Convertible container

Abstract

A container for dispensing and disposing supplies is disclosed. The container includes a receptacle having a base and a plurality of walls extended up from the base; one or more compartments formed in the receptacle, wherein the one or more compartments is configured to be fluid-tightly sealed from each other; and one or more insert members, each configured to convert one of the one or more compartments from exclusively dispensing unused supplies to exclusively receiving used supplies.

Claims

1. A container for dispensing and disposing supplies, comprising: a receptacle having a base and a plurality of side walls extended up from the base; one or more compartments formed in the receptacle, wherein the one or more compartments are configured to be fluid-tightly sealed from each other; and one or more insert members, each insert member configured to convert one of the one or more compartments from exclusively dispensing unused supplies to exclusively receiving used supplies, wherein each of the one or more insert members comprises a plurality of tongues configured to be received in a plurality of grooves on the plurality of side walls.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the one or more insert members are configured to receive the used supplies and restricting retrieval of the used supplies.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more insert members is configured to be securely mounted at an opening of one of the one or more compartments.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more insert members comprises a plurality of fingers pointing toward a central opening.

5. The container of claim 1, further comprising one or more dividers for dividing a space defined by the base and the plurality of side walls of the container into two or more fluid-tight compartments.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the unused supplies are unused medical supplies or unused medical sharps, and the used supplies are used medical supplies or used medical sharps.

7. The container of claim 1, further comprising a lid hinged to one of the plurality of side walls for opening and closing the container.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of grooves includes one or more extended tabs for supporting one of the one or more the insert members.

9. The container of claim 7, further comprising a latch for securely closing the lid.

10. A container for dispensing and disposing supplies, comprising: a receptacle having a base and a plurality of side walls extended up from the base; one or more compartments formed in the receptacle, wherein the one or more compartments are configured to be fluid-tightly sealed from each other; one or more insert members, each insert member configured to convert one of the one or more compartments from exclusively dispensing unused supplies to exclusively receiving used supplies; a lid hinged to one of the plurality of side walls for opening and closing the container; and a latch for securely closing the lid.

11. The container of claim 10, wherein the one or more insert members are configured to receive the used supplies and restricting retrieval of the used supplies.

12. The container of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more insert members is configured to be securely mounted at an opening of one of the one or more compartments.

13. The container of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more insert members comprises a plurality of fingers pointing toward a central opening.

14. The container of claim 10, further comprising one or more dividers for dividing a space defined by the base and the plurality of side walls of the container into two or more fluid-tight compartments.

15. The container of claim 10, wherein the unused supplies are unused medical supplies or unused medical sharps, and the used supplies are used medical supplies or used medical sharps.

16. The container of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more insert members comprises a plurality of tongues configured to be received in a plurality of grooves on the plurality of side walls.

17. The container of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of grooves includes one or more extended tabs for supporting one of the one or more the insert members.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings which show example embodiments of the present application, and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a sharps container, according to an embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 is a top view of the sharps container of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the sharps container of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is a side view of the sharps container of FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sharps container of FIG. 1, with the lid closed;

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an insert tab, according to an embodiment;

(8) FIG. 7 is a top view of the sharps container of FIG. 1 with an insert tab placed on a compartment of the sharps container, according to another embodiment;

(9) FIG. 8 is a top view of the sharps container of FIG. 7, according to another embodiment;

(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the sharps container of FIG. 1, with two insert tabs placed on both compartments of the sharps container, according to another embodiment; and

(11) FIG. 10 is a top view of the sharps container of FIG. 9.

(12) Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures to denote similar components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

(13) FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a container 100 for dispensing and disposing supplies. The supplies may include medical sharps, syringes, hypodermic needles, disposable scalpels and blades, contaminated glass and certain plastics, guidewires used in surgery, and other disposable supplies that may be used in a clinic, pharmacy, hospital or a laboratory. The container 100 may be configured to be a handheld container. The container 100 may also have a bigger or smaller size.

(14) The container 100 includes a receptacle 102. The receptacle 102 includes a plurality of walls defining a space for receiving unused or used supplies. In the example of FIGS. 1-5, the receptacle 102 includes side walls 102a-102d and a bottom wall or base 102e to form a fluid tight space. The receptacle 102 may be made from any suitable materials, such as plastic. The receptacle 102 may also have various shapes, such as a cylindrical, cubic, or pentagonal shape.

