U.S. patent application number 12/952384 was filed with the patent office on 2011-06-23 for device for packaging two products to be mixed and for dispensing the mixture of these products.
This patent application is currently assigned to ONLY FOR CHILDREN PHARMACEUTICALS. Invention is credited to Vincent GREK, Estelle HABERT-ORTOLI, Julien LEVA.
Application Number | 20110147333 12/952384 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42074535 |
Filed Date | 2011-06-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110147333 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
GREK; Vincent ; et
al. |
June 23, 2011 |
DEVICE FOR PACKAGING TWO PRODUCTS TO BE MIXED AND FOR DISPENSING
THE MIXTURE OF THESE PRODUCTS
Abstract
Device including a bottle having two open ends and a central
body receiving a first product, one end of the bottle has an
orifice receiving a stopper which contains a second product to be
mixed with the first, another end of the bottle has an orifice
receiving a removable cap provided for withdrawing the mixture
after removal of the cap.
Inventors: |
GREK; Vincent; (Paris,
FR) ; LEVA; Julien; (Paris, FR) ;
HABERT-ORTOLI; Estelle; (Paris, FR) |
Assignee: |
ONLY FOR CHILDREN
PHARMACEUTICALS
Paris
FR
|
Family ID: |
42074535 |
Appl. No.: |
12/952384 |
Filed: |
November 23, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 81/3211 20130101;
A61J 7/0053 20130101; A61J 1/2065 20150501; A61J 1/2096
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/6 |
International
Class: |
B65D 1/04 20060101
B65D001/04; B65D 39/00 20060101 B65D039/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 30, 2009 |
EP |
09306161.2 |
Claims
1. Device for packaging two products to be mixed, at least one
thereof being a liquid product, and for dispensing the mixture of
these products, comprising: a bottle having two open ends, the
bottle comprising a central body receiving a first product, one end
with an orifice receiving a stopper which contains a second product
to be mixed with the first, and another end opposite the first with
an orifice receiving a removable cap and provided for withdrawing
the mixture after removal of the cap.
2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the stopper provided at the
first end of the bottle is provided with a central cavity engaged
in the opening of this end and initially containing the second
product, said stopper carrying a part which can be moved axially
and capable, when pressed down, of opening the bottom of the cavity
to release the second product.
3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in wherein the
stopper is equipped with a tamperproof tab whose presence holds
said part distant from the bottom of the cavity, and whose removal
allows this part to be pressed down with a view to opening the
bottom of the cavity to release the second product.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the
bottle, receiving the cap also carries, or itself forms, a section
reducer with a central orifice having a diameter corresponding to
the diameter of a dosing syringe which can be used to withdraw the
mixture.
5. The device according to 4 claim 1, further configured for an
extemporaneous preparation of liquid medicinal products, or for
preparation of food supplements.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention generally concerns a device for
packaging two products to be mixed, at least one thereof being a
liquid product, and for dispensing the mixture of these products.
One particular, but non-limiting exemplary application of the
subject of this invention is a combined device intended for the
extemporaneous preparing of medicinal products in the liquid state,
and for the secure withdrawing of the prepared liquid preparation
from the device. The problem underlying the invention is set forth
below with reference to this particular application.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The oral dosing of medicinal products in tablet form, in the
solid state, is often difficult for children and the elderly
notably for reasons of palatability, the size of the tablets often
being too large. In addition the doses to be prescribed are not
uniform and current tablets do not allow personalized dose
adaptation.
[0003] Therefore, liquid forms of medicinal products can improve
the palatability and personalization of doses in relation to
patient age and weight in particular. However, from an industrial
viewpoint, liquid forms are fairly complicated to prepare, chiefly
having regard to the stability of the active ingredient in the
liquid.
[0004] These difficulties warrant the interest in so-called
extemporaneous liquid preparations. These consist of a mixture of
two components e.g. the mixture of a powder with a liquid or the
mixture of a liquid with another liquid, to prepare a reconstituted
liquid product which may be a suspension or a solution, said
medicinal product possibly being taken within a period of greater
or shorter length after its reconstitution. The present invention
lies in the field of the extemporaneous preparation of said liquid
medicinal products.
[0005] Various propositions have already been put forward to form
these extemporaneous preparations. As examples, mention may be made
of French patents N.sup.os 1233412, 1486502, 1508658, 2190094,
2238644, 2427960 and 2628075.
