RU2367858C1 - Refrigerator and cartridge for vial storage - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: heating. ^ SUBSTANCE: refrigerator for storage of vials with (bio)pharmaceutical substance includes chamber with internal space for vial keeping in columns, cooling element for cooling of internal space where each column reaches refrigerator door or output device for vial removal from the internal space. Refrigerator includes multiple guide lines positioned inside the internal space to provide placement of vial columns with possible sliding. Guide lines pass along the length of each column to a point close to respective door or output device of the column so that the vial placed in a column remains in that column until it is retrieved from refrigerator. ^ EFFECT: convenient storage of pharmaceutical substance in refrigerator. ^ 13 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to a refrigerator for storing vials containing a (bio) pharmaceutical substance, in particular an animal vaccine, comprising a chamber having an inner space for holding vials arranged in columns, a cooling element for cooling the inner space and at least one door or dispenser for removal of bottles from internal space. The invention also relates to a cartridge adapted for use in such a refrigerator.

Known refrigerators for storing bottles. The German utility model DE 20007889 U1 refers to a separate medicine container (indicated by the number 1 in the drawings) having a thermal insulation layer (2), ampoule holders, a heat reflection panel (4) connected to a Peltier element (5) and a fan. The electronic control unit (6) comprises a voltage control device, an operating voltage monitoring and control system, an overheat protection system, and a thermostat. The control unit (6) controls the Peltier element (5) and the fan. Additionally, the front wall of the container serves as a door.

WO 87/07704 relates to a cooling compartment designed to accommodate insulin ampoules. Its size is such that it can accommodate ampoules of all European manufacturers. The cooling compartment is adapted for a cooling device designed to operate on mains or batteries.

DK 468 380 relates to a device for a refrigerator controlled by a compressor with a refrigerating element arranged along the side walls of the refrigerator storage compartment to make it possible to use a refrigerator with a maintained storage temperature even if the compressor is interrupted for a long time. The refrigeration element consists of a plurality of vertical tubes 17 standing tightly to each other and containing a fluid having a freezing point of about 0 degrees Celsius. The tubes 17 are installed in place by means of an upper frame 18, which is supported by a plane 19 on the upper edge of the refrigerator and having a groove for the pipes.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved refrigerator for storing vials containing a (bio) pharmaceutical substance.

To this end, the refrigerator according to the present invention contains guides located inside the storage space and adapted to accommodate the vials with the possibility of sliding.

Preferably, each of the guides or each group of guides contains a dispensing compartment where the bottles can be easily moved from the guides or groups of guides, preferably at one end of the corresponding guide or groups of guides.

The rails provide a more systematic, safe and / or hygienic use of the refrigerator and, as will be explained below, make it possible to use one or more relatively small inlets, for example one or more relatively small doors or dispensers, such as one or more drawers or air transition cameras.

Preferably, the columns extend in a direction having a vertical component, i.e. not horizontally, and / or at least some of the guides are connected to means, such as a spring, for moving the bottles to the dispensing compartment. In such embodiments, gravity and / or a spring or the like can be used to move the vials to, for example, the dispensing compartment at one end of the guides, thereby holding the vial (s) in said dispensing compartment in place and pushing the remaining vials to the dispensing compartment, when the bottle is removed from such a compartment.

If the door (s) or dispenser (s) are located in the dispenser compartment of one or more columns and allow access to a limited number of bottles or even one bottle, temperature fluctuations in the interior are significantly reduced.

Additionally, preferably, the container comprises at least two mutually removable cases, the first case containing bottles and the second case containing a cooling element. Thus, the first case is portable and can be taken with you, for example, by a doctor or veterinarian. Especially if the first building will be transported over relatively long distances or, on the other hand, will be separated from the second building for extended periods of time, it is preferable that the vehicles of said specialist, usually a car or a van or, for example, a second doctor’s office or an extension, were equipped with an auxiliary second housing containing a cooling element.

The invention also relates to a cartridge for use in the refrigerator described above, comprising guides adapted to accommodate a plurality of slip-resistant vials. Such cartridges can be used as a means for packaging multiple vials and can facilitate the distribution of vials and the refilling of the container.

For the purposes of the present invention, the word 'cartridge' includes cassettes, clamps, and, of course, any object that holds the column of vials with sliding ability.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, which schematically show a preferred embodiment.

Figure 1 is a General view of the refrigerator according to the present invention with the upper and lower doors open.

