US3380636A

US3380636A - Ampul stand and opener

Info

Publication number: US3380636A
Application number: US520448A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ushkow Meyer; Ushkow David Elliot
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-01-13
Filing date: 1966-01-13
Publication date: 1968-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 1985-04-30

Description

April 30, 1968 M. USHKOW E A AMPUL STAND AND OPENER Filed Jan. .13. 1966 IN VEN TORS.

US H KOW MEYER DAVID E. USHKOW AT TOR NEYS United States Patent 3,380,636 AMPUL STAND AND OPENER Meyer Ushkow and David Elliot Ushkow, both of 75-04 196th Place, Flushing, NY. 11365 Filed Jan. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 520,448 Claims. (Cl. 225-103) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for opening an ampul having at its top end a tapered tip which is adapted to be snapped off from the body of the ampul along a score line extending around the neck of the arnpul, so that in this way access may be had to the interior of the ampul. The device includes a substantially rigid holding means forengaging and holding the ampul at the body thereof. A lever means is provided for engaging the tapered tip and snapping the latter from the body of the ampul at the score line thereof, and this lever means includes an elongated bar formed with a tapered opening passing therethrough. This tapered opening has a taper which matches the tapered tip of the ampul. The depth of this opening, however, is less than the length of the tapered tip, so that the exterior sur face of the tapered tip of the ampul engages the entire surface which defines the tapered opening of the lever. In this way the lever engages the tapered tip without any play for securely snapping the tip from the body of the ampul.

The present invention relates to ampul opening devices.

As is well known, it is customary to store medication, particularly liquid medication which is to be introduced into the body of a patient by way of a needle, for example, in ampuls. These ampuls have elongated hollow bodies generally of cylindrical configuration in which the liquid medication is stored. They are closed at their top ends by tapered tip members which are integrally joined to the body of the ampul at a narrow neck of the ampul which is conventionally provided with a circular score line extending around the axis of the ampul so that the tip of the ampul can be conveniently snapped off from the ampul at the score line thereof. Inasmuch as these ampuls are conventionally made of a material such as glass, which is brittle and prone to shattering, care must be exercised in snapping off the tip of the ampul at the score line. At the present time the known devices for opening ampuls do not permit the tip thereof to be snapped off from the body in a secure safe manner guaranteeing against shattering of the ampul and possible injury to the person opening the ampul.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide an ampul-opening device which will indeed enable the operator to open an ampul in a secure, safe manner which will reliably prevent any shattering of the material of the ampul or injury to the operator.

It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a device which will not only permit safe opening of an ampul but which will in addition hold onto the tip which is separated from the body of the ampul so that the tip can be disposed of in a safe highly reliable manner.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a device which on the one hand will securely support an ampul during opening thereof and which on the other hand will limit the extent of movement of the hand of the operator with respect to the ampul and the force which the operator can apply to the ampul during the opening thereof so as to provide an extremely safe but nonetheless easy and convenient ampul opening.

In addition, it is an object of the invention to provide a device which, after the ampul has been opened, renders the removal of the contents thereof extremely convenient and furthermore guarantees an easy removal of substantially the entire contents of the ampul.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above type which will afford an easy inspection of the interior of the ampul even during opening thereof.

Primarily, with the structure of the invention a holding means is provided for holding the ampul securely at its body during opening of the a'mpul. A lever means cooperates with the tapered tip of the ampul for separating the tip from the body of the ampul along the score line.

In accordance with the invention this lever means is in the form of an elongated bar formed with an opening passing therethrough to receive the tapered tip of the ampul, and this opening has a tapered configuration matching that of the ampul tip and has a depth substantially less than the length of the ampul tip so that the entire surface of the tapered opening is engaged by the exterior surface of the ampul tip providing 'a secure gripping of the tip by the lever in a substantially play-free manner which will guarantee a secure and safe opening of the ampul.

The invention is illustrated by way of ex'ample in the accompanying drawings which form part of the application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of one possible embodiment of a device according to the invention shown in a position where its supports an ampul and is about to be operated for opening the ampul;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional longitudinal elevation of the device of the invention illustrating a stage in the operation subsequent to that of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 showing the structure in the position it takes just before the ampul tip is separated from the body of the ampul; and

FIG. 3 shows the structure, also in a partly sectional longitudinal elevation, in a position which it is capable of assuming for facilitating removal of the contents from the interior of the open ampul.

Referring now to the drawings, the device 10 of the present invention includes a holding means 12 for holding the ampul A during the opening thereof. Also, the device includes a lever means 14 for engaging the tapered tip b of the ampul to facilitate removal thereof.

As may be seen from FIG. 2, the ampul A has its tapered tip b integrally joined to the elongated hollow body 0 of the ampul A at a narrow neck portion d which is provided with a circular score line e extending around the axis of the ampul A at the narrowest, throat portion of the neck d. Therefore, as a result of the situation of the score line e at the neck d the ampul can have its tapered tip b separated from the body 0 at the score line so as to give access to the interior of the body c through the opening at the neck which is surrounded by the score line 2. Some ampuls are not prescored, such as by a score line e, in which case scoring can be readily achieved by any suitable implement, for example a file.

