FR2539109A1 - LIQUID DISPENSER - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a liquid dispenser which also performs a filtration function. It comprises a container on the filling opening 6 of which is fixed a cap 8, the opening 12 of which communicates with the inlet chamber 18 of a filter 14. The inlet chamber 18 is separated from an outlet chamber. 20 by a hydrophilic filter membrane 22. The inlet chamber also has an opening 36 closed by a hydrophobic filter material 38 the pores of which are sufficiently small to prevent the passage of bacteria. Field of application: containers for saline solutions, especially for cleaning contact lenses, etc. (CF DRAWING IN BOPI)

Description

The invention relates to a device which constitutes a distributor of

  held-in-hand liquid, of the "squeeze bottle" type, and having a filter ensuring better

  the purity of the liquid dispensed by the device.

  The latter is particularly useful for distribution

  liquids for medical or hygienic use, and in particular

  link to the distribution of a saline solution for the cleaning of contact lenses The invention will be

  therefore described in this latter application.

  Contact lenses require cleaning

  periodical and, at the present stage of the technical

  contact lenses, the cleaning fluid usually

  recommended and used is saline, that is,

  say an aqueous solution of sodium chloride to

  to prevent irritation of the eye, it is obviously important

  as long as the contact lenses are cleaned of all particles after being cleaned It is also desirable that the contact lenses be free from bacteria that they may have received from the cleaning solution itself if it contains

  bacteria, especially a high count of bacteria.

  To supply the saline solution to the user

  contact lens, there are two possibilities.

  The first is to provide the user with the actual saline solution, suitably added, and

  the second is to provide the user with salt, gen-

  in the form of tablets, so that this

  The first possibility has the disadvantage that the saline solution supplied may end up being contaminated by even a large number of bacteria before the end of its use, and in particular if the solution is packaged in large quantities to avoid high packaging costs It is known that bacterial contamination of the solution can be practically avoided by the addition of small amounts of chemicals whose function is to preserve the sterility of the solution; however, this is disadvantageous because chemicals can cause eye irritation, at least with respect to

some users.

  The second possibility, that of providing the user with salt tablets, the care to be left to prepare the saline solution with these tablets, has the disadvantage that, in the case where the salt tablets contain Foreign

  insoluble, or in the case where the use of

  The developer prepares the saline solution shortly before using it and does not see that the salt is not completely dissolved, eye irritating particles can be applied to the contact lenses during their cleaning. the user prepares the solution in sufficient quantity to last a certain number of days, the prepared solution may end up being contaminated by bacteria, exactly as in the case where the user acquires the solution rather

than salt.

  The main purpose of the invention is to eliminate

these problems.

  The device according to the invention comprises a hand-squeezable container, made of elastic material, having an opening, and a filter which comprises a housing having an inlet chamber communicating with the container opening and a chamber outlet having an opening through which the liquid can exit, the inlet and outlet chambers being separated by the hydrophilic filter material which is sealed at its periphery to the housing, the inlet chamber having an opening communicating with the ambient atmosphere and covered with a hydrophobic filter material whose pores are of sufficiently small dimensions to prevent the passage of bacteria In the preferred embodiment, the container has a cap which is removably attached thereto in order to

  cover the opening of the container, this cap

  both an opening allowing the liquid to leave the container when the cap is fixed to the latter, the filter inlet chamber being in communication

  with the opening of the cap When using, when

  that the liquid-containing container is squeezed, the liquid is forced through the hydrophilic filter material before exiting the filter outlet chamber, and when the pressure applied to the container is released,

  this recipe can return to its original form

  thanks to the air inlet, coming from the ambient atmosphere, through the hydrophobic membrane filter

  which removes all bacteria from the incoming air,

  In one embodiment, the hydrophilic filter material also has pores of dimensions small enough to prevent the passage of bacteria, which also contributes to maintaining the integrity of the container. degree of sterility of the liquid

  out of the device when the container is pressed.

