EP2121468B1

EP2121468B1 - Container for fluid or powdered products

Info

Publication number: EP2121468B1
Application number: EP07859140A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio Fontana
Original assignee: Lameplast SRL
Current assignee: Lameplast SRL
Priority date: 2006-12-29
Filing date: 2007-12-19
Publication date: 2012-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 2027-12-19
Also published as: ITMO20060429A1; ES2398776T3; WO2008081274A1; EP2121468A1

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a container for fluid or powdered products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal or cosmetic products.

Background art

The use is known of plastic or glass containers for administering a controlled dose of drugs and in general substances in drops or in powder.
These containers, especially bottles, can for example feature straw-type droppers that must be coupled or screwed on to permit dispensing the product contained inside the bottles in drops.
Alternatively, the outlet mouth of another type of dropper can be activated by tearing off a special cap on the exit hole.
These bottles, however, do have several drawbacks.
In particular, the straw-type dropper, besides not being particularly hygienic, requires the use of a complicated and costly system requiring auxiliary operations.
The tear-off dropper, on the other hand, is not hygienic and restricts the possibility of using the bottle again, and does not permit the outflow of gauged drops, in particular because of the fringes produced by tearing off the cap when this is directly connected to the liquid outflow end.
Single-dose or multi-dose containers are also known, for example like those described in the European patent No. EP 228.751 B1 , comprising bottles in plastic material having a membrane diaphragm that seals the contents.
These bottles comprise a perforating capsule, that also acts as additional protection for the outlet mouth of the still-sealed container.
The perforating capsule has a punch turned towards the membrane diaphragm and is associated with the body or the neck of the bottle by means of threads on the respective surfaces.
At the time of use, the perforating capsule is screwed on its axis causing the punch to drop through the outlet mouth and towards the membrane diaphragm until the latter is completely perforated.
Once the diaphragm has been perforated, the contents of the bottle can exit and therefore be dispensed.
These bottles are however susceptible to upgrading, especially as regards the maintaining of sterility inside the bottle and the practicality of use and reuse.
DE 3100048 discloses a container according to the preamble of claim 1 for fluid or powdered product that comprises a hollow body containing a product and provided with a neck that extends from the body and which comprises a dispensing mouth. The container disclosed in DE 3100048 also comprises a membrane diaphgram arranged crossways to the neck and closing means that can be screwed on the neck. The closing means are provided with a plurality of perforating element suitable to perforating and removing the membrane diaphragm. The membrane diaphragm comprises a circular weakened portion disposed on the periphery of the membrane diaphragm.
US 5,054,684 relates to a cardboard package having a pierceable opening for a drinking straw, with weakening lines on either side of the package wall around the opening in an offset star configuration.

Object of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a container for fluid or powdered products, which has better sterility and practicality characteristics compared to traditional bottles.
A further object of the present invention is to make an innovative container available that permits overcoming the mentioned drawbacks of the prior art as part of a simple, rational solution, that is easy and effective to use and of low cost.
The above objects are all achieved by the present container for fluid or powdered products having the features of claim 1.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages will appear more evident from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a container for fluid or powdered products, illustrated indicatively by way of non limiting example, in the attached drawings wherein:

the figure 1 is an axonometric view of a plurality of containers according to the invention;
the figure 2 is a partial section view of a pair of containers according to the invention;
the figure 3 is an exploded view of a plurality of containers according to the invention;
the figure 4 is a section view of a detail of a container according to the invention;
the figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the container according to the invention;
the figure 6 is a view from the top of a possible embodiment of a membrane diaphragm of a container according to the invention;
the figure 7 is a view from the top of an alternative embodiment of a membrane diaphragm of a container according to the invention.

