GB2204578A

GB2204578A - Ampoule opener

Info

Publication number: GB2204578A
Application number: GB08809873A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Ian Howard Clarke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-04-30
Filing date: 1988-04-26
Publication date: 1988-11-16
Also published as: GB8710226D0; GB8809873D0

Abstract

An ampoule opener is a body of resilient plastics material having a flat region 18, and a chamber 22 opening at one end. The chamber opens into a tapered skirt 26. The chamber is dimensioned to receive the head of an ampoule, while the skirt extends across the neck region thereof, to the ampoule body. The ampoule can be gripped through the body and the head can be snapped off, without danger of contact with broken glass. At the far end of the body, there is an aperture 30 formed as a buttonhole. The intermediate region serves for the display of indicia. <IMAGE>

Description

AMPOULE OPENER The present invention relates to an ampoule opener.

Pharmaceutical liquids are commonly provided in sealed glass ampoules. These come in various sizes, but are usually of the same general form, as shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. That is, there is a cylindrical body 10 connected via a narrow neck 12 to a head 14 of rounded tapering form. To open the ampoule the body 10 and head 14 are gripped, and force is applied so as to tend to bend the ampoule, until it fractures at the neck 12. This is normally done manually, with considerable risk of cuts to the user's fingers. With the increase in danger of infection through broken skin, this is becoming less and less acceptable.

Thus it is desirable to provide a safe means of holding the ampoule while it is being broken, and of shielding the user from the sharp edges afterwards.

According to the invention there is provided an ampoule opener comprising a body having a cavity for receiving the head of a glass ampoule, the body being compressible so that a head in the cavity can be 'gripped; there being a skirt extending axially and radially outwardly from the mouth of the cavity to surround the neck region of a received ampoule. The body may have a flat portion extending rearwardly of the cavity, to provide a display surface for indicia and/or to be penetrated by a slit or slot constituting a buttonhole attachment.

The cavity is desirably dimensioned so that it can wholly receive the head of the largest standard ampoule.

Likewise, the skirt should be shaped and arranged so that when this largest ampoule is received, the skirt extends to the body of the ampoule, and may overlap it slightly. The cavity may have an opening adjacent its base, to constitute an inlet for water so that debris left in the cavity can be flushed out.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a glass ampoule, and has already been described; Fig. 2 is a view of the front face of an ampoule opener embodying the invention; and Fig. 3 is a side view of the ampoule opener shown in Fig. 2.

The ampoule opener 16 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is a unitary injection moulding of rubbery plastics material.

It has a flat body 18 with a peripheral rim 20. At one end, it is enlarged to define a chamber 22 having a mouth portion 24 beyond which the internal wall flares to define a skirt 26. Adjacent the base of the chamber 22, the body is penetrated by an aperture 28, which communicates with the chamber 22. At the opposite end of the body 18, there is another aperture 30, providing a slot which can be passed over a button so that the device can easily be carried. The area between the apertures 28,30 is planar, and provides a surface on which indicia may be provided, e.g. advertising matter.

For use, as shown in Fig. 2, the chamber 22 is passed over the head 14 of an ampoule to be opened. The size of the chamber 22 is such that the head 14 is received essentially entirely within it. The skirt 26 extends across the neck region 12, and reaches the body 10 of the ampoule. A user can then grip the head 22 of the ampoule through the wall of the opener. One thumb may be urged against the wide part of the head 22, whereas the other thumb is urged against the shoulder region 32 of the ampoule, through the skirt portion 26. The head of the ampoule can thus be snapped off, with a bending action directed away from the body of the user. There is thus no risk of contact with glass splinters. The material of the holder is sufficiently springy that when it is no longer gripped, the chamber and skirt spring back to their original configurations. It should thus be an easy matter to shake out the ampoule fragments. But should they stick or should there be other contamination, a flushing jet of liquid can be passed in through the aperture 28.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An ampoule opener comprising a body having a cavity for receiving the head of a glass ampoule, the body being compressible so that a head in the chamber can ge gripped; there being a skirt extending axially and radially outwardly from the mouth of the aperture to surround the neck region of a received ampoule.

2. An ampoule opener according to claim 1 wherein the body has a flat portion extending rearwardly of the chamber and providing an indicia display surface.

3. An ampoule opener according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the body has a flat portion extending rearwardly of the chamber, the flat portion being penetrated by a buttonhole.

4. An ampoule opener substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

5. A method of opening an ampoule by means of an ampoule opener according to any preceding claim, wherein the ampoule has a head, a neck and a body; and the head is received substantially within the cavity of the ampoule opener; the skirt extends across the neck region of the ampoule; and force is then applied through the body of the ampoule opener to cause rupture of the neck region of the ampoule.