FR2655623A1 - BOTTLE TIP FOR BOTTLE, PERMITTING THE INSTILLATION OF A LIQUID PRODUCT, ESPECIALLY A COLLAYER. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a drip tip comprising a body of revolution, the upper part of which has a narrow central channel which widens slightly to a calibrated outlet orifice. In accordance with an essential characteristic of the invention, the outer surface (116) of the upper part (106) ends in a hemispherical portion (112) connecting directly, at the level of a circular outlet port (109) of low diameter (D), at the lateral surface (117) of the central channel (107), said hemispherical portion allowing the formation of a drop of substantially constant size for a given liquid product, whatever the inclination of the bottle at the time of instillation. Application in particular to dropper tips for eye drops.

Description

The invention relates to the field of instillation of a liquid product,

  in particular an eye drops, and more specifically the tips

  dropper allowing such instillation.

  The old droppers, comprising a glass tube and actuated by a flexible sleeve pressed on said tube, are increasingly replaced, especially for ophthalmic solutions, by tips forming the upper portion of the associated bottle dispensing,

  being fixed by gluing, welding or clipping as appropriate.

  The technological background can be illustrated by the following documents: U.S. Patent Nos. 4,138,040, 3,897,670, 3,378,528, and 3,572,558, European Patent Application Nos. 0 275,754, 070,777, and NOO 093 493, and German Patent Application Nos. 3 318 039, 2 446 564, 2 949 262, and 2 722 178,

  Nos. 2,605,704, 2,554,038, 2,531,690 and 2,006,108.

  In general, the conventional dropper tips are constituted by a body of revolution, fixed by its lower part on the associated bottle, and whose upper part has a narrow central channel widening slightly to a hole of calibrated output, at

level of an annular ring.

  The narrow central channel appears indispensable to allow

  a sufficient decrease in the output rate and the formation of the drop.

  This must be able to instil a desired quantity of liquid that does not depend on the pressure exerted by the user on the body of the body.

bottle.

  Manufacturers have long sought a means to control the size of the drop, the bottle being held vertically. For this, many tests have been carried out to determine the most favorable sizing of the central channel on the one hand, and the annular ring surrounding the calibrated outlet orifice

on the other hand.

  The liquid flowing in the central channel of the nozzle wets by superficial tension the side wall of said channel, which initiates the

  forming the drop in said tip.

  In an attempt to control the size and / or the weight of the drop, it was thus sought to find on the one hand the optimum diameter of the calibrated orifice, knowing that the amount of liquid exiting through the calibrated orifice is as small as the diameter of said orifice is small, and secondly the outer diameter (or the surface) of the annular ring (extending perpendicular to the axis of the central channel) surrounding the calibrated orifice, knowing that this annular ring must allow

  the attachment of the drop by the surface tension.

  This approach is particularly well illustrated in the

U.S. Patent No. 4,584,823.

  According to the teaching of this document, if one uses both a calibrated orifice of small diameter and an annular ring of small diameter (or small surface), the drop formed is small; to obtain larger drops, it is necessary to increase both the

  diameter of the calibrated orifice and that of the annular ring.

  The reference dimensions given in this document correspond to an annular ring whose width is of the order of

  1/6 of the diameter of the outlet.

  We already understand the difficult manufacturing problems faced by manufacturers when we want to instill

drops of very small sizes.

  The Applicant has made numerous attempts to make a dropper tip delivering drops of 20 or 30 μl depending on the type of ophthalmic solution used, and she found that the size of the drop varied not only with the viscosity and superficial tension of the liquid concerned, which we already knew, but also, and in a wide

  measuring, with the inclination of the vial at the time of instillation.

  The inclination of the bottle appeared thus as a parameter whose influence was in fact very important if one sought to instill

drops of small sizes.

  Tests have thus been conducted by testing solutions of different viscosities and surface tensions, with a bottle held vertically and then held inclined (inclinations of 45 and 100 relative to the horizontal have been retained): these tests have shown that the dispersions in the size of the drop were actually strongly influenced

for tilting the bottle.

  Conventional dropper tips clearly do not overcome this problem, which apparently did not

never been laid until then.

