Patent Application
20210070507
This patent application claims the benefit of United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB1913095.4, filed Sep. 11, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
The present invention relates to a cap for bottle or other a container holding fluid which is intended to be used in a medical procedure, for example irrigation fluid for use in an endoscopy.
For such applications, a typical container is fitted with a lid having a hole through which a flexible tube is passed. Liquid is withdrawn from the bottle through the tube by a pump, such as a peristaltic pump. Tubes of different diameter may be used for different applications. The tube needs to be fitted easily through the lid, and easily removed, but should be secure when in place. Otherwise, vibrations from the pump may cause the tube to move, potentially rising up out of contact with the liquid in the container or even falling out of the container as a whole. Some existing lids include valves through which the tube must be inserted. However, such valves are only suitable for a particular size of tubing and therefore different lids are required to suit the tubes needed for different applications. Alternatively, an inventory of lids with differently sized holes must be provided.
The present invention provides a cap for use with a container holding a liquid for medical use, the cap comprising a lid portion configured to cover an opening in the container and an aperture formed in the lid portion for receiving a tube, wherein the aperture comprises a slot with a first end and a second end, defining a length between the first and second ends, and a width which is smaller than the length, wherein the slot is tapered and the width decreases from the first end to the second end.
Thus, a tube may be inserted through the aperture and moved along it until it engages with the tapered edge and becomes wedged in position. A single cap can accommodate different diameters of tube.
Preferably the cap further comprises at least one gripping feature projecting into the aperture configured to engage the surface of a tube passing therethrough. This serves to enhance the grip on the tube for more secure retention.
The gripping feature may comprise a protruding rim around the perimeter of the aperture. Preferably, the gripping feature is wedge-shaped in cross section and tapers as it projects into the aperture.
Preferably, the perimeter of the aperture is arcuate at the first and second ends and extends straight between the ends.
The lid portion may further comprises a wall extending downwardly from the perimeter of the aperture to define a guide channel. In this case, the cap may further comprise at least one gripping feature projecting into the guide channel.
Conveniently, the cap further comprises an annular collar depending from the lid portion configured for releasable attachment to a container.
The present invention also provides a cap as described above, in combination with a container holding a liquid for medical use.
The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
As best seen in
An aperture 22 is defined in the lid portion 14. This may be centrally located as illustrated, or towards one side of the cap 10. The aperture 22 is in the form of a slot with first and second ends 24, 26. The aperture 22 has a length L between the ends 24, 26 and a width W. The length L is greater than the width W. Furthermore, slot tapers so that the width W decreases from the first end 24 to the second end 26. Preferably, the perimeter of the aperture 22 at the first and second ends 24, 26 is arcuate, in particular semi-circular, and extends straight between the first and second ends 24, 26.
As best seen in
Preferably, a gripping feature 32 is also provided, which protrudes into the aperture 22 to enhance the grip on a tube passing therethrough. In this example, the gripping feature 32 comprises a rim around the perimeter of the aperture 22 which projects into the aperture 22 to define a minimum width region. As seen in
The gripping feature 32 may be configured in a different way if desired. For example, the rim around the aperture 22 may consist of a series of individual projections rather than a continuous rim. The cross sectional profile of the gripping feature 32 may also be varied. For example, as shown in
In use, the cap 10 is fitted to a container 12 and a tube 40 is passed into the container 12 through the aperture 22 and guide channel 34. When a larger diameter tube is used it is fed into the widest part of the aperture 22 at or close to the first end 24 as seen in
When a smaller diameter tube is used, this can be inserted in a central region of the aperture 22 and will be gripped when much closer to the narrow second end 26, as seen in
To remove the tube 40, it can be pushed back towards the wider first end 24 of the aperture 22 to release it from the gripping feature 32 and tapering edges of the aperture 22. The tube 40 can then be withdrawn up out of the container 12.
When the tube 40 is positioned in the aperture 22 in this way, the weight of the tube 40 itself, plus vibrations transmitted to the tube 40 by a pump to which it is attached, tend to cause the tube 40 to move further towards the narrower second end 26 of the aperture 22, thus increasing the grip on the tube 40. Therefore, the tube 40 will be securely retained in the cap 10 and container 12 during use.
Furthermore, a single cap 10 can be used with a variety of tubes of different diameters. Wider tubes will engage with the tapered edges and gripping feature 32 closer to the wider first end 24 of the aperture 22, whilst narrower tubes can be pushed further towards the second narrower end 26 of the aperture 22. It is therefore unnecessary for a hospital or medical facility to provide multiple caps with different sized holes.
The cap 10 is preferably made from a reusable and recyclable material, such a recyclable plastic, which can be cleaned and reused to avoid waste.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913095.4 | Sep 2019 | GB | national |
