HK1181015B - Closure cap for a container filled with a medical fluid, and container having a closure cap - Google Patents

Description

Closure cap for container filled with medicinal liquid and container with closure cap

Technical Field

The invention relates to a closure cap for a container for filling with a liquid medicament, in particular an enteral nutrient solution, having a mouth piece sealed with a pierceable membrane. The invention further relates to a container for receiving a medical solution, in particular an enteral nutrient solution, having a mouth piece which is sealed by means of a pierceable membrane, the mouth piece of the container being closed by means of such a closure.

Background

For enteral nutrition, liquid nutritional solutions are sold in containers such as bottles or bags. Medical containers for enteral nutrition solutions are known to be filled aseptically. It is also well known in bottling processes that the mouth piece of the container is sealed with a film, such as an aluminium foil or a plastic film.

The contents of the nutrient solution container may be poured into a drinking cup after the sealing film is peeled off, or may be directly drunk from the container. In general, however, a straw can also be used for drinking, with which the sealing membrane is pierced. However, drinking nutrient solutions using a straw has certain disadvantages. For example, a nutrient solution container opened by a straw is not recloseable, and there is a risk that the nutrient solution contained in the container flows out due to improper handling. Furthermore, drinking nutrient solutions from non-collapsible containers, such as from plastic bottles or from containers also known as Tetrapak, is inconvenient because the containers lack sufficient ventilation. It is often no longer possible, precisely for the infirm, the elderly and/or the patient, to pierce the sealing membrane with a straw and to drink with a straw.

A closure system is known from US5961010A, which is equipped with a erectable drinking stub, also referred to as a drinking cap or drinking head. The known closure system does not however have means for piercing the sealing membrane. Nor is there a venting device provided for a container closed with a closure system.

EP1125854A describes a closure with a pivotable discharge nozzle which is designed as a piercing punch. When the spout is erected, a membrane arranged in the closure is pierced. However, the known closure is not intended to be screwed onto a container which has already been closed with a sealing film. Rather, the pierceable membrane is an integral part of the closure. Furthermore, the known closures do not provide for venting.

FR2789659A describes a closure which is not designed as a screw cap and is provided with a spout which, when set up, pierces the sealing membrane. Such closures also do not provide for venting.

WO2006/057536A describes a film-sealed bottle provided with a closure which has a drinking stub. But also proves to have its disadvantages: no venting of the bottle is specified. Thus, the handling thereof is particularly laborious for the infirm.

DE102006035761A discloses a closure with a pivotable drinking stub which can be screwed onto a container whose mouth part is closed by a film. The membrane is pierced when the drinking stub is erected. The disadvantages are that: after the membrane has been pierced, the drinking stub can no longer be closed.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to provide a closure which is simple to handle, in particular for the weak, and with which a container for medical liquids, in particular for enteral nutrition, can be closed again, the mouth part of which is closed by a pierceable membrane. The force with which the closure is opened and closed is relatively low. Another object of the invention is to provide a container equipped with such a closure which is simple to handle.

The solution of the above-mentioned task is achieved with the features stated in the independent claims. The dependent claims relate to advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The closure according to the invention has a cap-shaped closure body and a drinking stub having an opening for drinking, which drinking stub can be pivoted between a first position, in which it lies against the closure body, and a second position; in the second position, the drinking stub is raised from the closure body, so that the membrane of the container is pierced when the drinking stub is pivoted and a connection can be established between the opening of the drinking stub and the interior of the container. The closure also has a ventilation nozzle with an opening for ventilating the container during drinking.

According to the closure proposed by the invention, the drinking stub and the ventilation stub are arranged on the closure body in such a way and the drinking stub and the ventilation stub are designed in such a way that the drinking stub is closed by the ventilation stub in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub rests on the closure body, and the drinking stub is opened in the second position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub is standing from the closure body. Thereby achieving the following purposes: after use, the cover can be closed again.

A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that: the inner end piece of the ventilation nozzle is designed as a stop body which closes the drinking nozzle, and the inner end piece of the drinking nozzle is designed as a valve seat which is located in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking nozzle rests on the closure body. The contact surfaces of the drinking stub and the ventilation stub can be designed differently. The only important thing is that: the two parts should be snug against each other so that the liquid does not leak out even after piercing the membrane.

