Fluid container

• US 5,342,346 A
• Filed: 04/09/1993
• Issued: 08/30/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissho Corporation (Nitto Denko Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nissho Corporation (Nitto Denko Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Tetuzi, Ikeda, Koji, Kikuchi, Toshihiro, Iwasa, Masanobu, Honda, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Randall L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZUTTARELLI, ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US08/044,481
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 128/912, 220/254-256
• US Class Current: 604/413
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/10 Bag-type containers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/1462 Containers with provisions for hanging, e.g. integral adaptations of the container accessories for hanging the container A61M5/1414
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/1475 Inlet or outlet ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/201 having one piercing end
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2013 having two piercing ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2051 having tap means, e.g. tap means activated by sliding
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2072 for internal venting
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2089 Containers or vials which are to be joined to each other in order to mix their contents combinations of vial and syringe for mixing their contents A61J1/2096

Abstract

A fluid container comprises a drug container, a deformable solvent container, a double-pointed hollow needle having a sharp piercing edge at each end and being arranged between the drug container and the solvent container, a guide capsule with a cap rotatably mounted thereon, and a means for converting rotary motion of the cap to a linear motion of the drug container to push the drug container toward the solvent container in cooperation with the cap and the guide capsule so that a fluid communication is made between two containers through the needle.

Claims

1. A fluid container comprising:

a drug container having a barrel and a narrow mouth sealed by a rubber stopper, and including first and second engaging means arranged around said barrel;

a deformable solvent container of a synthetic resin having at least one mouth sealed by a sealing means;

a cylindrical guide capsule having an open end at one end and at the other a connecting portion coupled to the mouth of said solvent container, said guide capsule being provided at an inner wall thereof with an engaging means for engagement with the second engaging means of said drug container;

a double-pointed hollow needle having a sharp piercing edge at each end and being slidably held in said guide capsule and arranged between the mouth of said drug container and that of the solvent container;

a cylindrical cap rotatably mounted on said guide capsule to seal an open end thereof as well as to hold the drug container therein, said cap being provided at an inner wall thereof with an engaging means for engagement with the first engaging means of said drug container, wherein one of said first engaging means of said drug container and the engaging means of said cap includes at least one spiral groove and projection for engaging said spiral groove, and wherein one of said second engaging means of said drug container and the engaging means of said guide capsule includes at least one vertical guide groove and projection for engaging said vertical guide groove, whereby said drug container is forced to move linearly without causing rotary motion thereof toward said solvent container when said cap is rotated, thereby allowing said double-pointed hollow needle to pierce said rubber stopper of the drug container and said sealing means of the solvent container to make a fluid communication between said drug container and solvent container through said needle.

2. The fluid container according to claim 1, wherein the first engaging means of said drug container is at least one first projection formed on an outer surface of said drug container close to the bottom thereof and engaged with a spiral groove formed in an inner wall of the cap, and wherein said second engaging means of said drug container being at least one projection formed on the outer wall of said drug container close to a shoulder portion thereof and engaged with vertical guide groove provided in an inner wall of said guide capsule.

3. The fluid container according to claim 1, wherein said guide capsule includes a means for removing said cap.

4. The fluid container according to claim 1, wherein said needle is composed of a slender pointed hollow member and a hub having arms, and wherein said guide capsule is provided with one or more needle guide grooves for slidably holding said arms of the hub.

5. The fluid container according to claim 1, wherein said solvent container has two mouths provided respectively at both ends, one of said mouths being sealed by a sealing membrane and coupled to said guide capsule, while the other mouth being sealed by a sealing means.

6. The fluid container according to claim 5, wherein said cap includes a hanging means for hanging the fluid container on a hook.

7. The fluid container according to claim 5, wherein said solvent container includes a stand fitted on the opposite mouth thereof to allow the fluid container to stand by itself.

8. The fluid container according to claim 5, wherein said guide capsule includes a means for removing said cap.

9. The fluid container according to claim 1, wherein said drug container has a cylindrical vial guide fitted thereon and having at one end an open end and at the opposite end a closed bottom, said first and second engaging means being provided on an outer wall of said vial guide.

10. The fluid container according to claim 9, wherein the first engaging means of said vial guide is at least one spiral groove formed on an outer surface thereof and engaged with a projection formed on an inner surface of said cap.

11. The fluid container according to claim 10, wherein the second engaging means of said vial guide being at least one projection formed on said outer wall close to the open end thereof and engaged with a vertical guide groove provided on said inner wall surface of said guide capsule.

12. The fluid container according to claim 9, wherein the first engaging means of said vial guide is at least one first projection formed on an outer surface of said vial guide close to the bottom thereof and engaged with a spiral groove formed in an inner wall of the cap.

13. The fluid container according to claim 12, wherein the second engaging means of said vial guide is at least one vertical guide groove formed in the outer wall of said vial guide and engaged with a projection provided on an inner wall of said guide capsule.

14. The fluid container according to claim 12, wherein the second engaging means of said vial guide is at least one second projection formed on the outer wall of said vial guide close to the open end thereof and engaged with vertical guide grooves provided in an inner wall of said guide capsule.

15. The fluid container according to claim 14, wherein said vertical guide grooves of said guide capsule are provided parallel to the center axis of the guide capsule in the inner wall of the guide capsule.

16. The fluid container according to claim 14, wherein said vertical guide grooves of said guide capsule are provided by pairs of vertical ribs formed parallel to the center axis of the guide capsule on the inner wall of the guide capsule.

17. A fluid container comprising:

a drug container having a mouth sealed by a rubber stopper;

a deformable solvent container of a synthetic resin having at least one mouth sealed by a sealing means;

a double-pointed hollow needle having a sharp piercing edge at each end;

a cylindrical guide capsule having an open end at one end and at the other end a connecting portion removably connected to said solvent container, whereby said double-pointed hollow needle being slidably held between the mouth of said drug container and that of said solvent container, said guide capsule being provided at an inner wall thereof with one or more vertical guide grooves for guiding said drug container;

a cylindrical cap having at least one spiral groove and being rotatably attached to said guide capsule to seal the open end thereof; and

a vial guide having first and second projections provided on an outer surface thereof and holding said drug container therein, said vial guide being movably held in said cap in such a manner that said first and second projections of the vial guide are respectively engaged with said spiral groove of the cap and said vertical guide grooves of the guide capsule, thereby constituting a driving means for converting a rotary motion of said cap to a linear motion of said drug container without causing rotary motion of said drug container and for allowing said double-pointed hollow needle to pierce said rubber stopper of the drug container and said sealing means of the solvent container to make a fluid communication between said drub container and solvent container through said needle.

18. The fluid container according to claim 17, wherein said double-pointed hollow needle is provided with two passages.

19. The fluid container according to claim 17, wherein said double-pointed hollow needle is provided with one passage.

20. The fluid container according to claim 17, wherein said needle is composed of a slender pointed hollow member and a hub having arms, said arms being slidably arranged in needle guide grooves formed in an inner wall of the guide capsule.

21. The fluid container according to claim 20, wherein each needle guide grooves of the guide capsule is provided with a stepped portion.

22. The fluid container according to claim 21, wherein each arm of the hub is provided with a small outwardly protruding portion, said protruding portion of each arm resting on said stepped portion of said guide capsule and allowed to be disengaged from the stepped portion only when a load applied to the needle by the drug container exceeds a predetermined value.