1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to devices for maintaining sterilization and, more particularly, to devices for preventing rips or tears in a sterilization wrap wrapped about a sterilization tray.
2. Related Art
Sterilization of surgical tools including scalpels, scissors and clamps may be accomplished in a known manner by placing the tools in a sterilization tray, wrapping the tray with a sterilization wrap to form a sterilization pack and then placing the pack into a sterilizer. Once a sterilization pack has completed a sterilization cycle, it may be removed from the sterilizer and stored for future use during surgery.
One long and continuing problem encountered with sterilization packs includes tearing and ripping open of the sterilization wrap prior to use of the sterilized surgical equipment. Of course, once a pack is torn, the entire contents are deemed contaminated with bacteria and the like and, therefore, must be re-wrapped and then re-sterilized. A typical location where a rip may occur is at a corner of a sterilization pack.
One prior art corner protector for preventing rips in a sterilization wrap of a sterilization pack is shown at 100 in
As shown in
Several problems arise in connection with use of the corner protector 100. For example, the corner protector 100 fails to completely cover the sharp corner edge points 112 and thus rips, in a sterilization wrap (see
What is needed, therefore, is a more effective corner protector that will better prevent rips and tears in a sterilization wrap and is more easily attached to a sterilization tray.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a sterilization wrap protector, that may separate a sterilization tray from a sterilization wrap, comprises a foam plastic material that includes an inside engagement surface. The inside engagement surface may comprise a first inside surface that is generally planar, a second inside surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first inside surface and a third inside surface which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first inside surface and to the second inside surface. An outside engagement surface may comprise a first outside surface that is generally planar, a second outside surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first outside surface and a third outside surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first outside surface and to the second outside surface.
In another aspect of the invention, a sterilization wrap protector for a sterilization tray, that may separate the sterilization tray from a sterilization wrap, comprises a foam plastic material comprising a tray corner engagement surface. The tray corner engagement surface may comprise a first corner engagement surface that is generally planar, a second corner engagement surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first corner engagement surface and a third corner engagement surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first corner engagement surface and to the second corner engagement surface. The first, second and third corner engagement surfaces may intersect to define an inside corner point. A sterilization wrap engagement surface comprises a first sterilization wrap engagement surface that is generally planar, a second sterilization wrap engagement surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first sterilization wrap engagement surface and a third sterilization wrap engagement surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first sterilization wrap engagement surface and to the second sterilization wrap engagement surface. The first, second and third sterilization wrap engagement surfaces may intersect to define an outside corner point and the tray corner engagement surface and the sterilization wrap engagement surface may be separated by a generally constant thickness of the foam plastic material.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a sterilization wrap protector separates a sterilization tray from a sterilization wrap, the protector may comprise a foam plastic material including an inside engagement surface. The inside engagement surface may comprise a first inside surface that is generally planar, a second inside surface which extends from the first inside surface and that is generally arcuate in cross section and a third inside surface which also extends from the first inside surface and is also generally arcuate in cross section. An outside engagement surface may comprise a first outside surface that is generally planar, a second outside surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first outside surface and a third outside surface that is generally planar and which extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first outside surface and to the second outside surface.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike and wherein:
In accordance with the present invention, a more effective corner protector, which better prevent rips and tears in a sterilization wrap and is more easily attached to a sterilization tray, is provided. In one embodiment, a corner protector is configured to completely cover each of the sharp corner edge points of a sterilization tray.
Referring now to
The corner protector 10 comprises an inside or tray corner engagement surface 12 that, in turn, may comprise a first inside or corner engagement surface 14, a second inside or corner engagement surface 16 and a third inside or corner engagement surface 18. The first corner engagement surface 14 may be generally planar and may be bound, at one side by an upper surface 20. The second corner engagement surface 16 may also be generally planar and extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the first corner engagement surface 14. The third corner engagement surface 18 further may be generally planar and extends in a direction that is generally perpendicular to both the first corner engagement surface 14 and to the second corner engagement surface 16. As illustrated, the first and second corner engagement surfaces 14 and 16 may have a surface area that is substantially less than that of the third corner engagement surface 18. An inside corner point 22 may be located at the intersection of the first, second and third corner engagement surfaces 14, 16 and 18.
Referring now also to
Preferably, although not necessarily, a generally constant thickness (t) of the foam plastic material separates the tray corner engagement surface 12 and the sterilization wrap engagement surface 24.
As shown in
Referrring now to
The corner protector 50 comprises an inside or tray corner engagement surface 52 that, in turn, may comprise a first inside or corner engagement surface 54, a second inside or corner engagement surface 56 and a third inside or corner engagement surface 58. The first corner engagement surface 54 may be generally planar and may be bound at one side by an upper surface 60. The second corner engagement surface 56 may be generally arcuate in cross section and may extend from the first corner engagement surface 54. The third corner engagement surface 58 also may be generally arcuate in cross section and also may extend from the first corner engagement surface 54. At least a portion of each of the second and third engagement surfaces may intersect at 62 to form an angle of approximately ninety degrees therebetween.
The corner protector 50 may also comprise an outside or sterilization wrap engagement surface 64 that may be similar to that described above in connection with
The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the presently disclosed corner protectors have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the present invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiments shown, as these embodiments are regarded as illustrious rather than restrictive. Moreover, variations and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the presently disclosed corner protector. For example, while the embodiments of the corner protector described above are described as being employed solely between a sterilization tray and a sterilization wrap, it will be understood that the corner protector may be employed with additional materials and/or between other materials or devices. Accordingly, terms such as tray corner engagement surface and sterilization wrap engagement surface are employed herein for ease in describing disclosed embodiments of the present invention.