Cartridge system for dispensing an aqueous solution

Abstract

Cartridge system for dispensing an aqueous solution consisting of a mixture of an active ingredient with a liquid medium, with a bottle-shaped container (16) on the neck of which a pump (10) is attached, characterized by that the container (16) can be filled with the liquid medium, that a cartridge (1, 13) is arranged in the container (16), in the top of which the suction nozzle (9) of the pump (10) is tightly inserted, that the active ingredient can be filled into the cartridge (1, 13), that the cartridge (1, 13) is sealed to the outside by at least one piston or plug (7, 15, 17) which is slidably arranged in a wall of the cartridge (1, 13) and enters the interior of the cartridge by means of a vacuum generated by the pump (10) and opens it to the outside, so that the active ingredient is miscible with the liquid medium.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cartridge system for dispensing an aqueous solution consisting of a mixture of an active ingredient with a liquid medium, comprising a bottle-shaped container on the neck of which a pump is attached, the suction nozzle of which projects into the container.

[0002] Many substances and pharmaceuticals do not have a long shelf life in aqueous solutions. These include, for example, vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, steroids for aerosol applications in lung diseases, etc., although this list is not exhaustive. Therefore, it is advantageous to keep such active ingredients or substances and their corresponding liquid medium separate for as long as possible before using the aqueous solution.

[0003] German patent DE 197 42 559 C2 discloses a container with a pump in which a tightly fitting insert is arranged in the neck of the container. This insert has a bottom that is closed in its initial state and is opened before the pump assembly, whose suction section engages the insert, is put into operation as a result of the pump assembly being advanced into the container. Between the bottom of the insert and the pump assembly is a receiving chamber for an active ingredient, which mixes with a liquid in the container after the bottom is opened.

[0004] US patent 2013 / 0345497 A1 discloses a multi-chamber container for holding two different liquids, whereby the entry of one liquid into the other liquid is permitted.

[0005] US Patent 2015 / 0367368 A1 discloses a system for dispensing a mixture of a first product and a second product using a pump connected to a bottle containing the first product. The pump has a piston connected to a pressure element that is linked to a lateral movement within the pump body. The piston defines a dispensing chamber within the body, with an inlet at a lower part of the body.

[0006] The present invention is based on the objective of providing a system with which the user can mix the active ingredient to be administered with the associated aqueous solution immediately before application, wherein the system should be easy for everyone to handle.

[0007] This problem is solved according to the invention by the features of claim 1.

[0008] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims.

[0009] The invention provides that the container can be filled with the liquid medium, that a cartridge is arranged in the container, in the top of which the pump's suction nozzle is tightly inserted, that the active ingredient can be filled into the cartridge, that the cartridge is sealed on the outside by at least one piston or plug, which is slidably arranged in a wall of the cartridge and enters the interior of the cartridge by means of a vacuum generated by the pump, thus opening the cartridge to the outside so that the active ingredient is miscible with the liquid medium. To achieve the most complete possible mixing of the active ingredient with the liquid medium, the user shakes the container so that a substantially homogeneous aqueous solution forms in the container and the cartridge, which the user can then dispense by further actuating the pump. This system is very easy to operate.

[0010] It is advantageously proposed that at least one piston sits in a tubular, outwardly open chamber, which is inserted into or integrally formed with the bottom or circumferential wall of the cartridge. Two or more tubular chambers can be embedded in the cartridge wall, sealed by pistons that are slidably seated within the tubular chambers.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cartridge has an upper chamber into which the active ingredient can be filled, and a subsequent lower chamber of smaller cross-sectional dimensions, the open underside of which is sealed by a piston arranged therein, which is slidably located in the lower chamber by means of negative pressure in the cartridge and, upon entering the upper chamber, opens the cartridge outwards or downwards towards the liquid medium, so that the active ingredient is miscible with the liquid medium.

