WO2005049114A2

WO2005049114A2 - Container system for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection

Info

Publication number: WO2005049114A2
Application number: PCT/GB2004/004863
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephen Frederick Marston
Original assignee: Stephen Frederick Marston
Priority date: 2003-11-18
Filing date: 2004-11-18
Publication date: 2005-06-02
Also published as: WO2005049114A3; EP1684827A2; GB0326789D0; WO2005049114B1; GB2408255A

Abstract

A container system, for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection, comprises a container (90) having a plurality of locations (98) each for holding a hypodermic needle pack (44) for insulin injection, and a set of members (106A-D), any selected one of which can be united with the container. At least some of the members of the set are arranged, when united with the container, to cause different numbers of the locations to be blanked-off and/or to label the locations with different labels to suit different injection regimens.

Description

TITLE

Container system for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a container and a container system for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection and to a method of construction of such a container.

Many people suffer from diabetes mellitus and need treatment by self-injection of insulin to help control their blood sugar level. Proper control is important. In the short-term, too high a blood sugar level (hyperglycaemia) causes a general feeling of being unwell, and too low a blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia) can cause collapse. In the longer term, improperly controlled blood sugar levels can lead to microvascular and macrovascular damage, retinopathy (eye disease), neuropathy (disease of the nervous system) and nephropathy (kidney disease). A typical regimen involves injection of long-acting insulin at regular intervals and of a dose that may be constant, varied in a predetermined manner, or varied in dependence upon measured blood sugar level. The regularity and timing of injection is important. Some sufferers require only one injection of insulin per day; others require two injections per day, for example before their breakfast and evening meal; some require three injections per day, for example before their breakfast, lunch, and tea; and others require four injections per day, for example before their breakfast, lunch, tea and bedtime. Some sufferers complement their routine injections of insulin with occasional injections of short-acting insulin, for example if they eat a meal that is particularly high in sugar or sugar-producing constituents.

With modern self-injection systems, the process of self-injection can be very simple and quick. Many people with diabetes use an injection pen, which contains a supply of insulin, and disposable single-use hypodermic needles that are supplied in individual sterile needle packs and which are unpacked and fitted to the injection pen immediately before use of the pen. Because self-injection is so simple and quick, it is a problem that sometimes (for example mid-morning) a diabetic will forget whether they took their last-scheduled dose of insulin (for example before breakfast). The person is then faced with the dilemma of whether to take a dose of insulin, in which case if they did, in fact, take their last-scheduled dose they will decrease their blood sugar level unnecessarily and possibly become hypoglycaemic, or whether to wait until their next-scheduled dose, in which case if they did not, in fact, take their last-scheduled dose their blood sugar level will increase. The present invention is concerned with this problem and seeks to provide a way in which people with diabetes can readily ascertain whether they are on schedule with their insulin injections.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a container system for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection, the system comprising a container having a plurality of locations each for holding a hypodermic needle pack for insulin injection, a set of members, and means for uniting any selected one of the members with the container, at least some of the members of the set each being arranged, when united with the container, to cause different numbers of the locations to be blanked-off and/or to label the locations with different labels.

The different members of the set can therefore be used to blank-off different numbers of locations and/or to label the locations differently so that the number of locations that are not blanked-off and/or the location labelling is/are particularly suited for a particular injection regimen. In use, it is intended that the user would fill the available locations, or the locations that are appropriately marked, with needle packs at a predetermined time. The user would then take a needle pack, or the appropriately labelled needle pack, from the container for each injection. The user can therefore determine, from the number of locations occupied by needle packs in the container and/or from the labelling of the occupied locations, whether they did in fact take their last-scheduled dose. Providing a common container that can be used with a member, selected from a set, for a particular injection regimen, rather than providing different complete containers for different injection regimens, simplifies manufacturing and can lead to a reduction in tooling-up costs.

