Medical appliance disposal container

Claim 2

A discarded material container comprising a container body formed of substantially flat sheet material having a plurality of laminated layers of compact fibrous material and material that and is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough, said substantially flat sheet containing a plurality of foldable panels that are folded and joined together to define a bottom, sidewalls and a top of said body, said top having a closable opening therethrough for the insertion of discarded material into the container and a closure tab formed of and integrally foldable with respect to said sheet material, said closure tab being shaped and sized to close said closable opening when urged into said opening, and wherein said container top is formed of a first, interior panel of said sheet material having a region that is sectioned to define a plurality of flaps extending inwardly from the contour of said region, so as to define an opening in said first panel of sheet material, and a second, outer panel of said sheet material, disposed atop said first panel, said second panel having a cut therethrough to define an aperture in the shape of a generally flexible tab overlying said region in said first panel and being sized to effectively close said aperture when urged downwardly into said aperture, and wherein each of said plurality of flaps is formed of said first, interior panel of said sheet material and has a slit-score that causes each flap to assume a generally downwardly bent condition, said slit-score being adjacent to and set back beneath an edge of said cut through said second panel, so that a portion of said second panel extends over said slit-score, thereby effectively preventing each flap from being bent outwardly through the aperture in said second panel.

Claim 3

A discarded material container according to claim 1, wherein said region in said interior panel is a generally circular region sectioned to define a plurality of generally wedge-shaped tabs extending inwardly from the circular contour of said region, so as to define a generally circular opening in said first panel of sheet material, and wherein said second panel has a generally circular cut therethrough to define a generally circular aperture in the shape of said flexible tab overlying said generally circular region in said first panel and being sized to effectively close the generally circular opening in said first panel when urged downwardly into said aperture in said second panel.

Claim 4

A discarded material container according to claim 2, wherein said generally circular aperture further includes a tapered aperture portion extending from a generally circular aperture portion, and wherein two adjacent ones of said flaps are separated from one another by a slit that lies within the confines of said tapered aperture portion.

Claim 5

A discarded material container according to claim 3, wherein opposite ends of said slit score terminate within said adjacent ones of said flaps, so that a fold line, recessed beneath an edge of said cut, extends from said opposite ends of said slit score to the termination of slit.

Claim 6

A discarded material container according claim 1, wherein said laminate structure is comprised of plural layers of said compact fibrous material and plural layers of material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough.

Claim 7

A discarded material container according claim 5, wherein said laminate structure is configured such that one layer of said plural layers of material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough forms an external surface of said body.

Claim 8

A discarded material container according claim 6, wherein an external outer surface of said body has a high visibility color.

Claim 9

A discarded material container according claim 7, wherein another of said layers of material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough is separated from said one layer by a layer of compact fibrous material therebetween.

Claim 10

A discarded material container according claim 1, wherein intersections of interior surfaces of said bottom and sidewalls of said body are coated with a material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough.

Claim 11

A discarded material container according claim 1, wherein said body is comprised of a folded unitary laminate structure.

Claim 12

A discarded material container according claim 10, wherein said folded unitary laminate structure is configured such that a layer of pliable plastic forms one surface of said sheet, and wherein folded contiguous panels are adhesively joined together by said layer of pliable plastic.

Claim 13

A discarded material container according claim 1, wherein the top, sidewalls and bottom of said container body are formed of a substantially flat sheet of said laminate structure having a plurality of foldable panels that are scored, folded and joined together such that, at the location of a fold in said substantially flat sheet of said laminate structure to form a corner of said container body, a sheet panel is scored on one side thereof at a region adjacent to the location of the fold, so as to cause the protrusion of a bead on an opposite, interior side of said sheet panel, whereby a side edge of a foldable sheet panel abuts against an interior fold corner of another sheet panel that has been folded to be contiguous therewith and is captured between said bead and said interior fold corner of said another sheet panel, thereby effectively providing a sealed joint thereat and preventing the formation of a leakage space between the interior of said container and the exterior thereof.