The pivot axis about which the drinking stub pivots between the first position and the second position is preferably arranged below the cover, preferably on the ventilation stub. With the extension of the force arm achieved by the displacement of the pivot point, the force required for erecting the drinking stub is reduced, so that the drinking stub can be tilted up more easily.

The inner end piece of the drinking stub preferably has a tubular section, to which a shell-shaped section can adjoin. The means for piercing the membrane is preferably a piercing punch. The piercing punch is designed on a shell-shaped section of the inner end part of the drinking stub.

Another particularly preferred embodiment of the invention provides for: not only is the drinking stub re-closable, but also the ventilation stub is also re-closable. However, in principle it is also possible to: only the ventilation connector can be closed, whereas the drinking connector cannot be closed. According to this embodiment, the drinking stub and the ventilation stub are arranged on the closure body and the drinking stub and the ventilation stub are designed such that the ventilation stub is closed by the drinking stub in the first position, i.e. in a position in which the drinking stub rests on the closure body, and is open in the second position, i.e. in a position in which the drinking stub is standing from the closure body. The inner end piece of the drinking stub is designed as a stop body which closes the ventilation stub, and the ventilation stub is designed as a valve seat, on which the stop body is located in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub rests on the closure body.

The handling of the closure can be further simplified by the following measures: in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub rests against the closure body, the drinking stub is inclined relative to the cover of the closure body, while a sufficiently wide operating recess is formed between the edge portion of the closure body and the outer end piece of the drinking stub.

The production of the closure proposed according to the invention can preferably be simplified by the following measures: the drinking stub is an integral part of the closure body. Thus, the closure can be manufactured cost-effectively in a one-step production process. The closing body is preferably weakened in the region of the foot of the drinking stub such that the drinking stub formed on the closing body can be pivoted between the first and second positions. For this purpose, the drinking stub can be connected to the closure body by means of a film hinge. In order to prevent accidental opening of the closure, the drinking stub is preferably secured in the first position on the closure body by a primary closure element. The original closure can be a tab which can be torn off from the closure body and which can be snapped onto a flange projecting from the drinking stub. That is, to open the closure, the closure web is simply torn off and the drinking stub is erected. However, it is also possible to connect the drinking stub in the first position to the closure body via a weakened region which tears open on itself when the drinking stub is set up.

Another preferred embodiment of the closure proposed by the invention is set out as follows: the drinking stub is arranged in a recess or depression of the cover of the closure body in the first position. Thus, the drinking stub does not detract from its appearance. The drinking stub is preferably secured in a locked manner in the recess for reclosing purposes.

The edge portion of the closure body preferably has an upper section which can accommodate the drinking stub and the ventilation stub. In order to be able to screw the closure body onto a medical fluid container having a screw closure, the edge portion of the closure body preferably has a lower section which is provided with an internal thread. But the closure does not have to be forced to be a screw cap.

The anti-falling property of the container provided with the closure is improved mainly by the following measures: the lower section of the edge part of the closure is connected to the upper section of the edge part of the closure via an outwardly projecting flange. The cover can be supported better on the edge of the medical fluid container by means of the retracted cover edge on the one hand, and the pierceable membrane can be supported by means of the cover edge on the other hand.

The closure proposed according to the invention is preferably an injection-molded part made of plastic, in particular polypropylene or polyethylene, while the container is preferably produced by injection-blow molding or extrusion-blow molding.

The edge portion of the closure may also have an original closure, which is preferably a closure ring molded on the edge portion of the closure via a weakened zone. On the torn-off closure ring, it can then be seen that: the closure cap has been removed from the medical fluid container.

A preferred embodiment of the closure is characterized in that: the drinking stub and the ventilation stub are integral components of the closure body.

Another preferred embodiment of the closure is characterized in that: the edge part of the closing body has an upper section for receiving the drinking stub and the ventilation stub.

Another preferred embodiment of the closure is characterized in that: the edge portion of the closure body has a lower section provided with an internal thread.

Another preferred embodiment of the closure is characterized in that: the lower section is connected to the upper section of the edge portion of the closure body via an outwardly projecting flange.

Another preferred embodiment of the medical fluid container is characterized in that: the container is a bottle.

Drawings

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The attached drawings show that:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closure according to the present invention prior to erection of the drinking stub;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the closure of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 after the drinking stub is erected;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the closure before the drinking stub is erected;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the closure after the drinking stub is erected;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of detail A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the container without the closure; and

fig. 7 shows the edge portion of the closure together with the mouth part of the bottle body.

