CAP FOR A CARTRIDGE-SHAPED CONTAINER

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a closure cap prepared for attachment to a connection port / connector, in particular a tubular one, of a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge, and which, in an assembled state, serves to close the connection port. The cap comprises a cover surface section, in particular a round / circular one, a shell surface section adjoining the cover surface section, in particular perpendicular and cylindrically, and a flange section adjoining the shell surface section, in particular annular. The invention further relates to a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge for an extracorporeal blood treatment machine, which has at least one connection port, in particular a tubular one, forming a fluid inlet and / or a fluid outlet, and at least one closure cap for closing the at least one connection port.

[0002] The success of various dialysis procedures relies, among other things, on the use of different buffer substances to correct the altered acid-base balance in patients with kidney failure. Since the acid-base balance cannot be corrected by diffusion during dialysis, the administration of buffer substances is often necessary. Bicarbonate or a bicarbonate buffer solution is particularly suitable for balancing the acid-base gradient. The bicarbonate buffer solution is preferably prepared for dialysis immediately before or during treatment.In this process, a container, in particular a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge, which contains a bicarbonate concentrate powder, is connected to a fluid source, for example a water source, wherein the water flowing through the container dissolves the bicarbonate concentrate powder located in the container and flushes it into the dialysis fluid.

[0003] The known cartridge-shaped containers / cartridges generally have a fluid inlet port / connector and a fluid outlet port / connector, to which a fluid inlet line and a fluid outlet line can be attached, respectively. The ports / connectors generally consist of short pipe sections or stubs projecting axially from the container. To ensure or guarantee a globally uniform shelf life for bicarbonate cartridges, independent of temperature, pressure, and humidity, it is known in the art to attach sealing caps to the stub-shaped ports / connectors.

[0004] For example, EP 0 532 835 B1 discloses a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge with a connection port onto which a sealing cap is attached. Furthermore, DE 42 17 352 C2 discloses a sealing cap that is screwed onto a connection port of a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge and includes a silicone seal. However, the sealing caps of EP 0 532 835 B1 and DE 42 17 352 C2 have the disadvantage that they are not sealed to the container / cartridge / connection port. A user therefore cannot determine whether the container / cartridge is still sealed, in particular whether it has a tamper-evident seal, or whether it has already been opened. The cap of DE 42 17 352 C2 also has handling disadvantages, as it must be screwed onto the connection port and cannot be pushed on.

[0005] To ensure that the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge is still sealed or has a tamper-evident seal, it is generally known in the art to seal the tube-shaped connection port of the container / cartridge with a foil / foil seal. However, simply applying a foil seal to the connection port has the disadvantage that it can be damaged or punctured during storage and / or transport. Therefore, WO 97 / 26941 A1, for example, proposes screwing a cap onto a foil-sealed connection port to protect the foil seal. However, this adds an extra handling step when opening the container / cartridge and requires the foil to be disposed of separately.

[0006] US Patent 5,807,345 A discloses a cap for closing and sealing a syringe, which has a flange section that fits snugly into a sleeve section of the syringe. However, if the cap of US Patent 5,807,345 A is removed from the syringe and then reattached, a user cannot tell from the outside, even when removing the cap again, that it had previously been removed and therefore the tamper-evident seal is no longer present.

[0007] German patent DE 26 45 563 A1 discloses a closure cap with a secured tear-off opening, which has a predetermined breaking / tear section on a section of the cap's outer surface. This section is designed to tear / break when the closure cap is removed from a container. However, providing a perforated predetermined breaking / tear section on a section of the closure cap's outer surface has the disadvantage that a user cannot immediately determine whether the seal is still intact or whether the cartridge has already been opened. Furthermore, with the closure cap of DE 26 45 563 A1, there is a risk that if the closure cap is reattached to the connection port for disposal, particularly to prevent the residual solution in the concentrate container from dripping, it will no longer adhere sufficiently to the connection port and may fall off during transport and / or storage.

