GB1598482A

GB1598482A - Sanitary disposal units

Info

Publication number: GB1598482A
Application number: GB568/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: CANNON HYGIENIC PROD Ltd
Current assignee: CANNON HYGIENIC PROD Ltd
Priority date: 1978-05-26
Filing date: 1978-05-26
Publication date: 1981-09-23

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SANITARY DISPOSAL UNITS (71) We, CANNON HYGIENIC PRODUCTS LIMITED, a British Company, of Carnforth, Lancashire, LA5 9DE, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention concerns improvements in or relating to sanitary disposal units.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable sanitary disposal unit for sanitary towels, medical pads and swabs, and other waste material which enables a high standard of hygiene to be attained and which is acceptable for collection by local Authorities' normal garbage collection.

According to the present invention, there is provided a disposable sanitary disposal unit comprising a receptacle comprising a disposable material as defined herein for the reception of waste material, such receptacle being adapted to be substantially upright in use and having an inlet at its upper end and, etxending substantially thereover, a sleeve-like liner adapted to slide co-axially within the upper end portion of the said receptacle, the upper end of the liner being closed by a lid of such dimensions as to be accepted to cover the said upper end of the receptacle, the said liner having an opening in its side wall, and means for introducting a germicidal or similar product into the said receptacle, the arrangement being such that, when the liner is raised, waste material may be inserted through the said opening, the liner then sliding to a lowermost position in which the lid of the liner closes the inlet.

By the expression ' disposable material" used herein is meant a material, for example, cardboard, which will rot, decompose or burn when exposed to normal conditions at a refuse tip or dump.

Conveniently the said lid is formed from a fluted or corrugated material, for example the material sold under the trade mark POLYFLUTE.

According to another feature, the receptacle may be provided with an openended sleeve depending downwardly thereinto in which the said liner is adapted to slide.

According to a further feature, the said means for introducing a germicidal or similar product into the said receptacle may comprise a container for housing a germicidal or similar fluid, the container being mounted on the said lid.

Thus, the said means may, for example, comprise a bottle (preferably made of polyethylene) mounted upside down with the neck thereof and an outlet therefrom passing through the aforesaid lid closing the upper end of the sleeve-like liner, the arrangement being such that when the sleeve-like liner is raised and waste material is introduced into the receptacle through the aperture in the liner, a small quantity of fluid is dispensed into the receptacle.

Desirably, the said bottle serves as a handle for facilitating the raising of the liner when desired. If the walls of the container are flexible then the grasping of the container to raise the liner may serve to cause, or assist in causing, some of the fluid in the container to be dispensed into the receptacle.

In anotoher example, the said container may be of shallow hollow box-like form for housing the said germicidal or similar fluid, in which case the said lid may constitute the top of the container.

Desirably the construction of the reservoir-providing container is such that the action of closing, or opening and closing, the lid serves to dispense the said germicidal or similar fluid into the body of the receptacle. Thus, for example, at least the upper wall or top of the said container may be made of flexible material so that pressure on it serves to eject the germicidal or similar fluid.

To facilitate ejection of the fluid, the upper surface of the said container may be provided centrally with a raised handleforming portion, the upper portion of the container being relatively flexible so that downward pressure on the handle serves to eject the germicidal or similar fluid through valve means located in the bottom wall of the box-like container.

Conveniently the bottom wall of the contanier slopes towards the said valve means so that, as the germicidal or similar fluid is used, so the remainder of the supply drains towards the said valve means.

The said valve means may consist of a membrane of plastics material, cross cut, which only allows the release of liquid under pressure.

If desired the outlet of the said bottle when provided may be provided with a short length of polyethylene tubing or the like, the arrangement being such that, when waste material is inserted into the receptacle, the tubing is pushed to one side and causes, or assists in causing, germicidal or similar fluid to drop or be sprayed into the receptacle. Similar triggering means may be associated with the said valve means of the aforesaid box-like container.

Supplementary means for introducing a germicidal or similar product may comprise a flexible bag for containing a germicidal or similar product and adapted to be secured by its neck portion to the said liner are suspended within the receptacle, a cord of which a length is located outside the receptacle being secured to the bag and the arrangement being such that pulling the said length of cord serves to sever the neck portion of the bag and to release the germicidal or similar product from the bag.

If desired, the receptacle may be lined with an absorbent material which may be impregnated with a germicide during manufacture of the unit.

Desirably, however, a plastics or similar waterproof sack is used to line the said receptacle.

Moreover if desired a panel of card or similar absorbent material may be located within the said receptacle (and within the said plastics sack when provided) to serve to absorb germicidal or similar fluid sprayed into the receptacle during use.

