EP1033344A1

EP1033344A1 - Manual device for opening a glass ampoule

Info

Publication number: EP1033344A1
Application number: EP00104134A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Josef Berek Apolet
Original assignee: Aciplast de Civardi Walter
Current assignee: Aciplast de Civardi Walter
Priority date: 1999-03-02
Filing date: 2000-02-29
Publication date: 2000-09-06
Also published as: IT1308637B1; ITMI990418A1

Abstract

A manual device is described for opening a glass ampoule which prevents any risk of the user accidentally hurting himself when he opens the ampoule, as well as any risk of dispersing glass fragments in the event of the ampoule itself getting broken (even partially).

This device (made preferably but not necessarily of a flexible and elastic material, such as polyethylene or other functionally equivalent plastic material) comprises a first portion (1), which is hollow and (substantially) cylindrical, suitable to hold the cap of the ampoule, a second portion (2) suitable to hold the body of the ampoule, and a connecting portion (3) which connects a base of the first portion to the edge (6) of the second portion (2).

Description

Field of invention

The invention consists of a manual device for opening a glass ampoule which prevents any risk of the user accidentally hurting himself when he opens the ampoule, as well as any risk of dispersing fragments of glass in the event of the ampoule itself getting broken (even partially).

Prior art

Many types of manual devices designed to enable more convenient opening of glass ampoules are known to the prior art which have a (relatively) widespread use in the health field.
Such known devices differ from one another (or may differ from one another) in shape, size, mode of operation and materials used. Simply to provide examples, the following devices are mentioned:
a) A rectangular body made of soft plastic, divided into two portions of different length by a hole in which the neck of the ampoule is inserted. To open the ampoule, the longer portion is bent back onto the cap, and the other portion is made to rest on the body of the ampoule. Such a body made of plastic material is not suitable for preventing the user from accidentally hurting himself with the sharp edge of the body of the ampoule while opening it. Furthermore, in the event of accidental breakage of the body of the ampoule, such a device is not suitable for protecting the hand of the person holding the body of the ampoule from the glass fragments, nor for preventing the said fragments from being scattered.
b) A pincer-shaped body, in which the cap of the ampoule is inserted to increase the bending moment exerted on the neck of the ampoule to open it. In the event of breakage (even partial breakage) of the body of the ampoule, the pincer-shaped body does not protect the hand of the person holding the body of the ampoule in any way, nor is it suitable for preventing the glass fragments from being scattered.
c) A hollow body (at times consisting of two parts hinged together) in which the cap of the ampoule is inserted to increase the bending moment exerted on the neck of the ampoule to open it. At times the hollow body comprises means suitable to withhold the cap of the ampoule after the opening of the ampoule itself. Such a hollow body does not in any way protect the hand of the person holding the body of the ampoule against the risk of accidentally getting hurt with the sharp edge of the body of the ampoule while opening the ampoule or in case of accidental breakage of the ampoule itself, nor is it suitable for preventing scattering of glass fragments in case of breakage (including partial breakage) of the body of the ampoule.
d) A plastic material tray of the type used for packaging and protecting an ampoule during transport, the side walls of which have (in an area in which the neck of the ampoule is located) a discontinuity which enables the tray to be bent in order to break the neck of the ampoule. Such a tray, open at the top, cannot protect the user from accidentally hurting himself with the sharp edges of the cap and of the body of the ampoule when he opens it, or in case of accidental breakage of the ampoule itself, nor is it able to prevent scattering of the glass fragments in case of breakage (including partial breakage) of the ampoule.
The manual device for opening glass ampoules which form the subject of the present invention is suitable to provide a complete answer both to the need for protecting the hands of the user from the risk of getting cut when opening an ampoule and/or in the event of accidental breakage of the ampoule itself and to the need for preventing scattering of the glass fragments in the event of breakage (including accidental breakage) of the ampoule.

Summary of the invention

The subject of the present invention is a manual device for opening a glass ampoule comprising a first portion, which is hollow and (substantially) cylindrical, suitable to accept the cap of the ampoule, a second portion suitable to accept the body of the ampoule, and a connecting portion which connects a base of the first portion to the edge of the second portion.
Preferably but not necessarily, the device is made of a flexible and elastic material, such as polyethylene or some other functionally equivalent plastic material.

