Reusable adapter for uniting a syringe and vial

A releasable adapter for coupling a hypodermic syringe and a medicinal vial having a pocket underlying a seal and separate from the chamber of the vial, characterized by a releasable primary attachment connected to and centering the adapter positioned on the vial, and a secondary attachment connected to and centering the syringe with the vial before the syringe needle pierces the seal and with limited projection of the syringe needle into said pocket, for withdrawing liquid when inverted as a unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to the administration of medicinal liquids by means 
of a hypodermic syringe, whereby said liquid is withdrawn from a sealed 
vial and measured by volume for injection into the vascular system of a 
person. The pharmaceutical devices and proceedures are well established 
and standardized, in the involvement of both the vials for supplying 
medicinal liquids, and of the hypodermic syringes for measuring out the 
liquid withdrawn from the vials and for sterile injections thereof. 
Heretofore, the two aforesaid articles, the vial and syringe, have been 
manipulated individually rather than as a unit, the typical injection 
process being a two-handed awkward operation for the person administering 
his or her own injection which is most often the case. For example, a 
first step involves one hand to hold the vial while the other hand forces 
the syringe needle to pierce the seal of the vial, there being no 
provision on either the vial or syringe to limit the depth of needle 
penetration. A second step involves one hand to hold both the vial and the 
syringe joined by the fragile needle, and the other hand to withdraw the 
syringe plunger a measured distance. This second step is manually perfomed 
with the needle of the syringe projecting approximately 0.500 inch (less 
the seal thickness) into the liquid content of the vial. 
Firstly, the vial may or may not be completely filled and its volume 
content unknown. Secondly, the seal membrane of the vial is thin, for 
example 0.100 inch thick, which renders withdrawal of the needle to an 
optimum position a practical impossibility. The standard needle projection 
is approximately 0.500 inch, but no part of the vial or syringe is 
available to gage its penetration and/or withdrawal. As a result, the 
needle can be accidentally or unwittingly projected and air can be drawn 
into the syringe, and the needle can be damaged or bent and contaminated, 
due to the awkward conditions. Accordingly, it is a general object of this 
invention to provide an adapter for unitizing the vial and syringe 
combination, with minimal penetration of the needle, and all of which 
eliminates the awkward prior art conditions and ensures positive results. 
It is an object of this invention to provide an adapter that fixedly 
couples a medicinal vial to a hypodermic syringe, coaxially and in 
determined longitudinal relationship. Joinder of the adapter to the vial 
and syringe respectively, can vary providing that they are held one to the 
other to withstand the forceful pressures of normal handling. In practice, 
the adapter is hooked onto the vial by releasable snap means, and the 
adapter grips the syringe by a releasable friction fit. The snap means and 
friction fit are disposed on a common longitudinal axis established in 
each of said members of the unitized combination, when assembled. 
It is another object of this invention to provide an adapter that is 
positively attached and positioned on the vial to receive and guide the 
syringe and its penetrating needle, and such that the needle penetration 
is limited to a predetermined protrusion into a pocket within a plug that 
occupies the neck of the vial. In practice, the protruding end of the 
needle protrudes but does not enter into said vial chamber. 
It is still another object of this invention to provide an adapter that 
guides the syringe needle concentrically on the common axis of these three 
aforementioned members, there being no propensity to damage or bend the 
needle. 
Further, it is an object of this invention to provide a reusable adapter 
that can be repeatedly applied to and removed from successive expendable 
vials. In practice, the adapter as it is disclosed herein is made of a 
resilient material and is positively hooked onto the vial, and which can 
be twisted and thereby deformed for easy and quick removal for reuse. 
