Patent Application
20090205988
The field of the invention relates to medical packaging and, more particularly, to trays for holding sterile surgical components.
Disposable trays are employed to package, or contain, the sterile components required for various surgeries, e.g., cataract surgery. In order to accommodate the number of components required for surgery, the tray can be large in size and weigh as much as one pound each. The top surface of the tray is covered with a sterile lid which is heat sealed in place. The lid forms an airtight seal with the tray to keep the contents of the tray sterile until the lid is removed. Due to the sterile environment required for surgery, the tray must be handled correctly so the internal components are not damaged or contaminated.
In order to prepare for surgery, a nurse must carefully balance the tray in one hand while simultaneously opening the lid. Specifically, the nurse is required to peel back the lid by starting at one of two corners of the tray. Since the lid is heat sealed into place, the force needed to peel back the lid occasionally can lift the tray out of the nurse's hand and spill the sterile contents onto the floor, where they become contaminated. This event disrupts the surgical environment and creates extra cost for the surgeon and patient as the contaminated pack must be replaced.
The field of the invention relates to medical packaging and, more particularly, to trays for holding sterile surgical components. In one embodiment, an ergonomic disposable tray is provided which can rest easily in the palm of the hand and be easily grasped. Moreover, the tray includes the addition of a raised triangular protrusion in all four opposing corners, to make opening the tray equally efficient for both right and left handed users. These features will allow the user to maintain control of the tray while peeling back the lid, keeping the internal components sterile.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
A sterile, disposable surgical tray is illustrated in
A top tier sits atop the bottom tier with the top tier being composed of two opposed, longitudinally oriented sides 5,
Sterile, disposable surgical trays are intended to hold a complete set of materials needed for any given type of surgery. The width of the bottom tier of the invention, the lower portion of side 1, is narrow enough to be grasped in a human palm of an upturned hand, with the thumb and fingers grasping the opposite sides 3. This lets a user hold the tray, and more importantly, grasp the tray so that a sufficient force is applied by the user's grip to keep the tray from moving when the lid is being peeled back.
There are four protrusions 7,
From the foregoing, what is disclosed is a novel ergonomic disposable tray for holding sterile surgical components with two tiers, where the bottom tier is of a width that can be held firmly in the user's upraised palm. The tray advantageously further has the same volume as the wide and flat bottom tray it replaces, but with the ergonomic bottom tier for easier handling.
While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of variation and modification, and therefore the invention should not be limited to the precise details set forth, but to such changes and alterations that fall within the purview of the following claims.