(15) The receptacle 102 may include one or more dividers 106 for dividing the space formed by the walls 102a-102d into two or more compartments. The dividers 106 can be solid ribs or plates. The dividers 106 be flat or other shapes, such as a waved shape. Each compartment is separated from an adjacent compartment in a sealed manner, in which the one or more dividers 106 are configured to extend from the inner surface of the bottom wall or base 102e (FIG. 3) up along any two side walls, such as 102a and 102c, or 102b and 102d, in a liquid-tight manner, such that the liquid contained in the supplies in a compartment cannot flow to an adjacent compartment. The compartments may also have various shapes, such as a cylindrical, cubic, or pentagonal shape.

(16) In the example of FIGS. 1-5, a divider 106 is configured to extend from the inner surface of the bottom wall 102e along the walls 102a and 102c towards the top edges of the side walls 102a and 102c. In some examples, the height of the divider 106 is lower than the top edges of the walls 102a-102d. In the example of FIGS. 1-5, the divider 106 and the walls 102a-102e define two compartments 104a and 104b.

(17) Although FIGS. 1-5 only illustrate two compartments 104a and 104b, the receptacle 102 may include one compartment, or three or more compartments. In some examples, the receptacle 102 does not include the divider 106, and receptacle include only one compartment. The receptacle 102 may also include two or more dividers 106. In the example that the receptacle 102 includes two dividers 106, the receptacle 102 has three compartments, and two dividers 106 are formed to divide the space into three compartments. The receptacle 102 may also include three or more dividers to divide the space into four or more compartments in a sealed manner.

(18) Each of the one or more compartments 104a and 104b is configured to be a dispensing compartment, or a disposal compartment at a time. The dispensing compartment is configured to receive exclusively unused supplies such as medical sharps or other medical supplies. A disposal compartment is configured to receive exclusively used supplies.

(19) In the example of FIGS. 1-5, the compartments 104a and 104b are initially configured to be dispensing compartments. Each compartment 104a and 104b has an opening defined by the top edges of side walls 102a-102d and the divider 106. For example, the top edge of the divider 106, and the top edge of the side wall 102b, and top edges of side walls 102a and 102c between the divider 106 and the side wall 102b define the opening of the compartment of 104a. Similarly, the top edge of the divider 106, and the top edge of the side wall 102d, and top edges of side walls 102a and 102c between the divider 106 and the side wall 102d define the opening of the compartment of 104b.

(20) In some examples, the container 100 may also include a lid 108 hinged to the top edge of the side wall 102c for opening and closing the opening of the container 100. As well, the container 100 may also include a latch 112 near the top edge of the side wall 102a for securing the lid 108 when the lid 108 is closed. In some examples, the lid 108 may also include a handle (not shown) on the top surface of the lid 108.

(21) When supplies in a dispending compartment 104a or 104b are all dispensed, the dispensing compartment 104a or 104b is configured to be convertible to a disposal compartment for receiving exclusively used supplies, such as used medical sharps and supplies. In the example of FIGS. 1-5, after all the supplies have been dispensed, each compartment 104a and 104b is configured to receive an insert member 114 (FIG. 6) for covering the opening of the compartment. Once an insert member 114 covers a compartment 104a or 104b, the covered compartment 104a or 104b is converted from a dispensing compartment to a disposal compartment. In the example of FIG. 7, after the supplies in the dispending compartment 104a are dispensed, and the insert member 114 is covered to the opening of the compartment 104a, the compartment 104a is converted from a dispending compartment to a disposal compartment for exclusively receiving used supplies.

(22) The insert member 114 is configured to be securely mounted at the opening of each of the compartments 104a and 104b. In the example of the FIG. 6, the insert member 114 has three tongues 120a-120d extending from the edges of the insert member 114. The insert member 114 may have more or fewer tongues. The insert member 114 can be formed from any suitable material such as plastic. The insert member 114 may also have various shapes complementary to the shapes of the compartment opening to cover the opening of the compartment. The insert member 114 has a top surface 114a and a bottom surface 114b. Both the top surface 114a and bottom surface 114b can be identical.

