Abstract:
A case for storing medical instruments contains a rotating bracket for holding the instruments. The bracket is connected to the tray and hinged lid of the case via a movable frame, and the bracket movement is controlled by opening and closing of the lid. When the lid is closed, the bracket points the tips of the instruments downward to minimize water collection; and when the lid is opened, the instrument holding bracket rotates so that the instruments it holds are moved to a vertical position, facilitating instrument selection.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an autoclavable medical instrument case. 
         [0002]    Most autoclavable, medical instrument cases, especially those for reusable medical instruments, are perforated on all sides to allow steam or water vapor, which is generated within an autoclave, to penetrate the case and reach the instruments within it. This process, along with the heat that helps to generate the water vapor, sterilizes both the inside of the case and the instruments. 
         [0003]    The autoclaving of these perforated medical-instrument cases, however, results in water collecting on the tips of the instruments within the cases, causing corrosion. Although most reusable medical instruments and surgical tools are made of stainless steel, they nevertheless tend to corrode when exposed to water for prolonged periods of time. Making the situation worse, many medical instruments have custom-shaped socket-like configurations that retain water. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an autoclavable medical instrument case that minimizes or eliminates corrosion of instruments retained within the case after autoclaving. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    A case having a tray and connected lid contains at least one rotatable bracket for holding one or more medical instruments. The bracket is coupled to the lid and tray so that when the lid is closed, the bracket points the tips of instruments it holds downward to minimize water collection. When the lid is opened, the instrument holding bracket rotates to hold the instruments so that they face upward, facilitating instrument selection. 
     
    
     
       IN THE DRAWING 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the case according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the case shown in  FIG. 1  with the lid of the case in an open position. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view from the left side of the case with the lid in a closed position as taken from the cutting plane A-A as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view from the left side of the case with the lid in an opened position as taken from the cutting plane A-A as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the lid of the case. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the tray of the case. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7   a  is an isometric view of the instrument holding bracket. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7   b  is a front view of the instrument holding bracket showing the fastening and pivoting feature. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is an isometric view of the moving frame element. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is an isometric view of the sliding element. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the instrument case  1  has a rectangular body and comprises: tray  2 , lid  3 , instrument holding bracket  4 , fastening tabs  5  and  5   a , movable frame  6 , fastening brackets  7  and  7   a , fixed frame  8 , and sliding link  9 . 
         [0017]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , tray  2  has a main body  35 , fastening brackets  7  and  7   a , and side walls  40  and  40   a . The main body  35  is preferably rectangular but can alternatively be of another configuration, as long as the fastening brackets  7  and  7   a , and side walls  40  and  40   a  are accommodated with clearance to perform their intended functions as described below, and as long as the configuration does not obstruct the movement of the lid  3 , instrument holding bracket  4 , movable frame  6 , and sliding link  9  as described herein. 
         [0018]    The side walls  40  and  40   a  ( FIG. 6 ) are preferably rectangular, but can be of any configuration as long as they limit closure of the lid  3  and do not otherwise obstruct the movement of the lid  3 , instrument holding bracket  4 , movable frame  6 , and sliding link  9  as described herein. 
         [0019]    The fastening brackets  7  and  7   a , ( FIG. 6 ), fixed frame  8 , and hinge  10  are fastened to the main body  35  so that their relative positions remain fixed. 
         [0020]    The fastening brackets  7  and  7   a  have longitudinal slots  23  and  23   a , respectively. These brackets  7  and  7   a  may be formed integrally with the main body  35  or secured to it, and are a fixed distance apart. They may be of any shape that accommodates the slots  23  and  23   a , and allows the fastening and pivoting bosses  15  and  15   a  ( FIG. 8 ) of the movable frame  6  to engage and slide along the slots  23  and  23   a  in cooperation with the movement of lid  3  of case  1  ( FIGS. 2-4 ). 
         [0021]    The fixed frame  8  ( FIG. 6 ) of tray  2  has a main body with a fastening and sliding slot  33 , and can be of any compatible configuration, and may be integral with or secured to tray  2 ; as long as the slot  33  allows the fastening bosses  19  and  19   a  ( FIG. 9 ) of the sliding link  9  to attach and slide along slot  33  ( FIG. 2 ) in cooperation with the movement of lid  3  of case  1  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ). 
         [0022]    The tray  2  and lid  3  of case  1  ( FIGS. 2-4 ) are fastened together by a hinge  10  that allows the lid to pivot about the hinge so that the lid may open ( FIGS. 2 and 4 ) and close ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ). The hinge  10  can be replaced by other fastening elements as long as they allow for pivoting motion between the lid and tray. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 8 , the movable frame  6  comprises a back crosspiece  14  and parallel arms  21   a ,  21   b  that contain fastening rings  12 ,  12   a ,  12   b ,  12   c . The back frame  14  connects the arms, causing them to move in unison. Instead of the back frame  14 , the arms may be maintained in parallel relationship by separate mechanisms. The frame  14  may be of any configuration that does not interfere with the motion of the sliding link  9  and the instrument holding bracket  4  as the lid  3  is opened and closed ( FIGS. 2-4 ). The arms  21   a ,  21   b  can also be of any configuration as long as they do not interfere with the opening and closing of the lid  3  and allow the fastening rings  12   a ,  12   c  and bosses  15 ,  15   a  to attach to their mating pegs  17 ,  17   a  and slots  23   a ,  23   b  respectively. 
         [0024]    In addition, the shape and configuration of the arms  21   a ,  21   b  should not obstruct, but should facilitate the motion of the fastening rings and bosses with respect to the mating pegs and slots. 
