Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A liquid drug-containing thermoplastic unit dose container for
engaging and transferring liquid to a syringe of a standard size appropriate for
administering the particular drug, the syringe being of the type which has a central
projecting cone, an outer peripheral wall surrounding the cone, and a bottom wall
together defining an annular channel, wherein the outer peripheral wall contains
an inwardly facing screw thread for engaging a needle fitting; wherein said
container comprises:
a body portion containing said dose;
an outlet comprising a hollow neck portion sized to receive the cone
of a mating syringe and to extend up into the annular channel, the neck portion
having an outwardly facing surface, an internal surface and an outermost rim; and
a removable, non-resealable cap secured to said rim for sealing the
outlet; wherein the outwardly facing surface of the neck portion comprises a thread
engagement portion for engaging the inwardly facing screw thread of the mating
syringe, such that the cap may be removed and the syringe screwed onto the
container neck portion, and wherein the neck portion includes means for providing
a seal between the container and the syringe cone, when the syringe is screwed
onto the container, so that liquid may be directly transferred from the container to
the syringe.
2. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein a portion of the internal
surface of the neck portion has a diameter smaller than at least part of the outside
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surface of the cone and is deformable, and is positioned to contact the cone when
the syringe is screwed onto the neck portion, thereby constituting the means for
providing a seal between the container and syringe cone.
3. A container as defined in claim 2, wherein the neck is in the shape of
an inverted truncated cone, decreasing from a maximum diameter at the rim to a
minimum diameter portion, and wherein the neck is sized and shaped so as to
contact the syringe cone only at the minimum diameter portion.
4. A container as defined in claim 3, wherein the neck includes a
second truncated cone, having a minimum diameter portion facing and joining the
minimum diameter portion of the inverted truncated cone, and wherein the neck is
shaped so as to contact the syringe cone only at the minimum diameter portion
joining the two cones.
5. A container as defined in claim 3, wherein the minimum diameter
portion is cylindrical, having a constant diameter.
6. A container as defined in claim 1, for use with a syringe in which the
outer peripheral wall has an inwardly facing surface, wherein the thread
engagement portion comprises a shoulder on the outwardly facing surface of the
neck, adjacent the rim, and has a diameter greater than the inwardly facing
surface of the outer peripheral wall and is deformable, thereby constituting the
means for providing a seal between the container and syringe cone.
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7. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein the neck is sized and
shaped so that the neck rim contacts the syringe bottom wall, when the syringe is
screwed completely onto the container neck, and comprises the means for
providing a seal between the container and syringe cone.
8. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein the body, in a region
adjacent the neck, is hexagonal and includes a pair of opposed yokes for
strengthening such region.
9. In combination a syringe and a liquid drug-containing thermoplastic
unit dose container for engaging and transferring liquid to the syringe, wherein the
syringe comprises a central projecting cone, an outer peripheral wall surrounding
the cone, and a bottom wall together defining an annular channel, wherein the
outer peripheral wall contains an inwardly facing screw thread for engaging a
needle fitting; and wherein said container comprises:
a body portion containing said dose;
an outlet comprising a hollow neck portion sized to receive the cone
of the syringe and to extend up into the annular channel, the neck portion having
an outwardly facing surface, an internal surface, and an outermost rim; and
a removable, non-resealable cap secured to said rim for sealing the
outlet; wherein the outwardly facing surface of the neck portion comprises a thread
engagement portion for engaging the inwardly facing screw thread of the mating
syringe, such that the cap may be removed and the syringe screwed onto the
container neck portion, and wherein the neck portion includes means for providing
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a seal between the container and the syringe cone, when the syringe is screwed
onto the container, so that liquid may be directly transferred from the container to
the syringe.
10. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein a portion of the internal
surface of the neck portion has a diameter smaller than at least part of the outside
surface of the cone and is deformable, and is positioned to contact the cone when
the syringe is screwed onto the neck portion, thereby constituting the means for
providing a seal between the container and syringe cone.
11. The combination defined in claim 10, wherein the neck is in the
shape of an inverted truncated cone, decreasing to a minimum diameter portion,
and wherein the neck is shaped so as to contact the syringe cone only at the
minimum diameter portion.
12. The combination defined in claim 11, wherein the neck includes a
second truncated cone, having a minimum diameter portion facing and joining the
minimum diameter portion of the inverted truncated cone, and wherein the neck is
shaped so as to contact the syringe cone only at the minimum diameter portion
joining the two cones.
