Abstract:
A sharps disposal system for safely collecting and disposing of medical sharps includes a cabinet defining an enclosure for receiving a removable used sharps receptacle therein. The cabinet includes a passageway through which sharps may be deposited in the sharps receptacle. A single lock, double door design facilitates safe removal and disposal of sharps deposited in the sharps receptacle.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/530,024 filed Sep. 7, 2006, pending, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/713,419 filed Nov. 14, 2003, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to containers for safely collecting, storing and transporting used hypodermic needles (sharps). The present invention specifically relates to safely collecting, storing and transporting used needles in non-traditional healthcare facilities, such as public non-healthcare settings. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Disposal of sharps such as hypodermic needles in non-regulated settings is a tremendous public health safety problem. All used sharps are considered hazardous bio-medical waste as they contain body fluids which have the potential to transmit diseases to anyone exposed to them through a stick or open wound. Regulated businesses, such as medical facilities, generate used sharps in the routine provision of services. Such regulated businesses have developed stringent policy procedures for the safe collection and disposal of used sharps. As a result, regulated businesses routinely require and provide convenient access to sharps disposal containers within their facilities. Because of their potentially dangerous nature, particularly with present concerns regarding accidental transmittal of infectious diseases via contact with used needles, typical sharps disposal containers are designed not only to permit disposal but also to prevent unintentional contact with sharps deposited in the container. In regulated business settings disposal of sharps into containers is managed by trained professional staff to maximize safety. 
     Unregulated businesses, however, generally do not have any developed policy procedures for the safe collection and disposal of used sharps, nor trained professionals to manage the disposal. Unlike regulated healthcare businesses, the disposal of sharps is not a direct result of services performed in a non-regulated business. Therefore, non-regulated businesses, including but not limited to, commercial, industrial and retail settings, are generally unprepared to safely collect and dispose of used sharps that may be generated on their premises. However, sharps are routinely used, disposed and found in non-regulated businesses. Approximately three percent (3%) of the U.S. population regularly self-inject prescription drugs using hypodermic needles. Often, self-injectors are away from home or a medical facility when a dose must be administered in non-regulated business settings and public places. In addition to legal self-injectors, an undetermined number of illicit drug users self-inject non-prescription drugs, also in public places. It is estimated that within the U.S. three billion used needles are disposed of annually in non-regulated settings and unsafely discarded into the public solid waste stream. 
     The present growing trend of self-injecting and providing healthcare away from regulated medical facilities significantly increases the potential for inadvertent handling of, or accidental contact with, used sharps, particularly hypodermic needles, in public places. Used needles discarded by self-injectors expose the general population to sharps unmanaged by healthcare professionals and the potential for transmittal of diseases though contact with hypodermic needles contaminated with bloodborne pathogens. In recognition of the needs of such self-injectors, and to protect employees and business customers, many commercial, industrial and retail businesses are beginning to purchase sharps collection containers to dispose of sharps found on their premises. 
     Sharps containers used in commercial, industrial and retail businesses are generally controlled and kept out of sight, and are used only when an employee finds a used hypodermic needle. Such an approach to safe guarding employees and customers from used sharps is reactive and inappropriate in that only the needles left in visible sight are captured by employees, who themselves are placed in a position of potential contact with hazardous bio-medical waste as they are required to retrieve used needles for disposal. It is widely known that the majority of used sharps disposed in public places are in open trash receptacles, exposing workers and the public to a dangerous health risk. Generally, non-regulated businesses in the commercial, industrial and retail sectors do not proactively provide self-injectors with a means of safely disposing of their used sharps. 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a sharps disposal system for use by selfinjectors to safely dispose of their used sharps in such a manner where the container is safe, secure and is resistant to tampering by unauthorized individuals. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a safe public sharps collection system comprised of two individual components, a lockable steel permanent wall mounted cabinet to house the sharps container and a disposable sharps container contained within the cabinet which can be safely disposed of only by authorized personnel. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a secure wall mounted cabinet incorporating safety features including a sharps disposal conduit and single locking mechanism preventing unauthorized access, and a double door design to facilitate safe removal of the sharps container housed within the cabinet. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a cabinet for safely collecting and storing medical sharps defines an enclosure for receiving a removable sharps collection container (receptacle) therein. A bracket securely retains the sharps receptacle within the cabinet. The cabinet includes a conduit depending downward from the top thereof. The conduit is open at both ends. The lower end of the conduit interfaces with the removable receptacle thereby forming a passageway for discarded sharps to enter the sharps receptacle. The cabinet includes a single lock, double door design facilitating safe removal of the sharps receptacle housed within the cabinet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and objects of the present invention are attained can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. 
       It is noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  is a section view of a sharps disposal system in accordance with the present invention depicting the sharps disposal cabinet in an open condition; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially broken away section view of the sharps disposal cabinet of the present invention taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially broken away section view of the sharps disposal cabinet and sharps receptacle of the present invention taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a section view of a sharps disposal system in accordance with the present invention depicting the sharps disposal cabinet in a closed condition; 
         FIG. 5  is a section view of the sharps disposal cabinet of the present invention taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a partially broken away top plan view of the sharps receptacle housed in the sharps disposal cabinet of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 7  is a partially broken away side view of the sharps receptacle housed in the sharps disposal cabinet of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a sharps idisposal system in accordance with the present invention includes a sharps disposal cabinet generally identified by the reference numeral  10 . The cabinet  10 , fabricated of heavy gauge metal, includes a cabinet body formed by sidewalls  12 , a back wall  13 , a bottom  14 , a top access door  16  and a side or front access door  17  which enclose an interior chamber  18 . A mounting bracket  20  supports the cabinet  10  on a mounting surface, such as a wall or other suitable surface. 
