Dropper bottle for two products to be mixed prior to use

Abstract: A bottle (1) designed to contain two substances to be mixed immediately prior to use so as to obtain a medicine or cosmetic, the first contained in a reservoir (7) having a diaphragm bottom (8) that shears as a result of down-thrust applied to the top of a cap (16) consisting of a tear-off warranty seal (20) advantageously interposed, for tearing off, between the lower extremity of the cap itself and a lower annular element (26) anchored to the lower part of said reservoir; it being envisaged that the mixing of the two substances and the removal of the cap cannot take place without the warranty seal being torn off. For use in the fields of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Description: The invention concerns a dropping bottle particularly for pharmaceutical products which, prior to use, are activated by being mixed together, namely, a deformable plastic container, generally containing a liquid substance, into which another, generally powdery, substance contained in a reservoir above is precipitated, following the partial thrust-shearing of the diaphragm forming the bottom of said reservoir by the lower cutting end of the dropper sliding inside the reservoir itself: the top end of said dropper being covered by a cap which also serves to apply down-thrust to the dropper; the liquid substance and the powdery one, or also two liquid substances, being of a medicinal or cosmetic nature. There is known from EP-A-0 217 425 a dropping bottle as described in the preamble of claim 1; it is provided with a cap, reservoir and dropper assembly comprising a reservoir fitted with a collar adapted for resting on the mouth of the bottle, a delivery piston the lower part of which is shaped in the form of a flute mouthpiece and the upper part of which is shaped in the form of a collar and a cap the lower part of which is in the form of a removable strip, the delivery piston being equipped in its upper part with a dropper. However, such a dropping bottle is difficult to use, because the dropper and the reservoir may easily fall down from the bottle when the latter is overturned to dispense droplets through the dropper; the user is then obliged to press the dropper and the reservoir against the neck of the bottle with his fingers when he uses the dropping bottle. Such prior art may be subject to considerable improvements with a view to eliminating the drawbacks outlined above. From the foregoing emerges the need to resolve the technical problem of finding a dropping bottle which can be overturned during use, without the need of holding the dropper and the reservoir in position on to the neck of the bottle, once the cap has been removed. The invention resolves said technical problem by adopting a dropping bottle particularly for pharmaceutical products to be activated by mixing prior to use, comprising a deformable bottle body, a reservoir containing the substance to be mixed and having a lower extremity closed by a diaphragm which can be partly thrust-sheared by means of a rigid dropper having a hollow cylindrical body with a chisel-shaped bottom end, said dropper being located inside the reservoir to selectively slide towards the diaphragm, the top end of said dropper being connected to a cap which seals and protects the dropper and is adapted to be pushed together with the dropper towards the diaphragm, the internal surface of said cap being slidably coupled with the outer surface of said reservoir, an annular element being interposed between the bottom end of said cap and the rim of the bottle neck to form a tear-off warranty seal detaching from said cap along a circumference, designed to shear as required, the bottom of said annular element being anchored to the reservoir or to the bottle neck, so preventing any push-pull axial movement of the cap, characterized in that the reservoir is secured to the neck of the bottle body by means of a union, the hollow cylindrical body of the dropper being provided with an upper outer ring and a lower outer ring forming a watertight seal between said hollow cylindrical body and the reservoir. The advantages of the invention are: significantly increased ease of use of the dropping bottle; elimination of the danger of a fortuitous falling down of the dropper and reservoir when the dropping bottle is used; possibility of mounting the reservoir the dropper and the cap of the bottle as unit in a single operation onto the bottle neck. Some embodiments of the invention are illustrated, by way of example, in the four pages of drawing attached, in which: Figure 1 is the enlarged axial section of the top part of the bottle, fitted with a mixing device with tamper-proof seal, in the embodiment wherein the lower end of the cap comprises a warranty seal with below it a separable annular element and with a union to the neck integral with the reservoir: the whole as it appears before use; Figure 2 is a section as in Figure 1, but in the mixing phase prior to use; Figure 3 is a part-sectional view of the whole of the element that actuates, protects and offers warranty and also serves as a plug; Figure 4 is the cross-section IV-IV of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a partial section of the rigid body of the dropper for dispensing measured drops having a funnel at the top and a perforator at the bottom; Figure 6 is a partial section of the reservoir containing the substance to be fed into the body of the bottle below and mounted on the neck of said bottle; Figure 7 is a partial section of the body, incomplete, of the bottle generally containing liquid; Figure 8 is a section as in Figure 1, but restricted to the upper middle part, in an embodiment of the bottle that has the lower annular section of the multi-function hollow cylindrical element integral with the union to the neck of the bottle; Figure 9 is an analogous section of another embodiment, in which said union is independent both of said hollow cylindrical element and of the body of the reservoir; Figure 10 is an analogous section of another embodiment, wherein the lower part of the cap has a warranty seal of which the lower separable ring extends and broadens into a sort of cap enclosing the union, integral with the reservoir, mounted on the neck; Figure 11 is an analogous section of another embodiment, simplified with respect to that of Figure 1, wherein the warranty seal is without a separable lower annular section. It is to be noted that the embodiment of Figure 11 can be combined with that of Figure 9, wherein the neck union is independent of the reservoir. The figures show: the body of the bottle 1, having a neck 2, for example with a lower locating ring 3 acting as an assembly bearing; one or more annular projections or threads 4 connecting with a union 5 having a watertight inner lip 6 of the hollow cylindrical body 7 of the dispenser of the substance, be it liquid, powder or solid, to be mixed with the liquid in the bottle below; a diaphragm 8 with a predetermined peripheral shear-line, supporting the substance contained in the chamber 9 of the reservoir 7; a hollow, cylindrical intermediate body 10 of the dropper, a bottom end being chisel-shaped so as to shear the diaphragm 8; an upper funnel 12 of the body 10, acting as a dropper; a ring 13 forming the outside edge of the funnel 12 to arrest the downstroke of the dropper once shearing is complete; an upper outer ring 14 and a lower ring 15 respectively of the hollow cylindrical body 10 of the dropper forming a watertight seal; a multi-function hollow cylindrical element 16, in the form of a cap, with a top end 17 incorporating a stopper 18 for the dropper funnel 12 and a watertight bushing 19; a warranty-seal 20 being an extension downwards of said cap 16 and separable from it by tearing along the circumferences 21, 22, designed to shear after removal of the tabs 23 straddling the vertical line between the edges of said seal; two sectorial annular portions 24 of the hollow cylindrical body 7 of the reservoir, acting as an air-vent where necessary, as in the case of freeze-drying; a lower outer ring 25 of the hollow cylindrical body 7 of the reservoir to anchor, on assembly, a separable lower annular section 26 of the cap 16 to the body 7 of said reservoir by means of a lower inner ring 27 of the lower annular section 26 destined, initially, to prevent the cap 16, or multi-function element 16, 20, 26, from sliding off, being anchored under said outer ring 25; an outer base-ring 28 of the element 26 to suspend it during advancement on assembly; a lower annular section 29 (Figure 8) of the multi-function hollow cylindrical element 16, integral with the union to the neck 2 of the bottle 1; a hollow cylindrical body 30 of the reservoir without the union 5; a flat lower ring 30a of the reservoir 30 lodging in a step in the rim of the neck 2; a sleeve coupling 31 (Figure 9) securing the hollow cylindrical body 7 of the reservoir to the neck 2 of the bottle 1 rendered independent of said body; a lower section 32 (Figure 10) of the hollow cylindrical element 16, below the warranty seal 20, in the shape of a separable ring extending downwards to form a cap; a lower inner ring 32a of the cap 32 anchored in undercut under the union 5 of the reservoir; a lower part 33 (Figure 11) of the hollow cylindrical device 16, acting as a warranty-seal and anchoring ring. It is to be noted that, in two of the embodiments, the separable lower annular section below the warranty seal is anchored to the body 7 of the reservoir (Figures 1, 9); in the embodiment of Figure 8, the separable annular section of the warranty seal is anchored to the neck of the bottle 1; in the embodiment of Figure 10, said separable annular section is anchored under the bottom lip of the union 5 of the body 7 of the reservoir to the neck 2; in the embodiment of Figure 11, with said lower annular section missing, the warranty seal 33 is anchored to the body 7 of the reservoir.