  Various attempts have been made with cylindrical tips having a calibrated outlet orifice of 1.2 mm and an annular ring of 0.3 mm width, or with tips having a conical end (with a taper of about 500 ) connected to an annular ring of 0.15 mm, or with tips having a curved end with a large radius of curvature (of the order of six times the diameter of the orifice calibrated), but these attempts n ' have not allowed

  to achieve satisfactory results.

  It is an object of the invention to provide a dropper tip which satisfactorily solves the above problem by making it possible to form a substantially constant size drop for a given liquid, even if the bottle is tilted. at the time

instillation.

  Another object of the invention is to provide a dropper tip which makes it possible to obtain a substantially constant drop size for all the types of ophthalmic solutions conventionally encountered, the size being different depending on the solution used but remaining

  essentially constant for this solution.

  Another object of the invention is to design a dropper tip whose shape is compatible with a manufacturing by molding. It is more particularly a dropper tip for a bottle, allowing the instillation of a liquid product, in particular an eye drop, said tip comprising a body of revolution whose upper part has a narrow central channel s widening slightly to a calibrated outlet, characterized in that the outer surface of the upper portion terminates in a directly connected hemispherical portion at a small circular exit orifice

  diameter, at the lateral surface of the central channel, said hemispherical portion

  allowing the formation of a drop of essentially constant size for a given liquid product, irrespective of the inclination of the

vial at the time of instillation.

  According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the radius of the hemispherical portion is chosen according to the desired size of the drop, being between 2 and 5 mm; in particular, the radius of

  the hemispherical portion is preferably between 3 and 4 mm.

  It is also advantageous if the diameter of the outlet orifice is between 0.8 and 1.4 mm; in particular, the diameter of

  the outlet orifice is preferably between 1.0 and 1.3 mm.

  It is interesting to provide that the hemispherical portion is connected inferiorly to a cylindrical surface of the same radius, or to a

slightly frustoconical surface.

  According to a particular variant, the lateral surface of the central channel to which the hemispherical portion is connected is cylindrical in the vicinity of the outlet orifice; more precisely, it can be provided that the lateral surface of the central channel is frustoconical, with a small diameter of the order of 0.2 mm, and a large diameter equal to the diameter of the outlet orifice, the cylindrical portion of said surface presenting a height

  less than 1 mm, and preferably of the order of 0.5 mm.

  Preferably, finally, the dropper tip is made of plastic, and preferably of low density polyethylene; alternatively, the dropper tip may be made of glass or metal,

  and preferably in this case aluminum.

  Other features and advantages of the invention appear

  more clearly in the light of the description that follows and

  FIG. 1 illustrates a bottle surmounted by a dropper tip according to the prior art, and FIG. 2, which is a section thereof according to II-II. , makes it possible to better distinguish the end of the endpiece with its annular ring surrounding the calibrated outlet orifice; FIG. 3, and the associated axial section of FIG. 4 carried out according to IV-IV, illustrate another dropper tip according to the prior art, made independently of the bottle to which it must be secured, and having a conical end connecting to the annular ring; Figure 5, and the associated axial section of Figure 6 taken along VI-VI, further illustrate another known dropper tip having a curved end with a large radius of curvature; FIG. 7, and the associated axial section of FIG. 8 made according to VIII-VIII, illustrate a dropper tip according to the invention, with an upper part terminating in a hemispherical portion (radius R) which is connected to the level of a small diameter circular outlet (D) at the lateral surface of the central channel; Figure 9 is a partial half-section, on an enlarged scale, the dropper tip according to the invention, to better distinguish the geometry of the upper end of said tip; FIG. 10 is another partial half-section, on an enlarged scale, illustrating a variant in which the central channel has a frustoconical surface until it is connected to the hemispherical portion (unlike FIG. 9 where the central channel terminated superiorly

  by a small cylindrical portion).

  FIG. 1 illustrates a packaging assembly 1 according to the prior art. This set comprises a bottle 2 surmounted by a dropper tip 3 (here forming an integral part of the body of the bottle, that is to say that the whole is made by molding in a single operation) The lower part of the nozzle here has an external thread 5 for screwing a closure cap 4 (shown in FIG.

mixed lines).

  Figure 2 allows to better distinguish the shape of the part

  upper 6 of the dropper tip 3.

