US2679247A - Dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

May 25, 1954 Filed Oct. 21, 1949 y INVE'TOR ler Jtendez,

L ATTORNEY Patented May 25, 1954 DISPENSING BEVICE Alberto Mendez, La Paz, Bolivia, assignor to Wilmer Mechlin, Washington, D. C.

Application October 21, 1949, Serial No. 122,788

(Cl. 12S-272) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing devices and more particularly to dispensers for mixtures or unstable solutions.

The relative instability of numerous mixtures, of which carbonated water is an example, has made it necessary to mix the ingredients of the mixture shortly prior to use or, Where feasible, to store the mixture under special conditions.

The problem is particularly acute in the pharmaceutical field in which numerous drugs, such as penicillin, are relatively stable in solid form but deteriorate rapidly in solution, even though stored under refrigeration or other special conditions. Consequently, it has been necessary to ship and store such drugs in concentrated form v and provide means for preparing their solutions shortly prior to use. To facilitate such .preparation, resort has been had to furnishing the solid drug and its liquid solvent in separate sterile containers in the same package or kit. In such cases, the liquid container is usually a glass cartridge,the neck of which can be broken to enable its contents to be withdrawn by a hypodermic syringe, the needle then being inserted through the rubber cap of the drug container and the liquid discharged into the latter. While of some benefit, a Vmajor objection to this mode of packaging has been the possibility of contamination of the liquid during transfer. According-ly, several types of dispensers have been devised in which the ingredients of the ultimate solution are stored in separate compartments Within an outer container until ready for use.

of this latter type have met with varying success, but none has satisfactorily solved the problem of The devices ensuring against inadvertent mixing, without unduly complicating the desired mixing prior to use.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved dispensing device in which the ingredients of a mixture are separately f stored and readily presented for mixing when i desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide the ingredients can readily be brought together without possibility oi contamination.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a plan View of a dispensing device embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figures 3, 4 and 5, taken on the same section as Figure 2, illustrate, stepwise, a method of obtaining the desired suction mounting of the inner container by attaching it to the closure member of the outer container, prior to insertion in the outer container; and` Figure 6 is a view taken along thev same section as Figure 2, after dislodgement of the inner container.

The present invention contemplates the use of an outer container and one or more inner -containers, each adapted to hold one of the ingredients of a solution or mixture. While applicable to stable mixtures and solutions, the instant dispensing device is of particular advantage only when applied to solutions or mixtures which are relatively unstable or deteriorate rapidly in storage. However, within its iield, the device is of wide application, Whether the ultimate relatively unstable mixture and its ingredients are in solid, liquid or gaseous form.

The invention has as its concept the attachment of an inner container Within an outer container by suction obtained by partially evacuating and decreasing the pressure in the inner container relative to that in the outer container, the attachment being made to a pliable portion of the inner wall of the outer container, such as 1 a rubber plug, to maintain the suction seal resulting from the pressure differential. So attached, the inner container is held or xed securely within the outer container and, at the same time, effectively separates its ingredient from that held by the outer container. With the ingredients so separated and the inner container protected against breakage by virtue of its mounting, the ingredients may be shipped or stored without possibility of inadvertent mixing. Then, when the ultimate mixture is Wanted, it is only necessary to raise the pressure Within the inner container by the admission of air or like means in order to break the suction grip and present the contained ingredient for ready admixture or intermingling with the ingredient of the outer container.

` Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like reference characters designate like parts, the specific form of the dispensingdevice of the present invention there shown is particularly adapted for storing the ingredients of relatively unstable hypodermic solutions, such as the aforementioned penicillin. For such application, there will normally be provided an outer container, receptacle or bottle i, which will usually be made of glass because of the relative inertness and ready sterilization of that material. The container is preferably closed, except for an opening 2 for the admission and removal oi its contents, which opening, in the case of the glass bottle, will be in and defined by its restricted neck il.

For closing the opening 2 there is provided a closure member 4 which may either cover or enclose the outer end of the opening or project therewithin as a plug or stopper 5. The closure member, in either case, is desirably made of rubber or like pliable material and, for hypodermic solutions, is also sufficiently resilient to enable it to seal the perforation made by a hypodermic needle when the latter is withdrawn. In the illustrated embodiment, the closure member both plugs the opening 2 and overlaps the outer end of the bottle, the latter enabling it to be locked or clamped in sealing position by a clamping or locking cap or collar S, which is adapted to overlie and enclose the closure member and lock it in position by engagement with an outstanding peripheral ilange or lip 'i formed in the end of the bottle.

The outer container l is adapted to seat or receive and contain an inner container, capsule or cartridge S. This capsule is also preferably made of glass and is or such size as to permit its introduction through the opening 2 in the outer container. The capsule has at one end an open mouth il, providing a port of entry into the capsule. Defining the outer end of the mouth S is a shoulder or abutment I for engaging, seating or abutting against the underface of the closure member 4 and, due to the pliability of the latter, thereby closing the mouth of the capsule.

