Assembly for conditioning and dispensing a medical liquid

• US 8,444,610 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rexam Pharma (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rexam Pharma (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Grevin, Guillaume
• Primary Examiner(s): Hand, Melanie
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAIG, PAULA L
• Application Number:
  US12/522,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 215/219
• US Class Current: 604/298
• 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: B65D 47/18 for discharging drops; Droppers droppers in general B01L3/00; pipettes connected to container closures B01L3/0282
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 50/046 and such deformation causes the disengagement of locking means, e.g. the release of a pawl-like element from a tooth or abutment, to allow removal of the closure by simultaneous rotation

Abstract

This assembly is of the type including: a vessel (4) for containing liquid, the vessel (4) having a neck (14); a dispensing dropper end fitting (6) disposed at the end of the neck (14); and a cap (8) for closing the vessel (4), provided to be screwed onto the neck (14). In a preferred embodiment, the cap (8) and the neck (14) have safety element preventing the cap (8) from being unscrewed simply by applying an unscrewing torque, and allowing the cap (8) to be unscrewed when an additional action is applied together with the torque for unscrewing the cap (8).

Claims

1. An assembly for holding and dispensing a medical liquid, comprising:

a vessel (4) for containing the liquid, the vessel (4) having a neck (14);

a dispensing dropper end fitting (6) disposed at an end of the neck (14), the end fitting (6) and the vessel (4) configured to allow the liquid to be dispensed drop by drop by squeezing the vessel (4) between fingers of one hand;

a cap (8) for closing the vessel (4), configured to be screwed onto the neck (14); and

a first-opening indicator comprised of a tamper-evident band (10) connected to the cap (8) by a brittle region (52) configured to break when the cap (8) is first opened,

wherein the vessel is suitable to contain an ophthalmic medical liquid of collyrium type,

wherein the cap (8) and the neck (14) have a safety device configured to prevent the cap (8) from being unscrewed from an application of an unscrewing torque alone, and to allow the cap (8) to be unscrewed when an additional action is applied together with the unscrewing torque for unscrewing the cap (8), and

wherein the vessel (4) and the cap (8) are each made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the cap (8) having a greater proportion by mass of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) than that of the vessel (4).

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the vessel (4) has a Young'"'"'s modulus (E1) less than a Young'"'"'s modulus (E2) of the cap (8).

3. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the vessel (4) has a capacity of less than 30 ml.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the safety device makes it possible to unscrew the cap (8) if the cap (8) is squeezed during the unscrewing.

5. The assembly according to claim 1,

wherein the safety device has means (48, 24) for unidirectional blocking of a rotation of the cap (8) relative to the neck (14), and

wherein it is possible to disengage the unidirectional blocking means by squeezing the cap (8).

6. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cap (8) has an element configured to close the end fitting (6) tightly and sealing the end fitting (6) at least over a part of the path of the cap (8) during which the safety device operates to ensure tightness and sterility of the interior of the vessel (4).

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the vessel (4) has a capacity of less than 20 ml.

8. An assembly for holding and dispensing a medical liquid, comprising:

a vessel (4) for containing the liquid, the vessel (4) having a neck (14);

a dispensing dropper end fitting (6) disposed at an end of the neck (14), the end fitting (6) and the vessel (4) configured to allow the liquid to be dispensed drop by drop by squeezing the vessel (4) between fingers of one hand;

a cap (8) for closing the vessel (4), configured to be screwed onto the neck (14); and

a first-opening indicator comprised of a tamper-evident band (10) connected to the cap (8) by a brittle region (52) configured to break when the cap (8) is first opened,

wherein the vessel is suitable to contain an ophthalmic medical liquid of collyrium type,

wherein the cap (8) and the neck (14) have a safety device configured to prevent the cap (8) from being unscrewed from an application of an unscrewing torque alone, and to allow the cap (8) to be unscrewed when an additional action is applied together with the unscrewing torque for unscrewing the cap (8),

wherein the vessel (4) consists purely of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and

wherein the cap (8) comprises at least 20% by mass of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the remainder consisting of low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the vessel (4) has a Young'"'"'s modulus (E1) less than a Young'"'"'s modulus (E2) of the cap (8).

10. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the vessel (4) has a capacity of less than 30 ml.

11. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the safety device makes it possible to unscrew the cap (8) if the cap (8) is squeezed during the unscrewing.

12. The assembly according to claim 8,

wherein the safety device has means (48, 24) for unidirectional blocking of a rotation of the cap (8) relative to the neck (14), and

wherein it is possible to disengage the unidirectional blocking means by squeezing the cap (8).

13. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the cap (8) has an element configured to close the end fitting (6) tightly and sealing the end fitting (6) at least over a part of the path of the cap (8) during which the safety device operates to ensure tightness and sterility of the interior of the vessel (4).

14. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the vessel (4) has a capacity of less than 20 ml.

15. An assembly for holding and dispensing a medical liquid, comprising:

a vessel (4) for containing the liquid, the vessel (4) having a neck (14);

dispensing dropper end fitting (6) disposed at an end of the neck (14), the end fitting (6) and the vessel (4) configured to allow the liquid to be dispensed drop by drop by squeezing the vessel (4) between fingers of one hand;

a cap (8) for closing the vessel (4), configured to be screwed onto the neck (14); and

a first-opening indicator comprised of a tamper-evident band (10) connected to the cap (8) by a brittle region (52) configured to break when the cap (8) is first opened,

wherein the cap (8) and the neck (14) have a safety device configured to prevent the cap (8) from being unscrewed from an application of an unscrewing torque alone, and to allow the cap (8) to be unscrewed when an additional action is applied together with the unscrewing torque for unscrewing the cap (8),

wherein the vessel is suitable to contain an ophthalmic medical liquid of collyrium type,

wherein the safety device has means (48, 24) for unidirectional blocking of a rotation of the cap (8) relative to the neck (14),

wherein the unidirectional blocking means is disengageable by squeezing the cap (8), and

wherein the cap (8) has a first external skirt (40), the first external skirt (40) being coaxial with and enclosing a second skirt (38) that bears a thread (44) for screwing the cap (8) onto the neck (14), the blocking means having at least one internal feature (48) on the first external skirt (40) and at least one external feature (24) on the neck (14), said at least one internal feature (48) and said at least one external feature (24) being complementary to each other and disengageable from one another by squeezing the first external skirt (40) in two pressing regions (51) which are angularly offset relative to each internal feature (48).

16. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the blocking means have two diametrically opposite internal features (48) disposed on the first external skirt (40) and angularly offset by 90°

relative to the pressing regions (51), the neck (14) comprising two diametrically opposite external features (24).

17. The assembly according to claim 16, wherein each external feature of the neck (14) is formed by a lug (24) projecting radially towards an outside of the neck (14),

the lug (24) having a radial blocking surface (30), a sliding surface (28) inclined as a whole relative to the blocking surface (30), and a transition surface (31) extending between the blocking surface (30) and the sliding surface (28), the transition surface (31) being substantially perpendicular to the blocking surface (30).

18. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein each external feature of the neck (14) is formed by a lug (24) projecting radially towards an outside of the neck (14),

the lug (24) having a radial blocking surface (30), a sliding surface (28) inclined as a whole relative to the blocking surface (30), and a transition surface (31) extending between the blocking surface (30) and the sliding surface (28), the transition surface (31) being substantially perpendicular to the blocking surface (30).

19. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the neck (14) has an annular reinforcing rim (31a) extending so as to project towards the outside of the neck (14) and passing through the external features (24) so as to rigidify them.

20. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the vessel (4) is made of a material or mixture of materials having a Young'"'"'s modulus (E1) less than a Young'"'"'s modulus (E2) of a material or mixture of materials of which the cap (8) is made.

21. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the vessel (4) and the cap (8) are each made from a material or mixture of materials selected from the materials consisting of:

low-density polyethylene (LDPE), medium-density polyethylene (MDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene, and

polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

22. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the vessel (4) has a capacity of less than 30 ml.

23. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the cap (8) has an element configured to close the end fitting (6) tightly and sealing the end fitting (6) at least over a part of the path of the cap (8) during which the safety device operates to ensure tightness and sterility of the interior of the vessel (4).

24. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the vessel (4) has a capacity of less than 20 ml.