[0006] In these patents, the mixture is prepared through voluntary
action on the part of the user, and the disadvantages of
conventional extemporaneous preparations are not eliminated: risk
of contamination for sterile products, risk of loss of part of the
components, risk of using only a single component and, in general,
difficulty in applying or using the method to be followed to obtain
proper mixing.
[0007] Packaging and dispensing assemblies have also been proposed
which allow the extemporaneous mixing of components using a
screw-on and screw-off movement. In general the principle of these
devices is based on the presence of a film closing a first bottle,
a film that is pushed back when this bottle is screwed onto the
opening of another bottle, thereby setting up communication between
the two bottles and allowing the mixing of their respective
contents. Depending on cases, the film is free-standing or joined
to the first bottle via a hinge. As examples of said assemblies
mention may be made of French patents N.sup.os 2478607 and
2506726.
[0008] This latter form of embodiment remains fairly difficult to
manipulate and comprises risks of product leakage when placing one
bottle over the other and at the time of dispensing the prepared
mixture. In addition, the applications thereof are limited to the
mixing together of liquid products.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention sets out to remedy all the
shortcomings set forth above. The invention therefore is intended
to provide a device for the extemporaneous preparing of medicinal
products or food supplements or similar, in the form of a packaging
assembly which best meets the following requirements: [0010]
Simplifying the handling needed to carry out suitable mixing of the
components, without skin, oral or respiratory contact; [0011] When
applicable, secure dosing of the prepared mixture eliminating risks
related to leakage and dosage precision; [0012] Compatibility with
all extemporaneous preparations: mixing a liquid with another
liquid, of aqueous or oil or gel type, or of a liquid with a solid
which itself may be in any form (powder, granules, tablets,
nanoparticles . . . );
[0013] whilst remaining of simple, economic design, allowing easy
industrial manufacture and integration thereof in a logistics
line.
[0014] For this purpose, the subject-matter of the invention is a
device for the packaging of two products to be mixed, at least one
thereof being a liquid product, and for dispensing the mixture of
these products, the device essentially being characterized by the
fact that it comprises a bottle having two open ends, the bottle
comprising a central body receiving a first product, one end with
an orifice receiving a stopper which contains a second product to
be mixed with the first, and another end opposite the first
receiving a removable cap designed for withdrawal of the mixture
after removal of the cap.
[0015] The device of the invention is therefore in the form of a
small bottle with two orifices of which one receives a stopper
designed to contain the liquid or solid product to be mixed with
the liquid product contained in the body of the bottle, or
conversely, whilst the other orifice is provided for the dispensing
of the mixture obtained inside the bottle. The device is therefore
a single bottle and can be used as follows: the stopper located at
one end of the bottle is first actuated so as to release the
product contained therein and thereby allow the mixing of this
product with the other product contained in the body of the bottle;
the bottle is then upturned and the cap located at its other end is
removed to withdraw a suitable quantity of medicinal or other
reconstituted product.
[0016] In one preferred embodiment of the device of the invention,
the stopper provided at the first end of the bottle is provided
with a central cavity engaged in the opening of this end and
initially containing the second product, said stopper carrying a
part that can be moved axially and which, when pressed down, is
capable of opening the bottom of the cavity to release the second
product. Advantageously, the stopper is equipped with a tamperproof
tab whose presence holds said part away from the bottom of the
cavity and whose removal allows this part to be pushed down with a
view to opening the bottom of the cavity to release the second
product. This stopper can be a screw-on stopper or a stopper
press-fitted onto the bottle.
[0017] Regarding the other end of the bottle which receives the
cap, this end may also carry or itself form a section reducer with
a central orifice having a diameter corresponding to the diameter
of a dosing syringe which can be used to withdraw the mixture in
secure, sterile manner with no risk of leakage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] In all cases, the invention will be better understood in the
light of the following description with reference to the appended
schematic drawings which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the
device for packaging two products to be mixed and for dispensing
the mixture of these products.
[0019] FIG. 1 is an outer, overall view of a device conforming to
the present invention showing a dosing syringe which can be used
with this device.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section view of the device in FIG.
1.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, on magnified scale, of the
end of this device comprising the stopper.
