Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C11/00—Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00
  • A45C11/005—Contact lens cases

Definitions

• the invention relates to a container for storing contact lenses, which can be filled with a liquid wetting the contact lenses.
• Containers for storing contact lenses are known in various designs. Such containers are usually filled with a disinfectant liquid, whereupon the contact lenses for their storage, in particular for overnight storage, are placed in the liquid and the container is closed.
• removing contact lenses from such liquid-filled containers is not always easy since, on the one hand, the contact lenses are difficult to see with the naked eye when immersed in the liquid and, on the other hand, it is not always easy to grip the contact lenses in the liquid.
• US Pat. No. 5,167,323 to insert the contact lenses into a type of basket-shaped container and then to connect this basket-shaped container to an open-topped container. The connection can be made, for example, by screwing a lid on the underside of the container wearing .
• a container for storing contact lenses which comprises two compartments arranged side by side and separately from one another. Each compartment is provided for receiving a contact lens and can be closed by a cap. Each compartment has a removal device with a convex surface for placing a contact lens.
• the removal device can be lifted out of the container filled with liquid or lowered into it by opening and closing the cover. It is thus possible to remove a contact lens from the respective compartment without the fingers coming into contact with the liquid.
• a complete rinsing of the contact lenses is not guaranteed in this known container if there is not sufficient liquid level in the individual compartments.
• the lowerable and lifting removal device requires a comparatively complicated structure of the container and thus high manufacturing costs.
• the object of the present invention is now to provide a container of the type mentioned, which ensures in a simple manner that after closing the container, the contact lenses actually get below the liquid level and completely of liquid are washed around.
• the invention is also based on the object of making handling considerably easier and of making it possible to insert contact lenses into the container in a manner and to remove them from the container without the fingers coming into contact with the liquid.
• the container according to the invention can be filled with a liquid wetting the contact lenses and comprises a lower container part and an upper container part.
• the upper part of the container can be sealed with the lower part of the container, for example by means of a hinge or a hinged or hinged connection with a closure device.
• the container is preferably made of any plastic material in order to achieve a particularly light construction.
• the lower part of the container delimits a cavity for receiving the liquid and has a receiving part for the contact lenses.
• the contact lens receiving part protrudes beyond a maximum liquid level in the lower part of the container. Accordingly, the receiving part for the contact lenses after opening the container, ie with the container upper part opened or pivoted, or shortly before opening, ie with the container upper part resting on the lower container part, above the liquid level in the lower container part, so that the contact lenses in the opened state of the container without direct contact with the liquid can be removed.
• the contact lenses can be made accordingly, without having liquid in them To come into contact.
• the receiving part interacts with a cover part arranged in the upper part of the container.
• the receiving part and the lid part each have receiving openings for the contact lenses, the edges of the receiving openings of the receiving part and the lid part preferably abutting each other on their circumference and interacting in this way.
• the receiving part and the cover part are each advantageously designed in the form of a basket. This makes it possible to form a closed cavity for receiving the contact lenses, which is preferably adapted to the size and contour of the contact lenses. This ensures safe storage of the contact lenses between the receiving and cover parts.
• the container After the container is closed, the container becomes compact. In this compact state, a stable swivel position is immediately ensured by swiveling the container through 180 °, so that the cleaning or disinfecting liquid flows around the contact lenses.
• the lower part of the container lies above the upper part of the container, so that the liquid originally filled in the lower part of the container flows into the upper part of the container. This ensures that the receiving part and the cover part with the contact lenses come to lie below the liquid level in the region of the upper part of the container.
• the pivoting movement which takes place relatively jerkily as in a "standing man" simultaneously ensures that between the contact lenses and no air bubbles remain trapped in the liquid wetting them, since these are washed away during the pivoting movement. Since, according to the invention, the complete immersion of the contact lenses only takes place in the stable pivot position, even with small amounts of wetting liquid, the sufficient amount for wetting the contact lenses can be found. Appropriate design of the cavities of the upper part of the container and the lower part of the container ensures that the contact lenses are dipped sufficiently deep into the liquid.