Claim 14

A discarded material container comprising a container body formed of substantially flat sheet material having a plurality of laminated layers of compact fibrous material and material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough, said substantially flat sheet containing a plurality of foldable panels that are folded and joined together to define a bottom, sidewalls and a top of said body, said top having a closable opening therethrough for the insertion of discarded material into the container and a closure tab formed of and integrally foldable with respect to said sheet material, said closure tab being shaped and sized to close said closable opening when urged into said opening, and wherein said container top is formed of a first, interior panel of said sheet material having a generally curvilinear region and a generally tapered portion extending therefrom that is sectioned to define a plurality of flaps extending inwardly from the contour of said region, so as to define an opening in said first panel of sheet material, and a second, outer panel of said sheet material, disposed atop said first panel, said second panel having a cut therethrough to define an aperture, closable by a corresponding generally flexible tab, overlying and in the shape of the generally curvilinear region and generally tapered portion of said first, interior panel, when said is urged downwardly into said aperture, and wherein each of said plurality of flaps is formed of said first, interior panel of said sheet material and has a slit-score that causes each flap to assume a generally downwardly bent condition, said slit-score being adjacent to and set back beneath an edge of said cut through said second panel, so that an overhang portion of said second panel extends over said slit-score, thereby effectively preventing each flap from being bent outwardly through the aperture in said second panel.

Claim 15

A discarded material container comprising a container body formed of substantially flat sheet material having a plurality of laminated layers of compact fibrous material and material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough, said substantially flat sheet containing a plurality of foldable panels that are folded and joined together to define a bottom, sidewalls and a top of said body, said top having a closable opening therethrough for the insertion of discarded material into the container and a closure tab formed of and integrally foldable with respect to said sheet material, said closure tab being shaped and sized to close said closable opening when urged into said opening, and wherein said container top is formed of a first, interior panel of said sheet material having a generally curvilinear region and a generally tapered portion extending therefrom that is sectioned to define a plurality of flaps extending inwardly from the contour of said region, so as to define an opening in said first panel of sheet material, and a second, outer panel of said sheet material, disposed atop said first panel, said second panel having a cut therethrough to define an aperture, closable by a corresponding generally flexible tab, overlying and in the shape of the generally curvilinear region and generally tapered portion of said first, interior panel, when said is urged downwardly into said aperture, and wherein each of said plurality of flaps is formed of said first, interior panel of said sheet material and has a slit-score that causes each flap to assume a generally downwardly bent condition, said slit-score being adjacent to and set back beneath an edge of said cut through said second panel, so that an overhang portion of said second panel extends over said slit-score, thereby effectively preventing each flap from being bent outwardly through the aperture in said second panel.

Claim 16

A discarded material container according to claim 13, wherein said curvilinear region in said interior panel is a generally circular region sectioned to define a plurality of generally wedge-shaped tabs extending inwardly from the circular contour of said region, so as to define a generally circular opening in said first panel of sheet material, and wherein said second panel has a generally circular cut therethrough to define a generally circular aperture in the shape of said flexible tab overlying said generally circular region of said first panel and being sized to effectively close the generally circular region of said first panel when urged downwardly into said aperture in said second panel.

Claim 17

A discarded material container according to claim 14, wherein two adjacent ones of said flaps are separated from one another by a slit that lies within the confines of said tapered portion.

Claim 18

A discarded material container according to claim 15, wherein opposite ends of said slit score terminate within said adjacent ones of said flaps, so that a fold line, recessed beneath an edge of said cut, extends from said opposite ends of said slit score to the termination of slit.

Claim 19

A discarded material container according claim 13, wherein said laminate structure is comprised of plural layers of said compact fibrous material and plural layers of material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough.

Claim 20

A discarded material container according claim 17, wherein said laminate structure is configured such that one layer of said plural layers of material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough forms an external surface of said body.

Claim 21

A discarded material container according claim 13, wherein intersections of interior surfaces of said bottom and sidewalls of said body are coated with a material that is effectively impervious to the passage of fluid therethrough.

Claim 22

A discarded material container according claim 13, wherein the top, sidewalls and bottom of said container body are formed of a substantially flat sheet of said laminate structure having a plurality of foldable panels that are scored, folded and joined together such that, at the location of a fold in said substantially flat sheet of said laminate structure to form a corner of said container body, a sheet panel is scored on one side thereof at a region adjacent to the location of the fold, so as to cause the protrusion of a bead on an opposite, interior side of said sheet panel, whereby a side edge of a foldable sheet panel abuts against an interior fold corner of another sheet panel that has been folded to be contiguous therewith and is captured between said bead and said interior fold corner of said another sheet panel, thereby effectively providing a sealed joint thereat and preventing the formation of a leakage space between the interior of said container and the exterior thereof.