eye drop dispenser

Abstract

An eye drop dispenser (10) for administering a medicinal liquid to the eye of a user, the eye drop dispenser (10) having the following features: (a) the eye drop dispenser (10) has a liquid reservoir (20) and a discharge opening (30); (b) the eye drop dispenser (10) has a pumping device (40) by which the liquid can be conveyed from the liquid reservoir (20) to the discharge opening (30); and (c) the eye drop dispenser (10) has two part units (12, 14). (d) the two partial units (12, 14) can be moved parallel to each other and can be pressed towards each other in an actuation direction (2) to activate the pump device (40) and cause the ejection of droplets; (d) the ejection opening (30) is configured so that liquid ejection is performed in an ejection direction (4), which is different from the actuation direction (2) and preferably forms an angle of 45° to 135° with the actuation direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of eye drop dispensers. [Background technology]

[0002] Eye drop dispensers are used for administering a liquid to the eyes of a user. In particular, the liquid can be a liquid for treating dry or bloodshot eyes. However, other medications, such as antibiotics, can be dispensed by conventional eye drop dispensers and by the eye drop dispenser according to the present invention.

[0003] The most common method of administering eye drops involves dropping the drops into the eye from above using an eye drop dispenser, such as a squeeze bottle dispenser, which carefully dispenses a volume of liquid that first accumulates on a droplet-forming surface of the dispenser and then, when it grows large enough, detaches and drops into the user's eye as intended.

[0004] The use of such conventional eye drop dispensers is associated with various problems. On the one hand, many users have difficulty getting drops into their eyes. When they need to look up, they cannot easily estimate which dispenser's discharge opening is located directly above their eyes. This also leads users to move the eye drop dispenser too close to their eyes, which can result in contact and pain. The generally very large droplets hitting the eyes are also perceived as unpleasant by many users. Summary of the Invention

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide an eye drop dispenser and method of operation that is superior to known eye drop dispensers in terms of user comfort and / or dosing accuracy.

[0006] To this end, an eye drop dispenser for administering a medicinal liquid to the eye of a user is proposed, which is configured as follows:

[0007] The eye drop dispenser has a liquid reservoir, which is filled with a medicinal liquid ready for administration to the user's eye. This can be a medicinal liquid, particularly for treating increased intraocular pressure (glaucoma), dry eye, or allergies and inflammation. Examples include alpha-2 agonists, such as brimonidine, prostaglandin analogs (tafluprost, latanoprost, bimatoprost, travoprost), beta-blockers, such as timolol, and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, such as dorzolamide or hyaluronic acid compounds, film-forming agents, such as methylcellulose compounds and cyclosporine, or antihistamines, such as olopatadine and levocabastine, steroids, such as loteprednol and dexamethasone, and NSAIDs, such as ketorolac. As mentioned above, these may also be other medicinal liquids, such as antibiotics.

[0008] The eye drop dispenser according to the present invention further comprises a discharge opening through which the liquid can be discharged, the discharge through the discharge opening preferably being performed in a substantially horizontal direction, and the droplets discharged through the discharge opening are propelled substantially into the eye.

[0009] To convey the liquid from the liquid reservoir to the discharge opening, a pump device is provided, in particular adapted for manual actuation, which may in particular be a piston pump, the actuation of which reduces the volume of the pump chamber, so that the liquid contained in the pump chamber and previously sucked from the liquid reservoir is placed under pressure and discharged in the direction of and through the discharge opening.

[0010] To activate the pump device, the eye drop dispenser has two partial units that can be moved parallel to each other and that can be pressed towards each other in an actuation direction to activate the pump device and cause the ejection of droplets. This actuation is preferably performed against the force of a resilient device, in particular a helical spring, acting between the two partial units. This preferably includes a main unit that is held by the user's hand in use, and an actuation unit that is actuated, in particular by depression, using the fingers of the hand.

[0011] Preferably, one of the two partial units comprises the liquid reservoir and the other of the two partial units has the discharge opening, however, it is also possible for the discharge opening and the liquid reservoir to be provided in the same partial unit, the other partial unit then being essentially only an actuating pressure device for actuating the pump device.