Detailed Description

An embodiment of a closure according to the invention, which is designed as a screw cap and is screwed onto a bottle with a screw closure, which is closed by a membrane, will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 5. A bottle without a screw closure is shown in figure 6.

The closure is preferably a plastic injection-molded part made of polypropylene or polyethylene. The closure has a cap-shaped closure body 1 which is provided with a cover part 2 and a substantially cylindrical edge part 3. A drinking stub 4 (drinking nipple) is formed on the closure body 1, which can be pivoted from a first position, in which it rests against the closure body 1 (fig. 1 and 3), into a second position, in which it is raised from the closure body (fig. 2 and 4). The drinking stub 4 can be pivoted about 80 ° on the closure body.

The cover 2 of the closure body 1 has a recess 5 which is provided with a central edge 5a, two edges 5b, 5c which extend outwards opposite one another, and a bottom 5d which is penetrated by the drinking stub 4.

The drinking stub 4 is a substantially tubular body having an outwardly directed outer end piece 4A (which has an aperture 4C for drinking) and an inwardly directed inner end piece 4B. The outer end part 4A of the drinking stub 4 has an oval cross section in order to be able to easily surround the drinking stub with the mouth. The dimensions of the recess 5 correspond substantially to the dimensions of the outer section 4A of the drinking stub 4, so that the drinking stub can be turned over onto the closure body without protruding upwards or sideways. The inner end piece 4B of the drinking stub 4 has a tubular section 4d, on which a shell-shaped section 4e is adjoined, which is designed as a piercing punch 4 f. The length of the drinking stub 4 is dimensioned such that, in the case of an upright drinking stub, its sharpened end pierces the membrane of the bottle when the closure is screwed onto the bottle. The drinking stub has sufficient rigidity so that it does not bend when piercing the membrane. The required rigidity of the drinking stub can be ensured by a sufficient dimensioning of the material thickness and/or by the shaping of the drinking stub.

The one-piece closure 1 is injection-molded with the drinking stub 4 being erected. Immediately after injection molding, the upright drinking stub 4 is bent by approximately 80 °, so that its outer section 4A is located in the recess 5. Connected to the outer section 4A is a material weakening in the region of the bottom 5d of the recess 5, so that a weakening zone 6 is created around the foot of the drinking stub, which allows a pivoting movement of the drinking stub of about 80 °. Instead of a weakening zone, a film hinge can also be provided.

Two opposing flanges 7 are formed on the mutually opposing sides 5b and 5c of the recess 5, which flanges hold the drinking stub 4 in the recess for the purpose of reclosing. An additional retention means is the original closure 8 on the side of the closure. The original closure element 8 is a plastic web which is formed on both sides via a weakening zone 9 on the upper section of the edge part 3 of the closure body 1. The tear-off tab 8 partially closes the side aperture 10 of the pocket 5.

To achieve the erection of the drinking stub 4, the tear-off tab 8 is torn off, the weakened region 9 being torn off. The drinking stub 4, which is locked in place in the recess 5, is then set up, wherein the material of the closure body 1 is deformed in the region of the fold 5d of the drinking stub or of the bottom of the recess 5.

To achieve ventilation of the medical fluid container, a ventilation nozzle 11 is provided, which is arranged next to the drinking nozzle 4. The venting nipple 11 is a substantially tubular body which is formed on the inner side of the cover part 2 of the closure body 1. On the cover part 2, the ventilation nozzle 11 has a ventilation hole 11 a.

The edge part 3 of the closure body 1 has an upper section 3a, which accommodates the drinking stub 4 and the ventilation stub 11, and a lower section 3b, which is connected to the upper section via an outwardly projecting flange 3c, so that the edge part 3 is folded inwardly.

Below that outwardly projecting flange 3c, on the inside of the lower section 3b of the rim portion 3 there is an internal thread 13 with a pitch corresponding to the pitch of the external thread of the mouthpiece of the medical fluid container.

Fig. 6 shows a container 14 onto which a closure can be screwed. Bottles made by injection blow molding or extrusion blow molding are aseptically filled with an enteral nutrient solution. The bottles (preforms) produced in the injection blow molding process in two steps have a blown-up body 15 with an injection-molded mouth piece 16. The mouth piece 16 with the external thread 17 is sealed after filling of the bottle with a pierceable membrane 18, for example an aluminium foil. The purpose of the aluminum foil is to simultaneously hermetically (barrier) and aseptically close the container 14. Above the external thread 17, the mouth piece 16 has on its outer side a cylindrical sealing surface 19 which, when the closure is screwed on, comes into tight contact with the cylindrical sealing surface 12 of the rim portion 3 of the closure body 1.

