Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM & METHOD FOR MECHANICAL CLOSURE OF CONTAINER OPENINGS
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and a
method for mechanically closing an opening of a pouch or a
container, and relates more particularly to a system and a
method for closing an open:ing of a pouch or a container by
using a combination of a p:Lug mechanism and an annular ring
o mechanism.
Back~round of the Invention
Generally, the task of filling a pouch or a
container with a liquid content and ensuring that the
content is tightly sealed rnay be achieved by one of two
Express Mail NO.: EM271948473US
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approaches: fill a pouch or a container which has an opening
for introducing the liquid content and subsequently seal the
opening; or fill a sealed pouch or container using a liquid-
introducing needle and subsequently seal the puncture point.
Both methods generally require application of external
sealing agents, the efficacy of which sealing agents may be
subject to the material characteristics of the container,
for the purpose of forming tight seals. Material
characteristics of the container are usually constant, but
lC should they vary, these characteristics would affect the
tightness of the seal.
One alternative approach is, then, to utilize
plugs or lids which are formed to mechanically interact with
the opening of a pouch or a container to form a tight seal.
The main difficulty with this approach is that the allowable
mechanical tolerances of the interacting parts are
extremely small in order to achieve a tight, substantially
hermetic seal. Furthermore, even if the interacting parts
initially form a tight seal, the portions of the interacting
parts which are under pressure tend to experience a "creep,"
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i.e., deformation of the material, over time. Accordingly,
the "creep" phenomenon tencls to reduce the tightness of the
seal. Thus, there is a need for a mechanical closure system
which achieves and maintains hermetic seal of a pouch or a
container over a substantia.l period of time.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present
invention to provide a mech.anical closure system for
achieving a tight, substantially hermetic seal of a pouch or
a container having an opening.
o It is another object of the present invention to
provide a method of mechanically sealing a pouch or a
container having an opening to achieve a tight,
substantially hermetic seal.
It is yet another object of the present invention
to provide a mechanical closure system for a pouch or a
container having an opening, which mechanical closure system
compensates for deformation of the interacting parts of the
mechanical closure system and the pouch or the container.
It is yet another object of the present invention
to provide a method of forming a mechanical seal of a pouch
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or a container having an opening, which mechanical seal
compensates for deformation of the interacting parts of the
mechanical closure system and the pouch or the container.
It is yet another object of the present invention
to provide a mechanical closure system for achieving a
tight, substantially hermetic seal of a pouch or a container
having an opening, which system does not require extremely
small tolerances for the interacting parts.
It is yet another object of the present invention
o to provide a method of mechanically sealing a pouch or a
container having an opening with a mechanical closure
system, which method does not require extremely small
tolerances for the interact:ing parts of the mechanical
closure system to achieve a tight, substantially hermetic
seal.
It is yet another object of the present invention
to provide a method of mechanically sealing an opening of a
pouch or a container after having introduced liquid into the
container through the opening, which method eliminates the
need to provide vacuum conditions for filling the container
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and, thereby, substantially reduces the cost of the
mechanical system for filling the container.
It is yet another object of the present invention
to provide a system of mechanically sealing an opening of a
s pouch or a container for a liquid, which system provides a
mechanical plug that facilitates maximum collapsibility of
the container by allowing transverse and longitudinal
deformation of the container material without hindrance,
which in turn minimizes residue in the container after
o dispensing the liquid.
Summary of the Invention
In accordance wilh the above objects, the present
invention provides a mechanical lid or a plug which
interacts with an opening of a pouch or a container, as well
as with a rigid ring placed inside the container opening.
The mechanical plug is snapped into the container opening
such that the mechanical p:Lug compresses both the outside of
the opening and the inner iace of the ring placed inside the
container opening, thereby forming a tight seal of the
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opening.
The opening area of the container has an annular
recess configured to accomrnodate the rigid ring, where the
rigid ring is snapped into the annular recess. After the
s rigid ring has been snapped into the annular recess of the
opening region of the container, the mechanical plug is
snapped both into the rigicl ring and around the outside edge
of the container opening so that the container opening is
compressed between the rigid ring and the mechanical plug.
o The radial edge of the inner face of the mechanical plug is
formed as a an arch-shaped region which ext~nds around the
plug such that the radial edge of the plug is adapted to
"hug" the perimeter of the container opening. In addition,
attached to the inner face of the mechanical plug are two or
more legs which extend perpendicular to the lower surface of
the mechanical plug. The ends of the legs are hook-shaped
to engage the bottom of the rigid ring/radial groove
combination. The annular recess and the legs of the
mechanical plug facilitate both vertical and radial
compression of the opening region of the container and the
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rigid ring. In this manner, a tight seal of the container
opening is ensured.