[0012] As already mentioned above, the eye drop dispenser according to the invention essentially propels a defined amount of liquid in the form of a coherent liquid, referred to in the context of the present invention as droplets, into the eye in a generally essentially horizontal direction. However, actuation of the eye drop dispenser can be performed in a different direction. This is achieved by orienting the discharge openings so that liquid discharge is performed in a different discharge direction from the actuation direction of the two sub-units. Preferably, the actuation direction and the discharge direction form an angle of 45° to 135°, in particular an angle of approximately 90° or exactly 90°. The actuation direction, which is angled relative to the discharge direction as mentioned, also preferably corresponds to the main length direction of the eye drop dispenser, which is determined by the central axis of the liquid reservoir.

[0013] The eye drop dispenser according to the invention is particularly comfortable to handle: actuation is carried out by pressing the two part units in an actually substantially vertical direction, whereby the pump device is actuated, whereby the drops are expelled laterally relative to the eye drop dispenser and propelled into the eye.

[0014] To ensure that the liquid hitting the eye is not unpleasant or, ideally, bothersome to the user, it is proposed to configure the pump device so that a complete actuation, i.e., a displacement of the two sub-units from the far end position to the near end position, delivers a volume of liquid of less than 25 μl toward the discharge opening. Preferably, the volume of liquid is even smaller, particularly less than 20 μl. This amount of liquid then forms droplets upon discharge. Volumes of less than 25 μl, especially less than 20 μl, are smaller than the droplet volumes typically achieved by dispensers that deliver falling droplets. However, in many applications, especially when complete wetting of the eye is desired, a volume of 25 μl has been found to be sufficient. This is because, as a result of the dosing accuracy achievable with the eye drop dispenser according to the present invention, this amount of liquid reaches the eye completely, with no liquid remaining partially unreachable.

[0015] The small volume of the droplets in the context of the propelled droplets given in this example helps to avoid discomfort to the user if the liquid impinges on the eye.

[0016] The aforementioned small pumping volume of the pumping device per actuation movement can cause problems with regard to ventilation of the pumping chamber of the pumping device when the dispenser is first started, so-called "priming." The small pumping volume results in the excess pressure generated by the actuation of the air located in the pumping chamber in the delivery state being insufficient to open the outlet valve, which opens depending on the pressure. To overcome this problem, it is advantageous for the pumping device to be provided with a ventilation function. With a pumping device having such a ventilation function, a communication connection between the liquid reservoir and the pumping chamber is opened towards the end of the actuation movement path, i.e., when the two sub-units are maximally moved towards each other. This connection allows the compressed air to at least partially escape from the pumping chamber so that the incompressible liquid is sucked into the pumping chamber during the subsequent return movement. Repeated actuation subsequently results in the complete displacement of the air from the pumping chamber.

[0017] In addition to the volume, the speed at which the droplets are released and strike the eye is also relevant to the question of whether the droplets striking the eye will be perceived as unpleasant. The dispenser is preferably configured to release liquid at a speed of at least 2 m / s, in particular at least 3 m / s, so that the flight path of the droplets is substantially straight, with an actuation speed of 35 mm / s. At the same time, the speed is preferably no more than 8 m / s, preferably no more than 6 m / s, so that the impact on the eye is not perceived as unpleasant, or in the ideal case, is barely noticeable.

[0018] The above speeds are substantially lower than typical discharge speeds of liquid dispensers, for example, nasal dispensers, which generally range from 10 m / s to 20 m / s.

[0019] In addition to the volume of the droplet and the time period over which this volume is released, the configuration of the release aperture also contributes to the release speed. For eye drop dispensers of the type according to the present invention, it is preferred that the release aperture have a relatively large cross-sectional area at its narrowest point. The net cross-sectional area at that point is preferably at least 0.2 mm. 2 , particularly preferably 0.5 mm 2 or larger. Preferably, the discharge opening is circular and has a diameter of 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm.

