EP1917953A1 - Individual portable eyewash device - Google Patents

Abstract

The device (1) has a sealing device (6) supporting a thermal sterilization treatment that is chemically compatible with sterile liquid. The device (6) is made of elastically deformable material e.g. butyl, and has an L-shaped section held on a locking ring (7) of a narrow neck (4) of a container (5) e.g. glass bottle. A skirt (6a) is locked between a sleeve (3) of an eye- cup (2) and the neck, where the skirt defines an L-shaped long leg. The eye-cup is integrated with the container, in a sealed manner, irrespective of deformation subjected by the neck and the sleeve during the treatment.

Description

The present invention relates to an individual portable device for an eye bath, particularly an eye accident for example for receiving projections of chemical or the like.

The washing of chemical splashes in an eye is a constant problem in laboratories and factories. This problem is still badly resolved. Indeed, the quality and effectiveness of washing depend greatly on the speed of the response after the accident and the effectiveness of the washing solution used. Although great progress has been made on the quality of the washing solutions, the materials that make it possible to implement them still constitute a brake on obtaining an effective result.

In addition, it is necessary, precisely in the context of a rapid intervention, typically within less than a minute, that the injured person himself is able to carry out, alone, the washing of his eye with the appropriate product.

Several devices are known today that can be used to wash an eye that has been sprayed with chemicals. These devices may be in the form of a glass bottle (sterilized) on which is connected a tubelure terminated by a blower. There are also plastic bags on which is connected a tubelure terminated by a blower. There are also plastic bottles filled and closed in line; the sterilization is performed aseptically and the opening system is obtained by rotation.

These systems have many disadvantages or inadequacies in their use. For the glass bottle, the risk of breakage makes its use problematic; in addition, they can only be used in a wall bracket, and there is then the problem of expiry after a period of six months from their installation in a wall bracket, and the problem of the cleanliness of the wall. 'oeillère which remains in the open air. The problems posed by the plastic bags are similar. As for plastic bottles filled and closed in line, they are not sterilizable in an air / steam autoclave; moreover, the opening process is too long.

The document FR 2 682 036 In the name of the Applicant describes an individual portable device for eye bath, wherein the edge of an opening of a reservoir is curvilinearly non-planar, approximately saddle-shaped, to form a cup. This device has been designed according to the constraints described above and, from this point of view, gives complete satisfaction in use.

However, this known device was made with a small capacity tank (typically about 50 ml): the small volume of liquid available requires washing the eye very quickly (a few seconds) after the accident. If it is desired to extend the response time (for example of the order of a minute), it is necessary to have a much larger volume of liquid (for example of the order of 500 ml), which involves a much larger tank while its opening forming an eyelid should keep the same dimensions. Such a device can not be manufactured under economic conditions in a very large series in a material suitable to withstand a sterilization process in an air / steam autoclave and this device must be manufactured by molding using particular molding techniques, which are slow and expensive. The manufacture of these devices can not be conducted with all the flexibility desired in terms of diversification models of various capacities, especially in economic conditions desirable for production in very large series.

According to the documents FR 2 682 873 , FR 1 448 427 , DE 30 35 211 , DE 25 40 914 , there are known devices for eye baths consisting of several elements including a narrow-neck container forming a tank for a sterile liquid eye bath and a nipple fitted with fitting means comprising a double-walled sleeve section U-shaped to ride the neck of the collar tightly enclosing it; the collar and at least one wall of the sleeve are equipped with complementary reliefs ensuring the axial retention of the eyelet on the neck and the sealing of the assembly.

However, these known devices are intended to undergo chemical sterilization processes (for example by means of ethylene oxide) or by gamma rays at ambient temperature. By cons, they are not suitable to support a process of thermal sterilization (at temperatures of the order of 110 to over 120 ° C) with the assurance of the conservation of the seal of the assembly of the eye on the neck of the container if said container and said eye are made of synthetic materials having different thermal behaviors.

However, the search for increasingly favorable manufacturing conditions both in terms of costs and that of the products available on the market today leads precisely to consider the production of eye bath devices of the aforementioned type in which the container and the cup are made of thermally incompatible synthetic materials, but which must be able to withstand a process of thermal sterilization, by autoclaving the air / vapor type, with preservation of the seal of the assembly of the eyeliner on the neck of the container.

