FR2590239A1 - Container-applicator for a product obtained extemporaneously by mixing. - Google Patents

Abstract

A first fluid component 101 is contained in a first compartment 1a in the form of a flexible tube, a second fluid component 102 is contained in a closed capsule 2a, disposed inside the first compartment 1a and a punch 32a, displaced in translation, perforates the capsule 2a. Such a container can be used for the preparation and application of any product resulting from an extemporaneously produced mixture of two fluid products, in any type of industry and, in particular, in the medical field for the preparation of foams used as dressings.

Description

The subject of the present invention is a container for applying a product to be applied, obtained extemporaneously by mixing a first and a second fluid component, comprising - a first compartment for receiving the first component.
health, - a second compartment for receiving the second com
posing separated from the first compartment by at least one
perforable wall, - means for perforating said perforable wall,
under the action of a displacement in relative translation
of said perforation means and of the second compartment
ment, - means for expelling, out of the first compartment
said product obtained, then apply it.

Such an applicator container can be used in any kind of industry and, in particular, in the medical field for the preparation, then the application in certain wounds of particular shapes, of a silicone elastomer product obtained extemporaneously by mixing a liquid silicone base and a liquid catalyst. The dressing thus obtained, called a foam dressing, is presented as an elastomeric foam conforming to the shape of the wound, which improves the comfort of the patient and promotes good healing.

There is already known an applicator container which may be suitable for the application of foam dressing, by international application PCT / WO 84/00011.

This document describes a double syringe, in which each cylindrical compartment constitutes a single syringe comprising a body and a piston, which is arranged so that the body of the second compartment can serve as a piston inside the body of the first compartment.

A tip of the first compartment, which contains the silicone base, is of known type, provisionally closed by a plug during storage. The tip of the second compartment, which contains the catalyst, is provided with a perforable wall. For use, one starts by pressing the piston of the second compartment, until the perforable wall ruptures under the effect of the increase in pressure of the catalyst thus produced. By moving the piston from the second compartment, the entire catalyst is penetrated into the first compartment, where mixing with the silicone base is carried out, to produce the elastomeric foam. After having opened the nozzle of the first compartment, the foam is expelled elastomer still fluid by this end piece, using the body of the second compartment as a piston inside the body of the first compartment
However, such an applicator container has the following drawback. As the perforable wall must rupture under the action of the relatively low pressure, exerted directly on the piston of the second compartment and transmitted by the catalyst liquid, this wall must remain very thin. It is therefore mechanically fragile and liable to break during handling operations, which makes the syringe unusable subsequently.

This risk is increased by the fact that few walls, sufficiently flexible and thin to be perforable, are impermeable to the two components. If the thickness of the perforable wall is increased to reduce the above risks, it becomes very difficult to perforate it by exerting pressure on the piston of the second compartment. Furthermore, as the catalyst liquid is fairly corrosive, the seal of the seal between the piston and the body of the first compartment may be deteriorated after a certain period of storage, rendering the syringe unusable while the products it contains are still assets.

The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks.

It has for its object, for this purpose, an applicator container of the type defined below, characterized in that the second compartment is a closed capsule placed inside the first compartment and the perforation means are arranged to cooperate with the said perforable wall.

Thanks to the invention, after a moderate effort on the perforation means, a strong pressure is exerted on the area of the wall in contact with them, which has known as a consequence the tearing of this wall. It can therefore be chosen thick and resistant to handling shocks, corrosion and waterproof to the two components.

As the wall is frankly torn, the second component can flow easily and, the second compartment being placed inside the first, the piston of the second compartment becomes unnecessary and can be deleted. The second compartment is a closed capsule, with no seal likely to deteriorate and the maximum storage time is greatly increased.

Advantageously, the expulsion means comprise an orifice for expelling the product obtained, and the perforation means move in the opposite direction to the direction of expulsion to perforate said perforable wall.

In a preferred embodiment, the closed capsule is a cylinder whose bases are perforable lids, and it is immobilized inside the first compartment. The first compartment is a flexible tube, or a syringe, comprising a nozzle inside of which the capsule is immobilized, and on which are screwed the perforation means comprising a punch, arranged to pass through the two lids.

In another embodiment, the closed capsule is movably mounted inside the first compartment. This first compartment is for example a syringe provided with a plunger in which is provided a housing for the closed capsule.

