Patent ID: 8851281

Claim:
A crush survival sharps container for a used syringe having an overall length and a needle with a needle tip, said container having a base, at least one side wall, a top, and a used syringe receiving aperture in said top closing said container and through which said used syringe can be passed, wherein a distance between said top and said base exceeds said overall length of said used syringe whereby said used syringe is wholly enclosed within said container when said used syringe is inserted into said container, each of said at least one side wall has a wall thickness which is greatest adjacent said base and thinnest adjacent said top, wherein a crushable portion of each of said at least one side wall adjacent said top concertinas when said container is subjected to a compressive crushing force in a direction generally from top-to-base, and wherein said base and a portion of each of said at least one side wall adjacent said base are sufficiently thick to prevent penetration thereof by a needle tip of a used syringe that has been inserted through said used syringe receiving aperture into said container and placed adjacent said base when said container is subjected to said compressive crushing force whereby said used syringe inserted through said aperture is retained within said container subjected to said compressive crushing force and said top, base and each said side wall of said container do not rupture.