In one embodiment, the locations are each provided by a respective hole in a plate. In another embodiment, the locations are each provided by a respective recess in a tray. In a further embodiment, the container may comprise a body having an axis and the locations are arranged around the axis. The container further comprises a cover mounted for rotation about the axis and having an opening that can be aligned with the locations to permit access to a selected location while blocking-off the other locations. The members are arranged to limit the amount of rotation of the cover. In this case, the container may further include a detent arrangement to hold the cover relative to the body in positions in which the opening is aligned with the locations and/or to hold the cover relative to the body in positions in which the opening is between the locations. Preferably the body is generally cylindrical, the locations are provided by passageways extending into the body generally radially from the periphery thereof, and the cover has a skirt encircling the periphery of the body and formed with the opening.

Preferably, there are at least six such locations. When six locations are available, they may be marked with the names of six of the days of the week, for example "Monday" to "Saturday", and the container can be used by a diabetic on a one injection per day regimen. The intention is that, when the diabetic injects themself on Sunday and the container is empty, they also fill all six locations with needle packs, and, during the following week, each day they use the appropriately labelled needle pack. If, on Sunday, they are unsure whether they have taken their insulin, they can therefore tell, depending on whether or not the container is full. On any other day, they can tell, depending upon whether or not the location for that particular day is full.

There may even be at least seven such locations. When all seven locations are available, six of the locations may be labelled as described above, and the seventh location may be employed for a needle pack to be used for injection of quick-acting insulin. Alternatively, the seventh location may be labelled "Sunday".

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a container system for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection, the system comprising a container, a set of members, and means for uniting any selected one of the members with the container, at least some of the members of the set each having a different number of locations each for holding a hypodermic needle pack for insulin injection.

Each member may comprises a plate, with the locations being provided by holes in the plate. Alternatively, each member may comprise a tray, with the locations being provided by recesses in the tray. Again, at least one of the members preferably has at least six such locations, and may even have at least seven such locations. In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of construction of a container for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection, the method comprising: providing a system according to the first or second aspect of the invention; selecting one of the members; and uniting the selected member with the container.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a container for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection, the container being constructed according to the method of the third aspect of the invention. In accordance with a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a container for a plurality of hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection, the container having a plurality of locations each for holding a respective needle pack, each location being labelled according to a particular injection regimen. In the container system or container of the first, second, fourth or fifth aspect of the invention, the container may also provide a location for an insulin injection pen.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a container of a first embodiment of the invention with two cover plates of the container shown in their open positions;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectioned side view of the container of Figure 1, with the cover plates shown closed;

Figure 3 is an isometric view of a needle holder plate used in the container of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is an isometric view of one type of fascia plate that may be used in the container of Figure 1;

Figures 5A is plan view of the fascia plate of Figure 4;

Figures 5B-D are plan views of other types of fascia plate that may be used in the container of Figure 1, Figure 5C also showing the container and three needle packs;

Figure 6 is an isometric view of such a needle pack;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a container of a second embodiment of the invention with a lid of the container shown in its open position;

Figure 8 is an edge view of a fascia plate that may be used with the container of Figure 7;

Figures 9A-9D are face views of various types of fascia plates that may be used with the container of Figure 7, Figure 9C also showing the container and three needle packs; Figure 10 is a cross-sectioned plan view of a container of a third embodiment of the invention taken on the section line 10-10 shown in Figure 11;

Figure 11 is a cross-sectioned side view of the container of Figure 10 taken on the section line 11-11 shown in Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a side view of the container of Figure 10 viewed in the direction 12 shown in Figure 10;

Figures 13A-D are plan views of examples of four fascia plates that may be used with the container of Figure 10;

Figure 14 is a side view of a hypodermic needle pack that may be used with the container of Figure 10;

Figure 15 is a plan view showing a modification to the fascia plate of Figure 13D;

Figure 16 is a developed side view of the fascia plate of Figure 15 taken on the development line 16-16 shown in Figure 15 and also showing part of a modified cover;

Figure 17 is a cross-sectioned side view of the fascia plate and cover of Figure 16, omitting for clarity to show the body of the container;

Figure 18 is a plan view showing a further modification to the fascia plate of Figure 13C;

Figure 19 is a cross-sectioned side view of the fascia plate of Figure 18 and a complementary cover;

Figure 20 is a plan view showing a similar modification to the fascia plate of Figure 13 A.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, in the first embodiment of the invention, a container 10 has a cylindrical body 12. The ends of the cylindrical body can be closed by a top cover plate 14 and a bottom cover plate 16, each of which is disc shaped and is attached to the body 12 by a respective hinge pin 18 that is fixed into the wall of the body 12 and about which the respective cover plate 14,16 can pivot. A detent (not shown) may be provided releasably to hold each cover plate 14,16 in its closed position.

