IE47615B1 - Applicator - Google Patents

Abstract

An applicator suitable for the introduction of a medicament or ointment into a body cavity such as the vagina, comprises a piston-rod assembly 11 having a threaded lip 12 at its forward end, and a tubular member 10 having an internal tread 13 at its rearward end so that the piston-rod assembly can be unscrewed from the tubular member in order to clean the device.

Description

The present invention relates to an applicator and in particular provides an improved vaginal applicator for the introduction of jellies, medicaments, salves and the like.

The medication applying device of this invention is of the type for introducing a medicament or ointment into a body cavity such as the vagina, in a clean and sanitary manner. The device is particularly useful where it may be necessary to inject a prescribed amount of such medication into the cavity to remedy a condition for which the medication has been prescribed. The device is designed so that it can be easily dismantled for cleaning after use, in this way the device can be used many times before it is finally discarded. The ease with which the device can be cleaned lessens the possibility of infection upon reuse. Prior devices in this field have been designed for repetitive use of the injector, but such use may have the effect of reinfecting the cavity area of aggrevating the existing condition if the injector is not properly cleaned prior to its reuse. The prior art devices often comprised several different parts which must be disassembled·prior to cleaning. Existing prior art applicators have either a separate button to be unscrewed for disassembly or a snap feature to - 3 provide a stop when the barrel is full. The plunger is forced through the stop in order to disassemble the applicator. Frequently, residues contained in several parts of the injector are difficult to remove with normal cleaning leaving deposits in the device which may lead to infection on reuse.

According to the present invention there is provided an applicator comprising a tubular member open at both ends and a piston-rod assembly adapted to be slideably positioned in the tubular member, the pistonrod assembly having an external thread formed thereon at its forward end and the tubular member having a bore in which is defined a medicament chamber and having an internal thread at the proximal end thereof adapted for receipt of the threaded end of the piston-rod essembly.

The device of this invention is simple in design and operation for easy utilization by patient or physician. In addition, the two parts which constitute the apparatus of the invention can be constructed of hygienic material, are easily assembled and disassembled and are easily cleansed for safe contact with delicate internal tissues.

The dispenser of the present invention provides a means whereby a pharmaceutical composition may be neatly, quickly and conveniently dispensed into a body cavity. The dispenser of this invention is of simple and inexpensive construction which can be easily disassembled and re-assembled for easy cleaning and reuse. The dispenser is also not bulky and is convenient to carry and use.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to a specific embodiment thereof which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 47615 - 4 Figure 1 is a perspective view of an applica tor of the present invention? Figure 2 is a perspective view of the compon ent parts of the applicator of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detailed cross-section of the applicator taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a detailed cross-section of the component parts of the applicator of Figure 1 in preassembled condition; Figure 5 shown in Figure 4 is a cross-section of the device taken along line 5-5? Figure 6 is a cross-section of the device of Figure 4 taken along line 6-6; and Figure 7 is a partial cross-section of the 15 device of Figure 1 in closed position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the vaginal applicator of the present invention comprises tubular member 10 and piston-rod assembly 11.

Tubular member 10 is preferably cylindrical 20 in shape and contains a bore 15 along its entire length which defines a medicament chamber. Tubular member 10 also contains an internal thread 13 at its proximal end. Internal thread 13 serves as a stop means for the piston-rod assembly 11 when the applica25 tor is being used.

Piston-rod assembly 11 has a diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of tubular member 10 and is installed in tubular member 10 through the proximal end opening 16 and is slideable through the barrel during discharge of its contents through the - 5 end of the bore 15. Piston-rod assembly 11 has an external thread 12 formed thereon at its forward end which is adapted to receive by screw fit internal thread 13 on tubular member 10. Piston-rod assembly 11 is installed in tubular member 10 by first engaging external thread 12 with internal thread 13 and passing piston-rod assembly 11 into the medicament chamber. Piston-assembly 11 is provided with knob 14 to facilitate the application of pressure on rod 11 when expelling the medicament. Knob 14 also serves to prevent pistonrod assembly 11 from sliding through tubular member 10 when in operation. The piston-rod assembly 10, minus knob 14, is slightly shorther in length than the overall length of tubular member 10.

In actual use, the piston-rod assembly is drawn up into the tubular member to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the device is filled with the medicament or ointment to be dispensed either by pressure applied to a tube containing the material or through the use of suitable pressurized containers such as an aerosol can, for example. Where the applicator is to be filled from a tube, it is convenient to have an internal thread at the distal end of tubular member 10 for receipt of the nozzle of the tube. This avoids any unnecessary waste of the medicament. The pressurized container can be used to dispense predetermined amounts of the medicament into the applicator. For ease of determining the exact amount to be dispensed, tubular member 10 may also contain a series of calibrations along its length which indicate the amount of material contained in the chamber. Once the tubular member is filled, its contents are expelled by inserting the device into the body cavity and gently driving piston-rod assembly 11 in the direction of bore 15 until all of the material has been expelled. - 6 To clean the device, piston-rod assembly 11 is disengaged from tubular member 10 by turning it through internal thread 13 until it is free. Cleaning may be accomplished in any known manner such as washing with soap and water, for example.

The vaginal applicator of the present invention can be made from any of a number of known synthetic resins or thermoplastic materials. The particular material employed should be compatible with the intended jelly, ointment or cream contents and with body tissues.

Elastic and relatively rigid synthetic, resins or thermoplastic materials which can be employed to mould or otherwise from the piston-rod assembly and tubular member of the present invention include materials such as ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate, polyethylene, polystyrene, vinyl chloridevinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride resin, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride.

Claims (5)

1. An applicator comprising a tubular member open at both ends and a piston-rod assembly adapted to be slideably positioned in the tubular member, the piston-rod assembly having an external thread formed thereon at its forward end and the tubular member having a bore in which is defined a medicament chamber and having an internal thread at the proximal end thereof adapted for receipt of the threaded end of the pistonrod assembly.

2. An applicator as claimed in claim 1 which additionally comprises an internal thread at the distal end of the tubular member.

3. An applicator as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the tubular member and piston-rod assembly are formed from a molded rigid plastics material.

4. An applicator as claimed in claim 3 wherein the plastics material is ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate, polyethylene, polystyrene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride resin, polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride. 5. An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the tubular member and the piston-rod assembly are cylindrical. 6. An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the piston-rod assembly is provided with a knob to facilitate the application of pressure thereto. 7. An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the tubular member is - 8 calibrated. 8. An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. 9. An applicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is a vaginal applicator.