TWI392629B - Inserts for multiple component containers - Google Patents

Description

Multi-component container insert

The present invention is directed to a multi-component container insert comprising two or more different substances or ingredients that were originally stored separately but mixed when the container is opened.

In particular, two-component multi-component containers are used or are desirable in many fields. Therefore, some drug combinations are taken in a mixture form, but the form of the mixture is unstable in the long term. Such a combined component is therefore stored separately and mixed only shortly before administration. In this case, the two components are usually liquid, but one of the components may also be solid or powdery. Such containers may also find use in the food market, particularly for beverage users. Thus, for example, for canned or bottled lager beer and lime juice, it is desirable to mix the lime juice into the lager beer just before drinking the beverage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an insert that is simple and inexpensive and that enables a component of the container to be reliably and automatically mixed with the second component of the container when the container is opened.

In accordance with the present invention, an insert for a multi-component container includes a receptacle having an opening defined by a peripheral edge for engaging a sealing member, the receptacle and sealing member in use defining a substantially sealed space, the receptacle including a fixed portion and a movable portion, the movable portion is connected to the fixed portion and movable relative to the fixed portion via the action of the gas pressure in the reservoir, an injection opening is formed in the movable portion, and a gas leakage path is supplied to the storage device a valve element is coupled to the fixed portion and cooperates with the injection opening and substantially seals it, one of which is greater than for the exterior of the receptacle The action of the internal gas pressure causes movement of the movable portion relative to the fixed portion and thus causes the valve member to move out of the closed contact with the injection opening, wherein the reservoir is a single piece of plastic casting comprising a diaphragm and the movable portion is via at least The annular fold line in the opposite direction is connected to the fixed portion, with respect to the outside of the reservoir, the effect of a large gas pressure on the inside thereof causes a rotational movement around the fold line and thus a movement of the movable portion, and the valve element And the exit openings together form a one-way valve that defines a gas leak path through which gas may flow into the reservoir rather than exiting it.

In use, the opening will be sealed by a sealing element and the insert will be partially filled with a component of a preferably liquid multi-component system and will be placed in a container comprising another component of the multi-component system. internal. When the container is sealed via a lid or other closure that may be separate from or may be attached to the insert, the interior of the container, i.e., the head space above the components therein, is pressurized. If the ingredients in the container are carbonated beverages, this pressurization will occur automatically via the carbon dioxide that is continuously released therefrom. However, if the ingredients in the container do not contain carbon dioxide and are, for example, pharmacies, this pressurization in the head space within the container can be easily achieved by adding a few drops, such as liquid nitrogen, directly into the container before the container is sealed. . The evaporation of nitrogen will begin immediately and the initial evaporation will cause the gas in the head space to be replaced by nitrogen. Subsequent nitrogen evaporation after application of the sealing cap will result in pressurization of the head space. The gas leak path in the reservoir will continue to permit pressurized gas to enter the interior, and the pressure within the reservoir will reach a head that is substantially the same as the pressurized container. The value in between. When the container lid is removed, the head space of the container will be immediately decompressed. However, the leak path in the diaphragm is small enough that immediate decompression of the interior of the reservoir is not possible, and a substantial pressure differential across the entire reservoir will be created. This will act on the movable part of the receptacle and will result in a relative movement of the movable part of the receptacle relative to the fixed part. This movement of the movable portion away from the fixed portion naturally produces movement away from the injection opening of the valve member. This movement sufficiently moves the injection opening away from the cooperative state with the valve element, by which the injection opening is now open. After the strong gas pressure in the reservoir, the contents of the reservoir are discharged into the body of the container via the ejection opening where it will mix with other components within the container body. The container now includes a two component mixture which may then be taken or used by a patient.

The reservoir is a single piece of plastic casting comprising a diaphragm and the movable portion is connected to the fixed portion via at least two oppositely folded circular fold lines, one of which is greater than the effect on the gas pressure on the exterior of the receptacle for the interior thereof. The rotational movement around the fold line and thus the movement of the movable part. When the pressure of this embodiment is less than the entire reservoir wall, this will result in relative rotation of the annular portion of the reservoir at each side of each fold line, which effectively constitutes an integrated pivot and this rotation will The movable portion and thus the exit opening are moved away from the fixed portion.

