Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
WO94/00167 2138968 PCT/US93/05970
CONTAINMENT VESSELS FOR LIQUID WASTE
FIELD OF THE I~v~llON
This invention relates generally to containment
vessels for use in the safe handling and disposal of
liquid waste products including but not limited to blood
and body fluids and embalming fluid from embalming
procedures performed by morticians.
BACKGROUND OF THE lNv~NllON
The manner in which many liquid waste products
including blood and body fluids and embalming fluid from
embalming procedures performed by morticians is presently
being handled and disposed of is of great concern.
According to statistics from the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC), over two million embalming procedures are
performed annually, each producing two and one-half to
three and one-half gallons of blood and excess embalming
fluid. The Center for Disease Control has stated that
contact with these body fluids can potentia'lly transmit
infectious diseases such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS),
diphtheria, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and so on.
At the present time, virtually all liquid waste from
the embalming process is disposed of through conventional
sanitary sewers, ending up at sewage treatment plan~s
where it is treated as conventional sewage. The
pathogens being released can still potentially transmit
infectious diseases. In many cities these effluent
pathogens are released into streams, lakes, and rivers,
where they reenter the drinking water supply.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for the safe handling
and disposal of liquid waste utilizing holding vessels to
capture and contain the liquid waste and convert the
liquid waste within the vessels into a non-pourable
substance to eliminate any possibility of spillage during
transport of the vessels to a location for safe disposal
without exposing anyone to the waste materials.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, one
or more layers of a suitable gelling agent are adhered to
the interior of the vessels using an adhesive that
dissolves when contacted by the liquid waste entering the
vessels to release the gelling agent into the liquid
waste and thereby transform the liquid waste into a non-
pourable substance.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
when the waste material within the vessels reaches a
predetermined level of fullness, an air vent to the
interior of the vessels is automatically closed off.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
the vessels are desirably made of a material having a
virtually unlimited life when PYpos^~ to the environment,
whereby the vessels and their non-pourable contents may
be disposed of in conventional landfills where permitted.
Also, the vessels and their contents may be incinerated
in high temperature incinerating plants.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
the inlet to each vessel includes a one-way check valve
preventing any possibility of spillage or backflow of
liquid waste through the inlet.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
the vessels may be provided with a tip indicator for
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indicating if the vessels have been tipped after the
vessels have been put into service.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
the vessels may be provided with an in-service indicator
to indicate when the vessels have been put into service.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
the vessels are desirably provided with a full indicator
for indicating when the contents of the vessels reach a
predetermined level of fullness and for closing off a
vent through which air is vented from the interior of the
vessels during filling of the vessels through the inlet.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
a cam lock is desirably provided for drawing a cover into
airtight sealing engagement with the container portion of
the vessels during attachment of the cover to the
container portion. External holes in both the cover and
container permit insertion of a wire through the holes
and securing the ends of the wires together by a tamper-
proof seal after the cover is locked in place.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
an expandable fill tube is desirably used to connect the
inlet to the vessels to a drain opening in an embalming
table and the like that permits raising and lowering of
the table relative to the vessels without having to
disconnect the vessels from the table.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
a cradle may be used to provide an in-place holding unit
for the vessels and a stop preventing downward movement
of the embalming table into engagement with the vessels,
protecting the vessels against damage. Also, the cradle
provides for ease of movement of the vessels from one
location to another and eliminates the need for having to
lift the vessels when clearing an area.
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These and other objects, advantages, features and
aspects of the present invention will become apparent as
the following description proceeds.
To the accomFlishment of the foregoing and related
ends, the invention, then, comprises the features
hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out
in the claims, the following description and the annexed
drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative
embodiment of the invention, this being indicative,
however, of but one of the various ways in which the
principles of the invention may be employed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the annexed drawings:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a preferred form
of vessel in accordance with this invention, shown
supported in place by a cradle beneath an embalming
table, with an eYr~n~able fill tube ex_~n~ing between the
table drain opening and vessel inlet for permitting the
table to be raised and lowered relative to the vessel
without having to disconnect the vessel from the table;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section
through the vessel of Fig. 1 showing the condition of the
vessel just prior to placing the vessel into service;
Fig. 2A is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section
through a side wall portion of the vessel of Fig. 2
showing two layers of a gelling material adhered to the
interior surface thereof;
Fig. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary
longitudinal section through the vessel of Fig. 1 showing
the vessel after the vessel has been put into service and
the vessel has been partially filled with liquid waste
material and the liquid waste material has been
transformed into a non-pourable gel; and
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Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal
section through the vessel, similar to Fig. 3, but
showing the vessel filled to a predetermined level of
fullness and the air vent to the interior of the vessel
closed off.
