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
  • B65D51/241—Closures not otherwise provided for combined or co-operating with auxiliary devices for non-closing purposes provided with freeze-drying means
• • 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
  • B65D47/20—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps comprising hand-operated members for controlling discharge
  • B65D47/2018—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps comprising hand-operated members for controlling discharge comprising a valve or like element which is opened or closed by deformation of the container or closure
  • B65D47/2031—Closures with discharging devices other than pumps comprising hand-operated members for controlling discharge comprising a valve or like element which is opened or closed by deformation of the container or closure the element being formed by a slit, narrow opening or constrictable spout, the size of the outlet passage being able to be varied by increasing or decreasing the pressure

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a closure system, and more particularly to a closure system for a reservoir of a device for dispensing lyophilized product, in which the lyophilization of the product is carried out directly inside said reservoir.
• the invention also relates to such a reservoir and such a dispensing device.
• two reservoirs are generally provided, one containing a lyophilized powder and the other a solvent, the contents of these two reservoirs being mixed just before dispensing to recombine the lyophilized powder into a product. sprayable fluid.
• the closure of the reservoir is currently the most significant problem to overcome since it must be carried out inside the lyophilization equipment and therefore in a limited and closed space.
• the final step of tightly closing the tank must not create an overpressure inside said tank.
• the system should be able to be adaptable to any type of standard tank currently known, and therefore not requiring a modification of said tank, which would imply an increase in the cost of manufacturing and mounting the device.
• the present invention therefore aims to provide a sealing system which does not reproduce the aforementioned drawbacks, and which fulfills all the above requirements.
• the present invention therefore aims to provide a closure system which is simple and inexpensive to assemble and which adapts to any type of tank, in particular standard tanks.
• the present invention also aims to provide a sealing system which allows lyophilization of a fluid product inside said tank.
• the present invention therefore relates to a closure system adapted to seal a reservoir of a device for dispensing freeze-dried product, characterized in that it comprises a closure element comprising a fixing part cooperating so watertight with the reservoir and a closure portion comprising a radial membrane provided with a slot, the interference between said closure portion and said reservoir being zero or almost zero, so that the slot opens with a side or the other as soon as a pressure is exerted on any side of said shutter portion, said slot being sealed in the absence of such pressure.
• said pressure sufficient to open said slot on one side is substantially identical to said pressure sufficient to open said slot on the other side.
• said fixing part comprises a hollow cylindrical body fitted in a leaktight manner axially inside said tank, a radial gap being provided between at least part of the external radial periphery of said membrane and the internal side wall of the tank.
• said radial gap is provided over the entire outer radial periphery of the membrane, so that the interference between said closure part and said reservoir is zero.
• said closure part has an outside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of said tank.
• said external radial periphery of said membrane comprises one or more grooves forming the radial gap with the internal wall of the tank, so that the interference between said closure part and said tank is very weak.
• said closure element further comprises a prepositioning portion extending radially beyond said closure portion, said grooves of the external radial periphery of the membrane extending in said prepositioning portion, so that the closure element can be prepositioned on the opening of the reservoir, the prepositioning part being inserted inside said reservoir, and said grooves forming a passage between the interior of the reservoir and the exterior of the system allowing lyophilization of the product contained in the tank.
• the present invention also relates to a reservoir of a device for dispensing lyophilized product comprising a closure system as described above, and a device for dispensing lyophilized product incorporating such a reservoir.
• a device for dispensing lyophilized product comprising a closure system as described above
• a device for dispensing lyophilized product incorporating such a reservoir.
• FIG. 1 showing the 'shutter element of Figure 1 positioned inside the tank
• - Figure 3 is a view similar to Figures 1 and 2 of a second embodiment of the shutter system according to the invention, with the closure element disposed in a prepositioning position
• - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing the closure element of Figure 3 disposed inside the tank.
• this closure system comprises a closure element 1 which is adapted to seal a reservoir 50.
• This closure element comprises a fixing part 10 which cooperates sealingly with the reservoir 50 in particular with its inner side wall, and in particular by means of peripheral sealing flanges which are crushed against the inner wall of the tank to form several sealing beads.
• the shutter element 1 also includes a shutter part 11, which is advantageously provided with a slot 12, which is only schematically shown and which is preferably located in the center of said shutter part 11.