• the necessary tilting moment for reaching the stable swivel position can be achieved in a simple manner in that the upper part of the container consists of specifically heavier material than the lower part of the container and / or contains inserts made of specifically heavier material, especially metal.
• the "lower part of the container” refers to that part of the container which lies below the upper part of the container in an open state of the container or immediately after the container has been closed. On the other hand, in the stable swivel position of the closed, compact container, the lower container part lies above the upper container part. According to the invention, it is sufficient to mark or design a container part accordingly in order to make it clear how the container has to be opened, i.e. which part of the container forms the upper part and which forms the lower part.
• the container it proves to be advantageous if it has an egg-shaped contour.
• a spherical, conical, cylindrical or polygonal outline is preferred for the container.
• the container can easily roll or be brought into a position on its periphery after the closure, in which it is ensured that the contact lenses are below the liquid level.
• the shape of the container is always such that after pivoting due to gravity, a pivot position is immediately adopted, in which the safe wetting of the contact lenses can be achieved.
• the container upper part has a weight that is greater than a weight of the liquid-filled container lower part.
• the stable swivel position can be achieved with only slight differences in weight.
• the receiving part and / or the cover part have openings or openings.
• the receiving part and / or the cover part is preferably designed as a basket with openwork or sieve-like walls.
• the receiving part preferably has two separately marked compartments and / or compartments separated from one another, for example by a screen wall or continuous partition wall. These compartments are identified, for example, with an "R" (for the right) for inserting the right contact lens and with an "L" (for the left) for inserting the left contact lens.
• a particularly simple and favorable for the rolling process of the container can be achieved in that the container upper part is designed as the tip end of an egg-shaped container, the tip end being correspondingly heavier, so that the stable swivel position is achieved in that the egg-shaped container on his To come to a head.
• the heavier design of the upper part of the container generally has the result that the holding volume of the upper part of the container is less than the holding volume of the cavity in the lower part of the container, so that a sufficiently high liquid level is guaranteed, which guarantees a safe immersion of the contact lenses in the storage position.
• the design is such that the upper part of the container is connected to the lower part of the container in an articulated or foldable manner, for example via a joint, hinge or a flexible plastic strip, and can be pivoted into an open position in a common base with the lower part of the container.
• a stable position of the opened container can be guaranteed immediately, so that the contact lenses can drip off easily, are accessible without difficulty and the liquid can be filled in.
• the upper part of the container and the lower part of the container adjoin one another in a parting plane which is at half the height of the container tilted into the stable position of the container.
• a common footprint in the opened state is guaranteed without additional modifications to the outer wall of the container and, on the other hand, the sealing between the upper part of the container and the lower part of the container is simplified, since this sealing is now arranged in the parting plane as a sealing ring made of any sealing material, for example an O-ring or Rubber, can be formed.
• the receiving part with the lower part of the container and / or the cover part with the upper part of the container by at least one connecting element, for example a column or struts , connected is. It is therefore possible that, on the one hand, the receiving part with the upper part of the container open lies above the division level and, when the upper part of the container is closed, projects into it. On the other hand, the distance between the lid part and the inner wall of the upper container part can be adjusted by choosing an appropriate length for the connecting element, so that the lid part comes to rest on the receiving part when the container is closed and closes it.
• the receiving part is for example glued or screwed to the connecting element and / or the cover part to the upper part of the container, or also connected via a snap lock.
• a cavity of the upper part of the container carrying the lid part is smaller than the cavity of the lower part of the container which can be filled with liquid.
• a suitable design of the cavity in the upper part of the container ensures that the receiving part and thus the contact lenses are immersed securely in the liquid level in the stable pivot position for storing the contact lenses, even with small amounts of liquid.
• the receiving part is detachably connected to the lower part of the container and carries a stand part or is releasably connectable to a stand part.
• the receiving part can be detached from the lower part of the container, for example from a plug connection, and set up separately.
• the contact lenses can remain in the receiving part.
• the cleaning liquid can be easily replaced in this way and the container can be pivoted as desired to pour the cleaning liquid without the contact lenses being lost.
• the upper part of the container and the lower part of the container can be closed or locked with a closing part in the closed state.
