U.S. patent number 3,759,259 [Application Number 05/122,011] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-18 for medicator with frangible seal.
Invention is credited to Andrew Truhan.
United States Patent |
3,759,259 |
Truhan |
* September 18, 1973 |
MEDICATOR WITH FRANGIBLE SEAL
Abstract
A medicator having an applicator with a medicament container
connected thereto. A seal, frangible upon the application of
lateral pressure thereto normally blocks communication between the
applicator and the container.
Inventors: |
Truhan; Andrew (Somerset,
NJ) |
[*] Notice: |
The portion of the term of this patent
subsequent to July 7, 1987 has been disclaimed. |
Family
ID: |
22400034 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/122,011 |
Filed: |
March 8, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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877639 |
Nov 18, 1969 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
604/3;
401/132 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M
35/006 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
13/40 (20060101); A61m 035/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/269,216,260,272
;401/132,133,134,135,136 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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628,260 |
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Nov 1961 |
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IT |
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153,904 |
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Jul 1938 |
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OE |
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929,331 |
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Jun 1963 |
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GB |
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Primary Examiner: Gaudet; Richard A.
Assistant Examiner: McGowan; J. C.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser.
No. 877,639 filed Nov. 18, 1969, and now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A medicator comprising:
an applicator means;
a medicament container connected to said applicator means, said
container having walls formed of a flexible material and being
deformable upon the application of inwardly directed forces
thereto;
a frangible seal between said container and said applicator means
blocking communication therebetween, said seal having a bursting
strength lower than the force which is generated thereagainst by
compression of said container to inwardly deform said walls;
wherein said applicator means comprises a tubular holder with a
fibrous wadding closing one end thereof, the other end of said
holder communicating with said seal; and
wherein said applicator means is removably connected to said
container.
2. A medicator in accordance with claim 1 wherein said frangible
seal is provided with score lines to form lines of weakness for
said seal.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Single use articles such as paper gowns and linens, throw away
syringes, hypodermic devices, medicament containers and the like,
and disposable instrument parts, such as shields for entrance into
various orifices in the body have found increasing utility in the
medical arts. The advantages of such improvements are the reduction
of equipment and labor costs for sterilizing such articles as well
as the elimination of possible intercontamination due to resistant
strains of bacteria or improper sterilization of such articles.
Although these articles solve many of the problems of the prior
art, an area of possible contamination and handling cost remains in
the transfer of medicament from the container to an applicator.
Although single use containers for such purposes have been provided
heretofore, the danger of contamination of the medicament during
transfer to an applicator and the problem of handling expense and
storage of separate items prevails in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a single use medicament applicator and
container which avoids the problems of the prior art by furnishing
a combined throw-away article.
The invention also provides an improved medicament container which
can be combined with various types of applicators.
The invention further provides an applicator-container of the type
described which can be manufactured at a minimum cost and which is
simple to use.
In a preferred embodiment the invention comprises an applicator; a
closed medicament container connected to the applicator and a seal
between the container and the applicator frangible upon the
application of lateral inward pressure thereto to release the
medicament on to the applicator.
These and other objects and attendant advantages of this invention
will become better understood by those skilled in the art by
reference to the following detailed description when viewed in
light of the accompanying drawings wherein like components
throughout the figures thereof are indicated by like numerals and
wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional, elevational view of an applicator in
accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of another applicator in
accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2a is a section on line 2a-2a of FIG. 2;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of yet another applicator in
accordance with the invention; and
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of still another applicator in
accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises an applicator, and a
medicament container shown generally at 10 and 11, respectively.
The applicator 10 consists of a tubular holder 12 and a fibrous
wadding or liquid adsorbing mass 14 of cotton or like material. The
holder may be fabricated of any material, relatively rigid or
flexible, which is compatible with the medicament and the
environment in which the device is to be used.
The container 11 comprises flexible walls 16 defining a chamber
which can be urged inwardly upon the application of inwardly
directed lateral force and an opening 18. A frangible seal 20
closes the opening 18 to retain or store a fluid medicament 22 in
the container 11. The walls 16 are preferably formed of a molded
flexible material compatible with the medicament and the
environment in which the device is to be used such, for example, as
high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene,
polyvinylchloride or the like.
The seal 20 is formed of a frangible material preferably configured
as a thin membrane. Thin films of plastic or aluminum foil which
can be heat sealed to the container 11 have been found to be
particularly suitable for this purpose. The frangible seal or thin
membrane 20 may be formed of the same plastic composition as the
walls 16 and the thinness of the plastic forming the seal 20
renders it frangible upon the application of inward bending forces
to the side walls 16.
As can be seen by reference to the figure, the opening 18 is
defined by an annular, inturned wall 24 to which the seal 20 is
attached by heat seal, as described above or by adhesive or other
suitable means as found desirable. The holder 12 is dimensioned to
fit snugly around the outer periphery of the container 11 and can
be affixed thereto by adhesive, force fit or any other means found
desirable. The holder 12 may be removably friction fitted to the
container 11 if the use requirements thereof so dictate. The holder
12 and container 11 may be of any compatible cross-sectional
configuration such, for example, as circular, rectangular or
polyagonal as may be found suitable.
In FIG. 2 another embodiment in accordance with the invention is
illustrated in which components thereof corresponding to like
components of the embodiment of FIG. 1 are indicated by like
numerals only of the next higher order.
The majority of the components of the embodiment of FIG. 2 are
identical to those of FIG. 1 including the applicator 110 formed as
an open-ended barrel 112 interfitted to the container 111 and
containing a fiberous wadding 114.
In this embodiment the frangible seal 120 is provided with one or
more score lines 121 thereon as shown in FIG. 2a which score lines
form lines of weakness or burst lines for the seal when inward
force F is applied to the walls of the container 111.
In the embodiment of FIG. 3, where again components corresponding
to those of the preceding Figures are indicated by like numerals of
the next higher order, a variation in the joining structure between
the applicator 210 and the container 211 is shown. In this
embodiment, the wall 224 of the container forms an outturned flange
224 and a similar, coextensive out-turned flange 225 is formed on
the bottom of the holder 212. The seal 220, coextensive with the
aforedescribed flanges, is sandwiched between the flanges and the
assembly is joined by adhesives, heat seal or other appropriate
means.
It will be noted that outturned or the inturned flanges assist in
protecting the frangible seal from inadvertent rupture as the
inwardly directed force F to rupture the seal 220 must first
overcome the rigidity of the flange.
The embodiment of FIG. 4 corresponds generally to that of FIG. 3
with the exception that the holder 212 thereof is eliminated and
the applicator 310 comprises only the wadding 314 joined to the
container by adhesion or other suitable means beneath the flange
324.
In use, the seal 20, 120, 220, or 320 is broken and the medicament
is fed to the applicator portion for use. In the embodiments of
FIGS. 1 through 4 this is accomplished by forming the containers
11, 211 and 311 of a flexible plastic material and the seals 20,
220, and 320 of a material having a bursting strength less than the
force which can be generated by compression of the container on the
fluid contents thereof.
What has been set forth above is intended as exemplary to aid those
skilled in the art in the practice of the invention.
What is new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the
United States is:
* * * * *