US3502206A

US3502206A - Package for oral barium and the like

Info

Publication number: US3502206A
Application number: US773075A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wavne M Hultberg; Joe E Irvin
Original assignee: Baxter Laboratories Inc
Current assignee: Baxter International Inc
Priority date: 1968-11-04
Filing date: 1968-11-04
Publication date: 1970-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 1987-03-24

Description

March 24, 1,970 w. M. HULTBERG ET AL 3,502,206

PACKAGE FOR ORAL BARIUM AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 4, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AM i,

HHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WAYNE M.Hv|.rsERG Jos E. /Rv/A/ March 24, 1970 w, M, Hum-BERG ETAL 3,502,206

PACKAGE FOR ORAL BARIUM AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 4, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 will IMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII fsf/w INvEuroR WAYNE rtl-laurens .los E. lawn 'United States Patent O 3,502,206 PACKAGE FOR ORAL BARIUM AND THE LIKE Wayne M. Hultberg, Glenview, and Joe E. Irvin, Highland Park, Ill., assignors to Baxter Laboratories Inc., Morton Grove, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 773,075 Int. Cl. B65d 79/00, 81 /32 U.S. Cl. 206-47 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a package of a material for making a liquid mixture adapted for no more than a single use. Particularly the invention relates to a package of a solid and means for adding thereto and mixing therewith a predetermined quantity of a liquid carrier to provide a single diagnostic dose. Specifically the invention relates to a package of a single dose of diagnostic barium salt.

Barium sulfate, a radio-opaque material, conventional- 1y is introduced as a suspension into portions of the gastro-intestinal tract to enable production of meaningful radiographs as a diagnostic aid in detection of abnormal conditions. Conventionally, the barium salt is furnished to an X-ray laboratory in dry particle form in a bulk container having a capacity for material sufficient to enable a great number of examinations. To prepare barium salt, thus supplied, for use in successive examinations requires that a predetermined quantity be removed from its container for each examination and mixed with water prior to administration.

However, errors in the concentrations of resulting suspensions may arise from the foregoing procedure. And this -problem is not unique for barium salt as it is also encountered in connection with other materials which like barium salt are mixed with liquid for each procedure in which any such material is used. Accordingly, while the illustrated embodiment of the invention is a package of barium' salt, it is appreciated that the barium salt is only illustrative and that the package may comprise another material which is to be mixed or diluted with a suitable uid carrier to condition such other material for use.

In accordance with the present invention the aforedescribed errors, especially in handling of medical substances, are prevented. To that end, a container comprises a cup for a measured quantity of material. A cap for measuring a predetermined volume of a liquid carrier to be mixed in said cup with said material is removably mounted on said cup. The cap is proportioned for arrangement in nested condition in said cup and for arrangement on said cup in a condition inverted from its nested condition. It is an advantage of the invention that the foregoing enables shaking, in said inverted condition, of the measured material and the liquid carrier poured into said cup from said cap by reason of provision of suicient space above the mixture. Moreover, by fabricating the cap and cup comprising each container from inexpensive materials, disposability after each use is encouraged. This latter feature attracts medical uses for the invention because it eliminates need for re-cleaning and attendant problems and expense.

ice

How realization of the foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention are achieved will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and appended claims, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein the same reference character or numeral refers to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a package embodying said invention and illustrating a container comprised of a cup and a cap in nested condition.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view according to the line 2-2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the said embodiment on the scale of FIG. 2 with parts of said cap broken away.

FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view of said embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating said cap in a pouring condition in solid lines, and in an inverted condition in dashed lines.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the cup and cap conditioned as a shaker.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of said package on the scale of FIG. 1 but conditioned as in FIG. 6

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a container generally designated 10 comprises a cup 12 for a measured quantity of a material 11 sufficient for only a single use which will determine the composition of the material. Material 11 may be a solid, preferably in particulate form, or a concentrated mixture of a solid and a liquid. Herein, it is a radio-opaque salt, barium sulfate particularly, in particulate form, and when suspended in a liquid carrier `13 (FIG. 5) such as water, suitable for administration into a gastro-intestinal tract for the purpose of making X-ray pictures.

Cup 12 is preferably of rigid construction and may be fabricated from any suitable substance which is inert with respect to material 11 and liquid carrier 13. Various plastic materials, both thermosetting and thermoplastic resins, suggest themselves. However, the exemplary container is polystyrene because of its economy. Thereby, disposability as well as practice of the invention is encouraged.

Cup '12 is proportioned so that a head space 14 (FIG. 4) is provided above the measured quantity of material 11. The wall 17 which defines the body of said cup is conically tapered with its greatest diametric dimension in its upper end section 16 at upper end opening 18.