The present invention intends to propose an improved technical solution able to solve the problems described above with the devices of the prior art, with the aid of an eyecup easily adaptable in a sealed manner to any type of narrow-necked container, and allowing the formation of an individual portable device for eye bath easily sterilizable by a thermal process while maintaining the liquid contained in the container under perfectly sterile conditions.

For these purposes, the present invention provides an individual portable device for an eye bath, comprising a container provided with a narrow neck containing a sterile liquid for an eye bath and a blower provided with a sleeve adapted to cooperate by fitting with the neck, which device, being arranged according to the invention, is characterized in that it further comprises a seal of elastically deformable material, adapted to withstand a sterilization heat treatment and chemically compatible with the liquid, and in that the seal has a section at least L resting on the rim of the neck of the container, the skirt defining the large L-jamb being clamped between the sleeve and the neck of the container.

Thanks to this arrangement, the fastening of the eyelet on the container is made in a sealed manner regardless of the deformations undergone by the neck of the container and the sleeve of the eyelid during thermal sterilization treatments. The individual portable device is easily adaptable to any type of container with a collar and having any desirable capacity.

A narrow-necked container is intended to denote any container, in particular of the bottle or bottle type, whose neck has a transverse dimension substantially less than that of the container body, so that this container may, being made of a suitable material, be manufactured economically and in very large series by blowing a preform.

According to one possible embodiment, the seal has an L-shaped section resting, by a skirt defining the small jamb of the L, on the rim of the neck of the container, the skirt defining the large leg of the L being clamped between the sleeve of the blower and the neck of the container.

Although an L-section gasket is technically suitable for the intended purpose, in a preferred embodiment it is provided that the gasket has a U-shaped section overlapping the rim of the neck of the container, one of the skirts defining the U being tight. between the sleeve and the neck of the container. In this case, the seal cooperates more stably with the neck.

In a concrete example of embodiment, it is advantageous that the sleeve of the eyelet overlaps the neck of the container and that it is the skirt forming the large jamb L located outside the neck or the outer skirt defining the U of the seal which is clamped between the inner face of the sleeve of the blinder and the outer face of the neck of the container.

Still in order to ensure a stable positioning of the seal on the neck of the container so as to maintain an optimum seal, it is desirable that the other skirt defining the U is kept closely applied against the neck of the container. To do this, it is conceivable that the other skirt be pressed elastically against the neck of the container or alternatively, a ring forming a counter-seal maintains the other skirt of the seal; for this purpose, it can be provided that the counter-joint is an annular flange which is integral with the sleeve and which is offset radially relative thereto, or that the counter-joint is a cylindrical tubular part suitable for insertion in the interior space of the joint.

In a practical example of embodiment, the sleeve of the eyelet comprises at least one relief capable of cooperating with a relief of complementary shape provided on the neck of the container, the eyelab being secured by snapping on the neck of the container, which simplifies and speeds up the process of mounting the device.

In order to allow the sterilization of the portable device according to the invention, the seal is made of a material capable of withstanding a temperature of between 100 and 130 ° C. Various materials may meet the stated requirements, including Evopren, butyl or silicone.

The arrangements according to the invention which have just been described confer a great freedom for the choice of the constituent materials of the container and of the the eye, respectively. In particular, it can be envisaged that the container is made of polypropylene, a material which is currently commonly used for the manufacture of pharmaceutical containers and which offers the considerable advantage of allowing the manufacture of narrow neck containers by a blowing process which is more economical than the molding process. An additional advantage, far from being negligible, lies in the fact that such polypropylene containers of various capacities are commonly available commercially and that it is not necessary, at least for most applications, to call upon to specifically manufactured containers: the cost of the device is significantly reduced.

In parallel, it is possible to implement a cup made of a different material, and particularly preferably that the cup is made of polycarbonate material that has a coefficient of thermal expansion different from that of polypropylene.

• la figure 1A représente une vue en coupe longitudinale d'une partie d'un dispositif de bain d'oeil agencé selon un mode de réalisation conforme à l'invention ;
• la figure 1B est une vue partielle en coupe montrant une variante de l'agencement de la figure 1A ; et
• les figures 2A à 2C sont des vues partielles de diverses variantes de réalisation d'un dispositif de bain d'oeil agencé selon un autre mode, actuellement préféré, de réalisation conforme à l'invention.

