EP0222944A1 - Tropfvorrichtung - Google Patents

Tropfvorrichtung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0222944A1
EP0222944A1 EP85308118A EP85308118A EP0222944A1 EP 0222944 A1 EP0222944 A1 EP 0222944A1 EP 85308118 A EP85308118 A EP 85308118A EP 85308118 A EP85308118 A EP 85308118A EP 0222944 A1 EP0222944 A1 EP 0222944A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
dispenser
tube
container
arrangement
valve
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP85308118A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Delford O. Dougherty
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to US06/611,473 priority Critical patent/US4553686A/en
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to EP85308118A priority patent/EP0222944A1/de
Publication of EP0222944A1 publication Critical patent/EP0222944A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D47/00—Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices
    • B65D47/04—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps
    • B65D47/06—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages
    • B65D47/18—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages for discharging drops; Droppers

Definitions

  • the present invention pertains to the art of liquid dispensers, and, more particularly, to a dispensing device for accurately dispensing small droplets of liquid.
  • the invention is particularly applicable for use as an eyedropper and will be described with particular reference thereto al­though it will be appreciated that the invention has other and broader applications.
  • Medicant drop dispensers of the type to which the present invention pertains are available in various sizes and shapes for the numerous medicines and solutions which are available for the care and comfort of the human eye.
  • dispensers have basically comprised a relatively small compressible plastic container or vial provided with a dispensing cap.
  • the cap is generally provided with a dispensing member or nozzle having a small orifice or opening therethrough.
  • One problem associated with conventional eyedroppers is the difficulty of accurately controlling the amount of medicine dispensed, i.e., the number and size of drops dispensed.
  • Most conventional eyedrop dispensers heretofore provided a minute orifice or opening in the nozzle or dispenser portion of the cap. The larger the opening, the less pressure required to be exerted on the container and the more freely the medicant is dispensed.
  • the orifice in the nozzle or dispenser member is usually restricted in size, which then requires more pressure to be exerted on the container to force the medicant through the smaller opening.
  • This type of dispenser does not provide the accuracy and control necessary for today's medicants. Accurately controlling the rate and placement of the drops are especially important, since most medicants for the human eye are extremely expensive and a single drop can cost upwards of several dollars. Thus, the loss or waste of even a few drops can present a substantial expense.
  • drop dispensers generally provide a minute orifice or opening in the nozzle portion of the cap, and have a continuous passageway communicating such orifice with the interior of the container and the medicant therein. Contact between the surface of the orifice or nozzle and the eye surface or another external surface can contaminate the nozzle with bacteria. Sterile medicant from the container can then come in contact with the bacteria on the nozzle when drops are being dispensed. The medicant at the orifice or tip area of the nozzle which is not dispensed is drawn back or can seep back into the sterile medicant and thereby contaminate it.
  • United States Letters Patents Nos. 4,138,040 (Stock) and 2,783,919 (Amsell) illustrate previously known drop dispensing devices having elongated dispenser members. Each of the dis­penser members has a continuous internal passageway of small cross-section extending therethrough.
  • United States Letters Patent No. 3,572,558 discloses a drop dispenser having a capillary tube through which extends a drop conveying stem. The capillary tube is deformed to engage the step and prevent lengthwise movement thereof while affording a liquid passage­way therebetween. As will be appreciated, as the cross-section of these passageways decreases the pressure necessary to force the liquid therethrough increases. These capillary passage­ways thus require a greater pressure to dispense the drops.
  • the present invention contemplates a new and improved dispenser device for dispensing droplets of liquid which over­comes all the above-referred to difficulties and provides a liquid medicant dispenser which accurately dispenses droplets of liquid medicant at desired locations without waste, which dispenser is also generally less susceptible to contamination of the medicant within the container.
  • an improved drop dispenser for use with a closed com­pressible container, which dispenser is comprised of a small diameter tubular dispenser member of a resilient plastic material having a drop dispensing free end, the free end being deformed to provide a normally closed, integral valve-like arrangement which is pressure actuated and assumes a partially open position when the pressure within the container increases a sufficient amount to cause elastic deformation of the re­silient material forming the valve-like arrangement.
