JP4592451B2 - Liquid container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid container provided with a container body and a liquid inlet member.

Conventionally, in order to maintain the sterilized state of the liquid contained in the container body and to store the liquid for a long period of time, it has been proposed to provide a sealed part in the container body to block the inside of the container from the outside air. However, even when a sealed part is provided, if the sealed part is opened, the outside air flows into the container body or the liquid exposed to the outside air enters the container body as in the case of a normal container. Backflow. Therefore, when the outside air that flows in or the liquid that flows backward is mixed with the liquid inside the container body, there is a possibility that all the liquids contained in the container body may be contaminated due to microorganisms contained in these gases and liquids. .
When the container is an eye drop container, for example, the liquid injection port of the eye drop container may be contaminated by microorganisms or the like by touching tears or wrinkles. For this reason, when the liquid in contact with tears or wrinkles flows back into the container body, all of the liquid contained in the container body is contaminated, and the sterilized state inside the container body cannot be maintained. In addition, once microorganisms or the like flow into the container, contamination by microorganisms or the like tends to increase with the passage of time.

  On the other hand, a preservative can be added to the liquid contained in the container body in advance, but in view of the influence of the preservative on the human body, it is desirable not to add the preservative as much as possible.

  Accordingly, various liquid containers aimed at preventing backflow into the container body have been studied. For example, a check valve function may be used to prevent the liquid that has reached the liquid injection port from the sealed part (Patent Document 1) or the sealed part having a check valve function. The provided one (Patent Document 2) has been proposed.

JP 2003-169839 A JP 2003-26250 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, the sealing portion is composed of a check valve made of an elastic body that can freely open and close the needle hole. Therefore, in order to open and close the check valve, the liquid injection of the check valve is performed. A communication needle that moves from the mouth side to the container body side is required. Then, when the said communicating needle is located in the said liquid injection port side of the said non-return valve, there exists a possibility of contacting with external air. And the inside of the said container main body may be contaminated when the communicating needle which contacted this external air moves to the said container main body side from the said liquid injection port side of the said check valve.

Further, in Patent Document 2, it appears that it is possible to prevent the liquid contaminated in the vicinity of the liquid injection port from flowing back to the container body side beyond the check valve. However, since the check valve is provided closer to the liquid injection port than the sealing portion, in order to allow the sealing portion to be opened, a separate member is provided so that the sealing portion and the check valve can be separated. It is necessary to keep it. Then, since the said sealing part is opened in the state in which the opening part (member 10 in patent document 2) is exposed to external air, there exists a possibility that the said container main body inside may be contaminated.
Further, when opening the sealing part, if the user of the liquid container accidentally separates the sealing part and the check valve, the liquid inside the container body and the vicinity of the sealing part of the container body are It will be exposed to the open air.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid container in which the liquid inside the container is less likely to be contaminated.

  The characteristic configuration of the liquid container according to the present invention includes a container body that forms a liquid storage space, and a liquid inlet member that is formed so that a cap can be fitted therein, and a chemical solution is held therein so that it can be dropped in a fixed amount. A liquid container provided with a sealing part for sealing the liquid inside the container body, and an opening part for opening the sealing part, and the liquid injection member with the cap fitted When the container is pushed into the container body side, the opening portion allows the sealing portion to be opened, and a check valve that prevents the liquid from flowing back into the container body is provided rather than the sealing portion and the opening portion. It exists in the liquid storage space side, and the said opening part exists in the point penetrated into the said sealing part toward the said liquid inlet member side from the said container main body side.

  That is, according to the said structure, the said opening part and the said sealing part are located in the liquid inlet side formed in the said liquid inlet member rather than the said non-return valve. Therefore, the portion between the check valve and the container body is operated when the sealing member is opened by the opening portion by pushing the liquid injection port member into the container body side with the cap fitted. Opening work can be done without doing. Therefore, in the process of opening, there is almost no possibility that the contamination propagates into the container body through the check valve.

  In other words, it is possible to store the liquid in a sterile state for a long time without adding a preservative or the like to the liquid.

  In the above-described configuration, the liquid injection port member has a first posture that holds the unsealed portion in a non-penetrating state with respect to the container body, and the unsealed portion has penetrated the sealed portion. It is preferable that the second posture to be in a state is provided so that the posture can be changed.

  That is, when the opening portion is in a non-penetrating state with respect to the sealing portion, the sealing portion can maintain the sealed state, so that the liquid inside the container body is maintained in a non-contaminated state. When the opening portion enters the sealing portion, the sealing state of the sealing portion is released, and the liquid can be used. Since this posture change is performed by pushing the liquid inlet member into the container body, the posture changing operation can be performed without exposing the sealing portion to the outside air, and the space in the liquid inlet member, in the vicinity of the sealed portion In this case, the risk of contamination can be reduced.

  In this invention, the said opening part penetrates into the said sealing part toward the said liquid inlet member side from the said container main body side.

