least temporarily engage bracket 16 with tray 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, perforation 36 in tray 12 is configured to receive bracket 16. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8-12, according to one aspect of the invention, opposite sidewalls 83 and 84 of bracket 16 include through holes 87, 88 and cantilevered, outwardly biased tabs 89, 90. For instance, as shown most clearly with the aid of FIGS. 2, 9, 10, and 11 (where planar surface 26 is shown in phantom), in one aspect, as bracket 16 is inserted into perforation 36 from the top of tray 12, tabs 89 and 90 impact ends 37 of perforation 36 and deflect inwardly due to the force of insertion into perforation 36. Also, side walls 85 and 86 may include outward projections 95 and 96, respectively, and projections 92 and 94, respectively, adapted to engage tray 12 (for example, as shown most clearly in phantom in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11). In addition, according to an aspect of the invention, the width of bracket 16, the height of side walls 85 and 86, and the width between sides 38 of perforation 36 are sized and projections 92 and 94 from sidewalls 85 and 86, respectfully, are located to contact the top surface of tray 12 adjacent to perforation 36 while the end of tabs 89 and 90 pass the bottom surface of tray 12 and are free to elastically deflect to an outward position. Again, this engagement of bracket 16 with tray 12 is shown most clearly in phantom in front elevation view of FIGS. 9, 10, and 11. As a result, according to this aspect, bracket 16 is retained in perforation 36 due to interference between the extended tabs 89 and 90 and the contact between the bottom edges of projections 92 and 94 of sidewalls 85, 86, respectively, against the top surface of tray 12. According to a further aspect of the invention, bracket 16 may be disengaged from tray 12 by depressing flexible tabs 89 and 90, for example, manually, to disengage tabs 89 and 90 from the ends 37 of perforation 36 whereby bracket 16 may be disengaged by drawing bracket 16 upward through perforation 36.

In one aspect of the invention, the engagement of bracket 16 with perforation 36 may be enhanced by providing one or more projections (not shown) on one or more sidewalls 83-86 sized and positioned to engage one or more holes (not shown) on tray 12. In a fashion similar to projection 56 and hole 57 described with respect to bracket 14 above, the engagement of projections on bracket 16 with holes in tray 12 may facilitate the positioning of bracket 16 into perforation 36 and may also enhance the engagement of bracket 16 with tray 12. In one aspect of the invention, bracket 16 may be fixedly mounted to tray 12 by fusing the projection with the holes, for example, by soldering, brazing, or welding metallic parts or thermally fusing plastic parts, or by deforming parts to prevent disengagement, for example, by peening or otherwise deforming to prevent disengagement of the projections from the holes. Other means of preventing disengagement of projections in bracket 16 from holes in tray 12 will be apparent to those of skill in the art while still within the purview of aspects of the invention.

In one aspect of the invention, bracket 16 may include one or more projections 100 positioned and adapted to facilitate handling of bracket 16, for example, to facilitate insertion or removal of bracket 16 from perforation 36 in tray 12, or to facilitate the positioning of instruments (not shown) on tray 12 or within bracket 16. In the aspect of the invention shown in FIGS. 8-12, projections 100 projects upward from sidewalls 85 and 86 of bracket 16; however, according to aspects of the invention, projections 100 may project from any convenient location on bracket 16, for example, from upward or downward from bottom 82 or upward, downward, or laterally from one or more of sidewalls 83-86. A shown in FIGS. 8-12, projection 100 may be a substantially thin rectangular projection, for example, to facilitate manually handling projection 100; however, again, projections 100 may take many convenient forms, including extensions, projections, indentations, through holes, surface treatments, and the like to further facilitate handling, for example, either manual by a health technician or automated handling, for instance, by a robotic manipulator.

In addition, one or more projections 100 on bracket 16 may be provided for positioning hardware or instruments on tray 12 or bracket 16. For example, projections 100 may define one or more widths 101, of substantially equal or varying dimension, for retaining one or more instruments (not shown) as needed. Also, projections 100 may provide one or more means for retaining hardware or instruments about projections 100, for example, looped or inserted over projection 100.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, bottom 82 of bracket 16 may also be perforated, for example, having one or more through holes 102. Through holes 102 may be provided to facilitate handling of bracket 16, to facilitate cleaning of bracket 16, and/or to reduce the weight of bracket 16, among other motivations for providing holes 102.

According to one aspect of the invention, a method of engaging a bracket 14, 16 into an instrument tray 10 provided is illustrated in FIGS. 1-12. The steps of this method include inserting bracket 14, 16 having a plurality outwardly-biased, cantilevered projections 49, 50, 89, 90 into a perforation 34, 36 in the instrument tray 10; contacting the plurality of projections with edges of the perforation 34, 36 in the instrument tray and inwardly deflecting the outwardly-biased projections; passing the outwardly-biased projections 49, 50, 89, 90 through the perforation 34, 36; allowing the outwardly-biased projections 49, 50, 89, 90 to outwardly deflect; and engaging the instrument tray 10 with the outwardly-deflected projections 49, 50, 89, 90. In addition, the method may further include, after passing the projections 49, 50, 89, 90 through the perforation 34, 36, contacting the instrument tray 12 with a second projection 45, 46, 92, 94, 95, 96, on the bracket whereby the bracket is retained on the instrument tray between the outwardly-deflected, outwardly-biased projection and the second projection.

