Abstract:
A medicine bottle assembly includes a medicine bottle having a storage cavity and an outlet port, with the outlet port disposed on an exterior of the bottle and in fluid communication with the storage cavity. Liquid medicament is disposed in the storage cavity and defines a current fluid level. The outlet port is advantageously disposed entirely below the current fluid level and oriented generally upward. The outlet port is operative to selectively allow flow of the medicament out of the bottle. The assembly may further include a needless syringe having an angled tip. The exterior of the bottle may include a recess disposed above the outlet port, with the recess adapted to receive and retain the syringe. The recess is advantageously aligned with the outlet port. Other aspects and methods are also disclosed.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/905,376, filed 7 Mar. 2007. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to medicine dispensers, and more particularly to devices for extracting liquid medicine from container bottles. 
         [0003]    Prior to administering liquid medicine to children, invalids, and the like, it is frequently necessary to first draw the medicine from the container bottle into a syringe. Use of the syringe allows for proper dosing to be more readily achieved, and facilitates administration to patients, like children, who may have trouble with or resist other oral administration techniques. And, for many liquid medicament therapies, administering a precise dosage is essential to success of the treatment. 
         [0004]    The syringes employed for such use are typically referred to as needleless syringes. Typically, these syringes have a blunt-tipped nose which is advanced into the bottle. Then, the plunger of the syringe is manipulated to draw a precise amount of liquid into the chamber of the syringe&#39;s barrel. The syringe is next withdrawn from the bottle and used to administer the dosage of liquid medicament to the patient. 
         [0005]    However, the syringe and bottle combination is not always easy to use. For example, two hands may be needed to draw medicine with the syringe, one to hold the barrel, and one to pull the plunger; this leaves no hand to hold the medicine bottle. Also, if the bottle is full, it is easy to over-insert the syringe, thereby spilling some of the medicament. Conversely, when the level of medicament in the bottle is low, the task of holding the bottle in a tilted orientation while operating the syringe at the same time can prove difficult. Further, it is difficult to see the fluid level in the syringe with the syringe inserted in the bottle. 
         [0006]    Thus, there remains a need for alternative approaches to medicine dispensing, advantageously approaches that allow for greater ease of use with medicines that are administered with needleless syringes and stored in container bottles. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    In some, but not necessarily all embodiments, the present invention provides a medicine bottle assembly that allows the syringe to be easily filled with medicament stored from a container bottle, and for the fluid level in the syringe to be easily viewable during the filling process. 
         [0008]    In one illustrative embodiment, a medicine bottle assembly comprises a medicine bottle having an interior storage cavity and an outlet port, the outlet port disposed on an exterior of the bottle and in fluid communication with the storage cavity. Liquid medicament is disposed in the storage cavity and defines a current fluid level. The outlet port is disposed entirely below the current fluid level and oriented generally upward. The outlet port is operative to selectively allow flow of the medicament out of the bottle. A valve may be disposed proximate the outlet port and be operative to control flow of the medicament through the outlet port. The assembly may further include a needless syringe having an angled tip. The valve may be automatically responsive to insertion of a hollow syringe tip thereinto to allow the medicament to flow out the outlet port. The exterior of the bottle may include a recess disposed above the outlet port, with the recess adapted to receive and retain a needless syringe. The recess is advantageously aligned with the outlet port. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of dispensing medicine from a container bottle. The method comprises: inserting a tip of a needless syringe into an outlet port; the outlet port disposed at a level below a current fill level of medicament stored in the bottle and oriented generally vertically upward; moving an amount of medicament from the bottle into the syringe while the syringe is mated to the outlet port; decoupling the syringe from the outlet port; and thereafter, expelling medicament from the syringe. The method may further include retaining the syringe in a recess formed on an exterior of the bottle during the moving of an amount of medicament from the bottle into the syringe. The method may further include disposing the syringe so that graduation markings associated therewith are visible during the moving an amount of medicament from the bottle into the syringe. 
