JP2005082234A - Anti-contaminated cap - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cap which has a structure in which attaching the cap to a liquid storage vessel securely retains hermetic seal until unsealing of the vessel and also securely prevents a liquid leak, and which prevents the inside of the vessel from being contaminated after the vessel is unsealed. <P>SOLUTION: The cap comprises a base member 7 which can be attached to a vessel body 10 with the liquid storage part 12; an over-cap 8 which can be fitted to the base member 7; a push-in member 9 which has in its side a groove 91 for guiding a liquid medicine to outside, and can be pushed in the vessel body 10 in order to release the vessel body 10 from hermetic seal; and a first close contact member 11 included by the base member 7 so as to allow the flow of the liquid medicine. The cap further comprises a filter member 101, and a venting means 100 with a check valve 103 which has an opening 102 that allows the inflow of air and does not allow the outflow of the liquid medicine. The venting means 100 is disposed in such a position as to communicate with the liquid storage part 12 after the release of the vessel body 10 from the hermetic seal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a contamination prevention cap that is attached to a medical eye drop container (hereinafter simply referred to as “eye drop container”) or the like that accommodates a medical eye drop solution freely.

Conventional eye drops, in particular, eye drops used for administration of medical solutions such as medical eye drops, for example, a liquid injection cylinder portion on a container body that is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape and has a liquid storage portion that stores a chemical solution And a so-called three-piece type eye drop device formed of three members as a whole eye drop device, as shown in FIG. 8, or by injection or blow molding as shown in FIG. A so-called bottle pack eye dropper X and the like in which a cap B is screwed or fitted to an integrally formed type eye drop container A in which a cylindrical portion 6 and a container body 10 are integrally formed are widely used.
In addition, there has been known one in which an inner stopper portion provided with the liquid injection port is provided at the tip of the liquid injection cylinder portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
As a material for such eye drops X, a soft thermoplastic resin is used for ease of molding and the like.

  In this type of eye dropper X, when the drug solution in the eye dropper container A is administered, the body 2 of the eye dropper container A (container body 10) is held with two fingertips, and the liquid injection port of the eye dropper container A is provided. 61a holds the administration posture facing the eye to be administered, and the barrel 2 is pressed toward the container axis while maintaining this posture, whereby the drug solution is administered dropwise from the liquid injection port 61a.

  In the eye drop device described above, when a drug solution is dropped from the injection port after the eye drop device is opened, external air flows into the eye drop container by the amount of the administered drug solution. As a configuration in which external air can be introduced in this way, a configuration in which a pressure equalizing valve for sucking outside air is provided (for example, Patent Document 2). Thereby, since external air can be taken in after dripping administration of a chemical | medical solution, it became possible to balance the pressure in a container with the exterior.

  In addition, in a container containing liquid, such an external air intake valve mounting position is provided in the vicinity of the liquid injection port (for example, Patent Documents 3 to 4), provided on the opposite side of the liquid injection port. A known configuration (for example, Patent Document 5) has been known.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 39-11991 (Figs. 1-2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 51-146789 (see pages 7 to 8 and FIG. 4) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 17-1185 (see page 1, FIGS. 1-3) JP-A-4-31462 (refer to page 4, FIGS. 1-2) Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 1-110147 (Utility Model Registration Request, see Fig. 2)

  Since medicinal solutions, particularly medical ophthalmic solutions, are directly administered to the eyes, which are particularly sensitive organs in the human body, it is strictly required to keep them sterile until the time of instillation. Therefore, after sterilizing each member of the above-mentioned eye drop device by steam sterilization method, EO gas sterilization method, etc., and sterilizing chemicals by filtration sterilization method using membrane filter, etc., an aseptic room with strict conditions Need to be aseptically filled.

  According to the eye drop container in the conventional eye drop device described above (for example, the integrally formed eye drop container of FIG. 8), after the chemical solution is aseptically filled in the eye drop container, the eye drop container is sealed by attaching a cap to the eye drop container. Thus, it is possible to prevent the external air and the chemical solution inside the eye drop container from coming into direct contact with each other, and thus it is usually possible to keep the chemical solution in a sterile state until the eye drops when the cap is removed.

However, as described above, when a drug solution is dropped and administered from the injection port after the eye dropper is opened, external air flows into the eye drop container by the amount of the administered drug solution. At this time, sterility of the inside of the eyedrop container cannot be ensured by microorganisms contained in the external air, and the inside of the eyedrop container may be contaminated (contamination inside the container after the eyedrop container is opened).
In order to avoid such a container internal contamination, the method of accommodating in an eye drop container in the state which added the preservative to the chemical | medical solution previously is widely used (preservation of chemical | medical solution).