     A sharps receptacle  22  is housed within the chamber  18  of the cabinet  10 . The receptacle  22  is preferably fabricated of puncture resistant material and includes a main body defining a substantially box-like profile. The body of the receptacle  22  includes an outwardly tapering portion  23  terminating in an upstanding lip  25  which circumscribes a circular opening forming the upper end of the receptacle  22 . The open upper end of the receptacle  22  is closed by a circular lid  24 . The planar surface of the lid  24  comprises a plurality of inwardly extending flexible tabs or fingers  30 , as best shown in  FIG. 2 . The fingers  30  are connected to the circumferential edge of the lid  24  and extend radially inward toward the center of the lid  24 . The fingers  30  extend across the open end of the receptacle  22  preventing the sharps deposited therein from spilling out when the receptacle  22  is removed from the cabinet  10 . A snap-on cover  26  connected to the lid  24  by a flexible tether  28  is stored within the cabinet  10  adjacent to the receptacle  22  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Upon removal of the receptacle  22  from the cabinet  10  the cover  26  is snapped over the lid  24  thereby enclosing the discarded sharps therein for safe disposal. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 1 , the top access door  16  of the cabinet  10  is secured to the back wall  13  thereof by a hinge  32 . The door  16  comprises a flat planar plate provided with a centrally located hole  34 . A conduit, such as a cylinder  36  or the like, depends downwardly from the bottom surface of the door  16 . The cylinder  36  is open at both ends. The proximal end of the cylinder  36  circumscribes the hole  34  and is welded or otherwise fixed to the door  16 . The distal end  38  of the cylinder  36  projects into the chamber  18  of the cabinet  10  upon closure of the access door  16 . The cylinder  36  is sized in length and diameter to minimize placing unintended items into the sharps disposal system of the invention and to prevent getting a finger or hand down into the sharps receptacle  22 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the sharps receptacle  22  is shown housed within the chamber  18  of the cabinet  10 . It is centrally located within the chamber  18  by a cradle bracket  40  fixed to the bottom  14  of the cabinet  10 . In a preferred embodiment, the cradle bracket  40  is three-sided with the open side located opposite the access door  17 . The bracket  40  is configured for frictionally engaging the bottom portion of the sharps receptacle  22  and positions the receptacle  22  to interface with the cylinder  36  upon closure of the top access door  16 . It is understood that the bracket  40  may take the form of any suitable configuration for maintaining the sharps receptacle  22  within the cabinet  10  in cooperating alignment with the cylinder  36  depending downwardly from the top access door  16 . 
     Referring again  FIG. 1 , the access door  17  is secured to the bottom  14  of the cabinet  10  by a hinge  42 . The access door  17  comprises a flat planar plate having flange members  50  extending inwardly therefrom along opposite edges of the door  17 . Along it upper end, the top edge of the door  17  extends inwardly defining a flat first surface  52  perpendicular to the door  17  and the distal end thereof projects downwardly defining a second surface  54  which is spaced from and parallel to the planar surface of the access door  17 . 
     Structural reinforcement for the cabinet  10  is provided by right angle flanges  56  which are fixed along the sidewalls  12  and offset inwardly from the leading edges of the sidewalls  12 . The flanges  56  are interconnected by a cross bar  58  extending across and connected to the upper ends of  10  the support flanges  56 . A locking slot  610  is formed in the cross bar  58 . The slot  60  is shaped to match the slot  62  formed in the surface  54  of the top edge of the access door  17 . Upon closure of the door  17 , the surface  54  of the access door  17  is in facing contact with the cross bar  58  and the lock slots  60  and  62  are in alignment for receiving the lock lever  64  of a lock  66  mounted on the top access door  16 , as best shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the cabinet  10  is mounted to a mounting surface by a mounting bracket  70 . The bracket  70  is si˜bstantiallyU-shaped in cross-section as shown in  FIG. 5 . It includes a flat mounting plate  72  and mounting flanges  74  integrally formed therewith. Threaded posts  76  project from the mounting plate  72  and are received through corresponding holes formed in the back wall  13  of the cabinet  10 . Wing nuts  78  secure the cabinet  10  to the mounting bracket  70 . 
     So that the cabinet  10  is not easily removed from its mounting surface, the width of the mounting plate  72  is less than the width of the back wall  13  of the cabinet  10  so that it overlaps the mounting flanges  74 . Thus, the bolts which secure the mounting bracket  70  (not shown in the drawings) to the mounting surface are covered and not accessible when the cabinet  10  is secured to the mounting bracket  70 . 
     Referring still to  FIG. 4 , when the cabinet  10  is locked and the sharps receptacle  22  is contained in the chamber  18  thereof, the distal end of the cylinder  36  engages the flexible fingers  30  of the lid  24  pushing them downwardly and thereby forming an unobstructed passageway to the interior of the sharps receptacle  22 . Sharps dropped through the hole  34  in the top access door  16  fall through the cylinder  36  into the sharps receptacle  22 . The single lock, two door design of the cabinet  10  ensures that during removal of the receptacle  22  from the cabinet  10 , personnel performing the task do not at any time place their hand over the top opening in the sharps receptacle  22 . When the access door  16  is opened, the cylinder  36  rotates upwardly out of the way and the flexible fingers  30  return to their original orientation closing the opening created by the cylinder  36  in the lid  24 . The access door  17  is opened and the receptacle  22  removed from the cabinet  10  and the cover  26  is snapped over the lid  24  of the receptacle  22 , thereby enclosing the discarded sharps within the receptacle  22  for safe delivery to a facility for safely destroying the discarded sharps. 
     The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the invention may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims which follow.