EP2381911B1

EP2381911B1 - Container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products or the like

Info

Publication number: EP2381911B1
Application number: EP10710419.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio Fontana
Original assignee: Lameplast SRL
Current assignee: Lameplast SRL
Priority date: 2009-01-21
Filing date: 2010-01-11
Publication date: 2013-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 2030-01-11
Also published as: WO2010084393A1; EP2381911A1; ES2421508T3; IT1393560B1; ITMO20090012A1

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products or the like.

Background art

Single-dose or multi-dose plastic bottles are known for medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic or other products, that are made by blowing and/or moulding in two parts.
One of these parts consists of a containment body of the product which extends into an elongated neck having a dispenser mouth through which the product can be made to exit and applied by the user.
The other part, on the other hand, consists of a closing cap having a shutter that can be seal-fitted in the dispenser mouth to keep the bottle closed after its packaging.
In these bottles, the closing means are fitted in or coupled to the bottle neck after their fabrication and remain in this position until the first opening for use. The above bottles, however, have a number of drawbacks including the fact that they are not always able to ensure the complete seal between the shutter and the dispenser mouth, with the risk of causing leaks and/or jeopardising the sterility and the asepticity of the fluid product contained in the bottle.
Such circumstance is considerably hazardous, in particular if the bottles are meant to contain pharmaceutical substances, the maximum sterility of which must be assured.
Also known are single-dose or multi-dose containers, e.g., those described in the patent document EP 228.751 , comprising a containment body made of plastic which, instead of having a dispenser mouth like the previous ones, has a closing partition, transversal to the neck and breakable, which seals the contents.
On the neck of the containment body a cap can be screwed having, internally, a perforating element turned towards the closing partition.
At the time of use, the cap is screwed on the neck causing it to turn with respect to the containment body and causing the perforation of the closing partition by the perforating element.
Once the closing partition has been perforated, the cap can be removed and the contents of the containment body can be dispensed.
Compared to the previously described bottles, these containers permit providing a greater seal of the containment body but are also not without their drawbacks. Both the bottles with dispenser mouths and the containers with closing partitions, in fact, are considerably difficult and not at all practical to use.
In this respect, it is emphasised that, for both the types of previously-described receptacles, to apply the product, the user must remove the cap from the neck of the containment body and let the product come out being careful to direct the neck towards the area to be covered.
Such operation cannot however always be performed in a practical and easy way.
Taking into account the restricted dimensions of the bottles and of the containers, in fact, during dispensing the user is not able to always correctly see the neck of the containment bodies, with the risk of an irregular and/or partial administration of the fluid product.
The shape of the neck, furthermore, does not allow to direct the flow of the exiting fluid product in the best way.
Such drawback is particularly disadvantageous in the case of the fluid product consisting of eye drops, an eye wash, an anti-allergenic or any other product to be applied through the eyes.
Taking into account, in fact, the delicacy of the area of the human body to be covered with the product, i.e., the eye, it is absolutely necessary to dispense the product in the most precise possible way.
In these cases, furthermore, during administration, the user is usually forced to keep the containment body very close to the eye to be medicated and, bearing in mind the small dimensions of the neck and of the containment body, the user's hands also remain very near the eye area, with the risk of coming into contact with the eyelashes and troubling the eyelids, unless these are kept wide open.
The patent documents IT 1 225 198 , US 5,609,581 , WO 01/74291 and EP 1 724 203 disclose containers for fluid products comprising a containment hollow body, which has a transversal and breakable closing partition, and a cap, which can be fitted on the containment body and is internally provided with a cannula element suitable for perforating the closing partition.
However, all the containers disclosed in the documents IT 1 225 198 , US 5,609,581 , WO 01/74291 and EP 1 724 203 are susceptible to further improvements.