The said receptacle may be of any desired shape, for example, circular or rectangular in section, but is desirably freestanding. In one convenient construction, the receptacle has a flat base and downwardly divergent side walls.

Conveniently stop means are provided to prevent accidental removal of the liner from the receptacle or sleeve thereof.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, one embodiment of the same and two modifications thereof suitable for the disposal of sanitary towels or medical pads will now be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through an embodiment of a sanitary disposal unit according to the invention in its open condition; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a section on the line III-III of Figure 2; FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic side view of a sleeve of a modification of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3; FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic front view of the sleeve of Figure 4; and FIGURES 6 and 7 are views similar to those of Figures 4 and 5 but illustrating a second modification.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawing, the sanitary disposal unit comprises a receptacle 1 in the form of a hollow truncated pyramid of cardboard, the outer surface of which has been painted. The front and rear walls 2 and 3 of the receptacle are vertically disposed and the side walls 4 and 5 are downwardly divergent. The receptacle is lined with a plastics sack 6 and a rectangle of card 7 is located within the plastics sack 6, serving both to assist in the sack conforming to the shape of the interior walls of the receptacle and also to absorb germicidal or similar fluid injected into the receptacle.

Free end portions of the walls 2, 3, 4 and 5 are folded downwardly and inwardly to provide a substantially square-section, open-ended sleeve 8 vertically arranged within the receptacle and beneath the opening in the latter which provides an inlet into the receptacle extending substantially over the upper end of the receptacle, the upper edge of the sleeve being flush with the upper surface of the receptacle. The zipper edge portion of the plastics sack 6 is trapped and secured, for example by staples, between the sleeve 8 and the upper ends of the walls 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Slideably and co-axially located within the sleeve 8 is a square-section, open-sided sleeve-like liner 9 open at its lower end 10 but closed at its upper end by a lid 11 slightly larger in area than the cross-section of the liner so that the lid 11 extends horizontally beyond the liner 9 on all four sides and forms a shoulder 12 which, when the liner is in its lowermost position rests upon the upper edges of the walls 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the receptacle surrounding the said inlet, thereby serving to close or seal the inlet to the receptacle.

The lid 11 is formed from the material sold under the trade mark POLYFLUTE, comprising two plastics sheets 13 in parallel spaced relationship to each other and separated by spaced webs 14.

The liner 9 has an open side 15 pro viding an opening in the side wall of the liner, access to the receptacle being provided by lifting the liner 9 with respect to the sleeve 8. Opposite faces of the lower part of the liner 9 are upturned to provide a flange 16 serving as sop means to prevent the accidental withdrawal of the liner from the sleeve.

Centrally of the lid 11 and extending vertically upwardly therefrom is an inverted bottle 17, formed from polyethylene and providing a reservoir and means for introducing the germicidal liquid into the receptacle 1. The neck of the bottle 17 passes in sealing engagement through the lid 11 and the bottle is secured in position by a screw-cap 18 having an outlet spout 19 applied to the dependent neck of the bottle.

The spout 19 is in flow communication with the contents of the bottle 17 but the internal cross-section of the outlet of the spout 19 is such that liquid within the bottle does not normally flow therefrom.

The bottle 17 is used to lift and lower the liner 9. Thus, when it is desired to dispose of waste material, the liner 9 is raised by grasping the bottle 17 and moving it upwards and the waste material is then inserted through the opening 15 of the liner 9. Hand pressure on the~ bottle 17 caused by lifting the liner, causes a few drops of the concentrated germicidal liquid within the bottle to be dispensed into the receptacle.

Any surplus germicidal liquid which would otherwise collect in the bottom of the plastics sack 6 is absorbed by the card 7. If desired the card 7 may be impregnated with a germicidal liquid before being introduced into the plastics sack.

In a modification of the above described sanitary disposal unit of the invention, see Figures 4 and 5, the reservoir for a germicidal or similar fluid is not in the form of a bottle described in relation to that embodiment but one wall thereof is formed by the lid of the receptacle.

Thus, in this modification, the reservoir is in the form of a circular section box-like container 20, secured to the upper end portion of a liner 22. The lower wall 23 of the contanier 20 is upwardly concave and is provided at its lowest point with valve means 24.

The upper wall 25 of the reservoir which constitutes also the lid of the receptacle is relatively flexible and is provided centrally thereof with a raised, beaded handle 26. The dimensions of the said reservoir are such as to conain about eight fluid ounces of germicidal or similar fluid.

