WO2016165817A1

WO2016165817A1 - Device for inserting and removing stoppers from containers

Info

Publication number: WO2016165817A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/000576
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carlo Brisighelli
Original assignee: Metalco S.R.L.
Priority date: 2015-04-07
Filing date: 2016-04-07
Publication date: 2016-10-20
Also published as: DK3280678T3; EP3078626A1; ES2822229T3; EP3280678B1; EP3280678A1

Abstract

A device for inserting or extracting a stopper (14,) in or from a mouth (31) of a container 30, like a bulk container for pharmaceuticals, the stopper (14) made of a resilient material, like rubber or other flexible material. The stopper has at least a side rib (14') arranged to be forced in the mouth (31) to sealingly close the container (30). The device comprises and end plate (1) having a recess (15) configured to fit the stopper (14) insuch a way that a concave inner surface of the recess (15) faces an external face (14a) of the stopper (14, 114, 214). The end plate (1) is arranged to generate a pulling force on the stopper (14) in such a way that the stopper bends elastically from a rest position to a deformed position in which the external face (14a) of the stopper (14) is bent towards the concave inner surface of the recess (15).

Description

TITLE

DEVICE FOR INSERTING AND REMOVING STOPPERS FROM CONTAINERS

DESCRIPTION Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a device for inserting and/or removing stoppers from containers of various size and shape, which must be hermetically sealed by tight-fitting stoppers. In particular, the invention relates to sterile containers designed to carry medicines and or other containers that must be kept sterile, and that have stoppers or stoppers of rubber or semi-rigid material that is forced into or from a mouth rim of the container.

Description of the prior art.

Various types of sterile containers designed to carry medicines and or other containers that must be kept sterile exist, for example as disclosed in GB2248442A.

Such containers are also called canisters, or drums, or jugs or cans, or bottles, and are used for transporting bulk drugs, for example in the form of powder or granules, from the manufactures of single pharmaceutical components to pharmaceutical laboratories that prepare pharmaceutical compositions.

The containers can be made of metal, for example aluminium, or other stiff sterile material suitable for carrying medicines or sanitary stuff. The containers have a large mouth closed by a stopper. The stoppers can be made of rubber, having an undercut stopper rim, or a circumferential rib, that engages an undercut container rim made in the inner rim of the mouth of the container.

The stoppers of such containers are mainly inserted or extracted either manually using both hands, or by bulky and heavy devices.

With such stoppers the following problems arise.

Concerning the insertion of the stopper: in order to assure tightness and stability in the closed position and guarantee a sealed closure, the stoppers have ribs that increase their diameter with respect to the rim of the mouth of the container. Normally, this operation is manually carried out through a considerable manual pressure of the stopper inside the bottle, which, to be fully accomplished, takes at least ten seconds. This operation is made in the production site of the medicine, by authorised operators that normally wear gloves.

Concerning the removal of the stopper, also in this case this operation is normally carried out manually in sterile environments. In order to avoid pollution of the environment, where pharmaceutical compositions are prepared with different components, the operators wear one or even double or triple layer of gloves. The manual extraction of the stopper, considering the number of worn gloves, has the risk that the operator has no precise tactile sensations on the fingers and so it takes a lot of time to remove the stopper from the container. Moreover, during the manual extraction the worn gloves can be damaged by friction of the gloves themselves on the metallic rib of the container, with the risk of contaminating both the operator's hands and the content of the bottle.

Owing to the reason that the stoppers are made of rubber, the bigger the diameter of the stopper and of the mouth of the container the higher the force necessary for deforming the stopper and inserting it in the mouth of the container or extracting it from the container.

Devices are known that allow both the insertion and extraction of the stopper in the bottle, which are heavy, bulky, and which are not very easy to use. Such devices, in case of insertion, push the stopper into the bottle neck mechanically and in case of insertion make use of levers that are operated simultaneously with the use of both hands.

Summary of the invention

In the present description, with the term stopper, any resilient stopper, or cap, or lid, or cover of a container that is arranged to be eiasticaily forced within the rim of the mouth of the container is intended, and which generates the closure force by the reaction generated by is reduction of diameter is intended.

It is then a feature of the present invention to provide a device for inserting/removing a stopper from a container that does not present the drawbacks of the prior art as above described.