The present invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of embodiments of the. applicator container of the invention, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which - FIG. la is a view, in partial section, of a first embodiment of the applicator container of the invention, - FIG. lb is a view, in partial section, of an alternative embodiment of the strainer of the container of FIG. la, - fig. lc is a view, in partial section, of an alternative embodiment of the nozzle, the strainer and the capsule of the container of FIG. la, - fig. 2 is a view, in partial section, of a first alternative embodiment of the upper part, in the figure, of the container of FIG. 1a, - FIG. 3 is a view, in section, of an alternative embodiment of the lower part, in the figure, of the container of FIG. 1, - fig. 4 is a view, in section, of a second embodiment of the applicator container of the invention, and, - FIG. 5 is a view, in section of a second alternative embodiment of the upper part, in the figure, of the container of FIG. the.

With reference to fig. la an applicator container for the preparation, then the application of a product obtained extemporaneously by mixing a first and a second fluid components will now be described.

Here, the product is a foam dressing which, after polymerization, takes the form of an elastomeric foam capable of conforming to the shape of the wound to which it is applied, before solidifying. In this case, the first fluid component is a liquid silicone base 101, disposed inside a first compartment 1a of the container of the invention, and the second fluid component is a liquid catalyst 102, disposed inside 'a second compartment 2a of the container of the invention.

The first compartment here is a flexible tube fa of the known type used for the packaging of certain care products, of which a first end # includes an expulsion orifice, here a tip 1-la and the second end of which is hermetically sealed. This tube 1a is produced in a sheet of flexible material and it is therefore provided with a flexible wall 4a which, in known manner, allows, when it is pressed, the expulsion of the contents of the tube 1a.

The tube la contains a sufficient quantity of silicone base 101, as well as metal balls Sa.

The second compartment is a capsule 2a of typefonnu, closed by welding to be hermetic, comprising a rigid cylinder, the two bases of which are perforable lids 21a produced in a flexible sheet of plastic. The capsule 2a contains the liquid catalyst 102 in an amount required for the amount of silicone base 101 contained in the tube la.

The diameter of the cylinder of the capsule 2a is slightly less than the inside diameter of the end piece 11a. The cap sule 2a is disposed inside this tip llas which is provided with shoulders 11Oa arranged to prevent the capsule from sliding in the body of the tube la, and therefore immobilizing it. The shoulders 11Oa are arranged to allow the perforation of the two caps of the capsule by a punch introduced into the tip 11Oa, punch which will be described later.

A screen, or a strainer went, is supported on the shoulders 110a to prevent the metal balls Sa from passing through the end piece IIa.

The end piece 11a is provided here with a first thread 12a on its outer part, with which a second thread 33a provided for at a first end 310a of an elongate conduit 3a can cooperate.

In the storage position of the applicator container shown in FIG. 1, the first thread 12a and the second thread 33a are only partially engaged.

A punch 32a, here screwed on the second end 320a of the conduit 31a, is arranged so that its tip, in the storage position of fig.l, is located near a wall 21a of the base of the capsule 2a.

Fig. lb represents a strainer tell'a which is an alternative embodiment of the strainer llla. The strainer lll'a comprises a rigid cylinder, the lower base of which is a mesh, and is supported here on the shoulders llOa. It is surmounted by the capsule 2a.

Fig. 1c shows a variant of the arrangement of the end piece, the strainer and the capsule. Here, a tip 11 "a, not comprising shoulders, has a mouth which serves to support annular projections which are provided in their upper parts; a strainer 111" a and a capsule 2 "a, both cylindrical. The diameter of the capsule 2 "a is slightly less than that of the crepe llltta itself slightly less than the diameter of the end-piece ll" a. An interval is provided between the lower sealable base 21 "a and the mesh of the crepin villa. An annular seal 14 seals the container 1a when the assembly is held in place by the conduit 31a (not shown in FIG. Ic) screwed onto the lita nozzle.

The applicator container which has just been described operates as follows.

In the storage position which has been described, and which corresponds to that of FIG. la.le catalyst 102 is certainly contained in the capsule 2a, whose lids were made of a sheet of flexible plastic material thick enough to be sealed to the two components, resist corrosion and shock during handling. The assembly 3a, which comprises the conduit 31a and the punch 32a, then plugs the end piece 11a to contain the silicone base 101.