         [0025]    The fastening rings  12 ,  12   a ,  12   b ,  12   c  and bosses  15 ,  15   a  on the movable frame  6  ( FIG. 8 ) allow the pegs  17 ,  17   a  on the instrument holding bracket  4  ( FIGS. 7   a ,  7   b ) to engage the frame  6  and pivot about the rings  12   a ,  12   c  as the frame  6  moves from closed position shown in  FIG. 3  to the open position shown in  FIG. 4 . The movable frame  6  moves with movement of the lid  3  and the sliding link  9  ( FIG. 9 ). 
         [0026]    The bosses  31   a ,  31   b  on the movable frame  6  engage and pivot about the holes  30   a ,  30   b  of the lid tabs  5 ,  5   a  to coordinate movement of the frame  6  and instrument holding bracket  4  with the opening and closing of the lid  3  ( FIGS. 3-4 ). 
         [0027]    The bosses  15 ,  15   a  of the frame  6  allow it to attach to, pivot about, and slide forward and back by engagement of the bosses with the slots  23 ,  23   a  in the brackets  7 ,  7   a  of the tray  2 ; which movement is designed so as to not obstruct the motion of the movable frame  6  and to coordinate with the motion of lid  3  as it is opened and closed ( FIGS. 3-4 ). 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , when the lid  3  is moved from the closed to the open position, the frame  6  is caused to move toward the back of the case  1  and to pivot into the diagonal position shown. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , the sliding link  9  has a main body  20 , upper fastening rings  18 ,  18   a , and lower fastening bosses  19 ,  19   a . While one sliding link is preferred, more than one can be used for improved stability. 
         [0030]    The main body  20  is elongated but may be of another configuration as long as it does not obstruct the motion of the instrument holding bracket  4 . The upper fastening rings  18 ,  18   a  engage the pegs  32 ,  32   a  of the downwardly extending tab  22  of the instrument holding bracket  4  ( FIG. 7   b ) and allow the instrument holding bracket  4  to pivot so as to essentially control its orientation when the lid is moved between the closed and open positions thereof. 
         [0031]    The lower fastening bosses  19 ,  19   a  ( FIG. 9 ) of sliding link  9  engage the sliding slots  33  fixed frame  8  ( FIG. 6 ), and the sliding-link slot  24  ( FIG. 6 ) allows the body  20  of the sliding link  9  to pass through the fixed frame  8  vertically while lower fastening bosses  19 ,  19   a  ( FIG. 9 ) of the sliding link  9  engage the sliding slots  33  of the fixed frame  8 ; together these mating conditions allow the link  9  to slide from the front to the back of the tray  2  while remaining essentially vertically positioned ( FIGS. 2 to 4 ). 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b , the instrument holding bracket  4  has a main body  25  with instrument insertion holes  16  and laterally extending pegs  17 ,  17   a . The main body  25  has an elongated rectangular prism shape, but can alternatively have any configuration that facilitates the holding of the medical instruments to be autoclaved; as long as it does not obstruct the motion of the movable frame  6 , sliding link  9 , and lid  3 . The instrument insertion holes  16  can have regular and irregular shapes, but circular-shaped holes are preferred. 
         [0033]    The instrument holding bracket  4  moves in synchronism with the movement of the movable frame  6 , since it is operatively engaged therewith. The engagement of the pegs  32 ,  32   a  of the bracket  4  with the holes  18 ,  18   a  of the sliding link  9  allows the bracket  4  to pivot as the lid  3  of the case  1  is opened and closed, in synchronism with the motion of both the moving frame  6  and the sliding link  9 . 
         [0034]    The following pairs of coupled elements can be of any configuration, and the male and female members thereof may be interchanged, as long as the members of each pair mechanically complement each other and allow the associated parts of the case to move as previously described: (i) slots  23 ,  23   a  and bosses  15 ,  15   a ; (ii) holes  30 ,  30   a  and bosses  31   a ,  31   b ; (iii) rings  12   a ,  12   c  and pegs  17 ,  17   a , or rings  12 ,  12   b  and pegs  17 ,  17   a ; (iv) pgs  32 ,  32   a  and rings  18 ,  18   a ; and (v) bosses  19 ,  19   a  and slot  33 . Additional fastening elements, such as a pins, screws and bolts, rivets, etc., may be employed to facilitate both the fastening of said coupled elements to each other and previously described component movements, without impairing either. 
         [0035]    With the case  1  construction described above, as the lid  3  is opened, the movable frame  6  is pulled into a diagonal position and moves toward the back of the case  1 , and synchronously, the instrument holding bracket  4  moves toward the back of the case  1  and slightly up, causing the sliding link  9  to also move toward the back of the case. 
         [0036]    As the instrument holding bracket  4  moves toward the back of the case, its slight upward motion causes the link  9  to apply a downward force to the bracket tab  22 , causing the bracket  4  to rotate from a downward angled position as shown in FIG.  3 —wherein the instrument receiving holes  16  are oriented downward to minimize water retention—to an upward angled position as shown in  FIG. 4  wherein said holes can receive or make instruments more easily accessible for removal. 
         [0037]    Conversely, when the lid  3  is closed, the downward and forward motion of the instrument holding bracket  4 , caused by the downward and forward motion of the movable frame  6 , causes the rings  18 ,  18   a  of the sliding link  9  to impart an upward force to the bracket tab  22 . This upward force causes the bracket  4  to rotate from the vertically-oriented position shown in  FIG. 4  to the downward-oriented position shown in  FIG. 3 .