The holding means 12 is in the form of a block which may be made of any substantially rigid material such as wood, plastic, or even any suitable metal, if preferred. The block has a fiat bottom surface 16 which is adapted to lie flush against the top surface 18 of a tabletop or the like so as to provide a secure supporting area of substantial dimensions for the device 10 during opening of an ampul. This secure supporting of the device over a substantial area by engagement of the substantial bottom surface 16 of the block 12 with the surface 18 is an important feature since it prevents insecure moving about of the ampul during the opening thereof and guarantees a stationary holding of the ampul during its opening.

The block 12 has an upwardly directed top surface 20 formed with at least one opening 22 for receiving the body c of the ampul A, and this opening 22 has a cross 3 section which matches that of the body so that the body 0 is received in the block 12 in a snug, substantially playfree manner. As is indicated in FIG. 1, the block 12 may be formed with

additional openings

24 and 26 extending into the block from its top surface 20 but terminating short of its bottom surface 16 to provide a secure holding of ampuls having bodies of different sizes. In the illustrated example the body c has a circular cross section so that the cross section of the opening 22 is also circular.

A further feature of the invention in connection with the opening 22, .as well as the

openings

24 and 26, resides not only in the fact that these openings terminate short of the bottom surface 16 of the block but also in the fact that the depth of each block opening is substantially less than the length of the body c so that a considerable upper portion of the body 0 projects upwardly beyond the top surface 20 of the block 12. In this way an easy inspection of the contents of the ampul is guaranteed even during the opening thereof so that the operator can see the liquid in the ampul so as to make certain that the proper ampul is being opened.

The lever means 14 is formed, in accordance with a further important feature of the present invention, with a tapered opening 28 which receives the tapered tip b. As is most clearly shown in FIG. 2, this tapered opening 28 has a taper which matches that of the tip b of the ampul A. Furthermore, the length of the tip b is greater than the depth of the opening 28 which passes completely through the elongated bar which forms the lever 14. As a result the entire surface which defines the opening 28 is engaged by the exterior surface of the tip b, so that the tip b is frictionally wedged in the opening 28 and is securely held by the lever 14 in a play-free manner. It is therefore impossible for the lever 14 to turn relative to the tip b during opening of the ampul, and in addition the force which the operator exerts with his hand on the lever, in the manner shown in FIG. 2, is distributed over the entire area of the opening 28, rather than concentrated at a pair of points, so that in this way also an extremely safe and highly reliable opening of the ampul is assured. The lever 14 may be made also of any suitable rigid material such as wood, a rigid plastic, metal, or the like. As is apparent from FIG. 2, the opening 28 is situated nearer to the right end of the lever, as it is shown in FIG. 2, than the left end thereof, so that although the total length of the lever 14 is relatively small, nevertheless there remains between the opening 28 and the left end of the lever, as viewed in FIG. 2, a length sufficiently great to be securely grasped by the operator enabling the operator to apply his fingers to the lever in the manner shown in FIG. 2 for exerting a sure force on the lever while at the same time providing a true fulcrum action.

As is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the lever 14 may be provided with an additional opening 30 of a taper different from that of the opening 28 for receiving a tip b of a different taper.

In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, the block 12 carries a means for limiting the extent to which the operator can turn the lever 14. This latter means takes the form of an elongated bumper 32 secured to the top surface 20 of the block 12 in any suitable way as by being screwed or glued thereto. This bumper 32 may itself be made of a rigid material, although if desired an elastic elongated rubber block may be used. The bumper 32 is situated in the path of turning movement of the lever 14 so that it can only be turned from the solid line position of FIG. 2 into the dot-dash line position of FIG. 2. Because of this limited extent of turning movement, the operators hand cannot move very far, while at the same time being free to move through an angle sufiicient to reliably open the ampul by completely removing the tip b therefrom, so that in this way also the total force which the operator can exert is limited and the path through which the operator can move his hand is limited, thus guaranteeing against movement of .4 the operators hand into the region of any area where it might be possible to engage a surface or edge which might scratch or cut the hand of the operator.

It is to be noted that once the tip b is removed from the ampul it remains securely held by friction in the opening 28 of the lever 14, so that the operator can very safely dispose of the tip b. This is in sharp contrast with the situation where the tip b could fall freely onto a floor, for example, where it might possibly break and provide all of the danger and inconvenience involved with a material such as broken bits of glass.

In accordance with a still further feature of the invention a means is operatively connected with the block 12 for tilting it to the position shown in FIG. 3 so as to facilitate removal of the contents of the ampul A. This tilting means is in the form of a second lever 34 extending along an edge 36 of the block 12 and connected to the block 12 by a bolt or screw 38 so that the lever 34 is turnably connected to the block 12 for movement with respect thereto about an axis extending between and parallel to the top and

bottom surfaces

20 and 16, respectively, of the block 12. The free end 40 of lever 34 is adapted to engage the surface 18 of the tabletop or the like when the lever 34 is turned to the position of FIG. 3 where it extends downwardly from the edge 36 substantially perpendicularly thereto. As a result the bottom surface 16 of the block 12 is inclined with respect to the surface 18 in the manner shown in FIG. 3, and thus the ampul A is also inclined with respect to a vertical reference line, as is apparent from FIG. 3.

