Abstract:
A container for receiving and holding emesis has an inclined body providing an inclined chamber for storing emesis. A curved funnel has a small end joined to the body and a large inclined end surrounding an inclined mouth. A handle is joined to the funnel adjacent the lower portion of the large inclined end. A cover is snapped on the large inclined end of the funnel to contain emesis and odor within the container.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/178,267, filed Jan. 27, 2000. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a container used in the health care filed for receiving and holding human body fluids. The container is a portable one-piece receptacle specifically useable to receive and accommodate involuntary emesis and emesis induced with an emetic medicine or agent. The container is in compliance with body fluid containment standards including the safe and efficient collecting and containment of emesis. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Disease control standards require that emesis be contained to prevent risk of external contamination of caregivers, person and objects. Emesis at times contain blood, lung fluids, and stomach contents and present a risk of contamination by HIV, Hepatitis B, and non-blood borne pathogens. Numerous devices have been disclosed for handling body fluids, including urine and emesis. An example of a portable receptacle for receiving and containing emesis is disclosed by K. A. Cashel in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,332. This receptacle has a main body having an emesis containment chamber and a neck joined to the body. A mouthpiece having an open end shaped to abut a person&#39;s face around the mouth fits into the neck to direct emesis into the neck and chamber of the body. The neck includes a baffling device to minimize back flow or splashing or spillage of emesis. Handles on opposite sides of the body are used by the person emitting emesis to facilitate positioning of the mouthpiece adjacent the person&#39;s mouth. The present invention is an improvement in emesis containers that is splash and spill effective without baffling devices, convenient, cost efficient and disposable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a portable container or receptacle for use in accepting and containing emesis and sputum. The container has a tubular body joined to a funnel with a handle secured to the funnel. The body has an upward inclined side wall and bottom wall providing a chamber for accommodating emesis. The bottom wall is flat to permit the container to stand upright at an incline on a flat surface. The funnel has a mouth open at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the vertical axis of the body. The mouth has an area larger than the cross-sectional area of the chamber of the body. The funnel has a truncated cone shape that extends at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the body to locate the mouth toward the person using the container. The curvature of the cone-shaped funnel and angle of the funnel combined with the inclined body minimizes back flow, spilling and splashing of emesis out of the containment chamber of the body. The handle is an elongated generally cylindrical member extended downwardly from the lower portion of the funnel which is used to stabilize and assist holding of the container by a person or caregiver. A flexible neck joins the upper end of the handle to a semi-hemispherical section of the funnel. The neck allows the handle to be laterally moved relative to the body. The container is a one-piece plastic structure. The open peripheral end of the funnel has an outwardly directed annular rib. A cover having an annular lip with an internal circular groove snaps on the rib to close the opening of the mouth of the funnel. The handle is spaced from the body to allow a person&#39;s hand to firmly grip the handle and retain the container in a desired position. The container accommodates a volume greater than 1000 milliliters and is large enough to handle the contents of a person&#39;s full stomach. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable emesis container of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof; the opposite side being a mirror image thereof; 
     FIG. 3 is a proximate elevational view thereof; 
     FIG. 4 is a distal elevational view thereof; 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view thereof; 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view thereof; 
     FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line  7 — 7  shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the cover for the container; 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line  9 — 9  of FIG. 9; and 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line  10 — 10  of FIG. 9; and 
     FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line  11 — 11  of FIG.  10 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The container of the invention, indicated generally  10  in FIGS. 1 to  4  and  9 , is a portable collector and retainer of body liquids and semi-solids, known as emesis. Container  10  used as an aid to body fluid containment has a capacity greater than 1000 milliliters to accommodate fluids from a full human stomach. The body fluid containment function of the container complies with the OSHA blood borne pathogen standard, 29 CFR Part 1910.1030. 