         [0010]    In another embodiment, a medicine bottle assembly comprises a medicine bottle having an interior storage cavity and an exterior surface. Liquid medicament is disposed in the storage cavity. A needless syringe is removably coupled to the bottle. The bottle exterior surface defines a recess sized and configured to receive the syringe. The syringe is disposed in the recess and is in operative fluid communication with the medicament in the storage cavity. 
         [0011]    Other aspects of various embodiments of the inventive apparatus and related methods are also disclosed in the following description. The various aspects may be used alone or in any combination, as is desired. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a medicine bottle assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the syringe mated to the bottle. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the bottle of  FIG. 1  with the filling cap removed. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows a partial cross-section of the bottle along line III-III of  FIG. 2  with the valve in the sealing position. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  shows a bottom view of one embodiment of a flexible membrane. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  shows a partial cross-section of the bottle along line III-III of  FIG. 2  with the valve in the dispensing position. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  shows a syringe. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  shows a side view of a medicine bottle assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention, with the syringe being filled. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a bottle suitable for another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  shows another embodiment of a syringe inserted in another embodiment of a bottle recess. 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  shows a view similar to  FIG. 3  where the valve employs another embodiment of a flexible membrane. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    In some, but not necessarily all embodiments, the present invention provides a medicine bottle assembly that allows the syringe to be easily filled with medicament stored in a container bottle, and for the fluid level in the syringe to be easily viewable during the filling process. The bottle advantageously includes an outlet port that is disposed below the fluid level of the medicament in the bottle so that the medicament is easily provided to the syringe during the syringe filling process. In addition, a recess in the bottle is aligned with the outlet port, and the syringe is releasably captured in the recess, for storage and/or during the syringe filling process. The syringe advantageously includes graduation markings that are visible while the syringe is disposed in the recess. An valve, advantageously an automatic valve, controls flow of medicament through the outlet port so that medicament may flow when the syringe is inserted into the outlet port, but is prevented from doing so when the syringe is absent. The various aspects of the present invention, such as the location of the outlet port, and the presence and/or configuration of the recess, may be used alone or in any combination, as is desired. 
         [0023]    One illustrative embodiment of a medicine bottle assembly according to the invention is shown in  FIG. 1 , and generally indicated at  10 . The medicine bottle assembly  10  includes a bottle  20 , a valve  70 , and a syringe  100 . The bottle  20  includes a bottom  22 , a top  24 , an intervening sidewall  23 , and an interior storage cavity  30 . The bottom  22  is typically relatively flat so that the bottle  20  may be stably supported by a suitable tabletop or the like. The top  24  advantageously includes a fill opening  26  that leads to storage cavity  30 . Removable cap  28  may mate with bottle  20  to selectively close fill opening  26 , such as via external threads  27  on bottle. See  FIG. 2 . The removable cap  28  may advantageously take the form of a locking type cap that allows entry of air, but militates against liquid escape, of a type known in the art. The main portion of the bottle  20  may be generally cylindrical, but any other conventional medicine bottle shape may be used such as somewhat rectangular, etc. Indeed, the bottle  20  may have a shape suggestive of an animal, cartoon character, toy, or the like, if desired. Bottle exterior surface  40  advantageously includes a recess  42  on sidewall  23  for receiving syringe  100 , as discussed further below. The lower portion of bottle  20  includes an outwardly extending flange  50  having an aperture  54  through its top surface  52 , forming outlet port  60  as discussed further below. Bottle  20  may optionally include an additional rearwardly extending flange (not shown) for additional stability, if desired. This outlet port  60  is advantageously vertically aligned with recess  42 . Interior storage cavity  30  is defined by bottle  20 , and provides space for storing medicament  5 . A portion of storage cavity  30  extends into flange  50 , so that outlet port  60  may be in fluid communication with storage cavity  30 . The interior floor of storage cavity  30  may be advantageously sloped or otherwise contoured to encourage fluid flow toward flange  50 . The bottle  20  may be made from any suitable material known in the art, including glass and various polymer materials. 