The valve element and the injection opening collectively define the gas leak path and this eliminates the need to form another leak path. The valve element and the injection opening together form a one-way valve that defines a gas leak path through which gas may flow into the reservoir rather than out of it.

The valve element may take a variety of different forms, but in a simple preferred embodiment, it constitutes a plug or the like that is integrally connected to the peripheral edge. This plug will typically cooperate with the ejection opening, for example extending into and forming a seal therewith, thus closing the ejection opening and preventing premature ejection of components within the reservoir into the container. For reasons of manufacture, it is convenient to integrate the valve element with the peripheral edge of the fixed portion of the reservoir, and this will necessitate that the plug is attached to the reservoir via a chain or some type of connector. The chain will be quite long in nature and, in order to ensure that it is maintained in the desired position, it is preferred that the insert comprises a support member that is integrated with the fixation portion engaged by the chain and that secures it.

The valve element and the injection opening collectively define the gas leak path and this eliminates the need to form another leak path. The valve element and the injection opening together form a one-way valve that defines a gas leak path through which gas may flow into the reservoir rather than out of it.

The insert may be used with a two-component container, and in this case one component will of course be stored in the body of the container and the other component in the insert. However, the invention is applicable to containers of three or more component systems, and as such the reservoir may include one or more divisions that divide it into two or more compartments, each communicating with a separate outflow opening and flowing out The opening cooperates with a different valve element. In use, each compartment will of course be filled with different components of a multi-component system. In the previous example of the preferred embodiment described above, it is preferred that each of the outflow openings be used in conjunction with a further set of at least two spaced apart annular fold lines.

The insert can be supplied to the bottle manufacturer or similar factory in an unsealed state The quotient, that is, the opening that is not sealed by a sealing member. The insert will of course have to be sealed prior to use to prevent leakage or contamination of its constituents, and the sealing element may be a sheet of plastic material or metal or a composite thereof that is sealingly attached to the peripheral edge of the membrane. The invention thus includes an insert with or without a sealing element.

The insert can be applied to a container that is a separate component and a lid or other closure is applied to the container. However, it would be convenient if the insert and the closure constituted a synthetic unit, which were then simultaneously applied to the container. Such a closure will comprise a closure panel that extends across the dispensing opening in the container in use and is therefore omitted in the case of a sealing sheet of plastic material or the like, and as an insert in the case of a closure panel The sealing element is possible.

The inserts exemplified in Figs. 1 to 5 constitute a one-piece casting of polypropylene or the like. However, it can also be made of a metal foil or a composite comprising a metal and a plastic material which is formed by stamping or press molding. When the insert is ejected from the mold, it has the configuration shown in Figure 1. It comprises an open top, usually cup-shaped element 2, which is formed in its base by a pocket 4. The downwardly and inwardly inclined annular wall of the bag 4 is formed by a plurality of spaced and thin annular lines, i.e., formed by lines of reduced thickness, the function of which will be described later. Formed in the base of the bag 4 is a first-class opening 6 defined by a resilient edge lip 8, as seen in Figure 5. A peripheral flange 10 is integrally cast with the upper peripheral edge of the insert, integrally formed with the flange by an end of the elongated connector chain 12 that extends generally laterally. a plug 14 integrated with the empty end of the chain 12, which is cast The state of creation extends vertically upwards. The caster is an upright support 16 that is radially integrated with the base of the cup element 2 outside the bag 4. The support 16 includes an upright web having respective upstanding projections 18 at the two ends of its upper surface, the space between which is substantially equal to the width of the chain 12. The support 16 thus produces a generally rectangular recess in the upper portion defined by the two projections 18. However, this support may be unnecessary and thus may be omitted.

This insert is now brought to the operational configuration via application of an upward force to the lower end of the bag 4. This causes the annular wall of the bag 4 to collapse, i.e., fold near the thin loop line, with adjacent folds in opposite directions. The bag 4 is moved upwards until it is normally at the same height of the remainder of the base of the cup portion 2. Before or after this, the chain 12 is rotated 180 degrees in the counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 1, until it reaches the position shown in Figure 2. The empty end of the plug of the frustoconical body in this example is inserted into the opening 6 defined by the upwardly extending lip 8. The inner diameter of the lip 8 coincides with the outer diameter of the plug 14, so that the plug 14 expands outwardly for the lip 8, being driven by its lip 8 to contact the surface of the plug 14 and thus form a substantial gas seal therewith. When in this position, the chain 12 is supported on the upper surface of the support 16 and is constrained to move laterally by the projections 18.