13. The combination defined in claim 11, wherein the minimum diameter
portion is cylindrical, having a constant diameter.
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14. The combination defined in claim 11, wherein the cone of the syringe
has an outlet end and tapers in diameter toward the outlet end, such that when
the syringe is screwed onto the container neck, and the cone moves further into
the neck, the seal formed at the minimum diameter region increases.
15. The combination defined in claim 11, wherein the outer periphery
wall of the syringe has an inwardly facing surface, wherein the thread engagement
portion comprises a shoulder on the outwardly facing surface of the neck, adjacent
the rim, and has a diameter greater than the inwardly facing surface of the outer
peripheral wall and is deformable, thereby constituting a means for providing an
additional seal between the container and syringe.
16. The combination defined in claim 15, wherein the neck is sized and
shaped so that the neck rim contacts the syringe bottom wall, when the syringe is
screwed completely onto the container neck, and comprises a means for creating
an additional seal between the container and syringe cone.
17. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein the outer peripheral wall
of the syringe has an inwardly facing surface, wherein the thread engagement
portion comprises a shoulder on the outwardly facing surface of the neck, adjacent
the rim, and has a diameter greater than the inwardly facing surface of the outer
peripheral wall and is deformable, thereby constituting the means for providing a
seal between the container and syringe cone.
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18. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein the body, in a region
adjacent the neck, is hexagonal and includes a pair of opposed yokes for
strengthening such region.
19. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein the neck is sized and
shaped so that the neck rim contacts the syringe bottom wall, when the syringe is
screwed completely onto the container neck, and comprises the means for
providing a seal between the container and syringe cone.
20. A method of providing a liquid drug dose to a syringe, comprising the
steps of:
providing a syringe having a central projecting cone, an outer
peripheral wall surrounding the cone, and a bottom wall together defining an
annular channel, wherein the outer peripheral wall contains an inwardly facing
screw thread for engaging a needle fitting;
providing a liquid drug-containing thermoplastic unit dose container
comprising a body portion containing said dose; an outlet comprising a hollow
neck portion sized to receive the cone of the syringe and to extend up into the
annular channel, the neck portion having an outwardly facing surface, an internal
surface, and an outermost rim; and a removable, non-resealable cap secured to
said rim for sealing the outlet; wherein the outwardly facing surface of the neck
portion comprises a thread engagement portion for engaging the inwardly facing
screw thread of the mating syringe, and wherein the neck portion includes means
for providing a seal between the container and the syringe cone, when the syringe
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is screwed onto the container;
removing the cap from the container to expose the container rim;
screwing the syringe onto the container neck so as to form a seal
between the container and syringe cone, and transferring liquid from the container
to the syringe.
21. A liquid containing thermoplastic unit dose container which comprises
a body portion, a neck portion, an outlet opening provided at the end of the neck
portion and sealed by a non resealable cap, the neck portion being in the shape of
an outwardly widening truncated cone having an engagement portion being
provided at the edge of said outwardly truncated cone, said engagement portion
being adapted to engage with the end of a syringe, thus enabling sealing
connection of the container to the said syringe, so that liquid within the container
may be directly transferred from the container to the syringe, characterised in that
said engagement portion is formed as a thread engagement portion being adapted
to be inserted in an inwardly facing screw thread channel at the end of a syringe,
whereby said portion is slightly deformed thereby providing a sealing connection
between the thread engagement portion of the container and the peripheral wall of
the syringe, and in that the top of said body portion has a hexagonal cross
section.
22. A container according to claim 21, characterised in that two yokes
are provided substantially 180° to each other on either side of the body of the
container.
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23. A container according to claim 21 or 22, characterised in that the
thread engagement portion comprises a shoulder shaped to fit within the inwardly
facing screw thread channel at the end of a Luer Lock syringe.
24. A container according to claim 23, characterised in that the thread
engagement portion is formed such that it is adapted to be screw threadingly
engaged within a Luer Lock fitting of a syringe.
25. A container according to claim 24, characterised in that the outlet
opening is formed to be adapted to a cone provided within the screw thread
channel of the Luer Lock syringe.
26. A container according to any one of claims 21 to 25 characterised in
that the non releasable cap is attached to the outlet opening along a weakened
section of the container.
27. A container according to any one of claims 21 to 26 characterised in
that the walls of the body portion of the container are flexible.
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