Sharps container for "no-touch," sequential safe storage of used pen needles

Abstract

A sharps container for safe storage of used pen needles comprises a housing within which is rotatably mounted a used pen needle receiving and ejecting means. Used pen needles are inserted into the receiving means. The receiving and ejecting means is rotated; during the rotation, cam follower means connected to the ejecting means engages cam means within the housing to cause the ejection of the used pen needle into the housing.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A sharps container for facilitating the safe manual, sequential feeding of cylindrically shaped used pen needles into said sharps container for safe storage therein, said used pen needles having a pre-selected outer diameter, said sharps container comprising:
 a housing;   a cover section, which together with the housing defines an internal storage space sized to facilitate the safe storage therein of a plurality of used pen needles,   wherein the housing and the cover section are adapted to lock together upon assembly of the sharps container;   a cam surface located within the interior of the sharps container; and   a rotatable used pen needle receiver having a first pen needle receiving position, a second pen needle ejection position and a rotational axis,   wherein the rotatable used pen needle receiver is sized and adapted to closely receive and engage a used pen needle hub having a pre-selected outer diameter, said rotatable used pen needle receiver having an ejector mechanism including a cylindrical receiving bore oriented perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotatable used pen needle receiver and being located within at least one of the housing and the cover section,   wherein the ejector mechanism of the rotatable used pen needle receiver is adapted to cooperate with the cam surface upon rotation of the used pen needle receiver to convey a pen needle positioned within the used pen needle receiver in the first pen needle receiving position to a second position and to positively eject the used pen needle from the cylindrical receiving bore within the internal storage space in the second position of the used pen needle receiver.   
     
     
         3 . The sharps container of  claim 2 , wherein the housing and the cover section include mutually engaging members. 
     
     
         4 . The sharps container of  claim 3 , wherein the housing has a rim. 
     
     
         5 . The sharps container of  claim 4 , wherein the cover section has a latch portion which co-acts with the rim of the housing. 
     
     
         6 . The sharps container of  claim 5 , wherein the latch portion is inwardly extending. 
     
     
         7 . The sharps container of  claim 2 , wherein the cylindrical receiving bore aligns with an opening in the sharps container when the rotatable used pen needle receiver is in the first pen needle receiving position and does not align with the opening in the sharps container when the rotatable used pen needle receiver is in the second pen needle ejection position. 
     
     
         8 . The sharps container of  claim 2 , wherein the cylindrical pen needle receiving bore of the rotatable used pen needle receiver includes ribs which are sized and adapted to co-act with grooves of the used pen needle hub to allow the used pen needle to be disengaged from a medical delivery pen upon rotation of the medical delivery pen when the used pen needle hub is closely received within the rotatable used pen needle receiver.