Patent Application
20180362315
This application claims the benefit of priority from Argentinean patent application serial number 20170101606, filed Jun. 13, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
The invention relates to protective devices for the hands, for use in breaking open glass ampoules.
As it is well known, the material usually used in the manufacture of ampoules for containing substances is glass. A typical ampoule conformation has a lower cylindrical part that defines the container, and a narrower upper part, generally sealed off by heating the glass to its melting point, that defines the ampoule closure, between which a perimeter narrowing defines a neck where breakage is intended to take place at the moment of opening the ampoule. This breakage generates irregular edges capable of causing injuries to the operator's hands, and potentially exposing the wound to the contents of the ampoule. There is a need for devices and methods for preventing such injuries and exposure.
Among current techniques for the breaking open of medicinal ampoules with reduced chances of injury, use is usually made of gauzes, syringe bodies (without plungers), part of the clothing of personnel, multiple layers of gloves, or a towel arranged as a protection between the ampoule and the hand of the user. These methods have inconveniences, such as diminished accuracy of the opening, and frequently cause the fall of the ampoule or the incorrect opening that may have as a result the breakage of the package, increasing the possibility of cutting injuries in the user and the spilling of the contents. Other known devices are for specific ampoule sizes, are formed of rigid materials, and/or have one or more pieces. There is a need for devices that are flexible, one-piece, adaptable to different sized ampoules, are portable, and allow for engraving or serigraphy.
The invention provides a protective device for the opening of ampoules, usually of glass, intended to prevent cuts on the hands of the user during the operation of breaking the necks of ampoules for the extraction of the substance contained therein. The device is a coat or cover of a resistant elastomeric material, capable of tightly hosting and conforming to an ampoule introduced through a longitudinal opening in the device's wall. The ampoule being placed in the interior of the device, the user exerts manual pressure to vertically hold the section of the ampoule corresponding to the substance container enclosure, the breakage of the ampoule through its neck takes place forcing the rebuttal of the upper sector due to the elasticity of the device material, after which it is possible withdraw the ampoule enclosure to use its contents, the neck being retained in order to be able to discard it without contact with the glass.
Preferably, the device has non-slip texture features in the areas specified for handling, and an upper eyebolt for passage of a cord to keep the device at hand and prevent its fall.
Considering all above, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a protective coat within which the ampoule is easily placed, allowing its opening in one maneuver with no risk of injuries to the acting personnel, and allowing easy withdrawal of the ampoule enclosure to use its contents, with the ampoule neck retained in order to be able to discard it without contact with the glass.
To realize the advantages described above, and to facilitate the understanding of the constructive and functional characteristics of the device of the invention, a preferred embodiment is described below, that is illustrated in the enclosed drawings schematically and without a determined scale, with the express clarification that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting, and that the invention is not restricted to the specific embodiments described and illustrated.
Embodiments of the present invention are designed and created to protect a user's hands while opening any size of glass ampoules. Embodiments are made in a flexible and soft touch material, such as silicone, and serve to protect fingers from the glass and the contents of the ampoule by allowing users to correctly stress the cutting point while opening the ampoule.
Embodiments may adapt to any ampoule size (from 1 ml to 30 ml), and are easy to carry in a user's pocket or hand, or to hang onto for transport.
Preferred embodiments are a one-piece protector.
The various embodiments are easy to sterilize and wash, and also engravable/brandable, via for example via laser engraving or serigraphy. Embodiments are safer to use because they have no mechanisms or small pieces that can break or become loose.
In the various embodiments, user hands and fingers are safe, because if the ampoule breaks into pieces, the glass shards are kept inside the device. The various embodiments minimize the contact with the ampoule while opening and after it is open. The device of the invention is different from other ampoule protectors for example, because they are adaptable to all sizes, easy to carry because of their small dimensions, easy to use because they are of one-piece construction, and prevent injuries if the ampoule breaks into pieces.
Referring to
Preferably, the front opening has a larger extent in the lower enclosure (2) than in the upper enclosure section (4), and a constriction at the intermediate narrowing region (3). Preferably, the opening narrows to a vertical slot (5′) through the upper enclosure section (4), and at its upper end terminates in a transverse slot (6) below the top of the upper enclosure section. The opening may be of any size that permits easy insertion and removal of the ampoule, i.e. the ampoule may be inserted or removed via the application of a minimal, convenient, and comfortable force. In preferred embodiments, the opening will subtend between 90° and 180° of the perimeter of the lower enclosure region.
Suitable elastomeric materials include, but are not limited to, natural and synthetic rubbers, such as latex, butadiene, nitrile, urethane, or silicone rubbers, and plasticized polymers such as polyvinyl chloride.
The device can be used with smaller diameter ampoules simply by inserting them so that their necks are aligned with the narrowing region (3).
Additionally, at both sides of the vertical slot (5′), that in combination with the transverse slot (6) determine an overlapping opening for the withdrawal and the discard of the detached neck of the ampoule, the outer surface of the device preferably presents a plurality of small protuberances (7) that generate a non-slip area over which the breakage pressure is exerted.
In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the upper end preferably has an eyebolt (8) for the passage of a hanging cord. The eyebolt is preferably integrally molded with the rest of the device.
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Those skilled in the art will understand that a number of variations may be made in the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170101606 | Jun 2017 | AR | national |