A further object of the invention is to provide a modified stopper for containers arranged to be used in association with some embodiments of the device according to the invention solving the above described drawbacks.

A further object of the invention is to provide a system of a device and of a modified stopper which solve the above described drawbacks.

These and other objects are achieved by the device, modified stopper and system according to any of the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be now shown with the following description of some exemplary embodiments thereof, exemplifying but not limitative, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

Figs. 1-4 show a first exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention;

Figs. 5-8 show a second exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention;

Figs. 9-12 show a stopper for a container according to the prior art;

Fig. 13 show an exemplary container for the stopper of figures 9-12

Fig. 14 show a third exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention;

Fig. 15 show a fourth exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention;

Fig. 16 show a fifth exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention;

Detailed description of some exemplary embodiments

With reference to Figs. 1 to 13, an exemplary device is described for inserting a stopper 14 in or from the mouth 31 of a container 30 (Fig. 13), for example a bulk container for pharmaceuticals.

As above described, such types of stoppers 14 are made of a resilient material, for example rubber, and, in order to assure tightness and stability in the closed position and to guarantee a sealed closure of mouth 31 of container 30, they have ribs 14' that have a diameter larger than the inner rim of the mouth 31 of container 30.

In a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, depicted in figures 1-8, the device comprises and end plate 1 with a recess 15 having the same size of the maximum diameter of stopper 14. Recess 15 has a concave inner surface .

Recess 15 is arranged in such a way that stopper 14 can be elastically pulled by a force generated in recess 15, from a rest position to a deformed position in which it is bent towards concave inner surface .

Such bending force, causes the deformation of the external face 14a of the stopper, as shown in figures 11 and 12, which becomes substantially dome-shaped. Moreover, and this is the technical effect of the present invention, the bending force causes the reduction of the diameter of the ribs 14' of stopper 14, as shown in figure 12, from the original shape of the stopper, which therefore permit the stopper to be freely inserted.

In the embodiment of figures 1-8, and in Fig. 14, and in other similar embodiments that a person skilled in the art can make without further researches, the bending force that causes the deformation of the stopper and the reduction of the diameter of ribs 14' is generated by vacuum inside recess 15. In this way, the vacuum permits to the atmospheric pressure acting on stopper 14, especially on the opposite side of external face 14a, to bend stopper 14.

With reference to figures 1-4, which is a first possible example of a device that inserts or extracts a stopper by vacuum forces, an operator can hold the device in an open position, through an outer sleeve 3. Then, the operator puts the device on stopper 14 (figure 4), so that end plate 1 overlaps the external face 14a of stopper 14. End plate 1 can be equipped with a neck 16, which can be dimensioned and internally threaded to accommodate an internal stem 2 and a spring 9, which internally passes through stem 2. An O-ring 6 can be inserted into a specific housing of neck 16 of end plate 1, at the base of internal stem 2. A retaining ring 5 is positioned in a housing of the top. of internal stem 2.

The operator can press down outer sleeve 3, which pushes the spring 9, which is then compressed. Outer sleeve 3 ends with a support ring 10, which is designed to contain a scraper ring 8 and an internal guide 4. The stem 2 passes inside the latter. The scraper ring 8 is made of rubber or equivalent material. Internal guide 4 is a bushing of metal or PTFE, or other equivalent material. After movement of lever 19, support ring 10 ends its path when reaching the neck 16 of end plate 1, causing the air to exit.

At this point the device has expelled all the contained air, except from a small quantity of residual air remaining between the external surface 14a of stopper 14 and the concavity 15 of end plate 1. The operator releases the hand from the outer sleeve 3 and then stops the force exerted on the spring 9, which is decompressed creating a sufficient level of depression within inner stem 2. End plate 1 is equipped with a opening hole or groove or cavity 17, adapted to air passage between the external face 14a of stopper 14 and the concave bottom part 15 of end plate 1 and the inside of the device.

Consequently, the small quantity of residual air between the outer surface of stopper 14 and the concavity 15 of end plate 1 is sucked into inner stem 2 through the opening 17 and this creates a suction effect thanks to which stopper 14, which as mentioned is of rubber or similar material, adheres to end plate 1. In this way, the diameter of stopper 14 is reduced and becomes less than or equal to the diameter of the neck of the bottle.