2A and 2B are perspective views of an empty and full cartridge, respectively, suitable for use in a refrigerator.

It should be noted that the drawings do not need to determine the proportions, and details that are not required in order to understand the present invention may have been omitted. The terms “upper”, “lower”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “front”, “rear”, “side”, etc. refer to options for implementation, as oriented in the drawings. Additionally, elements that are at least essentially identical or that perform at least substantially identical function are denoted by the same number.

Figure 1 depicts a refrigerator 1 according to the present invention for storing vials containing a pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical substance, in particular vaccines for animals. The refrigerator 1 comprises a chamber 2 having a rear casing 3, which must be mounted on a wall or in a vehicle, and a front casing 4, made for installation with the possibility of removal, for example, by means of hooks and slots, magnets or Velcro clips on the front side of the rear casing 3.

The rear housing 3 includes a cooling element (not shown), preferably a Peltier element, sandwiched between two heat-conducting plates, for example two aluminum plates, the front of one of which extends along the main part of the front wall of the rear housing 3. Ventilation grills 5 are integrated in the lower and upper surfaces . Additionally, the rear housing 3 includes a fan for cooling the heated side of the cooling element, a control unit connected to the cooling element and the fan, as well as with a connector provided on the front wall of the rear housing 3, and a portable battery pack or transformer to be connected to mains or vehicle battery.

The front housing 4 corresponds in width and height to the rear housing 3 and contains three types of doors 6, 7, 8, which all provide access to the internal space 9, accommodating a large number of bottles 10 located essentially vertical columns along the guides, as will be explained below. The lower doors 8 extend substantially vertically, and the upper edge of each of these doors 8 is pivotally connected to the front housing 4. By turning one of these doors 8 forward and upward, the lower bottles 10 in a group of, for example, three adjacent columns are open for access, thus allowing the removal of vials of 10 from the respective columns.

The upper doors 6 extend substantially horizontally and are pivotally mounted in the upper wall of the front housing 4. By turning one of these doors 6 up and back, a group of, for example, three adjacent columns of bottles 10 is open for access.

When the front housing 4 is mounted on the rear housing 3, the rear wall of the front housing 4 is adjacent to the Peltier element.

Although permanent guides, such as vertical grooves or partitions passing through the columns in the inner space 9, provide an effective means for slidingly positioning the bottles 10, it is preferable that the elongated cartridges 11 are mounted side by side with the possibility of removal in the space 9.

An example of a preferred embodiment of the cartridge 11 for use in the present refrigerator 1 is shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. This preferred embodiment of the cartridge 11 comprises two parallel side walls 12 connected by a rear wall 13 and a base wall 14. The side walls 12 are spaced apart slightly larger than the width of the bottles 10. In this preferred embodiment, the base wall 14 is adapted to the shape 10 vials, i.e. has a semicircular cross section. Two retaining bars 15 inclined to the plane of symmetry of the cartridge 11 extend along the almost full length of the side walls 12, i.e. to the base wall 14, which corresponds to the width of the bottles 10. Together with the side walls 12, the holding bars 15 form effective guides for holding the columns of the bottles 10 with sliding ability and determine the delivery position at the lower end of the cartridge 11, i.e. the lower vial 10 may be ejected from the cartridge 11 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the column of remaining vials.

Although the dispensing position can in principle also be used to fill the cartridge 11 with bottles, it is preferred that the cartridge 11 further comprises a filling compartment, preferably at the other end of the cartridge 11, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Those. the cartridge 11 can be filled by inserting the vials into the hole in the upper part of the cartridge 11 using the necks of the vials 10 sliding between the retaining bars 15.

In the embodiment depicted in the drawings, the front wall of the front housing further comprises one or more, for example two, relatively large doors 7, providing access to the interior space 9 for maintenance or cleaning. Alternatively, the front wall is attached to or forms a single unit with the front housing 4.

The front wall further comprises a switch for turning the Peltier element on or off and a light signaling to indicate that the selected threshold value stored in the control unit for the minimum temperature has been reached. Alternatively or additionally, the container may be provided, for example, with a regulator for setting the desired temperature, a small display showing the set and / or actual temperature (measured, for example, by thermocouples located in the interior), and / or a speaker for alarming, when the selected threshold value is reached. The rear wall of the front housing is provided with a compatible connector that is removably connected to a connector on the front wall of the rear housing, which thus connects the aforementioned switch, light signaling, regulator, display and other elements for connecting the refrigerator to the control unit.