  • the dispenser member is a small diameter tube of circular cross-section formed of a resilient plastic material.
  • the valve-like arrangement is provided by per­manently deforming the external surface of the tube at the free end thereof. The deformation of the external surface redefines the inner passageway of the tube and forms the valve­like arrangement within the dispenser member, wherein opposed wall surfaces within said tube abut and assume a linear inter­face.
  • the valve-like arrange In its normally closed position, the valve-like arrange­ment generally blocks or reduces the passageway through the dispenser member.
  • the pressure within the container is reversed, the arrangement resumes its normally closed position thereby blocking the passageway.
  • the closing of the valve-like arrange­ment facilitates release of drops therefrom. Release of the droplet prevents drawback of any medicant exposed to the outer surface of the dispenser member, thereby reducing the likeli­hood of bacteria or contaminants on the outer surface of the dispenser member from contaminating medicant within the con­tainer.
  • a principal object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved device for dispensing drops of liquid medicant which is simple and economical in construction and easy to use, and which affords more accurate control over the amount of liquid medicant dispensed therefrom.
  • Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved drop dispenser wherein the medicant contained therein is less susceptible to contamination.
  • a further object of the present invention is the pro­vision of an improved drop dispenser wherein a restriction integrally formed within the passageway of the dispenser member affects a valve-like arrangement to control flow of fluid therethrough in response to pressure differentials on opposite sides thereof.
  • a still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved drop dispenser wherein the plastic memory of a resilient plastic material is utilized in the dispenser member to provide a valve-like arrangement responsive to pressure of the fluid flowing through the dispenser member.
  • a still further object of the present invention is to provide a drop dispenser wherein the propagation of bacteria from the dispenser tip to the sterile medicant within the container is minimized.
  • FIGURE 1 shows an enlarged partial assembly of a liquid drop dispenser according to the present invention.
  • the device is comprised of a compressible plastic container or vial A, a cap member B, and a dispenser member C.
  • Container or vial A contains a supply of liquid 10, medicant for instance, to be dispensed in droplet form.
  • Container A in and of itself, forms no part of the present invention and is shown relatively conventionally.
  • any plastic container or vial A which is commonly used in conjunction with an eyedrop dispenser would include a reduced diameter open neck portion 12 provided with external helical screw threads 14 over the uppermost part of the neck end portion as shown in FIGURE 1.
  • the screw threads 14 are adapted to matingly engage internal threads 16 on cap member B to thereby attach the latter in place on container A in liquid-tight relation thereto.
  • Cap member B comprises a generally cylindrical mounting or base portion 20 and a nozzle end portion 22 projecting endwise therefrom.
  • An axial passageway 30 of varying diameter extends centrally through the cap member.
  • a portion 32 of passageway 30, which extends through the base portion 20 of cap member B, is provided with the aforementioned helical screw threads 16, and is of a diameter to fit over and matingly engage with external threads 14 on the neck end portion 12 of container A to attach the same thereto.
  • the nozzle end portion 22 of cap member B is of generally conical exterior shape tapering down in diameter from base portion 20 of the cap member to an outer apex or tip end 36.
  • axial passageway 30 therethrough decreases in diameter from portion 32 to a relatively small diameter bore opening 40 within the apex end 36. Beyond bore opening 40, axial passageway 30 generally increases in diameter to provide bore opening 42 at the extreme end of apex 36. An annular shoulder 44 is formed at the junc­tion of bore openings 40 and 42.
  • dispenser member C Extending from cap member B is dispenser member C. Dispenser member C is an elongated flexible tube of generally small diameter having a free end 50 and a fixed end 52. Fixed end 52 is secured liquid-tight to cap member B in bore opening 42.
  • Dispenser member C is a generally straight flexible, small diameter tube 60 of a resilient plastic material.
  • tube 60 has a circular cross-sectional shape, with an outer surface 62 and an inner surface 64. More specifically, tube 60 is a thin walled Teflon® tube with an inner diameter of .022" and a wall thickness of .010". The length of tube 60 is not critical.
  • tube 60 is of sufficient length to enable free end 50 to be positioned near the surface of the eye in a drop dispensing position while container A is sufficiently removed therefrom to enable corrective eye wear to be worn by the user.
  • tube 60 is approximately 2" in length.