When the foam dressing is to be used, the operator rotates the assembly 3a which includes the conduit 31a and the punch 32a, relative to the tube la, so that, by the rotation of the second thread 33a relative to the first thread 12a, the assembly 3a moves in translation relative to the tube la and to the capsule 2a, immobilized inside the end piece 11a of the tube la by the shoulders 110a. The tip of the punch 32a cooperating directly with the two lids, or walls 21a, of the capsule 2a, then tears them and therefore perforates them. The content of the capsule 2a, here the catalyst 102, will flow inside the tube la. We can therefore say that the assembly 3a constitutes means for perforating the two perforable walls 21a of the closed capsule 2a. When the assembly 3a is screwed in fully, the body of the punch 32a drives almost all of the catalyst 102 out of the capsule 2a towards the silicone base, due to its movement towards the inside of the tube la, in the opposite direction to the direction of expulsion of the product through the tip llas eidu means that there is an interval between the lower cover 21a and the mesh of the strainer lîla corresponding to the height of the shoulders llOa to allow the punch to cross and frankly tear the lower cover 21a. Thus, the punch effectively drives the catalyst from the capsule to the silicone base.

The mixture of the silicone base 101 and the catalyst 102 inside the tube la can then be homogenized by stirring the tube la, thanks to the metal balls 5a.

The punch 32a being unscrewed from the second end 320a of the conduit 31a to unclog the tip lla, the foam, still fluid, obtained by extemporaneous mixture of the silicone base and the catalyst can be expelled from the tube la and applied, using the end piece 11a provided with the elongated conduit 31a, by pressing on the wall 4a of the tube la.

 In the container which has just been described, the punch 32a is screwed onto the duct 31a. This provides a second storage possibility (not shown) in which the threads of the punch 32a and of the end 320a of the conduit 31a are only partially engaged, while the threads 12a and 33a are fully engaged. For perforation, the op # t # rotates the end of the punch 32a.

This feature is not required, and any sys
teme to connect the punch 32a to the conduit 3ira, allows
both to temporarily close it or remove it
ration, such as a system with commitment in court
this, can be used.

Similarly, the tip 11a and the perforation means 3a
could be provided, instead of the first thread 12a
and second thread 33a respectively, from another sys
teme allowing to obtain a translation from a
rotation, such as a bayonet device
cooperating with slides, or even a system with
locking rings.

The variants shown in fig. lb and lc are used
read as the first embodiment shown
in fig. the.

Figs. 2 to 5 show alternative embodiments and a second embodiment of the inventive container.
tion. In these figures, the elements having the same functions as in FIG. 1 have the same reference number and only the alphabetical index of this number varies from one figure to another.

In FIG. 2, an end piece 11b of a tube 1b comprises three separate parts, which facilitates assembly. A first part comprises a mouth 13b of the tube 1b, on which a strainer 111b is placed, immobilized when a capsule 2b is fixed on the mouth 13b. The capsule 2b is in the form of a cylinder, the bases of which are walls or perforable lids 21b, and the side wall of which is thick enough to include a first thread 12b, intended to cooperate with a second thread 33b provided on a plug 3b, forming part of perforation means in one piece also comprising a punch 32b. The side wall of the capsule 2b is extended in a part arranged to be fixed, here by screwing, on the mouth 13b
The container of fig. 2 is used analogously to that of FIG. 1, except that the perforation means 3b, in one piece, are necessarily manipulated therein, while the perforation means 3a of FIG. 1 are separable into a conduit 31a and a punch 32a.

In fig. 3, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the first compartment, which is here in the form of a syringe. Only the different part of fig. 1 has been shown, in which a first compartment lc comprises a cylindrical body and a piston 4c movable inside the cylindrical body, the piston 4c being used to expel the product out of the first compartment lc, after mixing the two fluid constituents.

Fig. 4 shows another variant, in which, as in FIG. 3, a first compartment ld is in the form of a syringe and comprises a cylindrical body and a piston 4d, used to expel the product obtained by mixing out of the first compartment ld, and in which is provided a housing, located opposite of the tip lld, arranged to receive a capsule 2d containing the catalyst 102.

The capsule 2d is here of substantially conical shape, its base being a perforable cover 21d. Here, the tip Ild of the first compartment ld is elongated and has a first thread 126.

The perforation means, in one piece, include a 3d plug, comprising a second thread 33d and a punch 32d, arranged so that its tip is close to the perforable wall 21d in the storage position shown in FIG. 4. In the storage position, the piston 4d is advantageously retained by beads 15d formed on the inside of the side wall of the cylindrical body of the first compartment ld. The base of the compartment ld carrying the tip Ild is internally provided with a cone 16d.

The operation is as follows. The wall 21d of the capsule 2d is torn when the cap 3d is screwed onto the endpiece lld, thanks to the first thread 12d and the second thread 33d. One can also cause a displacement in translation of the piston 4d, to move the capsule 2d relative to the punch 32d in order to perforate the cover 21d.