         [0024]    The medicament  5  stored in bottle cavity  30  is liquid, and therefore fills bottle cavity  30  to a fluid fill level F that varies based on the amount of medicament  5  in bottle  20 . See  FIG. 1 . Flange  50  is located very low on bottle  20 , so that the outlet port  60  associated with flange  50  is disposed below the fluid level F of medicament  5  in bottle  20 , except when the bottle  20  is almost empty. Because the outlet port  60  is located below the fluid level F, and bottle  20  cavity  30  is subject to atmospheric pressure, medicament  5  is easily supplied to outlet port  60 . 
         [0025]    Valve  70  is mounted to bottle  20 , and provides a control means for controlling the flow of medicament  5  out of bottle  20  via outlet port  60 . Valve  70 , in one embodiment, includes an annular insert  72  and a flexible membrane  80 . See  FIG. 3 . Annular insert  72  is sized just smaller than bottle aperture  54  so as to fit therein. Annular insert  72  includes central bore  74  that is shaped and sized to accept nose  108  of syringe  100  in a sliding fit, as discussed below. In some embodiments, the annular insert  72  may be made of a slightly flexible material, and bore  74  may be slightly deformed by the insertion of syringe nose  108 , so that a peripheral seal is formed therebetween. The lower face of annular insert  70  may be flat or, more advantageously, is slightly downwardly tapered toward the axis  76  of bore  74 . Flexible membrane  80  includes a retaining section  82  and a sealing section  90 . Retaining section  82  is generally cylindrical in shape, with a generally “L” or “T” shaped cross-section. For the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , retaining section  82  includes a vertical wall  84  and a horizontal flange  86  extending from the upper portion of vertical wall  84 . Vertical wall  84  may advantageously include an outwardly extending rib  85  for mating with corresponding retaining groove  56  in the wall of aperture  54 . This rib  85  may be continuous, or may be formed in discrete sections, such as by a series of barbs. The upper face of rib  85  is advantageously relatively flat and oriented generally transverse to bore axis  76 . The lower face of rib  85  is advantageously angled, so as to facilitate the insertion of flexible membrane  80  into bottle aperture  54 . Horizontal flange  86  includes an outboard section  87  that overlies a portion of flange upper surface  52  proximate aperture  54 , and an inboard section  88  that overlies a portion of annular insert  72 . Sealing section  90 , in the embodiment of  FIGS. 3-5 , includes a peripheral rim  92 , a plurality of spokes or arms  94  leading to a central hub area  96 , and a plurality of intervening spaces or pores  98 . See  FIG. 4 . The peripheral rim  92  joins with, or is formed by, the lower portion of vertical wall  84 . Spokes  94  extend inward from rim  92  to central hub  96  and provide flexible support for hub  96 . Spokes  94  are spaced from one another so as to form a plurality of intervening spaces or pores  98 . It is intended that medicament  5  will flow through these pores  98  during the syringe filling process, as discussed further below. Central hub  96  is a solid area that is slightly larger in size than bore  74  and aligned therewith. In some embodiments, the central hub  96  may include a downwardly extending projection or area, which helps prevent over-extension of the flexible membrane  80  by abutting against the interior wall of bottle  20 . See  FIG. 5 . The flexible membrane  80  should be made from a suitable elastomeric material, such as neoprene, rubber, flexible nylon, or other elastic material suitable for contact with medicament. 