DETATT~n DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFFRR~n EMBODIMENT
Referring now in detail to the drawings, and
initially to Fig. 1, there is shown a preferred form of
holding vessel 1 in accordance with this invention for
use in the safe handling and disposal of various types of
contaminated liquid waste, including but not limited to
body fluids and other types of liquid wastes such as
chemicals which are waste products in the embalming
process. These holding vessels can be used wherever
there is a need to collect and dispose of liquid waste
materials such as in private embalming rooms, morgues,
hospitals, veterinary clinics, medical centers, and
various industrial and commercial facilities.
The vessel 1 is shown in Fig. 1 with its inlet 2
connected to the drain opening 3 of an embalming table 4
by means of an exr~n~able corrugated plastic fill tube 5
which automatically ~Yp~n~s or contracts to different
lengths allowing the table to be raised or lowered as
desired.
Preferably, a cradle 6 is provided for supporting
the vessel 1 in place off the floor. Swivel and lock
type casters 7 on the cradle allow the cradle and thus
the vessel supported thereby to be moved about freely
from one location to another, thereby eliminating the
need for having to lift the vessel when cleaning an area.
The cradle 6 is made of a suitably strong material
such as stainless steel. Ext~n~i~g vertically upwardly
from the cradle at an angle is a handle 10 including a
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horizontal handle portion 11 which is vertically
adjustable between the raised and lower positions shown
in phantom and solid lines, respectively, in Fig. 1.
When in the raised position, the handle portion 11 is at
a suitable height for ease of grasping by an operator for
moving the cradle from one location to another. When in
the lower position, the handle portion 11 overlies a
portion of the top of the vessel acting as a table stop
preventing the table 4 from being lowered into engagement
with the vessel and causing damage thereto. Suitable
rubber grips 12 may be provided on the ends of the handle
for ease in grasping the handle by the operator.
As seen in Figs. 2 through 4, the vessel 1 includes
an open head container body 15 which is preferably
injection molded out of a suitably strong, long lasting
plastic such as high density polyethylene, with integral
handles 16 on the exterior sides of the container for
lifting. Secured to the open top of the container is a
screw-on cover 17 which may be made of the same material
as the container. Turning the cover a part turn in the
tightening directiQn actuates a cam lock 18 between the
cover and container causing the cover to be drawn down
against the top of the container compressing an O-ring
seal 19 therebetween thus forming an airtight seal around
the periphery of the container.
After the cover 17 has been properly secured to the
container 15, a wire 20 is preferably inserted through
generally vertically aligned holes 21 and 22 in an
exterior flange 23 on the cover and in one of the
container handles 16 and the ends of the wire attached
together as by means of a tamper-proof seal 24 (see Fig.
2) to prevent unauthorized opening of the vessel. Also,
an identification tag 25 having a serial number for that
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particular vessel is desirably attached to the ends of
the wire. The serial number is desirably recorded and a
permanent record kept to account for the vessel
throughout its existence, keeping track of such
information as the date of manufacture of the vessel, the
date and time the vessel is delivered to a user, the date
and time the vessel is picked up from a user, and the
date and method of disposal of the ves~el.
The inlet 2 to the vessel 1 is formed by suitably
attaching a tubular fitting 30 within an opening 31 in
the cover 17. Both ends of the fitting 30 are desirably
threaded to facilitate attachment of the eYpAn~Ahle fill
tube 5 to the exterior side of the inlet and a one-way
check valve 32 to the interior side of the inlet. The
one-way check valve 32 keeps the vessel inlet 2 closed
except when liquid waste is entering the vessel thus
preventing any possibility of spillage or backflow out
through the inlet.
As liquid waste enters the vessel 1 through the
inlet 2, the air within the interior of the vessel is
vented through an air vent 35. In accordance with the
present invention, the air vent 35 is desirably
incorporated in the cover 17 as part of a full indicator
36 (see Figs. 3 and 4) which performs the dual function
of indicating when the contents within the vessel have
reached a predetermined desired level of fullness and
closing off the vent when such desired level of fullness
is reached.