[0008] US 2005 / 051572 A1 and EP 2 712 603 A1 each disclose a closure cap prepared for attachment to a connection port of a cartridge-shaped container and serving to close the connection port when mounted, comprising a round cover surface section, a substantially cylindrical shell surface section adjoining the cover surface section perpendicularly, and a flange section adjoining the shell surface section and extending perpendicularly and radially outwards from the shell surface section at its end, wherein a predetermined breaking / crack section is provided on the shell surface section.

[0009] Screw caps are known from US 4 225 050 A, EP 0 941 938 A2, JP 2003 112 752 A, JP 2010 143 081 A, US 4 448 318 A and EP 1 114 781 A2, in which a predetermined breaking / crack section is provided on a flange section. Another sealing cap is known from FR 2 564 071 A1. A sealing ring with a predetermined breaking / crack section is known from EP 0 092 884 A1.

[0010] Against this background, the object of the present invention is to avoid or at least mitigate the disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, a cap for a container / cartridge, especially a cartridge-shaped one, is to be provided which is easy to handle and provides a sealed tamper-evident seal that is quick and easy for the user to verify. A particular object of the invention is to enable immediate visual inspection of the tamper-evident seal. Furthermore, the re-application of the cap for disposal purposes is to be improved.

[0011] This problem is solved by a closure flap according to claim 1 and a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge according to claim 9. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are claimed in the dependent claims and / or explained below.

[0012] The invention relates firstly to a closure cap, in particular having a shock-absorbing effect, which is prepared for attachment, in particular for fitting onto, a connection port / connector of a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge, in particular a pipe-shaped one, and serves to close the connection port in a mounted state, comprising a cover surface section, in particular round / circular, a shell surface section adjoining the cover surface section, in particular perpendicularly, and preferably substantially cylindrically extending, and a flange section adjoining the shell surface section, in particular annular, preferably extending perpendicularly and radially outwards from the end of the shell surface section, wherein the flange section includes a sealing section.via which the closure cap can be fixed and sealed on the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge, and has and / or forms a predetermined breaking / crack section at which the closure flap tears and / or breaks when the closure cap is removed from the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge.

[0013] In other words, according to the invention, a closure cap in the form of a blind-hole-like cylinder is provided, which has a flange section at its open end extending radially, preferably perpendicularly, outwards from the cylindrical surface section. The closure cap can be easily attached by pushing it onto a connection port of a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge containing powder particles, such as bicarbonate, sodium chloride, or the like, so that a closed, i.e., sealed and / or sealed, cartridge system can be created with the aid of the closure cap / cap / cover according to the invention. The closure cap also has a protective function for the connection port and prevents it from being damaged in any way.

[0014] The flange section includes a sealing section, in particular a sealing ring, by means of which the closure cap can be sealed and attached / fixed to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge or the connection port. In other words, the sealing section serves to attach and seal the closure cap to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge / connection port. When the closure cap is fixed / attached to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge, this provides a tamper-evident seal. The sealing section is preferably provided on a radial outer surface of the flange section. According to the invention, the sealing section / sealing ring can be crenellated.

[0015] If the flange section, in addition to the sealing section, has a predetermined breaking / crack section at which the cap tears and / or breaks when removed from the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge, then a user can immediately see, by looking at the radially outward-extending flange section, whether the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge is still sealed or has already been opened. In other words, the core idea of ​​the invention is that a predetermined breaking / crack section, at which the cap is designed to tear or break when removed from the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge, is provided on the flange section.This allows a user to more easily and quickly determine whether the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge is still sealed or not, compared to a predetermined breaking / crack section on a surface / section of the casing. This results in improved handling of the container / cartridge. In particular, when viewing the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge axially, it is thus easier to identify whether a tamper-evident seal is present.