  On the other hand, attempts have been made to prevent the incorporation of microorganisms and the like contained in external air into the eye drop container. The present invention has been made from this viewpoint.

  Here, in order to prevent contact between the drug solution inside the eye drop container and the external air until the time of use, such as a completely integrated sealed eye drop container in which the liquid injection port for allowing the drug solution to flow out is not provided in advance. Although an eye drop container that can be reliably maintained is widely used, it is desirable to have a cap that can be suitably attached to such an eye drop container. Moreover, even if the liquid injection port is provided in advance, it is desirable that the eye drop device is configured so that the sealed state can be reliably maintained until it is used.

Moreover, according to the structure of the container which provided the valve for external air suction in the patent documents 2-5 mentioned above, this valve opened directly to the liquid storage part. Therefore, if the container is tilted during transportation of the container provided with this valve, the liquid in the liquid storage part may touch the opening of the valve.
However, even when the container is kept sealed before opening, the configuration in which the liquid does not come into contact with the opening of the valve for sucking outside air as much as possible has the viewpoint of reliably preventing liquid leakage, and From the viewpoint of stably holding the liquid in the liquid container, it is considered preferable.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to maintain a sealed state reliably until the container is opened by attaching it to a container containing liquid, and to reliably prevent liquid leakage, and to prevent contamination in the container after opening. It is to provide a cap to prevent.

(Configuration 1)
In order to achieve the above object, the first characteristic configuration of the pollution prevention cap according to the present invention is as follows:
A base member that can be mounted on a container body having a liquid storage portion for storing a liquid;
An overcap attachable to the base member;
The container is inserted and held in the base member so as to be slidable with respect to the base member, and has a groove portion for guiding the liquid to the outside on the side surface, and the overcap to release the sealed state of the container body. A pushing member that can be pushed into the main body,
A first contact member that is in close contact with the pushing member from the outside and is provided at a tip portion of the base member so as to allow the liquid to flow out;
A vent member provided with a filter member and a check valve having an opening that allows the inflow of air from the outside and does not permit the outflow of liquid to the outside; It exists in the point provided in the position connected with the said liquid accommodating part, after the sealing state is cancelled | released.

  The contamination prevention cap of the present invention is constituted by the base member, the overcap, the pushing member, the first close contact member, and the ventilation means, so that the cap can be attached to the container body containing the liquid. In this case, the sealed state can be reliably maintained until the container is opened. This is due to the following reason.

  For example, a container body having a liquid storage portion for storing a liquid is used as a sealed container body, and a cap is attached to the sealed container body by attaching a base member. The container body is sealed by changing the posture of the pushing member from the non-pushing posture in which the pushing member is not pushed into the container body side to the pushing posture in which the pushing member is pushed into the container body side. Since the state is released, the liquid stored in the container body can flow out of the container body.

  In other words, when the contamination prevention cap of the present invention is attached to a sealed container body, when not in use, since the operation of pushing the pushing member is not performed, the contact between the liquid before opening the container and external air is prevented, The sealed state can be reliably maintained until the container is opened. Then, the cap is inserted into the container body by the operation of pushing in the pushing member, and the sealed state of the container body can be reliably released.

  In addition, the container body that contains the liquid is not limited to the sealed container body, and even if a liquid inlet is provided in advance, the sealed state is reliably maintained until use by inserting the pushing member into the liquid inlet. If it is configured so that the operation of pushing the pushing member is not performed when not in use, the liquid is prevented from contacting the external air before opening the container and the sealed state is reliably maintained until the container is opened. Can do. Then, the cap is inserted into the container body by the operation of pushing in the pushing member, and the sealed state of the container body can be reliably released.

  And the liquid which flowed out from the container main body is guide | induced outside by the groove part provided in the pressing member side surface. At this time, it is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing out to the outside through a path other than the groove. Therefore, the liquid leakage from the container main body at the time of use can be suppressed.

  Further, the first contact member and the pressing member, which are provided at the distal end portion of the base member and are in close contact with the pressing member from the outside, are easily separated by the pressure of the liquid guided by the groove, so that the liquid is externally supplied. Therefore, liquid can be provided easily.

  In addition, for example, in the case of a container that causes liquid to flow out by reducing the volume of the container body by, for example, pressing the body of the container body, the pressure on the container body is stopped after the desired amount of liquid has flowed out. Then, the shape tends to return to the state before the liquid flows out to the outside due to the restoring property of the container body itself. At this time, the inside of the container body is configured such that external air flows into the liquid storage part from the ventilation means by the amount of the liquid that has flowed out due to the negative pressure. At this time, since the ventilation means is provided with a filter member, it is possible to prevent the intake of microorganisms and the like contained in the external air into the container after the container is opened, thereby preventing contamination in the container after the container is opened. It becomes possible.

