Guidewire containment apparatus and method

Claim 1

A method for controllably dispensing wire from a tubular container having the wire therein, the method comprising the steps of: providing a tubular container having a wire therein, the container having in one end thereof a sleeve said wire passing through said sleeve, the sleeve comprising: a substantially cylindrical sleeve body comprising a side wall, and first and second ends, the sleeve body having a bore therethrough, the bore having a diameter which permits wire to pass restrictively therethrough, the sleeve body having in its side wall: a plurality of slits, the slits extending through said side wall so as to divide the sleeve body into sleeve body segments which can be compressed toward each other by at least partially collapsing the slits, the sleeve body segments further including: lateral projections, the projections being located on the sleeve body segments and extending therefrom a distance sufficient to cooperate with the inside of the tubular container to compress the sleeve body segments toward each other to at least partially close the slits when the sleeve is inserted into said tubular container thereby engaging wire passing between said segments, the sleeve body further including: stop means located along one end thereof, said stop means restricting the entry of said sleeve into said container, the sleeve being located in said container so that the stop means engages the end of said tubular container and the sleeve segments frictionally engage the wire so as to restrict substantially said wire from being pulled from said container, the sleeve segments being compressed together; removing the sleeve from the container so that the lateral projections pass outside the container and the other of said ends remains within said container thereby permitting the wire to pass between the sleeve body segments with partial frictional engagement, the body segments only partially returning to their separated positions, and reinserting the sleeve into the container so that said wire is substantially restricted from being dispensed from said container.

Claim 2

A method for controllably dispensing wire from a tubular container having the wire therein, the method comprising the steps of: providing a tubular container having a wire therein, the container having in one end thereof a sleeve said wire passing through said sleeve, the sleeve comprising: a substantially cylindrical sleeve body comprising a side wall, and first and second ends, the sleeve body having a bore therethrough, the bore having a diameter which permits wire to pass restrictively therethrough, the sleeve body having in its side wall: a plurality of slits, the slits extending through said side wall so as to divide the sleeve body into sleeve body segments which can be compressed toward each other by at least partially collapsing the slits, the sleeve body segments further including: lateral projections, the projections being located on the sleeve body segments and extending therefrom a distance sufficient to cooperate with the inside of the tubular container to compress the sleeve body segments toward each other to at least partially close the slits when the sleeve is inserted into said tubular container thereby engaging wire passing between said segments, the sleeve body further including: stop means located along one end thereof, said stop means restricting the entry of said sleeve into said container, the sleeve being located in said container so that the stop means engages the end of said tubular container and the sleeve segments frictionally engage the wire so as to restrict substantially said wire from being pulled from said container, the sleeve segments being compressed together; removing the sleeve from the container so that the lateral projections pass outside the container and the other of said ends remains within said container thereby permitting the wire to pass between the sleeve body segments with partial frictional engagement, the body segments only partially returning to their separated positions, and reinserting the sleeve into the container so that said wire is substantially restricted from being dispensed from said container.