U.S. patent number 3,785,481 [Application Number 05/171,178] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-15 for multi-chamber container.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Jean-Jacques Goupil. Invention is credited to Pierre Allet-Coche.
United States Patent |
3,785,481 |
Allet-Coche |
January 15, 1974 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
MULTI-CHAMBER CONTAINER
Abstract
A container having two chambers defined by a partition member,
each chamber holding a particular material, and a plunger to move
the partition to a position wherein the separator permits the fluid
from one chamber to flow to the other chamber and be mixed therein.
Means are provided to prevent the partition member from falling
into the chamber where the mixing takes place while still
permitting the material to flow from one chamber to the other.
Inventors: |
Allet-Coche; Pierre (Paris,
FR) |
Assignee: |
Goupil; Jean-Jacques (Cachan,
FR)
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Family
ID: |
9060116 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/171,178 |
Filed: |
August 12, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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33780 |
Jan 5, 1970 |
3619488 |
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703422 |
Feb 6, 1968 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Aug 12, 1970 [FR] |
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7029647 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/219; 604/416;
206/63.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61C
5/66 (20170201) |
Current International
Class: |
A61C
5/06 (20060101); A61C 5/00 (20060101); B65d
081/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/47A,63.5 ;215/6
;220/20.5 ;128/272 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Dixson, Jr.; William T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Darby & Darby
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending
U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 33,780, filed Jan. 5, 1970 now U.S.
Pat. No. 3,619,488 which is in turn a continuation-in-part of my
prior copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 703,422, now
abandoned filed Feb. 6, 1968.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A container for the packaging and mixing of predetermined
amounts of materials comprising a housing formed by first and
second interconnectable sections, said second section having a
closed lower end, a movable partition member located in one of said
sections of said housing, said partition member when in a first
position dividing the interior of said housing into first and
second chambers each for holding a respective first and second
material which are to be admixed, said second chamber being formed
at least in part by said second housing section including its
closed lower end, the internal volume of the second chamber being
sufficiently great to accommodate the materials in both said
chambers, a plunger accessible from outside of said housing having
a portion extending through said housing for moving within said
first chamber from a first position to a second position to move
said partition member within said housing in a corresponding manner
from its first position in which the partition member separates the
two chambers to a second position, means on the interior of said
housing in the zone between the first and second positions of said
partition member forming a passage for transfer of the material in
said first chamber to said second chamber as the material in said
first chamber is moved into said zone by said plunger portion, said
partition member blocking the passage for transfer of the material
in said first chamber when in said first position and said plunger
portion and said partition member sealing off the passage from the
two materials in the second chamber and closing off the top of said
second chamber, when both said plunger and said partition members
are in their respective second positions, and means on the interior
wall of the housing for engaging and holding said partition member
at its second position to form a part of the second chamber to
permit mixing of the two materials therein, the mixed materials
being removable by disassembling the two interconnected housing
sections.
2. A container as in claim 1 wherein said means on the interior
wall of the housing for engaging and holding the partition means
comprises a projection on said housing.
3. A container according to claim 1 wherein the plunger portion
engages the rear surface of said partition member when both said
plunger portion and said partition member are in their respective
second positions.
4. A container according to claim 1 wherein the passage forming
means between the two chambers comprises at least one recess formed
on the inner wall of the housing starting at a point adjacent the
point of rest of the partition member at its first position.
5. A container according to claim 1 wherein said partition member
is disc shaped.
6. A container according to claim 1 wherein the part of said
plunger accessible from outside of the housing becomes
substantially flush with said housing when said plunger portion and
said partition members are in their respective second positions to
preclude further movement of said partition member.
7. A container according to claim 1 wherein the material in said
first chamber is a liquid and force is transmitted from said
plunger portion to said partition member through said liquid.
8. A container as in claim 1 wherein said plunger portion within
said first chamber forms a seal with the interior wall of the
housing in the area remote from the passage.
Description
This invention relates to the improvements and/or modifications in
multi-chamber devices for packaging of predosed substances.
The first of my aforesaid prior applications discloses a
cartridge-like device comprising two chambers or compartments or
the like separated from one another by a releasable partition in
the form of a disc or flat object clamped resiliently between the
walls of the device and adapted to be expelled into one of the
chambers by means of a pusher or plunger or the like sliding in the
opposite end of the other chamber, the partition serving after its
expulsion as an agitator to grind the mix of substances by
agitation. In the second of my aforesaid applications, a ball is
used as the partition member.