In the preferred embodiment disclosed herein, the
level indicator 36 comprises an indicator rod 37 axially
slidably received within a rod guide 38 suitably mounted
within another opening 39 in the vessel cover and
extending part way into the interior of the vessel. At
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the inner end of the indicator rod 37 is a ball float 40
which is forced upwardly by the contents within the
container when the contents reach a certain level.
However, until that level is reached, the indicator rod
37 is suspended within the rod guide 38 by engagement of
a stop 41 adjacent the outer end of the indicator rod
against the outer end of the rod guide as schematically
shown in Fig. 3.
The vent 35 for venting air from the interior of the
vessel 1 during filling of the vessel through the inlet 2
is formed by the clearance space 42 between the indicator
rod 37 and rod guide 38 and vent holes 43 and 44 adjacent
opposite ends of the rod guide. The outermost vent holes
43 are exterior of the cover, whereas the innermost vent
holes 44 are interior of the cover. Adjacent the inner
end of the rod guide 38 immediately above the innermost
vent holes 44 is a valve seat 45 for a purpose to be
subsequently described.
Within the vessel 1 is a suitable gelling material
50 for transforming the liquid waste W inside the vessel
into a relatively solid, non-pourable substance W',
making it both safer to transport and diæpose of without
any risk of spillage. In the preferred emhoAiment
disclosed herein, one or more layers of the correct
amount of gelling material are adhered to the interior
surface 51 of the container using a suitable liquid
soluble adhesive 52. Fig. 2a shows two such layers 53
and 54 of gelling material 50 adhesively bonded to the
interior surface 51 of the container using a liquid
soluble adhesive 52. However, it should be understood
that any number of layers of gelling material may be
adhesively applied to such interior surface as needed to
provide the correct amount of gelling material for
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gelling the liquid contents. The coating of gelling
material initially desirably extends over the entire
interior surface of the side wall 55 of the container
from the bottom 56 substantially all the way up to the
top 57 (see Fig. 2). Also, the bottom interior surface
of the container may but need not be initially coated
with the gelling material as shown in Fig. 2 if desired.
To coat the interior surface with gelling material,
first the interior surface is sprayed with a suitable
liquid soluble adhesive 52. Then, before the adhesive
dries, the adhesive coating is sprayed or otherwise
dusted with a suitable gelling material 50. If more than
one layer is desired, the process is repeated until the
desired number of layers of gelling material is built up
on such interior surface.
Different gelling materials may be used depending on
the different types of liquid waste being collected. An
example of a gelling material that can be used to gel
blood and body fluid and embalming fluid is a 50/50
mixture of starch-g-poly (2-propenamide-CO-2-propenoic
acid, potassium salt) and poly (2-propenamide-CO-2-
propenoic acid, sodium salt). The mixture is applied to
the interior surface in powder form. An example of an
adhesive that can be used to adhere the gelling material
to the interior surface is a conventional water soluble
adhesive.
Coating substantially the entire interior side wall
55 of the container with the gelling material has the
advantage that any time any quantity of liquid waste is
introduced into the vessel, the liquid waste will be
substantially instantaneously converted into a solid
waste, thereby virtually eliminating any possibility of
spillage. As the content level within the vessel
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continues to rise, the newly added liquid waste will come
into contact with a previously undisturbed portion of the
gel coating, thus dissolving the adhesive and releasing
additional gelling material into the newly added liquid
waste to transform the newly added liquid waste into a
non-pourable substance.
The only time this might not happen utilizing the
vessel of the present invention is if the vessel is
accidentally tipped while liquid waste i8 being
introduced into the vessel and the tipping causes the
liquid waste to prematurely dissolve the adhesive and
release the gelling material from other parts of the
container. To notify the operator of such an occurrence
and that the vessel should no longer be used, a tip
indicator 60 is desirably provided. As shown in detail
in Fig. 3, the tip indicator 60 comprises an outwardly
facing socket 61 on the top surface 62 of the cover and a
ball 63 loosely received within the socket. A
transparent dome 64 provides an enclosure for the ball 63
and socket 61 while permitting viewing of the ball and
socket through the dome.
Also, an in-service indicator 65 is desirably
provided for preventing the ball 63 from becoming
accidentally dislodged from the socket 61 during
transporting and storage of the vessel prior to placing
the vessel in service and for releasing the ball so that
the ball is free to roll out of the socket whenever the
vessel is tipped after the vessel has been put into
service. The in-service indicator 65 comprises a rod 66
extending axially through an opening 67 in the dome, and
a ball holder 68 on the inner end of the rod. When the
rod 66 is in its innermost position shown in Fig. 2, the
ball holder 68 presses up against the ball 63 thus
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preventing the ball from becoming accidentally dislodged
from the socket 61 before the vessel has been placed in
service .
