Patent Publication Number: US-2010126956-A1

Title: Bottle with Sealing Insert

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to containers for pharmaceutical products which require the greatest degree of isolation from the environment. More specifically it relates to a lid-mounted stopper which cooperates with a sealing insert that includes a central pour aperture. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Some containment bottles used in the pharmaceutical industry are manufactured from heavy stainless steel to provide a near indestructible containment of fluids that may be hazardous to the environment or personnel. The closures require the tightest seal possible to prevent any leakage of the bottle contents. To this end, flanged end caps are secured by strong clamps to provide a high force for joining the end caps to the mouth of the bottles. An elastomeric ring seal is typically provided around the periphery of the mouth of the bottle and the inside face of the end cap. Such a container is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,138 issued to Lin. 
     However, despite the high lid clamp force provided by bottles of this type, there still exists the possibility of leakage between the end cap and the seal ring gasket, or the gasket and the mouth of the bottle, or both. Furthermore, once the end cap has been removed, there is no restriction against the free flow of liquid out of the bottle should there be a spill condition in which a bottle is accidentally tipped over. 
     It is known that containers utilize inserts for controlling the admission or discharge of fluids from a bottle by use of a cone-shaped insert. In some cases, the insert is used as a funnel for introducing fluids which also provides spill prevention. In other cases, inserts are used as wipers for implements introduced into the bottle such as stirrers or brushes. Examples of these inserts are shown in the preceding U.S. patents. However, there is no known use of a scaling insert that cooperates with a lid-mounted stopper. 
     Therefore, there still exists in the art a need for a hazardous material containment bottle which provides superior sealing against the surrounding environment and which provides a degree of accidental spill prevention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to meet the needs of the art, the present invention has been devised which provides a triple seal containment system that prevents leakage of hazardous materials into the environment. Greater sealing is provided by the combination of a funnel-like cone-shaped insert that has a central aperture which cooperates with a stopper that projects downward from the inside of the end cap so that the aperture of the insert is closed when the lid is closed. This arrangement provides a preliminary seal ahead of the lid ring gasket. Yet another sealing point is provided by a circular rim at the top of the insert which is compressed between a ledge along the top of the bottle sidewall and the underside of the lid. These two additional sealing points together with the lid gasket provides a triple seal against any possible leakage. 
     More specifically the Applicant has invented a bottle comprising a body having a central containment space and an open circular mouth at the top encircled by a radially extending flange. An insert is tightly fitted along the mouth of the bottle with sides that extend from the internal sidewall of the bottle convergently downward to a central aperture of the insert. The lid has an underside which includes a downward projecting stopper in the center. The outside circumference of the tip of the stopper mates with the edge of the insert aperture to close the containment space off when the lid is closed. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top right front isometric view of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top right front isometric exploded assembly view. 
         FIG. 2   a  is a bottom front isometric view of an alternate embodiment insert. 
         FIG. 3  is a right side elevation sectional view taken from  FIG. 1  as shown in that figure. 
         FIG. 4  is a side sectional elevation view. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the present invention is a volatile material containment bottle for use, as an example, with sensitive pharmaceutical products or hazardous materials in liquid or powder form. Basic elements of the bottle include a body  11 , and a lid  17  which is held forcibly to the top of the bottle by clamp  15  tightened by screw and wing nut assembly  13 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the elements of the invention are more clearly depicted with the internal features shown. Lid  17  includes a central stopper  12  that includes a downwardly projecting fingertip. The stopper may be formed integrally with the lid, and in one embodiment the lid is machined from stainless steel and the stopper is formed integrally with the lid during the machining process. In another embodiment, the stopper may be an elastomeric element affixed to the underside of the lid such as by an adhesive. The periphery of the lid includes grooves  23 , and similar features are found along the top surface of the bottle flange  21 . These grooves cooperate with features of flange gasket  20  to create a labyrinth seal. 
     A key feature of the invention is insert  14  that includes a rim  25  which will be described in more detail with regard to  FIG. 3 . The insert is cone-shaped in its free state and includes a central pour aperture  19 . Rim  25  is fitted within a recess  27  along the top of the internal side wall of the bottle. It is held there by resilient compression of the insert material. The insert  14  is preferably composed of an elastomeric material such as silicon Teflon® or Buna N. With the lid removed, the insert aperture provides access for introducing and removing fluid from the inside of the bottle such as is normally done with a tube or pipette. 
       FIG. 2   a  depicts an alternate embodiment insert  14  which illustrates a spreadable slit  28  in place of the aperture  19  shown on the insert  14  of  FIG. 2 . This alternate embodiment is otherwise identical to the insert of  FIG. 2 . The slit provides access to the containment chamber while providing a self-sealing closure when the bottle is open. The slit is dimensioned so that when the lid is closed, the fingertip of the stopper will be forced into the slit to enhance the seal. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the various elements of the invention are shown in their assembled condition. The flanges of the lid  17  and bottle body  11  are wedged tightly together by the action of clamp  15 . As seen clearly in this figure, the fingertip  18  of stopper  12  fits tightly within the central aperture of insert  14  to provide a sealed closure of the internal containment space  16  of the bottle. When the lid is closed, rim  25  of the insert is compressed between the underside of the lid and a ledge  26  in the sidewall of the bottle at the bottom of recess  27  to provide a second point of sealing. The third point of sealing is provided by the flange gasket  20 . It will also be appreciated from this figure that although the insert is naturally cone-shaped in its free state, it bulges slightly due to its radially inward compression by the sidewall of the bottle. In addition, the insert is dimensioned such that the fingertip  18  of the stopper forcibly abuts the insert. This provides a resilient seating of the stopper tip within the insert aperture that adds to its sealing capability. The bulging of the insert is also believed to lend to its ability to seal by aperture bubble formation after a complete inversion of the bottle with the lid removed that will be further described with regard to  FIG. 4 . As will also be appreciated from this figure, the base of the bottle body  11  is massive to provide a very low center of gravity to prevent tipping. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the dimension of the insert aperture may be selected such that the surface tension of the contained fluid will form a bubble  31  across the aperture to prevent leakage of the fluid  35  when the bottle  11  is turned upside down as shown in this figure. This bubble-forming phenomenon is dependent on several variables including surface tension of the fluid, the insert material, the angle of the insert adjacent the aperture and the size of aperture. Because of this phenomenon, the liquid behaves like a membrane at the liquid-air interface which provides the sealing property of the invention insert. While scientific calculations may be made to arrive at the proper combination of variables to achieve the bubble formation, because of the complexity of the calculation and the number of variables, it is most likely that the dimensions of insert will be arrived at through some degree of trial and error. In the preferred embodiment, the aperture diameter is 0.250 inches and the insert material is an 80 durometer silicon. The edge of the hole is rounded with a radius of 0.015 inches and the thickness of the insert material tapers from the outer edge to the central aperture at an angle of 15°. This bubble-forming aspect of the invention prevents leakage due to an accidental spill. It will also be appreciated that with a small amount of contained fluid, when the bottle is tipped on its side, the fluid level will be below that of the insert aperture thereby preventing an accidental spill. Alternately, the insert may provide a pierceable self-sealing membrane, in which case a stopper may not be utilized. 
     It should be understood by those skilled in the art from the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment that the invention provides many advantages including greater sealing and leak prevention over the prior art. Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.