     Container  10  has an upright tubular body  11  joined to a conical-shaped funnel  21  for receiving body fluids and directing the body fluids into a collection chamber  18  surrounded by body  11 . Body  11  has flat upright side walls  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16  joined to a flat bottom wall  17 . Side wall  14  is a proximal upright inclined wall. Side wall  6  is a distal upright inclined wall. As shown in FIG. 9, proximal and distal side walls  14  and  16  extend upwardly at an angle of 8 degrees relative to a vertical line or axis CL when the bottom wall  17  rests on a flat horizontal surface  20 . The incline of walls  14  and  16  can vary between 5 to 12 degrees relative to vertical line CL. As shown in FIG. 10, body  11  has a square cross section with walls  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16  having the same thickness and width. adjacent walls are joined with rounded corners. The lower edges of walls  13 ,  14 ,  15  and  16  are joined to the outer edges of bottom wall  17  to form chamber  18  for holding body fluids or emesis  19 . Funnel  21  is a curved cone having an outer or distal arcuate wall  22  joined to side wall  16  and an inner or proximal arcuate wall  23  joined to side wall  16 . Wall  22  has a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of wall  23 . Wall  22  curves upwardly to the center line CL and top edge of an inclined mouth  24 . Mouth  24  is a circular opening providing an entrance to the throat passage  25  open to chamber  18 . Mouth  24  inclines downwardly in a proximal direction toward handle  28 . The center line  26  of mouth  24  and funnel  21  is located 45 degrees from center line CL. This angle can vary from 35 to 55 degrees from center line CL. Center line  26  and vertical line CL intersect at  30  located in throat passage  25 . A circular rib  27  joined to the outer peripheral edge of funnel  21  reinforces the outer end of funnel  21  and provides a holding ring for accommodating a cover  38 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 1,  2 ,  3 , and  9 , an upright linear handle, indicated generally at  28 , is connected to proximal wall  23  with a flat neck  29 . Wall  23  has a semi-hemispherical extension  31  joined to neck  29  which locates handle  28  away from side wall  14 . Neck  29  is a solid vertically orientated member of flexible plastic that allows handle  28  to be moved laterally relative to body  11  and funnel  21 . Extension  31  reinforces curved proximal wall  23  and provides a strong support for neck  29  and handle  28 . As shown in FIG. 11, handle  28  has a generally rectangular cross-section with flat sides  32  and  33  and flat ends  34  and  36 . The lower end  37  of handle  28  is hollow to reduce the weight of the handle and allow for limited flexing by the hand of the user. Handle  28  is shorter than the vertical length body  11  and does not contact support  20  when bottom wall  17  rests on support  20 , as seen in FIG.  9 . 
     The open end or mouth  24  of funnel  21  is closed with a circular cover  38 . Cover  38  is a circular disk having a circular outer peripheral flange  39 . The inner surface of flange  39  has a circular groove  41 . In use flange  39  snaps over rib  27  to locate rib  27  in groove  41  to seal cover  38  on funnel  21  and contain fluids  19  and odors to chamber  18  and the enclosed space of funnel  21 . 
     As shown in FIG. 4, distal wall  16  of body  11  has a vertical scale or measurement markings  42  used to visually determine the total volume of liquid  19  in chamber  18 . Wall  16  is a semi-transparent plastic, such as polyethylene, which allows for visual observation of the level of liquid in chamber  18 . Scale  42  can be located on either side wall  13  or  15 . 
     The entire container  10  comprising body  11 , funnel  21  and handle  28  is a one-piece molded plastic. The plastic is semi-transparent polyethylene. Other plastics can be used to make container  10 . The plastic is compatible with emesis and does not crack or leak liquids or gases. 
     An example of the emesis container and cover has a one-piece plastic body  11 , funnel  21  and handle  28 . The plastic is polyethylene. Other types of plastic can be used to make the one-piece container  10 . The body  11  square cross-section with each side having a dimension of 8 cm and a height of 16 cm. The entire body  11  inclines in distal upward direction 8 degrees relative to the vertical line. The funnel  21  is a truncated cone with a distal curved wall  22  having a curved length of 6 cm and a proximal curved wall  23  having a curved length of 3 cm. The open end or mouth  24  has a diameter of 12 cm and is inclined upwardly and outwardly at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the vertical line or axis of container  10 . The cross-sectional area of mouth  24  is greater than the cross-sectional area of body  11 . Mouth  24  has a cross-sectional area of 120 square cm. Body  11  has a cross-sectional area of 64 square cm. Handle  28  has a length of 13 cm with end  37  space about 3 cm above the plane of bottom wall  17 . The end  37  of handle  28  does not engage the support  20  when bottom wall  17  rests on support  20 . 
     In use, cover  38  is removed from funnel  21  by releasing flange  39  from rib  27  to open mouth  24 . Handle  28  and body  11  are used to stabilize the container during usage. The person or caregiver grips handle  28  with one hand and holds body  11  with the other hand and moves mouth  24  adjacent the front of the person&#39;s face. Container  10  can be held with one hand gripping handle  28 . Emesis is directed into funnel  21  through mouth  24  into throat passage  25 . The concave curvature of the inside surface of distal wall  22  angularly deflects emesis into body chamber  18 . The emesis being angularly directed in the inclined chamber  18  minimizes splashing and scattering of emesis back into throat  25  and funnel  21 . The smaller area of throat relative to the converging area of the cone-shaped funnel also inhibits back splashing of emesis into funnel  21 . The volume graduations  42 , shown in FIG. 4, permit easy measurement of emesis in chamber  18 . When emesis discharge is completed, cover  38  is snapped on rib  27  to close mouth  24  to confine emesis  19  and odors to chamber  18  and enclosed space of funnel  21 . Container  10  is portable and is disposed of in a bio-compatible manner. Container  10  can be emptied, cleaned, sterilized and reused. 
     A preferred embodiment of the emesis container and cover has been disclosed in the specification and drawings. Changes in the shape, arrangement of parts of the container, and materials used to make the container and cover may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the invention.