[0022] FIGS. 4 to 8 are schematic illustrations of the device in
the preceding figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The device shown in the drawing and globally denoted 1
chiefly comprises a bottle 2 open at its two ends, a stopper 3
placed at one end of the bottle 2, and a cap 4 mounted on the other
end of this bottle 2.
[0024] The bottle 2 has a central body 5, preferably made in a
transparent material. At one end, the bottle 2 has a first circular
opening 6. This end can be provided with a thread 7 (if the stopper
3 is a screw-on stopper). At its other end, also open, the bottle 2
can be provided with an outer thread 8 (if the cap is a screw-on
cap).
[0025] With more particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the stopper
3 has an outer skirt 9 provided with an inner thread cooperating
with the outer thread 7 of the bottle 2. The stopper 3 also has a
central part 10 in the form of a jar which is engaged in the
circular opening 6 of the bottle and which delimits a cavity
11.
[0026] A part 12 of general cylindrical appearance caps the stopper
3 and also engages, via its projecting central part 13, into the
cavity 11 delimited by the central part 10 of said stopper 3. A
ring-shaped seal 14 is inserted between the top of the stopper 3
and the central part 13 of part 12.
[0027] A tamperproof tab 15 is provided at the base of part 12,
around the lower region of the outer skirt 9 of the stopper 3. The
initial presence of the tamperproof tab 15 holds the central part
13 of part 12 distant from the bottom 16 of the cavity 11.
[0028] This cavity 11 is provided to receive one of the two
products (liquid or solid) to be mixed, whilst the central body 5
of the bottle 2 is provided to receive the other product (liquid or
solid). As will be understood, the two products remain well
separated from one another for as long as the bottom 16 of the
cavity 11 remains in place.
[0029] At its other end, in the illustrated example, the bottle 2
receives a section reducer 17, added and welded, that delimits a
central orifice 18 of circular shape. The diameter of the central
orifice 18 corresponds to the diameter of a dosing syringe 19,
known per se. The cap 4 initially caps the reducer 17 on which it
is mounted (thread 8).
[0030] At the time of use, the tamperproof tab 15 is torn off (FIG.
4) and part 12 which is released axially over a certain distance is
pressed down (FIG. 5) so as to open the bottom 16 of the cavity 11.
The product initially contained in this cavity 11 then falls into
the central body 5 of the bottle 2 where it mixes with the product
already contained in said central body 5. The mixture of the two
products is made homogeneous by shaking the device.
[0031] The device is then upturned and the cap 4 is removed, as
shown FIG. 6. The dosing syringe 19 is next inserted in the orifice
18 and used to withdraw a determined quantity of the formed
extemporaneous preparation (FIG. 7). After dosing, the syringe 19
is withdrawn (FIG. 8) and used to administer the medicinal product.
Finally, the cap 4 is put back in place, at least if the device is
not empty.
[0032] The device described above is particularly well suited for
extemporaneous preparations of liquid medicinal products made from
two liquid products or from a solid and a liquid, the term
<<liquid>> designating aqueous products as well as oil
products or gels. These may be preparations for oral or intravenous
use. This device can also be used to prepare food supplements, or
for any other similar preparations which require the separate
storage of two products of which at least one is liquid, followed
by the mixing of these products and dispensing of the formed
mixture with or without precise dosing. Therefore the use
comprising a dosing syringe and a section reducer adapted for said
syringe is in no way compulsory, and it can just as well be
envisaged that the second end of the bottle does not contain a
section reducer and receives a teat or is directly brought to the
mouth for drinking or swallowing the content, any form of
withdrawal of this content possibly being envisaged.
[0033] The invention, as follows from the foregoing, is evidently
not limited to the sole embodiment of this device for packaging two
products to be mixed and for dispensing the mixture of these
products, as described above by way of example; on the contrary it
encompasses all variants of embodiment and application which follow
the same principle. Therefore, it would notably lie within the
scope of the invention if modifications were made to details of
shapes and to the assemblies of the components of the device, for
example by modifying the volume of the bottle, by replacing the
screw-on cap by a press-fit cap or by arrangements such as adding
or eliminating seals between these components or through the use of
accessories or additional accessories intended to facilitate the
use of the device; it can therefore be envisaged for example to
adapt onto the stopper or the bottle itself an <<intelligent
label>> which forms a type of visual alarm allowing
measurement of the time elapsed since the contacting of the two
liquids or of the liquid with the solid.
* * * * *