STORAGE BOTTLE FOR CONTACT LENS CLEANING SOLUTION

Abstract: A plastic squeeze bottle (11) has a dispensing end (12) having a central, closed-ended, cone-shaped portion (21) which serves as a stem or core for a valve assembly which includes an elastomeric seal (31) which overlies and resiliently grips and circumferentially seals around the stem (18). The seal (31) also covers apertures (22) in the bottle end adjacent the stem (18). A small central aperture (37) in the seal (31) where it overlies the closed end of the stem (18), enables dispensing contents from the bottle (11) when the bottle (11) is squeezed, as the resulting internal pressure causes the seal (31) to balloon slightly away from the stem (18) and permit passage of saline solution from the bottle (11) through the bottle end apertures (22) and seal central aperture (37). When the squeezing stops, the seal (31) resiliently retracts against the stem (18) and closes the bottle (11). A snap-on overcap assembly (17) has seal control and closure maintenance features (53, 54) to avoid accidental dispensing of bottle contents due to unintentional squeezing of the bottle (11) when the overcap (17) is closed.

Description: Background of the Invention This invention relates generally to dispensing bottles, and more particularly to a bottle for storing and dispensing contact lens cleaning solution. A normal procedure for the user of the contact lenses, is to periodically remove the lenses and clean them. For this purpose, a sterile solution is used. In order to avoid contamination of the solution by bacteria, a preservative is used in it. The problem with the preservative is the fact that, since the lenses are not dry when inserted in the eye, the cleaning solution remains on them and the preservative in it can irritate the eyes. One answer to the problem has been to eliminate the preservative from the lens cleaning solution. In order to avoid contamination of the solution with the passage of time, which would otherwise occur in the absence of a preservative, the solution has been packaged in small, single-use bottles. But that approach has not been entirely convenient or economical. The present invention is addressed to the need for a convenient, economical packaging of contact lens solutions which enables the elimination of preservatives, facilitates dispensing in droplets, and avoids contamination of the solution with the passage of time. An object of the invention is to provide a liquid storage and dispensing device which can dispense droplets or a slow stream of liquid having the viscosity of water, and which will not permit air contact with the undispensed portion of the liquid or trap dispensed liquid that would be exposed to bacteria in the air. A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is self-closing once the liquid has been dispensed. US 4,061,254 discloses a valve which opens in response to a pressure difference between the interior and exterior of the valve. However, drop-by-drop or dropwise delivery of fluid from the valve cannot be achieved. According to the invention there is provided a self-closing bottle assembly comprising a collapsible bottle having a neck provided with a first discharge outlet, a valve stem on the neck and a resilient nozzle member sealingly mounted on the neck, the nozzle member having a second discharge outlet and elastically gripping the valve stem to form an air-tight seal and being movable outwardly, in use, to connect the second discharge outlet with the interior of the bottle, characterised in that the end of the valve stem is tapered, the resilient nozzle member elastically grips the valve stem and extends beyond the end thereof; and the second discharge outlet is immediately adjacent the tapered end of the valve stem to allow dropwise discharge of the bottle contents. In a typical embodiment of the present invention, a plastic bottle is provided with a uniquely shaped neck and top having a central, cone-shaped portion which serves as a core for a valve assembly which includes an elastomeric seal, which overlies the cone. Apertures in the bottle top around the cone and under the seal enable dispensing contents from the bottle through a small central aperture in the seal where it overlies the cone. In the absence of internal pressure in the bottle, the seal resiliently retracts against the cone and closes the bottle. An overcap is provided as a snap-on to the bottle, with seal control and closure maintenance provisions to avoid accidental dispensing of bottle contents due to unintentional squeezing of the bottle when the overcap is in closed position. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a bottle assembly according to a typical embodiment of the present invention ; FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the bottle portion thereof ; FIG. 3 is a dispensing end view of the bottle portion thereof ; FIG. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the bottle assembly of FIG. 1, the section being taken on the plane containing the axis of the bottle assembly; and FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section like FIG. 4 but showing the cap open and the bottle being squeezed with the valve seal thereby moved to position for dispensing contents. Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly FIGS. 1 and 4, a squeeze bottle 11 is formed with a dispensing end portion 12 and filling end portion 13, the latter normally being open until the bottle is filled with a 0.9% normal saline solution, and then hermetically sealed along the end margin 14 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and then sterilized by gamma radiation. An overcap assembly is secured to the end of the bottle and includes a cap 17 and a cap retaining ring 16. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the dispensing end of the bottle is formed with a stem 18 centered on axis 19 and having a conical end 21. Four apertures 22 are spaced in a circle around the stem 18. Referring now to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the bottle is molded with a relatively thin wall up to the neck 23, which is considerably thicker, and steps out at the flange 24. Accordingly, the flanged portion 26 and head 27 are relatively thick. A seal receiver groove 28 is formed in the end, and a seal support surface 29 is provided radially inboard of the groove 28. The seal 31 is symmetrical about the axis 19. It is a soft, supple membrane type of material of an elastomeric nature. An example is a product marketed as Kraton No. 2705 (Trade Mark), White, by Shell Chemical Company and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The normal configuration of the seal is as shown in FIG. 4 where it has a conical portion 32, a locating rib portion 33, a mounting ring portion 34, and an intermediate control portion 36. The conical portion has an included angle of 30° (15° from axis 19) as does the conical portion 21 of the stem 18. Accordingly, there is a conical area of abutting elastic circumferential gripping engagement of the inner wall 32a of the seal with the conical portion 21 of the stem and which normally seals the bottle closed, air tight. The seal has an aperture 37 at its center. The overcap includes the mounting ring 16 and cap 17 secured together by an integral "living" hinge 38. The cap retaining ring includes the inwardly directed circumferential bead 39 securing the skirt of the cap under the circumferential flange 24 of the bottle end. The retaining ring includes the seal retainer flange 41 which sandwiches the seal mounting ring portion 34 against the seal support face 29 of the bottle end. An axially extending, cap stabilizing flange 46 is at the top of the retainer ring and has a cap latching ridge 48 projecting outwardly from it at a location diametrically opposite the cap hinge. The cap support shoulder 49 provides support for the cap 17 around its perimeter when the cap is closed with the bottom 51 of the cap wall resting upon the shoulder 49 and the notch 52 on the inner wall of the cap receiving the rib 48 on the retaining ring to latch the cap closed as in FIG. 4. A spherical protuberance 53 at the inside center of the cap, abuts the apertured end of the seal when the cap is closed, and closes the hole 37 in the end of the seal. There is a cylindrical flange 54 inside the cap, centered on the axis, as is the center of the protuberance 53. This flange 54 engages the top surface 36T of the intermediate portion of the seal. The combination of this flange and the protuberance 53, both acting on and confining the seal, keep it closed when the cap is closed, even if there is some pressure applied to the squeeze bottle which would otherwise dispense fluid from the container. Consequently, no fluid can get out and no air can get in. The closure of the hole 37 by the protuberance 53 prevents loss of any fluid which might be trapped in the space 56 at the end of the valve stem, and minimizes access of air to that space. Consequently, airborne bacteria is totally eliminated from the interior of the seal. Referring now to FIG. 5, the assembly is shown in the dispensing condition. Although it might not normally be used to dispense contents in the vertical direction, particularly upward, it is shown that way in this illustration for convenience. The application of dispensing pressure to the bottle wall is shown in an exaggerated sense by the deformed portion 11d of the wall as could be done by manual squeezing. When this is done, pressure inside the container causes the seal to balloon and to move away from the conical portion 21, as shown in FIG. 5, whereupon the liquid can be dispensed through apertures 22 and the chamber 57 and the hole 37 in the end of the seal as shown by the arrowed lines. Because the seal is resilient, it will move away sufficiently to respond to the pressure and permit dispensing of the contents. Thus it serves as a resilient nozzle. As little pressure as desired can be used, which will permit a very small separation of the seal from the cone 21 whereupon the liquid can be dispensed a drop at a time, even if its viscosity is as low as that of water. Consequently, a saline or other type of cleaning solution can be readily dispensed from this bottle assembly either in the form of a stream or in a drop-by-drop manner. As soon as the pressure is released sufficiently for the resilience of the seal to pull it back against the cone, the dispensing will terminate. The memory of the seal will pull it tight against and conforming to the surface of the cone 21, thus closing the valve. Although the bottle wall is collapsible to dispense contents, the memory of the bottle material may tend to restore the bottle to its original configuration. To the extent original configuration is restored, it will facilitate return of the seal onto the core to close the valve and thus avoid any tendency of the valve to continue to leak even though squeezing force on the bottle has been removed. Accordingly, there would be no oozing or otherwise further dispensing of liquid following the release of the externally applied squeezing force from the bottle. However, the nozzle member material itself has sufficient resilience and restoring force due to its memory, to return to air-tight circumferential gripping of the cone 21 independent of any bottle configuration restoring function of the bottle material memory. There is no opportunity for air to enter the chamber 57 at all. Because of the small space involved in the aperture 37 and chamber 56, there is virtually no possibility of air entering that small space following the release of pressure, even if the bottle is nozzle down. In any case, the opening 37 is closed by the protuberance 53 on the cap as soon as the cap is snapped closed. Also, upon the next occasion for dispensing solution, a slight amount of the contact lens cleaning solution is preferably dispensed to waste, to flush the space 56 and opening 37, before dispensing solution onto lenses or into lens storage cups. The flat end 17e on the cap, and its large area, facilitate standing the bottle on its cap, when not in use. For purposes of example only for the illustrated embodiment, and not by way of limitation, the typical size of the holes 22 is 2.388mm (.094 inches). That for the hole 37 is 1.575mm ( .062 inches). The outside diameter of the cap is 46.431mm (1.828 inches). There are eight circumferentially spaced slots 58 which are 0.788mm (.031) inches wide in the skirt of the cap retaining ring to enable it to snap over the thick wall portion 26 of the bottle neck whereupon the retaining rib 39, having a free inside diameter of 40.081mm (1.578 inches), can snap into the groove or reduced neck wall 23 having a diameter of 40.081mm (1.578 inches). The typical wall thickness of the bottle at the thin wall portion is 5.08mm (.020 inches). The material of the bottle is a very low density polyethylene (VLDPE) by Union Carbide Corporation in a white opaque color, as approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The material of the overcap is a high density polyethylene (HDPE) as marketed by Phillips Petroleum Co. as their TR 880 co-polymer. While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims are desired to be protected.