List of figures

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to embodiments which are illustrated, to provide non-limiting examples, in the attached figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of a device made according to a possible embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view according to the plane A-A of the device of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a front view of a further possible embodiment of the invention. In the attached figures, corresponding elements are identified by the same reference numbers.

Detailed description

A manual device for opening a glass ampoule made according to the invention comprises a first portion 1, which is hollow and (substantially) cylindrical, suitable to accept the cap of the ampoule to be opened, a second portion 2 designed to accept the body of the ampoule, and a connecting portion 3 which connects a base of the first portion 1 to the edge (indicated by 6 in the attached figures) of the second portion 2.
Preferably but not necessarily, the device is made of a flexible and elastic material, such as a plastic material (polyethylene or some other plastic material), "non-woven fabric" and/or some other functionally equivalent material; without departing from the scope of the invention it is, however, possible to use another type of flexible (but not elastic) material, such as paper, cardboard, fabric, etc.
The devices according to the invention, described as non-limiting example in the attached figures, consist of a single body made of flexible (and preferably elastic) material but, without departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible to make the first portion 1 of the device of a material (e.g., a plastic material) different from the one (e.g., paper, cardboard or fabric) used to make the second portion 2 of the device.
In addition, in the non-limiting examples according to the invention described in the attached figures, the connecting portion 3 connects the base of the first portion 1 to the second portion 2 in the central part of the edge of the second portion 2 but, without departing from the sphere of the invention, the connecting portion 3 may connect the base of the first portion 1 to the second portion 2 in any position along the edge of the second portion 2.
Figure 1 presents a side view of a device made according to a possible embodiment of the invention, in which the second portion 2 is "C"-shaped and the connecting portion 3 connects together a base of the first portion 1 and a base of the second portion 2 for about one half of their length.
The above characteristics appear more clearly from the cross-sectional view according to the plane A-A illustrated in Figure 2, where the following may be noted:

the closed section of the first (basically) cylindrical portion 1, which has the internal cavity 4 suitable to accept the cap of the ampoule;
the "C"-shaped cross section of the second portion 2; and
the matter that the connecting portion 3 connects together a base of the first portion 1 and a base of the second portion 2 for about one half of their length.

