Abstract:
A clear, lockable, sealable container for the storage of controlled substances in ambulances and other emergency medical vehicles, allowing paramedics and other emergency medical personnel to inspect and inventory readily the pharmaceuticals in the container without opening, unlocking, or breaking the seal on the container.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not applicable. 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not applicable. 
   MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
   Not applicable. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to the field of strong boxes, safes, and other lockable containers, particularly those for use in ambulances and other emergency services vehicles to secure controlled substances. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Advanced Life Support (ALS) and air ambulance service providers are commonly required by state and federal regulatory authorities to develop, implement, maintain, and have available for review and approval by those authorities written operating procedures for procuring, storing, handling, dispensing, and disposal of all controlled substances, medications, and fluids employed in connection with those services. In particular, the security procedures submitted by a provider typically must include the provider&#39;s method of ensuring against theft; tampering with, or contamination of, controlled substances, medications, and fluids; and the identities and position titles of employees who have access to controlled substances. 
   Providers must be able to document the amount of each controlled substance in on-site storage, and therefore must track the distribution, disposal, and re-supply of controlled substances, medications, and fluids. Procedures for developing and maintaining such documentation must address on-site and shift change inventory procedures for all controlled substances stocked by the provider, and identify a procedure for keeping records, including inventory schedules for stocking of medical supplies and reporting and resolving any discrepancy found during an inventory. 
   Providers currently employ opaque narcotics storage containers manufactured of metal, plastic, or other materials. These containers may be secured from tampering by way of a numbered tamper-resistant break lock, pull-tight seal. An unbroken seal ensures that the box has not been opened, whereas any break in the seal suggests that the box may have been opened. 
   Because the tamper-resistant seals are easily compromised, their function is limited to providing information regarding possible tampering. In order to actually prevent unauthorized access to the controlled substances, the narcotics box is separately secured by a lock or the box itself is placed into a larger lockable storage container on or within the emergency vehicle, or both. Frequently, the storage container is rigidly secured to the vehicle, more or less permanently. 
   Emergency vehicles usually carry at all times standard quantities and types of controlled substances—typically, morphine, Versad, and Diazepam —in tamper-resistant glass ampules, which are stored in the narcotics container on board. Documentation procedures to track storing, handling, dispensing, and disposal of these controlled substances ordinarily will detail information about the narcotics container and the medications contained in them. This information generally includes the date and time the container was last inspected and sealed, the number of the seal, and the identity of the person who last inspected and sealed the container. Inventory information regarding the contents of the container would normally include the types, amounts, unit control numbers, and expiration dates of medications, as reflected on the labels of the ampules. Any use or disposal (e.g., due to expiration or damage) of any medications must also be documented. 
   When the emergency personnel on a vehicle change shifts, an individual coming on shift must confirm that the documentation generated by those coming off shift reflects properly the contents and condition of the narcotics container. Because the narcotics containers currently used by providers are opaque, the seal on a container must be broken and the container opened in order to confirm the identity of the medications in the container and their respective unit control numbers, expiration dates, and general condition. Moreover, individual ampules often must be handled physically in order to observe their respective labels and the condition of their respective tamper-resistant seals, which handling can itself lead to impairment of the integrity of the individual seals or cracking of the glass ampules and consequent loss of use of those medications. Following confirmation and documentation of the contents of the narcotics container, and replacement of any used medications, the container must be re-sealed using another numbered tamper-resistant seal. The process by which emergency medical personnel must unseal, open, and reseal narcotics containers to conduct routine, periodic drug inventories wastes time, labor, and material resources. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention comprises a totally clear, lockable, sealable container for the storage of controlled substances in ambulances and other emergency medical vehicles, allowing paramedics and other emergency medical personnel to inspect and inventory readily the pharmaceuticals in the container without opening, unlocking, or breaking the seal on the container. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  presents an exploded view of the lower and upper portions of the apparatus, as well as its transparent slidable lid. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the placement of ampules of medication in the slots between the ribs, the visibility of those ampules through the box, and the lower height of the intermediate ribs relative to the ampules. 
       FIG. 3A  illustrates a cross-section of the end of the apparatus with the clevis pin removed. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates a cross-section of the end of the apparatus with the clevis pin inserted. 
       FIG. 4  is an overhead perspective view of the transparent container apparatus in a closed, sealed, and locked condition. 
       FIG. 5  is an overhead perspective of the apparatus in an open, unsealed, and unlocked condition. The removed clevis pin used to seal and lock the lid is illustrated as well. 