• the upper part of the container can be attached, locked or locked, for example, via a swivel joint and a locking member or a snap lock on the lower part of the container.
• a swivel joint a snap lock or a locking member
• a clip, a clip or a clip is attached to the closing part or the container for transport.
• This clip, clamp or clip fixes and at least partially encloses the two container parts.
• the securely closed container can be clipped or attached to pockets of clothing similar to a pressure pen, in particular a ballpoint pen or fountain pen, and transported safely in the correct position, with the correct position being suitably aligned by the clasp, the clip or the clip be ensured during transport in which the contact lenses are completely flushed with liquid.
• the upper part of the container has a standing surface and the lower part of the container on its side opposite the standing surface of the upper part of the container in the closed state is one of has a point or a straight line formed area.
• the container can either be placed manually on the upper part of the container or automatically pivoted into a tilted position. Since only one of the two container parts forms the standing surface, the container, after being closed by gravity and while maintaining the compactness, automatically reaches a position in which, due to the respective available volumes for liquid in the two container parts in the amount of liquid on the base of the container, the contact lenses are safely flushed with liquid.
• a standing surface can also ensure the secure and stable position in the open state, the container resting in the open position on the standing surface of the upper container part and the lower container part resting on a point or line contact.
• an outer surface of the container ie the surface of the container that the user can recognize from the outside, has different colors, patterns and / or structures.
• the container can also have a uniform color, pattern and / or structure on it Have surface.
• This diverse and almost infinite design option for the surface of the container offers the great advantage that when using several containers, these can be easily distinguished from one another.
• the hygienic conditions can thus also be improved, since an already used container can easily be distinguished from a new, disinfected one.
• Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first
• FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a partially closed container according to the first embodiment
• FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a closed, partially pivoted container according to the first embodiment
• Figures 4 and 5 different pivot positions which the closed container according to the first embodiment assumes under the influence of gravity; and 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the container according to the first embodiment in its stable pivot position;
• Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a second
• Embodiment of the container according to the invention in the open state Embodiment of the container according to the invention in the open state
• FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the container in the closed state according to the second embodiment
• Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a third
• FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the taken-out receiving part according to FIG. 9 in its position placed on its base or its foot part;
• a lower container part 1 is shown, which is filled with liquid 2 up to a liquid level 3.
• the lower part of the container has a central support column 4 made of plastic, which is integrally connected to the lower part 1 of the container and on which a receiving part 5 for the contact lenses 6 is fixed.
• the support column 4 projects with the receiving part 5 above the liquid level 3.
• the receiving part 5 and a partition 7 located between two individual compartments of the receiving part 5 are included Openings are formed so that struts are created and the contact lenses are kept separate from each other.
• An upper container part or an upper lid part 8 is also made of plastic and, because of a weighted head region 9, is fundamentally heavier than the lower container part 1, in which case specifically heavier material or inserts made of specifically heavier material can also be introduced.
• the upper container part 8 contains a cover part 10, in which in turn a partition wall element 11 is provided which, when the container is closed (FIGS. 3 to 6), is aligned with the partition wall element 7 of the receiving part 5.
• the cover part 10, the partition elements 7 and 11 and the receiving part 5 are perforated or sieve-shaped in order to ensure safe rinsing of the contact lenses 6.
• the cover part 10 is attached to a location of an inner wall of the upper container part 8, in the present case connected to the inner wall of the upper container part at the deepest point of the cavity delimited by the inner wall.
• Fig. 2 it can be seen that the upper container part 8 can be pivoted about a folding axis 13 for closing in a closed state of the container, the contact lenses 6 being arranged above the liquid level 3 in the lower container part 1.
• the support column 4 for the receiving part 5 protrudes above the liquid level 3 in the container.
• a corresponding sealing element, not shown, is provided in a division plane 27 of the container between the upper container part 8 and the lower container part 1.
• an outer surface 26 of the container has a pattern of different colors to make the appearance of the container appealing to the user. At the same time, what is to be held up when opening and closing is to be held up Container part indicated by a label, not shown in the drawing.
