The present invention relates to a portable hand-held device for incinerating needles. In the prior art, such devices are known. While the prior art demonstrates that devices for incinerating needles are generally known, no reference teaches all of the features and aspects of the present invention. A need has developed for a needle incinerating device that is extremely portable so that it may be carried conveniently by a person who is a diabetes patient and needs to carry insulin injectable devices wherever he or she travels. A need has also developed for such a device including safety features to prevent shock and injury to the operator as well as to preclude initiation of smoke and/or fire. It is with these needs in mind that the present invention was developed.

The present invention relates to a portable hand-held device for incinerating needles. The present invention includes the following interrelated objects, aspects and features:

(1 ) In a first aspect, the present invention is designed to be of extremely small size, of a size on the order of that of a television remote control device so that it may easily be held in the user's hand. The present invention is intended to be lightweight and self-contained with internal batteries employed as power source. However, if desired, a receptacle may be provided a on the device to allow electrical connection to an external source of either power or a battery recharger.

(2) The inventive device includes two electrodes that are in a circuit that is completed when a needle is inserted into the device and electrically interconnects the electrodes. A guideway is provided for the needle holder to linearly guide the needle holder as it is inserted further and further into the guideway while the entirety of the needle is being incinerated.

(3) Indicator lights are provided to allow external monitoring of the operation of the inventive system. An access door is provided to allow access to the chamber where incineration is conducted so that any debris created by the incineration process may be easily removed. The door includes safety features including an interlock

5 disconnecting power from the electrodes when the door is removed and including a heat resistant pad to preclude melting of the housing during incineration.

(4) Adjacent the electrodes, an ambient temperature sensor is provided that senses the temperature of the atmosphere adjacent the electrodes. When this temperature o exceeds a pre-set level,, a switch actuator is activated to open the circuit and remove power from the electrodes.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the present invention.

5 Figure 2 shows a front view of the present invention with one half: of the housing removed and pivoted 180 degrees to show internal details.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the present invention showing the guideway.

o Figure 4 shows a front view of the present invention with the access door removed.

Figure 5 shows a rear view of the access door that is removed from Figure 4.

Figure 6 shows a partial cross-sectional view with a hypodermic syringe partially 5 inserted in the guideway.

Figure 7 shows a view similar to that of Figure 6 but with the hypodermic syringe inserted further into the guideway and with the needle thereof further in the process of incineration. 0

Figure 8 shows a view similar to that of Figures 6 and 7 but with the hypodermic syringe completely inserted into the guideway and with the needle completely incinerated.

Figure 9 shows a view similar to Figures 6-8 but showing the needle completely incinerated and the hub formerly surrounding the proximal end of the needle slightly melted.

Figure 10 shows a schematic representation of some of the electrical circuitry of the present invention.

With reference, first, to Figure 1 , the inventive device is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and its small size is seen in comparison to the human hand 1 that is seen in Figure 1 grasping the device. The small size and portability of the present invention are essential aspects thereof.

Figure 1 also shows the device 10 to include a housing 11 having housing halves 13 and 15 interconnected at a seam 17 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. Indicator lamps 19 and 21 may comprise green and red light emitting diodes, respectively, and are provided as indicators of the operation of the inventive device as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. Figure 1 also shows an electrical receptacle 23. While, as seen in Figure 2, the inventive device 10 may be powered using internal batteries 3, the receptacle 23 may, if desired, be electrically connected to a source of power to operate the device 10 or, alternatively, to a source of power to recharge the batteries 3. A guideway 25 is also shown that includes an opening

27 for a purpose to be described in greater detail hereinafter. An additional indicator lamp 29 is also shown. With reference, now, to Figures 4 and 5, it is seen that the housing 11 includes an access cover 30 that, when removed, reveals an opening 33 leading to a chamber 31 within which needle incinerating electrodes are contained as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. At the lower portion of the opening

33, contacts 35 and 37 are provided. As seen in Figure 5, an electrically conductive

plate 39, such as a copper plate, is provided on the face of the cover 30 that faces the opening 33.

