AN EYE-RINSING DEVICE

Abstract: A device for rinsing eyes with a spray of rinsing liquid, comprising a spray bottle (1) prefilled with rinsing liquid and a pressurised gaseous propellant. The device includes a valve which is biased towards a closed state and which opens in response to manual actuation through the medium of a valve pipe projecting outwardly in a direction towards the interior of the bottle. The valve (2) is connected to a spray nozzle (3) which forms a spray jet from the finely divided liquid ejected from the bottle via the valve and said nozzle. The device includes means (5, 7) for latching the valve (2) in its open position.

Description: AN EYE-RINSING DEVICE The present invention relates to an eye-rinsing device of the kind defined in the preamble of Claim 1. It is known, for instance, from EP 685 218 to eye rinse with a jet of finely divided liquid ejected from a pre-pressurised spray container. The spray container, or bottle, contains a propellant gas and a rinsing liquid of appropriate composition that can remain sterile for a long period of time. The valve on the spray bottle can be actuated by the user, for instance with the same hand as that in which the bottle is held. The actual spray jet has a low pressure and provides for effective rinsing despite the relatively low rate of liquid flow. A 600 ml spray bottle can thus provide effective eye rinsing continuously for 15-20 minutes. One problem with eye-rinsing devices of this kind is that its conventional valve is biased towards a closed position, meaning that the valve must constantly be actuated manually to keep the valve open and therewith pass liquid to and through a spray nozzle, which may be mounted on a valve pipe which projects out from the bottle and by means of which the valve can be opened by displacing the valve pipe towards the interior of the bottle. One object of the present invention is to develop an eye spray bottle of the aforesaid kind with which subsequent to having been opened, the valve is latched automatically in its open state. A further object of the present invention is to provide a device which facilitates initial activation of the spray bottle for initial opening of the valve. These objects are achieved with a device according to the accompanying Claim 1. Further developments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying independent Claims. The invention is based on the use of a conventional spray bottle of the kind that contains a sterile eye-rinsing liquid and a propellant gas. The spray bottle includes a valve that is biased axially towards a closed state. The valve has a liquid-conducting valve pipe which projects out from the bottle and which constitutes the moveable valve actuating element. The valve opens when the valve pipe is moved towards the bottle interior. The valve pipe is connected to a spray nozzle, which is typically mounted on the outer end of the pipe. A particular feature of the invention resides in the provision of the bottle with means for latching the valve pipe in its inwardly moved, valve opening position. This obviates the need for the user to manually actuate the valve in order to keep the valve open. The spray bottle is then able to deliver an effective eye-rinsing spray over a long period of time. In one embodiment of the invention, the aforesaid means may comprise a non-return latch that acts directly on the valve pipe in a manner to prevent the pipe from moving back to the valve closing position under the influence of said bias. In the case of a further embodiment, said means may comprise a cap which is threaded over the pipe-carried nozzle, said cap having an opening in alignment with the nozzle delivery orifice. The cap has a skirt that extends down into a neck that projects out from the bottle and surrounds the valve pipe. The skirt has a radially outward projection that engages in a corresponding recess in the neck when the cap has been pressed down to an extent at which the valve is opened, via the valve and the valve pipe. The device may also include a suspension arrangement in the form of a cradle that supports one or two spray bottles for pivotal movement towards an end position, said cradle being adapted to cause actuation of the bottle valve arrangement when swinging to said end position, so as to open the valve. The cradle may also include means for latching the cradle automatically in its end position, which is chosen to direct the spray jets for purposeful eye rinsing when the cradle is attached to a wall at a height level immediately beneath head level. The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing. Fig. 1 is a schematic axial sectioned view of a spray bottle that includes an inventive valve latching arrangement. Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 1 but showing another embodiment of a valve latching arrangement. Fig. 3 is a front view of a spray bottle suspension arrangement in accordance with the invention. Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line IV-IV in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows the suspension arrangement when lifted to its activated end position. Fig. 6 illustrates part of the suspension arrangement. Fig. 7 illustrates a variant of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 illustrates a variant of the subject of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 illustrates schematically a spray bottle 1 , which is conventional per se and which contains a sterile high-rinsing liquid and a pressurised gas. The bottle includes a valve 2 which is fitted with a valve pipe 21. The valve pipe 21 carries a spray nozzle 3 that has a passageway 31 that terminates with a spray jet 32. The valve 2 opens to eject a jet of finely divided liquid droplets via the jet orifice 32 when the valve 2, and the valve pipe 21, is moved towards the bottle interior. It will be seen that the nozzle 3 is received inwardly of a neck or annular coaming 4 that surrounds the valve pipe 21 and the valve 2. A conical ring-shaped washer 5 has a throughpassing opening that embraces the pipe 21. Slots extend radially from the opening 51 to form resilient latching tongues 52. The washer 5 is connected to the bottle 1 via a sleeve 6. The resilient tongues extend towards the pipe 21 at an angle which is selected to enable the pipe 21 to be moved towards the interior of the bottle 21 but to latch the pipe against movement in the reverse direction. Subsequent to an operator having opened the valve 2 by pressing the valve pipe 21 down against its spring bias, the latching tongues 52 will engage the surface of the pipe 21 and therewith prevent the pipe from returning to a valve closing position. Fig. 2 illustrates a variaαt in which the conical annular washer 5 is omitted and is substituted with a valve \ at or cap 7 instead. The cap 7 receives the nozzle 3 and has a tubular skirt 71 which surrounds the valve body 3 and is received inwardly of the neck 4. The inside of the rim of the neck 4 has an undercut 71 Provided on the outside of the skirt 71 is a circumferentially extending latch lip 72 which narrows in a direction towards the free edge of the skirt 71. As the cap 7 is pressed down, and therewith also the nozzle body 3 and the valve pipe 21, the lip 72 is caused to move past the inner edge-bead 42 of the neck 4, and engages the undercut 41 in a displacement position in which the valve 2 has been brought to an open position. The skirt 71 has an opening 73 which lies in alignment with the nozzle orifice 32. The cap 7 has a bottom plate 75 which includes an opening 76 whose function will be described here below. Figs. 3-5 show a wall attachment 8 that includes a cradle 9 which is pivotally connected to the attachment 8 through the medium of a horizontal hinge 10 positioned beneath an outwardly projecting support strip 11. The cradle 9 is provided on its underside with a support leg 12 which is connected to the cradle 9 via a hinge 13, at a level beneath the hinge 10. The support leg 12 can be raised to lie against the underside of the cradle 9 and can be lowered to an end position shown in Fig. 5. The cradle 9 carries a raised rim 91 at its lower free end and is provided with spring clips 92 on its upper side for securing a pair of mutually adjacent bottles 1 each including a cap 7 according to Fig. 2. The attachment means 8 will normally be positioned vertically and fitted to a wall so as to allow the cradle 9 to hang vertically and support the bottles 1 in a vertical position. A user is able to grip the bottom part of the cradle 9 and lift the cradle up to the position shown in Fig. 5, wherewith the support leg swings down about the hinge 13 and prevents the cradle 9 from swinging back to its vertical position. As the cradle 9 is swung up, the bottom of the bottle 1 will strike the support strip 11 and therewith cause the bottle to be subjected to an axial compression force between the raised rim 91 and the support strip 11, therewith opening the valve 2. The lengths of the support leg 12 and the end position to which the cradle is swung are adapted to hold the cradle in the end position shown in Fig. 5, in which the spray jets are directed obliquely upwards and outwards from the wall attachment. The spacing between the bottles corresponds to the distance between the user's eyes. The attachment 8 is mounted at an appropriate height above the floor to allow a user to easily expose his eyes to both of the obliquely and upwardly directed spray jets. The raised rim 91 has guide pins 96 that engage in an opening 76 in the cap 7 so that the nozzle and the bottle 1 will be positioned correctly in the cradle. Fig. 7 illustrates a modification to the embodiment shown in Figs. 3-5. In the case of this modified version, the cradle is raised against the wall attachment about a hinge 10 at the bottom end of the cradle. The cradle carries at its free end a spring arm 18 that includes a recess which faces towards an receives a projection 19 on said attachment, when the cradle is in its upper end position. The cradle includes a handle 17 (not referenced in the Figure) which facilitates release of the catch means 18, 19, upon which the cradle falls under its own weight to an end position which is determined by the placement of said hinge and in which the bottom of the bottle strikes the abutment means so as to open the valve, wherein the spray jet will have the desired direction. Fig. 8 illustrates a conventional spray bottle that includes a spray valve and which is supplemented with a latching arrangement 50 according to the invention. The bottle 1 has at its upper end a central valve 2 that includes an axially projecting valve pipe 21 which functions to open the valve 2 when moved axially towards the bottle 1. The valve pipe is spring-biased towards a valve closing position. A cap 7 is fitted over the valve 2, 21 and the edge 78 of the cap is firmly connected to the coaming 4. A part 71 of the bottom of the cap 7 