  To better understand how the dis-

  positive, it should be known that a hydrophobic filter material allows the passage of air, but prevents the passage of liquid Furthermore, a hydrophilic-filtering material, when wet, virtually prevents or at least hinders the passage of air while allowing the passage of liquid Therefore, in the absence

  air vent, covered by the hydro-

  phobe, the container, in its pressed state, could not return to its original shape, except perhaps after a relatively long period, thanks to air leaks

  and with the risk of introducing bacteria with air.

  The invention will be described in more detail in

  view of the annexed drawing as an example, which is by no means

  and wherein: Figure 1 is an elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a partial sectional view along the line 2-2 of Figure 3, on an enlarged scale, of the cap and the filter of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the filter of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1; and FIG. 4 is a section along line 4-4

of Figure-3.

  Referring now to the drawing, the device comprises a cylindrical container 2 having a neck 4 externally threaded and having an opening 6

  allowing the introduction of liquid into the container.

  The latter is made of elastic material, for example a poly-

  propylene or polyethylene, and it is of sufficient thickness to be squeezable to release its contents through the opening 6 and, when the pressure is released, to return to its original shape at the same time

  time that a fluid, liquid or air is sucked into the

  The container is of a size enabling it to be conveniently held by hand and pressed, such containers being commonly called "squeeze bottles". In the particular embodiment shown, the container 2 has for real dimensions a height of about 10 cm and a diameter of about 5 cm The precise shape of the bottle is not important; for example, instead of being cylindrical as shown, it could be flattened or otherwise, as are the "squeeze bottles" commonly used. An internally threaded cap 8 is removably attached to the container neck by screwing,

  this cap having a tubular portion 10 which pre-

  an opening 12 for the outlet of the contents of the container when the cap is in its fixing position, as shown, in which it covers the opening 6 of the container The connection between the cap and the container is such that a seal is formed between them, the cap and its tubular part being

  also preferably made of an elastic material

  such as polypropylene or polyethylene.

  The device further comprises a filter 14 having a housing 16 having an inlet chamber 18 and an outlet chamber 20, the inlet chamber being separated from the outlet chamber by a hydrophilic filter material 22 which is bonded and sealed By its periphery, therefore, the contents of the inlet chamber can reach the outlet chamber only by passing through the hydrophilic filter material. In the particular embodiment shown, the filter casing is formed of two molded parts in transparent organic plastic

  having peripheral flanges 24 and 26, respectively

  related to each other, the periphery of the hydrophilic filter material 22 being bonded and sealed between

they.

  The inlet chamber has an inlet opening 30 which communicates with the opening 12 of the tubular portion of the cap, the end of this tubular portion being inserted into the opening 30 to provide a hermetic fit. The outlet chamber has a plurality of spaced ribs 34 whose upper surfaces are in contact with the hydrophilic filter material 22 to support it when the liquid is entrained through this material. hydrophilic filter under the effect of the

  pressure applied to the container 2.

  The inlet chamber has an opening 36 which is covered with a hydrophobic filter material 38 whose periphery is bonded and sealed to the casing,

  around and in the immediate vicinity of the edge of the opening.

  The hydrophobic filter material has pores of sufficiently small size to prevent the passage of bacteria, the pore size should always be less than 0.5 gm and ideally should be about 0.2 gm Since the filter material 38 is hydrophobic, it allows the passage of air through it, but prevents the passage of liquid G In use, when the container from the saline solution is pressed, the solution is discharged so as to flow through the opening 12 in the inlet chamber 18 of the filter, then to enter the outlet chamber 34 passing through the hydrophilic filter material 22 and to flow through the outlet 32 to be used for a cleaning operation Hydrophobic filter 38 prevents the saline solution from flowing through the opening 36. After the amount of saline solution required for cleaning has been obtained through the opening 32, the applied pressure to the container

  is released, allowing the container to return quickly

  in its initial form, the suction thus produced bringing back to the interior of the container, by suction, any liquid in the inlet chamber 18, then sucking air from the ambient atmosphere through the hydrophobic filter material 38, this air being sterile because the small-sized bodies of the hydrophobic filter material stop the bacteria. The opening 36 is necessary to allow the container to return to its original shape because the hydrophilic filter material

  22, being wet, stops practically or at least slowly

  noticeably the flow of air through it.