(23) As illustrated in the example of FIG. 1, the divider 106 has a groove 106a for receiving the tongue 120d, and the compartment 104a has corresponding grooves 116a1, 116b, 116c1 to receive the tongues 120a, 120b, 120c of the insert member 114, respectively. The compartment 104b has corresponding grooves 116d, 116c2, and 116a2, to receive the tongues 120a, 120b, 120c of the insert member 114, respectively. The insert member 114 and the compartments 104a and 104b may also have other configurations as long as the insert member 114 is securely received at the opening of the compartment 104a or 104b.

(24) In some examples, each groove 116a1, 116a2, 116b, 116c1, 116c2, and 116d has one or more extended tabs 118 for receiving the tongues 120a, 120b, 120c of the insert member 114. In the example of FIG. 1, two tabs 118 may be located at two sides of each of the grooves 116a1, 116a2, 116b, 116c1, 116c2, and 116d. In some examples, the one or more extended tabs 118 may be close to the top edges of the walls 102a-102d and the positions of the tabs 118 may be varied. The one or more extended tabs 118 are optional and may not be included on the container 100.

(25) As illustrated in the example of FIGS. 6-10, the insert member 114 is configured such that used supplies can relatively easily pass through the insert member 114 for disposal in the disposal compartment 104a, yet relatively difficult to be retrieved from the disposal compartment 104 via the insert member 114. In the example of FIG. 6, the insert member 114 comprises a plurality of the fingers 124 pointing toward an opening substantially at the center. The free space formed by the fingers 124 allows the used supplies, such as medical sharps, to pass through the insert member 114 for disposal in the compartment 104a or 104b covered by the insert member 114. However, due to the arrangement of the fingers 124 of the insert member 114, the supplies disposed therein are relatively difficult to retrieve from the compartment via the insert member 114, as the supplies have to be oriented to the position where the space formed by the fingers 124 and the central opening allows the supplies to pass through the insert member 114 to be retrieved.

(26) As illustrated in the example of FIGS. 7 and 8, after the supplies in compartment 104a are completely dispensed, the compartment 104a may be converted to a disposal compartment by attaching the insert member 114a to the opening of the compartment 104a, in the same manner as described above. As such, the space of the compartment 104a may be used to receive the used supplies for disposal.

(27) As illustrated in the example of FIGS. 9 and 10, after the supplies in compartment 104b are completely dispensed, the compartment 104b may be converted to a second disposal compartment by attaching the insert member 114b to the opening of the compartment 104b, in the same manner as converting compartment 104 from a dispensing compartment to a disposal compartment, as described above. As such, the space of the compartment 104b may be used to receive the used supplies for disposal. As such, all the compartments 104a and 104b can be converted from supplies dispensing compartments to disposal compartments to receive used supplies by attaching the insert members 114a and 114b to the openings of the compartments 104a and 104b.

(28) The container 100 may also include one, three or more compartments initially for dispensing supplies. After the supplies in each compartment are completely dispensed, the compartment can be converted to a dispensing compartment by attaching an insert member 114 to the opening of the compartment.

(29) In use, a user may load unused supplies in all of the compartments 104a and 104b of the container 100. When the supplies are fully dispensed in a compartment and the compartment is empty, the user may securely place an insert member to the opening of the compartment to convert the compartment to a disposal compartment. For example, after the supplies in compartment 104a are fully dispensed and the compartment 104a is empty, the user may place an insert member 114a to the opening of the compartment 104a by pressing the tongues 120a, 120b, 120c of the insert member 114a into respective grooves 116a1, 116b, 116c1 of compartment 104a to cover the opening of the compartment 104a. As such, the compartment 104a is converted from a dispensing compartment to a disposal compartment. The user may dispose used supplies, through the insert member, in the disposal compartment, such as compartment 104a, until the disposal compartment is substantially full or full. Similarly, when the unused supplies are fully dispensed in compartment 104b, after the user places another insert member, such as insert member 114b, to cover the opening of the compartment 104b, the compartment 104b is converted from a dispending compartment to a disposal compartment 104b. The disposal compartment 104b may then receive used supplies for disposal until the compartment is substantially full or full. As such, the space of the container 100 is fully used at all times, without wasted space.

(30) Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can be made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative and not restrictive.