According to aspects of the invention, bracket 14, bracket 16, and tray 12 may be fabricated from metallic or non-metallic materials. For example, brackets 14, 16 and tray 12 may be fabricated from one of more of the following metals: iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, nickel, magnesium, brass, bronze, or any other structural metal. In addition, brackets 14, 16 and tray 12 may be fabricated from one or more of the following plastics: a polyamide (PA), for example, nylon; a polyamide-imide; a polyethylene (PE); a polypropylene (PP); a polyester (PE); a polytetraflouroethylene (PTFE); an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS); a polycarbonate (PC); or a vinyl, such as, polyvinylchloride (PVC), among other plastics.

From the above description, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that aspects of the invention provide a tray assembly and brackets adapted for use with a tray assembly that facilitate assembly, disassembly, and otherwise handling of the assembly and of the brackets. Aspects of the present invention may be used in a broad range of application where the insertion, removal, and otherwise manipulation of items may be facilitated by the disclosed tray assembly and brackets, for example, for household products, sporting goods, tools, toys, and the like. Aspects of the present invention may be particularly advantageous for the handling and positioning of medical devices and related hardware and tools in the medical device industry, for example, for use by health care providers, such as, operating room personal. Other applications and fields of use for aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art.

While several aspects of the present invention have been described and depicted herein, alternative aspects may be effected by those skilled in the art to accomplish the same objectives. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such alternative aspects as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An instrument tray assembly comprising:

a planar surface having one or more perforations; and

at least one instrument support bracket, the instrument support bracket having a bottom and a plurality of side walls extending from the bottom, at least some of the plurality of side walls adapted to engage at least one of the one or more perforations in the planar surface to secure the support bracket to the planar surface.

2. The instrument tray assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the bottom of the support bracket is positioned below the planar surface when the at least some of the plurality of side walls of the support bracket engage the planar surface.

3. The instrument tray assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of side walls comprise outwardly biased, cantilevered projections positioned to engage at least one of the one or more perforations.

4. The instrument tray assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein the one or more perforations comprise elongated perforations having ends, and wherein the outwardly biased, cantilevered projections engage the ends of the elongated perforations.

5. The instrument tray assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein to secure the support bracket to the planar surface comprises to releasably secure the support bracket to the planar surface.

6. The instrument tray assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the instrument tray assembly comprises a medical device instrument tray assembly.

7. The instrument tray assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein the medical device instrument tray assembly is adapted to be sterilized.

8. The instrument tray assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein the medical device instrument tray assembly is adapted to retain a plurality of medical devices.

9. The instrument tray assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein the medical device instrument tray assembly is adapted to retain a plurality of surgical implants.

10. A instrument tray support bracket comprising a bottom and a plurality of side walls extending from the bottom, the plurality of side walls adapted to engage a perforation in a planar surface of an instrument tray to secure the support bracket to the planar surface of the instrument tray.

11. The bracket as recited in claim 10, wherein the plurality of side walls comprise outwardly biased, cantilevered projections positioned to engage a perforation in the instrument tray.

12. The bracket as recited in claim 11, wherein the outwardly biased, cantilevered projections engage ends of an elongated perforation in the instrument tray.

13. The bracket as recited in claim 11, wherein the outwardly biased, cantilevered projections comprise outwardly biased projections in opposing side walls.

14. The bracket as recited in claim 11, wherein the bracket further comprises at least one projection adapted to facilitate handling.

15. The bracket as recited in claim 14, wherein the at least one projection adapted to facilitate handling projects from the bottom of the bracket.

16. The bracket as recited in claim 11, wherein the bracket further comprises a plurality of projections adapted to retain articles.

17. A method of engaging a bracket into a instrument tray comprising:

inserting a bracket having a plurality outwardly-biased, cantilevered projections into a perforation in the instrument tray;

contacting the plurality of projections with edges of the perforation in the instrument tray and inwardly deflecting the outwardly-biased projections;

passing the outwardly-biased projections through the perforation;

allowing the outwardly-biased projections to outwardly deflect; and

engaging the instrument tray with the outwardly-deflected projections.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises, after passing the projections through the perforation, contacting the instrument tray with a second projection on the bracket whereby the bracket is retained on the instrument tray between the outwardly-deflected, outwardly-biased projection and the second projection.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises rigidly mounting fixing the bracket to the instrument tray.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein fixing the bracket to the instrument tray comprises fusing a projection of the bracket to the instrument tray.