The walls of the rear and front housings are preferably made of injection molded thermoplastic polymers such as ABS (copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene), PC (polyacrylonitrile) or PP (polypropylene) with a fibrous filler. The walls of at least the front casing are thermally insulated by, for example, a layer of foamed polyurethane or polyester and, possibly, a reflective aluminum film sandwiched between the inner and outer walls of the injection molded thermoplastic polymer. The insulated areas on the doors are preferably surrounded by seals (16), such as rubber rings.

Additionally, it is preferable that a portion of the front wall, such as the lower parts of the relatively large doors 7, be made of a transparent material, such as a transparent two-layer film of PS (polystyrene) or PC (polyacrylonitrile), so as to allow personnel using the container to see which bottles and therefore which pharmaceutical substance is in which row.

The cartridges are also preferably made of a thermoplastic injection molding polymer, in particular transparent PC (polyacrylonitrile).

During use, the refrigerator is installed, for example, on the wall of the veterinarian’s office, the Peltier element is turned on, and when a sufficiently low temperature is reached, the upper doors are open and cartridges, each of which contains many bottles, are loaded into the interior. The bottles in each cartridge or group of cartridges contain a different vaccine and include, for example, cartridges containing freeze-dried granules (lyophilisates or briquettes) PPI, Parvo-C, Corona, KC, DHPPI and Puppy DP (as indicated in the Intervent product catalog 2005) . When a specific vaccine is to be used, the corresponding lower door is opened and the vial is taken out of the corresponding column and a diluent, usually water, an oil-water emulsion or an oil-water emulsion, is introduced into it to produce an injectable substance.

From the above description, it is understood that the refrigerator according to the present invention facilitates or even makes more systematic, safe and / or hygienic use easier, and when the vial is removed, only a small amount of air cooled in the refrigerator will escape, essentially significant temperature changes inside the refrigerator can be avoided.

Although the cartridges can be filled in separate bottles by personnel using the refrigerator, for example, a veterinarian or assistant, it is preferable to distribute pre-filled cartridges or even pre-filled (front) cases containing bottle columns through the grooves available.

The invention is not limited to the above described embodiments, which may vary in a variety of ways within the scope of the claims. For example, the container preferably contains an additional compartment for storing pre-filled syringes or diluents. To prevent cooling of the input substance, it is preferable that the cooling element (Peltier) is not extended to the diluent storage compartment or that this compartment is isolated from the cooling element.

Claims (13)

1. A refrigerator for storing vials containing a (bio) pharmaceutical substance, comprising a chamber having an inner space for holding vials located in columns, a cooling element for cooling the inner space, where each of these columns extends to a door or dispenser for dispensing vials from the internal space, characterized in that the refrigerator contains many rails located inside the specified space and adapted to accommodate the vials of flac new with the possibility of sliding, while for each of these columns the guides run along the length of the column to a place located next to the door or the dispenser corresponding to (corresponding to) this column so that the bottle in the column is forced to remain in this column until until this bottle is removed from the refrigerator. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which each of the guides or each group of guides contains a dispensing compartment, where the bottles can be removed from the guides, preferably at one end of the corresponding guide or group of guides. 3. The refrigerator (1) according to claim 1 or 2, in which the columns extend in a direction having a vertical component and / or at least some of the guides or groups of guides are connected to means for moving the bottles towards the dispensing compartment. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the rails or groups of rails are parts of cartridges that are installed with the possibility of removal in space. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the door or dispenser is located in the dispenser compartment of one or more columns and allows access to a limited number of bottles. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, in which the door (8) or the dispenser allows access to a maximum of three columns of a part of such columns. 7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, containing at least one door at both ends of the rails (12, 15). 8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the chamber contains at least two mutually removable housing, the first housing having an inner space and guides, and the second housing containing a cooling element. 9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the front wall of the chamber is at least partially transparent. 10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, in which the (bio) pharmaceutical substance is a vaccine for animals. 11. A cartridge for use in a refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising guides adapted to accommodate slip-resistant vials and two flanges inclined toward the center of the cartridge and extending over almost the entire length of the side walls. 12. The cartridge according to claim 11, containing two parallel side walls connected by a rear wall and located at a distance slightly larger than the width of the bottles for which the cartridge is intended. 13. The cartridge according to claim 11 or 12, configured to hold multiple vials containing a pharmaceutical substance, in particular a vaccine for animals.

Images