Eye drop dispenser

• US 5,611,788 A
• Filed: 07/05/1995
• Issued: 03/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David Marchment
• Original Assignee: David Marchment
• Inventors: Marchment, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Isabella, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cho, David J.
• Application Number:
  US08/497,933
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 604/294, 604/295, 604/298, 604/300, 604/301, 604/302, 215/228, 215/295, 215/305, 215/11.1, 222/420, 222/419
• US Class Current: 604/295
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0008 Introducing ophthalmic products into the ocular cavity or retaining products therein putting in contact lenses A61F9/0061; introducing or retaining media in cavities of the body in general A61M31/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0026 Ophthalmic product dispenser attachments to facilitate positioning near the eye

Abstract

In general, eyedrop dispensers are difficult to use and/or unnecessarily complicated in terms of structure. A relatively simple eyedrop dispenser which can be used with one hand includes a tapering, tubular, soft pliable body with a resilient sleeve at one end thereof for mounting the dispenser on a bottle with a cylindrical neck and an annular flange for mating with an annular groove in the sleeve, the remainder of the body flaring outwardly to a wide end, a flange extending outwardly from the wide end with projections or protuberances on the flange for bearing against the face of the user on either side of an eye and for pushing the lower eyelid downwardly, whereby drops are dispensed accurately into the lower eye.

Claims

1. An eyedrop dispenser for use with a bottle including a neck and an annular flange on the neck, said dispenser comprising elongated tapering, tubular body means for mounting on the bottle, said body means including a first, narrow diameter, resilient end, said first end having a diameter smaller than that of the annular flange on the neck of the bottle;

annular groove means in said first end for receiving the annular flange when the dispenser is in the use position on a bottle;

a second wide diameter end on said body means for covering an area of the face of a user larger than the eye of the user;

flange means extending outwardly of the entire periphery of said second end of said body means, said flange means being inclined with respect to an axis extending longitudinally of said body means through said first end whereby, when said second end of said body means is placed against the face of a user with one side of said flange means proximate the eyebrow, the opposite side of said flange means bears against the face of the user; and

first projection means extending longitudinally outwardly from said opposite side of said flange means for forcing the lower eyelid downwardly away from the eye of a user when the dispenser is in the use position, whereby the dispensing of liquid beneath the lower eyelid is facilitated.

2. The eyedrop dispenser of claim 1, including a plurality of small, spaced apart protuberance means on said first projection means facilitating gripping of the skin by said first projection means.

3. The eyedrop dispenser of claim 2, including second and third projection means on sides of said flange means at right angles to said opposite side of the flange means for supporting the dispenser above the eye of a user.

4. The eyedrop dispenser of claim 3, including rib means in said body means for engaging said annular flange to limit downward movement of the dispenser on a bottle in the storage position.

5. An eyedrop dispenser and bottle combination comprising a bottle including neck means and first annular flange means on the neck, said dispenser comprising elongated tapering, tubular body means for mounting on the bottle, said body means including a first, narrow diameter, resilient end, said first end having a diameter smaller than that of the first flange means on the neck of the bottle;

annular groove means in said first end for receiving the first flange means when the dispenser is in the use position on a bottle, a second wide diameter end on said body means for covering an area of the face of a user larger than the eye of the user;

second flange means extending outwardly of the entire periphery of said second end of said body means, said second flange means being inclined with respect to an axis extending longitudinally of said body means through said first end whereby, when said second end of said body means is placed against the face of a user with one side of said second flange means proximate the eyebrow, the opposite side of said second flange means bears against the face of the user; and

first projection means extending longitudinally outwardly from said opposite side of said flange means for forcing the lower eyelid downwardly away from the eye of a user when the dispenser is in the use position;

whereby dispensing of liquid beneath the lower eyelid is facilitate.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said bottle includes dispensing nozzle means and cap means, said cap means including resilient, cylindrical sleeve means for mounting on the neck means of the bottle above said first flange means;

said sleeve means being covered by said first end of said body means when the dispenser is in the storage position on the bottle; and

tab means extending upwardly from said sleeve means facilitating gripping of the cap means for removal of the cap means from the bottle.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein said tab means includes thin plate means extending upwardly from said sleeve means;

and reinforcing rib means extending longitudinally of said plate means.