Object of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products or the like, that allows ensuring the maximum sterility and asepticity of the contents in closed configuration, which is particular lightweight and not too voluminous and, at the same time, is practical, easy and functional to use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products or the like which allows to overcome the mentioned drawbacks of the known art in the ambit of a simple, rational, easy, effective to use and low cost solution.
The above objects are achieved by the present container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products or the like, according to claim 1.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the description of a preferred, but not sole, embodiment of a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products or the like, illustrated purely as an example but not limited to the annexed drawings in which:

the figure 1 is an axonometric view of a strip of containers according to the invention;
the figure 2 is a longitudinal view, partially in section, of the container according to the invention in a packaging configuration;
the figure 3 is a section view along the track plane III - III of figure 2;
the figure 4 is a longitudinal view, partially in section, of the container according to the invention in a usage configuration.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to such figures, globally by 1 has been indicated a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products or the like.
The container 1 can be mass produced by injection moulding of plastic material to create strips 2 of several pieces each joined together by connection means 3, 4, 5 (figure 1).
Each container 1 comprises a containment body 6 suitable for containing a fluid product of the type of eye drops, anti-allergenic and eye wash, but also creams, poultices or other type of pharmaceutical, cosmetic and/or medical product. The containment bodies 6 are suitable for containing a unitary dose of fluid product for the administration of a single dose; in other words, the containers 1 are of the single-dose type and do not have to be closed again after use, but can also be directly thrown away.
Each containment body 6 has a substantially open bottom 7 intended to allow filling with a fluid product and to be closed, e.g., by sealing once filling has terminated.
On the opposite side to the bottom 7, the containment body 6 extends into a neck 8 at least partially elongated along a longitudinal direction of exit of the fluid product.
More in detail, the neck 8 has a closing partition 9 which is transversal to the longitudinal direction of the neck itself and is breakable.
In point of fact, once the bottom 7 has been sealed, the closing partition 9 permits preserving the fluid product inside the containment body 6, separating it physically from the outside environment.
For the administration of the fluid product, on the other hand, the closing partition 9 is intended to be broken to define a dispenser mouth through which the fluid product can be dispensed.
For this purpose, each container 1 comprises a cap 10, which is associable with the containment body 6 in a sliding way along the neck 8 and internally has a perforating element 11 suitable for perforating the closing partition 9 during such sliding.
In this treatise, the fact that the cap 10 is sliding along the neck 8 means that they are secured so as to define a generic kinematic pair the freedom of movement of which at least permits the reciprocal approach of the perforating element 11 to the closing partition 9 to allow its perforation.
In the embodiment shown in the illustrations, such sliding movement is a helical mode obtained by means of threaded screwing means 12, 13 placed between the neck 8 and the cap 10 and made up, e.g., of a first thread 12 obtained on the outer surface of the neck 8 and of a second thread 13 obtained inside the cap 10. Alternative embodiments of the present invention cannot however be ruled out in which the neck 8 and the cap 10 are coupled in a different way, e.g., by means of a prismatic coupling, which allows the cap 10 to slide onto the neck 8 without turning, or a cylindrical coupling with two degrees of freedom, that allows the cap 10 to both slide towards the closing partition 9 and to turn on itself.
Advantageously, between the containment body 6 and the cap 10 temporary locking means 14, 15 are provided for the initial retention of the cap 10 in a packaging configuration in which the perforating element 11 is arranged substantially at a distance from the closing partition 9.
The temporary locking means 14, 15, e.g., are made up of a groove 14 obtained on the outer surface of the neck 8 near to the closing partition 9 and of a protruding pad 15 obtained on the inner surface of the cap 10 and momentarily fittable in the groove 14.
Usefully, the cap 10 is shaped to define a cannula element 16 through which the fluid product can be dispensed and applied in a practical and easy way by the user.
In particular, the cannula element 16 is substantially coaxial with the containment body 6 and one extremity 17 of the cannula element 16 extends at least in part inside the cap 10 and defines the perforating element 11.
Such extremity, in fact, is at least partially tapered and, in point of fact, has a substantially pointed shape for easier perforation through the closing partition 9. The inner extremity 17 of the cannula element 16 can be inserted substantially sealed through the closing partition 9; in other words, once the closing partition 9 has been perforated, the inner extremity 17 adheres perfectly to the inner surface of the neck 8 to prevent fluid product overflow.
The portion of the cannula element 16 composed of the inner extremity 17 has a substantially circular cross section; this shape permits screwing the cap 10 on the neck 8 while always maintaining the outside surface of the inner extremity 17 in contact with the inner surface of the neck 8.
The portion of the cannula element 16 which protrudes from the cap 10, on the other hand, has a substantially oval cross section to make dispensing and application of the fluid product by the user easier.
Advantageously, the connection means 3, 4, 5 which join together the containers 1 comprise a pair of fins 3 which extend from diametrically opposite sides of each containment body 6 and are associated with the fins 3 of the adjacent containers 1 along corresponding weakened-section connection sections making up a series of first pre-established breaking lines 4.
In the same way, the connection means 3, 4, 5 comprise corresponding portions of caps 10 that are associable with the caps 10 of the adjacent containers 1 along an equal number of weakened-section connection sections making up a series of second pre-established breaking lines 5.
The operation of the present invention is as follows.
The strip 2 of containers 1 is placed on the market with the containment bodies 6 filled with the fluid product, the bottoms 7 sealed and the caps 10 fitted on the necks 8 and arranged in the packaging configuration, with the protruding pads 15 fitted in the respective grooves 14.
At the time of use, the containers 1 can be separated the one from the other by tearing the first and the second pre-established breaking lines 4, 5.
By means of a light pressure on the cap 10, furthermore, for each container 1, the protruding pad 15 can be disengaged from the groove 14 and the caps 10 made to screw onto the neck 8.
Such screwing prompts the relevant perforating element 11 to break the closing partition 9 to open the containment body 6 and permit the dispensing of the fluid product through the cannula element 16.
Thanks to the particular shape of the cannula element 16, the containers 1 can be used in a practical, easy and functional way.
In case the fluid product has to be administered through the eye, in fact, the flow exiting from the cannula element 16 can be very easily directed keeping the containment body 6 away from the eye and without troubling the eyelashes and eyelids.
In case, on the other hand, the fluid product is administered some other way, the particular shape of the container 1 allows the user to keep the cannula element 16 always visible and to direct the exiting flow in the best possible way.
It has in practice been found how the invention described achieves the intended objects.

