Patent ID: 7621898

Claim:
A waste collection unit for collecting waste material through suction lines during a medical procedure, said unit comprising: a first waste container having a maximum storage volume and a port for receiving a first suction line through which medical/surgical waste is drawn into said first waste container; a first pressure sensing assembly positioned to monitor pressure in said first waste container and configured to generate a first pressure signal representative of the pressure in said first waste container; a second waste container having a maximum storage volume larger than said maximum storage volume of said first waste container and having a port for receiving a second suction line through which medical/surgical waste is drawn into said second waste container; a second pressure sensing assembly positioned to monitor pressure in said second waste container and configured to generate a second pressure signal representative of the pressure in said second waste container; a single vacuum source; a vacuum control assembly connected at one end to said vacuum source and at a second end to said waste containers and connected to receive the pressure signals, said vacuum control assembly configured to, when said vacuum source is actuated, selectively and independently connect said vacuum source to both said first waste container and said second waste container so that simultaneously separate vacuums are drawn in each of said waste containers, the vacuums being at different levels based on the received pressure signals so that, simultaneously material can be drawn through the first suction line at a first vacuum level and material can be drawn through the second suction line at a second vacuum level different from the first vacuum level; and a transfer valve disposed between said waste containers and operable between open and closed positions for allowing the transfer of waste material from said first waste container to said second waste container.