• This closure part 11 is preferably produced in the form of a radial membrane incorporating said slot 12.
• the closure element 1 is preferably produced with a fixing part formed by a hollow cylindrical body 10 which defines a hollow 2, said hollow cylinder 10 being closed by said radial membrane 11 incorporating said slot 12.
• the interference between the closure part and the reservoir is zero or almost zero. In this first embodiment, this interference is effectively zero as can be seen in FIG. 2.
• a radial gap 30 is provided between the external radial periphery of the membrane 11 and the internal wall of the reservoir 50. This is advantageously achieved at by means of a closure part 11 which has a diameter outside less than the inside diameter of the reservoir 50, and therefore also less than the outside diameter of the fixing part 10 of the shutter element 1.
• this system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be used to freeze-dry in the reservoir 50.
• the closure element is introduced inside the reservoir 50, as shown in FIG. 2 , in its closed position, in which the closed part formed by the membrane 11 seals said reservoir 50 in a sealed manner, the slot 12 being closed.
• Creating a vacuum inside the tank 50 is very easy by creating a pressure sound at the level of the hollow 2 arranged on the outside of the membrane 11 which has the effect of opening the slot 12 in the direction of this hollow 2 and thus make it possible to create a vacuum inside the reservoir 50.
• pressure rebalancing can be easily achieved through the slot 12 of the membrane 11, said slot 12 closing automatically in the sealed position when the pressure is identical on both sides of the membrane 11.
• a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
• This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the interference between the closure part 11 formed by the membrane incorporating the slot 12 and the inner wall of the reservoir 50 is not completely zero in the closed position of the closed element but is very small due to the presence of grooves 19 in said external radial periphery of said membrane 11, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.
• the outer diameter of the closure portion 11 is substantially identical to the diameter of the fixing portion 10, the deformation of the membrane 11 and therefore the opening of the slot 12 being facilitated by the presence of said grooves 19.
• the closure element 1 also comprises prepositioning means 15 which extend axially beyond said membrane 11, said grooves 19 extending in the periphery of said prepositioning part 15, as shown in the figures.
• prepositioning means 15 which extend axially beyond said membrane 11, said grooves 19 extending in the periphery of said prepositioning part 15, as shown in the figures.
• the closure element 1 is first placed in its prepositioning position shown in FIG. 3, with the prepositioning part 15 inserted inside the tank 50 and the closure element being retained in this position by the shoulder 7 formed by the external periphery of the membrane 11 incorporating the slot 12.
• the prepositioning part is inserted into the reservoir 50 with friction, which further promotes the stability of the closure element 1 in this prepositioning position.
• This prepositioning position allows the creation of a vacuum and the subsequent pressure rebalancing after lyophilization through the grooves 19 which connect the inside of the tank 50 to the outside of the sealing system.
• the lyophilization of the product contained in the reservoir 50 does not pose any problem since the grooves 19 eliminate any obstacle to evaporation during the lyophilization process.
• the sealing element 1 is pushed towards its final position shown in FIG. 4, the fixing part 10 coming to fit in the tank 50 and the overpressure formed inside of the reservoir by this action is automatically evacuated through the slot 12 made in the membrane 11.
• a shoulder or upper radial flange 8 is provided to form a stop for the closure element 1 on the upper edge of the reservoir 50 and defines the closed position.
• the present invention therefore provides a sealing element which is not only adapted to allow the lyophilization of the product inside the reservoir, but which obviously ensures a tight sealing of said reservoir and allows an easy transformation of the lyophilized powder into a fluid product by mixing with a solvent.
• the weak interaction between the closure part 11 and the reservoir 50 also allows easy introduction of the solvent inside the reservoir 50 through said slot 12 as well as easy distribution of the remixed product contained in the reservoir also through said slot 12, if desired.
• other means for re-liquefying the lyophilized product and / or for distributing it can be envisaged.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8850759

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (12)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2000
  • 2000-05-30 FR FR0006885A patent/FR2809710B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-05-23 CN CN01812207A patent/CN1440350A/zh active Pending
  • 2001-05-23 WO PCT/FR2001/001607 patent/WO2001092126A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2001-05-23 JP JP2001588108A patent/JP2003534993A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-05-23 US US10/296,818 patent/US20040011826A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-05-23 EP EP01938326A patent/EP1296878A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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