WO2004037137A1

WO2004037137A1 - Device for applying eyedrops

Info

Publication number: WO2004037137A1
Application number: PCT/IT2003/000652
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vittorio Tedesco Zammarano
Original assignee: Vittorio Tedesco Zammarano
Priority date: 2002-10-25
Filing date: 2003-10-22
Publication date: 2004-05-06
Also published as: ITRM20020538A0; AU2003283803A1; ITRM20020538A1

Abstract

Device (1) for facilitating the applying of a liquid product in drops in a user’s eyes and contained in a metering container (4), comprising a main body (2), having a removable engagement region (3) for the metering container (4) and means (7) for the removable engagement of the container (4), the device (1) being characterised in that it comprises reflection means (5) for reflecting the user’s image during the applying of liquid product in the eyes.

Description

DEVICE FOR APPLYING EYEDROPS DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an applicator device for eyewash or the like and, more precisely, to a device for facilitating the applying of eyewash or the like by a user.

It is known that during the applying of eyedrops or the like, a user normally runs into some difficulties when not in front of a mirror. In fact, disadvantageously, in the absence of mirrors the user has to insert the metering device in correspondence of the eye opening bγ instinct' , being unable to control the operation and running the risk of self-causing injuries, however slight. To this end, the user should go in front of a mirror, which is not always available, or getting one beforehand.

Alternatively, an extant device for facilitating the applying of drops in the eyes consists in a metering container provided with an appendage at the bottom region thereof and containing a movably mounted small-sized mirror .

Such an arrangement, though original, entails a drawback in that to use such a metering container there is required a step of transferring the product so as to use the same device. Disadvantageously, such a transferring step eliminates the hygienic and aseptic conditions required from a medical product or the like.

The object of the present invention is to solve said disadvantages by providing a device for applying eyedrops or the like, providing the use of common metering containers of the product in drops as purchased, and incorporating a mirror to remarkably facilitate the drop- applying operation to the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for applying eyedrops or the like that be easy to use, simple to make and, last but not least, inexpensive . Hence, the present invention provides a device for facilitating the applying of a liquid product in drops into a user's eyes according to claim 1.

Hereinafter, it will be provided a detailed description of the device of the preferred invention according to a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example and without limitative purposes, making reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows in an exploded view the device of the present invention in a non-operative condition;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention in a container-engaged condition;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention illustrating the same in an operative condition;

Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of the device of the present invention illustrating the same from the bottom and from one side in the operative condition;

Figure 5 is a partially cross-sectional view of the device of the present invention in a container-engaged condition; and

Figure 6 is a schematic view illustrating the condition of use of the device of the present invention by a user. With reference now to Figures 1 and 2, the device of the present invention is illustrated. According to the invention, there is provided a device 1 made of a main body 2, internally having a concave region 3 for housing a metering container 4 of a generic liquid product of the commonly marketed kind.

It has to be pointed out that the engagement region 3 has a shape complementary to that of the bottom portion of the metering container 4 to which it is dedicated, so as to house snugly and without clearance the container 4 into the device 1. Obviously, the shape of the engagement region can assume different shapes depending on the kind of metering container 4 to which it has to associate. With reference to Figure 3, the main body 2 houses at the bottom portion thereof a mirror member 5. The latter is slidably arranged inside the main body 2 so as to be totally contained therein when retracted. As it is apparent in Figure 4, the mirror member 5 is connected to a handle 6 projecting through a slot obtained in the main body 2. Thus, it is possible to extract and retract the mirror member 5 to and fro the body 2 of the device 1. More precisely, as it is apparent from Figure 5, the mirror member 5 slidably resides in a guide region, obtained at the bottom portion of the main body 2 of the device 1, and so as to let the handle 6 come out from said region.

Moreover, and always with reference to Figure 5, in the concave region 3 there are obtained periphery creasings 7, projecting into the region and forming the locking means of the metering container 4 when the latter is housed into said concave region 3.

With reference now to Figure 6, for the operation the user first inserts the metering container 4 into the region 3 of the device 1 until locking said container 4 onto the creasings 7 obtained in the region 3. Then, the user can grip the handle 6 and extract the mirror member 5 from the main body 2. In this condition, the device is ready to be used by the person who might easily apply the product by using the reflection of the eye region onto the mirror member 5. Upon ending the applying, the mirror member 5 can be retracted into the main body 2 by acting on the handle 6, to then be able to put away the device 1 thus assembled until the next use thereof, where the hereto-described steps will be repeated.

Moreover, it has to be pointed out that for an even more facilitated use by the user preferably the mirror member 5 is mounted in a condition tilted onto the main body 2, so that the former, when completely extracted from the latter, assumes a cross position facilitating the vision of the involved eye region to the user.

Claims

1. A device (1) for facilitating the applying of a liquid product in drops into a user's eyes of the kind comprising a main body (2) having a removable engagement region (3) for a metering container (4) of liquid product to be applied, and means (7) for the removable locking to said container (4) of liquid product, characterised in that it comprises reflection means (5) for reflecting the user's image during the applying of liquid product in the eyes.

2. The device (1) according to claim 1, wherein said engagement region (3) of said main body (2) is a concave region having a shape complementary to the bottom end portion of said metering container (4).

3. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said removable locking means comprises engagement creases (7) obtained in said engagement region (3) .

4. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein said reflection means comprises a mirror member (5) movably mounted on said main body (2) .

5. The device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said mirror member (5) is slidably mounted on said main body (2) and apt to be completely housed into said main body (2) .

6. The device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising gripping means (6) of said mirror member (5).

7. The device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said gripping means is a member (6) connected to said mirror member (5) and projecting from the main body (2).

8. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said mirror member (5) is mounted in a condition tilted with respect to said main body (2) .