The above-mentioned shaping of the connecting portion 3, together with the flexible material used to make the device, particularly facilitates bending of the first portion 1 with respect to the second portion 2.
Normally the diameter of the curved part of the second portion 2 is greater than (or anyway different from) the diameter of the first portion 1 and, consequently, the connecting portion 3 has the shape of the frustum of a cone, as illustrated in Figure 1. Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is, however, possible for the diameter of the curved part of the second portion 2 to be (roughly) equal to the diameter of the first portion 1 and, consequently, for the connecting portion 3 to have a (substantially) cylindrical shape.
To open an ampoule (in particular an ampoule with a pre-set breaking point) using a device made according to the invention (in particular using the device shown in Figures 1 and 2), the cap of the ampoule is completely fitted into the cavity 4 of the first portion 1 until the base of the first portion 1 is brought up to the neck of the ampoule (and, in particular, to the possible line of pre-set breakage present on the neck of the ampoule), the ampoule body is fitted in the second portion 2, the ampoule is gripped, with fingers holding the first portion 1 and fingers holding the second portion 2, and a bending moment is applied on the ampoule neck to snap it and thus open the ampoule.
As mentioned previously, a device according to the invention proves advantageous because it prevents any risk of the user accidentally hurting himself when he opens the ampoule, as well as preventing glass fragments from getting scattered in case of breakage (including partial breakage) of the ampoule itself.
In fact, the connecting portion 3 prevents the users hand from coming into contact with the sharp areas that form along the edges of the cap (which is completely inserted in the first portion 1) and of the body of the ampoule when the latter is opened.
In addition, in case of accidental breakage of the ampoule, the fingers that grip the cap, and the fingers that grip the body of the ampoule, cannot be hurt by the glass fragments because they are protected, respectively, by the first portion 1 and the second portion 2 of the device. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the "C"-shape of the second portion 2 prevents (or at least considerably hinders) any possible glass fragments from getting detached from the body of the ampoule and being scattered.
Furthermore, the first portion 1 retains the cap of the ampoule even after opening of the ampoule itself and (preferably) is disposed of together with the cap to prevent the user from getting accidentally hurt by the sharp edge of the cap when the cap is thrown away or, anyway, at any moment following on opening of the ampoule.
As known, in the pharmaceutical field many types of ampoules are normally used (or may be used), which differ from one another as regards their internal volume and, consequently, as regards the size of the body and cap.
In the example of embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the C-shaped cross section of the second portion 2 and the flexibility of the material employed enable the body of the different types of ampoules normally used to be inserted without too much difficulty, whereas the closed section of the first portion 1 limits (or may limit) the ampoules that can be thus opened to those types the caps of which can be inserted in the internal cavity 4 without any risk of breaking the cap of the ampoule and/or the first portion 1.
To enable a device according to the invention to be used for any type of ampoule, in the first portion 1 of such a device at least one longitudinal slit or opening (indicated by 5 in Figure 1) is advantageously made, which enables the first portion 1 to dilate more easily so as to adapt the size of its internal cavity 4, as required, to the size of the cap of the ampoule to be opened.
To prevent the user from running any risk of cutting himself in the event of accidental breakage of the cap of the ampoule, preferably but not necessarily the at least one longitudinal opening 5 is closed with a thin layer of material with which the first part 1 of the device is made, the said thin layer being designed to adapt to (possible) variations in the width of the corresponding longitudinal opening 5.
Figure 3 shows a front view of a further possible embodiment of the invention, which differs from the one shows in Figures 1 and 2 essentially in that the second portion 2 is substantially flat, whereas the first portion 1 retains its basically cylindrical shape in order to be able to accept the cap of the ampoule.
The second portion 2 is bent back by the user against the body of the ampoule (so assuming a substantially C-shaped cross section) while opening the ampoule.
What has already been said with reference to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 applies (if and where possible, and with any modifications that are obvious to a person skilled in the branch) to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3.
Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible for a person skilled in the art to make to the manual device for opening a glass ampoule which forms the subject of the present description all the modifications and improvements suggested by normal experience and by the natural evolution of techniques.

Claims

Manual device for opening a glass ampoule, characterized in that it comprises, combined together, a first portion (1), which is hollow and substantially cylindrical, suitable to hold the cap of the ampoule, a second portion (2) suitable to hold the body of the ampoule, and a connecting portion (3), which connects a base of the first portion (1) to an edge (6) of the second portion (2).
Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that it is made of a flexible and elastic material.
Device according to Claim 2, characterized in that it is made of a plastic material.
Device according to Claim 3, characterized in that it is made of polyethylene.
Device according to Claim 2, characterized in that it is made of a "non-woven fabric".
Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that it is made of a flexible material.
Device according to Claim 6, characterized in that it is made of paper, cardboard and/or fabric.
Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the first portion (1) is made of a material different from the one used for making the second portion (2).
Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the connecting portion (3) connects the base of the first portion (1) to the second portion (2) in any position whatsoever along the edge (6) of the second portion (2).
Device according to Claim 9, characterized in that the connecting portion (3) connects the base of the first portion (1) to the second portion (2) in an area corresponding to the central part of the edge (6) of the second portion (2).
Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the first portion (1) has at least one longitudinal opening (5).
Device according to Claim 11, characterized in that the at least one longitudinal opening (5) is closed with a thin layer of the material of which the first portion (1) is made, the said thin layer being designed to adapt to variations in width of the corresponding longitudinal opening (5).
Device according to at least one of the previous claims, characterized in that the second portion (2) has a C-shaped cross section.
Device according to Claim 13, characterized in that the connecting portion (3) connects together a base of the first portion (1) and a base of the second portion (2) for approximately one half of their length.
Device according to Claim 14, characterized in that the connecting portion (3) is shaped like the frustum of a cone.
Device according to Claim 14, characterized in that the connecting portion (3) is cylindrical.
Device according to at least one of the claims from Claim 1 to Claim 12, characterized in that the second portion (2) is flat.
Device according to Claim 17, characterized in that the second portion (2) is designed to be bent back onto the body of the ampoule when the ampoule is opened.