[0016] Advantageously, the predetermined breaking / crack section of the flange section is provided at a transition area to the shell surface section and is designed as at least one predetermined breaking point and / or a predetermined crack line, at which the closure cap tears off and / or breaks when the closure cap is removed from the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge in such a way that the sealing section of the closure cap remains on the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge and the remaining closure cap, consisting of shell surface and cover surface sections, can be detached from the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge.

[0017] The predetermined breaking / break section can thus be designed as a continuous, circumferential, and in particular perforated or punched, predetermined breaking line, or as a predetermined breaking point or a multitude of predetermined breaking points. In particular, the predetermined breaking / break section represents a weakened section of the flange section. This is generally achieved by providing less material / a reduced wall thickness / perforations / recesses / holes or similar features in the predetermined breaking / break section. This has the effect that when force is applied to remove the cap, a defined crack / break occurs at a predetermined location on the flange section, while at the same time the sealing section remains fixed / attached to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge.

[0018] According to the invention, the force required to tear / remove the sealing section from the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge is greater than the force required to tear / break the cap at the predetermined breaking / separating section. A user thus knows that the cap can or should only break or tear at a predetermined point, which greatly facilitates visual inspection. Against this background, a user can also conclude that the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge was adequately sealed before opening if the sealing ring / section remains firmly attached / fixed to the container / cartridge / connection port after opening.

[0019] An advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the sealing section has a plurality of recesses, such that it consists of a circumferential sealing ring section and a plurality of, in particular triangular, connecting sections, wherein the connecting sections are point-connected to the lateral surface section and the predetermined fracture / crack section is formed by the plurality of point connections.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a circumferential ring section / sealing ring section is fixed / attached to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge / connection port. This ring section is located on a radial outer surface of the flange section. Many, in particular eight, triangular connecting sections extend from the ring section to the outer surface section and make point contact with the outer surface section at one vertex of the triangle. This creates many, in particular eight, point connections between the flange section and the outer surface section. The entirety of these point connections in this embodiment forms the predetermined breaking / crack section according to the invention.If the closure cap of this embodiment is turned and / or pulled, the point connections tear / break, so that the closure cap, now consisting of a shell surface section and a cover surface section, can be pulled off and the sealing section remains on the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge / connection port.

[0021] Furthermore, it may be provided that the predetermined fracture / crack section is designed as a perforated, in particular perforated, circumferential predetermined crack line, in particular perforation predetermined crack line.

[0022] According to a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the flange section is thus formed as a continuous solid material section from the outer surface section to its radial outer side and has a perforated predetermined crack line only at or near a transition area to the outer surface section. In other words, the predetermined fracture / crack section according to this embodiment is formed by many closely spaced perforations / small holes.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the invention, the predetermined breaking / crack section can also be designed to be completely unperforated, for example, by a reduced material thickness. Such an embodiment results in improved sealing. However, in any case—as in all embodiments of the present invention—the predetermined breaking / crack section represents at least a partial weak point in the flange section of the closure cap.

[0024] It can also be provided that both the flange section and the shell section each have at least one predetermined fracture / crack section, and that the predetermined fracture / crack sections of the flange section and the shell section transition seamlessly into one another. According to this embodiment, a circumferential predetermined crack line is thus provided, which alternates between the flange section and the shell section. More preferably, exactly one predetermined fracture / crack section is present on the flange section, which, after a 180° rotation, transitions to a predetermined fracture / crack section on the shell section. After a 180° rotation of the predetermined fracture / crack section on the shell section, a transition again to the predetermined fracture / crack section on the flange section occurs.

[0025] It is advantageous if the closure cap is designed as a snap-on cap and the sealing section of the flange section is positively engaged in a receptacle provided on the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge, in particular by flanging or pressing, and / or attached to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge.

[0026] Because the cap is designed as a snap-on cap, there is no need for the cumbersome screwing process. This simplifies handling. If the sealing section, which is designed as a break-away seal, is positively engaged in a receptacle provided on the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge / connection port, the cap can be fixed / sealed to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge in a single process step, preferably fully automatically.