Stopper 14, which is completely sucked into the concave recess 15 of end plate 1, is integral with the device and then can be moved by the operator and placed for example on the mouth 31 bottle 30, where it can be inserted without applying any additional force.

Once on mouth 31 of bottle 30, the operator presses a vent valve or button 12, which is located on the outer sleeve 3, compressing the spring 13 which surrounds it. The button 12 internally houses an 0-ring 7 and an Allen screw 11, through which it is joined to the outer sleeve 3. There is a hexagonal bar 25 which acts as a guide for screw 11. The spring 13 has a suitable diameter to surround the button 12 but smaller than its knob 18 so that it cannot slide out, even when it decompresses 'and puts the button 12 back- to its position. When the operator presses the vent valve 12, the hole in the outer sleeve opens 3 and so, the previously created depression disappears since the inside of the device and the external environment are placed in communication. Consequently, stopper 14 is left free from end plate 1 and goes back to its normal diameter. At this point the container is closed hermetically and the device can be moved. All the aforesaid steps take place by holding the device with one hand.

With reference to Figs 5 to 8 another alternative exemplary embodiment of the invention is described, where outer sleeve 3 is integral to the neck 16 of end plate 1, where the neck 16 is suitably dimensioned like outer sleeve 3.

In order to close the device, a knob 24 and, consequently, a flange 20, can be pushed towards the sleeve 3, namely neck 16 of end plate 1, up to a stop. Then, the O-ring and spring 9 contained in it are caused to slide in outer sleeve 3. A flange 20, which replaces support ring 10 of figure 1-4, is arranged to house scraper ring 8 and internal guide 4. Scraper ring 8 and guide 4 can be of a same material indicated in the description of the device's embodiment as referred to Figs. 1 to 4.

Flange 20, furthermore, is dimensioned and internally threaded to accommodate and anchor inner stem 2 and to house spring 9. In this case the device remains closed due to the fact that a lever 19, positioned on the upper part of stem 2, through a flange 20 and a screw 21, is stuck in the groove 22 of knob 24. Lever 19 remains in tension thanks to a spring 23 placed between it and the flange 20.

In order to pick up stopper 14, the device is placed thereon so that end plate 1 overlaps the external face of stopper 14. The neck 16 of end plate 1, which has the function of outer sleeve 3, also in this case is dimensioned and internally threaded to accommodate inner stem 2 and to house and anchor the spring 9, which passes internally into stem 2. Stem 2 however, with respect the embodiment of the invention of figures 1-4, has O-ring 6 that is inserted into a special housing of flange 20, up to the top of inner stem 2, while a retaining ring 5 is positioned in a special housing of the base of inner stem 2.

The device of embodiment of figures 5-8 is then closed, so that spring 9 is already compressed and the air has already come out except from a small quantity necessarily located between the outer surface of stopper 14 and the concavity 15 of the end plate, but it could be closed once it is positioned on stopper 14 with a similar result.

Then, the force exerted on spring 9 is withdrawn, and in order to ensure that spring 9 decompresses extending upwards and causes a vacuum in stem 2, the operator presses the lever 19 towards the sleeve 3 or neck 16, then releasing it from groove 22 of knob 24.

Consequently, also in this embodiment of figures 5-8, the small quantity of air that remains between the outer surface of stopper 14 and the concavity 15 of end plate 1 is sucked into inner stem 2 through opening 17, creating a suction effect for which stopper 14, which as mentioned is of rubber or similar flexible material, adheres to end plate 1.

In this way, the diameter of stopper 14 is reduced and becomes less than or equal to inner diameter of rim 31 of the container 30 of figure 13. Also in this case, it can be easily inserted of extracted in and from the mouth of the container.

In case of insertion, since stopper 14 is completely sucked into the concavity 15 of end plate 1, it is integral with the device, and then it can be moved at will by the operator and placed, for example, on the inlet mouth of the bottle, where it can be inserted without applying pressure. Once in the mouth of the bottle, the operator presses the knob 24 downwards, until it stops and then locks the lever 19 in groove 22 of knob 24. In doing so, the internal spring 9 compresses and brings inner . stem 2 towards the end plate 1. The air enters between the concavity 15 of the end . plate and stopper 14 and, consequently, stopper 14 is left free from end plate 1 and goes back to it^'s normal diameter. So, at this point the container is closed hermetically. The device at this point can be moved.