Embodiments of the Invention

With special reference to such figures, by 1 is globally indicated a container for fluid or powdered products.
The container 1 is composed of a hollow containment body 2 for containing liquid or powdered products, especially pharmaceutical, medicinal or cosmetic products, of a neck 3 that extends from said hollow body, and of closing means 4 located near to the open end of the neck 3.
The neck 3, which is also hollow to define a continuous space contiguous with the cavity of the hollow body 2, comprises a dispensing mouth 5 for controlled product exit.
Advantageously, the dispensing mouth 5 can be shaped like a truncated cone to allow the formation of gauged drops, and therefore of homogenous dimensions, every time it is necessary to precisely dose the quantity of liquid product to be applied.
The neck 3 has a first surface thread 6 to allow the association of the closing means 4.
Furthermore, the neck 3 comprises a membrane diaphragm 7 which is arranged substantially crossways with respect to the direction of the length of the neck 3 and, therefore, to the sliding direction of the product from the hollow body 2 to the dispensing mouth 5.
So as not to interfere with the formation of the product drop and at the same time to be better protected against external agents, the membrane diaphragm 7 is usefully arranged upstream of said dispensing mouth 5 with respect to the exit direction of the product from the container 1.
The membrane diaphragm 7 is an occlusion suitable for stopping the unwanted outflow of the product and, at the same time, for creating a barrier against the entry of foreign bodies and micro-organisms inside the container 1.
The closing means 4 are composed of a capsule that can be screwed onto the neck 3 and comprise a second thread 8 associated removable with the first thread 6 and a perforating element 9 suitable for perforating the membrane diaphragm 7 during the screwing of the closing means on the neck 3. Advantageously, the perforating element 9 is made up of a pointed protuberance that extends perpendicular with respect to the diaphragm 7.
In screwing the closing means 4 on the neck 3, the mutual coupling of the first thread 6 and the second thread 8 causes a gradual lowering of the perforating element 9 towards the membrane diaphragm 7, until this is perforated. Usefully, the membrane diaphragm 7 has a weakened portion 10 suitable for favouring its perforation by the perforating element 9.
The weakened portion 10 is composed of weakened lines 10a obtained on both the opposite sides of the membrane diaphragm 7.
In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the figures, the aligned weakened lines 10a are made up of grooves that cause a reduction in the thickness of the membrane diaphragm 7 and, therefore, its weakening with respect to the mechanical stress exercised by the perforating element 9.
The grooves therefore delineate the preferential breaking ways of the membrane diaphragm 7.
The weakened lines 10a can be made in various forms, such as, for example, cross-shaped or straight (figures 6 and 7).
Other equivalent embodiments cannot however be ruled out in which the lines are star-shaped, curvilinear, S-shaped, double S-shaped or the like. Advantageously, the body 2 is associated to first connecting fins 11 for connecting in series with other adjacent container bodies, creating a series of containers 1 that are easy to transport and use.
In the same way, the closing means 4 are associated to respective second connecting fins for connecting with other adjacent closing means.
It has in fact been seen how the described invention achieves the set objects.
In particular, the fact is underlined that the container according to the invention can be easily opened, and if necessary closed again, without jeopardising the sterility of the contained product, and at the same time guaranteeing a dispensing in drops of homogenous size.
The weakening caused by the lines on both the opposite sides of the diaphragm results in less effort being needed to screw up or in any case to open, an important feature this if we consider disabled users or users with special requirements such as elderly people, sick people, pre and post-operation hospitalised patients.
Furthermore, the presence of the lines prevents the membrane diaphragm tearing or breaking up with the possible fall of fragments of non-sterile material inside the container body and, consequently, in contact with the product, because the opening of the diaphragm occurs in a controlled way.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which falling within the scope of the inventive concept.
Furthermore all the details may be replaced by other elements which are technically equivalent.
In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions may be any according to requirements without because of this moving outside the protection scope of the following claims.

Claims

Upgraded container (1) for fluid or powdered products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal or cosmetic products, comprising a hollow containment body (2) for containing a product, a neck (3) that extends from said hollow body (2) and which comprises a dispensing mouth (5) for said product, a first surface thread (6) and at least one membrane diaphragm (7) arranged substantially crossways to said neck (3) upstream to said mouth (5) with respect to the exit direction of the product for stopping the unwanted outflow of the product and for creating a barrier against the entry of foreign bodies and micro-organisms inside the container (1), closing means (4) that can be screwed on said neck (3) and having a second thread (8) associable removable with said first thread (6) and a perforating element (9) suitable for perforating said membrane diaphragm (7) during said screwing operation, wherein said membrane diaphragm (7) comprises at least one weakened portion (10) suitable for favouring the perforation, characterized in that said weakened portion (10) is composed of weakened lines (10a) obtained on both the opposite sides of said membrane diaphragm (7) and aligned to each other, said weakened portion (10) defining, after its perforation, a passageway for said product throughout the membrane diaphragm itself.
Container (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said weakened portion (10) comprises at least two weakened lines (10a).
Container (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said weakened lines (10a) are shaped substantially straight.
Container (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that said weakened lines (10a) are arranged substantially cross-shaped.
Container (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that said weakened lines (10a) are arranged substantially star-shaped.
Container (1) according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said weakened lines (10a) are shaped substantially curvilinear,
Container (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said weakened lines (10a) are substantially S-shaped.
Container (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said weakened lines (10a) are arranged substantially double S-shaped.
Container (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said weakened lines (10a) are grooves.
Container (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said perforating element (9) comprises a protuberance substantially perpendicular with respect to said membrane diaphragm (7).
Container (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said body (2) comprises first connecting fins (11) for connecting in series with other adjacent container bodies.
Container (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing means (4) comprise second connecting fins (12) for connecting in series with other adjacent closing means (4).
Container (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said dispensing mouth (5) is shaped like a truncated cone.