Still further, it is an object of this invention to provide a monolithic 
adapter of integral body parts that can be injection molded of resilient 
plastic material, essentially without moving parts but rather deflectable 
parts, for effecting its assembly with and release from the vial. Also, 
assembly with and release from the syringe is by means of resilience, 
whereby the frictional tapered fit expands the adapter to securely grip 
and/or release the syringe. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A monolith of integral body parts is provided in an article formed as a 
adapter that couples a medicinal vial to a hypodermic syringe. The adapter 
is injection molded of a resilient plastic material that snaps onto the 
cap of the vial and which is subject to manual twisting to cause a 
misalignment that releases the adapter from the cap of the vial. The 
snap-on engagement of the adapter to the vial establishes a fixed 
relationship of the two members so that they become unitized. A feature of 
the adapter is its socket-like opening that centers and guides the hub of 
the syringe, so that the needle thereof is coaxial with the seal of the 
vial which it is to pierce for entry into a pocket within a plug that 
occupies the neck of the vial. Another feature of the adapter is its stop 
face that limits penetration of the needle through said seal, and ensures 
that it enters only into the pocket of the plug. By inverting the combined 
vial and syringe unit fixedly coupled by the adapter, substantially all of 
the liquid medication can be drawn from the vial by stopping withdrawal 
when liquid drops to the level of the being so that, there will be no 
withdrawal of air, and only a slight amount of liquid will remain in the 
pocket of the plug. 
The foregoing and various other objects and features of this invention will 
be apparent and fully understood from the following detailed description 
of the typical preferred forms and applications thereof, throughout which 
description reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the three separate 
articles involved, a vial V, a hypodermic syringe H, and the adapter A of 
this invention. The vial V and hypodermic syringe H are off-the-shelf 
commercial items that are employed herein as such, without any change or 
alteration. The adapter A is a utilitarian article that functions as a 
coupling cooperating with dissimilar features of the vial V and of the 
hypodermic syringe H, and protectively guides the hypodermic needle N. 
The vial V is shown as a sterile 0.7 mL container in the form of a bottle 
or jar-like vessel 10 of transparent material closed by the seal S. The 
vessel has a neck 11 of reduced diameter and through which there is a 
cylindrical opening 12 into the liquid storage chamber 13 of the vessel. 
The top open end of the vial is characterized by a surrounding collar 14 
of slightly larger diameter than the neck 11, forming a downwardly faced 
shoulder 17 for securement of a cap 15 that retains a plug that carries 
the seal S and closes the vessel chamber 13. The plug is comprised of a 
cylindrical core 16 that is pressed into the neck opening 12, and the 
overlying disc-shaped seal S is integral therewith. The disc-shaped seal S 
is a piercable elastomer approximately 0.100 inch thick with its bottom 
side coplanar with the top terminal end of the vial V. 
Accordingly, the core 16 of the plug is tubular forming a small cylindrical 
pocket 13 (0.200 inch dia.) of limited depth underlying the seal and that 
opens into the pocket 13'. The cap 15 closely embraces the disc-shaped 
seal S and underlying collar 14 to permanently capture the seal and plug. 
In practice, the cap is made of maleable material such as soft aluminum 
0.010 inch thick, that is rolled or swedged to engage beneath the shoulder 
17. The Cap 15 is provided with an opening 18 (0.200 inch dia.) that 
exposes the center portion of the disc-shaped seal S, to be pierced by the 
hypodermic needle N for withdrawal of liquid from within the pocket 13' 
and from the vessel. As shown in FIG. 1 there is a removable protective 
shield 19 that ensures sterility of the seal S. Note that said shield 19 
is removed before affixing the adapter A to the vial V as shown in FIG. 2. 
The hypodermic syringe H is a sterile cylinder and piston device adapted to 
withdraw medicinal liquid from the vial V via a hypodermic needle N which 
is then employed to administer vascular injections. The syringe H has an 
elongated cylinder 20 of transparent material, closed at one end by a 
projecting elongated cylindrical hub 21 that carries the tubular needle N 
open into the cylinder, to transfer liquid and to receive the operating 
plunger 22 to which an elastomer piston P is attached. In practice for 
example and as shown, the hub 21 is slightly tapered (included angle 
4.degree.) and projects 0.250 inch from a stop flange 23. A removable 
protection sleeve 24 is carried by the hub and removed to expose the 
needle N (see FIG. 2). The other open end of the cylinder 20 is provided 
with a tubular enlargement 25 that carries a removable cover 26 that 
protectively encloses the extensible and retractile plunger 22 (see FIG. 
7). 