Claims: A dropping bottle particularly for pharmaceutical products to be activated by mixing prior to use, comprising a deformable bottle body (1), a reservoir (7) containing the substance to be mixed and having a lower extremity closed by a diaphragm (8) which can be partly thrust-sheared by means of a rigid dropper (10, 11) having a hollow cylindrical body (10) with a chisel-shaped bottom end (11), said dropper being located inside the reservoir (7) to selectively slide towards the diaphragm (8), the top end of said dropper being connected to a cap (16) which seals and protects the dropper (10, 11) and is adapted to be pushed together with the dropper towards the diaphragm (8), the internal surface of said cap (16) being slidably coupled with the outer surface of said reservoir (7), an annular element (20, 33) being interposed between the bottom end of said cap (16) and the rim of the bottle neck (2) to form a tear-off warranty seal detaching from said cap along a circumference (21), designed to shear as required, the bottom of said annular element (20, 33) being anchored to the reservoir (7) or to the bottle neck (2), so preventing any push-pull axial movement of the cap (16), characterized in that the reservoir (7) is secured to the neck (2) of the bottle body (1) by means of a union (5; 30b; 31), the hollow cylindrical body (10) of the dropper (10, 11) being provided with an upper outer ring (14) and a lower outer ring (15) forming a watertight seal between said hollow cylindrical body (10) and the reservoir (7). A dropping bottle, according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the reservoir (7) is provided with two sectorial annular portions (24) acting as air vents. A dropping bottle, according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower portion of said reservoir (7) constitutes said union (5). A dropping bottle, according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said warranty seal consists of a tear-off ring (20) delimited top and bottom by two circumferences (21, 22) designed to shear as required: the lower circumference (22) separating said warranty seal from a lower annular section (26), having an inner ring (27) lodging securely under a lower ring (25) forming a rib on the outer surface of the reservoir (7). A dropping bottle, according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said warranty seal consists of a tear-off ring (20) delimited top and bottom by two circumferences (21, 22) designed to shear as required: the lower circumference (22) separating said warranty seal from said union (29, 30b). A dropping bottle, according to claim 3, wherein said warranty seal consists of a tear-off ring (20) delimited top and bottom by two circumferences (21, 22) designed to shear as required: the lower circumference (22) separating said warranty seal from a separable ring (32) extending downward to form a cap encasing said union (5), the lower inner lip (32a) of said cap, being anchored in undercut under said union of the reservoir.

Inventors: FABBRI EVRO, FERRARI GIOVANNI, FONTANA ANTONIO, FABBRI, EVRO, FERRARI, GIOVANNI, FONTANA, ANTONIO
Applicants: LAMEPLAST SRL, LAMEPLAST S.R.L.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B65D51
IPC codes: B65D51