         [0026]    Flexible membrane  80  is moveable between a sealing position ( FIG. 3 ) and a dispensing position ( FIG. 5 ). The normal or natural position of flexible membrane  80  is the sealing position. In the sealing position, central hub  96  abuts bore  74  so as to seal off bore  74  from bottle cavity  30 . Thus, flexible membrane  80  acts to cut off fluid communication from bottle cavity  30  to bore  74  in the sealing position. It should be noted that the flexible membrane  80  is advantageously slightly distended by the presence of annular insert  72 , so the inherent material elasticity of flexible membrane  80  provides tensile forces that pull central hub  96  into abutment with bore  74  via spokes  94 . Flexible membrane  80  is moved from the sealing position to the dispensing position by insertion of the syringe nose  108  through bore  74 . Insertion of syringe nose  108 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , causes central hub  96  to be pushed away from bore  74 , thereby breaking the seal therebetween. When central hub  96  is pushed away from bore  74 , medicament  5  is able to flow from bottle storage cavity  30 , through pores  98 , and into syringe  100 . Note that horizontal flange  86  acts to keep flexible membrane  80  in position relative to bottle  20  during the insertion of syringe nose  108 . Upon withdrawal of the syringe  100 , flexible membrane  80  returns to the sealing position. 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , the syringe  100  is a needleless syringe having a barrel  102  and a moveable plunger  110 , as is conventional. The upper portion of barrel  102  is advantageously generally cylindrical with diameter D 2 , with outwardly extending flange  103 , and includes suitable graduation markings  104  to indicate the volume of liquid contained in barrel  102 . The lower portion of barrel  102  includes a tapering section  106  that leads to hollow nose or cannula  108 . The tip  109  of nose  108  is advantageously angled so that a portion may press against central hub  96 , while allowing a gap to be formed therebetween. See  FIG. 5 . The plunger  110  is moveably coupled to barrel  102 , and includes an upper flange  112 , a shaft  114 , and a suitable sealing tip  116 . Movement of the plunger  110  causes material to be pulled into or expelled from syringe  100  via nose  108  in a convention fashion. 
         [0028]    To use the medicine bottle  20  assembly, liquid medicament  5  is added to bottle  20 , via opening  26 , either by a user or at a factory or pharmacy. During this filling, the valve  70  is advantageously closed. Cap  28  is then secured in place. Assuming that syringe  100  is not connected to bottle  20 , syringe  100  is coupled to bottle  20  by snap-fitting syringe  100  into recess  42 . This snap fit connection may be achieved by having the entry to recess be sized slightly smaller than recess  42 . For example, recess  42  may be an partial-cylindrical channel with a cross-sectional diameter of D 1  about its longitudinal axis  44 , with D 1  advantageously the same as D 2  or just slightly larger than D 2 . Recess  42  may have an angular sweep of slightly greater than 180°, such that the width W of the lateral entry to recess  42  is slightly less than both D 1  and D 2 . See  FIG. 2 . Of course, recess  42  need not be partial-cylindrical, and other cross-sectional shapes, longitudinally uniform or otherwise, may be used if desired. As can be appreciated, the cross-sectional shape of recess advantageously mimics that of syringe barrel  102 . Advantageously, the material of bottle  20  proximate recess  42  is able to deflect slightly, so that the syringe barrel  102  is received into recess  42  in a snap-fit fashion. However, the grip of bottle  20  on syringe  100  is advantageously not so tight as to prevent movement (vertical in  FIG. 1 ) of syringe  100  along bore axis  76 . As such, when it is desired to dispense a measured portion of medicament  5 , syringe  100  may be pushed down toward outlet port  60 , so that nose  108  enters bore  74  of annular insert  72 , and displaces flexible membrane  80  to thereby automatically opens valve  70 . Advantageously, flange  103  on syringe  100  abuts against bottle top  24 , or some other suitable stop, so as to prevent over-insertion of syringe  100 . See  FIG. 1 . Additionally and/or alternatively, the hub  96  may abut against bottle  20  to aid in preventing over-insertion, as shown in  FIG. 5 . With syringe  100  inserted, the plunger  110  on syringe  100  is pulled upward to cause the medicament  5  to flow into syringe  100  from cavity  30  via pores  98  and outlet port  60 . Advantageously, the syringe&#39;s gradations  104  are visible during this filling process, so that the user may easily determine the amount of medicament  5  in the syringe  100  without having to remove the syringe  100 . During the syringe filling process, downward pressure on the syringe barrel  102  helps steady bottle  20 . In addition, the fluid pressure differential between the static “head” pressure of the fluid in the cavity  30  and the lack thereof in the syringe  100  helps move the medicament  5  to the syringe  100  during the syringe  100  filling process. Indeed, nothing but the static head pressure of the medicament  5  in cavity  30  is required to supply the medicament  5  to outlet port  60  when valve  70  is open. Once the desired amount of medicament  5  is dispensed, the syringe  100  may be decoupled from the bottle  20 , and the medicament  5  dispensed from the syringe  100  in a conventional fashion. Note that removal of the syringe  100  allows flexible membrane  80  to return to the sealing position, thereby automatically closing valve  70 . After dispensing the medicament  5  from the syringe  100 , the syringe  100  may optionally be cleaned and the re-coupled to the bottle  20  by snapping the syringe  100  into recess  42 . Thus, the recess  42  may be used to both store the syringe  100  and to support the syringe  100  during the syringe filling process. 