After stirring and homogenization with metal balls 5d, the stopper 3d is removed and the product obtained is expelled from the first compartment 1d using the piston 4d. As it is not possible, due to the crossing of the punch 32d, to provide a strainer on the tip Ild, it is necessary to use metal balls 5d of a size such that they remain in the cylindrical body of the first compartment ld, without obstructing the tip lld. In this case, the cone 16d favors the lateral flow of the balls 5d.

 Fig. 5 shows a second alternative embodiment of the upper part of FIG. 1, for example, where an additional end piece 6e, here with lateral outlet, more practical for certain applications, is provided.

Naturally, the invention is not limited to applicator containers with a single end piece of axial type like those which have been described here, and it is possible to provide applicator containers with a single end piece with lateral outlet.

Furthermore, the capsule containing the catalyst can be made wholly or partially from a material other than the plastic of the capsule described. For example, the lids of this capsule may be metallic.

Claims (16)

 said perforable wall (21a; 21 "a; 21b 21d).  tion (3a; 3b; 3d) are arranged to cooperate with the  timent (la; lla; lb; ld) and the means of perfora  2 "a; 2b; 2d) arranged inside the first compar  obtained, then apply it, characterized in that - the second compartment is a closed capsule (2a;  expel, out of the first compartment said product  me compartment, - means (4a, lla; llb; 4c; 4d, lld; 6e) for  relative tion of said perforation means and the second  perforable, under the action of a displacement in transla  21tta; 21b; 21d), - means for perforating (3a; 3b; 3d) of said wall  compartment by at least one perforable wall (21a  ception of the second component (102) separated from the first  receiving the first component (101), - a second compartment (2a; 2 "a; 2b; 2d) #from re  a, - Applicator container for a product to be applied, obtained extemporaneously by mixing a first (101) and a second (102) fluid components, comprising - a first compartment (la; lutta; lb; lc; ld; the) 2. Applicator container according to claim I, in which the expulsion means comprise an orifice (IIa; ll "a; - llb; lld) for expelling the product obtained and the  pass through said orifice and perforation means (3a; 3b; 3d) / move in the opposite direction to the direction of expulsion to perforate said perforable wall (21a; 21 "a; 21b; 21d). 3. Applicator container according to one of claims I and 2, wherein the closed capsule (2a; 2a; 2b) is immobilized inside the first compartment (1 "a; 1b). 4. Applicator container according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the closed capsule (2a; 2tata; 2b) is a cylinder with two perforable lids (21a; 21'tua; 21b), and the perforation means (3a; 3b) are arranged to cooperate with and pass through the two lids. 5. Applicator container according to one of claims 2 to 4, in which the translational movement of the perforation means (3a; 3b) is obtained by rotation of the perforation means relative to the first compartment (1a; 1 "a; 1b). 6.- Applicator container according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the expulsion orifice is a nozzle (lIa; lltta; llb) and the perforation means (3a; 3b) are arranged to serve as a sealing plug audit tip (lIa; ll "a; llb). 7. Applicator container according to claim 6, wherein the closed capsule (2a; 21, a; 2b) is disposed inside the end piece (lla; 11h) of the first compartment (la; lb). 8. Applicator container according to one of claims I to 7, in which the first compartment (la) -comprend a flexible wall (4a), and the means for expelling, out of the first compartment (1c), said product obtained, include the flexible wall (4a). 9. Applicator container according to one of claims I to 7, wherein the first compartment (lc) comprises a movable piston (4c), and the means for expelling, out of the first compartment (lc), said product obtained, comprise the movable piston (4c). 10. Applicator container according to claim 1, in which the closed capsule (2d) is movably mounted inside the first compartment (1d). 11. Applicator container according to claim 10, wherein the first compartment (ld) comprises a movable piston (4d), on which is provided a housing for the closed capsule (2d). 12. Applicator container according to claim II, in which the displacement in relative translation of the perforation means (3d) and of the closed capsule (2d) is obtained by displacement of the mobile piston (4d), the perforation means being integral with the first compartment (1d).  13. Applicator container according to one of claims 10 to 12, in which the first compartment (ld) is provided with a nozzle (they) by which the perforation means (3d) penetrate inside the first compartment ( 1d), the perforation means (3d) being arranged so as to be able to serve as a sealing plug at said end piece (11d).  14.- Container according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the first compartment (la; ltta; lb; lc; ld) comprises means (5a; 5b; 5c; 5d) for homogenizing the mixture between the first ( 101) and the second (102) component.  15.- container according to claim 14, wherein the homogenization means are metal balls (Sa; 5b; 5c; 5d) movable disposed inside the first compartment.  16.- container according to one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the first compartment (the) is provided with a nozzle (6e) additional application of the product obtained.