[0027] Preferably, the sealing cap is attached to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge within a fully automated production system. In a first step, the sealing cap is placed onto the connection port. In a second step, the sealing section is pressed / formed / shifted / locked / welded / clipped into the receptacle using a press-fit tool / forming / curving tool, in particular a flanging tool, thus securing it positively in the receptacle. Alternatively, the positive fit can be achieved by forming sections of the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge / connection port, thereby clamping the sealing section in place.

[0028] It should be noted that, according to the invention, a positive-locking connection of the sealing section to the receptacle provided on the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge by crimping or pressing is preferred, but a material-bonded connection by welding or a force-fit and form-fit connection by riveting is also possible. In particular, one of many conceivable connection types should be selected which can suitably attach and seal the closure cap to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge / connection port and protect the closure cap against slipping off or detaching from the connection port.

[0029] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the closure cap has at least one sealing element on the inside of the closure cap on the cover surface section and / or the shell surface section for sealing the connection port of the cartridge-shaped container.

[0030] To provide the closed cartridge system of the present invention, it is essential to ensure a suitable external seal so that the durability of the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge is independent of the climatic zone in which it is used. At elevated ambient temperatures, pressure, and humidity, the carbonate level in bicarbonate cartridges can rise more rapidly, which would result in a shortened shelf life. Therefore, the seal is a fundamental aspect of the present invention.

[0031] According to the invention, the sealing is achieved by sealing elements molded in one piece / one material onto the inside of a closure cap. In In other words, the sealing elements are formed by a suitable design or material selection of the closure cap according to the invention. Preferably, at least one circumferential sealing lip is provided on the outer surface section of the closure cap, which can be implemented, for example, by increasing the wall thickness of the outer surface section in sections. However, two, three, four, or more circumferential sealing lips or sealing elements can also be provided on the outer surface section.

[0032] According to the invention, various designs of sealing elements are conceivable. However, it is important that the sealing elements are manufactured in one piece / from one material, particularly using injection molding, in a single process step together with the cap and are integrally formed on the inside of the cap. In particular, functional elasticity and material elasticity of the sealing elements should be generated or provided by their geometry and the material used.

[0033] According to the invention, a sealing effect can also be achieved by a plug-like, central middle part molded onto the cover surface section, which is integrally formed with the closure cap and made of the same material, and is also provided on the inside of the closure cap. According to the invention, the closure cap is intended to seal the connection port solely by means of a push-fit / push-fit connection and thus without threads.

[0034] Advantageously, at least one, preferably at least two, rib-like projections are provided on the cover surface section on the inside of a closure cap, which in a mounted state of the closure cap form a bearing surface section of the closure cap on an end face of the, in particular pipe-shaped, connection port.

[0035] The radial plastic ridges provided on the top surface of the cap, which are preferably narrow / elongated and integrally molded to the cap, provide suitable shock absorption and thus significantly improve the protection of the connection port of the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge. Test series have shown that having only individual ridge-like projections of the cap in contact with the end face of the connection port significantly enhances the protective effect and shock absorption of the cap, thereby preventing damage to the connection port.

[0036] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the outer surface section of the closure cap has at least one wing-shaped, protruding handle section on one side of the closure cap for improved handling of the closure cap.

[0037] Wing-shaped, protruding or projecting grip sections improve handling and thus the removal of the cap / closure. One or more wing-shaped grip sections can be provided. In addition to wing-shaped projections, cross-shaped projections are also conceivable according to the invention. Furthermore, the outer surface of the cap's cover or casing can be ribbed or rubberized to improve grip.

[0038] It is advantageous if the closure cap is made of an elastic plastic material, in particular an elastomer or a thermoplastic elastomer, and / or is designed as a one-piece and one-material plastic component manufactured by injection molding.