A needle holder plate 20 (see particularly Figure 3) has the form of a disc 22 with an upturned lip 24 around its periphery. The needle holder plate 20 is glued into the top of the body 12, the latter having a rabbet 26 to receive the plate so that the top of the lip 24 is flush with the top of the cylindrical body 12. The disc 22 of the needle holder plate 20 has a central through-hole 28 and six through-holes 30 symmetrically arranged around the central hole 28.

Any of a number of different types of fascia plate 32A-C (see particularly Figures 4 to 5D) can be fitted to the needle holder plate 20. Each fascia plate 32A-C has the form of a disc 34 that has a number of through-holes 36 that can be aligned with some, or all, of the holes 28,30 in the needle holder plate 20. The inwardly facing surface of the lip 24 of the needle holder plate 20 is formed with a ridge 38, and the diameter and thickness of the disc 34 of each fascia plate 32A-C is such that the fascia plate 32A-C can be snap-fitted into the needle holder plate 20. The edge of the disc 34 of each fascia plate 32A-C may be formed with a lug 40 that engages in a corresponding notch 42 in the ridge 38 on the lip 24 of the needle holder plate 20 so that each fascia plate 32A-C may only be fitted one-way-round into the needle holder plate 20.

As shown in Figure 6, a typical needle pack 44 comprises a body having an upper cylindrical portion 46, a tapering mid-portion 48 and a lower cylindrical portion 50 that is closed at its lower end. The upper end of the upper portion 46 has a flange 52. The needle pack 44 contains a hypodermic needle (not shown) for fitting to an insulin injection pen, and the needle is sealed in the pack 44 by a tear-off seal 54. The diameter of the holes 28,30,36 in the needle holder plate 20 and the fascia plates 32A-C is such that the holes 28,30,36 can snugly receive the upper portions 46 of such needle packs 44. The container 10 is dimensioned such that, when a needle pack 44 is fitted into a pair of aligned holes 28,30,36 in the needle holder plate 20 and one of the fascia plates 32A-C with the underside of the flange 52 of the needle pack 44 against the upper surface of the fascia plate 32A-C, the needle pack 44 fouls neither the top cover plate 14 nor the bottom cover plate 16. In order to fill the container 10 with needle packs 44, the top cover 14 is pivoted open, and the needle packs 44 are inserted into the empty holes 36. In order to remove a needle pack 44 from the container 10, both the top cover 14 and the bottom cover 16 are pivoted open. The lower end of the required needle pack 44 is then pressed upwardly by a user's finger inserted into the bottom of the container 10, and the needle pack 44 is then grasped from above and completely withdrawn from the container 10.

The fascia plate 32A of Figure 5A is for use by a diabetic who routinely requires one injection of long-acting insulin per day. The fascia plate 32A has seven holes 36, which align with the seven holes 28,30 of the needle holder plate 20 when the fascia plate 32A is fitted thereto. Each hole 36 has a label 56 designating a respective day of the week.

