Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~CKGROUND OF T~IE INVENTION
In ~.S. Patent Nos. ~,049,033, ~,010,783, 4,076,~63, 4,088,166
and 4,090,5~1 among others, molded collapsible solution containers are
shown ~hich may be made out of a relatively stiff plastlc, such as a
copolymer which is predominantly polypropylene. Despite the relative
stiffness of the bag material compared with, for example, a typical
medical grade formulation of polyvinyl chloride; the bags are readily
collapsible under a liquid suction pressure head on the order of three
feet, so that the container may be effectively used for storing and dis-
pensing parenteral solutions, blood or blood components, or the like.
The improved ~ollapsibility of the bags of the above describedpatents results from the as-molded tapered shape of the container, plus
the use of opposed gussets near the shoulder portion defining beads of
folding wea~ness, as well as other lateral beads of folding wea~ness ~ :.
about the shoulder, as described in the above reference.
In accordance with this inven~ion, further improvements are
provided to the containers described above, which result in an even
greater reduction in the internal volume of the containers in their
collapsed configurations, as well as improved tail seals over that
which has been previously available for thin-walled, collapsible
containers.
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DESCRIPTION OF ~HE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, a molded,
collapsible solution container is provided, which container
de~ines a body portion having an integral neck portion and
a relatively stiff shoulder portion at one end thereof, and
is sealed at its end opposite the one end. A pair of gus-
set portions is defined in the body portion adjacent the
shoulder portion at opposite sides thereof, with the
shoulder portion extending outwardly from the neck portion
and simultaneously extendi~g axially rearwardly away from
the neck portion, in a manner described in the previously
cited patents and applications.
In accordance with this invention, sections of
. the shoulder portions which are adjacent the gusset portions,
in their normal, as-molded configuration, extend in a plane
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container, ~ :
being connected to the remainder of the shoulder portion by
an angular crease line, arld being flexible to permit axially-
forward bending of the sections about the crease line as the
container collapses under suction pressure by draining.
In this type of container, as the con~ainer collapses
~hrough draining of the liquid out of its neck under a gentle
suction pressure which may be created by the simple suction
pressure head of the drained liquid, the container col~apses
along the sides which are generally parallel to the major
axis of the oval shoulder, while at the sarne time the sides
of the container adjacent the ends of the major axis or the
oval shoulder, where the gussets reside, spread ou~wardly.
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It has been found that stress relief i5 provided
by means of the "flat" or perpendicular sections of the
shoulder portion adjacen~ ~he gusset portions, with the
result that the flat sections bend axially forward as the
gussets pivot outwardly during collapse, providing stress
relief to the entire action, which permi~s a further amount
of collapse and spontaneous emp-tying of the container at a
given suction pressure, when compared with previous designs
of this collapsible container. Accordingly, the containers
of this invention can contain less air volume in view of
the reduced residual space, or, alternatively, less solution
remains behind in the collapsed container.
Fuxther in accordance with this invention, the
container may be sealed at its end opposite to the neck por-
tion with a seal line which defines a convex, arcuate seal
line. This has been found to strengthen the overall seal
at the tail end of the thin-walled container of this inven-
tion, particularly when the curved seal line is fabricated
in accordance with the ~eachings of U.S. Patents 4,010,783
and 4,076,063 with respect to the seal line disclosed therein.
The body portion ofthe container of this application,
in its nonmal, unstressed confiqura~ion, preferably tapers
inwardly from the should~r portion at one end ~o tha opposite
end thereof, with ~he circumferences of transverse sections
of the body portion decreasing from the one end to the oppc-
site end, unlike what is disclosed in ~he previously cited
paten~s. This type of container can be designed to collapse
to not only a flat, but a planar configuration without bulging
of the flattened container walls out of the general container
plane, as in the previous embodiment, which, in turn, facil-
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itates stamping or printing of labels on the containers of
this invention. The above is due ~o the con~inuous taper
from the sh~ulder to tail end of ~he container of this
application, avoiding the transition corners found in a
central portion of previous embodiments.
Referring to the drawings, .Figure 1 is an eleva-
tional view oE the container of this invention in its orig-
inal, unstressed, as-molded coniguration~
Figure 2 is an elevational view of the container
of Figure 1, rotated about its longitudinal axis by 90.
~ igure 3 is a fragmentary longi~udinal sectional
~iew of part of the shouldex por~ion of the container o
Figure 1, ad~acent a gusse~ portion, taken along line 3-3 of
Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the neck and shoul-
der portion of the container of Figure 1, taken along line
4-4.
Figure 5 is an elevational view of the container of
Figure 1, ater it has been collapsed by the application of
a gentle suction pressure such as a suction pressure head of
about three feet of water.
Figure 6 is a plan view of the con~ainer of Figure
S as shown in its collapsed configuration, but rotated by
90 about its longitudinal axis.
Refexring to Figures 1 through 4, a molded, collap-
:~ sible solution container 10 is disclosed which defines a body
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portion 12 having an integral neck portion 14 and shoulder
portio~ 16 at one end thereof. Neck and shoulder portions 14,
16 are preferably relatively stiff, while the remainder of
th~ container is flexible and collapsible.
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Container 10 is sealed at its end 18 opposite the
neck and shoulder portions 14, 16, and includes a flattened
portion 20 defining a hanger hole 22 so that the container
may be hung up for convenient administration of parenteral
solution or any other material as desired.
End 18 of the container is defined by sealed area
19, which may be of convex, arcuate shape as shown specifi-
cally in Figure 1, and may be otherwise made in accordance
with the teachings of U.S. Paten~ Nos. 4,076,063 and
4,010,783, which show a desired strengthening configuration
for the tail seal which is especially effective for s~rength-
ening seals made of thin walls and even biaxially oriented
material.
