Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Mechanical shaping or molding to form or reform shaped article – Shaping against forming surface
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-09
2004-06-29
Colaianni, Michael (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Mechanical shaping or molding to form or reform shaped article
Shaping against forming surface
Reexamination Certificate
active
06756008
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cylindrical vial, with a bottom for a medicine, in which an opening is closed by a rubber closure (needle-penetrable rubber closure) which can be penetrated therethrough with a syringe needle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a vial for a medicine is in the form of a cylinder with a bottom. The vial is provided at its one end with an opening which is closed by a rubber closure made of a rubber material, such as butyl rubber, after the vial is filled with a predetermined quantity of liquid medicament. When the liquid medicament is used, a syringe needle is penetrated into the rubber closure to aspirate the liquid medicament into the syringe. In the aspiration operation, the internal liquid medicament of the vial must be completely transferred into the syringe. Namely, a dosage of liquid medicament is contained in the vial, and hence, if the entirety of the liquid medicament contained in the vial fails to be aspirated, there is a possibility that the expected effect of the dosage of liquid medicament is not achieved.
Therefore, a doctor or nurse carefully carries out the aspiration operation of the liquid medicament in the vial. In a conventional vial, in order to aspirate the liquid medicament in the vial completely, it is necessary to incline the vial at the end of the inspiration operation and to move the front end of the syringe needle to the deepest portion of the vial, i.e., the corner portion of the bottom of the vial to thereby aspirate the liquid medicament remaining therein.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cylindrical vial with a bottom, for a medicine, in which the entirety of liquid medicament in the vial can be completely and easily aspirated by a syringe, without need of inclination of the vial so as to aspirate the liquid medicament remaining at a corner portion of the bottom of the vial by the syringe whose front end is moved to the corner portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The inventors have conceived that if the needle which is penetrated into a vial through a needle-penetrable rubber closure is automatically brought to the deepest or innermost portion of the vial on the center axis thereof, it is possible to easily aspirate the whole quantity of liquid medicament in the vial into the syringe. Namely, in order to achieve the above object, a cylindrical vial having a bottom, for a medicine, in which an open end of the cylindrical vial is sealed by a needle-penetrable rubber closure through which a needle can be penetrated, the cylindrical vial including a conical bottom end provided opposite to the open end, wherein the apex of the conical bottom end is located on a central axis of the cylindrical vial at the bottommost point inside the cylindrical vial.
In general, a conventional cylindrical vial having a bottom is made of a resin material by blow molding. However, it is difficult to precisely form the conical bottom end by the blow molding. To solve this problem, in an embodiment, the cylindrical vial is formed using an injection molding die assembly including a core pin, the core pin being in the form of a rod having a uniform diameter and having a conical front end. Dies other than the core pin are not limited to a specific shape or structure and can be of any structure.
In another embodiment, the cylindrical vial is formed using an injection molding die assembly including a core pin, the core pin being in the form of a tapered rod having a conical front end and having an outer diameter gradually increasing from the conical front end toward the other end thereof. Dies other than the core pin are not limited to a specific shape or structure and can be of any structure.
To make it possible to aspirate the whole quantity of liquid medicament in the cylindrical vial by a needle of a syringe without inclining the cylindrical vial, the conical bottom end of the cylindrical vial preferably defines an angle in the range of 30° through 70° between the generatrix of the conical bottom end and the central axis of the cylindrical vial. If the angle is less than 30°, it is necessary to increase the length of the cylindrical vial in order to provide the same capacity as that of a conventional cylindrical vial, and there is a possibility that the needle cannot reach the deepest or innermost portion of the cylindrical vial. Furthermore, since the mass of resin of which the bottom portion of the cylindrical vial is increased, the cylindrical vial becomes heavy. If the angle exceeds 70°, no effect expected from the conical shape can be obtained.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a cylindrical vial for a medicine is provided, including an axial hollow portion, an open end connected to the axial hollow portion and a closed end opposite to the open end. The open end is sealed by a needle-penetrable rubber closure through which a needle can be penetrated into the cylindrical vial. The closed end includes a conical bottom end, the apex of the conical bottom end being located on a central axis of the axial hollow portion at the bottommost point inside the axial hollow portion.
In an embodiment, the axial hollow portion is formed using an injection molding die assembly including a core pin, the core pin being in the form of a rod having a uniform diameter and having a conical front end.
In another embodiment, the axial hollow portion is formed using an injection molding die assembly including a core pin, the core pin being in the form of a tapered rod having a conical front end and having an outer diameter gradually increasing from the conical front end toward the other end thereof.
Preferably, the conical bottom end of the cylindrical vial defines an angle in the range of 30° through 70° between the generatrix of the conical bottom end and the central axis of the axial hollow portion.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No.2000-201936 (filed on Jul. 4, 2000) which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Colaianni Michael
Daikyo Seiko Ltd.
Fontaine Monica
McCormick Paulding & Huber LLP
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