The fascia plate 32B of Figure 5B is for use by a diabetic who routinely requires four injections of long-acting insulin per day. The fascia plate 32B has four holes 36, which align with four of the holes 30 of the needle holder plate 20 when the fascia plate 32B is fitted thereto, and the disk 34 of the fascia plate 32B blanks-off the other three holes 28,30 of the needle holder plate 20. Each hole 36 has a label 56 designating a respective time of day. Figure 5C shows the fascia plate 32B fitted to the container 10 and with three of the four holes 36 occupied by needle packs 44. The fascia plate 32C of Figure 5D is for use by a diabetic who routinely requires two injections of long-acting insulin per day. The fascia plate 32C has two holes 36, which align with two of the holes 30 of the needle holder plate 20 when the fascia plate 32C is fitted thereto, and the disk 34 of the fascia plate 32C blanks-off the other five holes 28,30 of the needle holder plate 20. Each hole 36 has a label 56 designating a respective time of day. It will be appreciated that fascia plates with different numbers of holes 36 or different labels 56 may also be provided.

Each container 10 may be supplied with a set of different fascia plates 32A-C, or such fascia plates 32A-C may be supplied separately. One of the fascia plates 32A-C is selected of a type in dependence upon the user's requirements and is fitted into the needle holder plate 20 of the container 10. In typical use of the container 10 when fitted with the fascia plate 32A, the user would fill the container 10 with needle packs 44 at a pre-decided time each week. Each day, they would then use the appropriately labelled needle pack 44. If they were unsure whether they had taken their insulin on a particular day, inspection of the needle packs 44 remaining in the container 10 would resolve the issue. If they forgot to fill the container 10 at the pre-decided time each week, this would be readily apparent the next time they went to take a needle pack 44 from the contamer 10, and the container 10 could then be filled, except for the needle pack 44 for the day in question. Similar considerations apply to the other fascia plates 32B.32C, but on a daily, rather than weekly, basis.

In a modification to the container 10 shown in Figures 1 to 5D, the cover plates 14,16 may be hinged to the body 12 for a flip-up and flip-down action, respectively, rather than being arranged to swivel about hinge pins 18. Referring now to Figures 6 to 9D, in the second embodiment of the invention, a container 60 has a clam-shell form (similar to an old-fashioned spectacles case) with a lower half 62 and upper half 64 hinged together at 66 along one longitudinal edge. The lower half 62 of the container 60 is fitted with an insert tray 68 that is moulded to provide a recess 70 for receiving an insulin injection pen 72 and a series of seven recesses 74 each for receiving a respective needle pack 44. The insert tray 68 also has two lines of fixing holes 76.

Any of a number of different types of fascia plate 78A-C (see particularly Figures 8 to 9D) can be fitted over the portion of the tray 68 having the needle recesses 74. Each fascia plate 78A-C comprises a strip 79 with an outline shape similar to that of the tray 68 over about two- thirds of its width. Referring in particular to Figure 8, the bottom face of the strip 79 is formed with two lines of pegs 80 each of which is a tight fit into a respective one of the holes 76 in the tray 68. Each of the fascia plates 78A-C has a number of through holes 82 in its strip 79, each having an outline similar in shape to and of a slightly larger size than the profile of a needle packs 44, and each being arranged to align with a respective one of the needle recesses 74 when the fascia plate 78A-C is fitted to the tray 68.

The fascia plate 78A of Figure 9A is for use by a diabetic who routinely requires one injection of long-acting insulin per day. The fascia plate 78A has seven holes 82, which align with the seven needle recesses 74 in the tray 68 when the fascia plate 78A is fitted thereto. Each hole 82 has a label 56 designating a respective day of the week. The fascia plate 78B of Figure 9B is for use by a diabetic who routinely requires four injections of long-acting insulin per day. The fascia plate 78B has four holes 82, which align with four of the needle recesses 74 in the tray 68 when the fascia plate 78B is fitted thereto, and the strip 79 of the fascia plate 78B blanks-off the other three needle recesses 74. Each hole 82 has a label 56 designating a respective time of day. Figure 9C shows the fascia plate 78B fitted to the container 60 and with three of the four holes 82 occupied by needle packs 44.

The fascia plate 78C of Figure 9D is for use by a diabetic who routinely requires two injections of long-acting insulin per day. The fascia plate 78C has two holes 82, which align with two of the needle recesses 74 in the tray 68 when the fascia plate 78C is fitted thereto, and the strip 79 of the fascia plate 78C blanks-off the other five recesses 74. Each hole 82 has a label 56 designating a respective time of day.