As a result of this feature when a needle N of a hypodermic syringe or the like is introduced into the ampul for removing the contents thereof, the tip of the needle can be situated at the lowermost corner of the ampul, to which the last portion of the liquid medication will fiow during emptying of the ampul, and in this way substantially the entire contents of the ampul can be conveniently and reliably removed.

It will thus be seen that with the present invention there is provided a device which on the one hand is quite simple and inexpensive and which on the other hand enables an ampul to be opened in a safe, convenient, highly reliable manner, guaranteeing against undesirable breaking or shattering of the ampul while at the same time providing for safe disposal of the separated tip of the ampul. In addition, with the structure of the invention the operator is required to exert only a limited force in order to open the ampul. Also, it is possible to remove substantially the entire contents of the ampul in extremely convenient manner with the structure of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for opening an ampul having at its top end a tapered tip adapted to be snapped off from the body of the ampul along a score line extending around the neck of the ampul to give access to the interior of the ampul, comprising substantially rigid holding means for engaging and holding the ampul at the body thereof, and lever means for engaging said tapered tip and snapping the latter from the body of the ampul at the score line thereof, said lever means comprising a lever constituted by an elongated bar formed with a tapered opening passing therethrough and said tapered opening having a taper which matches that of the tapered tip of the ampul, the depth of said opening being less than the length of the tapered tip so that the exterior surface of the tapered tip of the ampul engages the entire surface which defines the tapered opening of said lever whereby the latter engages the tapered tip without any play for securely snapping the tip from the body of the ampul.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 and wherein said lever engages said tip with a friction sufiicient to retain the tip in said opening of said lever after said tip has been separated from the body of the ampul.

3. A device as recited in claim 1 and wherein said lever is in the form of an elongated bar having a pair of opposed ends, and said opening being situated nearer to one of said ends than the other, so that said lever can be grasped in the hand of the operator with the end of the lever which is more distant from said opening being in the hand of the operator to provide leverage.

4. A device as recited in claim 1 and wherein said lever is formed with at least one additional opening having a taper different from that of said first-mentioned opening to be used with an ampul tip of a taper different from the tip which is received in said first-mentioned opening.

5. A device as recited in claim 4 and wherein said openings are spaced from each other longitudinally along said lever.

6. A device for opening an ampul having at its top end a tapered tip adapted to be snapped off from the body of the ampul along a score line extending around the neck of the ampul to give access to the interior of the ampul, comprising holding means for engaging and holding the arnpul at the body thereof, and lever means for engaging said tapered tip and snapping the latter from the body of the ampul at the score line thereof, said lever means comprising a lever constituted by an elongated bar formed with a tapered opening passing therethrough and said tapered opening having a taper which matches that of the tapered tip of the ampul, the depth of said opening being less than the length of the tapered tip so that the exterior surface of the tapered tip of the ampul engages the entire surface which defines the tapered opening of said lever whereby the latter engages the tapered tip without any play for securely snapping the tip from the body of the ampul, said holding means being in the form of a block having a flat bottom surface adapted to engage a fiat tabletop surface or the like and said block being formed with an opening extending into said block from an opposed top surface thereof and having a cross section matching that of said body of said ampul for receiving said ampul body and holding the latter during opening of the ampul.

7. A device as received in claim 6 and wherein said opening of said block has a depth sufliciently great to provide a secure holding of said ampul during the opening thereof, and said depth of said latter opening being 6 sufficiently shorter than the length of the body of the ampul to provide a substantial upper portion of the ampul body projecting upwardly beyond the top surface of said block to provide for easy inspection of the contents of the ampul without removing the latter from the opening of said block.

8. A device as recited in claim 6 and wherein a bumper is fixed to said top surface of said block and situated in the path of movement of said lever during opening of the ampul to engage said lever and limit the extent of movement thereof during opening of the ampul.

9. A device as recited in claim 6 and wherein a tilting means is operatively connected with said block for maintaining the latter in a tilted position where its bottom surface is tilted With respect to a supporting surface which engages one edge of said block, so that by Way of said tilting means a body of an open ampul may be supported in an inclined position to facilitate removal of the entire contents of the ampul.

It A device as recite-d in claim 9 and wherein said tilting means includes a second lever having a rest position extending along an edge of said block, said second lever being pivotally connected to said block at said edge thereof for turning movement about an axis parallel to said top and bottom surfaces of said block so that said second lever may be turned from said rest position extending along said edge of said block to an operative position extending downwardly from said edge of said block substantially perpendicularly thereto so that a free end of said lever distant from said axis can engage the supporting surface to maintain the block in its tilt position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,515,020 7/ 1950 Scott 30164.9 2,638,022 5/1953 Reyes 81-3 FOREIGN PATENTS 536,718 5/ 1941 Great Britain. 1,040,208 5/ 1953 France. 419,229 3/ 1947 Italy.

JAMES M. MEISTER, Primary Examiner.