[0012] In further detail, it is proposed that the upper chamber has a cylindrical circumferential wall, preferably a circular cylindrical circumferential wall, into which the suction nozzle of the pump mounted on the container can be tightly inserted. In one embodiment, the upper chamber has an annular wall adjoining it at the top and a centrally adjoining, inwardly projecting circular cylindrical inner wall of smaller diameter, into which the suction nozzle is tightly inserted. The lower chamber should consist of a cylindrical, preferably circular cylindrical, tube that is tightly inserted into the circumferential wall of the upper chamber and attached to it, preferably by bonding. The two chambers are preferably manufactured by injection molding, either separately or in one piece.

[0013] It is further proposed that the piston sits in a press fit in the lower chamber, such that the piston seals the chamber, but is movable due to negative pressure in the cartridge.

[0014] By actuating the pump, the piston in the lower chamber slides upwards and then enters the upper chamber, which has a larger diameter. This creates an opening, preferably an annular gap, through which the active ingredient can escape from the cartridge into the interior of the container, and through which liquid medium can enter the upper chamber. This allows the active ingredient to be effectively mixed with the liquid medium before the mixture is dispensed by actuating the pump again.

[0015] To prevent the piston, which has moved upwards in the cartridge, from blocking the pump's intake port, a stop for the piston is advantageously arranged below the intake port. For this purpose, a grid element can be inserted into the upper chamber, which is fixed by a projection in the chamber wall.

[0016] The active ingredient can be in powder form or filled into the cartridge in liquid consistency.

[0017] To ensure the user knows when to shake the container to dispense the desired aqueous solution, it is highly recommended that the container and cartridge be made of transparent plastic.

[0018] According to a further highly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the container can consist of a rigid outer container and a deformable inner bag. No outside air enters the inner bag for pressure equalization after dispensing the container contents; instead, air enters the space between the outer container and the inner bag. In this embodiment, the inner bag is filled with the liquid medium, which also contains the cartridge. This also minimizes other environmental influences such as humidity, oxygen, UV light, and microorganisms, thereby extending the shelf life of the dispensed aqueous solution.

[0019] Further details of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of an embodiment of a cartridge according to the invention; Fig. 2 the four components of the cartridge according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a largely schematic representation of an embodiment of the cartridge system according to the invention; Fig. 4 a schematic representation of a further embodiment of the invention.

[0020] The cartridge 1 consists of an upper circular cylindrical chamber 2 and a lower, also circular cylindrical chamber 3, which has a smaller diameter than the upper chamber 2. The upper end of the lower chamber 3 is inserted into the open-bottomed upper chamber 2 and is attached to the upper chamber 2 in a suitable manner, for example, by gluing it in place. The upper chamber 2 consists of the cylindrical circumferential wall 4, an upper annular cover wall 5, and a circular cylindrical tube 6 that extends from the edge of the central opening of the annular cover wall into the upper chamber and has a diameter such that a suction nozzle (not shown) of a bottle pump mounted on the container can be inserted tightly.

[0021] In the lower chamber of the cartridge 1, a piston 7 is arranged in a press fit, which seals the lower chamber 3 and thus the cartridge 1 against the ingress of a liquid medium with which the (not shown) container is filled and into which the cartridge is immersed.

[0022] Below the tube 6 or the pump's suction port, in the upper chamber 2 there is a piston catch grid 8, which prevents the tube 6 from being closed by the piston 7 when the piston 7 is sucked into the upper chamber 2 by the vacuum generated by the pump.

[0023] The active ingredient is poured into the upper chamber 2, whereupon the piston 7 is inserted into the lower chamber 3. The suction nozzle or pump stem of a bottle pump is then attached to the filled cartridge, after which the cartridge is inserted into an airless bottle filled with liquid medium and the bottle pump is attached to the bottle neck. In this state, the cartridge system is ready to dispense an aqueous solution, the two components of which are kept separate, thus ensuring the active ingredient has a long shelf life.

