US2462986A - Parenteral fluid container and dispenser - Google Patents

Description

btAHUH RUUM "flax-6h 1, 1949. J. E; MEAGHER PARENTERAL FLUID CONTAINER AND DISPENSER Filed Aug. 6, 1945 INVENTOR. dives 5. Mwamse;

Arrcwwzx Patented Mar. 1, 1949 SEARCH ROUM PARENTERAL FLUID CONTAINER AND DISPENSER James E. Meagher, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application August 6, 1945, Serial No. 609,286

18 Claims. 1

This invention relates to the handling, and administering of parenteral solutions, a major object of the invention being to provide an apparatus with which such solutions may be handled, transported and administered without the danger of infection or undesirable reaction in the patient.

Parenteral solutions, for intravenous, intramuscular or other types of injections, are handled in containers of various types, and it is customary to separately procure the administration accessories, including tubing, hypodermic needle, and connections for applying the tubing to the container. It is also customary to use such administration accessories a number of times before they are discarded, and in many cases, the physician or hospital attendant assembles the administration apparatus from parts separately obtained from various sources. The process of disassembling, sterilizing and reassembling the parts of an administration set not only requires great care and consumes considerable time, but may easily result in a failure to obtain full closure or sterilization of all parts.

Furthermore it is difiicult to attach an administration set to a container filled with parenteral solution and at the same time to preserve complete sterility of both the container and the administration set. This is particularly true in view of the various types and sizes of containers and the various types of administration sets that are used.

With the above problems and difliculties in mind, my invention has as its general object to eliminate these difficulties by the provision of a unitary package which includes both the solution container and the administration set. A further object is to provide such a package wherein the administration set and the container as a single unit are both hermetically sealed against contamination.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined container and administration apparatus embodying a vent tube which serves the dual function of admitting air into the container to replace the solution being drawn therefrom, and also as a sheath for the hypodermic needle.

It is also an object of the invention to provide, in combination with a container, an administration set embodying a stopper for the container which functions additionally as a storage compartment for the administration set in the sealed package. A further and more detailed object of the invention, in this connection is the provision of a sealed package wherein the storage compartment for the administration set is contained within the container and thereby protected against damage in handling and transportation, as well as giving the sealed package a more trim appearance.

For the purpose of providing a clearer understandin of the features and operation of my invention, I have described a preferred form thereof in the ensuing specification which makes reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken axially through a combined container and administration set embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a side elevation illustrating the apparatus in position for use.

As an example of one form in Which the invention may be embodied, I have shown in the drawings a combined parenteral solution container and administration set which includes a container l0 and an administration set which is indicated generally by the reference numeral l I. In the sealed package, the container I0 is filled with liquid l2 such as, for example, a dextrose solution, and the administration set H includes a stopper l3 which is received in the neck ll of the container. As shown, the container l0 comprise; a glass bottle.

The stopper I3 is shaped so as to provide therewithin a compartment I 5 for the storage of an administering tube 16, a nipple l1, and the hub ii of a hypodermic needle I9. The stopper I3 includes a cylindrical wall 20, which is fitted into the bottle neck l4, and an inner wall 2| which forms a closure for the space within the bottle in which the solution I2 is contained. The rim of the cylindrical wall 2U is provided with an outwardly extending flange 22. A sealing ring 23, having a, flange 24 overlapping the flange 22, and an inturned flange 24 engaged beneath a shoulder 25 on the neck I4, seals the stopper l3 in the neck of the bottle.

As a sealed package. ready for shipping, the container I0 is provided with an outer cap 26 a mar inal portion of which is turned inwardly as at 21 into engagement with a bead 28 formed on the neck 14. Between the end wall 29 of the cap 26 and the flange 24 of the sealing ring 23 is a sealing wafer 30 which seals the cap 26 against the flange 24, thus sealing the entire package. The bead 28 is spaced from the shoulder 25 to permit the separate application of the sealing ring 23 to the bottle neck.

The stopper I3 is preferably of a rubber or equivalent resilient material, and the inner wall 2| thereof is provided with an opening 3| in which is mounted a reduced portion 32 of the nipple IT. The tube 16 is attached to the outer end of the nipple H.

