Patent ID: 9707324
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: A61M

Claim:
1. A container for collecting liquid medical waste comprising: a bag including a flexible body defining a cavity in the bag, the bag also including a fill opening formed in the flexible body; a fill tube including a tubular wall, the fill tube having an open first end and an opposite closed second end, the tubular wall including an inner circumferential surface extending lengthwise of the tubular wall and an outer circumferential surface extending lengthwise of the tubular wall, the inner circumferential surface defining a longitudinal passage extending from the first end of the fill tube toward the second end, the fill tube also including a wall extending across the longitudinal passage to close the second end of the fill tube, the second end of the fill tube being receivable in the cavity of the bag with the first end of the fill tube being disposed outside of the cavity and at least a portion of a length of the tubular wall projecting through the fill opening in the flexible body; and an elastic ring directly attached to the flexible body adjacent to and surrounding the fill opening, the elastic ring being shaped and dimensioned to encircle and resiliently press against the outer circumferential surface of the tubular wall of the fill tube, the fill tube further including (a) a lip projecting radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the tubular wall adjacent the second end of the fill tube, (b) a tab on and projecting radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the tubular wall at a location spaced apart from the lip in a direction along the tubular wall toward the first end, and (c) a discharge opening formed in the tubular wall of the fill tube between the lip and the tab, the discharge opening extending radially outward through the tubular wall from the inner circumferential surface of the tubular wall to the outer circumferential surface of the tubular wall and communicating with the longitudinal passage, a flow path for liquids extending from the open end of the fill tube through the longitudinal passage and the discharge opening into the cavity when the cavity receives the second end of the fill tube and the lip such that the elastic ring encircles the outer circumferential surface of the fill tube at a first position between the tab and the first end of the fill tube, the flow path being blocked when the elastic ring encircles the outer circumferential surface of the fill tube at a second position between the lip and the tab in which the elastic ring extends across and blocks a radially outer end of the discharge opening, the tab being shaped and dimensioned and the elastic ring being formed such that the elastic ring resiliently expands to slip over the tab from the first position to the second position in response to increased weight of the bap resulting from liquid flowing through the flow path into the cavity and adding weight to the bag.