It will be appreciated that fascia plates with different numbers of holes 82 or different labels 56 may also be provided. Similarly to the first embodiment, each container 60 may be supplied with a set of different fascia plates 78A-C, or such fascia plates 78A-C may be supplied separately. One of the fascia plates 78A-C is selected of a type in dependence upon the user's requirements and is fitted onto the tray 68 of the container 60. In typical use of the container 60 when fitted with the fascia plate 78A, the user would fill the container 60 with needle packs 44 at a pre-decided time each week. Each day, they would then use the appropriately labelled needle pack 44. If they were unsure whether they had taken their insulin on a particular day, inspection of the needle packs 44 remaining in the container 60 would resolve the issue. If they forgot to fill the container 60 at the pre-decided time each week, this would be readily apparent the next time they went to take a needle pack 44 from the container 60, and the container 60 could then be filled, except for the needle pack 44 for the day in question. Similar considerations apply to the other fascia plates 78B,78C, but on a daily, rather than weekly, basis.

It will be appreciated that many modifications and developments may be made to the embodiments of the invention described above. For example, in both embodiments, the fascia plates 32A-C,78A-C are shown in the drawings to have substantial thickness. They may, however, be thinner and fabricated from card, or laminated card, and a complete set of fascia plates 32A-C,78A-C may be supplied as a pre-perforated sheet, which may have a self-adhesive backing so that the selected fascia plate 32A-C,78A-C may be stuck to the needle holder plate 20 or insert tray 68. In the first embodiment, the needle holder plate 20 may be omitted, and the fascia plate 32A-C may be arranged to be a snap-fit directly into the body 12 of the container 10. Furthermore, the fascia plates 32A-C may be integrally or permanently formed with the body 12 of the container 10, and different types of container 10 may therefore be supplied in accordance with the required number of holes 36 and labelling. The container 10 may be arranged so that the needle packs 44 are not so deeply inserted into the holes 30, in which case the bottom of the container 10 may be permanently closed. In the second embodiment, the use of a fascia plate 78A-C may be omitted, and instead different type of trays 68 with different numbers of needle recesses 74 and/or different markings, as required. In the case of users who take antidiabetic drugs in tablet form as well as by subcutaneous injection, the containers 10,60 may be provided with locations for holding the tablets, and provision may be made for blanking-off locations that are not required and marking the locations in a similar way to the blanking-off of and marking of the locations for holding the needle packs 44.

Referring now to Figures 10 to 13D, in the third embodiment of the invention, a container 90 has a generally cylindrical body 92 having an axis 94. A central passageway 96 extends axially through the body 92, and seven equiangularly-spaced passageways 98 extend radially from the periphery of the body 92 to the central passageway 96. Each passageway 98 can receive a needle pack 44 as shown in Figure 14 similar to the needle packs described above, but with flutes 100 formed on the tapering mid-portion 48. These flutes 100 cooperate with complementary flutes 102 in each passageway 98 to restrict rotation of the needle pack 44 in the passageway 98. Each passageway 98 is fitted with an O-ring 104 which can grip the cylindrical portion 46 of a needle pack 44 sufficiently tightly to prevent it inadvertently falling out of the passageway 98. As shown particularly in Figure 11, when a needle pack 44 is fitted into a passageway 98, its cylindrical portion 50 projects into the central passageway 96.

The upper face of the body 92 is formed with a recess into which any of a number of different types of disc-shaped fascia plate 106A-D (see particularly Figures 13A to 13D) can be snap-fitted to the body 92. Each fascia plate 106A-D has: a peripheral notch 108 that is engaged by a lug 110 on the body 92 so that the fascia plate cannot rotate with respect to the body 98; and a central hole 112 for aligning with the central passageway 96 through the body 98. Each fascia plate 106A-D has a plurality of equiangularly-spaced labels 56, with an angular pitch of 360°/7 (-51.4°). In particular, the fascia plate 106A has seven such labels 56 indicating the days of the week for a one-injection-per-day regime. The fascia plates 106B-D have two, three and four such labels 56, respectively, indicating times of day for two-, three- and four- injections-per-day regimes, respectively. The fascia plates 106B-D are also formed with arcuate slots 114B-D that subtend angles at the centres of the plates 106B-D of slightly greater than 103°, 154° and 206°, respectively. However, the fascia plate 106A is devoid of such an arcuate slot.

