Closures For Containers

Abstract

A closure cap for a container has an aperture normally covered by a seal which is capable of being peeled off the cap to expose the aperture. At least part of the seal is arranged to change colour when the cap is exposed to heat.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to closures for containers and particularly, but not exclusively, to closures for bottles or other containers used for administering parenteral solutions.

It is commonplace to supply solutions for human administration by intravenous infusion in bottles which are sealed by rubber plugs covered by aluminium caps. These caps have centre portions which are removable to permit cannulas of giving sets to be inserted into the bottles through the rubber plugs. A disadvantage of such closures is that sharp instruments are necessary to remove the portions of the aluminium caps and the removal of these portions of the caps leaves sharp raw edges which may cut the fingers of nurses or others administering the infusion.

An object of the present invention is to provide a way of avoiding this disadvantage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a closure according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a closure cap for a container for an infusion liquid is made of aluminium or other suitable metal. The cap has a cylindrical skirt 1 which is arranged to fit round the upper portion of the neck of the container and an annular flange 2 arranged to retain a rubber plug fitted in the neck. The annular flange defines a central aperture through which a cannula of a giving set can be applied to the rubber plug and inserted through the plug into the container so that the contents of the container can be withdrawn.

An outer seal or label 3 of paper or other suitable material is secured to the annular flange by a pressure sensitive adhesive. This seal completely covers the annular flange. When the cap is fitted on a container the area of pressure sensitive adhesive defined by the flange will contact the rubber plug and adhere to it. This outer seal has a tongue 4 projecting beyond a portion of the periphery of the cap, this projecting portion not being coated with adhesive. An area 5 of the outer surface of the outer seal has an area printed with an ink which is sensitive to heat in such a way that the area will change colour when a container to which the cap is fitted is heat treated in an autoclave. Thus, it is possible to see at a glance whether or not the container has been heat treated so that risk of containers which have not been heat treated being inadvertently used is minimised.

Information or symbols indicating the contents of the container can also be printed on the outer seal.

When it is desired to administer to a patient the liquid in the container, the outer seal or label 3 can be peeled off the cap by pulling the tongue 4 so that the aperture in the cap is exposed to permit a cannula to be inserted through the aperture into the rubber plug. When the outer seal is partly or completely peeled off the cap the ink on the outer seal will smudge. This minimises the risk of use of the containers which have been tampered with.

The outer seal completely excludes dust from the rubber cap. Furthermore, the surface of the plug exposed by removal of the outer seal will be sterile, after heat treatment of the container.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An infusion liquid container, an opening thereinto and a closure cap over the opening, the cap being apertured to communicate with the container interior, a seal for the closure cap, the seal having a component extending beyond the marginal edge of the cap to provide an easily manipulable pull-tab to facilitate the removal of the seal and allow removal of the container contents, the underside of the seal in that portion thereof which overlies the margin of the cap aperture being provided with adhesive material, the underside of the pull-tab being free of adhesive material, and a portion of the upper surface of the seal overlying the cap aperture being provided with a temperature responsive, color-changing indicator to signal the readiness for use of the container contents upon appropriate heat treatment thereof.