Devices of this kind are of use more particularly when, to ensure
an intimate and homogeneous mixing of the ingredients, the mixing
is performed by means of a weight which grinds the mixture when the
cartridge-like device is shaken in conventional agitators. This
occurs inter alia with dental amalgams.
It has been found that The presence of a weight during agitation is
unnecessary and possibly even undesirable for some mixtures,
including mixtures of two substances to be used in the preparation
of dental cements such as the conventional products which are
prepared by mixing a metal oxide base powder with an acid
liquid.
The present invention provides an improvement in such a container,
the improvement being achieved by modifying the previously
disclosed cartridge-like devices so that the releasable partition
is kept away from the two substances while they are being mixed by
agitation.
According to the present application, the device has a releasable
partition which can take up two positions -- an initial or closing
position, in which the partition separates from one another in two
chambers containing the substances to be mixed, and a final or
mixing position, in which the partition cooperates with the pusher
to close the chamber in which mixing is carried out.
Preferably, the wall of the device has, in a zone intermediate the
two chambers corresponding to movement of the partition between its
two positions, one or more passages in permanent communication with
the mixing chamber, the passage or passages providing communication
between the two chambers when the partition is moved by the pusher
to a position where the contents of one chamber is to be placed
into the mixing chamber and the contents are to be mixed and being
closed at other times.
Preferably, when in the mixing position the moving partition
completes the contour of the mixing chamber while the pusher closes
the passages between the two chambers and engages with the rear
surface of the partition.
In order that the invention may be more readily understood, there
now will be described an embodiment, given by way of example only,
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are elevational views in cross-section along the
lines I--I of FIG. 4, and
FIG. 4 is a view in cross-section on the line IV--IV of FIG. 3.
Referring to the drawings, the cartridge-like device is embodied,
in just the same way as in the aforesaid parent applications, by a
casing of plastic material comprising two members 1, 7 which engage
telescopically with one another and which bound two chambers or
cavities or compartments or the like 10, 11 respectively each
receiving one of two substances to be mixed together, namely a
powder 12 and a liquid 13. A plunger or pusher or the like 3 can
slide in member 1 and can act in the internal cylindrical part of
member 1. As in the two aforesaid applications, the partition is
moved by the plunger as it produces a hydrostatic force on liquid
12.
Before mixing begins, the two chambers 10, 11 are separated from
one another by a movable partition 2 which can be in the form of a
disc or the like, as disclosed in the first of my aforesaid
applications, or in any other appropriate form, such as a ball as
disclosed in the second of my aforesaid applications. Consequently,
and as the drawings show, the partition 2 can remain in a stable
position just by friction or, if force-fitted, by the resilience of
the plastic used to make it or the housing.
The lower cylindrical part of member 1 extends until it telescopes
over the lower part 7 to form a space for the chamber 11.
Preferably, upper part 1 has an edge 6 serving as an abutment and
as a stop for the partition 2 when the same has moved into its
final position shown in FIG. 3 as a result of the plunger 3 having
been pushed all the way home.
The inner wall of member 1 is formed at the bottom of chamber 10
with passages 4. Two passages 4 are provided in the present case
but their number and distribution can vary as appropriate. The
passages 4 extend from the bottom surface of partition 2, when the
same is in its chamber-separating position shown in FIG. 1, to the
chamber 11 into which the passages 4 open without restriction.
When the device is loaded with the two substances, in chambers 10
and 11, the same are separated from one another by the partition 2.
Since partition member 2 is above the passages 4 (FIG. 1), it
closes the chamber 10 hermetically so that no liquid 13 can leak to
the product 12 in the other chamber. For mixing, the plunger 3 is
pushed in. When the plunger 3 is in the intermediate position shown
in FIG. 2, the partition 2 is part-way along the length of the
passages 4 clearing the openings to the passages in the top chamber
10, so that the two chambers 10, 11 communicate with one another
and the liquid 13 descends into the chamber 11, as indicated by
arrows, and mixes with the product 12.
At the end of the plunging-in movement of plunger 3 (see FIG. 3)
all the liquid has discharged from the liquid-containing chamber 10
and the plunger 3 forces the partition 2 into engagement with the
edge 6 where it is held. In this position, the partition 2
maintains the continuity of the top part or ceiling of chamber 11
except for the passages 4, which are blocked anyway by the terminal
part 14 of the plunger 3. Chamber 10 has therefore been emptied and
the two substances are combined in the completely closed chamber
11. Mixing can then be carried out by conventional agitation.
* * * * *