| US 7,533,029 B2 | ||
| Waste sorting system for rendering drugs non-recoverable | ||
| Scott R. Mallett, Coto De Caza, Calif. (US); Randall C. Danta, Tustin, Calif. (US); Peter Regla, Placentia, Calif. (US); Alan D. Corey, Newport Beach, Calif. (US); and Alan A. Davidner, Yorba Linda, Calif. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Vesta Medical, LLC, Irvine, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jul. 12, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/777,190. | ||
| Application 11/777190 is a continuation of application No. 10/946252, filed on Sep. 21, 2004, granted, now 7,303,080. | ||
| Application 10/946252 is a continuation of application No. 10/945223, filed on Sep. 20, 2004, granted, now 7,119,689, filed on Oct. 10, 2006. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/589118, filed on Jul. 19, 2004. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/504170, filed on Sep. 19, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0015899 A1, Jan. 17, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. B07C 7/04 (2006.01); G06K 9/00 (2006.01); G06F 17/60 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 705—1 [340/572.8; 705/2; 209/930; 209/583; 209/702; 209/522; 209/3.3; 209/606; 220/23.89; 220/203.09; 220/211; 220/315; 206/366; 206/370; 700/83; 702/188] | 28 Claims |
| 1. A sorting system for sorting medical waste items, comprising:
a station comprising at least two container compartments;
at least a first and second removable container and at least one removable receptacle received by said station, each container
having an internal volume of about 1 gallon to about 20 gallons and configured to be placed within at least a first and second
container compartment within said station,
wherein each of the first and second containers and the receptacle is associated with at least one of a plurality of different
waste categories;
wherein the receptacle is configured to receive at least a first category of medical waste items to be rendered non-recoverable
after disposal;
wherein the containers are configured to receive multiple additional categories of medical waste items different from the
first category;
a scanner configured to determine a barcode placed on or associated with a medical waste item;
a control system that compares information obtained from the barcode with waste item classification information from a database
and assigns the medical waste item to at least one waste category;
the control system configured to indicate the container or receptacle for receiving the waste item associated with the waste
category based on the barcode by automatically opening one of the containers or instructing a user to dispose of the waste
item in the receptacle depending on the waste category based on the barcode;
each container comprising a machine-readable identification key associated with at least one of said waste categories such
that the machine-readable identification key indicates to the control system the waste category of the waste item to be disposed
into the container;
at least one key reader within the sorting system that reads the machine-readable identification key associated with the container
to determine the waste category of the container;
the containers configured to automatically lock when a waste item has been disposed in said containers; and
the receptacle configured to accept both solid and liquid forms of said waste items and comprising a solidifying agent to
solidify said liquid forms.
|