[0020] The geometry of the discharge opening and the direct supply to the discharge opening are preferably configured in such a way that the liquid does not exhibit any swirling motion relative to the axis of the discharge direction, since such a swirling motion could lead to undesired atomization of the liquid. Preferably, the supply is carried out through at least one radial supply channel, particularly preferably through at least two supply channels, which are uniformly distributed around the periphery to allow a swirl-free supply.

[0021] The avoidance of the swirling motion of the liquid and the corresponding tendency to atomize can also be achieved by the liquid itself. It has been found that liquids with a viscosity higher than that of water are particularly suitable for being propelled in the form of droplets. Preferably, therefore, the liquid reservoir is filled with a liquid having a viscosity of at least 2 cP, preferably between 10 cP and 80 cP, in particular between 30 cP and 50 cP.

[0022] To generate droplets of the desired volume that are ejected in a bullet-like manner, it is considered advantageous for the partial path of the pump device actuated for ejection, i.e., the partial path of the two partial units during operation, to be preferably a maximum of 2 mm, particularly preferably 1.5 mm or less. Droplets are ejected during their passage through this partial path. When a piston pump is used as the pump device, the volume of the droplets is the product of the length of this partial path and the effective piston area. A relatively small operating partial path ensures the rapid passage of the propelled droplets and the defined shape that can be achieved thereby.

[0023] A particularly preferred configuration of the pump device can be such that the two partial units first pass through the inactive path of travel and then through the active path of travel during displacement from the inactive position. During displacement of the two partial units over the inactive path of travel, no pressure is applied to the liquid in the pump chambers of the pump device. Preferably, while the two partial units move through the inactive path of travel, liquid is displaced from the pump chambers back into the liquid reservoir. Only when the two partial units move together over the inactive path of travel and subsequently over the active path of travel does a reduction in the volume of the separate pump chambers relative to the liquid reservoir occur, thereby causing the expulsion of liquid in the form of propelled droplets.

[0024] The aforementioned non-actuated path of travel is not necessarily critical for the function of the eye drop dispenser. The release of liquid can also be initiated directly at the start of the displacement of the two partial units. However, it has been found that users perceive it as significantly more comfortable when no release is performed over the partial path of travel, i.e., the aforementioned non-actuated path of travel, so that there is no risk of unintended release during positioning of the eye drop dispenser. Furthermore, the non-actuated path of travel facilitates the two partial units passing through the subsequent actuated path of travel at a moderately high displacement speed.

[0025] The manual actuation force required during liquid discharge is preferably at least 15 Newtons, in particular at least 18 Newtons, for an actuation speed of 35 mm / s. This force is determined by the restoring spring of the eye drop dispenser and the flow resistance experienced by the liquid between the pump chamber and the discharge opening, which may arise in particular from valves located in the flow path and their required opening pressure.

[0026] Insofar as a non-actuating path upstream of the actuating path is provided, the actuation force required at that point is small, mainly because the liquid at this stage is not yet flowing and, as a result, flow resistance does not affect the actuation force. The actuation force when passing through the non-actuating path is preferably less than 15 Newtons, particularly preferably less than 12 Newtons, for an actuation speed of 35 mm / s.

[0027] The difference in actuation force between the non-actuation path and the actuation path is preferably at least 3 Newtons, preferably at least 5 Newtons, for a typical actuation speed of preferably 35 mm / s. This results in a pressure point haptic effect. When displacing the two sub-units, the beginning of the actuation path can be easily recognized. Preferably, the transition between the non-actuation path and the actuation path is configured in such a way that the required actuation force increases over a path of at least 0.3 mm to facilitate localization of the tactile change.

[0028] The usual procedure in use is for the user to position the dispenser in front of them, manually and carefully apply force to the two partial units until a transition is made from the inactive to the active path of travel, slightly separate the two partial units from each other again, and then push the two partial units with a defined and sufficiently high force to pass through the inactive and active paths of travel in rapid succession.

[0029] The length of the non-actuated path of travel is preferably greater than 1 mm, in particular at least 3 mm or even at least 4 mm. The actuated path of travel is preferably shorter than the non-actuated path of travel. Preferably, the actuated path of travel is at most 2 mm, particularly preferably at most 1.5 mm.