In accordance with this invention, the adapter A is provided to rigidly 
attach the hypodermic syringe H to the vial V, with the needle N 
positioned to withdraw liquid from said vial. A most common and 
standardized projection of the needle N from the hub 21 is 0.500 inch, it 
being an object of this invention to pierce the seal S to a midpoint of 
said needle (as shown in FIG. 7). The coupling features of the above 
described vial V and syringe H differ considerably in size and 
configuration, a primary fixed attachment means to the vial V and which 
involves the larger diameter affixing to the smooth surfaced cylindrical 
cap 15, and a secondary fixed attachment means to the hypodermic syringe H 
and which involves the smaller diameter affixing to the flanged hub 21. A 
feature of this invention is the positive coupled positioning of the 
syringe H with respect to the seal S of the vial V. Another feature is the 
releasable nature of said coupled positioning. 
Referring now to the adapter A and its primary attachment means to the vial 
V, the cap 15 presents a flat top surface 28 normal to the center axis of 
the vial, an outer cylindrical wall 29 concentric with and surrounding 
said axis, and a downwardly faced shoulder 17' established by the rolled 
edge of the cap over the shoulder 17 of the vial. The vial V is known to 
have dimensional stability, and accordingly, the adapter A has a 
downwardly open cylindrical socket 30 with a top 31 that engages flat upon 
the surface 28, and a side wall 32 that slidably embraces the cylindrical 
surface 29. A feature is the inwardly turned detent 33 at the bottom edge 
of the socket, for locked engagement beneath the shoulder 17'. Thus, both 
radial and axial positioning is attained. 
Engagement and disengagement of the detent 33 is by means of resilient 
deflection of the side wall 32, which permits temporary radial 
displacement of the detent 33 to slide over the cylindrical surface 29. In 
practice, the radial depth of the detent is about the same as or a little 
more than the 0.010 inch thickness of the cap 15 material. And in 
accordance with this invention, the socket 30 is of collet-like shape or 
configuration which is slotted at 34 to provide a plurality of 
circumferentially spaced spring legs and in the form of an interrupted 
wall 32. 
The above described collet-like socket 30 configuration is not only 
conducive to the injection molding process of manufacture, but permits 
assembly and disassembly of the adapter A and vial V. That is, the axes of 
the adapter and of the vial can be manipulated out of alignment so as to 
spread the wall 32 and/or legs thereof for release. This principle is used 
to release the part from the mold core (not shown) and to assemble and 
disassemble the parts A and V. 
Referring now to the adapter A and its secondary attachment means to the 
hypodermic syringe H, the tapered hub 21 and the stop shoulder 23 present 
small diameter features to center and guide the needle N. The syringe is 
known to have dimensional stability, and accordingly, the adapter A has an 
upwardly open tubular sleeve 35 integral with the socket 30 and open from 
the plane of the top 31 at the surface 28 and projecting upwardly to form 
an upwardly open tapered bore 36 to receive the hub 21 of the syringe H. 
The upper terminal end of the tubular sleeve 35 presents a flat stop 
surface 37 to engage the stop flange 23 and to thereby limit protrusion of 
the needle N into the pocket 13' so as to position the needle as shown in 
FIG. 7. A feature is entry of the tapered hub 21 (included angle 
4.degree.) into the guiding bore 36 so as to center the needle N before 
the needle N pierces the seal S (see FIG. 6). Another feature is the 
positioning of the end of the needle N within the pocket 13' so as to be 
submerged when the vial-adapter-syringe unit is inverted as shown in FIG. 
7. And, when the stop flange 23 engages the stop surface 37 the tapered 
hub 21 is tightly gripped in the tapered socket (see FIG. 7). The assembly 
of vial V and syringe H is rigid and concentric with the axis of the 
adapter, as shown and hereinabove described. 
Misalignment of adapter A axis from the vial V axis is facilitated by 
providing clearance between the outer diameter 29 of the cap 15 and the 
inner diameter of the surrounding wall 32, when installed. This enables a 
rocking movement of the adapter, whereby the detent 33 at one side forms a 
fulcrum about which the adapter tilts and is deflected to lift the 
diametrically opposite side of the detent 33 which then climbs over the 
rounded edge of the shoulder 17'. In practice, the detent 33 is radiused 
as shown, as are the top and bottom corner edges of the cap 15. 
Having described only the preferred forms and applications of my invention, 
I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein 
set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any modifications or variations 
that may appear to those skilled in the art as set forth within the limits 
of the following claims.