Claims

Container (1) for fluid products, particularly pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products or the like, comprising at least a containment body (6) for containing a fluid product, which extends into a neck (8) at least partially elongated and having a transversal and breakable closing partition (9), and at least a cap (10), which is associable with said containment body (6) in a sliding way along said neck (8) and is internally provided with a perforating element (11) suitable for perforating said closing partition (9) during said sliding, , said cap (10) comprising at least a cannula element (16) for the application of said fluid product having:
- a portion which extends at least in part inside said cap (10) and composes an inner extremity (17) defining said perforating element (11), and

- a portion which protrudes from said cap (10),
characterized by the fact that said portion composed by said inner extremity (17) has a substantially circular cross section and said portion which protrudes from said cap (10) has a substantially oval inner cross section.
Container (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said inner extremity (17) of the cannula element (16) can be inserted substantially sealed through said closing partition (9).
Container (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that said inner extremity (17) of the cannula element (16) is at least partially tapered for easier perforation through said closing partition (9).
Container (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises screwing threaded means (12, 13) placed in between said neck (8) and said cap (10).
Container (1) according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that said screwing threaded means (12, 13) comprise at least a first threading (12) obtained on the outer surface of said neck (8) and a second threading (13) obtained inside said cap (10).
Container (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises temporary locking means (14, 15) for retaining said cap (10) in a packaging configuration in which said perforating element (11) is arranged substantially at a distance from said closing partition (9).
Container (1) according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that said temporary locking means (14, 15) comprise at least a groove (14) obtained in at least one between said neck (8) and said cap (10) and at least a protruding pad (15) obtained on the other between said neck (8) and said cap (10) and stable in said groove (14).
Container (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises connection means to an adjacent container (1) to form a strip (2) of said containers (1).
Container (1) according to claim 8, characterized by the fact that said connection means comprise at least a fin (3) which extends from said containment body (6) and is associable with an adjacent container (1) along a first pre-established breaking line (4).
Container (1) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by the fact that said connection means comprise at least a portion of said cap (10) which is associable to the cap (10) of an adjacent container (1) along a second pre-established breaking line (5).
Container (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that it is suitable for containing a unitary dose of said fluid product for the administration of a single dose.
Container (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that it can be obtained by injection moulding of plastic material.