  Here, since the ventilation means is provided with a check valve that has an opening that allows inflow of air from the outside and does not allow outflow of liquid to the outside, the above-described inflow of external air is performed through the opening. And the pressure inside the container can be balanced with the outside. Further, since this opening does not allow liquid to flow out, it is possible to prevent liquid from leaking from the venting means.

  Furthermore, since the venting means is provided at a position communicating with the liquid container after the sealed state of the container body is released, the venting means and the venting means can be used as long as the container body is kept sealed before opening. It does not communicate with the liquid container. For this reason, even if the container body is inclined before opening, the liquid can be prevented from contacting the opening of the ventilation means. Therefore, it is a preferable embodiment from the viewpoint of reliably preventing liquid leakage and from the viewpoint of stably holding the liquid in the liquid container.

(Configuration 2)
In addition to the first feature configuration described above, the second feature configuration of the pollution prevention cap according to the present invention includes:
The check valve has a pair of tapered surfaces that can freely contact each other at the end portion, and the opening formed in the end portion is a duckbill type that is closed by contact between the end portions of the tapered surfaces. is there.

Here, the case where the cap is attached to the container body that is configured to press the container body as described above when the liquid flows out from the first close contact member will be described as an example.
In this case, when the pressing operation is stopped after the liquid has flowed out, the shape tends to return to the state before the liquid flows out to the outside due to the restoring property of the container body itself. At this time, the external air flows into the liquid storage portion by the amount of the liquid that has flowed out due to the negative pressure inside the container body.

  At this time, if the check valve is a duckbill type, the check valve has a pair of tapered surfaces that can be contacted with each other at the end portion. The portion is closed (closed) by contact between the end portions of each tapered surface.

  While the container body is being pressed, the inside of the container body becomes a positive pressure, and the external air does not flow into the liquid container, so that the pressure of the flowing external air is inside the tapered surfaces (FIG. 1: 103b). ) And the contact between the ends of each tapered surface is not released (closed state: FIG. 5). Therefore, while the container main body is pressed and the liquid is flowing out, the opening is in the closed state, so that the chemical liquid does not flow out from the opening.

  On the other hand, when the pressing operation is stopped, the external air tries to flow into the liquid storage portion by the amount of the liquid that has flowed out. At this time, when the external air flowing in through the filter member reaches the opening, The pressure of air acts on the inner side of each tapered surface (FIG. 1: 103b) and the contact between the ends is released (FIG. 6). At this time, the opening is in an open state, and external air flows into the liquid container.

Therefore, in the anti-contamination cap according to the second characteristic configuration of the present invention, since the check valve 103 has a duckbill type, when the container main body is pressed when the liquid flows out (the inside of the container main body has a positive pressure). The opening can be closed.
Also, after the liquid has flowed out, when the pressing operation of the container body is stopped and the shape of the container body tries to return to the state before the liquid has flowed out (the container body has negative pressure), the inflowing external air The opening can be opened using pressure suitably.
Therefore, in accordance with the liquid outflow operation, it is possible to provide a check valve that permits the inflow of external air in a timely manner and does not permit the outflow of liquid to the outside.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1 to 6 show a schematic view of main parts of eye drops X mainly used for medical use and each member constituting the eye drops X. This eye dropper X is composed of an eye drop container A having a container body 10 that can mainly store a medical solution such as medical eye drops as a liquid, and a cap B that is detachable from the eye drop container A.

The eye drop container A is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape and is provided with a liquid injection cylinder part on a container main body having a liquid storage part 12 for containing a chemical solution, or a liquid injection cylinder part by blow molding, vacuum molding or the like. An integrally molded ophthalmic container or the like that is integrally formed with a container body is widely used.
In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, an eye drop container A in which an inner plug portion 61 provided with a liquid injection port 61 a is provided at the tip of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 is illustrated. Therefore, in this embodiment, the combination of the container main body 10 and the inner plug portion 61 is an eye drop container (eye drop container with an inner plug) A.

  The eye drop container A includes a circular bottom 1 bent inward, a hollow cylindrical body 2 continuous to the periphery thereof, a cylindrical neck 3 continuous with a shoulder 2a of the body 2, The liquid injection cylinder part 6 is provided on the upper side of the neck part 3 so as to be provided. A male screw 6 a is provided on the outer periphery of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6.

