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
  • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
  • B65D51/24—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes
  • B65D51/28—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes with auxiliary containers for additional articles or materials
  • B65D51/2807—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes with auxiliary containers for additional articles or materials the closure presenting means for placing the additional articles or materials in contact with the main contents by acting on a part of the closure without removing the closure, e.g. by pushing down, pulling up, rotating or turning a part of the closure, or upon initial opening of the container
  • B65D51/2814—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes with auxiliary containers for additional articles or materials the closure presenting means for placing the additional articles or materials in contact with the main contents by acting on a part of the closure without removing the closure, e.g. by pushing down, pulling up, rotating or turning a part of the closure, or upon initial opening of the container the additional article or materials being released by piercing, cutting or tearing an element enclosing it
  • B65D51/2821—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes with auxiliary containers for additional articles or materials the closure presenting means for placing the additional articles or materials in contact with the main contents by acting on a part of the closure without removing the closure, e.g. by pushing down, pulling up, rotating or turning a part of the closure, or upon initial opening of the container the additional article or materials being released by piercing, cutting or tearing an element enclosing it said element being a blister, a capsule or like sealed container

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a bottle for extemporaneous -preparation products, particularly medicinal, pharmaceutical, cosmetic products or the like.
• extemporaneous-preparation products are known, i.e., products made up of the solution or of the mixing of at least two different substances, of which, e.g., one in the liquid state and the other in the powder state, which are kept separate the one from the other until the time of use.
• bottles such as those described and illustrated in the patent document EP 0 963 325.
• Such bottles are essentially made up of a tank which is closed on the bottom and which extends at the top in a neck, at the top of which is defined a dispensing mouth; inside the tank a first substance is contained, generally in the liquid state.
• a container of a second substance which is made up of a hollow cylindrical body closed at the bottom by a breakable bottom and open at the top; the bottom of the container, as long as this remains intact, separates the second substance from the first.
• a cutting element which is made up of a tubular body, the lower extremity of which is sectioned according to an oblique plane or which is bevel shaped and the upper extremity of which extends beyond the top opening of the container.
• the cutting element is axially sliding with respect to the container between a non-interference configuration, wherein it is placed above the intact bottom of the container itself, and a cutting configuration, wherein, pushed towards the bottom of the container, it cuts this along the perimeter edge putting the container, thus opened, into communication with the tank.
• the known bottles furthermore, have a cover cap which is associated with the neck of the tank by means of a threaded coupling; the lower edge of the cap is temporarily secured, along a breakage line, to a seal ring secured to the neck of the tank and having a weakened axial line in correspondence to which it opens.
• annular relief is defined which, after the cap has been screwed onto the neck of the tank, couples with the upper edge of the container, which is elastically deformable in a centripetal direction, to form a single body piece with this.
• the cap is screwed onto the neck of the tank to break the seal ring which detaches from this and opens.
• the screwing up of the cap causes the sliding of the cutting element inside the container until the bottom of the latter is cut; the second substance is then poured from the container into the tank, inside which it mixes with the first to form the product.
• the cap has simply to be unscrewed to also remove, integral with this, the container and the cutting element opening the dispensing mouth of the tank.
• the vapours coming from the outside environment and/or those released by the liquid substance in the tank permeate, in part, inside the container where a powdery, often hygroscopic substance is generally present.
• the powdery substance absorbs the vapours released by the liquid substance impregnating itself with these and becoming dense in agglomerates.
• the container is opened and placed in communication with the tank, the agglomerates which have formed tend to remain inside the container and, even when they have been poured into the tank, they have difficulty in dissolving and dispersing themselves completely in the liquid substance.
• composition of the product thus formed does not correspond to that provided for it; in the event of the product being a drug or a medicinal, this causes an indetenninable alteration of the contents of its active ingredients and of the dosage established for it and, therefore, a disadvantageous modification of the therapy studied for a patient.
• Permeability to vapours is further accentuated in correspondence to the bottom of the container which, being of a breakable type, generally has a reduced thickness and/or is fastened to the body of the container along weakened lines of even more reduced thickness.
• bottles are known like those illustrated in the documents EP 1 186 548 and EP 1 858 774, wherein the container containing the second substance defines an insulating interspace to hinder the transit of the vapours released by the liquid substance.
• the capsule is kept in correspondence to the dispensing mouth and meant to be perforated by means of a perforator element integrated in the cap.
