Dispensing – With casing or support – Jacketed
Patent
1995-06-21
1997-10-07
Derakshani, Philippe
Dispensing
With casing or support
Jacketed
222214, B67D 506
Patent
active
056738226
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a device for delivering drop by drop a fluid, for example a medicinal or cosmetic liquid, contained in a flexible vial.
The fluid may be, for example, an eye lotion designed to be instilled into the eye of a user by the user himself.
Generally, vials which contain this type of product are flexible and thin walled vials made of synthetic material, whose dispensing neck (or nozzle) is equipped with a screwed stopper and a protective cap.
When using the vial as an eye dropper, the user firstly removes the cap and the stopper. Then, holding the vial in one hand, the user positions it above the eye to be treated, in an inverted or semi-inverted position, in order to direct the nozzle towards the ocular sac. To expel the eye lotion, the user manually squeezes the wall of the body or bottom of the vial. The resulting pressure within the vial drives out a certain quantity of product which exits the vial via the nozzle and normally descends into the eye at which it was aimed.
Although seemingly straightforward, such an operation can not always be performed satisfactorily.
In fact, the user cannot readily control the precise instant when the product is to be expelled from the vial, nor the number of drops to be delivered. In this respect, it is notable that the simple inversion of the vial, combined with the slight warming effect to which the product is subjected from contact of the user's hands with the vial and with a certain unintentional and uncontrolled squeezing with the fingers, is sufficient to cause one or several drops to descend unexpectedly and unintentionally into the eye or onto the region adjacent thereto. This problem is even more pronounced when a small vial is being used as handling thereof is correspondingly more difficult.
Subsequently, during the delivery operation itself, the quantity of product delivered depends on the intensity and duration of squeezing, which means that the quantity delivered may vary from one person to another and also, for the same user, from one instillation to another. A drawback with this is that a certain amount of the product, which is often expensive, is unavoidably wasted.
A more important drawback is connected with the fact that the dose prescribed to the patient must often be accurately adhered to. If the quantity which is effectively delivered is insufficient, the treatment may not be efficient. On the other hand, if the quantity delivered is too large, the surplus may, in certain cases, cause side effects. For example, an excess volume of eye lotion, not absorbed by the surface of the eye, may pass, via the tear duct, into the mouth, then into the oesophagus and stomach of the patient. The ingestion of excessive amounts of certain eye lotions can, indeed, sometimes present a hazard, particularly when they contain, for example, such ingredients as beta-blocking agents.
Accordingly, it is important to be able to administer to the user the exact dose of the product required. In many cases, this means one drop, and one drop only, of the solution.
The main object of this invention is to achieve the desired result by means of an inexpensive and light device which is easy to use, even for elderly people, or people with impaired manipulative skills.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention accordingly provides a device for the dropwise delivery of a fluid, suitably a medicinal or cosmetic liquid, contained in a flexible vial, the device comprising a tubular casing capable of surrounding the vial, which casing is provided with a bottom portion whose inner surface lies opposite the outer surface of the bottom wall of the vial, the bottom portion of the casing being equipped with a resiliently displaceable tab which can be moved so as to press against the bottom wall of the vial in order to squeeze the vial and drive out a drop of fluid.
Furthermore, according to a certain number of advantageous but non-limiting features of this invention: bottom portion, an open neck member which is equipped with vial neck re
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patent: 5016781 (1991-05-01), Ten Wolde
Chalmin Patrice
Gazzola Jean
Lifshey Arthur
Ayler Sylvia A.
Daniel Mark R.
Derakshani Philippe
Laboratoires Merck Sharp & Dohme-Chibret
Thompson John J.
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