  As a constituent material of the eye drop container A, there are thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene, polyethylene-polypropylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polycarbonate, and the whole eye drop container A is configured to be elastically deformable.

  Here, the configuration in which the inner plug portion 61 is provided at the tip of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 is a manufacturing cost as compared with the case where the liquid injection port 61a is directly formed in the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 by applying blow molding, vacuum forming or the like. Is widely used for reasons such as lowering. The inner plug portion 61 is mounted so as to be in close contact with the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 in order to prevent inflow of external air. Therefore, if the pushing member in the cap, which will be described later, is configured to fit into the liquid injection port 61a, the eye drop container A becomes an eye drop device X that can maintain a sealed state until the time of instillation, and the liquid medicine is reliably kept sterile until the time of eye drop. be able to.

  The eye dropper X that can maintain a sealed state until the time of instillation is not limited to a configuration in which a liquid injection port is provided in the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 in advance and the liquid injection port is closed by a cap member. A configuration in which a stopper is provided and a configuration in which a liquid injection port is not provided in advance in the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 may be employed, and any configuration may be employed as long as the sealed state can be reliably maintained until use.

  The cap B is configured to be detachably screwed with the male screw 6a of the container body 10 (eye drops container A). The outline of the cap B is shown below.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the cap B includes a base member 7 that can be attached to a container body 10 that can store a chemical solution, and an overcap 8 that can be attached to the base member 7. The base member 7 is inserted into and held by the base member 7 so as to be slidable, and has a groove portion 91 for guiding the chemical solution to the outside, and an overcap 8 for releasing the sealed state of the eye drop container A. A pressing member 9 that can be pressed into the eye dropper container A side and a first close-contact member 11 provided at the distal end portion 77 of the base member 7 while being in close contact with the pressing member 9 from the outside are provided.

Further, the cap B includes a venting means 100. The venting means 100 includes a filter member 101 and a check valve having an opening 102 that allows air to flow from outside and does not allow chemical liquid to flow to the outside. 103.
Below, the structure of each member of the cap B is explained in full detail.

(Base member)
The base member 7 is configured to be attachable to a container body 10 (eye drops container A) containing a chemical solution. Therefore, a thread groove portion 71 that can be screwed into the male screw 6a is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the base member 7 (the side attached to the eye drop container A).

  In addition, as an example of a preferred embodiment, the base member 7 has a first series of through holes 72 penetrating in the axial direction of the base member 7 and communicates with the first series of through holes 72 to form a first series. It is possible to have a configuration having a space 73 having a larger diameter than the through-hole 72. The pushing member 9 described later passes through the base member 7 through the first series of through holes 72 and the space 73.

  The base member 7 is provided with a base member first convex portion 74 for mounting an overcap 8 described later on the outer surface, and further, when the pressing member 9 is in the pressing position, this pressing position is ensured. Therefore, the base member second convex portion 76 can be provided on the inner peripheral wall of the base member 7.

  The constituent material of the base member 7 can be polypropylene, polyethylene, or the like.

  The mounting of the base member 7 and the eye drop container A is not limited to the mounting method of screwing, and a mounting method of fitting is also applicable. At this time, a configuration that can be fitted and mounted (for example, provided with a convex portion) can be appropriately applied to a portion corresponding to the male screw 6a and a portion corresponding to the screw groove 71.

  In addition, it is preferable to disperse and dispose a protrusion 79 that suppresses deformation of the first close contact member 11 (described later) toward the base member 7 at the tip portion of the base member 7. And it is preferable to arrange | position the protrusion part 79 adjacent to the 1st close_contact | adherence member 11 (refer FIG. 1, 3).

When the pushing member 7 is in the pushing posture, the first close contact member 11 may be deformed toward the base member 7 due to friction between the push member 7 and the first close contact member 11. However, when the first close contact member 11 is deformed to the base member 7 side, the first close contact member 11 and the protruded portion 79 are connected to the base member 7 as long as the protrusions 79 are distributed at the tip of the base member 7. It will contact | abut substantially uniformly over the circumference | surroundings of the front-end | tip part. Therefore, even if the first close contact member 11 is deformed, it is difficult to cause distorted deformation. Therefore, the uneven outflow of the chemical liquid can be prevented.
Further, if the protruding portion 79 is disposed close to the first close-contact member 11, when the first close-contact member 11 tries to deform toward the base member 7 side, the first close-contact member 11 and the protruded portion 79 immediately contact each other. Thus, the movement of the first close contact member 11 can be stopped. Therefore, even if the first close contact member 11 is deformed, it can be suppressed to a slight deformation.