[0039] Elastic material properties of the closure cap are necessary in many respects according to the invention and thus also represent a central aspect of the present invention. In particular, this improves the sealing of the closure cap, achieves optimized protection of the connection port, and enhances the shock-absorbing effect of the closure cap.

[0040] The entire cap is preferably manufactured in a single process step as a single-material and one-piece or integral plastic component using injection molding.

[0041] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a label can additionally be provided / attached section by section to the closure cap and section by section to the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge / connection port, via which an additional seal is provided and an existing tamper-evident seal becomes visible at first glance.

[0042] Furthermore, the invention relates to a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge for an extracorporeal blood treatment machine, which has at least one connection port / connector forming a fluid inlet and / or a fluid outlet, in particular a tube-shaped one, and at least one closure cap as described above for closing and sealing the at least one connection port.

[0043] The invention is further explained below with the help of figures. These show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of the outer surface of a closure cap according to the invention; Fig. 2 a perspective view of the inner surface of a closure cap according to the invention; Fig. 3 a perspective view of a closure cap according to the invention fixed to a connection port of a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge; Fig. 4 a perspective sectional view of the closure cap according to the invention fixed to the connection port of the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge; Fig. 5 a perspective view of a second embodiment of the closure cap according to the invention; and Fig. 6 a perspective sectional view of the closure cap of the Fig. 5 .

[0044] The figures are purely schematic and serve solely to illustrate the invention. Identical elements are identified by the same reference numerals. The features of the individual embodiments / examples are interchangeable.

[0045] In Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a closure cap 2, in particular of the outer surface 4 of the closure cap. The closure cap 2 comprises a round cover surface section 6, a cylindrical shell surface section 8 adjoining the cover surface section 6 perpendicularly, and a circumferential flange section 10 extending radially outwards from the shell surface section 8. Two wing-shaped handle sections 12 are provided on an upper section of the shell surface section 8. These handle sections are spaced apart from each other, opposite one another, and each occupies approximately one-third and one-quarter of a circle, respectively. The two wing-shaped handle sections 12 project from the shell surface section 8 and each form a semicircular projection.

[0046] In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the flange section 10 consists of a sealing section / seal ring 14 and eight triangular connecting sections 16, each of which is integrally formed with one triangular side against the sealing ring 14, has a triangular point opposite which tapers towards the outer surface section 8, and is evenly distributed around the circumference of the flange section. The eight triangular points form point connections 18 with the outer surface section 8. The totality of the eight point connections 18 creates the predetermined breaking / crack section according to the invention in this embodiment. The predetermined breaking / crack section is thus located on the flange section 10. The cover surface section 6 has a central blind hole 22 on the outer surface 4 of the closure cap.

[0047] In Fig. 2 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the closure cap 2, in particular of the inner surface 20 of the closure cap. It is immediately apparent that the [missing information] is located in Fig. 1 The shown blind hole 22 forms a plug-like projection 24 on the inside of the closure cap 20. The cover surface section 6 has two rib sections / rib-like projections 26 on the inside of the closure cap 20, of which in Fig. 2 However, only one is visible. The web sections 26 are narrow and elongated, extending from a radial outer surface of the cover surface section 6 towards the plug-like projection 24. The web sections 26 project from the cover surface section 6. The second, non-visible web section 26 is located opposite the first web section 26. The two web sections 26 are thus evenly distributed around the circumference of the cover surface section 6.

[0048] A circumferential sealing section 28, designed like a sealing lip, is provided on the inner surface 20 of the end cap in a central section of the outer surface section 8. However, two, three, four or more circumferential sealing sections 28 can also be provided to improve the sealing effect.

[0049] The closure cap 2 is manufactured in one step using a single-piece, single-material injection molding process made from an elastic plastic.

[0050] Fig. 3 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a closure cap 2 fixed to a connection port 30 of a cartridge-shaped container / cartridge. The connection port 30 has a base-like section 34 and a pipe-like section 36. The closure cap 2 is placed on the pipe-like section 36 of the connection port 30 and is received in a receptacle 38 of the base-like section 34 via its sealing ring 14, or rather, attached to the base-like section 34 of the connection port 30.

