U.S. patent application number 10/468086 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-23 for injection-molded container.
Invention is credited to Farrar, Peter, Lewis, Huw.
Application Number | 20040182729 10/468086 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9908532 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040182729 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Farrar, Peter ; et
al. |
September 23, 2004 |
Injection-molded container
Abstract
A one-piece, injection-molded, openable container for holding
one or more vessels, comprises: (a) a holding section (1) for
holding the said one or more vessels; (b) a closure section (2)
movable between open and closed positions; and (c) an engagement
means (5) for engaging, and so holding in place, the said one or
more vessels when the closure section is in the closed position and
disengaging, and thus allowing access to, the said one or more
vessels when the closure section is in the open position, wherein
the engagement means (5) comprises a leading edge having at least
one indentation (7) for grasping a portion of each of the
vessel(s).
Inventors: |
Farrar, Peter; (Menston
Leeds, GB) ; Lewis, Huw; (Walsoken Wisbech
Cambridgeshire, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MEADWESTVACO CORPORATION
299 PARK AVENUE, 13TH FLOOR
NEW YORK
NY
10171
US
|
Family ID: |
9908532 |
Appl. No.: |
10/468086 |
Filed: |
December 17, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
February 8, 2002 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB02/00543 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/349 ;
206/438 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 5/003 20130101;
B65D 25/105 20130101; B65D 43/162 20130101; B65D 25/103 20130101;
B65D 85/42 20130101; A61F 17/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/349 ;
206/438 |
International
Class: |
A45C 011/26 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 12, 2001 |
GB |
0103375.2 |
Claims
1. A one-piece, injection-molded, openable container for holding
one or more vessels, comprising: (a) a holding section (1) for
holding the said one or more vessels; (b) a closure section (2)
movable between open and closed positions; and (c) an engagement
means (5) for engaging, and so holding in place, the said one or
more vessels when the closure section (2) is in the closed position
and disengaging, and thus allowing access to, the said one or more
vessels when the closure section (2) is in the open position;
wherein the engagement means (5) comprises a leading edge having at
least one indention (7) for grasping a portion of each of the
vessel(s).
2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indentations (7)
are of uniform and/or differing shape(s) and/or size(s), so as to
be adapted to grasp vessels having portions of corresponding
shape(s)/size(s).
3. A container as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 further
comprising a hinge section (4) connecting the holding and the
closure sections.
4. A container as claimed in claim 3, wherein the engagement means
(5) is attached to the hinge section (4).
5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the
closure section (2) comprises securing means (6) for securing, and
thus storing, one or more further items within the container, for
example syringe(s), tubing, swab(s) and/or filter(s), without said
further items contacting said one or more vessels.
6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the
vessel(s) are vials or ampules; optionally having tamper-indicating
sealing means.
7. A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein the securing means
(6) is arranged to secure the further items in a stored location
being in proximity with, but secured away from, the
tamper-indicating sealing means of the vessel(s).
8. A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein the indentations (7)
are adapted to grasp either a body or a neck of the vial(s) or
ampule(s).
9. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the
holding section (1) comprises at least one partition dividing the
container into at least two sub-compartments at least one of which
is provided for holding one or more further items, such as
instruction pamphlet(s).
10. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, being
constructed of polypropylene.
11. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the
closure section (2) provides further storage space within the
container, when the container is in the closed position.
12. A kit for providing a medical or vetinary drug delivery system,
comprising a container as claimed in any preceding claim together
with one or more vessels, and optionally one or more syringe(s),
instruction pamphlet(s), swab(s), filter(s) and/or section(s) of
tubing.
13. A kit as claimed in claim 12, wherein the vessel(s) are vials
or ampules; optionally having a tamper-indicating sealing
means.
14. A container or kit substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to, and/or as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to containers for holding one
or more vessels and, in particular, to such containers manufactured
as one-piece items, for example as constructed using
injection-molding techniques.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Containers for holding one or more vessels are known in the
medical and vetinary fields, in which containers are required to
hold vessels such as vials and ampules in a safe, crush-protected
fashion. Furthermore, vials and ampules containing drugs often
comprise a sealing means that is capable of indicating whether the
seal has been tampered with such that the sealed vessels have been
opened. Again, the tamper-indicating seals need to be protected
from adverse contact when the vessels are in their stored position
within the containers.
[0003] Many of the known containers comprise multiple sections of
materials including cardboard and the like, which are awkward to
assemble and which do not provide sufficient mechanical robustness
for protecting the contents.