A plurality of flexible barbs 69 along a portion of
s the length of the rod 66 just beneath the rod opening 67
in the dome 64 provide some resistance to outward
movement of the rod from the ball engaging position.
However, this resistance can easily be overcome by
pulling on a pull ring 70 at the outer end of the rod 66
to pull a portion of the rod and some of the barbs 69
thereon out through the rod hole 67 in the dome 64 to
release the ball so the ball is free to roll out of the
socket as shown in phantom lines in Fig. 3 whenever the
vessel is tipped after the vessel has been put into
service. The outward extension of the rod 66 above the
dome 64 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 provides a visual
indication that the vessel has been put into service.
The flat end faces 71 on the barbs 69 (see Fig. 3)
prevent the in-service indicator rod 66 from being pushed
back into the dome once the rod has been pulled out as in
Figs. 3 and 4.
During in-service use of the vessel 1, each time
liquid waste is introduced into the vessel through the
inlet 2, the content level within the vessel will rise,
whereby the newly added liquid waste will always come
into contact with a previously undisturbed portion of the
geIling material coating 50 and dissolve the adhesive 52
to release the correct amount of gelling material to
convert the newly added liquid waste to a solid waste.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the vessel filled to different
levels and the coating of gelling material released up to
the level of the liquid waste within the vessel which has
been converted to a solid waste W' by the released
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gelling material. Also, Fig. 4 shows the full indicator
rod 37 raised upwardly to its full height indicating that
the contents within the vessel have reached a
predetermined level of fullness. For example, a desired
5 - level of fullness of a vessel having a total capacity of
approximately ten and one-half gallons would be
approximately eight gallons, leaving an air space of
approximately two and one-half gallons above the solid
waste within the vessel. Of course, the full indicator
rod 37 will start to rise above the top of the vessel as
soon as the waste material within the vessel reaches the
unsupported level of the float 40 at the inner end of the
rod 37, for example, approximately one gallon below the
desired maximum level of fullness of vessel.
Accordingly, when the full indicator rod 37 first starts
to move upwardly, the operator will know that the vessel
still has the capacity to receive approximately another
gallon of waste material before the full indicator rod
reaches its uppermost position. Also, the full indicator
rod may be brightly colored, for example, red, making it
easily detectable as it starts to rise above the top of
the cover. Moreover, the upper end of the rod may have
graduations thereon indicating the level of fullness if
desired.
When the vessel contents reaches the desired level
of fullness as indicated by the full indicator rod 41,
the ball float 40 on the lower end of the rod will be
forced up into engagement with the valve seat 45, thereby
closing off the air vent 35 to the interior of the vessel
as schematically shown in Fig. 4. At that time, the
operator may remove the fill tube 5 from the vessel inlet
2 of the filled vessel and put into service a new vessel
in the same manner as previously described. The filled
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vessel may then be stored in a safe place until it is
picked up and transported to a central location for
disposal.
Because the potentially hazardous material within
the vessels has been transformed from a liquid state W to
a non-pourable gel W', it is classified by the definition
of DOT (Department of Transportation) in a much safer
category, giving the vessel and its contents a means for
the safest possible handling and transportation. In the
event of extreme shock or vibration from impact, there is
virtually no chance of rupture or leakage from the
vessel, due to the fact the contents upon filling becomes
an intricate part of the overall resistance to shock and
the gelled contents will not pour, substantially reducing
the possibility of leakage due to rupture. The entire
emphasis is safety in handling and safest means of
disposal by eliminating any danger of spillage of the
contents during transport. In most cases, the entire
vessels and their contents will be incinerated at a high
temperature incinerating plant. However, because the
vessel contents are considered a solid waste, and the
vessels are airtight and made of materials which have a
virtually unlimited life when exposed to the environment,
the vessels and their contents may also be disposed of in
conventional landfills.
Although the invention has been shown and described
with respect to a certain preferred embodiment, it is
obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications
will occur to others skilled in the art upon reading and
understanding the specification. The present invention
includes all such equivalent alterations and
modifications, and is limited only by the scope of the
claims.