The present invention will now be described with the aid of purely illustrative and in no way limiting examples of the scope of the invention, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• Figure 1A shows a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an eye bath device arranged according to an embodiment according to the invention;
• Figure 1B is a partial sectional view showing a variant of the arrangement of Figure 1A; and
• FIGS. 2A to 2C are partial views of various alternative embodiments of an eye bath device arranged according to another mode, currently preferred, of embodiment according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a portion of an individual portable device for an eye bath, designated as a whole by reference numeral 1, which comprises a cup 2, typically and preferably made of polycarbonate, having a sleeve-shaped portion 3 for mounting on the neck 4 of a container 5, typically and preferably made of polypropylene, suitable for containing a sterile eye bath liquid.

The container 5 is of any desired capacity to be easily transported daily by a potential user, for example in a blouse pocket, a tool kit, a wall bracket or laboratory bench.

Narrow neck containers, made of polypropylene, which are blow moldable, are commonly available on the market in various capacities and at very low costs.

The portable device 1 comprises a sealing gasket 6 with a generally L-shaped cross-section, which rests on the rim 7 of the neck 4 of the container 5. In general form at least L, is meant to designate a shape having at least a large jamb associated with a transverse return, namely a leg associated with a return in an L configuration or two jambs framing a return in a U configuration.

The seal consists of an elastically deformable material, able to withstand sterilization by autoclaving the air / vapor type, namely at a temperature between 100 and 130 ° C, and chemically compatible with the liquid contained in the container 5. Many materials can meet these requirements, in particular: natural rubber, EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene-terpolumyr), butadiene-styrene, neoprene, Evoprene, nitrile, urethane, silicone, fluoroelastomer, latex, vulcanized thermoplastics (TPV), elastomeric thermoplastics (TPE), polyacrylate, polymeric epichlorohydrin, butyl, copolyester NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber) -Nitrile NPV, TFV-EPDM.

Concretely, the seal is preferably a material commercially available under the name Evoprene or butyl or silicone.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the seal 6 has a generally L-shaped section. The skirt 6a is clamped between the sleeve 3 of the eyelet 2 and the neck 4 of the container 5, thanks to to which the fastening of the eyelet 2 on the container 5 is made in a sealed manner despite the sterilization heat treatment (typically at a temperature between 100 and 130 ° C). The skirt 6c forming the aforementioned return rests on the rim 7 of the neck.

In the specific embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, the sleeve 3 overlaps the neck 4 of the container 5 and the skirt 6a of the seal 6 is clamped between the inner face 3a of the sleeve 3 of the eyelet 2 and the external face 4a of the neck 4 of the container 5. The seal 6 is here shaped with the skirt 6c extending radially inwards.

An alternative embodiment of the foregoing arrangements is shown in Figure 1B. This variant consists in that the sleeve 3 of the eyelet 2 has a diameter smaller than that of the neck 4 of the container 5 and is pressed into the latter; in this case, the skirt 6a of the seal 6 is clamped between the outer face 3b of the sleeve 3 of the eyelet 2 and the inner face 4b of the neck 4 of the container 5. The seal 6 is here shaped with the skirt 6c extending radially outward.

FIGS. 2A to 2C show several alternative embodiments of another embodiment, currently preferred in practice, consisting in that the gasket 6 has a generally U-shaped cross-section and is defined by two skirts 6a and 6b, the seal 6 overlapping the rim 7 of the neck 4 of the container 5; the reference 6c designating the aforementioned return skirt then applies to the bottom of the U.

In the variant embodiment shown in FIG. 2A (the sleeve 3 of the eyelet 2 being supposed to cover the neck 4 of the container 5), the outer skirt 6a of the seal 6 is clamped between the outer face 4a of the neck 4 of the container 5 and the inner face 3a of the sleeve 3 of the eyelet 2. The other skirt 6b remains elastically applied against the inner face 4b of the neck 4 of the container 5. To ensure proper maintenance and compression of the seal, the sleeve 3 is internally provided with a wing 14 of radial extent, which preferably extends annularly continuously; this wing 14 is located facing the rim 7 of the neck 4 of the container 5 and compresses the small leg 6b back of the seal 6 in the axial direction.