The sanitary disposal unit thus described operates in a similar fashion to that described in relation to the above embodiment, pressure on the handle 26 on lowering the sleeve into the receptacle causing internal pressure on the liquid in the reservoir thereby triggering the valve means 24 and causing some of the liquid to be sprayed into the receptacle.

Since the lower wall 23 of the reservoir is upwardly concave the fluid tends to drain towards the valve means which are provided at the lowest point so that all the fluid is ultimately expended.

A second modification is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 and is very similar to the first modification, the references being used for corresponding parts.

The above described embodiment and modifications are expendable and are intended to have a life of approximately forty (e.g. forty-two) days. They may be disposed of by normal garbage collection, and will rot or decompose when exposed to normal conditions at a refuse tip or dump.

The disposal units described above may, if desired, include means for securing the lid to the top of the receptacle in order to prevent the receptacle from opening when it is discarded. Thus a length of adhesive tape may be provided for securing partly to the lid and partly to the top of the receptacle to fasten the lid in position when the unit is to be discarded.

The unit of the invention may be further modified by removing the liner, or both the liner and the sleeve, and fixing a plastics cross-cut top. Such a further modification could, for example, be used for the disposal of "sharps " that is needles and syringes, when the unit is to be used by hospitals.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: - 1. A disposable sanitary disposal unit comprising a receptacle comprising a disposable material as defined herein for the reception of waste material, such receptacle being adapted to be substanially upright in use and having an inlet at its upper end and, extending substantially thereover, a sleeve-like liner adapted to slide co-axially within the upper end of the liner being closed by a lid of such dimensions as to be adapted to cover the said upper end of the receptacle, the said liner having an opening in its side wall, and means for introducing a germicidal or similar product into the said receptacle, the arrangement being such that, when the liner is raised, waste material may be inserted through the said opening, the liner then sliding to a lowermost position in which the lid of the liner closes the inlet.

2. A sanitary disposal unit according to claim 1, wherein the said lid is formed from a fluted or corrugated material.

3. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the said receptacle is provided with an open

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. viding an opening in the side wall of the liner, access to the receptacle being provided by lifting the liner 9 with respect to the sleeve 8. Opposite faces of the lower part of the liner 9 are upturned to provide a flange 16 serving as sop means to prevent the accidental withdrawal of the liner from the sleeve. Centrally of the lid 11 and extending vertically upwardly therefrom is an inverted bottle 17, formed from polyethylene and providing a reservoir and means for introducing the germicidal liquid into the receptacle 1. The neck of the bottle 17 passes in sealing engagement through the lid 11 and the bottle is secured in position by a screw-cap 18 having an outlet spout 19 applied to the dependent neck of the bottle. The spout 19 is in flow communication with the contents of the bottle 17 but the internal cross-section of the outlet of the spout 19 is such that liquid within the bottle does not normally flow therefrom. The bottle 17 is used to lift and lower the liner 9. Thus, when it is desired to dispose of waste material, the liner 9 is raised by grasping the bottle 17 and moving it upwards and the waste material is then inserted through the opening 15 of the liner 9. Hand pressure on the~ bottle 17 caused by lifting the liner, causes a few drops of the concentrated germicidal liquid within the bottle to be dispensed into the receptacle. Any surplus germicidal liquid which would otherwise collect in the bottom of the plastics sack 6 is absorbed by the card 7. If desired the card 7 may be impregnated with a germicidal liquid before being introduced into the plastics sack. In a modification of the above described sanitary disposal unit of the invention, see Figures 4 and 5, the reservoir for a germicidal or similar fluid is not in the form of a bottle described in relation to that embodiment but one wall thereof is formed by the lid of the receptacle. Thus, in this modification, the reservoir is in the form of a circular section box-like container 20, secured to the upper end portion of a liner 22. The lower wall 23 of the contanier 20 is upwardly concave and is provided at its lowest point with valve means 24. The upper wall 25 of the reservoir which constitutes also the lid of the receptacle is relatively flexible and is provided centrally thereof with a raised, beaded handle 26. The dimensions of the said reservoir are such as to conain about eight fluid ounces of germicidal or similar fluid. The sanitary disposal unit thus described operates in a similar fashion to that described in relation to the above embodiment, pressure on the handle 26 on lowering the sleeve into the receptacle causing internal pressure on the liquid in the reservoir thereby triggering the valve means 24 and causing some of the liquid to be sprayed into the receptacle. Since the lower wall 23 of the reservoir is upwardly concave the fluid tends to drain towards the valve means which are provided at the lowest point so that all the fluid is ultimately expended. A second modification is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 and is very similar to the first modification, the references being used for corresponding parts. The above described embodiment and modifications are expendable and are intended to have a life of approximately forty (e.g. forty-two) days. They may be disposed of by normal garbage collection, and will rot or decompose when exposed to normal conditions at a refuse tip or dump. The disposal units described above may, if desired, include means for securing the lid to the top of the receptacle in order to prevent the receptacle from opening when it is discarded. Thus a length of adhesive tape may be provided for securing partly to the lid and partly to the top of the receptacle to fasten the lid in position when the unit is to be discarded. The unit of the invention may be further modified by removing the liner, or both the liner and the sleeve, and fixing a plastics cross-cut top. Such a further modification could, for example, be used for the disposal of "sharps " that is needles and syringes, when the unit is to be used by hospitals. WHAT WE CLAIM IS: -