[0030] The actuation path can end in a stop-like demarcation, above which the two sub-units cannot move closer together. However, it is considered advantageous for the actuation path to be adjacent to another residual path. When the residual path is reached, the discharge ends, since excess pressure in the pressure chamber is released, particularly preferably by a communicating connection provided between the pump chamber and the liquid reservoir, and the pump chamber, whose volume is continuously reduced across the residual path, allows the liquid to flow back into the liquid reservoir.

[0031] In particular, the aforementioned residual travel path can be advantageous during start-up and so-called "priming" of the dispenser (i.e., initial displacement of air from the pump chamber) because an almost fully compressed pump chamber allows the air compressed therein to be substantially completely expelled from the pump chamber into the liquid reservoir. Furthermore, the residual travel path improves metering accuracy because it is not compromised by unintentional braking of the user's manual actuation as a result of a potentially inappropriate stop at or approaching a stop at the end of the actuation travel path.

[0032] To technically implement the inactive and residual paths of travel, for example, the piston of a piston pump can be movably provided in one of the partial units associated therewith, so that an initial displacement of the piston relative to said one partial unit via the inactive path of travel is carried out before, after reaching an end position, said one partial unit is displaced together with the piston relative to the other partial unit and the piston cylinder provided thereon.

[0033] However, a more advantageous alternative is one in which the pump device has an inlet valve in the form of a slide valve. Such a slide valve is provided with a valve slide, which is arranged outside the metering channel at the start of actuation and is introduced into the metering channel and displaced therein during actuation. The slide valve preferably forms the inlet valve of the pump device in this example. The pump chamber is connected to the liquid reservoir until the valve slide closes the inlet together with the metering channel. As soon as the valve slide is introduced into the metering channel, the pump inlet is closed, and continued actuation leads to an increase in the pressure of the liquid in the pump chamber and to its release. The inlet into the metering channel is preferably provided with a conical inlet surface, which extends over at least 0.3 mm in the actuation direction. This leads to a gentle capture of the valve slide and good tactile detectability of the change from the non-actuated to the actuated movement.

[0034] Preferably, the component is dimensioned so that at the end of actuation the valve slide slides out of the metering channel again, i.e. at least partially loses contact with the wall of the metering channel, thereby connecting the pump chamber and the liquid reservoir. The partial path of displacement beyond the metering channel forms the above-mentioned residual path for its action and for the ventilation function mentioned at the beginning.

[0035] The valve slide forms a type of piston in the metering channel. However, in order to reduce the volume of the pump chamber, it is preferable to provide an additional, larger pump piston, which is fixed in position relative to the valve slide and bears, at least over the working path of travel, preferably permanently, on an associated pump cylinder wall which is provided in a fixed manner relative to the metering channel. The reverse configuration is also possible, i.e. the valve slide and pump cylinder wall are fixed relative to each other, while the metering channel and pump piston are fixed.

[0036] Preferably, a valve can be provided between the pump chamber and the discharge opening, in particular in this example a pump outlet valve which closes on reduced pressure in the pump so that on the return movement liquid is drawn from the liquid reservoir into the pump chamber.

[0037] In a further preferred embodiment, the eye drop dispenser has a release valve that opens in a pressure-dependent manner and is located immediately upstream of the release opening. In this example, this may be an additional valve in addition to the pump outlet valve. However, the release valve may also be the only valve between the pump chamber and the release opening.

[0038] The discharge valve opens at a defined minimum pressure and closes as soon as the liquid pressure of the incoming liquid drops below this minimum pressure. The placement of the discharge valve directly in front of the discharge opening results in a very defined start of discharge and a very defined end of discharge, which is advantageous for forming propelled droplets. Preferably, the discharge valve is configured to open at a liquid pressure reduction of up to 6 bar, more preferably at a liquid pressure reduction of up to 4 bar. These relatively small opening pressures are sufficient for the formation of propelled droplets. The pressure required to fully open the discharge valve is preferably slightly above this minimum opening pressure, particularly preferably no more than 1 bar above the minimum opening pressure.