All the aforesaid steps can be carried out by holding the device with one hand.

A seen above for the embodiment of figs 1-4 and for the embodiment of figs 5-8, with two different mechanisms a vacuum is created manually between stopper 14 and end plate 1.

With reference to fig. 14, a vacuum pump 50 can be arranged with a tube 51 communicating with neck 16 of end plate 1 by a collection member 52.

The embodiment of figure 14 is particularly suitable when the operation of inserting and/or removing stopper 14 is carried out very frequently, or where vacuum is easily - In accessible .

With reference to fig. 15, a first modified end plate 101 can comprise a magnet 102, such as a permanent magnet or an electro-magnet. A first modified stopper 114 can comprise a magnet 115, or a ferromagnetic material, which can be attracted by magnet 102. In this case, a magnetic force can be generated by approaching first modified end plate 101 and first modified stopper 114, in such a way that the stopper reaches a deformed shape like figures 11 and 12, and can enter or exit from mouth 31 freely or without substantial friction forces.

With reference to fig. 16, a second modified end plate 201 can comprise a gripper 202. A first modified stopper 214 can comprise a handle portion 215, which can be a protrusion like in Fig. 16 or a recessed portion (not shown, but equivalent by function to the protrusion) which can be gripped by gripper 102. In this case, a pulling mechanical force can be generated by causing gripper 102, which is housed in second modified end plate 201, to grip and pull first modified stopper 114, in such a way that second modified stopper 214 reaches a deformed shape like figures 11 and 12, and can enter or exit from mouth 31 freely or without substantial friction forces.

Claims

A device for inserting or extracting a stopper (14, 114, 214) in or from a mouth (31) of a container 30, like a bulk container for pharmaceuticals, said stopper (14, 114, 214) made of a resilient material, like rubber or other flexible material, said stopper having at least a side rib (14' ) arranged to be forced in said mouth (31) to sealingly close said container (30),

characterised in that said device comprises and end plate ^'(1, 101, 201) having a recess (15) configured to fit said stopper (14, 114, 214) in such a way that a concave inner surface of said recess (15) faces an external face (14a) of said stopper (14, 114, 214), and in that said end plate (1, 101, 201) is arranged to generate a pulling force on said stopper (14, 114, 214) in such a way that said stopper bends elastically from a rest position to a deformed position in which said external face (14a) of said stopper (14, 114, 214) is bent towards said concave inner surface of said recess (15) .

The device according to claim 1, wherein said end plate (1) is arranged to generate said pulling force on said stopper (14) by vacuum between said recess (15) and said external face (14a) of said, stopper (14). ύ

The device according to claim 1, wherein said stopper is a first modified stopper (114.) comprising a magnetic portion (115) selected among a permanent magnet or a ferromagnetic portion, and wherein said end plate (101) is arranged to generate said pulling force on said stopper (114) by a magnetic force between said recess (15) and said external face (14a) of said stopper (114), said magnetic force being generated by a magnetic element (202) selected among a permanent magnet or an electromagnetic element and associated with said end plate (201) .

The device according to claim 1, wherein said stopper is a second modified stopper (214) comprising a handle portion (215) selected among , and wherein said end plate (101) is arranged to generate said pulling force on said stopper (114) by a magnetic force between said recess (15) and said external face (14a) of said stopper (114), said magnetic force being generated by a permanent magnet (202) associated with said end plate (201) .

The device according to claim 2, wherein said end plate (1) is arranged to generate said pulling force on said stopper (14) by a manual vacuum generation device (3) .

The device according to claim 2, wherein, said end plate (1) is arranged to generate said pulling force on said stopper (14) by a vacuum pump (50) .

The device according to claim 5, wherein manual vacuum generation device comprises a sleeve (3) arranged to move relatively with respect to said end plate (1) to generate said vacuum by means of a stem (2) .

The device according, to claim 5, wherein manual vacuum generation device comprises a knob (24) arranged to move relatively with respect to said end plate (1) to generate said vacuum by means of a stem (2) .

A first modified stopper for containers according to claim 3

A second modified stopper for containers according to claim 4

A system of a stopper and a device for inserting/removing said stopper from a container according to any of claims 4,5,9,10.