EP0179743B1

EP0179743B1 - Container for emergency medicaments

Info

Publication number: EP0179743B1
Application number: EP85830189A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Raffaele Pasculli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-10-25
Filing date: 1985-07-23
Publication date: 1991-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2005-07-23
Also published as: BR8504084A; EP0179743A3; IT1206464B; DE3581583D1; IT8423313A0; ATE60561T1; EP0179743A2

Abstract

This invention relates to a particular kind of container intended to retain upon oneself emergency medicaments such as the pills of the coronary-dilator medicament that is generally administered by sublingual way as an emergency aid in the case of a sudden cardiac crisis, said container being conceived so as to make such adminstration as quick, unfailing and practical as possible in any time and event of the everyday life.

Description

The invention relates to a container for medicaments or pills according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a container is known from US-A-4,298,125.
The container of US-A-4,298,125 has the disadvantage that the opening of the container is relatively difficult for the user. Moreover, this known container is not provided with means which permit the container to be carried permanently by a patient. A container, which can be permanently carried, is however known from DE-A-2 305 134.
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a containerfor pharmaceutical products in the form of tablets or pills, which are intended to be administered in emergency situations, such container permitting the above-mentioned problems to be obviated, while assuring the possibility of a quick, practical and unfailing use, especially in the case of a cardiac crisis originated by a coronary insufficiency, where the psychophysical conditions of the patient are generally characterized by the well-known physical pain as well as by other typical symptoms, such as anguish and sensation of impending death, psychic confusion, fear, sensation of extremely urgent need of a medicinal remedy.
According to the invention the said known container is provided additionally with the features defined in the characterizing part of claim 1.
The rupture means of the container serve as opening aids for the user and make the container very easily openable.
In the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are front views of two similar embodiments of the same container, both intended to be carried preferably hanged to one's neck by means of a small chain or the like, the container being made of a plastic material and obtained, in a hermetically sealed condition including the pills or tablets, starting from two or more elements assembled together, and wherein the pills ortablets can be pushed off by squeezing;
Figs. 3 and 4 are rear views of the container's embodiments shown in Figs. 1 and 2;
Figs. 5 and 6 show vertical sections of the said two embodiments of the container; Fig. 6, in particular, shows a tablet while pushed off by squeezing;
Fig. 7 shows a tablet-holder made of plastic material, obtained and to be used in the same way as the containers referred to above, and which is intended to be inserted into a container, preferably made of metal and square-shaped, and suitable to be opened preferably by snap action, as illustrated in the following Figs. 13, 14 and 15;
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section taken through said container of Fig. 7 showing the opening, the said tablet-holder is getting out, also by snap action;
Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section taken through the container of Fig. 13, in a closed condition;
Fig. 10 is a top plan-view of the container of Fig. 13 just after being opened;
Fig.11 is a front view of a further embodiment of a container made of plastic material;
Fig. 12 is a vertical section thereof, and
Fig. 13 is a side view thereof.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, the container is constituted by two elements 501 and 502 obtained by molding or otherwise in a suitable plastic material and then bonded together so as to form a solid and hermetically sealed enclosure. In the element 502 the tablet receptacles are formed, one of which is indicated by 503 and shown in cross-section. Numerals 504 and 604 designate a metal tube having a cutting edge and embedded into the element 502 during the manufacturing of the container.
The plastic material employed for manufacturing the element 502 is chosen so that the tablet receptacles 503 can be squeezed by a finger. In so doing, the metal tube 504 penetrates the element 501 until a portion of it is punched off, so that the tablet is made free and falls out without a pressure force being exerted thereon.
Numerals 305, 405, 505, 605, designate a groove encircling the bases of the tablet receptacles and intended to facilitate the squeezing of the receptacles by receiving in part the squeezed material.
Numeral 503 designates one of the tablet receptacles while it is squeezed by a finger in order to eject a tablet 506, 608 therefrom. Numeral 609 designates a disc of plastic material being punched off by the metal tube 604.
Referring to Figs. 7-10, there is shown a container which can be opened by snap action and formed of two shells 2101, 2102, made preferably of metal, either common or precious. The supporting ring 2103 is integrally formed with the shell 2101, and the shell 2102 is provided with an abutment portion 2105 mating with the twin portion 2104 of the supporting ring when the shells are in the closed position shown in Fig. 14. The mechanism for closing and opening the container by snap action (not shown in these Figures), forms part of the abutement surface of the supporting ring 2103 and allows the opening of the container to be carried out by a simple movement. A gasket 2106-2306, of a suitable elastic material is inserted in the edge of shell 2101, said gasket, upon closing of the container, being pressed within a U-shaped groove 2107-2307 provided in the mating edge of shell 2102, thereby assuring the hermetical seal of the container as a further precaution in addition to the hermetical seal already provided by the interchangeable plastic holder 2008 or by the single capsules 2505 in the case of the metal holder. Numeral 2206 designates the gasket described above and compressed between shells when the container is in a closed position. Shells 2101, 2102, are connected by a hinge 2109 including a spiral spring, not shown in the Figure, biasing the shells to an open position so as to permit the automatic opening thereof as soon as the closure mechanism is released. A metal tubular element 2110 is rotatably mounted about a pin 2111, said tubular element being provided with a slot preferably circular in cross-section and being intended to retain a correspondingly-shaped projection of the interchangeable plastic holder. These tablet holders are suitable to rotate by 180°, thereby assuming two opposite positions according to whether the container is open or closed. The hinge of this holder 2110 also embodies a spiral spring, not shown in Figure, biasing the tablet holder in a position rotated outwardly of the container.
Because of the above-described arrangement, as soon as the closure mechanism is released, the container's shells open by snap action until they lie in a parallel plane, as shown in Fig. 7; at the same time the slotted tubular element 2110 is rotated outwardly so that also the tablet holder 2008-2108 is brought in a parallel position and is ready for letting the tablets to be pushed off, while the container remains always connected to the small chain or lie element securing it preferably to the user's neck.
An improved embodiment of the container made of plastic material is shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13. In this embodiment the metal tube 21, 22 having a cutting edge is fastened to the bottom of the receptacle containing the tablet, rather than by flaring as in the preceding case, by means of a central bore in which, upon molding of the portion 24, the retaining boss 25 is obtained.
In this embodiment the portion 24 is provided with an extension 26, which, due to the flexibility characteristics of the plastic material employed, can be bent over at the region 27, which is made thinner in order to act as a hinge. This extension is provided with voids such as those indicated by 12 and 28, obtained in the thickness thereof and in which, upon closure of the container, the receptacles containing the tablets are inserted so as to assure a protection against an accidental squeezing.
The closure is obtained by means of the teeth 13 and 29, which are spread apart in order to permit the opening, and the movement of which is also permitted by the flexibility characteristics of the plastic material used.

Claims

1. Container for medicament tablets or pills intended to be administered in emergency cases, said container being protected against outer agents and comprising a base element (501), a cover element (502) hermetically sealed to the base element (501) and receptacles (503, 603) in the cover element (502) for receiving the medicament tablets or pills, characterized in that said container is provided with means permitting it to be permanently carried by a patient and in that metal tubes (504, 604, 21, 22) having a cutting edge are embedded in said receptacles (503, 603) for facilitating the opening thereof.

2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the receptacles (503, 603) are made of flexible material and that areas of reduced thickness are provided in the base element (501) in alignment with the receptacles (503, 603).

3. Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that grooves (305, 405, 505, 605) encircling the base of the receptacles (503, 603) are formed into the cover element (502).