[0039] The release valve is preferably provided with a resilient device by which the valve member of the release valve is biased into the closed position, the configuration of this spring in particular determining the aforementioned opening pressure.

[0040] The discharge opening of the eye drop dispenser according to the invention is configured for discharge in a discharge direction angled relative to the actuation direction. Preferably, in this example, a right angle is provided. The eye drop dispenser can be configured such that it has a substantially rotationally symmetrical shape relative to the axis of the actuation direction. The discharge opening in such a case does not protrude laterally beyond the covering surface of the respective sub-unit.

[0041] However, it is also conceivable to arrange the discharge openings at the end of a discharge nozzle extending radially outward, preferably a discharge nozzle which is constructed integrally with the working surface of the partial unit.

[0042] The radially outwardly extending discharge nozzle forms a good auxiliary orientation member, by which the dispenser can be grasped directly in the correct orientation or can be oriented in a simple manner after being grasped. In particular, the outer surface of the discharge nozzle is preferably circular and concentric with the discharge opening.

[0043] As an additional measure to facilitate orientation, a release opening can be provided that can be easily detected visually, in particular by color contrast. The release opening is preferably located 2 cm to 6 cm away from the eye so as not to make focusing difficult during correct use of the eye drop dispenser. To facilitate orientation, a color contrast can be provided, in particular between the components forming the release opening and the valve member of the release valve. Preferably, the valve member is darker in color than the release opening material. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the valve member has a color significantly different from white, such as blue, red, green or purple.

[0044] A preferred construction type of the eye drop dispenser according to the invention is one in which the liquid reservoir faces downwards in use and the pump device is arranged above the liquid reservoir. To aspirate liquid from the liquid reservoir, in this example, a riser tube is preferably provided that protrudes from the pump device into the liquid reservoir. With this construction type, a second partial unit is provided above the pump device in use and forms an actuating unit that is pressed down against the first partial unit containing the liquid reservoir. A discharge opening is preferably provided above the second partial unit. For actuation, the first partial unit, which essentially forms the main partial unit, is held by hand and the second partial unit (actuating unit) is pressed down using the fingers of this hand.

[0045] Another variant is that the liquid reservoir is provided above the pump device in use and forms part of the second partial unit, in this example this second partial unit is depressed relative to the first partial unit located below it and the liquid is released from the release opening of this first partial unit, also in this example the first partial unit is preferably the main partial unit that is gripped by hand for release purposes and the second partial unit preferably forms the actuation unit that is depressed by the fingers.

[0046] In addition to the eye drop dispenser itself, the present invention also relates to an operating method therefor, according to which, for the purpose of dispensing, the two sub-units are moved from an inactive position towards each other in an actuating direction, whereby liquid is exerted under pressure by the pumping device, and the liquid is thereby expelled through the discharge opening in a dispensing direction different from the actuating direction. In this example, the liquid is expelled in the form of propelled droplets with a droplet volume of 5 μl to 25 μl, which are expelled at a speed of 3 m / s to 8 m / s.

[0047] In particular, the two partial units can be moved towards each other starting from an inoperative position, and initially over an inoperative movement path of preferably at least 1 mm the pump chamber of the eye drop dispenser is connected in a communicating manner to the liquid reservoir while not reducing its volume, and subsequently over an operating movement path following the inoperative movement path, preferably less than 2 mm, the pump chamber is reduced in volume while no longer connected in a communicating manner to the liquid reservoir, thereby increasing the liquid pressure in the pump chamber and resulting in the ejection of droplets. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0048] Other advantages and aspects of the present invention will be recognized from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, as set forth below with reference to the drawings, and from the claims.

[0049] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an eye drop dispenser according to the present invention in cross section. [Figure 2A-2B] 2A-2B show an embodiment of an eye drop dispenser in operation. [Figure 2C-2D] 2C-2D show an embodiment of an eye drop dispenser in operation. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows the geometry of the discharge opening of an eye drop dispenser and the inner wall of the discharge opening. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0050] 1 shows a droplet dispenser 10 according to the present invention. The droplet dispenser 10 comprises a liquid reservoir 20 and a dispensing head attached to the liquid reservoir 20 and comprising a base 22 and an actuating pressure member 24.