  • tube 60 need not be Teflon®, or have a circular cross-section with the aforementioned dimensions. Any thermal plastic material having resilient properties and generally similar dimensions may be used in making or forming tube 60.
  • the uniform, gen­erally circular cross-section of tube 60 is altered or distorted at the free end thereof to provide deformed portion 66.
  • deformed portion 66 is formed by linear depressions or troughs generally transverse to the axis of tube 60.
  • the structural shape of tube 60 at portion 66 is permanently altered or deformed in such a manner so as to create a restric­tion 68 within tube 60, wherein such restriction 68 assumes a valve-like arrangement at the end of tube 60 as seen in FIGURE 3.
  • the valve-like arrangement is the result of opposed portions 65 and 67 of wall surface 64 engaging each other and generating a linear interface 70 therebetween.
  • the opposed portions 65 and 67 of inner wall surface 64 assume a generally flat contour.
  • Restriction 68 at the end of tube 60 could possibly be molded, but according to the preferred invention, are formed by plasticly deforming, or altering the circular cross-sectional shape of the tube by pinching or crimping the sides of tube 60 at opposed points to collapse the walls thereof toward each other.
  • deformed area 66 and thus the restriction 68 are formed by two parallel, heated forming dies (not shown).
  • deformed portion 66 of tube 60 can be formed by placing tube 60 between, and transversely to, the parallel, heated forming dies.
  • the form­ing dies pinch or crimp the sides of the tube equally from opposed points thereon to collapse the opposed portions of the walls into abutting relationship to form the linear interface 70.
  • the heat of the dies necessary to cause plastic deformation of the tube will of course depend on several factors such as the material used, the period of engagement between the tube and the heated dies, and the pressure exerted by the dies on the tube.
  • Restriction 68 has a first stable, normally closed posi­tion obstructing the passageway through dispenser member C as best seen in FIGURE 3.
  • squeezing con­tainer A increases the pressure on the medicant or liquid therein and exerts an outward force on inner surface 64 of tube 60.
  • the force of the liquid separates wall portions 65 and 67 to effect an opening 80 therebetween, as seen in FIGURE 4.
  • Opening 80 is the result of the elastic deformation of the resilient plastic material in the area of deformation 66. The size of opening 80 will depend on the level of pressure exerted on the fluid and the resiliency of the plastic material forming tube 60.
  • drop dispensers with fixed con­stant passageways can either have a large diameter passageway wherein slight changes in pressure produce or release a large flow of fluid; or have an extremely small diameter opening where­in large changes in pressure are required to dispense the drops.
  • greater control is provided because of an initial increase in pressure is necessary to effect open­ing or separation of the valve-like arrangement of restriction 68. Thereafter, such pressure must be maintained to maintain the opening therethrough. Any further increases of pressure will both increase the size of the opening and increase the flow of fluid therethrough.
  • Valve-like restriction 68 also quickly decreases flow upon release of the pressure. Thus flow rate gradually increases when force is exerted on the dispenser but is quickly reduced when pressure is released.
  • restriction 68 at free end 50 of dispenser member C insures that medicant which flows through tube 60 and past the free end is dispensed therefrom.
  • restriction 68 resumes its initial stable position it basically pinches-off or squeezes-out any drop that is formed thereon.
  • droplets exposed to the exterior surface of the dispenser member are less likely to remain on the dispenser tip end 50 or to be drawn back into container A.
  • the closing or sealing arrangement of restriction 68, and the tendency of the restriction to pinch-off or drop-off exposed medicant makes propagation of bacteria into the container substantially less likely.
  • deformed portion 66 In addition to deformed portion 66 at free end 50 of tube 60, other deformed portions 66' and 66'' may be provided along the length thereof as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Like deformed portion 66 these deformed area define restrictions 68' and 68'' within tube 60. Each additional deformed area creates a valve-like arrangement which further obstructs passage through tube 60, and defines successive chambers 84 in dispenser member C as seen in FIGURE 2. The additional restrictions 68' and 68'' further obstruct flow through tube 60. Each restric­tion must be successively overcome to permit dispensing of a drop. These multiple restrictions create a slower dispensing rate for more accurate control.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
  • Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
EP85308118A 1984-05-17 1985-11-07 Tropfvorrichtung Withdrawn EP0222944A1 (de)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US06/611,473 US4553686A (en) 1984-05-17 1984-05-17 Drop dispenser
EP85308118A EP0222944A1 (de) 1985-11-07 1985-11-07 Tropfvorrichtung