According to this configuration, if the opening portion is provided on the container body side and the sealing portion is provided on the liquid inlet member side, the opening portion is moved by pushing the liquid inlet member into the container body. The posture is changed from the first posture separated from or in contact with the sealing portion to the second posture penetrating the sealing portion.
After the opening portion has penetrated into the sealing portion, the sealing portion is released and the liquid inside the container body is transferred to the liquid inlet formed in the liquid inlet member through the sealing portion. It will be in the state which can be moved toward. At this time, since the check valve is not affected by the sealing portion or the opening portion, the liquid reaching the sealing portion does not flow back into the container body again through the check valve, and the outside air is not It does not flow into the container body. Therefore, the aseptic condition inside the container body can be maintained.

  In adopting such a configuration, the opening portion and the sealing portion may be provided separately for the liquid injection port member and the container main body, or may be provided collectively for either one of them. May be. Moreover, it can also comprise so that the said liquid inlet member may function as an opening part.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said container main body has a flexible part which changes the said container main body volume according to the liquid quantity accommodated in the inside.

If the check valve prevents the liquid that has reached the vicinity of the sealed portion or the gas inside the liquid inlet member from flowing back (inflow) into the container body, the amount of liquid inside the container body decreases, and as a result The internal pressure decreases.
When the amount of decrease in the liquid amount is small, the inside of the container body is slightly reduced in internal pressure, and the check valve functions well. However, when the amount of liquid decrease is large and the shape memory property of the container body is high, a force for sucking liquid toward the inside of the container body is generated as the internal pressure of the container body decreases. . As a result, the check valve may not function, or the force required to eject the liquid out of the container body may increase.
In order to eliminate such a situation, if the container is provided with the flexible portion (for example, a bellows container), the volume inside the container body is deformed according to the change in the amount of liquid inside the container body, The internal pressure can always be maintained almost the same as the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the check valve functions properly and it is easy to inject liquid from the container.

Hereinafter, embodiments and reference examples of the liquid container of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Reference example)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the liquid container of the present invention is configured by screwing a liquid inlet member 2 to a container body 1.

  The container main body 1 includes a resin barrel 11 that mainly forms a liquid storage space for storing a liquid, and a cylindrical inner plug that guides liquid such as a chemical solution for eye drops from the barrel 11 to the outside of the container main body. Part 12. The trunk portion 11 and the inner plug portion 12 are formed from different members, and are integrally combined to form the container body 1. Further, the body portion 11 is provided with a flexible portion 13 formed to be thin.

  The liquid injection port member 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape into which the cap 3 can be fitted. The liquid injection port 21 is formed with a liquid injection port 21 at one end, and is screwed into the middle plug portion 12 of the container body 1 at the other end. A threaded portion 22 to be worn is formed. In addition, a throttle portion 23 that restricts the flow rate of the liquid is formed inside the liquid inlet member 2, and the liquid inlet 21 is provided inside the liquid inlet member 2 from the throttle portion 23 to the one end. The chemical solution is held and formed so that it can be dropped in a fixed amount.

  The inner stopper portion 12 of the container main body 1 is provided with a check valve 4 fitted therein, and the chemical liquid that has flowed out from the barrel portion 11 of the container main body 1 to the liquid inlet member 2 side is provided in the container main body 1. Prevents backflow into the interior. On the liquid injection port member 2 side of the check valve 4, a sealing portion 5 made of a resin film that seals the chemical solution inside the container body 1 is provided. It is preferable that the resin film has a large opening at the center as the center part breaks.

The liquid injection member 2 is internally provided with an opening member 6 having a needle portion 61 that functions as an opening portion, and the liquid injection member 2 is screwed into the inner plug portion 12 with the cap 3 fitted. Accordingly, the unsealing member 6 is moved close to the sealing portion 5 and is arranged and fixed so as to be fitted.
The opening member 6 includes a pedestal portion 62 that is fitted into the screwed portion 22 of the liquid injection port member 2, and the needle portion 61 is erected on the pedestal portion 62. Thereby, the opening member 6 is internally held in a downward posture along the axial center of the liquid injection port member 2 in a state where the base portion 62 is fitted in the liquid injection port member 2. The
Moreover, the base part 62 is provided with a hole, and the passage of the liquid from the container main body side to the liquid injection port side is easily formed.

The liquid inlet member 2 is stored in a state where the cap 3 is fitted and partially screwed into the inner plug portion 12. In this state, the unsealing member 6 is in the first posture in a non-penetrating state in which the sealing member 5 is separated from or in contact with the inside plug portion 12 (see FIG. 1).
When the liquid container is started to be used, the liquid injection port member 2 is screwed into the inner plug portion 12 and the needle portion 61 of the opening member 6 is moved to the container body 1 side. The member 6 is changed in posture to the second posture penetrating the sealing portion 5 (see FIG. 2).
Thereby, the liquid inside the container body 1 can be supplied from the liquid injection port 21 through the check valve 4 so as to be dripped from the sealing portion 5 through the throttle portion 23 of the liquid injection port member 2. It becomes a state. At this time, liquid remains in the space S formed between the throttle portion 23 and the check valve 4, but this liquid does not flow back to the container body 1 side. Further, the outside air does not flow into the container body 1.
In addition, since the container body 1 is provided with the flexible portion 13 that is thin and easy to change its shape, the volume inside the container body 1 is deformed according to the change in the amount of liquid inside the container body 1 and is always The internal pressure can be maintained almost the same as the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, no air is sucked into the container body 1 from the liquid injection port 21.