(Over cap)
The overcap 8 is configured to be attachable to the base member 7. Attachment to the base member 7 can be carried out by a method such as screwing or fitting. At this time, on the outer surface of the base member 7, a thread groove portion or a convex portion that can cope with screwing or fitting mounting of the overcap 8 is formed. In this embodiment, a base member first convex portion 74 is provided on the outer surface of the base member 7, and inner convex portions 81 and 83 are provided on the inner side of the overcap 8 in order to enable fitting.

  Further, as an example of a preferred embodiment of the overcap 8, a cap body 8a and a cutout portion 8b cut out from the cap body 8a are formed. After removing the cutout portion 8b, the cap body 8a is pushed in. In this case, the cap body 8 a can be configured to be able to contact the base member 7.

  That is, the overcap 8 formed by the cap body 8a and the cutout portion 8b is attached to the base member 7, and at this time, the overcap 8 and the pushing member 9 are not pushed into the eye dropper container A side. It is kept. Then, the cut portion 8b is removed by cutting it from the cap body 8a (FIG. 2 (a)), and then the posture is changed to a pushing posture in which the cap body 8a is pushed into the eye dropper container A side (FIG. 2 (b)). )), The cap body 8a abuts against the base member 7, and the pushing member 9 can be prevented from being pushed more than necessary.

Moreover, since it is preferable to attach the overcap 8 to the base member 7 so as to cover at least a part of the base member 7 including the first close contact member 11 described later, a hollow cylindrical shape is a suitable form.
Furthermore, when the overcap 8 is attached to the base member 7 so as to cover the filter member 101 provided in the ventilation means 100 described later, the ventilation means 100 can be prevented from being contaminated with microorganisms or the like until the opening. it can.

  As a constituent material of the overcap 8, polypropylene, polyethylene, or the like can be used.

  On the inner wall at the tip of the overcap 8, it is possible to provide an overcap projection 82 that contacts the pushing member 9 and locks the pushing member 9 when the pushing member 9 is pushed.

(Indentation member)
The pushing member 9 is inserted and held in the base member 7 so as to be slidable with respect to the base member 7. Further, the pushing member 9 has a groove portion 91 for guiding the liquid to the outside on the side surface. One or a plurality of the groove portions 91 can be provided on the side surface of the pressing member 9. As described above, the pressing member 9 passes through the first through hole 72 and the space 73 of the base member 7, but at this time, the pressing member 9 of the base member 7 is secured so that the groove portion 91 is secured. Contact with the inner periphery.

  Therefore, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the pushing member 9 includes a rod-shaped shaft core portion 9 a that comes into contact with the first through-hole 72 and an inner peripheral wall of the base member 7 that forms the space portion 73. It is possible to make it into the shape which has the projection part 9b contact | abutted to. The protruding portion 9b is provided so as not to come into contact with the ventilation means 100 described later.

  When the overcap 8 is pushed into the ophthalmic container side to release the sealed state of the ophthalmic container A (see FIG. 2), the pushing member 9 is pushed into the ophthalmic container side together with the overcap 8 (pushing posture). . At this time, the pushing member 9 is pressed against the inner plug portion 61 provided at the tip of the liquid injection cylinder portion 6 of the eye drop container A, and slides on the inner peripheral surface of the liquid injection port 61 a of the inner plug portion 61. At this time, if the groove portion 91 communicates with the space inside the eye drop container (liquid storage portion 12) containing the chemical solution, the sealed state can be released. And the chemical | medical solution accommodated in the liquid accommodating part 12 can flow out from the groove part 91. FIG.

Here, as the shape of the pushing member 9, one in which one end portion on the side of the eyedrop container A is formed in a needle shape is illustrated. With this configuration, the inner stopper 61 is perforated even in the case of a completely sealed container in which the inlet 61a is not provided in the inner stopper 61 provided at the tip of the injection cylinder 6. It is easy to release the sealed state of the eye drop container A.
In addition, it is preferable that the diameter of the needle-like portion is small, and in practice, the diameter is in the range of about φ1 mm to φ3 mm.
At this time, if a concave portion having a bottomed conical shape whose inner diameter increases toward the distal end side is formed in the liquid injection cylinder portion 6, the shape and size of the liquid injection hole generated by the perforation can be made uniform.

  As another form, when it is a container of the form where the sealed state is maintained by plugging liquid injection mouth 61a, pushing member 9 applies the form which can remove this plug. Specifically, it is possible to mold the pushing member 9 so that one end portion on the eye drop container A side has a flat shape. And when pushing member 9 is pushed in, since this stopper can be pushed into eye drop container A and removed from liquid injection cylinder part 6, the sealed state of eye drop container A can be canceled easily.