This proportioning enables a cap 20 to be received in telescoped or nested condition (FIG. 2) in head space 14 defined by upper end section 16. To facilitate the nested association, cap 20 has a sidewall 22 which comprises a truncated cone proportioned with outer diametric dimensions substantially equal to, though slightly less than, the inner diametric dimensions of upper end section 16 so that there is a tendency for frictional engagement or association between the cup and the cap when in nested condition. (The space shown in FIG. 2 between the upper end section 16 and the cap is exaggerated for the purpose of illustration.)

Wall 22 denes a chamber or well 24 within said cap which has an upwardly facing opening 26, when the cap is in nested condition. The height of wall 22 is such that upon full nesting of the cap, its lower Wall 28 will be spaced from material 11 (FIG. 2). This proportioning enables minimizing the size of a package to achieve shipping, storing and handling economies when material 11 is prepackaged. In this latter regard it is contemplated that optionally container 10 may be supplied to a laboratory without material 11 or as a package including said material.

As fashioned, cap 20 has at or about its wide end section 27, i.e. its upper end section when the cap is in nested condition, an annular radial ange or lip 30. The latter is proportioned for engaging an upper annular lip 32 fashioned on cup 12 and projecting radially from an uppermost outwardly offset ring 34 of section 16 for supporting the cap and limiting its movement into the cup to prevent jamming of the cap and cup when the parts are in nested condition. Cap 20, like cup 12, may be fabricated from any of a plurality of well-known substances including cellulosics, or plastics such as polycarbonates or polyethylene. Preferred, in the interest of economy however, is polystyrene.

End section 27 denes opening 26 and is proportioned for reception within ring 34. Such construction enables the cap to be received and supported when the cap is inverted from its nested position by said cup on a shoulder 35 generated by formation of ring 34. Moreover, the engagement of flange 30 against lip 32 also supports said cap and limits movement of the cap into the cup when the cap is in such inverted condition.

Well 24 is proportioned to receive a predetermined quantity of liquid carrier 13 suflicient to condition material 11 for use. In accordance with preferred practice, carrier 13 will be added to a predetermined level in well 24, preferably immediately before use and following removal of the cap from its nested condition. Thereafter the carrier can be poured into the contents of the cup, as illustrated in FIG. 5. It is appreciated that the volume of the liquid carrier 13 received in the well should not exceed the volume of head space 14. Thereby no part of the liquid carrier will spill `when added to the cup.

Following pouring of the liquid carrier into the cup the cap is applied to the cup in the cap inverted condition according to preferred practice. Thus associated chamber 24 is substantially wholly outside of cup 12 and now provides a head chamber enabling vigorous manual shaking of the liquid carrier and material 11 in a closed container, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

A divider 36 is proportioned for disposition in the cup 12. above the level of material 11 however, below the wall 28 of the cap when the cap is in nested condition. The divider in essence separates head space 14 from the remainder of the chambe defined by cup 12. It also prevents material 11 from sullying the cap during handling and storage while the container parts are in nested association. In the present embodiment divider 36 is a flexible membrane having a peripheral portion 38 (FIG.

2) which is adapted for disposition about smaller porcause it is inexpensive and is highly lubricious. This characteristic is especially desirable because polystyrene, the preferred material of the cap and cup has an exceedingly high coeflicient of friction which is increased by barium sulfate. Accordingly, the cup and cap which otherwise would be difiicult to separate from nested condition may be readily yseparated to facilitate use as aforedescribed.

What is claimed is:

1. A container which comprises a cup for holding a measured quantity of material, having an upper end section defining an open'mouth, a cap having a bottom wall and an annular side wall, said cap being normally carried in said mouth by frictional engagement of the upper end section with said annular side wall, with the bottom wall of the cap facing the interior of the cup, and a divider membrane frictionally held between said upper end section and annular side wall and separating said bottom wall from the interior of the cup to seal said interior and to enhance removal of the cap from its normally-carried position by reduction of friction, said cap also having means for frictional sealing engagement in an inverted position with said upper end section.

2. A container as defined in claim 1, in which said membrane is of polyethylene fabrication.

3. A container according to claim 2 in which said cup is polystyrene fabrication.

4. A container according to claim 2 in which said cap is of polystyrene fabrication.

5. The container of claim 1 in which the side wall of the cap carries an annular flange to assist in positioning the cap in frictional engagement with said upper end section.

6. The container of claim 1 having therein a measured amount of a substance intended for mixing with a liquid.

7. The container of claim 6 in which the volume dened within said annular side wall and bottom wall of the cap corresponds to the volume of liquid intended to be mixed with said substance.

8. The container of claim 6 in which said substance is a radio-opaque agent for gastrointestinal administration.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,483,015 2/ 1924 Schnackenberg. 1,573,445 2/ 1926 Phillips 220-'42 X 1,721,506 7/1929 Bass 220-1 1,885,757 11/1932 Orlopp 206-47 2,401,038 5/1946 Barton et al.

MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 229-15