Container with a filter
Inventors
Mihashi, Hirokazu • Shiraishi, Yasuyuki • Otsuka, Masaru • Uetake, Yorihisa
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-7971753-B2
Publication Date
2011-07-05
Expiration Date
Abstract
A filter-equipped container which, particularly in a small-sized eyedrop bottle or the like, is capable of accurate dropping while preventing bubbles from being involved when a contents liquid is to be delivered through a delivery port. To solve such problem, a plug body 12 disposed in the mouth of a bottle 10 is provided with a delivery passage for delivering contents liquid received in the bottle 10, the delivery passage being provided with a filter 25. The filter 25 is composed of a filter film 25a for filtering bacteria to prevent the latter from permeating from upstream to downstream as seen in the direction of delivery, and a contents liquid holding member 25b of porous material that has microscopic pores, disposed upstream of the filter film 25a, the contents liquid holding member 25b being in planar contact with the filter film 25a.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to an aseptic, small-sized eyedropper/container configured to discharge internal liquid through a discharging pass provided by a plug body. The container includes a filter in the discharging pass and uses a filtration film constructed to filter out bacteria for preventing bacterial from percolating from downstream side to upstream side in a direction opposite of discharging. An internal liquid holding member made of porous substance having microscopic pores is placed on the upstream side of the filtration film, with a surface of the internal liquid holding member in contact with a surface of the filtration film.
The internal liquid holding member holds the liquid therein in order to keep the filtration film wet, thereby suppressing upstream back-percolation of bacteria and contents driven by opposite-direction pressure effects. Planar contact between the internal liquid holding member and the filtration film is used to maintain wetness of the filtration film and prevent upstream back-percolation of bubbles/contents from the downstream side.
The container further comprises an external layer deformable by squeezing and an internal layer bag peelable from the external layer bottle, where the liquid is kept in the internal layer bag. The internal layer bag has memory which expands the internal layer bag and generates negative pressure in the internal layer bag so that a pressure difference between the negative pressure and the ambient pressure becomes higher than the filtration resistance. The negative pressure aspirates liquid that remains in downstream side of the filtration film to upstream side of the filtration film while maintaining aseptic conditions.
Claims Coverage
The partial content provides one independent claim (clm-00001). It includes inventive features addressing bacterial filtration with an upstream porous liquid-holding member in planar contact with a filtration film, and a squeezeable peelable internal layer bag that generates negative pressure to aspirate remaining downstream liquid back upstream based on a pressure difference relative to filtration resistance.
Bacteria filtration with upstream porous liquid holding member in planar contact
A container having a plug body providing a discharging pass, wherein a filter in the discharging pass includes a filtration film constructed to filter out bacteria for preventing bacterial from percolating from downstream side to upstream side in a direction opposite of discharging, and an internal liquid holding member made of porous substance having microscopic pores placed on an upstream side of the filtration film so that the internal liquid holding member keeps the filtration film wet by holding liquid, with a surface of the internal liquid holding member in contact with a surface of the filtration film.
Squeezeable peelable internal bag generating negative pressure to aspirate remaining downstream liquid
The bottle comprises an external layer deformable by squeezing and an internal layer bag peelable from the external layer bottle, with liquid kept in the internal layer bag; the internal layer bag has memory which expands and generates negative pressure so that a pressure difference between the negative pressure and the ambient pressure becomes higher than the filtration resistance, and the negative pressure aspirates liquid that remains in downstream side of the filtration film to upstream side of the filtration film.
Filtration film pore-size gradient across downstream and upstream sides
The filtration film has an average pore diameter on the downstream side between 0.1 and 0.5 μm, and the pore size toward the upstream side becomes larger or remains the same.
Upstream-to-downstream pressure requirement for passage relative to 12 hPa
A container having a filter configured so that a pressure needed for internal liquid to pass through a holding member from an upstream side to a downstream side is less than or equal to 12 hPa.
Upstream-to-downstream pressure requirement lower than filtration resistance
A container having a filter in which the pressure required for an internal liquid to pass through a holding member is lower than the filtration resistance of a filtration film.
Hydrophilicity of the filtration film
The filtration film has hydrophilicity.
Across the provided claim set, the inventive focus is on bacterial filtration with an upstream porous internal liquid holding member in planar contact to keep the filtration film wet, and a squeezeable, peelable internal layer bag with memory that generates negative pressure to aspirate remaining downstream liquid back upstream. Dependent claim features further specify filtration film pore-size gradient behavior, pressure thresholds and relationships involving passage through the holding member, and hydrophilicity.
Stated Advantages
Prevents bacterial from percolating from downstream side to upstream side in a direction opposite of discharging.
Keeps the filtration film wet by holding the liquid in the internal liquid holding member.
Aspirates liquid that remains in the downstream side of the filtration film to the upstream side using negative pressure based on a pressure difference higher than filtration resistance.
Maintains aseptic conditions.
Documented Applications
Aseptic, small-sized eyedropper/container for discharging internal liquid through a bacteria-filtering discharging passage.
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