(Example)
In the liquid container according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing portion 5 and the unsealing member 6 in the above Reference Examples Ru Thea arranged as shown in FIG.

  That is, in FIG. 3, instead of fitting the opening member 6 into the liquid injection port member 2, the needle part 61 is fitted into the middle plug portion 12 of the container body 1, and the needle portion 61 It is arranged in the direction of the liquid injection port 21 along the axis of the mouth member 2. Further, the throttle portion 23 is provided in a non-opening state to form the sealing portion 5.

In such a configuration, in the storage state in which the liquid injection port member 2 is partially screwed into the inner plug portion 12, the opening member 6 is sealed in the liquid injection port member 2. The first posture is in a non-penetrating state separated from or in contact with the portion 5 (see FIG. 3A).
At the start of use of the liquid container, the injection port member 2 is screwed into the inner plug portion 12 and the sealing portion 5 is moved to the container main body 1 side. The portion is changed in posture to the second posture penetrating the sealing portion 5 (see FIG. 3B).
At this time, since the needle part 61 penetrates the sealing part 5 while rotating around the axis, the throttle part 23 can be easily opened even if the liquid inlet member 2 is somewhat rigid. be able to. Therefore, it is advantageous to form a portion where the narrowed portion 23 of the sealing portion 5 that is easily exposed to the outside when the cap 3 is removed is difficult to open.
Further, in order to use the needle portion 61 that has penetrated into the sealing portion 5 as described above while still penetrating into the throttle portion 23, a groove portion along the axial direction is formed on the outer surface of the needle portion 61. It is preferable to form 63 because the liquid can pass through the throttle portion 23 through the groove 63.

<Other Examples>
As the check valve 4 in the above-described embodiment, various known check valves can be used as long as the liquid can be prevented from flowing back into the container body 1.

  The opening member 6 includes the needle portion 61. However, instead of such a configuration, the opening member 6 may have a configuration in which a pushing blade is provided. In addition, as for the holding posture, any one that is inclined along the axial direction of the liquid injection port member 2 or the inner plug portion 12, or the like that is inclined, is accompanied by the pushing operation of the liquid injection port member 2. Any posture can be used.

  Further, when the liquid injection port member 2 is pushed in and opened, the screwing portion 22 may be simply inserted and pushed in instead of the screwing portion 22 being screwed into the inner plug portion 12.

  As the liquid, various liquids can be used in addition to eye drops.

Further, in order to form the flexible portion 13, instead of forming a part of the container body 1 to be thin, a part or all of the container body 1 is formed in a bellows shape to be flexible, etc. Various modifications are possible.
On the other hand, the container body 1 is a container with a cylinder / piston, a container with a valve provided with a check valve at the bottom, etc., and the volume inside the container body 1 is deformed according to the change in the amount of liquid inside the container body, so May be configured to maintain substantially the same as the atmospheric pressure.

  Furthermore, in order to suppress contamination of the liquid stored in the container main body 1 by various germs, the portion where the liquid adheres and remains (for example, the injection port member 2, the check valve 4, the opening member 6, the inner plug portion 12, etc.). ) Is preferably formed from an antibacterial resin. As the antibacterial resin, those formed by kneading an antibacterial substance into a resin base material are generally used.

  Further, the antibacterial effect is enhanced by bringing the liquid moving from the space S formed between the throttle portion 23 and the check valve 4 to the liquid injection port 21 against the porous member having the antibacterial effect. You can also. As the porous member, either an organic or inorganic filter can be adopted, and a non-woven fabric, sponge (pumice), or cotton can be used. For example, the porous member can be fitted into the liquid injection port 21. .

  As described above, the liquid storage stability of the liquid container can be improved, and the liquid can be used in a highly reliable state in which the liquid is not contaminated. Therefore, the liquid handling property can be improved.

  The liquid container of the present invention can be used, for example, as an eye drop container mainly used for medical purposes.

The longitudinal side view of the storage state of the liquid container concerning the reference example of this invention The longitudinal side view of the use start state of the liquid container concerning the reference example of this invention 1 is a longitudinal side view of a liquid container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container body 2 Injection hole member 4 Check valve 5 Sealing part 6 Opening member 13 Flexible part

Claims (2)

A container body forming a liquid containing space, to form a cap to be fitted, and a liquid container provided with liquid inlet member which is droppable formed by quantitatively holds the drug solution therein, the And
Provided with a sealing part for sealing the liquid inside the container body, and an opening part for opening the sealing part, when the liquid injection port member is pushed into the container body side with the cap fitted, the enabling opening the seal by tearing portion, setting the check valve to prevent backflow within the liquid storage space side of the sealing portion and the unsealing portion of the liquid the container body,
The liquid container in which the opening part penetrates into the sealing part from the container main body side toward the liquid inlet member side . The container body, in accordance with the amount of liquid accommodated therein, the liquid container according to claim 1 having a flexible portion for changing the container body volume.

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