MOBILE CART OF A WASTE COLLECTION SYSTEM

A first mobile cart (1000, 2500, 4000) of a system for collecting waste during a medical procedure is presented. The system further comprises a second mobile cart (100, 2100, 3100), wherein the first mobile cart and the second mobile cart are configured to be mated together so that the carts can move as a single unit and be selectively decoupled from each other so as to be able to move independently from each other. The second mobile cart is configured to connect to the at least one container for drawing suction on the at least one container so that, when a suction on the at least one container, waste is drawn through the suction line into the at least one container. The first mobile cart (1000, 2500, 4000) includes a mobile base (1206, 4206), at least one container (1200, 1202, 4200, 4202), a receiver (1258) configured to receive a suction line (60, 64) that establishes a connection from a surgical site to the at least one container, an outlet fitting (1902, 4902) that extends from the at least one container that is configured to connect the at least one container to an outlet fitting (906) for receiving material stored in the at least one container, and a first coupling (1600, 4600) attached to the first mobile cart, the first coupling connected to the at least one container (1200, 1202, 4200, 4202). A second coupling (400, 3400) is attached to the second mobile cart, the second coupling being connectable to a vacuum pump (210, 3210). When the first mobile cart and the second mobile cart are mated, the first and second couplings the first and second couplings automatically connected together to establish a vacuum path (70, 72, 3070, 3072) from the at least one waste container to the vacuum pump. The first cart further includes at least one component (1952, 4952) that draws power from or that generates a data signal (1957) for a component (802, 3802) of the second cart, the component capable of at least one of sourcing power to the first cart or for receiving the data signal from the first cart. A first signal coupling (1856, 1800, 4800) is attached to the first cart, the signal coupling being configured to and mounted to the first cart so that, when the first and second carts are mated together, the first signal coupling of the first cart automatically connects to a second signal coupling (620, 500, 3500) attached to the second cart so as to establish at least one of a power connection from the second cart to the first cart or a data transfer connection