Figure 4 shows a recess 41 in the housing 1 1 that is designed to receive a locking tab 43 of the cover 30. A further recess 45 within the opening 33 of the housing 11 receives a downwardly depending tab 47 on the cover 30 so that the tab 47 may be inserted into the recess 45 and thereafter the cover may be pivoted to engage the tab 43 within the recess 41 to releasably lock the cover 30 on the housing 11. When the cover 30 is so locked on the housing 11 , the plate 39 interconnects between the contacts 35 and 37 to complete a circuit therebetween. As seen in Figure 2, the contacts 35 and 37 are interconnected with conductive pins 49, 51 , respectively, which, via electrical conductors 53 and 55 complete the circuit when the cover 30 is placed in the assembled position on the housing 11. With reference to Figure 10, the contacts 35 and 37 and the plate 39 are shown.

With reference back to Figures 4 and 5, the cover 30 has affixed thereon a heat resistant pad 57 that overlies the opening 33 in the housing 11 when the cover 30 is attached thereto. The heat resistant pad 57 protects the cover 30 and the housing 11 from heat generated within the opening 33 by operation of the needle incinerating electrodes.

The indicator lamps 19 and 21 seen in Figures 1 , 2 and 6, in particular, are intended to facilitate monitoring of the operation of the system. The LED 19, preferably of a green color, is lit when power is applied to the system before incineration of a needle takes place, when incineration of a needle has successfully taken place, the LED 21 , preferably of a red color, illuminates to indicate that the hypodermic syringe housing may be removed from the device 10. The indicator light 29 may be provided for any suitable purpose such as, for example, indicating current recharging of the batteries 3, or any other desired indication.

With further reference to Figure 2, it is seen that the electrodes of the inventive device 10 consist of a rigid plate electrode 61 and a more resilient spring-like electrode 63 that includes a proximal portion 65 protruding within the guideway 25. The guideway 25 includes the opening or mouth 27 having a tapered opening as seen in Figures 2 and 6-9, an internal passageway 71 , a groove 73, and a distal opening 75. The groove 73, as best seen from comparison of Figures 7 and 8, permits insertion of the body 7 of the syringe 5 completely within the guideway 25 to allow complete incineration of the entirety of the needle 6. The spring electrode 63 pushes the body 7 at the end of the insertion so that the hub 4 ends up touching end 90 of spring electrode 63 and end 90 is moved downward. This insures complete burn of the needle. As seen in Figures 1 , 6 and 8, the hypodermic syringe 5 has a distal hub 4 surrounding the proximal end of the needle 6. With reference to Figure 9, when incineration of the needle 6 is complete, and the remainder of the hypodermic syringe 5 is removed from the guideway 25, a portion of the hub 4 has been melted which ensures that the entirety of the syringe needle 6 has been incinerated. With reference to Figures 6-9, it is seen that within the housing 11 , an ambient temperature sensor 79 is provided adjacent the electrodes 61 and 63. The ambient temperature sensor 79 is provided to sense the temperature of ambient air adjacent the electrodes 61 and 63 and, when a pre-set temperature is exceeded, the ambient temperature sensor 79 is operative to open the circuit and remove electric power from the electrodes 61 and 63. This safety feature is provided to ensure that smoke and fire emanating from the device 10 are substantially precluded.

With reference to Figure 10, a schematic representation of some of the electrical circuitry of the present invention is shown. The reference numerals 3, 23 are employed to refer to the power supply since the reference numeral 3 refers to the batteries internal to the housing 11 while the reference numeral 23 refers to the receptacle on the housing 11 that allows interconnection with a source of power. As explained hereinabove, the heater electrodes 61 , 63 are spaced as shown in the drawings and electrical interconnection is made therebetween by the needle 6 of the syringe 5 as it is placed within the guideway 25.

The ambient temperature sensor 79 is shown adjacent the electrodes 61 , 63 and is schematically shown to provide signals via the conductor 80 to a switch actuator 81 that controls operation of the on-off switch 83. Again, when the ambient temperature sensor 79 senses ambient temperature adjacent the electrodes 61 , 63 that exceeds the pre-set threshold, such signals received by the switch actuator 81 cause the on- off switch 83 to turn to the off position opening the circuit and deactivating the electrodes 61 , 63.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the batteries 3 are five in number each of which is a 1.2 volt battery. In the preferred embodiment, the switch actuator 81 is pre-set to open the on-off switch 83 when the ambient temperature within the housing 11 exceeds 92°C. Applicant has found that 600 mega amps of current are required to incinerate a needle up to 40 gauge in size. As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof which fulfills each and every one of the objects of the invention as set forth hereinabove and provides a new and useful portable hand-held device for incinerating needles of great novelty and utility.