1. A disposable sanitary disposal unit comprising a receptacle comprising a disposable material as defined herein for the reception of waste material, such receptacle being adapted to be substanially upright in use and having an inlet at its upper end and, extending substantially thereover, a sleeve-like liner adapted to slide co-axially within the upper end of the liner being closed by a lid of such dimensions as to be adapted to cover the said upper end of the receptacle, the said liner having an opening in its side wall, and means for introducing a germicidal or similar product into the said receptacle, the arrangement being such that, when the liner is raised, waste material may be inserted through the said opening, the liner then sliding to a lowermost position in which the lid of the liner closes the inlet.

ended sleeve depending downwardly thereinto in which the said liner is adapted to slide.

4. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the said means for introducing a germicidal or similar product into the said receptacle comprise a container for housing a germicidal or similar fluid, the container being mounted on the said lid.

5. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 4 wherein the said means for introducing a germicidal or similar product into the said receptacle comprise a bottle mounted upside down with the neck thereof and an outlet therefrom passing through the aforesaid lid closing the upper end of the sleeve-like liner, the arrangement being such that when the sleeve-like liner is raised and waste material is introduced into the receptacle through the opening in the liner, a small quantity of fluid is dispensed into the receptacle.

6. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 5 wherein the said bottle is formed from a plastics material, such as polyethylene.

7. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein the said container or bottle serves as a handle for facilitating the raising of the liner when desired.

8. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to any one of claim 4 to 7, wherein the walls of the container are flexible and the grasping of the container to raise the liner serves to cause or assist in causing some of the fluid in the container to be dispensed into the receptacle.

9. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 4, wherein the said container is of shallow hollow box-like form for housing the said germicidal or similar fluid in which case the said lid constitutes the top of the container.

10. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 4 or 9, wherein to facilitate ejection of the fluid the upper surface of the said container is provided centrally with a raised handle-forming portion, the upper portion of the container being relatively flexible so that downward pressure on the handle serves to eject the germicidal or similar fluid through valve means located in the bottom wall of the box-like container.

11. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 10 wherein the bottom wall of the container slopes towards the said valve means so that as the germicidal or similar fluids is used so the remainder of the supply drains towards the said valve means.

12. A disposable sanitary unit according to claim 10 or claim 11 wherein the valve means comprises a cross-cut membrane of plastics material, which membrane allows the release of liquid only under pressure.

13. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to any one of claim 4 to 12, wherein the outlet of the said bottle or container is provided with a short length of polyethyiene tubing or the like, the arrangement being such that, when waste material is inserted into the receptacle, the tubing is pushed to one side and causes, or assists in causing, germicidal or similar fluid to drip or be sprayed into the receptacle.

14. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to any one of the preceding daims wherein supplementary means for introducing a germicidal or similar product ere provided which comprise firstly a flexible bag, for containing a germicidal or similar product, adapted to be secured by its neck portion to the said liner and suspended within the receptacle and secondly a cord, a length of which is located outside the receptacle, the cord being secured to the bag and the arrangement being such that pulling the said length of cord serves to sever the neck portion of the bag and to release the germicidal or similar product from the bag.

15. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle is lined with an absorbent matenal which may be impregnated with a germicide during manufacture of the unit.

16. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a plastics or similar waterproof sack is used to line the said re receptacle.

t7. A disposable sanitary disposal unit zeKording to any of the preceding claims, therein a panel of card or similar ab absorbent materials is located within the said receptacle (and within the said plastics sack when provided) to serve to absorb germicidal or similar fluids sprayed into the receptacle during use.

18. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to any one of the preceding claims and free standing.

19. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 18 wherein the receptacle has a flat base and downwardly divergent side walls.

20. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein stop means are provided to prevent accidental removal of the liner from the receptacle.

21. A disposable sanitary disposal unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

22. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 21 modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

23. A disposable sanitary disposal unit according to claim 21, modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.