Compound container and pouring-out method

• US 8,771,615 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eiken Kagaku Kabushiki Kaisha, TOYO Seikan Kaisha Limited (Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eiken Kagaku Kabushiki Kaisha, TOYO Seikan Kaisha Limited (Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shibata, Tomoyuki, Masuya, Natsuki, Seto, Yoshiaki, Saito, Shingo, Kanda, Hidetoshi, Notomi, Tsugunori, Takeuchi, Yasuyuki, Mori, Yasuyoshi, Kubota, Yutaka, Kanada, Teijirou, Takano, Youichi, Onishi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Handy, Dwayne K
• Application Number:
  US12/736,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20110052459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 422/547, 422549-550
• US Class Current: 422/550
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0025 of the 47-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0093 Membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0096 integral with the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/06 with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages with slidable spouts B65D47/26
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/222 the piercing or cutting means being integral with, or fixedly attached to, the outer closure
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/226 the piercing or cutting means being non integral with, or not fixedly attached to, the outer closure
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/227 and further comprising a device first inhibiting displacement of the piercing or cutting means
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/285 ruptured by a sharp element, e.g. a cutter or a piercer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

A compound container has a container main body forming a first accommodation chamber, an auxiliary container forming a second accommodation chamber, a mounting part on which the auxiliary container is mounted in the container main body, a cutting part which cuts a second accommodation chamber partition wall which partitions a part of the second accommodation chamber formed in the auxiliary container, a contents outlet port in the container main body, and an opening pouring element mounted on the contents outlet port and having another cutting part which cuts a first accommodation chamber partition wall which partitions a part of the first accommodation chamber formed in the container main body.

Claims

1. A compound container, comprising:

a container main body forming a first accommodation chamber,

an auxiliary container forming a second accommodation chamber,

a mounting part on which the auxiliary container is mounted in the container main body,

a cutting part which cuts a second accommodation chamber partition wall which partitions a part of the second accommodation chamber formed in the auxiliary container,

a contents outlet port on the container main body, and

an opening pouring element mounted on the contents outlet port and having another cutting part which cuts a first accommodation chamber partition wall which partitions a part of the first accommodation chamber formed in the container main body,

wherein when the auxiliary container is mounted on the container main body and the second accommodation chamber partition wall is cut, the first accommodation chamber and the second accommodation chamber are intercommunicated,

when the opening pouring element is mounted on the container main body, the first accommodation chamber partition wall is cut so that a content is taken out from the first accommodation chamber,

the container main body has a cylindrical trunk part formed of a flexible material, and

the mounting part is formed with a material harder than the cylindrical trunk part separately from the cylindrical trunk part.

2. The compound container according to claim 1, wherein

the contents outlet port has a whirl stopper projecting outwardly from a side of the contents outlet port and,

the opening pouring element has a positioning projection at an edge of the opening pouring element, and

the positioning projection contacts with the whirl stopper to prevent a rotation of the opening pouring element more than a predetermined amount.

3. A compound container, comprising:

a container main body forming a first accommodation chamber,

an auxiliary container forming a second accommodation chamber,

a mounting part on which the auxiliary container is mounted in the container main body,

a cutting part which cuts a second accommodation chamber partition wall which partitions a part of the second accommodation chamber formed in the auxiliary container,

a contents outlet port on the container main body, and

an opening pouring element mounted on the contents outlet port and having another cutting part which cuts a first accommodation chamber partition wall which partitions a part of the first accommodation chamber formed in the container main body,

wherein when the auxiliary container is mounted on the container main body and the second accommodation chamber partition wall is cut, the first accommodation chamber and the second accommodation chamber are intercommunicated,

when the opening pouring element is mounted on the container main body, the first accommodation chamber partition wall is cut so that a content is taken out from the first accommodation chamber,

a reagent treating a sample which has been collected from a subject is added to the second accommodation chamber,

the sample is added to the reagent and treated together with the auxiliary container,

the auxiliary container is mounted on the container main body,

a content in the second accommodation chamber is flown into the first accommodation chamber, followed by stirring and mixing to allow an adsorbent adsorbing all or a part of unnecessary substances contained in the content in the second accommodation chamber in the first accommodation chamber, and

the opening pouring element is attached to the container main body by cutting the first accommodation chamber partition wall to pour a sample preparation liquid which has been prepared by adsorbing all or the part of unnecessary substances with the adsorbent from a pouring port formed in the opening pouring element.

4. The compound container according to claim 3, further comprising a positioning part which positions, when the sample preparation liquid is poured from a pouring port of the opening pouring element and dripped to a predetermined dropping container, a front end of the pouring port which is inserted into the dropping container so that a distance between the front end of the pouring port and an inner bottom surface of the dropping container becomes constant.

5. A pouring method for pouring a predetermined amount of the sample preparation liquid from the compound container according to claim 4, comprising:

displaying on the dropping container a liquid level line indicating at least a lower limit of the predetermined amount,

after positioning the front end of the pouring port while inserting the pouring port into the dropping container, squeezing the container main body to pour the sample preparation liquid until an amount of the sample preparation liquid which has been poured exceeds the liquid level line showing the lower limit, and

when a liquid level of the sample preparation liquid which has been poured exceeds the front end of the positioned pouring port, while keeping a positioned state, restoring the container main body to suck the sample preparation liquid which has been excessively poured, thereby pouring an adequate amount of the sample preparation liquid.