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP85308118A EP0222944A1 (de) 1985-11-07 1985-11-07 Tropfvorrichtung

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0222944A1 true EP0222944A1 (de) 1987-05-27

Family

ID=8194434

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP85308118A Withdrawn EP0222944A1 (de) 1984-05-17 1985-11-07 Tropfvorrichtung

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0222944A1 (de)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0416694B1 (de) * 1989-09-08 1994-07-13 Merck & Co. Inc. Tropferspitze für Flüssigkeiten
FR2908747A1 (fr) * 2006-11-22 2008-05-23 Plastohm Division Emballages S Distributeur de produit toutes viscosites, notamment produit alimentaire pateux.
EP2698134A3 (de) * 2012-08-14 2014-06-11 Aptar Radolfzell GmbH Tropfenspender
EP3034428A1 (de) * 2014-12-19 2016-06-22 SHB GmbH Dosierkappe für eine Dosierflasche
US9943678B2 (en) 2005-12-02 2018-04-17 C. R. Bard, Inc. Pressure activated proximal valves
DE102022102476B3 (de) 2022-02-02 2023-02-02 Silgan Dispensing Systems Hemer Gmbh Tropfenspender zur Abgabe einer pharmazeutischen Flüssigkeit

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE423060A (de) *
FR1098186A (fr) * 1954-01-12 1955-07-19 Bouchon perfectionné
GB1318462A (en) * 1969-08-21 1973-05-31 Wimmer Kg Drop dispenser for bottles or the like containers
US3756478A (en) * 1971-02-03 1973-09-04 D Podell Eye drop dispenser with liquid metering device
US4553686A (en) * 1984-05-17 1985-11-19 St. Luke's Hospital Drop dispenser

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE423060A (de) *
FR1098186A (fr) * 1954-01-12 1955-07-19 Bouchon perfectionné
GB1318462A (en) * 1969-08-21 1973-05-31 Wimmer Kg Drop dispenser for bottles or the like containers
US3756478A (en) * 1971-02-03 1973-09-04 D Podell Eye drop dispenser with liquid metering device
US4553686A (en) * 1984-05-17 1985-11-19 St. Luke's Hospital Drop dispenser

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0416694B1 (de) * 1989-09-08 1994-07-13 Merck & Co. Inc. Tropferspitze für Flüssigkeiten
US9943678B2 (en) 2005-12-02 2018-04-17 C. R. Bard, Inc. Pressure activated proximal valves
US11305102B2 (en) 2005-12-02 2022-04-19 C. R. Bard, Inc. Pressure activated proximal valves
FR2908747A1 (fr) * 2006-11-22 2008-05-23 Plastohm Division Emballages S Distributeur de produit toutes viscosites, notamment produit alimentaire pateux.
WO2008062107A1 (fr) * 2006-11-22 2008-05-29 Plastohm Sa Distributetur de produit toutes viscosites, notamment produit alimentaire pâteux
EP2698134A3 (de) * 2012-08-14 2014-06-11 Aptar Radolfzell GmbH Tropfenspender
EP3034428A1 (de) * 2014-12-19 2016-06-22 SHB GmbH Dosierkappe für eine Dosierflasche
US10336511B2 (en) 2014-12-19 2019-07-02 Shb Gmbh Dosing cap for a dosing bottle
DE102022102476B3 (de) 2022-02-02 2023-02-02 Silgan Dispensing Systems Hemer Gmbh Tropfenspender zur Abgabe einer pharmazeutischen Flüssigkeit
WO2023148055A1 (en) 2022-02-02 2023-08-10 Silgan Dispensing Systems Hemer Gmbh Dropper for dispensing a pharmaceutical liquid

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