CARTRIDGE SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION

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 with a pump attached to its neck, the pump's intake port extending into the container. Known systems are described in US 2013 / 228482 A1, US 2013 / 153602 A1, and US 2021 / 268213 A1.

[0002] There are many substances and pharmaceutical agents that do not have a long shelf life in an aqueous solution. These include, for example, vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, steroids for aerosol applications in lung diseases, etc., although this list is only a sample. For this reason, it is advantageous to keep such active ingredients or agents and the associated liquid medium separate for as long as possible before applying the aqueous solution.

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a system with which the user can mix the active ingredient to be administered with the corresponding aqueous solution only immediately before use, whereby the system should be easy to handle for everyone.

[0004] This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of patent claim 1.

[0005] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims.

[0006] The invention provides that the container can be filled with the liquid medium, that a cartridge is arranged in the container, into the top of which the suction nozzle of the pump is tightly inserted, that the active ingredient can be filled into the cartridge, that the cartridge is sealed to the outside by at least one piston or plug which is slidably arranged in a wall of the cartridge and, due to the negative pressure generated by the pump, enters the interior of the cartridge and opens it to the outside, so that the active ingredient is miscible with the liquid medium. In order to achieve the most complete mixing of the active ingredient with the liquid medium, the user shakes the container so that an essentially homogeneous aqueous solution forms in the container and the cartridge, which the user can dispense by further actuation of the pump. This system is very easy to operate.

[0007] It is advantageously proposed that the at least one piston be seated in a tubular, outwardly open chamber that is inserted into the bottom wall or peripheral wall of the cartridge or formed integrally therewith. Two or more tubular chambers can be embedded in the cartridge wall, sealed by pistons that are slidably seated in the tubular chambers.

[0008] 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 displaceable in the lower chamber by means of negative pressure in the cartridge and, upon entry into the upper chamber, opens the cartridge outwards or downwards towards the liquid medium, so that the active ingredient can be mixed with the liquid medium.

[0009] In further detail, it is proposed that the upper chamber have a cylindrical peripheral wall, preferably a circular-cylindrical peripheral wall, into which the suction nozzle of the pump attached to the container can be tightly inserted. In one embodiment, the upper chamber has an annular wall adjoining 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 peripheral wall of the upper chamber and fastened, preferably glued, to this. The two chambers are preferably manufactured by injection molding, either in separate molds or as a single piece.

[0010] It is further proposed that the piston sits in a press fit in the lower chamber, in such a way that the piston seals the chamber, but is movable by negative pressure in the cartridge.

[0011] When the pump is activated, the piston slides upward in the lower chamber and then enters the larger-diameter upper chamber, creating an opening, preferably an annular gap, through which the active ingredient can escape from the cartridge into the container and through which the 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.

[0012] To prevent the piston, which has moved upwards in the cartridge, from blocking the pump's intake port, a piston stop is conveniently located below the intake port. For this purpose, a grid element can be inserted into the upper chamber, which is secured by a projection on the chamber wall.

[0013] The active ingredient can be in powder form or filled into the cartridge in liquid consistency.

[0014] To help the user know when to shake the container to dispense the desired aqueous solution, it is advantageous to suggest that the container and cartridge be made of a transparent plastic.

[0015] According to another highly advantageous feature of the invention, the container can consist of a rigid outer container and a deformable inner bag, into which no outside air enters to equalize pressure after the container contents are dispensed, but instead enters the space between the outer container and the inner bag. In this embodiment of the invention, 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, making the dispensed aqueous solution even more durable.

[0016] Further details of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the drawings, which show: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of a cartridge according to the invention; Figure 2 shows the four components of the cartridge according to Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a largely schematic representation of an embodiment of the cartridge system according to the invention; Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of a further embodiment of the invention.

[0017] 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 lower chamber 3 is inserted with its upper end section into the upper chamber 2, which is open at the bottom, and is fastened to the upper chamber 2 in a suitable manner, for example by glueing. The upper chamber 2 consists of the cylindrical peripheral wall 4, an upper annular cover wall 5 and a circular cylindrical tube 6, which extends from the edge of the central opening of the annular cover wall into the upper chamber and which has a diameter such that a suction nozzle (not shown) of a bottle pump attached to the container can be tightly inserted.

[0018] 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 container (not shown) is filled and in which the cartridge is immersed.

[0019] Below the tube 6 or the suction port of the pump, there is a piston collecting grid 8 in the upper chamber 2, 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 negative pressure generated by the pump.

[0020] The active ingredient is poured into the upper chamber 2, after which the piston 7 is inserted into the lower chamber 3. The suction nozzle or pump stem of a bottle pump is attached to the filled cartridge, after which the cartridge is inserted into an airless bottle filled with liquid, and the bottle pump is attached to the bottle neck. In this state, the cartridge system is ready to dispense an aqueous solution, but the two components are kept separate from each other, ensuring the active ingredient has a long shelf life.