• the perforator is arranged above the blistered capsule and, once operated, crosses the blistered capsule from side to side so as to permit the release of the second substance.
• the perforation furthermore, determines a non-uniform tearing of the blistered capsule, with the risk of a number of fragments of same becoming separated from the cap and being swallowed by the user together with the product.
• the bottle shown in WO 2012/035417 has the blistered capsule glued or sealed to the top of the cap; in case of the glue or the sealing yielding, therefore, serious malfunctions could occur, such as the fall of the blistered capsule into the tank and its perforation failure, thereby completely preventing the mixing of the substances and the formation of the product.
• PCT/IB2012/000690 shows a bottle wherein the blistered capsule, instead of being perforated, is crushed by means of a pressing element integrated in the cap.
• the pressing element acts on one face of the blistered capsule, which remains integral and does not break, while the opposite face, because of the pressure applied on the blistered capsule, is broken open, thus releasing the second substance inside the tank.
• the blistered capsule is housed and retained in correspondence to the dispensing mouth of the tank thanks to a bush fitted at least partially in the neck of the tank.
• the bottle made this way is therefore fabricated in the form of four separate components, i.e., the tank, the pressing element integrated in the cap, the blistered capsule and the bush.
• PCT/IB2012/000690 is nevertheless also susceptible to further upgrading aimed, in particular, at increasing its efficiency and ease of use, besides reducing its number of components.
• the main aim of the present invention is to provide a bottle for extemporaneous-preparation products, particularly medicinal, pharmaceutical, cosmetic products or the like, which does in fact allow maintaining the substances making up the product perfectly separate from one another and isolated until the time of product preparation.
• Another object of the present invention consists in providing a bottle which can be used and opened in a simple, practical and easy way by users without requiring any particular effort on their part.
• a further object of the present invention consists in providing a bottle able to ensure the very best water seal between the different components and, at the same time, great sturdiness and stability, so that it offers highly-reliable and efficient use.
• Not the least object of the present mvention consists in providing a bottle the costs and production times of which are reduced, which is easy to assemble and which permits limiting the quantities of component parts and construction materials used for its production.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottle for extemporaneous-preparation products, particularly medicinal, pharmaceutical, cosmetic products or the like that allows overcoming the mentioned drawbacks of the state of the art within the ambit of a simple, rational, easy and effective to use as well as low cost solution.
• At least a tank for the containment of a first substance which has at least a neck ending up into a dispensing mouth;
• first foil substantially deformable and shaped to define a containment cavity of said second substance and a perimeter edge
• a second foil substantially breakable and flat, which is associated with said perimeter edge to close said containment cavity
• said blistered capsule being placeable in the proximity of said neck, the inner volume of said blistered capsule being temporarily separated from the inner volume of said tank and suitable for being placed in communication with it for mixing the first substance and the second substance together to form a product;
• a removable cap which is associable with said tank to cover said dispensing mouth and which comprises at least an actuator element moving between a packaging configuration, wherein said actuator element is kept substantially spaced from said blistered capsule, and a release configuration, wherein said actuator element is arranged in contact against said blistered capsule, causing the opening thereof for the exiting of the first substance and its mixing with the second substance to form said product;
• said cap comprises an annular wall having an outer side surface and an annular edge with which said perimeter edge of the first foil is associated;
• said neck comprises an end portion having an inner side surface and an annular seat
• annular wall being insertable into said end portion with said outer side surface in sealing contact against said inner side surface and said blistered capsule fitted between said annular edge and said annular seat.
• Figure 1 is an exploded, partially broken view of the bottle according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is a section view, o enlarged scale, of a detail of the bottle according to the invention in a packaging configuration
• Figure 3 is a section view, on enlarged scale, of the detail of Figure 2 in a release configuration.
• Embodiments of the invention With particular reference to the embodiment of these figures, globally indicated by 1 is a bottle for extemporaneous-preparation products, particularly medicinal, pharmaceutical, cosmetic products or the like.
• extemporaneous-preparation products are meant products obtainable through the solution or the mixing of at least two different substances which are kept separate until the time of product use.
• One of the two substances is generally in powder or granular form, while the other is generally in liquid state.
• the bottle 1 comprises a tank 2 for containing a first substantially liquid substance 3.
• the tank 2 is substantially shaped like a bottle, a phial or the like.