  This upper portion internally has a narrow central channel 7, the axis 20 coincides with that of the packaging assembly The central channel 7 has an inferior orifice 8 of very small diameter ensuring communication with the interior space 10 of the bottle , and especially the restriction of flow required (to prevent an expulsion of jet liquid when the user presses the bottle), surmounted by a frustoconical surface 17 widening slightly to a calibrated outlet 9 Externally, the lateral surface 16 of the upper part tapers in a portion 12, to an annular ring 11 extending perpendicularly to the axis 20, so that the outer surfaces 16 and inner 17 are connected to the periphery.

  respectively outer and inner of said annular ring.

  As has been explained above, the known technique teaches to choose the diameter of the outlet orifice 9 and the surface of the annular ring 11 depending on the size and / or the desired weight for the drop of liquid that can be formed and instilled with the mouthpiece

dropper 3.

  However, it appears that the size of the drop varies in fact with the viscosity and the surface tension of the liquid concerned, but also, and to a large extent, with the inclination of the bottle at the time of instillation. The prior art is also illustrated here by variant 3 'illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, on which the elements

  counterparts are assigned the same indexed "premium" references.

  In this variant, the dropper tip 3 'is made in the form of a separate body, which is fixed on the bottle by its part.

  bottom 13 'in the form of a plug, provided with a support flange 14'.

  This variant also comprises a frustoconical protrusion 15 '

  concerned by the lower part of the central channel 7 '.

  The most interesting difference with respect to the previous embodiment lies in the presence of an end 12 of conical shape (with a taper of the order of 50) connecting to the annular ring

11 '(here slightly conical).

  Tests carried out on a dropper tip of this type

  failed to produce satisfactory results.

  Another known variant is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, on which the homologous elements are assigned the same references.

indexed "second".

  The only significant difference with respect to the variant of FIGS. 3 and 4 lies in the external geometry of the upper part 6 "of the dropper tip 3": the outer surface 16 "is indeed curved with a large radius of curvature (here of the order of six times the

  diameter of the outlet 9 ").

  Here again, the tests carried out did not lead to

satisfactory results.

  As explained above, the Applicant has also carried out tests with a cylindrical tip (not shown here), having a calibrated outlet orifice of 1.2 mm and an annular ring of 0.3 mm in width, but the results were there again little

satisfactory.

  To better understand the degree of dispersion in the volume of the drops that can be obtained with the aforementioned dropper tips, in particular depending on the inclination of the bottle, Table I given below presents the results of various tests conducted with three tips of the aforementioned type, with each of them different ophthalmic solutions (to scan the range of viscosities and surface tension usually encountered) This table shows in particular the volume of the drop obtained (p I) , with the standard deviation (each test being performed twenty times), for three different inclinations of the bottle (vertical bottle, bottle inclined at 450 with respect to the horizontal, and bottle

  inclined at 100 to the horizontal).

  On this table, the tips 1 and 2 correspond substantially

  to the known variant illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 (with dimensions

  different), and the tip 3 corresponds to the aforementioned cylindrical end, with a calibrated outlet orifice of 1.2 mm and a crown

ring 0.3 mm wide.

TABLE I

  Drop size + standard deviation (in pl) Ophthalmic solution Vertical bottle Bottle inclined Bottle inclined