[0004] Further, many of the containers of the prior art use one or
more insert sections, which again make assembly of the complete
container difficult and which increase the size of container
required for holding a certain volume of vessels.
[0005] Often the use of a multiplicity of sections increases the
cost (and reduces the ease) of assembly and the end product is not
particularly aesthetically pleasing.
[0006] A number of disclosures (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,696,401;
4,120,394; 4,071,065; 3,499,525; and so forth) describe containers
that engage their contents when the containers are closed, thus
holding the contents in a secure manner. However,
disadvantageously, such containers typically are arranged such that
contact with certain parts of the contents is not avoided. Thus,
such containers cannot be used for effectively storing vessels such
as drug-containing vials and ampules that have tamper-indicating
sealing tops
[0007] GB 6 832 72 discloses a container having a flat pressure
plate for holding contents (such as cigarettes) in place once the
container has been closed. Again, such a container is not adapted
to effectively grasp and thus safely store medical vials,
particularly those having anti-tamper seals.
[0008] The present invention seeks to overcome the disadvantages of
the prior art by providing a compact, easy to use and
cost-effective product that also allows for an aesthetically
pleasing design.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Thus, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a
one-piece, injection-molded, openable container for holding one or
more vessels, comprising:
[0010] (a) a holding section for holding the said one or more
vessels;
[0011] (b) a closure section movable between open and closed
positions; and
[0012] (c) an engagement means for engaging, and so holding in
place, the said one or more vessels when the closure section is in
the closed position and disengaging and thus allowing access to,
the said one or more vessels when the closure section is in the
open position;
[0013] wherein the engagement means comprises a leading edge having
at least one indentation for grasping a portion of each of the
vessel(s).
[0014] Such a one-piece container can be simply and inexpensively
manufactured by injection molding and thus does not incorporate
multiple pieces that are difficult to assemble.
[0015] Preferably, the container further comprises a hinge section
connecting the holding and the closure sections. The hinge section
is generally rotatable at least about its attachment to the holding
section and so the closure section can be moved between its open
and closed positions. In the latter position, the closure section
is engaged, at least partially, with the holding section.
[0016] Typically, the engagement means is attached to the hinge
section. Thus, when the container is in its open position, the
engagement means is located so as not to be engaging the one or
vessels, because the hinge has rotated the engagement means away
from the holding section. However, as the container is closed, the
engagement means rotates together with the hinge section about the
latter's attachment with the holding means, until the engagement
means is located such that it engages the vessels.
[0017] In one embodiment the vessel(s) may be vials or ampules.
Such vessels are typically constructed of glass or composite
material and are, for example, capable of holding drugs,
particularly in liquid or powder form, that may be safely stored in
the closed container, so as to be protected from physical shocks
and the environment in general. Preferably, the vials or ampules
can have tamper-indicating sealing means fitted to them for
allowing the user to see whether a third party has attempted to
access the contents of the vessels after they have been sealed. The
indentations of the engagement means can thus grasp the necks or
bodies of the vials or ampules to effectively secure them into
position when the container is closed.
[0018] In another embodiment, the closure section comprises
securing means for securing one or more further items within the
container, for example syringe(s), tubing, swab(s) and/or
filter(s). Such items may be necessary to enable the physician to
administer the drug held within the vessels. Typically, the
securing means is a clip or other such arrangement, which holds the
item(s) in place ready for use when the container is opened. In
this way, the clip may be located to store the item(s) in the roof
of the closed container in close proximity to, but not touching,
any tamper-indicating seals. Thus, the item(s) are ideally stored
so that they cannot interfere with the vessels' seals.
[0019] In a further embodiment, the holding section comprises at
least one partition dividing the container into at least two
sub-compartments, at least one of which is provided for holding one
or more further items, such as instruction pamphlet(s). Such
pamphlets may provide the physician or patient with important
instructions regarding how to administer the dose and what the
correct dosage level may be.
[0020] Preferably, the container is constructed of polypropylene.
This material is fully recyclable, thus the product is
environmentally friendly. Further, the containers so constructed
can be formed to have sufficient mechanical strength to withstand
physical shocks and thus protect the contents of the vessels held
within. Another important advantage of this material is that it can
provide a strong hinge section that is durable throughout the
lifetime of the container despite repeated opening and closing of
the container.
[0021] Generally, the vessels are of uniform shape, but need not be
so. Likewise, the vessels may be of uniform size but, because it is
injection moulded, the container can be easily produced so as to be
adapted to enable vessels of differing size and shape to be
accommodated. Whereas different drugs may be presented in vials of
differing shape or size, a single container can be made to
accommodate any required combination of size/shape of vials to be
stored.