In addition, the outside surface of the opening
region of the container and the interior surface of the
annular recess of the mechanical plug each has one or more
protrusions, or "interferences." Once the mechanical plug
has been snapped into the container opening, the resulting
compression of the container material tends to cause
displacement, or "creep," of the compressed material towards
areas of lesser compression. The protrusions limit the
rar~ge of displacement of the compressed container material,
i.e., force the container material displaced by compression
to remain within a defined area, thereby ensuring the
tightness of the seal for a prolonged period of time.
The central inner surface of the mechanical plug
may be equipped with an extension or a plunger which is
adapted to extend into the liquid content of the container
in such a way that the mechanical plug snaps tightly into
the container opening after, and only after, the plunger has
displaced the surface level of the liquid up to the upper
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edge of the container opening, thereby obviating the need
for a vacuum condition normally utilized for an air-less
filling process. In this manner, the plunger substantially
reduces the residual air bubbles which may otherwise remain
between the surface of the liquid and the inner surface of
the mechanical plug.
The mechanical closure system and method according
to the present invention ma~y be used for any application in
which an opening of a pouch or a container needs to be
o tightly sealed. For example, the mechanical closure system
according to the present invention is particularly well
suited for closing medicament containers or pouches
containing medicament. Because the mechanical closure
system according to the present invention achieves a
substantially hermetic seal without the need for caulking
materials, glues or other external sealing agents, expensive
sealing systems for applying the external sealing agents are
not necessary. In addition, because of interaction of the
protrusions provided on the exterior surface of the opening
region of the container and the interior surface of the
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annular recess of the mechanical plug, the allowable
mechanical tolerances of the interacting components of the
mechanical closure system are increased.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is an exp~Loded view of components of one
preferred embodiment of the mechanical closure system
according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is an exp]oded cross-sectional view of
lC components of the preferred embodiment of the mechanical
closure system according to the present invention shown in
Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of assembled
components of the preferrecl embodiment of the mechanical
closure system according to the present invention shown in
Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of
components of another preferred embodiment of the mechanical
closure system according tc, the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of assembled
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components of the preferre~1 embodiment of the mechanical
closure system according to the present invention shown in
Fig. 4.
s DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in Fig. 1, which is an exploded view of a
first exemplary embodiment of a mechanical closure system
according to the present invention, the first embodiment of
the present invention includes a mechanical lid or plug 101
and a rigid annular ring 102, both of which interact with a
neck region 103d near an opening 103b of a pouch or
container 103 to tightly seal the opening 103b. The pouch
or container 103 may be macle of any one of several materials
well known in the art, including butadiene polyethylene
styrene (KRATONTM), polyethylene, polyurethane or other
plastic materials, thermoplastic elastomers or other elastic
materials. As shown in Fig. 1, the container 103 may be a
medicament dispensing cartridge with a nozzle 103a.
As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the latter of which
is an exploded cross-sectional view of the first embodiment
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of the mechanical closure system according to the present
invention, the contour of the rigid ring 102 is
complementary to the inside contour 103c of the neck region
103d of the container 103 near the opening 103b, thereby
allowing the rigid ring 102 to be snapped into the inside
contour 103c of the neck region 103d. Similarly, as shown
in Figs. 1 and 2, radial eclge lOla of the mechanical plug
101 is formed as a U-shapecl region which extends around the
plug and complements the exterior contour of the combination
o of the rigid ring 102 and the neck region 103d. After the
rigid ring 102 has been snapped into the inside contour 103c
of the neck region 103d, the mechanical plug 101 is
subsequently snapped into place around the container opening
103b such that the U-shaped region lOla tightly engages the
neck region 103d of the pouch 103 and the interior surface
of the rigid ring 102.
As shown in Fig. 2, the U-shaped region lOla of
the mechanical plug 101 has protrusions 1013, 1014 and 1015,
and at least one recess 1016. Similarly, the exterior
surface of the neck region 103d of the mechanical plug has
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protrusions 1031 and 1033, and the interior surface of the
neck region has a protrusion 1035. In addition, the rigid
ring 102 has recesses 1021 and 1022 at the vertical interior
surface 102a and the bottom surface, respectively. The
recess 1022 of the rigid ring 102 accommodates the
protrusion 1035 of the neck region 103d, thereby securely
engaging the rigid ring to the neck region of the container
103 once the rigid ring has been snapped into place. The
protrusions 1013, 1014 and 1015, as well as a portion 1018,
o of the U-shaped region lOla of the mechanical plug engage
the recess 1021 of the rigid ring and portions 1034, 1036
and 1037 of the exterior surface of the neck region 103d,
respectively. In addition, the protrusions 1031 and 1033 of
the exterior surface of the neck region 103d engage a
portion 1017 and the recess 1016 of the U-shaped region lOla
of the mechanical plug.