at 45 C to 10 C

  Deionized water 28.3 + 1.0 29.2 + 3.5 31.5 + 2.7 * Timoptic solution at 0, 25% 18.8 + 1.9 25.2 + 2.0 28.3 + 1.4 Tip I * Solution of Noroxin at 0, 3% 27.5 + 1.5 28.9 + 1.6 31.9 + 2.1 Gelrite solution at 0.6% 30.3 + 3.6 42.0 + 8.0 45.4 + 3.9 Gelrite solution 0.4% 27.3 + 3.3 37.0 + 7, 0 41.3 + 4.5 Deionized water 42.7 + 1 , 4 37.7 + 1.2 32.2 + 2.1 * 0.25% Timoptic Solution 30.1 + 1.4 29.5 + 1.1 30.3 + 1.5 Tip 2 * Solution of Noroxin at 0.3% 43.7 + 1.5 36.4 + 1.9 31.0 + 1.5 Gelrite solution at 0.6% / Timolol 43.9 + 2.4 44.6 + 4 , 48.9 + 5.3 Deionized water 26.0 + 0.6 22.0 + 0.6 24.7 + 3.0 * Timoptic solution 0.25% 14.8 + 1.3 14, 9 + 0.8 17.3 + 1.0 Tip 3 * Solution of Noroxin at 0.3% 22.8 + 1.5 22.7 + 2.6 24.2 + 3.3 Gelrite solution at 0, 6% / Timolol 24.6 + 1.8 22.5 + 2.7 31.7 + 3.6% by weight by volume Yields of a dropper tip Figures 7 to 9 show a dropper tip 100 in accordance with the invention This tip has a certain n shadow features common with the variants of Figures 3 to 6 previously described, so that the homologous elements will be assigned the same references increased by one hundred. In accordance with an essential aspect of the invention, the outer surface 116 of the upper portion 106 terminates in a hemispherical portion 112 of radius R directly connected at a circular exit orifice 109 of small diameter D to the lateral surface 117 of the central channel 107, said hemispherical portion allowing the formation of a drop of substantially constant size for a given liquid product, regardless of the inclination of the bottle at the time of instillation. In general, the radius R of the hemispherical portion 112 now determines the size of the droplet that can be formed and instilled with the dropper tip 100. The diameter D of the outlet orifice 109 will naturally be chosen. small enough to avoid detriment to the effect of sphericity, whereby the drop formed clings to the spherical surface all around the calibrated outlet, and can "slide" on that surface when the bottle is inclined during instillation, which guarantees in a very original way the

  constancy of the size of the drop for a given liquid product.

  In practice, a radius R of the hemispherical portion 112 of between 2 and 5 mm and a diameter D of the orifice will be chosen.

  calibrated output 109 between 0.8 and 1.4 mm.

  In the particular case of ophthalmic solutions,

  given the viscosity and surface tension usually encountered

  preferably a radius R between 3 and 4 mm, and a

  diameter D between 1 and 1.3 mm.

  Table II given below presents the results of various tests carried out with dropper tips according to the invention, under conditions similar to tests carried out with known tips and presented in Table I above. The different values of the parameters ( R, D) are indicated in this Table, for each of the four ends concerned, denoted A, B, C, D.

TABLE II

  Drop size + standard deviation (in pl) Parameters Ophthalmic solution Vertical bottle Bottle inclined Bottle inclined

R, D at 45 C to 10 C

  Deionized water 23 + 1.0 28 + 2.2 26 + 2.2 Tip A * Solution of Noroxin 0.3% 23 + 2.2 29 + 2.1 28 + 2.1 R = 3.0 mm * 0.25% Timoptic solution 23 + 1.3 24 + 1.1 27 + 1.6 D = 1.3 mm Gelrite solution 0.6% 36 + 3.2 36 + 2.1 38 + 2 , 5 / Timolol Deionized water 23 + 2,4 31 + 2,8 30 + 2,5 Tip B * Noroxin solution at 0,3% 24 + 3,4 31 + 1,5 29 + 1,7 R = 3 , 7 mm * 0.25% Timoptic solution 25 + 1.2 26 + 1.0 28 + 1.5 D = 1.3 mm Gelrite solution at 0.6% 41 + 3.1 42 + 2, 4 42 + 2,4 / Timolol Deionized water 25 + 3,7 32 + 1,6 28 + 1,9 Tip C * Noroxine solution at 0, 3% 29 + 6,0 33 + 1,7 30 + 2, 0 R = 4.0 mm * 0.25% Timoptic solution 27 + 3.1 27 + 2.8 29 + 2.9 D = 1.3 mm Gelrite solution 0.6% 39 + 4, 3 40 + 3.2 40 + 2.7 / Timolol Deionized water 27 + 1.8 29 + 1.0 27 + 1.9 Tip D * Noroxin solution 0.3% 27 + 1.8 27 + 1.6 26 + 1.6 R = 3.0 mm * 0.25% Timoptic solution 23 + 0.6 22 + 1.3 23 + 1.1 D = 1.0 mm Gelrite solution 0.6% 36 + 1 , 36 + 1.6 + 1.4 / Timolol 0.6% Gelrite solution 23 + 0.9 23 + 0.7 23 + 1.1 with polyvinyl alcohol * by weight by volume C cn cn 0) The comparison of Tables I and II is a good illustration of the very

  significant of the hemispherical external geometry.