[0022] Typically, the engagement means comprises a leading edge
having at least one indentation for grasping either a body or a
neck of one of the vessel(s). In this way, the vessels may be
securely held in place and will not collide with one another during
transit. If the vessels have a substantially cylindrical shape,
then each indentation will usually have a matching, partially
circular shape, so as to engage the vessel neck or body in a
closely fitting manner. The production of the container by
injection moulding means that the shape/size of the individual
indentations of the engagement means can easily be varied, as too
can the overall size and shape of the container itself.
[0023] In another embodiment, the closure section may provide
further storage space within the container, when the container is
in the closed position. Thus, the items mentioned above, such as
syringes and so forth can be accommodated in such storage space,
whilst the vessels themselves are held in the holding section. The
relative orientation of the storage position of the items may
differ from that of the vessels, if required.
[0024] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a kit for
providing a medical or vetinary drug delivery system, comprising a
container as described above together with one or more vessels, and
optionally one or more syringe(s), instruction pamphlet(s),
swab(s), filter(s) and/or section(s) of tubing.
[0025] The present invention will now be further described by way
of the following non-limiting example with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a container (in a closed state) according to
one embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates the container of FIG. 1 in a half-opened
state;
[0028] FIG. 3 depicts the container of FIG. 1 in a fully opened
state; and
[0029] FIG. 4 shows a plan and side view of the container as shown
in FIG. 3.
BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION
[0030] In FIG. 1, a container is illustrated that can be used for
holding vials or ampules containing drugs for medical
administration. The container comprises a holding section 1 and a
closure section 2, which are shown in the closed position in this
figure. The closure section 2 has a finger recess 3 that enables
the user to open the container more easily.
[0031] As the closure section 2 is opened (see FIG. 2), it rotates
about its attachment to a hinge section 4, to which is attached an
engagement means 5. As the opening process continues (see FIG. 3),
the hinge section 4 also rotates about its attachment to the
holding section 1. The engagement means 5 therefore rotates away
from its initial position. When the container is closed, the
engagement means 5 is able to grasp vessels (not shown in the
figures) that are held by the holding section but, as the container
is opened, the engagement means 5 rotates away from its initial
grasping position to release its hold upon the vessels, as the
hinge section 4 rotates. The vessels are then free to be accessed
by the user.
[0032] Also shown, in both of FIGS. 2 and 3, is securement means 6
in the roof of the closure section 2. The securement means 6 can be
used to clip other items, typically a syringe, into place within
the storage space provided in the roof of the closure section 2.
Other types of securement means 6 can be used and these can be
adapted to hold other related items in place, such as swabs,
filters, sections of tubing, and so forth.
[0033] The engagement means has at least one indentation 7 along
its leading, grasping edge. Such indentations 7 are typically
shaped to match the external shape of a portion of the vessels,
thus facilitating the grasping process when the container is shut.
As shown in FIG. 3, the indentations 7 may be of different shapes
and sizes so as to be able to accommodate different types of
vessels. However, of course, if the container is designed to hold
vessels of uniform shape, the corresponding indentations 7 will
naturally be designed to also be uniform. A single engagement means
can have a plurality of indentations each of varying, different
sizes and shapes, if required.
[0034] Although the engagement means 5 shown in the figures is a
leaf-type structure that extends from an attachment with the hinge
4, other arrangements are also envisaged. For example, the
container need not comprise a hinge section 4 per se at all, so
that the engagement means 5 may be connected instead, for example,
directly to the closure section 2 by a thin, flexible area about
which it can rotate. When no hinge section 4 is present the closure
section may also be connected to the holding section by such a
thin, flexible area about which mutual rotation of the sections can
take place.
[0035] Further, the engagement means 5 need not actually be a
single leaf-type structure, but could alternatively be any other
structure that is capable of engaging and holding the vessels in
place when the container is shut. Many such structures and
arrangements will be self-evident to the person skilled in the
art.
[0036] The holding section 1 can also be divided by a partition 8,
which divides the compartment therein into sub-compartments. In
FIG. 4A, two sub-compartments are shown, one 10 for holding the
vessels themselves and another 9 for holding further items, such as
instruction pamphlets. The latter are typically included in the
contents of the container, so that the person administering the
drug held within the vessels is aware of the correct procedure and
dosage required.
[0037] The present invention therefore provides a simply
constructed container that can be manufactured inexpensively and
with ease, that can be used without complex intermediate assembly
procedures, and that can be made of resilient, recyclable
materials.
* * * * *