The stopper wall 2| is provided with a boss 2|a through which a vent tube 33 extends which serves to admit air into the container when solution is being drawn therefrom. The outer end of the tube 33 also serves as a sheath for the hypodermic needle I 9 in the sealed package, the

3 boss Zla being counterbored to provide a seat for the hub l8. The tube I6 is attached to the needlliub I 8 and the intermediate region of the tube is packed in spiral folds 34, in the space between the nipple I! and the cylindrical wall 20 above the tube 33. Thus the administration apsaid space within the container, mounted in said paratus is stored within the compartment I5 inner wall; and a cap attached to the container. until it is ready for use, and is thereby completely forming a closure for sealing the container and protected against contamination. The tube I6 cooperating with said cup shaped closure to deis relatively thin-walled so that it may be readily fine a storage compa t e t s st t a y WhOIlY collapsed and folded into the restricted space pro- 10 Within s d Container t t is sealed a i st conid d for it, tamination and within which said administering When the apparatus is to be used, the cap 26 apparatus s packed until ready for u is removed and the hypodermic needle is with- 3- pparatus for storing, transportin and drawn from the storage compartment Is. The m nis rin p r r o uti ns. comprisin a container I 0 may then be hung in conventional Container having a mouth; a topp r of a cup fashion from a supporting device 35, and all that shape including a lateral Wall received within said remains to be done is to insert the hypodermic mouth, an inner Wall for Closing the p e Withneedle l9 and commence the administering opin the Container, a d a flange at its lip in eneration. It may be noted that in withdrawing gagement i the lip of the ottle mouth, said the hypodermic needle from the storage compart- Stopper thereby having a o p t ent formed ment IS, the only portion of the n em which therein substantially wholly within said concan be initially grasped is the hub is, and that beiner; i e in pp s in l in a minthe needle itself and the interior passages of the D eXtehded through d mounted in said inner nipple l1 and tube is remain fully isolated from Wall Of the pp 3 x e ube att ed to contamination, and can be so maintained up to d Communicating ith said nipple and adapted the act of inserting th needle i t th patients to be folded in a collapsed condition within said body. Thus maximum protection against infec- Compartment of said rs n a hypo rmic tion of the patient is provided. to the end of said tube, s in- Whe th d i t ti of t solution is ner wall havin means for receiving said needle; pleted, the administration set is removed from 80 and a Cap on said Container sealing t e m t the containe d di d d, T parts thereof, said cap cooperating with said flange to ca ded may include th topper l3 as 11 as the seal said compartment within said stopper and nipple l1, tube l6 and needle l9, or may include thereby Provide a sealed Co p t ent for the only the nipple, tube and needle. When the stop- Storage of Said administering pp tu per is to be discarded, it is removed from the par tus r st tran p rt and dbottle by breaking the connection of the sealing ring 23 with the bottle neck.

The relatively thin-walled tube I6 is light and inexpensive, and an inexpensive type of hypodermic needle is provided. The nipple I! which is preferably of glass, can also be provided at a fairly low cost. Thus the entire administration set can be supplied for a relatively small sum and this is conducive toward the discarding of this administration set when it has been used. The discarding of this apparatus is assured, however, by the fact that each filled container will come equipped with a new set of administration apparatus, and there will therefore be no reason to save the used set. The bottles of course will be sterilized and refilled by the packer.

While the particular apparatus herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of my invention, and that I do not mean to limit myself to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for storing, transporting and administeringparenteral solutions, comprising: a container having a mouth; a cup shaped stopper received in said mouth and having an inner wall for closing the space within the container; administering apparatus including a connection to 40 by a chamber substantially wholly Within said container is formed in said stopper; administering means including a collapsible tube, a hypoderrnic needle attached to one end thereof and a connection between the other end of said tube and the space within the container, said connection extending into the container, and a vent tube providing a sheath for receiving said hypodermic needle; and a cap on said container sealing the mouth thereof, said cap cooperating with said chamber in said stopper to provide a compartment in which said administering apparatus is stored until ready for use.

5. Apparatus for storing, transporting and adminstering parenteral solution, comprising: a container having a neck; a cup shaped stopper received within said neck and having an inner wall for closing the space within the container; a cap including an annular wall surrounding at least a portion of said container neck and attached thereto and an end wall covering the open end of 7 said stopper and cooperating with the stopper to define a storage compartment that is substantially all contained within the neck of the container; and administering apparatus attached to the inner wall of the stopper and stored within said compartment until ready for use.

6. Apparatus for dispensing a parenteral solution from a container thereof, comprising: a cup shaped stopper for the container, having a compartment therein adapted to extend substantially wholly within said container and including an inner wall adapted to separate said compartment from the space within said container; 9. collapsible tube adapted to be folded within said com- OCH ilk/l1 partment; a nipple mounted in said inner wall for establishing communication between said tube and thetspace within the container, the majority of said nipple being contained within said compartment; a hypodermic needle attached to the other end of said tube; and a vent tube mounted in said inner wall and adapted to form a sheath for receiving said hypodermic needle for storage purposes.

