PORTABLE INSULIN RESERVOIR

CONTENANT PORTATIF D'INSULINE

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A reservoir for containing liquid medicaments is
disclosed. The reservoir includes a relatively stiff elon-
gate channel portion which has an inlet at one end and outlet
at the opposite end and which is open at one side. The
channel portion defines a side of the reservoir. A pair of
walls are integrally coupled to the channel portion and
extend away from said portion in generally parallel rela-
tionship with the open side of the channel portion between
the walls. The walls are sealed together around peripheral
regions thereof and define with the channel portion a liquid-
tight internal space which communicates with the inlet and
outlet. The walls are resiliently flexible so as to be
capable of bulging outwardly to accommodate liquid entering
through the inlet, and collapsing inwardly towards one
another from said peripheral regions towards said channel
portion as medicament is withdrawn through the outlet.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A reservoir for containing liquid medicaments, the
reservoir comprising:
a relatively stiff elongate channel portion which
has an inlet at one end and an outlet at the opposite end
and which is open at one side, said channel portion defining
a side of the reservoir;
a pair of walls which are integrally coupled to said
channel portion and which extend away from said portion in
generally parallel relationship with said open side of the
channel portion between said walls, the walls being sealed
together around peripheral regions thereof and defining
with said channel portion a liquid-tight internal space
which communicates with said inlet and outlet, said walls
being resiliently flexible so as to be capable of bulging
outwardly to accommodate liquid entering through the inlet
and collapsing inwardly towards one another from said peri-
pheral regions towards said channel portion as medicament
is withdrawn through the outlet:
2. A reservoir as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
channel portion and walls are defined by a single flat
sheet of resilient and flexible material which is folded
to a substantially flat form and in which substantially
contiguous areas of said sheet are disposed in overlying
relationship and define said walls while intervening
folded portions of said sheet define said channel portion,
said overlying areas being sealed together except for
openings which define said inlet and outlet.
3. A reservoir as claimed in claim 2, further com-
prising a tube extending longitudinally through said

channel portion for imparting rigidity to said channel
portion, said sheet being wrapped around said tube and
sealed thereto, and wherein said tube projects outwardly
from said channel portion at both ends and defines said
inlet and outlet and is formed with a plurality of openings
providing communication between said inlet and outlet and
the internal space of the reservoir.
4. A reservoir as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein
said sheet of resilient and flexible material is silicone
rubber and wherein said overlying areas of the sheet are
sealed together by a medically acceptable adhesive.
5. A reservoir for containing liquid medicaments, the
reservoir comprising:
a relatively stiff elongate channel portion which is
open continuously along one side and which defines a side of
the reservoir, the channel portion having an inlet at one end
and a co-axial outlet at its opposite end, said inlet and out-
let communicating with the interior of the reservoir substan-
tially continuously along said open side of the channel portion;
a pair of walls which are integrally coupled to said
channel portion and which extend away from said portion in
generally parallel relationship, with said open side of the
channel portion between said walls, the walls being sealed
together around peripheral regions thereof and defining
with said channel portion a liquid-tight internal space
which communicates with said inlet and outlet, said walls
being resiliently flexible so as to be capable of bulging
outwardly to accommodate liquid entering through the inlet
and collapsing inwardly towards one another from said peri-
pheral regions towards said channel portion as medicament
is withdrawn through the outlet;

wherein said channel portion and walls are defined
by a single flat sheet of resilient and flexible material
which is folded to a substantially flat form and in which
substantially contiguous areas of said sheet are disposed
in overlying relationship and define said walls while said
channel portion is defined solely by intervening folded
portions of said sheet, and is open continuously along said
one side between said inlet and outlet, said overlying areas
of said sheet being sealed together except for openings which
define said inlet and outlet; and
connectors received in said inlet and outlet and
sealed to said channel portion for permitting connection
of said reservoir to external tubing.