6. A compound container, comprising:

a container main body forming a first accommodation chamber,

an auxiliary container forming a second accommodation chamber,

a mounting part on which the auxiliary container is mounted in the container main body,

a cutting part which cuts a second accommodation chamber partition wall which partitions a part of the second accommodation chamber formed in the auxiliary container,

a contents outlet port on the container main body, and

an opening pouring element mounted on the contents outlet port and having another cutting part which cuts a first accommodation chamber partition wall which partitions a part of the first accommodation chamber formed in the container main body,

wherein when the auxiliary container is mounted on the container main body and the second accommodation chamber partition wall is cut, the first accommodation chamber and the second accommodation chamber are intercommunicated,

when the opening pouring element is mounted on the container main body, the first accommodation chamber partition wall is cut so that a content is taken out from the first accommodation chamber,

the another cutting part is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a narrow tip narrowing an outer diameter of an end of the another cutting part, and

the first accommodation chamber partition wall cut by the another cutting part is sandwiched and held in a space formed between the narrow tip and an inner peripheral surface of the contents outlet port while a part of the first accommodation chamber partition wall is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the contents outlet port.

7. The compound container according to claim 6, further comprising

a pouring port formed on the opening pouring element,

a narrowing part which narrows an area of an opening of the pouring port formed on a front end side of the pouring port formed on the opening pouring element, and

a truncated cone-shaped concave part formed on a front end of the pouring port.

8. The compound container according to claim 6, wherein the opening pouring element is provided with

an outer cylindrical part on which the pouring port is formed,

the another cutting part which is installed on an inside of the outer cylindrical part, and

a filter which is retained between the outer cylindrical part and the another cutting part.

9. The compound container according to claim 6, further comprising a sealing element which is detachably attached to the mounting part provided in the container main body to seal the first accommodation chamber,

wherein the scaling element is removed from the mounting part when the auxiliary container is attached to the container main body, and

when the container is disposed, the sealing element is attached to the pouring port of the opening pouring element to seal the container, and prevents a leakage of contents remaining in the container.

10. The compound container according to claim 6, further comprising a protection element which is detachably attached to the contents outlet port provided in the container main body.

11. The compound container according to claim 6, wherein

the auxiliary container further comprises a trunk part of which one end side serves as an opening part and the other end side is blocked by the second accommodation chamber partition wall and a lid which is installed on the opening part and serves to seal the second accommodation chamber, and

the lid has a part which is in close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the trunk part.

12. The compound container according to claim 11, further comprising a circular projection which contacts with a front end surface of a peripheral edge of the opening part of the trunk part of the auxiliary container at a corresponding position on a side of the lid.

13. The compound container according to claim 11, further comprising a sealing cylinder formed on an outer peripheral side of the cutting part formed on the mounting part,

wherein the cutting part is formed in a cylindrical shape,

the sealing cylinder and the cutting part are rising concentrically from each other, and

when the auxiliary container is mounted on the mounting part for cutting the second accommodation chamber partition wall, the cutting part is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the trunk part, and the sealing cylinder is in close contact with an outer peripheral surface of the trunk part of the auxiliary container.

14. The compound container according to claim 6, wherein

the auxiliary container has a trunk part,

the cutting part is formed in a cylindrical shape in the mounting part and has another narrow tip narrowing an outer diameter of an end of the cutting part, and

the second accommodation chamber partition wall cut by the cutting part is sandwiched and held in a space formed between the another narrow tip and an inner peripheral surface of the trunk part while a part of the second accommodation chamber partition wall is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the trunk part.

15. The compound container according to claim 6, further comprising a cyclic projection contacting with a front end surface of the contents outlet port formed at a position corresponding to the opening pouring element.

16. The compound container according to claim 15, wherein the cyclic projection is formed concentrically with the another cutting part.

17. The compound container according to claim 8, wherein the outer cylindrical part has a supporting part supporting a peripheral edge of the filter, an engagement projection projecting along an outer peripheral edge of the supporting part, and an engagement groove circularly formed on an outer peripheral side of the supporting part,

the another cutting part has a cyclic engagement part formed on a base side of the another cutting part, and an engagement groove part formed on the base side of the another cutting part, and

the engagement projection engages with the engagement groove part, and the engagement groove engages with the cyclic engagement part when the another cutting part is attached to the outer cylindrical part.

18. The compound container according to claim 6, wherein

a tip of the another cutting part has an obliquely-cut edge,

the tip of the another cutting part cuts a part of the first accommodation chamber partition wall when the container main body is mounted on the opening pouring element, and

the obliquely-cut edge of the another cutting part further cuts a periphery of the first accommodation chamber partition wall gradually as the container main body is pushed in to the opening pouring element.

19. The compound container according to claim 18, wherein

the container main body has a whirl stopper at an outer circumferential part of the first accommodation chamber partition wall,

the opening pouring element has a positioning projection at an outer circumferential part of the another cutting part, and

the positioning projection contacts with the whirl stopper to stop rotation of the opening pouring element and leave the part of the first accommodation chamber partition wall connected to the inner peripheral surface of the contents outlet port.