Claims: A self-closing bottle assembly comprising a collapsible bottle (11) having a neck (23) provided with a first discharge outlet (22), a valve stem (18) on the neck and a resilient nozzle member (31) sealingly mounted on the neck, the nozzle member having a second discharge outlet (37) and elastically gripping the valve stem to form an air-tight seal and being movable outwardly, in use, to connect the second discharge outlet with the interior of the bottle; characterised in that the end of the valve stem is tapered, the resilient nozzle member elastically grips the valve stem and extends beyond the end thereof; and the second discharge outlet is immediately adjacent the tapered end of the valve stem. A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which a retaining ring (16) is mounted on the neck and acts to sandwich the nozzle member between the retaining ring and the neck. A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein an inwardly directed flange (41) of the retaining ring urges an outer portion (34) of the nozzle member into engagement with a groove (28) and support surface (29) of the neck, producing a perimeter which surrounds the first discharge outlet, to form an airtight seal. A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the assembly further comprises a cap (17) which closes the second discharge outlet, in a closed position, to form an airtight seal. A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cap includes a closure member (53) which abuts the nozzle member, in a closed position, to close the second discharge outlet and form an air-tight seal. A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claims 4 or 5 wherein the cap includes an inwardly directed flange (54) which engages a surface (36T) of the nozzle member, urging the nozzle member to elastically grip the valve stem (18). A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein the retaining ring includes an axially extending flange (46) having a rib (48) which engages a recess (52) of the cap, securing the assembly in a closed position. A self-closing assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the cap is hingedly mounted to the retaining ring. A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the cap is hingedly mounted to the retaining ring by an integral "living" hinge (38). A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the flange (46) is diammetrically opposite the hinge (38). A self-closing bottle assembly as claimed in claims 7 or 8 wherein the cap includes disengagement means to disengage the rib (48) of the retaining ring and the recess (52) of the cap to expose the second discharge outlet, and moving the assembly into an open position. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottle is formed of a resilient material having a memory such that the bottle is partially restored toward its original configuration when the external collapsing force is removed; and the resilience of the nozzle member is sufficient to return it to a condition of elastically and circumferentially gripping said tapering projection, forming an air-tight seal to seal the bottle-assembly in the closed position upon removal of the collapsing force; said return being independent of any configuration restoring effect of the bottle material memory. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 1, wherein the second discharge outlet means is of sufficiently small diameter to provide a metered discharge of fluid through the outlet means. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 13, wherein the second discharge outlet means is of sufficiently large diameter to allow a continuous stream discharge of fluid through the outlet when a sufficiently large external collapsing force is applied to the collapsible bottle. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 5, wherein the cap further comprises a flat outer surface on which to balance and bear the weight of the bottle when resting on a substantially flat surface, when the cap is in the closed position. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 8, wherein the hinge means comprises a living hinge integral with cap and retaining ring; the hinge having a natural resistance to hinged rotation when the cap is in the closed position; the hinge having a natural resistance to hinged rotation when the cap is in the open position; and being smoothly hingedly rotatable between the closed and open positions. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 1, wherein the resilient nozzle member is composed of an elastomeric material having a memory for a normal shape. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 1, wherein the collapsible bottle is filled with a saline solution. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 17, wherein the second discharge outlet is an outlet aperture having an area substantially equal to that of a circle of 1.575mm (.062 inch) diameter. The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 1, wherein the first discharge outlet comprises a plurality of apertures (22). The self-closing bottle assembly of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of apertures is located within the means for providing an air-tight interlocking seal.

Inventors: LOTURCO, RAYMOND A.
Applicants: BLAIREX LABORATORIES INC.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B65D35
IPC codes: B65D47, A61J1