• both contact lenses 6 are already below the liquid level 3. Because of the dimensioning of the cavities in the upper and in the lower part of the container, a safe immersion is ensured here even with small amounts of liquid.
• FIG. 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the container according to the invention in the open (FIG. 7) and closed (FIG. 8) state.
• the lower container part 1 is filled with liquid 2 up to a liquid level 3 analogous to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.
• the lower container part 1 has a central support column 4 which is integrally connected at one end to the lower container part 1 and at the other end in one piece to the receiving part 5 for the contact lenses 6, the receiving part 5 projecting above the liquid level 3.
• the receiving part 5 and the partition 7 located in the receiving part are formed by struts, which are no longer shown, in order to allow liquids to pass through the passages formed between the struts.
• the upper container part 8 is connected to the lower container part 1 via a joint 14, the upper container part 8 being provided with an essentially flat standing surface 15.
• the cover part 10 is connected to the inner wall of the through the upper container part via a connecting element, in the present case a short column 28 trained cavity attached.
• a connecting element in the present case a short column 28 trained cavity attached.
• the lower container part 1 In the open position of the container shown in FIG. 7, it lies on the standing surface 15 of the upper container part 8, the lower container part 1 also resting on a point contact 16.
• the upper container part 8 can be sealed with the lower container part 1 by pivoting about the axis 17 of the joint 14 in the direction of the arrow P.
• FIG. 8 shows the container according to FIG. 7 in the closed state and after the container has been pivoted into the stable storage position in which the container rests on the base 15 of the container upper part 8.
• the receiving part 5 forms, together with the cover part 10, two co-operating shells lying against one another at their peripheral edges, which are separated from one another by the partitions 7, 11.
• the contact lenses 6 are stored between the shells, the openings in the receiving part 5 or in the cover part 10 ensuring that the contact lenses 6 are surrounded by liquid 2. It can be seen that in this storage position, the contact lenses 6 reach safely below the liquid level 3 even with a small liquid volume. To open the container from the position shown in Fig.
• an O-ring (not shown) can be embedded in the mutually opposite end faces of the upper container part 8 and / or the lower container part 1, any sealing elements also being able to be used.
• Fig. 9 shows a modified third embodiment of a container for storing contact lenses with a removable receiving part 5, the same reference numerals being retained for the same components.
• the receiving part 5 is designed to be removable from the central support column 4, in the present case by a plug connection, and is provided with a stand part 18, the stand part 18 having a recess 19 and being pushed onto a pin 20 arranged on the central support column 4.
• the plug connection can alternatively also be designed such that the support column 4 has a, for example cylindrical, recess into which the stand part 18, which is complementarily shaped in accordance with the recess, is inserted.
• the receiving part 5 can be detached from the lower container part 1 and set up separately, the contact lenses 6 remaining in the receiving part 5 while, for example, the cleaning liquid is exchanged.
• the cover part 10, the receiving part 5 and the partition 7, 11 are perforated or sieve-shaped.
• FIG. 11 shows a further embodiment of a container according to the invention in cross section, the same reference numerals being retained for the same components.
• a container 21 carrying the cover part 10 is essentially round and is provided with a closing part 22.
• the closing part 22 cooperates with a projection 23 of the lower container part 1 similarly to a snap lock, so that the two container parts 1 and 8 can be locked in the closed state.
• a clamp 24 is inserted into the recesses 25 on the container 21, with which the container 21 can be clipped or clipped onto items of clothing (similar to a ballpoint pen) in the correct position, for example.

Landscapes

• Purses, Travelling Bags, Baskets, Or Suitcases (AREA)
• Eyeglasses (AREA)
• Packaging Frangible Articles (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Cereal-Derived Products (AREA)
• Non-Silver Salt Photosensitive Materials And Non-Silver Salt Photography (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=25592880

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (12)

Family Cites Families (11)

• 1998
  • 1998-07-23 EP EP98942604A patent/EP0999767B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-07-23 JP JP2000504761A patent/JP2001511378A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-07-23 WO PCT/EP1998/004623 patent/WO1999005932A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-07-23 ES ES98942604T patent/ES2165189T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-07-23 DE DE59801584T patent/DE59801584D1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-07-23 DK DK98942604T patent/DK0999767T3/da active
  • 1998-07-23 AT AT98942604T patent/ATE206022T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2000
  • 2000-01-25 US US09/490,572 patent/US6286666B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events