         [0029]    The discussion above has assumed that the outlet port  60  is disposed on a flange  50  that extends outward from the lower portion of bottle  20 , but that still lies substantially within the footprint of the bottle  20 . This arrangement facilitates the use of the recess  42  for support and storage of the syringe  100 . However, such an arrangement is not required in all embodiments. For example,  FIG. 7  shows another bottle  20  embodiment that includes an outwardly extending flange  50  (with outlet port  60 ) that lies substantially outside the footprint of the bottle  20 . For such an embodiment, the bottle  20  may or may not include a storage recess  42  for syringe  100 , which need not be aligned with outlet port  60 . 
         [0030]    Further, the discussion above has assumed that outlet port  60  is oriented vertically, and this is believed advantageous. However, in some embodiments, the outlet port  60  may be oriented at an angle to vertical. For example, the outlet port  60  may be oriented outward at a 15° angle so that the syringe  100  may be inserted into the outlet port  60  at an angle relative to the bottle&#39;s longitudinal axis  21  (which is advantageously vertical). See  FIG. 8 . Also, in some embodiments, a removable cap (not shown) may be provided for selectively covering the outlet port  60 . The removable cap may, if desired, be tethered to, or formed as part of, the flexible membrane  80  or other portion of the device  10 . 
         [0031]    In some embodiments, the bottle  20  may include optional graduation markings  46  proximate recess  42 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , which may be used to indicate the amount of medicament  5  in an corresponding syringe  100  during filling thereof, or may be used to indicate the amount of medicament  5  remaining in cavity  30 . 
         [0032]    While the embodiments above have been discussed in terms of a valve  70  that automatically opens in response to the insertion of the syringe  100 , this is not required in all embodiments. Indeed, a common twist handle flow valve  70  (not shown) may be employed, if desired, to control the flow of medicament  5  to outlet port  60 . However, an automatically opening and closing valve  70  arrangement is believed most advantageous due to its simple operation. 
         [0033]    In some embodiments, the lateral entry into recess  42 , in some embodiments, may not be of a uniform width, but may instead include a plurality of tabs  47  that act to narrow the entry to recess in selected locations. One embodiment of such and embodiment is shown in  FIG. 9 , with the size of the tabs  47  exaggerated for illustrative purposes. Alternatively, recess  42  may have a U-shaped cross-section with a width of just slightly more than D 2 , with similar inwardly extending tabs disposed just inside of the entry to recess  42  so as to effectively narrow the entry of recess  42  to be W. And, as shown in  FIG. 9 , syringe  100  may, in some embodiments, include a laterally extending protrusion  105  on barrel  102 . Such a protrusion  105  provides an additional means for the user to apply downward (and optionally upward) pressure on the syringe  100  so as to facilitate the syringe filling process. 
         [0034]    Further, in some embodiments, the hub  96  on flexible membrane  80  may have an rounded upper surface to enhance sealing against bore  74 . See  FIG. 10 . When such a configuration is used, it may be advantageous for the syringe nose  108  to have a fluted and/or scalloped tip portion  109  so as to provide suitable clearance for the inflow of medicament  5  during the syringe filling process. 
         [0035]    The present invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the scope and essential characteristics of the invention. Further, the various aspects of the disclosed device and method may be used alone or in any combination, as is desired. The disclosed embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.