Fig. 7 shows the cylindrical edge portion 3 of the closure body 1 together with the mouth piece 16 of the bottle body 15. The upper section 3a of the edge part 3 of the closure body 1, the closure body 1 having a cylindrical sealing surface 12 on the inside below the bottom 5a of the recess 5, with which the closure body 1 seals against a corresponding sealing surface 19 on the outside of the mouth piece 16 of the bottle body 15. In addition to the upper radial first sealing body, a lower radial second sealing body is provided, which is formed by a radially outwardly projecting circumferential flange 24 on the mouth part 16 of the bottle body 15 and a likewise cylindrical sealing surface 25 on the inside of the lower section 3b of the rim portion 3 of the closure body 1 opposite the flange 24. The outwardly projecting collar 24 projects slightly beyond the external thread 17 of the mouth part 16 of the medical fluid container 14, so that a sufficient contact pressure can be achieved. In addition to the two radial sealing bodies, an axial sealing body is also provided. The lower edge 3d of the rim portion 3 seals against the internal rim 22 of the external thread 17 of the mouth piece 16 when the closure is screwed onto the bottle. A sealing body 23 can be arranged on the lower edge 3d of the edge part 3, which sealing body seals against the upper side of the inner toothing 22. According to this embodiment, the sealing body 23 is located in a groove 26 on the underside of the lower edge 3d of the edge part 3, the remaining inner web 27 rests against the inner toothed rim 22, and the outer web 28 of the remaining lower edge 3d is located in front of the inner toothed rim 22 of the external thread 17.

The upper side of the closure and the bottom of the bottle are designed such that the closed bottles can be stacked on top of each other for storage and transport with a high packing density.

The containers filled with enteral nutrient solution are usually supplied with a screw-on closure, wherein the drinking stub 4 is located inside the recess 5. To remove the nutrient solution, the tear-off tab 8 is torn off and the drinking stub 4 is set up. During the erection of the drinking spout, the piercing punch 4f of the drinking spout 4 pierces the membrane 18 which seals the container mouth part 16. Since the medical fluid container is sufficiently ventilated via the ventilation nozzle 11, the container normally allows the medical fluid to flow out by itself, wherein air flows into the container interior via the ventilation opening 11a of the ventilation nozzle 11. In the case of highly viscous liquids, it is of course also necessary to support the liquid flow by suction on the drinking stub and/or by applying pressure to the container.

The drinking stub 4 is formed on the closure body 1 so as to be pivotable via a weakened region that the pivot axis 20 of the drinking stub is located below the cover 2 on the side of the ventilation stub 11 facing the drinking stub. When the drinking stub 4 is folded over onto the closure body 1, the vent stub 11 closes the drinking stub 4 and the drinking stub closes the vent stub. The closure cap can thus be closed again after the removal of the medical fluid, so that no medical fluid can escape from the container even if the membrane of the container has been pierced.

The tubular section 4d of the inner end piece 4B of the drinking stub 4 is designed as a valve seat on the side facing the ventilation stub 11, while the ventilation stub 11 is designed as a stop body on the side facing the drinking stub 4, which stop body rests on the valve seat when the drinking stub is tilted. So that the drinking stub is closed by the ventilation stub.

Furthermore, the shell-shaped end section 4e of the inner end piece 4B of the drinking stub 4 is designed as a shut-off body on the side facing the ventilation stub 11, while the ventilation stub 11 is designed as a valve seat on the side facing the drinking stub 4, so that the ventilation stub is closed off by the drinking stub.

The drinking stub 4 and the ventilation stub 11 are formed on opposite sides in such a way that their contours correspond to one another in order to achieve as tight a closure as possible.

In the folded-over or folded-over position, the drinking stub 4 is slightly inclined relative to the lid 2 of the closure body 1. The longitudinal axis of the drinking stub forms an angle with the upper side of the lid, which is between 8 and 12 °, preferably 10 °. The slight angling of the drinking stub 4 then provides a sufficiently wide operating recess 21 which is formed between the edge portion 3 of the closure body 1 and the outer end piece 4A of the drinking stub 4. Fig. 5 shows an operating recess 21 on the closure body below the drinking stub.