  It is thus possible to achieve a very dropper tip very

  satisfactory, since it allows the formation of a drop of essential size.

  constant for a given liquid product, especially eye drops,

  whatever the inclination of the bottle at the time of instillation.

  Furthermore, the hemispherical portion 112 may be connected inferiorly to a cylindrical surface 116 of the same radius, or more advantageously (essentially for reasons of manufacturing convenience when the endpiece is made by molding) to a slightly frustoconical surface 116, in accordance with FIG. what has been illustrated in the figure

  9 (the taper is characterized by the angle α, here chosen equal to about 1.5).

  The central channel may also have a geometry

adapted to certain uses.

  In FIG. 9, the frustoconical lateral surface 117 of the central channel 107 ends, in the vicinity of the outlet orifice 109, with a small cylindrical upper portion 118. As a guide, for the aforementioned values of the parameters (R, D), this cylindrical portion 118 may be chosen to have a height of less than 1 mm, and preferably of the order of 0.5 mm (the diameter of this portion 118 being naturally equal to

  diameter D of the calibrated outlet orifice 109).

  The variant illustrated in FIG. 10 differs only from the previous one by the geometry of the central channel: the lateral surface 117 'of the central channel 107' is frustoconical up to the calibrated outlet orifice

109.

  In one case as in the other, there is a frustoconical lateral surface 117 or 117 ', with a small diameter d (orifice 108) of the order of 0.2 mm, and a large diameter equal to the diameter D of the orifice

calibrated output 109.

  The dropper tip of the invention is preferably made of plastic, by molding: several materials are possible, but it will be preferable to choose polyethylene or

low density polyethylene.

  It would be conceivable, however, to make a glass mouthpiece,

  or metal (for example aluminum).

  The invention is not limited to the embodiment which has just been described, but on the contrary covers any variant which would take up, with equivalent means, the essential characteristics.

Claims (9)

  1 Dropper tip for bottle, allowing instillation   pouring a liquid product, in particular an eye drop, said tip having a body of revolution whose upper portion has a narrow central channel widening slightly to a calibrated outlet, characterized in that the surface exterior (116) of the upper portion (106) terminates in a hemispherical portion (112) connecting directly at a small diameter circular outlet (109) to the side surface (117) of the central channel (107), said hemispherical portion allowing the formation of a drop of essentially constant size for a given liquid product, whatever   the inclination of the bottle at the time of instillation.   2 dropper tip according to claim 1, characterized in that the radius (R) of the hemispherical portion (112) is chosen according to the desired size of the drop, being between 2 and mm. 3 dropper tip according to claim 2, characterized in that the radius (R) of the hemispherical portion (112) is   preferably between 3 and 4 mm.   4 dropper tip according to one of claims 1 to 3,   characterized in that the diameter (D) of the outlet orifice (109) is between 0.8 and 1.4 mm.   Dropper tip according to Claim 4, characterized in that the diameter (D) of the outlet orifice (109) is preferably between 1.0 and 1.3 mm.   Dropper tip according to one of claims 1 to 5,   characterized in that the hemispherical portion (112) connects   less than a cylindrical surface (116) of the same radius.   Dropper tip according to one of claims 1 to 5,   characterized in that the hemispherical portion (112) connects   less than a slightly frustoconical surface (116).   8 dropper tip according to one of claims 1 to 7,   characterized in that the lateral surface (117, 118) of the central channel (107) to which the hemispherical portion (112) is connected is cylindrical   (118) in the vicinity of the outlet (109).   9 dropper tip according to claim 8, characterized in that the cylindrical upper portion (118) of the lateral surface (117) of the central channel (107) has a height of less than 1 mm, and preferably of the order of 0.5 mm.   Dropper tip according to one of claims 1 to 9,   characterized in that the lateral surface (117, 117 ') of the central channel (107, 107') is frustoconical, with a small diameter (d) of the order of 0.2 mm,   and a large diameter equal to the diameter (D) of the outlet (109).   Dropper tip according to one of claims 1 to   , characterized in that it is made of plastic material, and   preferably low density polyethylene.   12 dropper tip according to one of claims 1 to   , characterized in that it is made of glass, or metal, and   preferably in this case aluminum.