• the tank 2 has a central axis A, a closed bottom 4 and, towards the top, extends in a neck 5.
• the top of the neck 5 ends in a dispensing mouth 6 to allow the product to come out, once this has been prepared.
• top of the neck 5 is meant the part arranged higher when the tank 2 is placed in the normal collocation position, i.e., with the central axis A vertical, the closed bottom 4 turned downwards and the neck 5 turned upwards.
• a blistered capsule 7, 8 can be placed for containing a second substantially powdered substance 9.
• the blistered capsule 7, 8 has:
• first foil 7 substantially deformable and shaped to define a containment cavity 7a of the second substance 9 and a perimeter edge 7b;
• a second foil 8 substantially breakable and flat, which is associated with the perimeter edge 7b to close the containment cavity 7a.
• the first foil 7 is substantially curved with the exception of the perimeter edge 7b, which is substantially flat.
• At least one between the first foil 7 and the second foil 8 comprises at least one layer of metal, preferably aluminium, able to prevent the transit of humidity and, above all, any vapours escaping from the first substance 3 contained in the tank 2.
• both the first foil 7 and the second foil 8 each have a layer of aluminium, if necessary combined with one or more layers of other material, e.g. plastic or the like (LLDPE, LDPE, MDPE, HDPE).
• plastic or the like LLDPE, LDPE, MDPE, HDPE
• the blistered capsule 7, 8 formed this way can be positioned in the proximity of the neck 5.
• the blistered capsule 7,8 is positioned so the second foil 8 is facing and turned towards the inside of the tank 2, i.e., downwards, while the first foil 7 is turned upwards.
• the inner volume of the blistered capsule 7, 8 is temporarily separated from the inner volume of the tank 2 and is suitable for being placed in communication with this for mixing the first substance 3 and the second substance 9 to form the product.
• tank 2 With the tank 2 is associable at least one removable cap 10 which covers the dispensing mouth 6.
• the cap 10 in particular, can be associated with the tank 2 by means of a threaded coupling.
• the cap 10 in fact, comprises a tubular wall 11 which can be placed around the neck 5; both the tubular wall 11 and the neck 5 are cylinder shaped with round cross section extending along the central axis A, with the tubular wall 1 1 having an internal threading 12 engageable with an external threading 13 obtained on the neck 5.
• the bottle 1 has anti-tampering seal means 14, 15 suitable for making evident the removal of the cap 10 from the tank 2.
• the anti-tampering seal means 14, 15 comprise a seal ring 14 which is made in a single body piece with the cap 10 along a tearable line 15 obtained at the base of the tubular wall 11.
• the tearable line 15, e.g., is defined by a series of bridges with weakened section placed in between the seal ring 14 and the base of the tubular wall 11.
• the seal ring 14 can be fastened to the tank 2 by means of a slot coupling.
• Such coupling is made up, e.g., of an annular relief 16 protruding from the outer face of the neck 5 and of a corresponding annular protrusion 17 defined inside the seal ring 14.
• the cap 10 At the top of the tubular wall 11, the cap 10 has an annular disc 18 which extends from the tubular wall 11 towards the central axis A.
• the cap 10 has an actuator element 19 moving between a packaging configuration, wherein the actuator element 19 is kept substantially spaced away from the blistered capsule 7, 8, and a release configuration, wherein the actuator element 19 is arranged in contact against the blistered capsule 7, 8 and causes its opening for the outflow of the first substance 3 and its mixing with the second substance 9 to form the product.
• the actuator element 19 is made up of a pressing element suitable for coming into contact with the first foil 7 of the blistered capsule 7, 8 and causing the deformation without breakage of the first foil 7 and the breakage of the second foil 8.
• the actuator element 19 consists of a perforator element having a sharp profile able to cross both the foils of the blistered capsule 7, 8.
• the actuator element 19 and the cap 10 are made in a single body piece and are joined along a pre-breaking line 20 which is breakable for the switch of the actuator element 19 from the packaging configuration to the release configuration.
• the actuator element 19 and the cap 10 are made joined and, once the cap 10 has been placed on the neck 5 of the tank 2, the actuator element 19 remains far enough from the blistered capsule 7, 8 so as not to negatively affect its integrity.
• the pressing element 19 is shaped so as to define a tubular body 21, having a closed side 22 arranged above and an open side 23 arranged below.
