This invention relates to containers for injection devices with injection needles and, more particularly, to containers for accommodating injection devices before and after use.
Concerns exist over “needle sticks” where a practitioner or other individual administering an injection is inadvertently stuck with a used medical needle. Needle sticks may result in a transmission of disease, such as AIDS or Hepatitis B. Various shields have been developed in the prior art to cover and limit access to a medical needle, particularly after use. In addition, a used needle is considered biohazardous waste and must be disposed of appropriately. Containers, commonly referred to as “sharps containers”, are provided into which used needles, and other biohazardous materials, may be collected. Sharps containers typically have a waste-receptacle or mailbox-type design formed to receive and house spent devices.
With the subject invention, a container for an injection device with an injection needle is provided. The container includes a body having a compartment formed therein to accommodate the injection device in both a pre-use and a post-use condition. The body defines a first opening through which the injection device in its pre-use condition may be accessed, and the body defines a second opening into which the injection device may be directed in its post-use condition. A closure is provided for closing the first opening. The container also includes a retainer proximate the second opening for retaining the injection device in the container in its post-use condition preventing access to the injection needle after the injection device has been used to administer an injection. Advantageously, the container of the subject invention may accommodate an injection device both before and after use thereby providing not only a pre-use packaging for the injection device, but also a post-use sharps container for the injection device.
These and other features of the invention will be better understood through a study of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
With reference to the figures, a container, generally designated with the reference numeral 10, is shown for accommodating an injection device 12 before and after use. The injection device 12 is a medical injection device, such as a syringe or pen injector, intended for injection of a medicament into a human or animal. An injection needle 14 is provided for use with the injection device 12.
The container 10 includes a body 16 which defines a compartment 18 formed to accommodate the injection device 12 before use. A first opening 20 is defined in the body 16 through which the injection device 12 may be accessed in a pre-use condition. Preferably, a closure 22 is provided for closing the first opening 20. It is preferred that the closure 22 be attached to the body 16 through an articulating connection 24, which may be a living hinge or a pin hinge. As shown in
The closure 22 is separable from the body 16 to provide access to the injection device 12, such as by rotation about the articulating connection 24. Thus, the injection device 12 may be packaged, shipped and stored in the container 10 prior to use. With reference to
It is preferred that once the injection device 12 is removed from the container 10, that the closure 22 be locked to the body 16. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, any form of locking arrangement may be utilized. With reference to
Once the injection device 12 has been used (i.e., the injection needle 14 has been used with the injection device 12 to administer an injection), the container 10 may be used to house at least a portion of the injection device 12, with the injection needle 14, in a post-use state. With reference to
The second opening 36 is formed to allow the injection device 12 to cross-sectionally pass therethrough, as shown in
As shown in
The container 10 may be configured to accommodate wholly the injection device 12 in a used state, or, as shown in
A pad 46 may be provided in the container 10 positioned to have the injection needle 14 inserted therein in the stored, post-use condition as shown in
In a further preferred arrangement, the injection needle 14 is provided in the container 10, prior to use, separately from the injection device 12. A third opening 50 may be provided in the body 16 in which the injection needle 14 is held and made accessible. The injection needle 14 may be retained by a cap 52 fixed to the body 16. A removable seal 54 may be applied across the third opening 50 prior to use. As shown in
The cap 52 and the removable seal 54 may be configured to create a sterility barrier about the injection needle 14 in a packaged state. In this manner, the injection needle 14 may be sterilized and packaged in the container 10 with sterility of the injection needle 14 being maintained till use. The injection device 12 need not be sterile for use.
To provide additional protection for the injection needle 14, a removable needle shield 56 may be provided which is retained by the cap 52 about the injection needle 14 during storage. The needle shield 56 is mounted onto the injection device 12 along with the injection needle 14. To facilitate removal, the body 16 preferably includes a fourth opening 58, as shown in
With reference to
The container 10 may accommodate additional components, such as swabs 66, which may be betadine and/or alcohol swabs usable to prepare an injection site. Preferably, the swabs 66 are located adjacent to the second opening 36. The retainer 42 may act to retain the swabs 66 within the container 10 and to facilitate individual removal thereof. As shown in
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/119,076, filed on Aug. 4, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,728,028, which is a National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT/US2009/057424, filed on Sep. 18, 2009, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/192,465, filed on Sep. 18, 2008, the entire contents of these applications being incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61192465 | Sep 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13119076 | Aug 2011 | US |
Child | 14280769 | US |