[0051] In the Fig. 3 The shown condition, in which the closure cap 2 is attached to the connection port 30 in its original closed state, is immediately apparent to a user, especially when viewing the closure cap 2 axially. Fig. 3 that point connections 18 exist between the connecting sections 16 and the lateral surface section 8. Thus, an immediate visual inspection to determine whether a tamper-evident seal is (still) present or not (anymore) is made possible according to the invention, particularly by this preferred embodiment.

[0052] Fig. 4 Figure 1 shows a perspective sectional view of the closure cap 2, which is fixed to the connection port 30 of the cartridge-shaped container / cartridge. The web sections 26 rest against an end face 40 of the tube-shaped section 36 of the connection port 30. The plug-like projection 24 extends into the opening of the connection port 30 and seals the connection port 30 to the outside. Thus, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, no film is provided for sealing the connection port 30. Furthermore, the sealing section 28 fulfills an additional sealing function and rests fully against an outer surface of the tube-shaped section 36 of the connection port 30. According to the invention, a double seal is therefore preferably provided, by the sealing section 28 on the one hand and by the plug-like projection 24 on the other.However, it is also conceivable to provide further sealing sections 28, which are arranged parallel and axially offset to the sealing section 28 shown and also provide a complete seal.

[0053] According to this preferred embodiment, the signet ring 14 can, firstly, be pressed / moved into the annular receptacle 38. In this process, an outer ring section 42 of the base-like section 34 is elastically displaced radially outwards and, after the signet ring has been engaged or clipped into place, springs back radially inwards, thus positively engaging the signet ring in the annular receptacle 38. Secondly, according to this preferred embodiment, it can also be provided that the signet ring 14 can be inserted into the annular receptacle without force and that a positive locking mechanism is then achieved by forming or bending the outer ring section 42 radially inwards.

[0054] A second embodiment of the closure cap 2 according to the invention is in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 As shown. Fig. 5 As can be seen, the cover surface section 6 in this embodiment also has a blind hole 22. Rounded edges between the cover surface section 6 and the blind hole 22, as well as between the cover surface section 6 and the outer surface section 8, improve the handling of the closure cap 2.

[0055] The cover surface section 6 transitions at the outer surface 4 of the cap into a radially outwardly projecting upper outer section 44 of the outer surface section 8. A radially recessed middle outer section 46 of the outer surface section 8 adjoins the upper outer section 44 below. In this embodiment, the upper, radially projecting outer section 44 can thus be easily gripped by a user, simplifying / improving the removal of the cap 2 from a cartridge. Furthermore, a wrench flat (multi-sided profile) can be provided on the outer section 46 for improved torque application.

[0056] The middle outer section 44 is adjoined below by a lower, ribbed outer section 48 of the lateral surface section 8. The lower ribbed outer section 48 is angular, for example octagonal, and has concave, inwardly curved side sections. This provides coarse ribbing, which facilitates the rotation of the closure cap 2 and thus its opening.

[0057] The flange section 10 of the Fig. 5 The ribbed outer section 48 is followed by a first radially outwardly projecting flange section 50, which approximately forms a circumference around the ribbed outer section 48. Triangular connecting sections 16 adjoin the first radially outwardly projecting flange section 50. A circumferential predetermined breaking / crack section according to the invention is formed between the first radially outwardly projecting flange section 50 and the triangular connecting sections 16. The sealing section 14 adjoining the triangular connecting sections 16 has an upper, circumferential, and recessed corner section 52, in which, for example, the Fig. 4 The depicted ring section 42 can intervene.