The container 90 also includes a transparent cover having a slightly-domed central portion 118 with a peripheral cylindrical skirt 120 that encircles the body 92. The cover 118,120 is a snap-fit on the body 92 and rotatable with respect thereto about the axis 94 by means of one or more lugs 122 than run in a groove 124 around the body 92. The central portion 118 of the cover has a central hole 126 that is aligned with the central passageway 96 through the body 92. Beneath the central portion 118, an integral peg 128 depends and, in the case where one of the fascia plates 106B-D is used, engages in the arcuate slot 114B-D in the fascia plate 106B-D. In the case where the fascia plate 106A is employed, the peg 128 is snapped off. The skirt 120 has a cut-away 130 that is sized to give access to one of the radial passageways 98 in the body 92 when aligned with that passageway 98. In the case where the peg 128 and one of the slotted fascia plates 106B-D are employed, the peg 128 and the arcuate slot 114B-D limit the rotational movement of the cover 118,120 on the body between one extreme in which the first label 56 in the series of labels on the fascia plates 106B-D is aligned with the cut-away 130, and the opposite extreme in which the last label 56 in the series of labels on the fascia plates 106B-D is aligned with the cut-away 130. The cover 118,120 and fascia plates 106B-D therefore enable access to only two, three and four, respectively, of the radial passageways 98 in the body 92, whereas the cover 118,120 (with the peg 128 removed) and fascia plate 106A enables access to all seven of the radial passageways 98 in the body 92.

In order to fill the container 90 with needle packs 44, the cover 118,120 is rotated to each of the positions in which access can be gained to one of the radial passageways 98, and a needle pack 44 is inserted into that passageway 98. When the time comes to use one of the needle packs, the cover 118,120 is rotated so that the appropriate label 56 on the fascia plate 106A-D is aligned with the cut-away 130 in the skirt 120. The exposed seal 54 is then removed from the needle pack 44 that is exposed by the cut-away 130, and the barrel of the user's injection pen is screwed into the needle in the needle pack 44. The needle can then be withdrawn from the needle pack 44, leaving the case of the needle pack 44 empty in the body 92, and the user can then use the needle. After use, the user can insert the used needle back into the case of the needle pack 44, which may be designed to grip it securely, and then unscrew the barrel of the injection pen from the needle. Once all of the needle packs have been used, the used packs can be removed from the container 90 by rotating the cover 118,120 to each of the positions in which access can be gained to a needle pack 44, and then pushing the needle pack 44 out of the container using one's finger inserted into the central passageway 96 through the body 92.

It will be appreciated that the user can readily determine, by inspection of the labels 56 and which needle packs 44 have had their seals 54 removed, the times of day, or days of the week, for which the user has already injected themselves.

It will be appreciated many modifications may be made to the third embodiment of Figures 10-13D. For example, fascia plates 106A-D with different numbers of labels 56 and different extents of arcuate slot 114B-D may be provided.

Figures 15 to 17 show another modification in which a series of ridges 132 are formed on the fascia plates 106. A complementary detent peg 134 is formed on the underside of the central portion 118 of the cover and, with a degree of resistance, can ride over the ridges 132 as the cover 118,120 is rotated relative to the body 98. The ridges 132 and peg 134 form a series of detents such that the cover 118,120 clicks into positions in which passageways 98 in the body 92 are aligned with the cut-away 130 in the skirt 120 of the cover (so that the needle packs 44 can be accessed) and also into positions intermediate those positions (so that the seals 54 on the needle packs 44 are protected, and so that a needle pack 44, if it is a loose fit, will not fall out of the container 90). The detents tend to prevent the cover 118,120 inadvertently being rotated relative to the body 98.