[0051] The aforementioned components form two partial units 12, 14 which can be displaced relative to each other, with the base 22 of the discharge head and the liquid reservoir 20 forming the main partial unit 14 and the actuating press member 24 forming the actuating unit 12.

[0052] The eye drop dispenser 10 has a pump device 40 in the form of a piston pump disposed between the two partial units 12, 14 such that by pressing the two partial units 12, 14 together, pressure is exerted on the liquid in the pump chamber 42, thereby discharging the liquid through the discharge opening 30 on the partial unit 12.

[0053] The pumping device 40 has an inlet valve 44 in the form of a slide valve having a metering channel 44A provided on the base 22 of the discharge head and a valve slide 44B provided on the actuating pressure member 24.

[0054] The pump device 40 further comprises a pump outlet valve formed in this example by a discharge valve 46 arranged immediately upstream of the discharge opening 30. This discharge valve 46 comprises a valve member 47 which can be moved against a valve seat and which is biased into a closed position by a valve spring 48.

[0055] The two partial units 12, 14 are forced towards each other by a restoring spring 16. In the inactivated position of Fig. 1, they are at their maximum distance from each other. In this inactivated position, the valve slide 44B of the inlet valve 44 is not yet positioned in the metering channel 44A. Thus, the liquid reservoir 20 and the pump chamber 42 are still connected to each other in a communicating manner in this initial state.

[0056] 2A-2D, the method of operation of eye drop dispenser 10 will be described.

[0057] Figure 2A shows again the inactivated state of Figure 1. It can further be seen from this figure that for correct delivery of eye drops, the eye drop dispenser 10 is positioned at eye level 100, approximately 3-5 cm away therefrom.

[0058] Starting from this position, and assuming that pump chamber 42 is already completely filled with liquid at this time, actuation in the direction of arrow 3 (see the transition from FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B ) initially does not lead to the release of liquid. Partial unit 14 is depressed or partial unit 12 is lifted, but valve slide 44B does not yet contact the wall of metering channel 44A at this stage. Therefore, during this stage of actuation, liquid from pump chamber 42 can flow back into liquid reservoir 20 upon the reduction in the internal volume of pump chamber 42. Between the position of FIG. 2A and the position of FIG. 2B , in which partial unit 12 is depressed substantially 4 mm, the user can freely move the two partial units relative to each other without affecting liquid release. This also allows the user to precisely position eye drop dispenser 10 in the intermediate position of FIG. 2B , in which valve slide 44B is in contact with metering channel 44A. The partial path along which the two partial units 12, 14 can be moved relative to each other without the effects of ejection represents the so-called non-active path of movement 50.

[0059] Once the eye drop dispenser 10 is correctly positioned relative to the eye 100 and the user has an impression of the positions of the two partial units 12, 14 at the stage shown in FIG. 2B, the user presses the partial unit 14 down to the position shown in FIG. 2C. In this example, in the position shown in FIG. 2B, the valve slide 44B initially seals the metering channel 44A, thereby isolating the pump chamber 42 from the liquid reservoir. Continued movement along the actuation path shown in FIG. 2C increases the pressure in the pump chamber 42 as a result of the incompressibility of the liquid, and thus the release valve 46 opens by pushing the valve member 47 to the right against the force of the valve spring 48 with respect to FIG. 2C. As can be seen with reference to FIG. 2C, this leads to the bullet-like ejection of the droplets 102. The droplets 102 are ejected horizontally without atomization at a speed of approximately 1.5 m / s and immediately hit the eye 100. This is extremely accurate due to the horizontal and linear direction of movement of the droplets 102.

[0060] As soon as the valve slide 44B leaves the metering channel 44A at its lower end, as shown in FIG. 2C , communication between the pump chamber 42 and the liquid reservoir 20 beyond the valve slide 44B is again possible. Suddenly, the excess pressure in the pump chamber 42 collapses, and the discharge valve 46 likewise suddenly closes. This leads to the precise detachment of the droplet 102 from the discharge opening 30. As a result of the sudden detachment of the droplet 102, retention of residual liquid outside the discharge opening 30 is also effectively prevented.

