US2066868A

US2066868A - Dispensing unit

Info

Publication number: US2066868A
Application number: US9195A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lloyd B Whittaker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-03-04
Filing date: 1935-03-04
Publication date: 1937-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 1954-01-05

Description

Jan. 5, 1937. 1 L. B. WHITTAKER 3 D ISPENSiNG UNIT Filed March 4, 1935 INVENTOR ZZOYD B.W/UZIKER ATTORNEY 55 tube.

Patented Jan. 5, ,1937

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING, UNIT Lloyd B. Whittaker, New York, N. -Y. Application March 4, 1935. Serial No. 9,195 2Claims. (01. 129-291) This invention relates to dispensing units and has as its object a tubular dispensing unit holding a quantity of a dispersible substance, such as a medicinal fluid or cream, whichis to be applied to I 5 an interior part of the body, and permitting direct discharge and dispersion of its contents at the point of application without danger of contamination by foreign substances. The foregoing and other objects of the invention 10 will be understood from the following description of an exempliflcation thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a complete dispensing unit embodying the invention;

' 16 Fig. 2 is a dispensing unit with its outer covering removed and equipped with a bulb for dis m In accordance with the invention, a dispersible substance, such as a medicinal fluid or fluify preparation, that is to be applied to delicate internal parts of the human body, such as the mouth cavity or nasal cavity of a person, is enclosedin a as tubular container which permits direct discharge of its contents at the point of its application within the cavity of the body, the exterior parts of the container which come in contact with delicate interior parts of the body being kept in clean and so sanitary condition and its contents being sealed and protected against contamination by a removable flexible coating enclosing the discharge por-' tion of thecontainer. 1

As shown in Fig. 1 the dispensing unit'comprises $6 a cylindrical tube III of glass or similar material having at its front 'end a restricted discharge opening II and at its rear endan' impelling' opening I 2, the tubular vessel containing a dispersible substance l3, such as a medicinal fluid or fluffy cream,

40 which is to be applied to an accessible internal body portion of a person. The substance is held tightly sealed within the container by means'of a cylindrical plug I at the impelling opening of the tube and a tubular coating l5 of a flexible charge opening II and extends lengthwise the tube to cover the part of the tube that is inserted into the cavity where it is to be applied. The plug l4 may be made of a plurality of layers of 50 cotton felt saturated with a filler, such as a mixture of petrolatum and melted wax. The impelling opening and the adiacent'rear end of the tube may be likewise enclosed by a flexible coating ll, of rubber, likethe'front portion of the The two rubber coatings l5 and I! are under tension and cling to the exterior of the tube ll), sealing up its interior and protecting the exterior of the tube against contamination. If required, by the consistency of the substance, the discharge opening I I may be sealed with a readily 5 removable plug is of sealing material, such as paper or rubber, before the coating i5 is placed thereon.

- The plug I I which encloses the impelling opening of the tube Ill clings tightly to the inner walls of the tube to seal its contents, and has a fit which permits it to move quickly as a piston to the front end of the tube for discharging the substance I3 through discharge opening II when impelled by air pressure produced by means of a small rubher bulb attached to the impelling opening l2 of the tube.

The fluid dispensing unit may be readily discharged and dispersed at any desired point in the mouth cavity or any other cavity of the body by 20 removing the flexible coatings l5 and I! from the tube I0 and slipping a rubber neck 2| of a rubber bulb 22 over the rear end of the tube Ill. .The

unit is then inserted into the cavity so that its discharge opening ll faces the interior'body per-,- 25

tion to which it is to be applied, and by squeezing the bulb 22 the plug I4 is impelled by the compressed air from the bulb, the plug l4 acting as a piston and quickly discharging the fluid as desired.

In making the dispensing unit shown in Fig. 1,

.1 preferably proceed as follows: Into a tube I ll,

which is clean on the inside as well as onthe outside, is inserted through the rear opening I2 a plug of fluffy soft cotton felt and the plug is driven to the forward end of the tube H) where it rests against the discharge opening vI l. A mixture of petrolatum and meltedwax is then injected through the opening ll into the felt plug l4 until it is fully saturated with the mixture. The plug I4 then forms a piston fltting the tube and able to slide in sealing engagement with the tube to its'rear position. The substance l3 with which the tube ill is to be filled is then injected through the front opening ll of the tube, and under the pressure of the injected substance the plug l4 moves to its rear position as shown in Fig. 4. If required; the discharge opening is then plugged up by a layerof paper or rubber l9, and the front part of the tube I ll dipped into a bath of latex which adheres to the glass tube. 0n removal from the bath, the latex adhering to the dipped portion of the tube forms the coating l5, sealing the discharge opening II and covering the exterior of the tube,- protecting it against contamination. By repeating the dipping process, a coating i5 of any required thickness may thus be made.

- A coating 1 I over the rear end of the tube In may be formed in a similar way by dipping the tube in a latex bath. Since the rear end of the tube does not come in contact with any body portions, the plug N forms a suflicient air tight seal protecting the fluid in the interior of the tube.

Other ways of applying the invention in the way defined by the claims will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A medication unit for storing a dispersible medication substance in sanitary condition and directly discharging the medication substance at its point of application comprising an elongated tubular casing of uniform cross-section having a discharge opening at its front end, a plug member of a porous flexible fabric fitting into the rear end of said casing, the entire body of said plug member being saturated with a gas tight sealing substance clinging to the walls of said casing and sealing the rear end of said casing, and an expellable medication substance filling the space within said casing between said discharge opening and said plug member, said plug member constituting a piston adapted to be impelled by air pressure applied to the rear end of said casing through the length of said casing for expelling said medication substance through said discharge opening, and a detachable elastic coating clinging to said casing walls and constituting an enclosure sealing said discharge opening and a substantial length of said casing walls.

2. The method oi. preparing a medication unit suitable for storing a dispersible medication substance and discharging the stored substance at its point of application which comprises positioning at the discharge end of a tubular casing a plug of a porous flexible fabric, impregnating said plug with a fluid substance which saturates said porous fabric and constitutes with said fabric a gas tight seal for said casing, injecting through said discharge opening a fluid medication substance for forcing said plug to the rear end of said casing while filling said casing with said medication substance, and dipping a substantial length of the discharge end of said casing in a fluid forming a detachable coating clinging to the exterior of said casing and sealing the discharge end thereof.

LLOFYD B. WHI'I'I'AKER.