7. Apparatus for dispensing a parenteral solution from a container thereof, comprising: a cup shaped stopper providing an internal recess adapted to cooperate with a closure for the container to define a storage compartment disposed substantially wholly within said container; a flexible tube adapted to be received within said storage compartment; a hypodermic needle at tached to one end of said tube; and means for forming a connection between the other end of said tube, through said stopper to the space within the container.

8. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and adminstering parenteral solutions, which includes: a container having an open neck; a pair of spaced annular flanges on the outer surface of said neck; a cup-shaped closure member mounted within said neck to close said container, said member having a lateral wall fitting against the inner surface of said neck, a transverse wall extending across the innermost end of said member, and an outwardly extending flange bearing against the outer end of said neck; an annular sealing member fitting over said closure member and the outermost of said pair of spaced flanges, whereby said closure member is held in said container to seal the latter but the central compartment of said cup-shaped closure is not closed by said sealing member; an administering means mounted within said central compartment and comprising a collapsible tube, a nipple attached to one end of said tube and extending through said transverse wall into the space within said container, a vent tube extending from a recess in said transverse wall to a point in said container remote from said neck, and a hypodermic needle attached to the other end of said collapsible tube, said needle being inserted in said vent tube with the end of said collapsible tube being inserted in said recess to form a seal between said collapsible tube and said transverse wall; and a cap extending across said annular sealing member and engaging the remaining flange of said pair of spaced flanges to seal said central compartment of said cup-shaped closure, whereby said apparatus may be sterilized while all of said sealing members are in place, and said apparatus may thereafter be used without touching or otherwise destroying the sterility of said needle.

9. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and administering parenteral solutions, which includes: a container having an open neck; a cup-shaped closure member adapted to fit within said neck in sealing engagement therewith, said member having a lateral wall fitting against the inner surface of said neck, and a transverse wall extending across the innermost end of said member, said transverse wall having a pair of holes extending therethrough to establish fluid connection to the interior of said container; a vent tube mounted in one of said holes and extending from said transverse wall into said container, and extending less than completely through said transverse wall; a nipple mounted in the other of said holes to provide fluid connection from the interior of said container into the central compartment of said cup-shaped closure member; a flexible tube adapted to be contained within said central compartment, connected to the outer end of said nipple; and a hypodermic needle mounted in the other end of said flexible tube and adapted to be sheathed in said vent tube, said last-mentioned end of said flexible tube fitting into said first-mentioned hole in said transverse wall with sealing engagement; and a cap extending across said central compartment and engaging said neck with a sealing fit, whereby said apparatus may be sterilized in its assembled form, and said needle thereafter need not be touched until the instant of insertion into a patient.

10. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and administering parenteral solutions, which includes: a container having an open neck; a, cupshaped closure member mounted within said neck to close said container, said member having an outwardly opening central compartment therein; an annular sealing member fitting over said closure member to hold said closure member in sealing engagement with said container while leaving said central compartment open; an administering means mounted within said central compartment and operatively connected to said container; and a cap extending across said annular sealing member to seal said central compartment, whereby said apparatus may be sterilized while all of said sealing members are in place.

11. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and administering parenteral solutions, which includes: a container having an open neck; a cupshaped closure member held within said neck in sealing engagement therewith, said member having an outwardly opening central compartment therein; an administering means mounted within said central compartment and comprising a collapsible tube, a nipple attached to one end of said tube and extending through the bottom wall of said cup-shaped closure member into the space within said container; a vent tube extending from a recess in said bottom wall to a point in said container remote from said neck, and a hypodermic needle attached to the other end of said collapsible tube, said needle being inserted in said vent tube and the end of said collapsible tube being inserted in said recess to form a seal between said collapsible tube and said bottom wall; and a cap extending across said central compartment and engaging the outer surface of said neck to seal said central compartment to said cupshaped closure, whereby said apparatus may be sterilized While all of said sealing members are in place, and said apparatus may thereafter be used without touching or otherwise destroying the sterility of said needle.

12. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and administering parenteral solution, which includes: a container having an open neck; a cupshaped closure member adapted to fit within said neck in sealing engagement therewith, said member having a pair of holes extending through its end to establish fluid connection to the interior of said container; a vent tube within said container and extending part way into one of said holes; a nipple mounted in the other of said holes; a flexible tube adapted to be contained within the central compartment of said closure member, having one end attached to said nipple; a hypodermic needle attached to the other end of said flexible tube and adapted to be sheathed in said vent tube, with the adjacent end of said flexible tube fitting into said first-mentioned hole with a sealing fit, whereby a completely assembled administering means is contained within said oefitral' compartment, and releasably seals said fluid connection to the interior of said container; and a'cap engaging the outer surface of said neck and closing said central compartment with a sealing fit, whereby said apparatus may be sterilized when in completely assembled form, and said sterility maintained until use.

13. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and administering parenteral solutions, which includes: a container having an open neck; a cupshaped closure member adapted to fit within said neck in sealing engagement therewith to provide a central compartment substantially wholly within said container, said member having a pair of holes extending through its ends to establish fluid connection to the interior of said container; a vent tube mounted within one of said holes and extending into said container; a flexible tube adapted to be contained within said central compartment of said closure member, one end of said flexible tube being fluid connected to the other of said holes; a hypodermic needle mounted on the other end of said flexible tube and adapted to be sheathed by said vent tube, said last mentioned end of said flexible tube establishing a sealing connection with said first-mentioned hole, whereby a completely assembled administering means is contained within said central compartment, and releasably seals said fluid connections to the interior of said container; and a cap engaging the outer surface of said neck and closing said central compartment with a sealing fit, whereby said apparatus may be sterilized when in completely assembled form, and said sterility maintained until use.

14. Apparatus for dispensing a parenteral solution from a container therefor, which includes: a cup-shaped closure member adapted to fit within the neck of said container in sealing engagement therewith, said member having a lateral wall fitting against the inner surface of said neck, and a transverse wall extending across the innermost end of said member, said transverse wall having a pair of holes extendin therethrough to establish fluid connection to the interior of said container; a vent tube mounted in one of said holes and adapted to extend from said transverse wall into said container, and extending less than completely through said transverse wall; a nipple mounted in the other of said holes to provide fluid connection from the interior of said container into the central compartment, connected to the outer end of said nipple; and a hypodermic needle mounted in the other end of said flexible tube and adapted to be sheathed in said vent tube, said last-mentioned end of said flexible tube fitting into said first mentioned hole in said transverse wall with sealing engagement whereby said apparatus may be sterilized in its assembled form, and said needle thereafter need not be touched until the instant of insertion into a patient.

15. Apparatus for dispensing a parenteral solution from a container therefor, which includes: a cup-shaped closure member adapted to fit within the neck of said container in sealing engagement therewith to provide a compartment within said closure member substantially wholly within said container, said member having a pair of holes extending through its end to establish fluid connection to the interior of said container; a vent tube mounted within one of said holes and extending into said container; a flexible tube adapted to be contained within said central compartment of said closure member, one end of said flexible tube being fluid connected to the other of said holes; and a hypodermic needle mounted on the other end of said flexible tube and adapted to be sheathed by said vent tube, said last-mentioned end of said flexible tube establishing a sealing connection With said firstmentioned hole, whereby a completely assembled adminstering means is contained within said central compartment, and releasably seals said fluid connections to the interior of said container.

16. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and administering parenteral solution which includes: a container, a closure for said container having a compartment therein substantially wholly within said container; administering means within said compartment, connectable through said closure to the interior of said container; and sealing means closing the outer end of said compartment and removable to provide access to said compartment,

17. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and administering parenteral solutions which includes: a container having an opening therein; a closure fitted within said opening having an outwardly facing compartment substantially wholly within said container; administering means within said compartment, comprising a flexible tube, hypodermic needle means connected to one of said tube, and means for establishing a fluid connection through said closure, connected to the other end of said tube; and removable disclike sealing means covering the open end of said compartment.

18. Apparatus for storing, transporting, and administering parenteral solutions which includes: a container having an opening therein; a closure fitted within said opening to make a sealing fit therewith, said closure having an outwardly facing compartment that is substantially wholly within said container; a vent tube extending from said closure to a point in said container remote from said closure; administering means located within said compartment and comprising a folded flexible tube, hypodermic needle means connected to one end of said tube, and nipple means connected to the other end of said tube to establish a fluid connection from the interior of said container, through said closure, to said tube; a removable, flat sealing member overlying said closure to seal said compartment; and means securing said sealing member against accidental removal from said closure.

JAMES E. MEAGHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of rel-lord in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,498,055 Martin et al June 17, 1924 2,259,276 Swabacker Oct. 14, 1941 2,333,684 Schwab Nov. 9, 1943 Certificate of Correction Patent N 0. 2,462,986.

March 1, 1949. JAMES E. MEAGHER It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 4, lines 54 and 55, claim 5, for admjnstering read administering;

column 8, line 36, claim 17, for the words one of read one end of; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to th Signed and sealed this 6 e record of the case in the Patent Oflice. th day of September, A. D. 1949.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Uommz'asioner of Patents.

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