In addition to the above-described combinations of
interlocking protrusions and recesses, attached to the lower
surface of the mechanical plug 101 are at least two legs
1011 which extend perpendicularly to the lower surface of
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the mechanical plug, as shown in Fig. 2. Each of the legs
1011 has a hook-shaped end portion 1012 adapted to engage a
recess region 1032 at the bottom interior of the assembled
combination of the rigid ring 102 and the neck region 103d
s of the mechanical plug. The legs 1011 are flexible enough
such that, during assembly of the mechanical closure system
according to the present invention, the legs 1011 slide down
the vertical interior surface 102a of the rigid ring and
snap into place at the recess region 1032, against a portion
1038 of the neck region 103d of the container.
The combination of the U-shaped region 101a and
the legs 1011 of the mechanical plug 101 facilitates both
vertical and radial compression of the neck region 103d of
the container and the rigid ring against the mechanical
plug. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the portion 1012 of
the legs 1011 interact with the portion 1023 of the rigid
ring and the portion 1038 of the neck region 103d of the
container, and portions 1014 and 1018 of the mechanical plug
interact with portions 1034 and 1037 of the neck region 103d
of the container, respectively, to vertically compress the
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neck region between the mechanical plug 101 and the rigid
ring 102. Similarly, the portions 1013, 1015 and 1017 of
the U-shaped region 101a of- the mechanical plug 101 interact
with the portions 1021, 1036 and 1031, respectively, to
radially compress the neck region 103d between the
mechanical plug and the rigid ring 102. In this manner, a
substantially hermetic seal of the container opening 103b is
achieved, as shown in Fig. 3.
As can be understood from the above description
0 and Figs. 2 and 3, the first embodiment of the mechanical
closure system according to the present invention achieves
two types of mechanical seals. First, a seal extending
along the horizontal direction of the neck region, e.g., the
area extending between the portions 1034 and 1037, as well
as the interface of the regions 1022 and 1035, is achieved
by the vertical compression of the neck region 103d by the
mechanical plug against the rigid ring 102. Second, a seal
extending along the vertical direction, e.g., the area
extending between the portions 1036 and 1034, as well as the
20 interface of the regions 1021 and 1013, is achieved by the
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horizontal compression of t:he neck region 103d by the
mechanical plug against the rigid ring 102.
Once the mechanical plug has been snapped into the
container opening, the resulting compression of the
s container material tends to cause displacement, or "creep,"
of the compressed material towards areas of lesser
compression. The protrusions force the container material
displaced by compression tc, be confined within a restricted
area, thereby ensuring the tightness of the seal for a
lC prolonged period of time. For example, the protrusions 1014
an~l 1015 of the mechanical plug 101 delimits the protrusion
1031 on the exterior surface of the neck region 103d of the
container. Accordingly, when the material of the protrusion
1031 is initially compressed by the portions 1015 and 1017,
the displaced material of the protrusion 1031 is forced
towards the protrusion 1014, which limits any further
movement of the displaced material, thereby maintaining a
tight seal.
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the central portion of
a lower surface 1019 of the mechanical plug 101 is
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preferably equipped with an extension or a plunger 1017
which is adapted to extend into the liquid content of the
container before the mechanical plug 101 has been snapped
into place around the container opening 103b. The inserted
plunger 1017 forces the liquid level to rise, hence allowing
air or gas bubbles to rise along with the liquid level and
escape through the container opening 103b which is not yet
sealed by the mechanical p]ug 101. In this manner, the
plunger 1017 substantially reduces the residual air bubbles
o which may otherwise remain between the surface of the liquid
and the lower surface of the mechanical plug. The
configuration and dimensions of the mechanical plug 101, the
neck region 103d and the rigid ring 102 are such that the U-
shaped region lOla and the legs 1011 of the mechanical plug
interact with the neck region 103d and the rigid ring 102 to
form a tight seal only after the plunger 1017 has forced the
liquid level to rise to approximately the upper edge of the
neck region 103d, thereby c,bviating the need for a vacuum
condition normally utilized. for an air-less filling process.
