Patent Number: 
Section: description

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the storage and dispatch container consists of a main body 1 with a capillary tube 8 for the uptake of the radiation sources 15. The radiation sources 15 (cylindrical tube sections) are arranged end-to-end in a quartz glass capillary tube 8 which is enveloped by the main body of the container for reasons of radiation safety and visibility. This part is fully symmetrical apart from an appropriate mark in the form of a groove on the internal diameter of the acrylic glass main body 1 to show the level of contents. Storage and transport of the radiation sources 15 fundamentally takes place with the main axis in a vertical position. The lower end (standing surface) of this tube-in-tube combination is closed by a cylindrical lower end-piece 2 made of aluminum. The internal tubular section of the glass capillary tube 8 continues eccentrically with a smaller diameter inside this lower end-piece 2 and finishes in a commercially available fluid-medium connection 4 (quick coupling) by means of which catheters, syringes or similar items may be connected. Suitable transport media, air for example, can be introduced via this medium connection 4 in order to expel the radiation sources 15 out of the container. The lower end-piece 2 is attached to the main body 1 with two screws 6. The opposite end of the tube-in-tube combination is also closed by a cylindrical upper end-piece 3 made of aluminum. The internal diameter of the glass capillary tube 8 continues concentrically inside it. The said tubular section serves the input and output of the radiation sources 15. This tube is closed by a plunger 10 which is self-actuated by the force of the compression spring 11 and can only be opened using a corresponding counterpart, here the adapter 16. The opening is achieved by a wedge effect. The plunger 10 has the lateral effect of a slide valve and is guided by a bush. A clamping ring 9 secures the spring 11 and the plunger 10 against loss. This end-piece is also attached to the main body 1 with two screws 7. Another possibility of connecting the upper and lower end-pieces 3, 2 to the main body 1 consists of direct screwing/gluing to the main body 1. The screws 6 and 7 then become redundant. The two sealing rings 5 hold the quartz glass capillary tube 8 firmly between the upper and lower end-pieces 3 and 2 respectively. A cylindrical closure cap 13 protects the accurately drilled channel in the upper end-piece 3 from contamination. The said cap is pressed against the upper end-piece 3 using a ball catch 14. The following is a description of the input/output of the radiation sources 15 in the storage and dispatch container using an adapter as shown in FIG. 2. The storage and dispatch container with its accurately broached channel is pushed onto the neck 17 of the adapter (against the resistance of the seal) after removal of the closure cap 13. The plunger 10 is moved during this process, thus allowing free access to the input channel. A precondition for this is that the slide valve 18 is set at xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d (prior to connection). Held like this by an expedient device, the slide valve 18 can be moved to the closed position (safe) by hand or other contrivance. The chamfered edge of the oblong hole in the slide valve 18 is pressed against the edge of the upper end-piece 3 in this case, as shown in FIG. 3, thus holding the container pressed against the neck 17. The input channel is opened in true alignment in this way. Radiation sources can be conveyed into the storage and dispatch container by installing a catheter 19 on the headpiece 16 of an adapter using a catheter-adapter 20 and by using a transport medium, air for example. The container can be unloaded under the precondition that a suitable transport medium is attached to the medium connection 4 of the storage and dispatch container and that a corresponding collection container is located at the end of the catheter 19. The container can be dismantled to its component parts and cleaned so that it can be used again after exchanging the xe2x80x9cradiation damagedxe2x80x9d parts. The container can be utilized for beta-emitting radiation sources. The said container can also be used for storage and dispatch of gamma-emitters of different photon energy if lead acrylic glass, for example, is used as the material of the main body 1, or for changing the wall thickness of the main body 1 and/or the capillary tube 8. As can be seen in FIG. 3, The locking and opening device consists of a cylindrical headpiece 16 and the cover 22 which is designed as a round metal washer. The headpiece 16 and cover 22 are joined together with screws 21. A slide valve 18 embedded in the headpiece 16 runs between headpiece 16 and cover 22. The slide valve 18 projects from opposite sides of the headpiece 16/cover 22 so that it can be pushed back and forth by the wings 18a and 18b. The slide valve 18 possesses a cylindrical pin acting as the cut-off needle 26 which projects into the side of the input/output channel 23 of the neck 17 in the opened condition of the said device thus blocking the input/output channel 23. All three designated parts, the headpiece 16, slide valve 18 and cover 22, possess a centralized opening designed as a drill hole which accommodates the opening of the correspondingly designed container. The slide valve is designed in such a way that the said drill hole is oblong and tapers somewhat. This taper is chamfered in the direction of the headpiece 16. The locking and opening device is intended for operation with the axis in the vertical direction. The neck 17 with the input/output channel 23 for radiation sources is anchored in the headpiece 16. The neck 17 is an cylindrical alignment insert which can be introduced into a correspondingly aligned socket of the container thus providing a truly aligned connection to the input/output channel 23 of the container. In addition to the input/output channel 23 in the center, the neck 17 also possesses four flutes in the main axis direction in order to counteract the suction effect of coupling and uncoupling as well as a transverse drilling in the upper part to accommodate the cut-off needle 26. The headpiece also possesses the insertion opening 24 for catheter adapter 20 of the catheter tube through which the radioactive radiation sources are fed in or out. The said catheter adapter 20 is secured with a set screw. The loading and unloading process is described in the following. The container has to be pushed onto the neck 17 in order to fix the container in the locking and opening device as shown in FIG. 4. A lock on the container is self-actuated and moved during this process, thus allowing free access to the input/output channel 23. A precondition for this is that the slide valve 18 is set in the position xe2x80x9cstation openxe2x80x9d as shown in FIG. 5. The slide valve 18 can now be moved to the position xe2x80x9cstation closedxe2x80x9d. The cut-off needle 26 is pulled back at the same time in this process and allows free access to the input/output channel 23 in neck 17. The previously described chamfered edge of the oblong hole in the slide valve 18 now presses against an edge of the container, thus keeping the latter pressed under tension against the neck 17. The input/output channel 23 is opened with true alignment. Provided a suitable transport medium is connected and the catheter 13 is attached by its catheter adapter 20 to the headpiece 16, the radioactive radiation sources can now be conveyed into or out of the said container. The invention is not confined to the exemplary embodiments shown here. On the contrary, it is possible to achieve other variants of the embodiments by combination and modification of the designated means and features without departing from the framework of the invention.