. Accordingly, a tail seal for the collapsible con-
tainer of this invention is provided which can resist the
shock of dropping from higher levels, when compared with the
previous embodiments. Specifically, seal lin~ 1~ occupies a
recess 24 defined in the sealed end by the flexible container
walls, wi~h the sealed line and recess extending essentially
the entire width of the container. The recess serves ~o
absorb ou~wardly directed shock by movement of its walls to
protect the seal line from rupture.
Also, as described in the patents ci~ed above, a
pair of sp~ced rod members may be formed as an integxal part
of the seal line and the flat plastic piece 20 formed inte-
grally with and extending outwardly from it, the rod me~nbers
extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the
: container across its entire width, with the fla~ plastic piece
20 also defining a portion thereof between the rod members
which is thinner than the remainder of the plastic piece
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spaced from the rod members to provlde an integr~1 and lmproved tail
seal.
Neck portion 14 of the container is proportioned to receive
a cap 26, which may be of a conventional design. Particularly, cap 26
may be of the design as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,171~236 issued
October 16, 1979. The container may also carry a conventional inner
cap within cap 26 for sterile sealing of the container, beinq adapted
to receive the spike of a parenteral solution set or the like with the
spike passing throu~h sleeves in the inner cap, to punctule a sealing
I diaphragm for access to the container.
As particularly shown in Figure 2, the body portion 12 of the
container is integral with shoulder 16 about the periphery th0reof! and
tapers on one dimension down to a narrow section at end 18, where the seal
line 19 is found. ~owever, typically, the other transverse dimension of
body portion 12 of the container, along the line of the major axis of
generally oval shoulder 16! is generally of equal length, as shown in
Figure 1, i.e., edges 21 may be parallel, although they may dlverge
or converge to some degree if desired. ~;
Gusset portions 28 may be of the general type and configuration
as described in U.S. Patent No. 4,090,541 issued May 23, 197B~ for example,
proportioned appropriately as desired for the size of the specific con-
tainer desired. Each gusset portion 28 defines lines of folding weakness
30, 32 as well as recessed line 34, plus the projecting shoulder tips 36
as in the previous embodiments.
Shoulder portion 16 extends outwardly, as the drawings show, from
neck portion 14, and also extends to a slight degree axially rearwardly away
from the neck portion, so that the pexiphery 38 of the shoulder portion
16 is displaced axially rearwardly away from the neck portion, when compared ~`
with central portions of the shoulder 16.
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Portions 3~ of the perlphery of shoulder 16 whlch are generally
ln longitudinal relatlon wlth the m~jor axis 40 of the shoulder portion
- define another bead line of flexing weakness, similar to that shown ln
the patents cited above.
In accordance with this inventlon, sections 42 of the shoulder
portion 16 which are adjacent gusset portlons 28 and the ends oE the
major axis 40 do not extend axially rearwardly as the remainder of the
shoulder portion, but instead normally extend, in their unstressed, as-
molded configuration, in a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal
axis 44 of the container, being connected to the remainder of the shoulder
portion by an angular crease line 46 defined in the plastic of -the shoulder.
Sections 42 extend from crease line 46 and the remainder of shoulder portion
at an angle of preferably about 130 - 160. The angular crease line is
molded into the container and it, in conjunction with "flat" or perpendicular
sections 42, provides an improvement in the action of the areas of the con-
tainer around the gussets 28 as the container collapses.
Draining of the filled container typically takes place by opening
cap 26 to expose the inner cap. A generally sterile connection is made
in the case when a container is used for dispensing parenteral solutions, so
that an administration set is in the fluid connection with the interlor of
the container through neck portlon 14. The con-tainer is then hung in inverted
configuration by hanger 20 on an IV pole, and the parenteral solution is
administered to the patient.
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As the solution is administered, the suction
pressure head of the parenteral solution in the adminis-
tration set causes the container to begin to collapse,
first at the tail end 18, with the walls of body portion
12 coming together into a flat configuration.
When the walls of th0 hody portion 12 have come
together throughou~ about the upper two thirds of the body ~ ;
portion 12, the collapse of the shoulder end of the container
begins by the outward pivoting of the yussets, and the
corresponding rising of the neck portion 14 and shoulder
portion 16~ as the gussets pivot outwardly, and the container
walls of body portion 12 collapse inwardly.
A substantially collapsed confisuration of the
colLapsed container is shown in Figures 5 and 6. A further
amount o collapse than that shown can usually be expected
to take place, with further outward pivoting of gussets 28.
It can be seen that the walls of body portion 12 have gener~
~lly collapsed in flat configuration with edges ~1 entering
into diverging relationship, and that the gussets 28 have
pivotad outwardly so that connection areas 48 of various
bead lines have moved outwardly, with each gusset portion
generally pivoting about its line 34 and protruding shoulder
portion 36.
Simultaneously with this, each of sections 42 bend
2S g~nerally about obtuse angular crease line 46, in an axially
forward direction. This provides stress relief ~o interiox
line 34 of each gusset 28, permitting the further outward pivot-
ing motion of the areas around gussets 28, to result in the
opportunlty for further collapse of the container, with a
consequent added reductioll of its internal volume in the
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: collapsed configuration.
The container of this invention may be made by
conventional blow molding techniques, lncluding conven-
tional, commercial equipment and pre~erably using the
methods described in U.S. Patent No. 4,076,063.
Preferably, the wall thickness of the collap-
sible portions of the container may be about 0.015 inch,
while the shoulder portion may also habe a thickness of
about 0.015 inch and the neck portion may be substantially
khicker. The outer diameter of neck 14 may be about 43 mmO
The above has been offered for illustrative
purposes only and i5 not intended to limit the invention
of this application, which is as defined in the claims below.
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