[0024] To administer the aqueous solution, the user of the cartridge system activates the pump, creating a vacuum within the cartridge. This causes the piston 7 in the lower chamber 3 to rise, simultaneously raising the level of the liquid medium in the lower chamber 3. Once the piston 7 reaches the top of the lower chamber 3, it is drawn into the upper chamber. Since the piston 7 has a smaller diameter than the upper chamber 2, the liquid medium in the bottle also enters the upper chamber, allowing the active ingredient in the upper chamber to mix with the liquid medium. Shaking the bottle ensures a rapid and largely homogeneous mixture. The piston 7, once drawn into the upper chamber, floats there, and the piston retainer grid 8 prevents it from being sucked into and blocking the tube 6.The active ingredient mixed in the liquid medium can now be dispensed or applied by the consumer by further pumping the bottle.

[0025] Instead of the piston-catching grid 8, blockage of the tube 6 can be prevented by a suitable design of the top of the piston.

[0026] How Fig. As shown schematically in Figure 3, the pump stem 9 of a pump 10 engages tightly in the upper chamber 12 of a cartridge 13, which holds the active ingredient. A lower chamber 14 of smaller diameter is attached to the lower end of the upper chamber 12, and a piston 15 is tightly positioned in this lower chamber. When a vacuum is created in chamber 12 by the pump 10, the piston 15 is drawn into chamber 12, thereby opening the cartridge 13 and allowing the active ingredient to mix with the liquid medium in the bottle 16.

[0027] In the embodiment of the Fig.4 Two tubular, outwardly open chambers 18 are inserted into the circumferential wall of the cartridge 1, each containing a piston 17 in a press fit. The two pistons 17 are drawn into the interior of the cartridge by negative pressure, thus opening the cartridge and allowing the liquid medium to enter. The two pistons are arranged diametrically opposite each other.

Claims

[1] Cartridge system for delivering an aqueous solution consisting of a mixture of an active ingredient with a liquid medium, with a bottle-shaped container (16) on the neck of which a pump (10) is attached, characterized by , that the container (16) can be filled with the liquid medium, that a cartridge (1, 13) is arranged in the container (16), in the top of which the suction nozzle (9) of the pump (10) is tightly inserted, that the active ingredient can be filled into the cartridge (1, 13), that the cartridge (1, 13) is sealed to the outside by at least one piston or plug (7, 15, 17) which is slidably arranged in a wall of the cartridge (1, 13) and enters the interior of the cartridge by means of a vacuum generated by the pump (10) and opens it to the outside, so that the active ingredient is miscible with the liquid medium. [2] Cartridge system according to claim 1, characterized by, that at least one piston (7, 15, 17) is located in a tubular chamber (3, 14) open to the outside, which is inserted into the bottom wall or circumferential wall of the cartridge (1, 13) or is formed integrally with it. [3] Cartridge system according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized by that two or more tubular chambers (18) are embedded in the cartridge wall. [4] Cartridge system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by , that the cartridge has an upper chamber (2, 12) into which the active ingredient can be filled, and a subsequent lower chamber (3, 14) of smaller diameter, which is sealed to the outside of the cartridge (1, 13) by an associated piston (7, 15), and enters the upper chamber (2, 12) by means of negative pressure, thus opening the cartridge (1, 13) to the outside. [5] Cartridge system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by, that the upper chamber (2) consists of a preferably circular cylindrical circumferential wall (4), an annular upper wall (5) and a centrally adjoining circular cylindrical tube (6) of smaller diameter, which projects into the interior of the upper chamber (2) and into which the suction nozzle of the pump can be tightly inserted. [6] Cartridge system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by , that the lower chamber (3) consists of a cylindrical tube which is tightly inserted into the circumferential wall (4) of the upper chamber (2) or is formed integrally with the upper chamber. [7] Cartridge system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by , that at least one piston (7) sits in a press fit in the cylindrical tube. [8] Cartridge system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by , that in the upper chamber (2) below the suction port of the pump a stop for the at least one piston (7) is arranged. [9] Cartridge system according to claim 8, characterized by , that a grid element (8) is arranged as a stop. [10] Cartridge system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by , that the container and the cartridge (1) are made of a transparent plastic. [11] Cartridge system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by that the active ingredient is in powder form or liquid form. [12] Cartridge system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by , that the container (16) consists of a rigid outer container and a deformable inner bag into which no outside air enters for pressure equalization when dispensing container contents.

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