[0058] In Fig. 6It becomes apparent that in this second embodiment of the closure cap 2, a seal is provided on the one hand by the plug-like projection 24 and on the other hand by a circumferential, upper inner sealing section 54, which extends from the cover surface section 6 to a lower inner section 56 of the outer surface section 8. Reference symbol list

[0059] 2 End cap 4 End cap outer side 6 Cover surface section 8 Shell surface section 10 Flange section 12 Wing-shaped handle sections 14 Sealing ring 16 Connecting section 18 Point connection 20 End cap inner side 22 Blind hole 24 Plug-like projection 26 Web section 28 Sealing section 30 Connection port 34 Base-like section 36 Pipe-stub-shaped section 38 Receptacle 40 End face 42 Outer ring section 44 Upper outer section 46 Middle outer section 48 Lower ribbed outer section 50 First flange section 52 Corner section 54 Inner sealing section 56 Lower inner section

Claims

1. An end cap (2) prepared not for being screwed on, but for being attached to a connecting port (30) of a cartridge-shaped receptacle and, in a mounted state, serves for sealing the connecting port (30), comprising a round top surface portion (6); a shell surface portion (8) adjacent to the top surface portion (6), the shell surface portion (8) extending substantially cylindrically and perpendicularly from the top surface portion (8); and a flange portion (10) adjacent to the shell surface portion (8), the flange portion (10) extending perpendicularly and radially outwardly away from an end side of the shell surface portion (8); characterized in that the flange portion (10) includes and / or forms a sealing portion (14), by which the end cap (2) can be fixed and sealed to the cartridge-shaped receptacle, and a predetermined breaking / tearing portion (18), at which the end cap (2) tears and / or breaks in a predefined manner when the end cap (2) is removed from the cartridge-shaped receptacle, the end cap (2) comprises, at an inside (20) of the end cap at the shell surface portion (8), at least one integrally formed sealing element (28) configured as a circumferential sealing lip for sealing the connecting port (30) of the cartridge-shaped receptacle, and at least one web-type projection (26) is provided on the top surface portion (6) at an inside (20) of the end cap, said projection constituting, in a mounted state of the end cap (2), a bearing face portion of the end cap (2) on an end face (40) of the connecting port (30).

2. The end cap (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined breaking / tearing portion (18) of the flange portion is provided at a transition area to the shell surface portion (8) and is formed as at least one predetermined breaking point (18) and / or as a predetermined tearing line at which the end cap (2) tears and / or breaks when removing the end cap (2) from the cartridge-shaped receptacle so that the sealing portion (14) of the end cap (2) remains on the cartridge-shaped receptacle and the remaining end cap (2) consisting of the shell surface portion (8) and the top surface portion (6) is detachable from the cartridge-shaped receptacle.

3. The end cap (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sealing portion (14) comprises a plurality of recesses such that the sealing portion (14) consists of a circumferential sealing ring portion (14) and a plurality of connecting portions (16), the connecting portions (16) being locally connected to the shell surface portion (8) and the predetermined breaking / tearing portion (18) being formed by the plurality of local connections (18).

4. The end cap (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the predetermined breaking / tearing portion is in the form of a perforated circumferential predetermined tearing line.

5. The end cap (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end cap (2) is in the form of an attachment cap and the sealing portion (14) of the flange portion (10) is accommodated in a seating (38) provided on the cartridge-shaped receptacle and / or is fastened to the cartridge-shaped receptacle by form fit.

6. The end cap (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end cap (2) comprises at least one sealing element (24) for sealing the connecting port (30) of the cartridge-shaped receptacle at an inside (20) of the end cap on the top surface portion (6).

7. The end cap (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shell surface portion (8) of the end cap (2) comprises at least one wing-shaped projecting handle portion (12) at an outside (4) of the end cap for improved handling of the end cap (2).

8. The end cap (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end cap (2) is made from elastic plastic material and / or is in the form of a one-piece and single-material plastic component manufactured by injection molding.

9. A cartridge-shaped receptacle for an extracorporeal blood treatment machine which comprises at least one connecting port (30) forming a fluid inlet and / or a fluid outlet, and comprising at least one end cap (2) according to claim 1 for closing and sealing the at least one connecting port (30).