• the open side 23, in point of fact, consists of an annular surface suitable for coming into contact with the first foil 7 of the blistered capsule 7, 8 and deforming it.
• actuator element 19 and the cap 10 retention means 24, 25 are provided between the actuator element 19 and the cap 10 retention means 24, 25 for retaining the actuator element 19 in the release configuration.
• the retention means 24, 25 comprise, e.g., at least one grip recess 24, obtained on at least one between the actuator element 19 and the cap 10, and at least one fastening tooth 25, obtained on the other between the actuator element 19 and the cap 10 and insertable into the grip recess 24 when the actuator element 19 has reached the release configuration.
• the grip recess 24 is obtained at the top of the actuator element 19, on its outer side face, while the fastening tooth 25 is obtained on the cap 10 in correspondence to the pre- breaking line 20.
• the cap 10 comprises an annular wall 26 having an outer side surface 27 and an annular edge 28 with which is associated the perimeter edge 7b of the first foil 7.
• the annular wall 26 extends downwards from the annular disc 18 and axially ends in the annular edge 28.
• the annular edge 28 lies on a plane transversal to the central axis A and is substantially flat, so as to facilitate joining to the perimeter edge 7b; the union between the annular edge 28 and the perimeter edge 7b occurs e.g. by means of sealing, heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, gluing or the like.
• the annular wall 26 and the tubular wall 11 of the cap 10 are substantially coaxial with one another and fitted inside one another, with the tubular wall 11 outside the annular wall 26.
• the tubular wall 11 and the annular wall 26 are spaced away so as to define, between themselves and the annular disc 18, an annular interspace into which the top of the neck 5 can be fitted.
• the neck 5 defines an end portion 29 having an inner side surface 30 and an annular seat 31 ⁇
• the annular wall 26 can be fitted in the end portion 29 with the outer side surface 27 in seal contact against the inner side surface 30 and with the blistered capsule 7, 8 blocked between the annular edge 28 and the annular seat 31.
• the outer side surface 27 is tapered towards the annular edge 28 to define an invitation profile guiding the insertion into the inner side surface 30.
• the outer side surface 27 has a truncated- cone shape with vertex turned downwards.
• the outer side surface 27 is oversized with respect to the inner side surface 30, i.e., it has a larger diameter compared to that of the inner side surface 30.
• annular wall 26 can be inserted in the end portion 29 with interference, exploiting at least in part the deformability of the material making up the annular wall 26 and the end portion 29 to ensure the sought seal effect between the tank 2 and the cap 10.
• the axial extension of the annular wall 26 and of the end portion 29 is such as to place the annular edge 28 and the annular seat 31 at a very short distance which determines the crushing of the perimeter of the blistered capsule 7, 8 on both faces, ensuring this stays in position.
• the operation of the bottle 1 is the following.
• the bottle 1 is manufactured in the form of three separate component parts (figure 1): the tank 2 containing the first substance 3, the blistered capsule 7, 8 containing the second substance 9, and the cap 10, which integrates the pressing element 19 and the seal ring 14.
• the assembly of bottle 1 occurs by stably joining (e.g., by means of sealing or gluing) the perimeter edge 7b of the blistered capsule 7, 8 to the annular edge 28 and, subsequently, fitting and screwing the cap 10 over the neck 5.
• the annular wall 26 is forced to enter with interference in the end portion 29, ensuring the side seal between the outer side surface 27 of the annular wall 26 and the inner side surface 30 of the end portion 29.
• the pressing element 19 is thus forced to switch from packaging configuration to release configuration, wherein it comes into contact with the blistered capsule
• the pressure applied on the second substance 9 by means of the deformation of the first foil 7 leads to the breaking of the second foil 8, and to the fall by gravity of the second substance 9 through the neck 5 and its pouring inside the tank 2 to form the product (figure 3).
• the cap 10 simply has to be unscrewed from the neck 5.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Package Specialized In Special Use (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=46321296

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (13)

Citations (8)

• 2012
  • 2012-05-15 IT IT000132A patent/ITMO20120132A1/it unknown
• 2013
  • 2013-05-06 WO PCT/IB2013/053614 patent/WO2013171621A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2013-05-06 ES ES13729462.5T patent/ES2590507T3/es active Active
  • 2013-05-06 EP EP13729462.5A patent/EP2850014B1/fr not_active Not-in-force

Patent Citations (8)

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