Figures 18 and 19 show a further modification in which the functions of limiting the range of rotation of the cover 118,120 relative to the body 98 and of providing the detent action are combined. Specifically, a single peg 136 is formed on the underside of the central portion 118 of the cover and engages in a rabbet 138 formed part-way around the central hole 110 in the fascia plate 106. The rabbet 138 has a series of notches 140, and the peg 136 is biased by its own elasticity into any notch 140 with which it is aligned. The angular extent of the rabbet 138 therefore limits the range of rotation of the cover 118,120 relative to the body 98, and the notches 140 provide the detent action.

Figure 20 shows the modification of Figures 18 and 19 as applied to the fascia plate 106A that enables access to all seven of the passageways 98 in the body 92 of the container 90. In this case, the central hole 110 in the fascia plate 106A simply has fourteen notches 140 around its periphery.

It should be noted that the embodiments of the invention has been described above purely by way of example and that many other modifications and developments may be made thereto within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A container system for hypodermic needle packs (44) for insulin injection, the system comprising a container (10; 60; 90) having a plurality of locations (28,30; 74; 98) each for holding a hypodermic needle pack (44) for insulin injection, a set of members (32A-C; 78A-C; 106A-D), and means (24,38; 76,80) for uniting any selected one of the members with the container, at least some of the members of the set each being arranged, when united with the container, to cause different numbers of the locations to be blanked-off and/or to label the locations with different labels (56).

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of the members of the set are each arranged, when united with the container, to cause different numbers of the locations to be blanked-off.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein at least some of the members of the set are each arranged, when united with the container, to label the locations with different labels.

4. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the locations are each provided by a respective hole (28,30) in a plate (20).

5. A system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the locations are each provided by a respective recess (74) in a tray (68).

6. A system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the container comprises a body (92) having an axis (94); the locations (98) are arranged around the axis; the container further comprises a cover (118,120) mounted for rotation about the axis and having an opening (130) that can be aligned with the locations to permit access to a selected location while blocking-off the other locations; and the members (106B-D) are arranged to limit the amount of rotation of the cover.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, further including a detent arrangement to hold the cover relative to the body in positions in which the opening is aligned with the locations.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6 or 7, further including a detent arrangement to hold the cover relative to the body in positions in which the opening is between the locations.

9. A system as claimed in any of claims 6 to 8, wherein: the body is generally cylindrical and the locations are provided by passageways (98) extending into the body generally radially from the periphery thereof; and the cover has a skirt (120) encircling the periphery of the body and formed with the opening.

10. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there are at least six such locations.

11. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there are at least seven such locations.

12. A container system for hypodermic needle packs (44) for insulin injection, the system comprising a container (10; 60), a set of members (32A-C; 78A-C), and means (24,38; 76,80) for uniting any selected one of the members with the container, at least some of the members of the set each having a different number of locations (36; 82) each for holding a hypodermic needle pack for insulin injection.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each member comprises a plate (34), and the locations are provided by holes (36) in the plate.

14. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each member comprises a tray, and the locations are provided by recesses in the tray.

15. A system as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14, wherein at least one (32A; 78A) of the members has at least six such locations.

16. A system as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14, wherein at least one (32A; 78A) of the members has at least seven such locations.

17. A method of construction of a container for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection, the method comprising: providing a system as claimed in any preceding claim; selecting one of the members; and uniting the selected member with the container.

18. A container for hypodermic needle packs for insulin injection, the container being constructed according to a method as claimed in claim 17.

19. A container (10; 60; 90) for a plurality of hypodermic needle packs (44) for insulin injection, the container having a plurality of locations (36; 82; 98) each for holding a respective needle pack, each location being labelled according to a particular injection regimen.

20. A container system or container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16, 18 and 19, wherein the locations for the needle packs are sized and shaped to hold identical needle packs.

21. A container system or container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16, and 18 to 20, wherein the locations for the needle packs are arranged symmetrically.

22. A container system or container as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16 and 18 to 21, wherein the container also provides a location (70) for an insulin injection pen (72).