Plunger for moisture tight dispenser

• US 9,248,950 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CSP Technologies Incorporated (AptarGroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CSP Technologies Incorporated (AptarGroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Giraud, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): MACKEY, PATRICK HEWEY
• Application Number:
  US14/308,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20140299623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 221/279, 221/65, 221/186, 221/187, 221/190, 221/209, 221/246
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 21/086 Collapsible or telescopic containers B65D1/0292 and B65D21/068 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0864 the articles being pushed and slid through the aperture
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48757 Test elements dispensed from a stack

Abstract

A dispenser includes a body, the body including a product housing defining an interior for housing a plurality of products. The product housing has a dispensing portion defining a dispensing opening configured to permit the removal of at least one of the plurality of products from the interior. The body further includes a plunger movably engaged with the product housing and including a product support that moves within the interior to move the plurality of products towards the dispensing opening, the dispenser comprising a moisture tight seal between the plunger and the product housing.

Claims

1. A dispenser for dispensing a plurality of products, the dispenser comprising:

a body, the body including a product housing defining an interior for housing the plurality of products, the product housing being tubular and comprising an outer wall and an inner wall located within the outer wall, the outer wall and the inner wall being joined by a connecting wall, the product housing having a dispensing portion defining a dispensing opening configured to permit the removal of at least one of the plurality of products from the interior, wherein the interior is configured for housing a stack of the plurality of products that extend within the interior towards the dispensing portion;

the body further including a plunger movably engaged with the product housing and including a product support that moves within the interior to move the plurality of products towards the dispensing opening, wherein a portion of the plunger is movably located within a space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall, wherein the plunger comprises a bottom wall located at a lowermost portion of the body and a side wall that extends upwardly from the bottom wall, the sidewall being a portion of the plunger movably located within the space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall;

the dispenser comprising a seal between the plunger and the product housing, wherein elastomeric sealing elements respectively positioned around the perimeters of an outer surface of the product housing inner wall and an inner surface of the product housing outer wall, compress against the side wall of the plunger to create the seal;

the dispenser having a moisture ingress rate of less than 1000 micrograms per day at 80% relative humidity and 22.2°

C.

2. The dispenser of claim 1,

wherein the plunger is configured to be displaced toward a first end of the product housing to move the plurality of products towards the dispensing portion;

the dispenser further including a ratchet positioned between the side wall and the product housing, the ratchet configured to permit the displacement of the plunger toward the first end of the product housing and prevent displacement of the plunger toward a second end of the product housing;

wherein the dispensing portion is located at an upper area of the product housing and wherein the dispensing portion comprises a top wall that partially closes off the interior.

3. The dispenser of claim 2,

wherein the dispensing opening includes angled edges that extend between a top wall of the inner wall of the product housing;

and

wherein the dispenser opening is configured to both expose a longitudinal end of a product of the plurality of products and permit the sliding of the exposed product from the dispenser opening during a dispensing operation.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a cap pivotally affixed to the product housing by a hinge and over the dispensing portion, wherein the cap engages the product housing in a sealed relationship.

5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the plunger is configured to be displaced toward a first end of the product housing to move the plurality of products towards the dispensing portion, the body having a total height that is reduced when the plunger is displaced toward the first end of the product housing.

6. The dispenser of claim 1 comprising and/or containing a desiccant material.

7. The dispenser of claim 1, having a moisture ingress rate of 100-1000 micrograms per day at 80% relative humidity and 22.2°

C.

8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the products are diagnostic test strips, the interior comprising a stack of diagnostic test strips.

9. A dispensing assembly for dispensing a plurality of products provided in a stack, the dispensing assembly comprising:

a body having a plunger, a product housing, a first end, a second end, and an interior, the interior configured for housing the stack, the first and second ends being positioned on opposite ends of the body, wherein the product housing is tubular and comprises an outer wall and an inner wall located within the outer wall, a sidewall of the plunger being movably located within a space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall;

a dispensing portion located at the first end of the body and including a dispensing opening, the plunger configured to move the plurality of products toward the dispensing portion;

a cap pivotally affixed to the body and over the dispensing portion, wherein the cap engages the housing in a sealed relationship;

a seal between the plunger and the product housing, wherein elastomeric sealing elements respectively positioned around the perimeters of an outer surface of the product housing inner wall and an inner surface of the product housing outer wall, compress against the side wall of the plunger to create the seal, the dispensing assembly having a moisture ingress rate of less than 1000 micrograms per day at 80% relative humidity and 22.2°

C.; and

a ratchet positioned between the plunger and the product housing, the ratchet configured to permit the displacement of the plunger toward the first end of the body to move the stack toward the dispensing opening, the ratchet also configured to prevent the displacement of the plunger toward the second end of the body;

wherein the interior is configured for the stack to extend within the interior toward the dispensing portion, the interior further configured for a selected one of the plurality of products located at an end of the stack to be aligned with the opening, so as to permit removal of the selected one of the plurality of products from the body during a dispensing operation, the dispensing assembly having a total height which is reduced when the plunger moves toward the dispensing portion.

10. The dispensing assembly of claim 9, wherein the products are strips.

11. The dispensing assembly of claim 10, wherein the products are diagnostic test strips, the interior comprising a stack of diagnostic test strips.

12. The dispensing assembly of claim 9, having a moisture ingress rate of 100-1000 micrograms per day at 80% relative humidity and 22.2°

C.

13. The dispensing assembly of claim 9, comprising and/or containing a desiccant material.