Patent Number: 055526128
Section: summary

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a transport container for transporting a radiation shield member in which a syringe containing a radiopharmaceutical liquid is mounted. As a transport container for transporting a syringe in which radiopharmaceutical liquid has been filled, a container as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2-95380 is known. In the container disclosed in the Patent publication, a shield material made of lead is provided along the inner peripheral surface of the container to prevent radiation emitted from a syringe, containing radiopharmaceutical liquid, accommodated therein from leaking to the outside thereof. Further, in the container, a cushioning material such as styrene foam conforming to the outer configuration of the syringe containing the radiopharmaceutical liquid is provided between the shield material and the syringe containing the radiopharmaceutical liquid so as to fix the syringe in the container. Thus, the outer diameter of the container is large and hence the outer diameter of the shield material is also large. Accordingly, the container disclosed in the Patent Publication has a disadvantage that the weight of the container is large. The above-described container has another disadvantage in that because the container does not have a mechanism for fixing the shield material and the container made of plastic to each other, it is necessary to bond them to each other with an adhesive double coated tape or the like and thus it is uneasy to separate plastic and lead from each other for classified refuse. Further, the container has another disadvantage that because the syringe containing the radiopharmaceutical liquid is held in the container by pressing the syringe into the shield material, the syringe accommodated in the container is popped out therefrom and the syringe containing the radiopharmaceutical liquid is damaged if the container upsets or is inclined by accident with the cover of the container open. The cover made of plastic is fitted on the opening of the container and a shield material of a lead plate is provided in the cover to shield the radiation emitted from the syringe containing the radiopharmaceutical liquid. But the shield material formed on the cover is not bonded to the inner peripheral surface of the cover of the container, and thus it is necessary to remove the shield material provided in the cover from the container after the cover is opened. Thus, the container has still another disadvantage that its operability is bad. Furthermore, since the cover has little play, an operator may have difficulty to some degree in opening and closing the cover. Thus, the operability of the container is bad. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a transport container, for transporting a radiation shield member, which is light in weight and has a favorable operability. In accomplishing this object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport container for accommodating a radiation shield member accommodating a syringe having radiopharmaceutical liquid filled thereinto and having a wing-shaped holding member at an opening end thereof, the transport container comprising: a cup-shaped sheath container for accommodating the radiation shield member and having a first engaging portion formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof in a vicinity of an opening end thereof; a cup-shaped radiation shield container made of radiation shield material, having a predetermined thickness, an outer peripheral surface of a side wall thereof which substantially contacts an inner peripheral surface of the sheath container, and having a position-fixing portion, for fixing the wing-shaped holding member, to be engaged by the wing-shaped holding member at an opening end thereof; and a cup-shaped cover mounted on the opening end of the sheath container, having a cup-shaped radiation shield member made of radiation shield material and held therein, and having a second engaging portion which engages the first engaging portion of the sheath container, thus closing an opening of the sheath container by engagement between the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the transport container for accommodating the radiation shield member, further comprising a holding frame including: a portion having a frame-shaped sectional configuration and a size appropriate for contacting the inner peripheral surface of the sheath container in the vicinity of the opening end thereof; a shield container removal-preventing portion extending from the frame-shaped sectional portion toward a center of the frame-shaped sectional portion in contact with an end surface of the opening end of the radiation shield container, thus preventing the radiation shield container from being removed from the sheath container; and a shield member removal-preventing portion extending from the shield container removal-preventing portion so as to cover the wing-shaped holding member engaged with the position-fixing portion for fixing the wing-shaped holding member, thus preventing the radiation shield member from being removed from the radiation shield container. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport container for accommodating the radiation shield member, wherein the cover has a fifth engaging portion on an inner peripheral surface of a side wall thereof; and the cup-shaped radiation shield member formed on the cover has a height smaller than a depth of the cover, having a side wall, an outer side of which is opposed to an inner peripheral surface of a side wall of the cover with a gap provided therebetween, and having on an outer peripheral surface of the side wall thereof a sixth engaging portion engaging the fifth engaging portion, thus removably holding the cup-shaped radiation shield member on the cover.