If it is desired to ensure certain support of the other skirt 6b of the seal 6 against the inner face 4b of the neck 4 and strengthen the blocking of the seal 6 on the rim 7 of the neck 4, it can be provided to this effect the implementation of a mechanical means in the form of a counter-seal 8 adapted to compress the seal 6. Such a counter-joint can simply be in the form of a cylindrical ring 9 of revolution introduced into the central free space of the seal 6 and able to clamp the inner skirt 6b against the inner face 4b of the neck 4 of the container 5.

In the variant embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, the ring 9 is in the form of an annular flange integral with the sleeve 4 and offset radially inwards with respect thereto so as to define a channel in which the other skirt 6b is trapped and tight.

In the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 2C, the ring 9 is an independent piece reported in the inner space of the seal. As illustrated, it may be a part 15 having a cylindrical annular body of revolution which constitutes the aforesaid ring 9 and which is surmounted by an enlarged head, in particular circular, able to be pressed against the bottom 11 of the eye 2 (which bottom 11 may be the upper face of the wing 14 above).

For the mechanical fastening of the eyelet to the neck 4 of the container 5, the sleeve 3 of the eyelet 2 comprises an inner annular rib 12 adapted to cooperate with an annular groove 13 provided on the outer face 4a of the neck 4 of the container 5 ( the rib and groove can be inverted).

In addition, a plug (not shown in the figure but of known type) is sealingly attached to the eyelet 2.

It is understood that, alternatively, it is possible to provide an inverted arrangement with respect to that which has just been described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2C, with the sleeve 3 of the eyelet 2 which fits into the neck 4 of the container 5 with the inner skirt 6b of the U seal 6 which is sandwiched between the neck 4 and the sleeve 3 and pressed against the inner face 4a of the neck 4; the counter-joint 8, if it is used, is then in the form of a ring external to the neck 4.

Claims (13)

Device (1) individual portable for eye bath, comprising a container (5) provided with a narrow neck (4) containing a sterile liquid for an eye bath and a cup (2) provided with a sleeve adapted to cooperate by fitting with the neck, characterized in that it further comprises a seal (6) sealing elastically deformable material, adapted to withstand a sterilization heat treatment and chemically compatible with the liquid, and in that the seal ( 6) has a section at least L resting on the rim (7) of the neck (4) of the container (5), the skirt (6a) defining the large leg of the L being clamped between the sleeve (3) of the blinder (2) and the neck (4) of the container (5), thanks to which the fastening of the eye (2) on the container (5) is made in a sealed manner regardless of the deformations undergone by the neck of the container and the sleeve of the eyelid during heat treatment sterilization. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the seal (6) has a L-shaped section resting, by a skirt (6c) defining the small jamb of the L, on the rim (7) of the neck (4) of the container (5). ), the skirt (6a) defining the large leg of the L being clamped between the sleeve (3) of the eyelet (2) and the neck (4) of the container (5). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the seal (6) has a U-shaped section overlapping the rim (7) of the neck (4) of the container (5), one (6a) skirts defining the U being clamped between the sleeve (3) of the eyelet (2) and the neck (4) of the container (5). Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the sleeve (3) of the eyelet (2) overlaps the neck (4) of the container (5) and in that it is the skirt (6a) forming the large jamb of the L located outside the neck, respectively the outer skirt (6a) defining the U of the seal (6) which is clamped between the inner face (3a) of the sleeve (3) of the eyelet (2) and the outer face (4a) of the neck (4) of the container (5). Device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the other skirt (6b) of the U is resiliently pressed against the neck (4) of the container (5). Device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that it comprises a ring (9) forming a counter-joint (8) adapted to hold the other skirt (6b) of the seal (6) pressed against the neck ( 4) of the container (5). Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the ring (9) is an annular flange integral with the sleeve and radially offset relative thereto. Device according to claims 3 and 6, characterized in that the ring (9) is an independent piece reported in the inner space of the seal. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sleeve (3) of the eyelet (2) comprises at least one relief (12) capable of cooperating with a relief (13) of complementary shape provided on the neck (4) of the container (5), the eye being secured by snapping on the neck of the container. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seal (6) is made of a material capable of withstanding a temperature of between 100 and 130 ° C. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seal is made of a material chosen from Evoprene, butyl or silicone. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container is made of polypropylene. Device according to Claim 12, characterized in that the eyelet is made of polycarbonate.

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