  The function of the hydrophilic filter material 22 is to prevent the passage of particles therethrough. The pore size of the hydrophilic filter material is chosen according to whether it is desired to use the hydrophilic filter material to prevent the passage of bacteria, or only to preventing the passage of larger particles than bacteria If it is desired that the hydrophilic filter material only prevent the passage of larger particles, pores of 0.5 pom or more, and possibly up to about or greater than However, it should be noted that the flow rate of the saline solution through the hydrophilic filter material

  per unit area of this material depends on the size

  The higher the pore size, the higher the flow rate per unit area, the greater the pore size. Therefore, to obtain the same

  flow rate through a hydrophilic filter material

  phile stopping bacteria that through a hydrophilic filter material does not stop bacteria, it

  It is necessary for the hydrophilic filter material to be

  This adds to the cost of the device with however the advantage of a better assurance of a high degree of sterility of the saline solution obtained using the device. This advantage may not be important, especially when the user supplies himself with salt tablets for the preparation of the fresh saline solution for only a relatively short period of use. In this case, the important function

  of the device is to ensure the blocking of all

  the relatively big ones, present in the solution,

  to prevent them from going through exit 32.

  It is preferred that the hydrophilic filter material and the hydrophobic filter material be in the form of a porous membrane. Such a porous membrane is commercially available in the hydrophilic and hydrophobic form in various pore sizes and in the form of a porous membrane. various subjects, an example

  such a membrane consisting of the commercial membrane

  under the brand name "Versapor".

  Filters similar to that shown and described are, in themselves, old and commonly used for example as filters for feeding apparatus

  intravenous; however, in such a use

  The function of the hydrophobic filter material is to allow air to escape from the filter inlet chamber, while its function in the present invention is to allow the air of the atmosphere to enter the entrance chamber and thus into the container, so that it can return to

  its initial form once it is no longer in a hurry.

  In the preferred embodiment shown and described, the opening allowing the saline solution to leave the container, and the filter communicating with this opening, are associated with the cap which is removably connected to the filter opening of the container. However, this is not essential to the implementation of the invention. In other words, if desired, the container may have two openings, one for filling, to which a removable closure cap may be associated, and the other communicating with the inlet chamber of the filter to allow the solution

saline out of the container.

  It goes without saying that many modifications can be made to the distributor described and represented

  without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (1)

1 liquid dispenser, characterized in that it comprises a container (2) having an opening (6), a filter (14) comprising a housing (16) having an inlet chamber (18) and a chamber ( 20) separated from each other by a hydrophilic filter material (22) sealed at its periphery to said housing, the outlet chamber having a liquid outlet opening (32) and the inlet chamber having a liquid inlet opening (30) communicating with the container opening, the inlet chamber having another opening (36) covered by a hydrophobic filter material (38) having a small pore size to prevent the passage of bacteria through this material, the container being of a size allowing it to be held by hand and being made of an elastic material so that the container can be pressed and it can return to its place initial when it is no longer pressed so that when the container contains a liquid and is pressed, the liquid is discharged so as to flow through the hydrophilic filter material before exit through the outlet opening of the filter outlet chamber and, when the pressure ceases, air can enter the filter inlet chamber and the container through the hydrophobic filter material, which allows the container to return to its original form without bacteria entering said container. A liquid dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that a cap (8) is releasably attached to the container to cover the opening thereof, the cap having an opening (12) for liquid exiting the container when the cap is attached thereto, the inlet aperture of the filter inlet chamber communicating with the opening of the cap.   1 O 3 Liquid dispenser according to one of   Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the material   hydrophilic filter has pores of dimensions   small enough to prevent the passage of bacteria through this material.