is pivotally connected at 72 to the upper part of the outer surface 73 of the cap so that it can swing towards and away from the valve pipe 21. This part 71 includes a spray nozzle 32 in a flow passageway 33 that connects with a passageway 34 which is defined by a tubular conduit 75 that projects down from said part 71 and that sealingly embraces the upper end of the valve pipe 21. The passageway 34 defined by the conduit 75 is widened in the lower part of said conduit, wherewith the junction or transition thus formed forms a shoulder 76 which supports against the upper end of the valve pipe 21. The inventive latching sleeve 50 has a lower end 52 which surrounds the cylindrical wall of a forwardly projecting part of the valve 2 and is firmly connected to said wall. The upper end part 53 of the sleeve 50 surrounds the conduit 75 and has barbs 57 which enable the conduit 75 to be driven into the upper end part 53 of the sleeve when the valve 2 is activated by pressing the cap part 71 down against the bottle 1. These barbs 57 prevent withdrawal of the conduit 75, therewith ensuring that the valve 2 will remain open even when the load on the cap part 71 is removed.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A device for rinsing eyes with a jet of finely divided rinsing liquid, wherein the device includes a spray bottle (1) that is pre-filled with rinsing liquid and a pressurised gaseous propellant and that includes a valve which is biased towards its closed state and which is opened when actuated manually by moving an outwardly projecting valve pipe towards the interior of the bottle, and wherein the valve (2) is connected to a spray nozzle (3) which forms a spray jet from the finely divided liquid exiting from the bottle via said valve and said nozzle, characterised by elements (5, 7, 50) that function to latch the valve (2) in its open state. 2. A device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the latching elements comprise a cap (7) which receives the valve body (3) mounted on the valve pipe (21) and which has an opening (73) in alignment with the valve body ejection orifice (32); in that the cap (7) includes a skirt (71) which is received in a neck collar that surrounds the valve (2); and in that the skirt has a radial projection (72) that engages in a recess (41) on the inside of the neck collar when the cap has been displaced to a valve opening position together with the valve body (7) and the valve pipe (21). 3. A device according to Claim 2, characterised in that the latching elements comprise a conical ring washer (5) which sealingly embraces the valve pipe (21) and has radial slots which define latching tongues (52), wherein the conical ring (5) is connected to the bottle (I) and forms a non-return catch that prevents the valve pipe (21) from returning to its valve closing position subsequent to actuation of the valve. 4. A device according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that the bottle (1) is carried on a cradle (9, 91); in that the cradle (9) is pivotally connected (10) at its bottle-carrying end to a wall attachment (8); in that said attachment (8) includes an abutment element (11); in that the cradle includes a latch arrangement (12, 13) which latches the cradle releasably in a first end position relative to the wall attachment, said cradle carrying at its other end a support (91) which supports against the cap (7); and in that the abutment element (11) is positioned so as to cause the bottle (1) to be subjected to an axial compression force between the support element (91) and the abutment element (I I) such as to activate the valve (2) when the cradle (9) is swung to a second end position in which the spray jet ejected from the bottle is directed obliquely upwards and away from the wall on which the wall attachment is mounted. 5. A device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the cradle supports two bottles adjacent one another and in similar positions with a centre distance between the bottles (1) corresponding to the distance between the eyes of a user. 6. A device according to Claim 4 or 5, characterised in that the support element (91) has a guide pin (96) that engages in a corresponding guide opening (76) in the bottom of the cap (7), so as to bring the bottle to a position of orientation in which the spray jet is directed in a vertical plane. 7. A device according to any one of Claims 4-6, characterised in that in its first position said cradle is connected to the wall attachment with the aid of releasable latching elements (18, 18). 8. A device according to Claim 7, characterised in that in its first position the bottom end of the cradle is connected pivotally (10) to the wall attachment; and in that the cradle (9) carries an entrainer (17). 9 A device according to Claim 1 or 4, characterised in that the latching elements include a sleeve (50) which is fixedly connected at one end (52) to the spray bottle (1) coaxially with the valve pipe (21); and in that the valve actuator (21, 26) is received in the other end part (53) of said sleeve (50), said other end part being provided with barbs (57) that allow the actuating elements (21, 75) to enter the sleeve (50) and therewith open the valve (2), but prevent withdrawal of the actuating elements (21, 75) from said sleeve (50).

Inventors: JOSEFSON HANS, JOSEFSON, HANS
Applicants: JOSEFSON HANS, JOSEFSON, HANS
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A61H35
IPC codes: A61H35, B65D83