  As a constituent material of the pushing member 9, a material suitable for releasing the sealed state of the eye drop container A, for example, a thermoplastic resin stronger than the eye drop container A can be applied.

(First close contact member)
The first contact member 11 is fixed to the distal end portion 77 of the base member 7 in a state of being in close contact with the pushing member 9 from the outside. However, the first close contact member 11 is merely fixed to the pushing member 9 and is not fixed. Therefore, the first close contact member 11 and the pushing member 9 are configured to be easily separated from each other. (See FIG. 5).
That is, the first contact member 11 is provided at the tip portion 77 of the base member 7 so as to allow the outflow of the chemical solution.
The first contact member 11 is preferably formed of an elastic material such as rubber that can be easily deformed.

  At this time, if the second space portion 13 which is a space surrounded by the first close member 11, the pushing member 9 and the base member 7 is provided, the second space portion 13 before the chemical solution flows out to the outside. Can be temporarily stored.

Here, the protrusions 79 that suppress the deformation of the first close contact member 11 toward the base member 7 are dispersedly disposed at the distal end portion of the base member 7, and the protrusions 79 are the first close contact member 11. In this case, the space surrounded by the first close contact member 11 and the pushing member 7 is a large space portion. On the other hand, since the projecting portion 79 is disposed close to the first close contact member 11, the space surrounded by the projecting portion 79, the first close contact member 11, and the pushing member is a small space portion.
Therefore, a space in which the chemical solution can be temporarily stored can be secured by the large space portion and the small space portion.

  Further, in order to improve the cutting of the chemical solution and make the amount of one drop constant (within 25 to 50 μL per drop amount), on the outer side of the portion where the first close contact portion 11 and the pushing member 9 are in close contact with each other, It is preferable to provide the annular convex part 11a.

(Ventilation means)
The ventilation means 100 includes a filter member 101 and a check valve 103 having an opening 102 that allows an inflow of air from outside and does not allow an outflow of liquid to the outside.

  The filter member 101 is preferably configured so as not to allow entry of contamination sources such as microorganisms contained in the external air. For example, it is not particularly limited as long as it is usually used to prevent invasion of microorganisms, and a polymer film made of cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, Teflon (registered trademark), polyethylene, etc., ceramic, etc. The porous sintered body can be used. At this time, the average particle diameter of these polymer films and sintered bodies is preferably 0.45 μm or less, and particularly preferably 0.22 μm or less.

  The filter member 101 can be provided outside the opening 102, for example. If comprised in this way, since the external air suck | inhaled from the ventilation means 100 will pass through the filter member 101, even after the sealing of the eyedrop container A is cancelled | released, the contamination of the chemical | medical solution in a container main body will be prevented. Can do.

  The check valve 103 preferably has, for example, a duck bill type structure in which the opening 102 is provided on the pressing member 9 side (that is, the end of each tapered surface 103a contacts on the pressing member 9 side). . At this time, the duckbill type check valve 103 has a pair of tapered surfaces 103a that can be contacted to each other at the end, and the opening 102 formed at the end is tapered when the eye drop operation is not normally performed. It is closed (closed) by contact between the ends of the surface 103a.

During the eye drop operation, the body 2 of the eye drop container A (container body 10) is gripped with two fingertips, and the body 2 is pressed toward the container axis. Since the inside of the eye dropper container A becomes a positive pressure by this pressing operation, the chemical solution reaches the inside (second space portion 13) of the first close contact member 11 via the groove portion 91, and the first close contact member 11 is caused by the pressure of the chemical solution. Since the pushing member 9 can be easily separated from the pushing member 9, the drug solution flows out of the first close contact member 11 and is dropped.
When the pressing operation is stopped after the drug solution is dropped, the shape tends to return to the state before the drug solution is dropped due to the restoring property of the eye dropper container A itself. At this time, the inside of the eye drop container A becomes a negative pressure, and external air flows into the liquid container 12 by the amount corresponding to the administered drug solution.

  Here, while the body part 2 of the eye drop container A (the container body 10) is being pressed, the inside of the eye drop container A becomes a positive pressure. At this time, since the external air does not flow into the liquid storage portion 12, the pressure of the external air does not act on the inner side 103b (the filter member 101 side) of each tapered surface 103a, and contact between the end portions of each tapered surface 103a is not caused. It is not released (closed state: see FIG. 5). Therefore, while the body part 2 of the ophthalmic container A is pressed to administer the drug solution dropwise, the opening part 102 is closed, so that the drug solution does not flow out of the opening part 102.