With the above construction, it is possible by l partially exhausting the gaseous content of the capsule S, after its mouth has been brought into engagement with the closure member d, to cause the capsule to adhere to the member by suction and thereafter to be supported or suspended in fixed position within the outer container, without possibility of accidental dislodgement or breakage. Thereafter, the capsule can be released at will from its mounting by breaking the suction seal, permitting free access of any matter contained therein to that held in the outer container. One suitable method for both mounting and dislodging the capsule has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings. As there shown, the capsule, partially lled with the liquid ingredient or solvent Il of the ultimate hypodermic solution, is brought into engagement with the underside of the closure member fl. A hollow needle I2, which may be part of a hypodermic syringe i3, is then inserted into the container through the closure member, the capsule, in the meanwhile, being held in position manually or otherwise. After the needle has been inserted, the gaseous content of the capsule is partially evacuated through the needle by raising its plunger, not shown, if a hypodermic syringe is employed for this purpose. With the capsule firmly held to the closure member by the resultant suction, the closure member is inserted in the open end 2 of the outer container, the

latter having preferably been partially lled with a corresponding charge of the solid ingredient Ill of the ultimate solution. After the closure member has sealed the opening 2, it may be locked in place by the aforementioned clamping cap 5. li the cap employed for this purpose is not readily pierceable, it is provided with a central opening l5 in register with the mouth S of the inner capsule. It is, of course, understood that this operation is conducted under sterile conditions to prevent contamination of the solid drug I4 and the liquid carrier il. In addition, the capsule is preferably so mounted on the closure member that it will be held spaced from the surrounding walls of the outer container when in place, this being particularly necessary with glass containers, and the interposed pliable closure member then providing a resilient mounting for the capsule, eliminating any possibility of breakage.

When the hypodermic solution is to be used, the hypodermic syringe by which it is injected affords a readily available means for enabling the ingredients to be intermixed. The needle i2 of the syringe, after being sterilized, is inserted or injected through the closure member fl, the upper face of the latter having previously been rendered sterile by wiping with alcohol or the like. Once the needle is within the mouth of the capsule, it is only necessary to inject sur'cient air to counteract the previous partial evacuation to disrupt the suction seal and dislodge the inner container. .lit this juncture, the needle is preferably withdrawn to permit the outer container to be shaken for thoroughly intermixing or intermingling the ingredients to form the ultimate solution. With the level or the solution in the outer container then approximately at the diagrammatic line l5 of Figure 6, the desired dosage may be withdrawn in the usual manner by the same hypodermic syringe.

While in the illustrated embodiment, the liquid and solid ingredients are stored in the inner and outer containers, respectively, either container is equally adapted to hold the other ingredient. Also, the types of ingredients so handleable are not limited to liquids and solids, but may include gases as Well or any combination of these three, since the disruptible mounting of the inner container is dependent solely upon the existence of less pressure within the inner container than in the outer container. Additionally, while not as readily employable with hypodermic solutions as a hypodermic syringe, the one or more inner containers in other applications of the invention may be as eiectively dislodged by the utilization of any suitable means, such as a valve, for disrupting the suction seal.

From the above detailed description, it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved dispensing device which is particularly adapted for storing the several ingredients of a relatively unstable mixture and, while ensuring separation of the ingredients during storage or shipment, enables the ingredients readily to be brought together within the single outer container whenever mixing is desired. lt should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart either from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, claim:

l. A dispensing device comprising an outer container, an inner container having an opening, and means on said outer container for closing said opening, said inner container being detachably secured to said closing means by suction.

2. A dispensing device comprising an outer container having an opening, means for closing said opening, and an open-mouthed capsule engaging and having its mouth closed by said opening-closingmeans and being secured thereto Within said outer container by reduction of pressure in said capsule relative to pressure in said outer container.

3. A dispensing device comprising an outer ccntainer, means for closing an opening in said outer container, and an inner container having an opening closable by said closing means, said inner container being secured to said closing means by reduction of pressure therein relative to the pressure in said outer container.

4. A dispensing device comprising outer and inner containers each having an opening, and closure means common to said outer and inner containers for closing said openings, said inner container being secured to said closing means by suction.

5. A dispensing device comprising an outer container, an inner container having an opening, and means carried by said outer container for closing said opening, said inner container being detachably secured to said closing means by suction.

6. A dispensing device comprising outer and inner containers each having an opening, and resilient means interposed between said inner and 6 outer containers for closing said openings, said inner container being detachably secured to said resilient means by suction.

7. A dispensing device comprising an outer container having an opening, a closure member, an open-ended capsule detachably sealed by suction to said member in opening-closing position, said member being connectable to said container for closing said opening therein and supporting said capsule therewithin, and said suction seal being disruptable by neutralization thereof through said closure member for dislodging said capsule from saidmember.

8. A dispensing device comprising an outer ccntainer, an inner container receivable Within said outer container and having an opening, and means carried vby said outer container for closing said opening, the pressure Within said inner container being lower than the pressure Within said outer container, and said inner container having its opening closed by said closing means and being detachably secured thereto by said pressure diierence.

References Cited in the iile oi` this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,583,038 Weil May 4, 1926 2,028,751 Barton Jan. 28, 1936 2,048,219 Putter July 21, 1936 2,066,302 Reichel Dec. 29, 1936 2,495,942 Nosik Jan. 31, 1950

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