The arrangement of the pivot axis 20 of the drinking stub 4 below the cover 2 on the ventilation stub 11, in combination with the slight inclination of the drinking stub in the tilted position, reduces the effort required for erecting the drinking stub, while the enlarged actuating recess 21 facilitates the actuation of the drinking stub with the fingers. Thereby improving handling of the closure.

Claims (15)

1. A closure for a container filled with a medical fluid, the container having a mouth piece sealed by a pierceable membrane, the closure comprising:

a cap-shaped closure body (1) having a cover part (2) and a rim part (3);

a drinking stub (4) which is arranged on the lid (2) and has an outer end part (4A) and an inner end part (4B), the outer end part (4A) having an aperture (4c) for drinking and the inner end part (4B) having a means (4f) for piercing the membrane; and

a ventilation nozzle (11) having an opening (11a) for ventilating the container during drinking,

wherein the drinking stub (4) can be pivoted, while the ventilation stub (11) remains in the same position, between a first position, in which the drinking stub lies against the closure body (1), and a second position, in which the drinking stub is raised from the closure body,

so that the membrane is pierced and a communication is established between the opening (4c) of the drinking stub (4) and the interior of the container when the drinking stub (4) is swiveled, characterized in that:

the drinking stub (4) and the ventilation stub (11) are arranged on the closure body (1) in such a way that the drinking stub (4) is closed by the ventilation stub (11) in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub rests on the closure body (1), and the drinking stub (4) is opened in the second position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub is standing from the closure body.

2. The closure of claim 1, wherein:

the ventilation nozzle (11) is designed as a shut-off body which closes the drinking nozzle and the inner end part (4B) of the drinking nozzle (4) is designed as a valve seat, on which the shut-off body rests in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking nozzle rests on the closure body.

3. The closure of claim 1, wherein:

the drinking stub (4) and the ventilation stub (11) are arranged on the closure body (1) in such a way that the ventilation stub (11) is closed by the drinking stub (4) in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub rests on the closure body (1), and the ventilation stub (11) is opened in the second position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub is standing from the closure body.

4. The closure of claim 1, wherein:

the inner end part (4B) of the drinking stub (4) is designed as a shut-off body which closes the ventilation stub (11), and the ventilation stub (11) is designed as a valve seat which is located in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub rests on the closure body.

5. A closure according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

the swivel axis (20), i.e. the swivel axis about which the drinking stub (4) swivels between the first position and the second position, is arranged below the lid (2) of the closure body (1).

6. A closure according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

a pivot axis (20), i.e. a pivot axis about which the drinking stub (4) pivots between the first position and the second position, is arranged on the ventilation stub (11).

7. The closure of claim 1, wherein:

the inner end part (4B) of the drinking stub (4) has a tubular section (4d) on which a shell-shaped section (4e) adjoins.

8. The closure of claim 7, wherein:

the shell-shaped section (4e) of the inner end part (4B) of the drinking stub is designed as a stop body for the ventilation stub.

9. A closure according to claim 7 or 8, wherein:

the tubular section (4d) of the inner end part (4B) of the drinking stub (4) is designed as a valve seat for the ventilation stub (11).

10. A closure according to claim 7 or 8, wherein:

the means for piercing the membrane is a piercing punch (4f) which is designed on a shell-shaped section (4e) of the inner end part of the drinking stub.

11. A closure according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

the drinking stub (4) is inclined relative to the lid (2) of the closure body (1) in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub abuts against the closure body (1), with an operating recess (21) being formed between the edge portion (3) of the closure body and the outer end part (4A) of the drinking stub (4).

12. A closure according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

the drinking stub (4) is fixed to the closure body (1) by the original closure element (8) in the first position, i.e. in the position in which the drinking stub rests against the closure body (1).

13. A closure according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

the cover (2) of the closure body (1) has a recess (5) for receiving the drinking stub (4) in the first position, in which it rests against the closure body (1).

14. The closure of claim 13, wherein:

the drinking stub (4) is fixed in a locked manner in the recess (5).

15. A container for holding a medical fluid, the container having a mouth member (16) sealed by a pierceable membrane (18), characterized in that:

the mouth piece (16) of the container is closed by means of a closure according to any one of claims 1 to 14.