[0021] In order to administer the aqueous solution, the user of the cartridge system actuates the pump, creating a vacuum in the cartridge that causes the piston 7 in the lower chamber 3 to rise, thereby also increasing the level of the liquid medium in the lower chamber 3. When the piston 7 reaches the upper end of the lower chamber 3, it is retracted into the upper chamber. Since the piston 7 has a smaller diameter than the upper chamber 2, the liquid medium in the bottle now also penetrates into the upper chamber, allowing the active ingredient in the upper chamber to mix with the liquid medium. Shaking the bottle ensures rapid and largely homogeneous mixing. The piston 7, retracted into the upper chamber, floats in the upper chamber, and the piston collecting grid 8 prevents the piston 7 from being sucked onto the tube 6 and blocking it.The active ingredient mixed in the liquid medium can now be removed or applied by the consumer by further pumping the bottle.

[0022] Instead of the piston collecting grid 8, blocking of the tube 6 can be prevented by a suitable design of the top side of the piston.

[0023] How Figure 3 As shown schematically, the pump stem 9 of a pump 10 tightly engages the upper chamber 12 of a cartridge 13, which contains an active ingredient. Attached to the lower end of the upper chamber 12 is a lower chamber 14 of smaller diameter, in which a piston 15 is tightly arranged. When a negative pressure is generated in the chamber 12 by the pump 10, the piston 15 is sucked into the chamber 12, thereby opening the cartridge 13 and allowing the active ingredient to be mixed with the liquid medium in the bottle 16.

[0024] In the design of the Figure 4Two tubular, outwardly open chambers 18 are inserted into the peripheral wall of the cartridge 1, each of which has a press-fit piston 17. The two pistons 17 are drawn into the interior of the cartridge by negative pressure to open the cartridge, allowing the liquid medium to enter the cartridge. The two pistons are arranged diametrically opposite each other.

Claims

1. A cartridge system for dispensing an aqueous solution, which consists of a mixture of an active substance with a liquid medium, including a bottle-shaped container (16) fastened to the neck of which there is a pump (10), wherein the container (16) may be filled with the liquid medium, wherein arranged in the container (16) there is a cartridge (1, 13), sealingly inserted into the upper side of which is the inlet pipe (9) of the pump (10), wherein the active substance may be introduced into the cartridge (1, 13), wherein the cartridge (1, 13) is sealed from the exterior by at least one piston or stopper (7, 15, 17) which is movably arranged in a wall of the cartridge (1, 13) and moves into the interior of the cartridge under the action of reduced pressure produced by the pump (10) and opens it to the exterior so that the active substance is mixable with the liquid medium.

2. A cartridge system as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the at least one piston (7, 15, 17) is situated in a tubular chamber (3, 14) open to the exterior, which is inserted into the base wall or peripheral wall of the cartridge (1, 13) or is formed integrally with it.

3. A cartridge system as claimed one of Claims 1 or 2, characterised in that two or more tubular chambers (18) are set into the cartridge wall.

4. A cartridge system as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the cartridge includes an upper chamber (2, 12), into which the active substance may be introduced, and an adjoining lower chamber (3, 14) of smaller diameter, which is sealed from the exterior of the cartridge (1, 13) by an associated piston (7, 15) and moves into the upper chamber (2, 12) under reduced pressure and thus opens the cartridge (1, 13) to the exterior.

5. A cartridge system as claimed in Claim 4, characterised in that the upper chamber (2) consists of a preferably circular cylindrical peripheral wall (4), an annular upper wall (5) and a central, adjoining circular cylindrical tube (6) of smaller diameter, which projects into the interior of the upper chamber (2) and into which the inlet pipe of the pump is sealingly insertable.

6. A cartridge system as claimed in one of Claims 4 or 5, characterised in that the lower chamber (3) consists of a cylindrical tube, which is sealingly inserted into the peripheral wall (4) of the upper chamber (2) or is formed integrally with the upper chamber.

7. A cartridge system as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the at least one piston (7) is situated in the cylindrical tube as a press fit.

8. A cartridge system as claimed in one of Claims 4, 5 or 6, characterised in that an abutment for the at least one piston (7) is arranged in the upper chamber (2) below the inlet pipe of the pump.

9. A cartridge system as claimed in Claim 8, characterised in that a grid element (8) is arranged as the abutment.

10. A cartridge system as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the container and cartridge consist of a transparent plastic material.

11. A cartridge system as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the active substance is in powder form or is liquid.

12. A cartridge system as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the container (16) consists of a stiff outer container and a deformable inner bag, into which no atmospheric air enters for pressure balancing when the container contents are dispensed.