The lower surface 1019 of the mechanical plug 101
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is sloped in order to ensu:re that the air or gas bubbles
which have been forced up lo the surface level of the liquid
by the insertion of the plunger 1017 are not trapped between
the liquid level and the lower surface of the mechanical
plug. The sloped surface -L019 facilitates radially upward
movement of the air bubbles which eventually escape through
the opening 103b of the container, via the area between the
two legs 1011.
As shown in Fig. 4, which is an exploded cross-
o sectional view of a second exemplary embodiment of a
mechanical closure system a.ccording to the present
invention, the second embocliment of the present invention is
substantially similar to the first embodiment and includes a
mechanical plug or plug 401 and a rigid annular ring 402,
both of which interact with a neck region 403d of a pouch or
container 403. As in the first embodiment described in
conjunction with Figs. 1-3, the contour of the rigid ring
402 is complementary to the inside contour of the neck
region 403d of the container 403, thereby allowing the rigid
ring 402 to be snapped into the inside contour of the neck
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region 403d. In addition, radial edge 401a of the
mechanical plug 401 is formed as an arch-shaped region which
extends around the plug and complements the exterior contour
of the combination of the rigid ring 402 and the neck region
s 403d. After the rigid rinq 402 has been snapped into the
inside contour of the neck region 403d, the mechanical plug
401 is subsequently snapped into place around the container
opening 403b defined by the neck region 403d such that the
arch-shaped region 401a tiqhtly engages the neck region 403d
o of the pouch 403 and the rigid ring 402, as shown in Fig. 5.
As with the first embodiment of the mechanical
closure system, the lower surface 4019 of the mechanical
plug 401 of the second embodiment is sloped, or tapered, in
order to ensure that the air or gas bubbles which have been
forced up to the surface level of the liquid by the
insertion of the plunger 4017 are directed radially upward
and eventually escape through the opening 403b of the
container, via the area between the two legs 4011.
In addition, similar to the first embodiment of
the mechanical closure system, the second embodiment shown
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in Figs. 4 and 5 preferably have at least two legs 4011
attached to the lower surface of the mechanical plug 401,
each of the legs having a hook-shaped region 4012 at the
end. The hook-shaped region 4012 is adapted to engage a
region 4023 at the bottom surface of the rigid annular ring
402. In addition, attached to the central lower surface of
the mechanical plug 401 is an extension or a plunger 4017
which is adapted to extend into the liquid content of the
container before the mechanical plug 401 is snapped into
o place around the container opening 403b, thereby
substantially reducing the residual air bubbles which may
otherwise remain between the surface of the liquid and the
lower surface of the mechanical plug.
The second embodiment of the mechanical closure
system according to the pre;sent invention utilizes fewer
protrusions on the surfaces of the mechanical plug 401 and
the neck region 403d than t]-Le number of protrusions found on
the corresponding parts of the first embodiment. However,
the unique arrangement of the interacting components, i.e.,
the mechanical plug 401, the rigid ring 402 and the neck
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region 403d, ensures a substantially hermetic seal of the
pouch 403. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a protrusion 4015 and
a region 4017 of the mechanical plug interact with a region
4031 of the neck region 403d, which region 4031 includes a
protrusion from the regular contour of the exterior surface
of the neck region 403d, and a portion 4016 of the
mechanical plug interacts with the region 4022 of the rigid
ring 402, thereby achieving radial compression of the rigid
ring 402 and the neck region 403d. In addition, portions
4016 and 4012 of the mechanical plug interact with regions
4022 and 4023 of the rigid ring 402 to vertically compress
the neck region 403d and the rigid ring 402.
In order to ensure that the displacement or creep
of the container material around the points of compression
does not result in reduced tightness of the seal, the second
embodiment of the mechanical closure system provides the
protrusion 4015 at the radial edge of the mechanical plug
401. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the protrusion 4015 forces
the container material of region 4031 displaced by
compression to be channeled upwards, towards a space 4018
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delimited by the annular rigid ring 402. Accordingly, the
protrusion 4015 and the riqid ring 402 confine the displaced
material of the region 4031 of the container 403, thereby
maintaining a tight seal for a prolonged period of time.
While specific, preferred embodiments have been
described above, it should be readily apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art that the above-described preferred
embodiments are exemplary in nature since certain changes
may be made thereto without departing from the teachings of
o the invention, and the preferred embodiments should not to
be construed as limiting the scope of protection for the
invention as set forth in the appended claims. For example,
while the exemplary embodiments of the mechanical closure
system according to the present invention have been
described as being adapted for containers or pouches having
circular openings, the mechanical closure system according
to the present invention may be adapted for openings of
other shapes, e.g., square or rectangle.
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