The insert is partially filled with the desired substance in liquid or powder form, and in this case it will be assumed that the substance is a two-component that is taken in a mixed form but is unstable in a mixed form for a long time. One of the ingredients of the drug. The insert is then sealed via a sealing film 20 attached to the upper surface of its upper peripheral edge 10, which is preferably metallized The plastic material is constructed because this synthetic material is impermeable to both liquid and vapor. This insert is now ready for use.

Before the insert is placed in the container, there is a risk that an impact or other force may accidentally be applied to the exposed end of the plug, and as such may result in leakage or even complete loss of the components of the insert. In order to minimize this risk, a small modification can be enabled, as shown in Figure 3. This is accomplished by providing an integrated, dependent annular flange 40 extending from the exterior of the insert to approximately the exposed end of the plug 14 and extending down to a point below the end of the plug. This flange, which can be replaced by a number of individual protrusions, will protect the end of the plug from impact.

The insert can be used in a number of different ways, but in its simplest form is placed in the neck of a two-component container that already contains another component of the two-component drug mentioned above, with a peripheral flange The 10 series rests on the edge of the container. A few drops of liquid nitrogen were inserted into the container before the insert was placed on the edge of the container and quickly sealed before all of the nitrogen was evaporated after an external sealing cap. The initial evaporation of liquid nitrogen will fill the head space of the vessel with nitrogen and remove all air and any bacteria contained therein. Subsequent evaporation of nitrogen after the lid is placed will increase the pressure in the head space of the container to a maximum pressure. As this pressure increases, the lip 8 will sag outwardly to open a small gas leak path into the interior of the insert. The pressure inside the insert will thus pass over time to a value substantially equivalent to that in the head space of the container.

When the two-component drug is to be taken, the container lid is removed. This will result in an immediate decompression of the container head space. However, by the lip 8 and the plug 14 The valve formed by the engagement is adapted to be a one-way valve via the adaptation of the lip 8. The interior of the insert is therefore not immediately decompressed and there is a substantial pressure differential across the entire wall of the bag 4. This results in an immediate downward movement of the bag, accompanied by the simultaneous opening of multiple folds in its annular wall, which opens in the opposite direction of the adjacent fold. As the lower portion of the bag moves downward, the edge 8 of the outflow opening 6 will move out of contact with the fixed plug 14. The outflow opening 6 is now non-blocking and the strong maximum pressure above the drug inside the insert acts to rapidly expel the drug through the opening 6 into the container where it will be ejected through the opening 6 via high velocity. The resulting mixing action is aided by mixing with the medication already in the container. The design of the bag and the container can be filled to the extent that the opening 6 is below the level of liquid in the container, although this is not required. The configuration of the insert will now be as shown in Figure 4 and can be discarded. The two component drug can now be taken by the patient.

As mentioned above, the inserts and closures or lids according to the invention are applied to the containers, respectively. However, it would be more convenient to integrate the insert with the lid, and such a structure is shown in Figure 6. Such an integrated structure may include an insert that is affixed to the cover, such as by a push-in bond or via an adhesive or the like, as exemplified in Figures 1 through 5. However, the cover will have to have a cover plate, indicated as 22 in Figure 6, which will extend over the opening in the container and possibly also over a peripheral skirt if the container has a The conventional form of the dispensing opening of the neck has a thread or the like (not shown). The closing plate 22 opens the possibility of omitting the sealing film 20, the function of which is followed by the cover plate 22 Upon completion, the cover panel 22 is sealed to the upper flange 10 of the insert by any suitable means.