  On the other hand, when the pressing operation is stopped, the external air tends to flow into the liquid container 12 by the amount of the administered chemical solution. At this time, when the external air that flows in through the filter member 101 reaches the opening 102, the pressure of the external air that flows in acts on the inner side 103b (the filter member 101 side) of each tapered surface 103a to contact the ends. Is released. At this time, the opening 102 is in an open state (see FIG. 6), and external air flows into the liquid container 12.

Therefore, by making the check valve 103 into the duckbill type, the opening 102 is closed when the body 2 of the eye dropper container A is pressed during drug solution administration (the inside of the eye dropper container A has a positive pressure). It can be.
In addition, after administration of the medicinal solution, when the pressing operation of the body part 2 of the ophthalmic container A is stopped and the shape of the ophthalmic container A attempts to return to the state before the medicinal solution is administered dropwise (the inside of the ophthalmic container A becomes negative pressure). In this case, the opening 102 can be opened by suitably using the pressure of the incoming external air.
Therefore, the check valve 103 that allows the inflow of external air in a timely manner and does not allow the outflow of the chemical liquid to the outside can be provided in accordance with the eye drop operation.

The ventilation means 100 is provided at a position communicating with the liquid storage unit 12 after the ophthalmic container A is released from the sealed state.
Specifically, the ventilation means 100 is provided, for example, on the inner peripheral wall of the base member 7 that forms the space 73.
In this case, when the pushing member 9 is in the non-pushing posture (the sealed state of the eye dropper container A is not released), the groove 91 is not in communication with the liquid container 12 containing the chemical (FIG. 2 ( See b).
On the other hand, when the pushing member 9 is in the pushing posture (the sealed state of the eye dropper container A is released), the groove portion 91 is in a state of communicating with the liquid storage portion 12 containing the chemical solution (see FIG. 2B). . That is, the ventilation unit 100 communicates with the liquid storage unit 12 through the groove 91.

  Therefore, as long as the ophthalmic container A is kept sealed before opening, even if the ophthalmic container A is in a tilted posture, the chemical solution can be prevented from contacting the opening 102. Therefore, it is a preferable embodiment from the viewpoint of reliably preventing liquid leakage and from the viewpoint of stably holding the liquid in the liquid container.

  The ventilation means 100 provided at such a position can be detachably provided on the base member 7.

  Further, the aeration means 100 is provided with a reservoir 104 that can store a chemical solution, and the volume of the reservoir 104 is at least equal to or more than the amount of one drop when the chemical solution flows out of the first close contact member 11. It is preferable to configure.

With the configuration in which the reservoir 104 is provided in this way, the chemical liquid that has passed through the groove 91 from the liquid storage unit 12 at the first instillation is temporarily stored in the reservoir 104 and then flows out from the first close contact member 11. After instillation, the chemical solution remains in the reservoir 104.
Then, when the body portion 2 of the eye drop container A is pressed at the next instillation, the remaining liquid in the reservoir 104 is pushed out of the reservoir 104 by the pressure of the chemical solution from the liquid storage portion 12 via the groove portion 91, and the first contact is made. It flows out from the member 11.

Here, compared with the case where the chemical solution in the liquid storage unit 12 flows out through the liquid storage unit 12 -the groove 91 -the storage unit 104 -the first close contact member 11 (first path), the chemical solution in the storage unit 104 When the liquid flows out to the outside through the reservoir 104-first contact member 11 (second path), the chemical solution outflow path becomes shorter.
Therefore, when the ventilating means 100 is provided with a reservoir 104 capable of storing a chemical solution, the drug solution can be quickly and dropwise administered at the next and subsequent instillations compared to the first instillation.

  Further, even when a part of the chemical in the reservoir 104 returns to the liquid storage unit 12 through the groove 91, the chemical in the liquid storage unit 12 is added and dripped to the remaining liquid in the storage unit 104 at the next instillation. Compared to the first instillation in which no liquid remains in the reservoir 104, quick instillation is realized.

  At this time, if the volume of the reservoir 104 is at least equal to or larger than the amount of one drop when the chemical solution flows out of the first close contact member 11, the amount of the chemical solution required for one eye drop can be quickly supplied. it can. Specifically, when the amount of one drop is set in the range of 25 to 50 μL as described above, the volume is preferably 25 to 50 μL or more.

As described above, the check valve 103 is exemplified as a duckbill type in which the opening 102 is provided on the pushing member 9 side. At this time, it is preferable to provide the opening 102 of the duckbill check valve 103 so as to be close to the pushing member 9.
With this configuration, for example, when the eye drop container A is stored in a horizontal position in a state where the medicinal solution is stored in the storage section 104 after instillation, when the filter member 101 of the ventilation means 100 is facing downward, the opening 102 If it is provided so as to be close to the pushing member 9, the opening 102 becomes difficult to be immersed in the chemical solution.

