Patent ID: 7931150

Claim:
An apparatus for packing at least one disposable object into an elongated tube of flexible material, comprising: a bin defining an enclosure with an opening defined at a top thereof for receiving at least one disposable object to be packed; a holder within the bin proximate the opening, with at least one interfering member at the bottom of the holder; a closing mechanism located below the holder comprising first and second portions, the second portion being biased in a closed position against the first portion and defining a receiving surface for receiving the at least one disposable object, the second portion being slidable from the closed position to an open position through application of a substantially vertical force against the receiving surface and being slidable from the open position to the closed position under the action of biasing means, the closing mechanism in the open position defining a passage between the opening of the bin and a bottom portion of the enclosure located below the closing mechanism, the closing mechanism in the closed position closing the said passage; and a cassette supported by the holder in the opening of the bin and having an annular receptacle to accommodate a length of tubing in an accumulated condition, the annular receptacle having an upper annular opening for dispensing the tubing such that the tubing extends through a central opening of the annular receptacle and with a knotted end thereof into the enclosure of the bin to receive disposable objects, whereby the closing mechanism closes the tubing, the annular body having a clearance in a bottom portion of the central opening opposite the at least one interfering member in the holder, so as to cooperate with the interfering member for the cassette to be aligned with the top of the bin in a desired orientation.