It will be understood that the inserts and lids described above are for use with a two-component container, i.e., a container comprising a second component which is contained within the container body and which is mixed therewith. However, the inserts and lids according to the present invention can also be used in containers containing three or more different ingredients that are mixed shortly before use or administration. Thus in an embodiment not illustrated, the insert is for use with a container comprising three different components. The base of the cup member 2 is formed by two sets of annular, preferably concentric, oppositely directed fold lines, one of which is located within each set of fold lines. The interior of the receptacle defined by the insert is divided into two compartments via a split, the splitting system being integrated with the side wall of the insert and the base and extending between the two sets of fold lines, each compartment and a respective compartment The outflow opening communicates. Also, integrated with the cup-like elements are two plugs and chains that cooperate with the respective outflow openings, which are substantially the same as those shown in Figures 1 to 6. It will be appreciated that in use the two components will be filled with different ingredients and the operation of the insert will be essentially the same as described above, the only difference being that when the container is opened, the two outflow openings will all be downwards. Moving and thus moving away from contact with the associated plug, by which the two outflow openings will open substantially simultaneously, and the components of the two compartments will be expelled substantially simultaneously into the body of the container and will be with the ingredients already within the body of the container mixing.

2‧‧‧Fixed parts

4‧‧‧ bags

6‧‧‧ openings

8‧‧‧ lips

10‧‧‧ peripheral flange

12‧‧‧ chain

14‧‧ ‧ embolization

16‧‧‧Support

18‧‧‧Protrusions

20‧‧‧Seal film

22‧‧‧ Covering board

30‧‧‧ bottom part

32‧‧‧ side wall

40‧‧‧Aperture flange

34, 36‧‧‧

Further features and details of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; "Axis vertical sectional view of one embodiment of the state"; Fig. 2 is an axial vertical sectional view of the operational configuration of the insert of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 additionally shows an alternative modified second drawing A vertical cross-sectional view of the shaft on line 3-3; Figure 4 is a diagram similar to the first and second figures of the insert whose components have been discharged into the container; Figure 5 is a diagram A larger scale clip art is shown in the outflow opening; and Fig. 6 shows an illustration similar to Fig. 3 of a container lid incorporating an insert in accordance with the present invention.

22‧‧‧ Covering board

Claims (10)

An insert for a multi-component container comprising a receptacle (2, 4) having an opening defined by a peripheral edge for engaging a sealing member (20) The container (2, 4) is used together with a sealing member (20) to define a substantially sealed space, the container (2, 4) comprising a fixed portion (2) and a movable portion, the movable portion and the movable portion The fixing portion (2) is connected and movable relative to the fixing portion (2) via the action of the gas pressure in the reservoir (2, 4), and an opening (6) is formed in the movable portion. a gas leak path, supplied to the reservoir (2, 4), a valve element (14) connected to the fixed portion (2) and cooperating with the injection opening (6) and substantially sealing it Applying a gas pressure to the outside of the reservoir (2, 4) for one of its internal gases may cause movement of the movable portion relative to the fixed portion (2) and thus cause the valve element (14) to move away from Sealing contact of the injection opening (6), characterized in that the receptacle (2, 4) is a single piece of plastic casting comprising a diaphragm And the movable portion is connected to the fixed portion (2) via at least two annular folding lines in opposite directions, whereby the inside of the receptacle (2, 4) is opposite to the outside of the receptacle (2, 4) The action of the larger gas pressure causes a rotational movement around the fold line and thus a movement of the movable portion, and the valve element (14) and the injection opening (6) together constitute a possible flow of gas through the reservoir (2) , a 4) check valve that defines the gas leak path instead of flowing out of it. The insert of claim 1, wherein the valve element (14) A plug that is integrally connected to the peripheral edge is formed. The insert of claim 2, comprising a support member (16) and a plug (14) integrated with the fixed portion, connected to the peripheral edge via an engaging chain (12), and supported by the support member (16) )stable. An insert according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle comprises dividing one or more compartments into two or more compartments, each compartment communicating with a respective outflow opening and each outflow opening (6) Cooperate with the respective valve element (14). An insert according to claims 2 and 8 wherein each of the outflow openings (6) is associated with a respective set of at least two spaced apart annular fold lines. The insert of claim 1 includes a sealing element (20) that is coupled to the reservoir. The insert of claim 6, wherein the sealing element (20) is a sheet of plastic material or metal or a combination thereof that is sealingly joined to the peripheral edge. A closure for a multi-component container comprising an insert of any of the preceding claims in connection therewith. A closure for a multi-component container comprising an insert as claimed in claim 6 and a closure panel (22) extending across the opening of the container in use, the closure panel (22) forming the sealing member. A closure according to claim 9 of the patent application, comprising an insert according to item 3 of the patent application, wherein the closure plate (22) and the fixing portion (2) of the container constitute a single piece of plastic casting.