  As described above, the cap B includes the base member 7, the overcap 8, the pushing member 9, the first close-contact member 11, and the ventilation means 100. Therefore, the cap B can be attached to an eye drop container that can reliably maintain a sealed state until use.

That is, when the eye dropper X including the eye drop container A and the cap B having the above-described configuration is used, the over cap 8 is pressed toward the eye drop container A to push the pushing member 9 from the non-pushing posture to the pushing posture. By changing, the sealed state of the eye drop container A is released. At this time, the closed state of the eye dropper container A is released by the groove portion 91 communicating with the space of the liquid storage portion 12 containing the chemical solution. Thereby, the chemical | medical solution accommodated in the eyedrop container A can flow out of the eyedrop container A. Therefore, the sealed state of the eye dropper container A can be easily released by a simple operation of pushing in the pushing member 9.

  Then, in a state where the overcap 8 is detached from the base member 7, the drug solution is caused to flow out of the eye drop container A by pressing the body 2 of the eye drop container A with a finger or the like. The chemical solution that has flowed out of the eye drop container A is guided to the outside by the groove portion 91 provided in the pushing member 9. At this time, since the chemical solution does not flow out to the outside through a route other than the groove portion 91, liquid leakage from the eye dropper container A can be prevented.

  Furthermore, the chemical solution guided by the groove 91 is temporarily stored in the second space portion 13, and when the chemical solution fills the second space portion 13, the pressure of the chemical solution becomes a positive pressure and the first close contact member 11 is in a close state. It separates easily from the pushing member 9, and a chemical | medical solution flows out outside (FIG. 5).

  Further, when the pressing of the body 2 of the ophthalmic container A is stopped after the desired amount of medicinal liquid has flowed out, the shape tends to return to the state before the medicinal solution is dropped by the restoring property of the ophthalmic container A itself. At this time, the inside of the eye drop container A becomes a negative pressure, and external air flows from the ventilation means 100 into the liquid container 12 by the amount corresponding to the administered drug solution. At this time, since the ventilation means 100 is provided with the filter member 101, it is possible to prevent the microorganisms contained in the external air from being taken into the eye drop container after the eye drop container is opened. Contamination can be prevented.

[Another Example 1]
In the configuration of the above embodiment, the base member 7 can be composed of a first base member 7a and a second base member 7b (see FIG. 7).
At this time, the first base member 7a and the second base member 7b can be configured to be relatively rotatable. For example, when the ventilation means 100 is attached to the first base member 7a, the opening 102 is made to be a chemical solution by rotating the first base member 7a relative to the second base member 7b during instillation or the like. It can be adjusted such that the opening 102 (ventilation means 100) is at a desired position, such as a position where it is difficult to be immersed in the water.

Schematic which shows the state which the cap and container main body of this invention screwed together. Schematic diagram when the posture is changed from the non-indented posture to the pushed-in posture (a) Non-indented posture (removal of the cut-out part from the overcap) (b) Pushed-in posture (the cap body contacts the base member) Schematic of protrusions distributed and arranged at the tip of the base member Schematic diagram of pushing member Schematic diagram of the main part when the drug solution is dripped during instillation Schematic diagram of main parts when inflowing external air Schematic diagram of main parts when the base member is composed of a first base member and a second base member Schematic cross-sectional view of conventional eye drops

Explanation of symbols

7 Base member 8 Overcap 9 Pushing member 10 Container body 11 First close contact member 12 Liquid storage portion 91 Groove portion 100 Venting means 101 Filter member 102 Opening portion 103 Check valve

Claims (2)

A base member that can be mounted on a container body having a liquid storage portion for storing a liquid;
An overcap attachable to the base member;
The container is inserted and held in the base member so as to be slidable with respect to the base member, and has a groove portion for guiding the liquid to the outside on the side surface, and the overcap to release the sealed state of the container body. A pushing member that can be pushed into the main body,
A first contact member that is in close contact with the pushing member from the outside and is provided at a tip portion of the base member so as to allow the liquid to flow out;
A venting means provided with a filter member and a check valve that has an opening that allows the inflow of air from the outside and does not allow the outflow of liquid to the outside;
The ventilation means is a contamination prevention cap provided at a position communicating with the liquid container after the sealed state of the container body is released.   The check valve is a duckbill type having a pair of tapered surfaces that can contact each other at their end portions, and an opening formed in the end portion is closed by contact between the end portions of each tapered surface. The contamination prevention cap according to 1.

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