Description

~.~.37374
This invention relates to reservoirs for
containing liquids and more particularly to reservoirs
suitable for use by patients who require a portable supply
of a liquid medicament.
The present invention is designed primarily
for use with portable insulin supply systems which are being
developed in many different forms. All however are directed
towards using a sophisticated control system which effectively
monitors a patient's needs for insulin and administers the
required insulin in liquid form from a reservoir carried by
the patient. The reservoir of the present invention could
of course be used wherever a similar method is used to supply
a liquid medicament, for instance in administering some
chemotherapy medicaments.
Design requirements dictate that containers
for these purposes be light, simple to ma~e, slim so that
they are unobtrusive under a user's clothing, and above all
resistant to breakage and occlusion both of which occurances
would result in discontinuity in the flow o~ the liquid to
the patient. The present invention is directed to providing
a reservoir which satisfies these design requirements.
According to the invention there is provided a reser-
voir for containing liquid medicaments. The reservoir in-
cludes a relatively stiff elongate channel portion which has
an inlet at one end and outlet at the opposite end and which
is open at one side. The channel portion defines a side of
the reservoir. A pair of walls are integrally coupled to
the channel portion and extend away from said portion in
generally parallel relationship with the open side of the
channel portion between the walls. The walls are sealed to-
gether around peripheral regions thereof and define with the
cha~nel portion a liquid-tight internal space which communi-
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, ~

~ 11373~4
cates with the inlet and outlet. The walls are resiliently
flexible so as to be capable of bulging outwardly to accom-
modate liquid entering through the inle`t, and collapsing
inwardly towards one another from said peripheral regions
towards said channel portion as medicament is withdrawn
through the outlet.
The invention will be better understood with
~eference to the drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view, part of which
is broken away, illustrating a preferred embodiment of a
reservoir according to the invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2 of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of part of a second
embodiment of a reservoir according to the invention; and,
Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.
As seen in Fig. 1 a reservoir designated
generally by the numeral 10 is shown and includes a relatively
stiff channel portion 12 defining at its ends an inlet 14
and an outlet 16. The channel portion 12 defines a side access
which in the drawing faces downwardly between a pair of walls
18, 20. These walls are sealed to one another where they
meet at their peripheries and combine with the channel
portion 12 to contain liquid medicaments. The seal between
the two sides 13, 20 is illustrated in Fig. 2.
The inlet 14 and outlet 16 are equipped with
connectors 22, 24 which are sealed in the ends of the channel
section 12 for receiving a supply tube 26 and an outlet tube
28.
All of the components described so far are
made of silicone rubber (medical grade sold under the trade
mark SILASTIC by Dow Corning) and assembled with a suitable
adhesive such as that sold also by Dow Corning under the trade
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1~37374
mark TYPE A. The resulting reservoir is fluid tight and
made only of accepted medical grade materials. It can be
sterilized by steam autoclaving and the sterility of the
contents is maintained by introducing the medicament through
bacterial filter 30 attached to the tube 26. A suitable
C filter is sold by Millipore Corp and designated MILLEX,
0.22 ~ m. The filter is attached after autoclaving and
just prior to the initial filling of the reservoir. The
tubes 26, 28 are preferably thick walled to minimize
accidental occlusive kinking and similarly the walls 18, 20
and channel portion 12 are preferably of sufficient thickness
to give the channel section some rigidity while having
sufficient flexibility to permit filling the reservoir. The
natural curvature of the channel section enhances the
rigidity of this portion so that while the walls are quite
flexible the same material will give sufficient rigidity to
the channel section. It would require a considerable force
to completely occlude the outlet 16 and deny the outlet of
any of the liquid contained in the reservoir. Also the
material is naturally resistant to impact damage and consequently
the reservoir will be unaffected by accidental impacts
normally encountered by an active user.
Fig. 1 is intended to illustrate the reservoir
in the shape it would take when it contains some medicament.
As the reservoir is emptied the material will naturally
return to a position in which the walls 18, 20 become face-
to-face with one another and consequently a pump which would
normally withdraw liquid through the tube 28 is assisted
very slightly by the natural tendency for the walls to return
~ 2 ~
to their original shape. Consequently the ~eri~cter~ used
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~373~74
in choosing a pump for a particular system will not include
an energy input necessary to collapse the reservoir as the
liquid is removed. This is significant in portable packs
where battery life is important.
Reference is next made to Fig. 3 which
illustrates an alternative embodiment of the reservoir. It
will now be appreciated that the channel section 12 (Fig. 1)
can be given its necessary rigidity by incorporating a
further element. Such an element is indicated by numeral
32 and consists essentially of a tube which provides side
access through perforations 34. Functionally this tube
simply increases the rigidity of the channel section and
is an integral part of the channel section. As shown the
material of the side walls is wrapped around the tube and
engaged on the tube but in fact these walls could be attached
to opposite sides of the tube without actually wrapping right
around the tube.
It will be evident that the reservoir can
take many forms consistant with the invention and as defined
within the scope of the claims.