   

   REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS 
     10  lower section 
     14  intermediate rib 
     18  ampule 
     22  seam 
     26  lid 
     30  shank 
     34  first hole (lower section) 
     38  grommet (lid) 
     40  third hole (shank) 
     44  seal 
     48  padlock 
     12  outermost rib 
     16  channel 
     20  upper section 
     24  slot 
     28  clevis pin 
     32  head 
     36  second hole (lid) 
     39  grommet (lower section) 
     42  fourth hole (shank) 
     46  shackle 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   An exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the container of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . This embodiment, a clear box, comprises a lower section  10  having a depth forming an area to contain medications. This area is subdivided by clear, thin longitudinal ribs  12 ,  14  secured to and rising from the bottommost surface of the lower section, creating channels  16  between the ribs, running the length of the interior of the lower section, into which standard-sized ampules  18  of medications may be placed, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
   The two outermost ribs  12  extend vertically to the uppermost edge of the lower section  10 , providing structural support to a peripheral upper section  20  joining with the lower section along a seam  22 . A single slot  24  at one end of the box accommodates the insertion and removal of a clear slidable lid  26 . The vertical height of the intermediate ribs  14  is lower than the two outermost ribs  12  to allow for easier retrieval of ampules  18  of medication that may be placed in the channels  16  formed by the ribs  12 ,  14 . 
   The overall length of both the lower section  10  and upper section  20  is approximately 7¼ inches, and the overall width of these sections is approximately 6¼ inches. When joined at the seam  22 , the lower section  10  and upper section  20  together make the height of the box about 1⅛ inches. The channels  16  created by the ribs  12 ,  14  are approximately ¾ inches wide. The intermediate ribs  14  are about ¾ inches high. The actual dimensions of the box may be varied to achieve greater length, width, or depth. By maintaining relatively compact overall dimensions, paramedics and other emergency personnel may transport the box easily from within an ambulance or other emergency vehicle to the location of a patient requiring treatment outside the vehicle. 
   The box is clear from virtually all angles, enabling the contents of the box to be examined through the lid  26 , through the bottom of the lower section  10 , from either end, and from either side. This allows paramedics and other emergency personnel to inspect ampules  18  of drugs placed in the channels  16  between the ribs  12 ,  14 , and to view readily their respective control numbers and expiration dates, as well as their general condition, at shift change without shaking the drugs or opening the box. To achieve the requisite transparency, as well as strength and durability, the lower section  10  and upper section  20  of the box, as well as the ribs  12 ,  14 , may be injection molded or otherwise made from clear ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic or other suitable material. These sections may be joined together along a seam  22  with ABS glue, or fixed together via ultrasonic welds or tamper-resistant snaps. The lid  26  may be made of clear acrylic or similarly durable transparent material. 
   As seen in  FIG. 3A  of the drawings, which presents a cross-section view of one end of the box with the transparent slidable lid fully inserted and the clevis pin removed, there is a first hole  34  in a channel in the bottommost surface of the lower section  10  and a second hole  36  in the transparent slidable lid  26 , the second hole being of roughly the same diameter as the first hole, and located immediately above the first hole  34 . 
     FIG. 3B  of the drawings, which presents a cross-section view of one end of the box with the transparent slidable lid fully inserted and the clevis pin in place, illustrates how the shank  30  of a clevis pin  28  may be passed from the exterior of the bottommost surface of the lower section through the first hole  34  in the channel in the bottommost surface of the lower section  10  and then through the second hole  36  in the transparent slidable lid  26 . The head  32  of the clevis pin  28  will be flush with the exterior of the bottom surface of the lower section of the box. Grommets  38 ,  39  of ABS plastic or other material may be employed to reinforce these holes. The end of the shank  30  has two holes of equal size, perpendicular to the shank and parallel to one another  40 ,  42 . 
     FIG. 4  illustrates the insertion through the holes  40 ,  42  in the shank  30 , respectively, of a tamper-resistant, break-lock, pull-tight seal  44 , and the sliding shackle  46  of a padlock  48 . If the seal  44  is broken, it indicates that the box may have been opened and the contents compromised. The padlock  48 , which may be individually keyed, provides security from ready access by anyone who does not have the key. 
   In an open, unsealed, and unlocked condition, illustrated in  FIG. 5 , with the clevis pin.  28  removed, the transparent slidable lid  26  retracts through the slot  24  at one end of the box to allow access to ampules  18  of medication inside the box. A grommet  39  in the hole in the lid  26  may serve to keep the lid  26  from sliding completely out of the slot  24 , thereby preventing the lid  26  from readily or inadvertently being separated from the box.