[0061] If the force exerted on the two partial units 12, 14 after actuation finally decreases, the two partial units 12, 14 return to their original position under the action of the restoring spring 16. In this example, the valve slide 44B passes through the metering channel 44A again, but the supply into the pump chamber 42 is temporarily interrupted. In this example, a reduced pressure builds up in the pump chamber 42 for a while. As soon as the valve slide 44B leaves the metering channel 44A at its upper end and the fluid connection to the liquid reservoir 20 is re-established, liquid is sucked into the pump chamber 42 and fills it.

[0062] Figure 3 shows the housing component 34 in which the discharge opening 30 is provided. It can be seen that the discharge opening is relatively large, in this example preferably having a diameter of 0.5 to 0.8 mm. This relatively large diameter helps not to accelerate the discharged liquid in an overly forceful manner and also helps to avoid atomization.

[0063] Also for the purpose of avoiding atomization, the liquid reaches the discharge opening 30 through two supply openings 38 of an internal web 36 surrounding the discharge opening 30, the supply openings 38 being in each case radially oriented and arranged opposite each other. In this way, the liquid is also prevented from being atomized when discharged.

Claims

1. An eye drop dispenser (10) for administering liquid medication to the user's eyes, having the following features: (a) The eye drop dispenser (10) has a liquid storage section (20) and a discharge opening (30), (b) The eye drop dispenser (10) has a pump device (40) and the pump device (40) can transport the liquid from the liquid storage section (20) to the discharge opening (30), (c) The eye drop dispenser (10) has two subunits (12, 14) which can be moved parallel to each other and which can be pressed toward each other in the operating direction (2) to activate the pump device (40) and cause droplet release. (d) The discharge opening (30) is configured such that liquid discharge occurs in the discharge direction (4), and the discharge direction (4) is different from the operating direction (2) and preferably forms an angle of 45° to 135°, preferably 80° to 100°, with respect to the operating direction.

2. The eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1, having the following additional features: (a) The pump device (40) is in the form of a piston pump and has a pump chamber (42) whose volume can be reduced during operation by displacing two subunits (12, 14) to pressurize the liquid located in the pump chamber (42).

3. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) The pump device (40) has a pump volume of less than 25 μl, preferably less than 20 μl, per operating movement.

4. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) The discharge opening (30) is at least 0.2 mm ２ Preferably at least 0.5 mm ２ It has a net cross-sectional area.

5. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) The discharge opening (30) is associated with at least one supply channel (38), the supply channel (38) extends radially with respect to the discharge direction, and the supply channel (38) can supply liquid to the discharge opening (30) without vortexing.

6. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following features (a) to (c), and preferably having at least one of the following features (d) and / or (e): (a) The pump device (40) is configured such that, during the displacement of two subunits (12, 14) from a non-operating position, they first pass through the non-operating movement path (50) and then through the operating movement path (52), (b) During the displacement of the two subunits (12, 14) across the non-operating travel path (50), no pressure is applied to the liquid in the pump chamber (42) of the pump device (40). (c) During the displacement of the two subunits (12, 14) along the subsequent operating path (52), the liquid pressure in the pump chamber (42) increases, and the liquid is discharged from the pump chamber (42) toward the discharge opening (30). (d) The non-operating travel path (50) has a length of at least 3 mm, preferably at least 4 mm, (e) The operating travel path (52) has a maximum length of 2 mm, preferably a maximum length of 1.5 mm.

7. The eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 6, having the following additional features: (a) The actuation force intended to press together two subunits across the non-actuated travel path is less than 15 Newtons, the actuation force for the transition between the non-actuated travel path and the actuated travel path is 15 Newtons or more, the actuation force for the non-actuated travel path is preferably less than 12 Newtons, and / or the actuation force for the transition between the non-actuated travel path and the actuated travel path is preferably 18 Newtons or more.

8. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) The pump device (40) has an inlet valve (44) in the form of a slide valve, the slide valve has a metering passage in the form of a cylindrical metering channel (44A), and a valve slide portion (44B), and the pump chamber (42) can be closed on the inlet side by introducing the valve slide portion (44B) into the metering channel (44A), (b) In the non-operating position of the two subunits (12, 14), the valve slide portion (44B) is located outside the metering channel (44A) and moves into the inlet-side metering channel (44A) when operating.

9. The eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 8, having the following additional features: (a) The pump device (40) has a pump chamber (42) defined by a pump cylinder (43A), and a pump piston (43B) that can move within the pump cylinder (43A), (b) The valve slide portion (44B) of the inlet valve (44) is provided in a manner that is fixed to the pump piston (43B), (c) The cylindrical metering channel (44A) of the inlet valve (44) is provided in a manner that is fixed to the pump cylinder (43A).

10. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) The eye drop dispenser (10) has a release valve (46) which opens in a pressure-dependent manner and is located immediately upstream of the release opening (30).

11. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) The first of the two subunits (14) forms the main subunit which is grasped by hand for the purpose of release, (b) The second of the two subunits (12) forms an actuation unit, the actuation unit having an actuation surface (12A) on the end front that can be pressed down by a finger.

12. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) An outlet opening (30) is provided on the second of the two subunits (12).

13. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) The eye drop dispenser has a substantially rotationally symmetrical shape and is provided with a dispensing nozzle that extends radially outward in the region of the dispensing opening, with a dispensing opening at its distal end.

14. The eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 2, having the following additional features: (a) A connection is provided between the liquid storage section (20) and the pump chamber (42) that communicates toward the end of the working path, thereby giving the pump device (40) a ventilation function.

15. The eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 8, having the following additional features: (a) Before reaching the end position for operation, the valve slide portion (44B) moves out of the metering channel (44A) on the outlet side.

16. The eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 10, having the following additional features: (a) The release valve (46) of the eye drop dispenser (10) is formed by a pump outlet valve, which defines the outlet side of the pump chamber (42).

17. The eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 10, having the following additional features: (a) The discharge valve (46) has an elastic device, and the valve member (47) is pressed to the closed position by the elastic device, and the outlet valve is configured to open the discharge valve (46) at a liquid pressure of 6 bar or less, preferably 4 bar or less.

18. The eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 11, having the following additional features: (a) The pump device (40) is provided with a riser pipe that protrudes into the liquid storage section (20).

19. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) An outlet opening (30) is provided on the first of the two subunits (14).

20. An eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following additional features: (a) The discharge opening is highlighted by color contrast, and in particular, the components through which the discharge opening extends have a different color from the valve members that can be seen through the discharge opening.

21. A method for operating the eye drop dispenser (10) according to claim 1 or 2, having the following features: (a) Two subunits (12, 14) are moved toward each other from a non-operating position in the operating direction, thereby pressurizing the liquid by the pump device (40), and the liquid is discharged through the discharge opening in a discharge direction different from the operating direction. (b) Liquid is released in the form of propelled droplets with a volume of 5 μl to 25 μl at a speed of 3 m / s to 8 m / s.

22. The method according to claim 21, having the following additional features: (a) Two subunits (12, 14) are moved toward each other, starting from a non-operating position, so that first the pump chamber (42) of the eye drop dispenser (10) is connected to the liquid storage unit (20) via a non-operating path (50) in a manner that communicates with it, without reducing its volume, and then the pump chamber (42) is connected to the liquid storage unit (20) via an operating path (52) following the non-operating path (50) in a manner that reduces its volume, while still communicating with it, thereby increasing the liquid pressure in the pump chamber (42) and causing the release of droplets.

23. The method according to claim 22, having the following additional features: (a) After the two subunits (12, 14) have passed through the operating path (52) by moving toward each other, the two subunits (12, 14) reach the ventilation position, where ventilation of the pump chamber (42) is carried out by a connecting connection made at the ventilation position between the liquid storage section (20) and the pump chamber (42).

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