Containers Intended for Moisture-Sensitive Products

• US 20080185301A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kenneth C. Wurtzel, Lee Murray, Rick Merical
• Original Assignee: Kenneth C. Wurtzel, Lee Murray, Rick Merical
• Inventors: Murray, Lee, Merical, Rick, Wurtzel, Kenneth C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,110,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/204
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3032 having components being injected
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/0015 producing hollow articles having components brought in contact outside the extrusion die
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/09 Articles with cross-sections having partially or fully enclosed cavities, e.g. pipes or channels
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/21 the layers being joined at their surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/335 Multiple annular extrusion nozzles in coaxial arrangement, e.g. for making multi-layered tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/0005 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/08 Biaxial stretching during blow-moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/22 using multilayered preforms or parisons
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/04 cellular or porous
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0068 Permeability to liquids; Adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/18 characterised by the use of special additives
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/18 characterised by features of a layer of foamed material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/0215 multilayered B65D81/3837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/266 for absorbing gases, e.g. oxygen absorbers or desiccants B65D51/244, B65D51/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1321 Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1352 Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1372 Randomly noninterengaged or randomly contacting fibers, filaments, particles, or flakes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1376 Foam or porous material containing

Abstract

A container for a moisture-sensitive product. The container has an openable container body defining an interior volume for holding the product. More specifically, a rigid container defining an interior volume for holding a moisture-sensitive product, and comprising at least an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner and outer layers being coextruded layers, the inner layer comprising a polymeric material and a desiccant material, the outer layer comprising a moisture-barrier material.

Claims

1. A container defining an interior volume for holding a moisture-sensitive product, and comprising at least an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner and outer layers being formed by a process selected from the group consisting of coextrusion blow molding, coinjection molding, coinjection blow molding and coinjection stretch blow molding, the inner layer comprising a polymeric material and a desiccant material, the outer layer comprising a moisture-barrier material.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer has a porous structure.

3. A container according to claim 1, wherein the outer layer has a non-porous structure.

4. A container according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate layer positioned between the inner layer and the outer layer, the intermediate layer comprising a material having a higher moisture resistance than the moisture-barrier material in the outer layer.

5. A container according to claim 1, wherein the desiccant material is a chemical desiccant.

6. A container according to claim 1, wherein the desiccant material is physical desiccant.

7. A container according to claim 1, wherein the desiccant material is a blend of chemical and physical desiccants.

8. A container according to claim 5, wherein said chemical desiccant is calcium oxide.

9. A container according to claim 1, wherein the polymeric material of the inner layer and the moisture-barrier material of the outer layer are the same materials.

10. A container according to claim 1, wherein the polymeric material of the inner layer and the moisture-barrier material of the outer layer are different materials.

11. A container according to claim 1, wherein the polymeric material of the inner layer is selected from the group consisting of high density polyethylenes, cyclic olefin copolymers, polyethylenes, polypropylenes, nylons and polyesters.

12. A container according to claim 1, wherein the moisture barrier material of the outer layer is selected from the group consisting of fluoropolymer resins and polychlorotrifluoroethylene.

13. A container according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer is formed using a blowing agent.

14. A container according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer comprises a molecular sieve.

15. A container according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer comprises a blend of a molecular sieve and calcium oxide.

16. A container and closure combination comprising rigid container and a closure, the rigid container defining an interior volume for holding a moisture-sensitive product and a defining an opening adjacent the interior volume, the rigid container comprising at least an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner and outer layers being coextruded layers, the inner layer comprising a polymeric material and a desiccant material, the outer layer comprising a moisture-barrier material, the closure adapted to close the opening.

17. A container and closure combination according to claim 16, wherein the ratio of desiccant to polymeric material in the inner layer is in the range of approximately 5 parts by weight of desiccant to 95 parts by weight polymeric material, to 80 parts by weight of desiccant to 20 parts by weight polymeric material.

18. A container and closure combination according to claim 17, wherein the ratio of desiccant to polymeric material is approximately 10-25 parts by weight desiccant to approximately 75-90 parts by weight polymeric material.

19. A container and closure combination according to claim 17, wherein the ratio of desiccant to polymeric material is approximately 50:

50 by weight.

20. A container defining an interior volume for holding a moisture-sensitive product, and comprising at least an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner and outer layers being coextruded layers, the inner layer comprising a polymeric material and a desiccant material, the outer layer comprising a moisture-barrier material, wherein the ratio of desiccant to polymeric material in the inner layer is in the range of approximately 5 parts by weight of desiccant to 95 parts by weight polymeric material, to 80 parts by weight of desiccant to 20 parts by weight polymeric material.

21. A container according to claim 20, wherein the ratio of desiccant to polymeric material is approximately 10-25 parts by weight desiccant to approximately 75-90 parts by weight polymeric material.

22. A container according to claim 20, wherein the ratio of desiccant to polymeric material is approximately 50:

50 by weight.

23. A method for making a container comprising the steps of:

adding a desiccant to a polymeric material to form a mixture;

forming the container comprising an inner layer and an outer layer using a process selected from the group consisting of coextrusion blow molding, coinjection molding, coinjection blow molding and coinjection stretch blow molding,

wherein the inner layer comprises the mixture of desiccant and polymeric material, and the outer layer comprises a moisture-barrier material.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising the step of using a blowing agent to form a porous structure in the inner layer.