An eye drop bottle typically dispenses about 50 microliters per drop, which is about twice the volume the eye can hold. As early as 1992, certain researchers advocated for the use of a “micro drop” in eye drop bottles. The proposed micro drop would consist of drop volumes of about 16 microliters, since the research indicated that the medicinal efficacy was not affected while patients experienced fewer side effects. For purposes of the present disclosure, a micro drop will be understood to be any drop having less than the typical 50 microliters volume. Additionally, it was found that patients preferred the micro drops. However, to date the use of micro drops has never been adopted by the pharmaceutical companies or bottle manufacturers. There may be various industry pressures or motivations preventing adoption of this technology by the manufacturers considering that if the drop is half the size, then the bottle will last twice as long, potentially resulting in sales volumes and profits being cut in half. However, that may not be true considering that shelf life limits extended or multiple uses of many medicinal drops. Therefore, production costs could be lowered for a company making smaller volume bottles without affecting sales.
Nevertheless, since current bottles do not make use of micro drops, there is a long felt patient need for a more efficient and comfortable drop applicator. Additionally, there are many non-medicinal use instances wherein consumers would find a micro-drop adapter advantageous. Take for example the daily cleaning and conditioning of contact lenses. Contact lens solution can be used more efficiently when dispensed in micro drops. The consumer benefits from the increased economy, and the public benefits from less run-off solution entering the water system.
To address this problem a dropper bottle could be manufactured with a micro-dropper tip. However, since that may or may not occur, consumers desire the option to change the bottle as it is sold or otherwise convert their existing legacy bottles into micro drop dispensing bottles. There have been prior art attempts to achieve this, but those have various failings. Take for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,563,256 for a “Cannula Tip Eye Drop Dispenser” which sets out various dropper tips that are intended to replace or be substituted for the original tip that came with the bottle. In one embodiment, the replacement tip has a needle like portion that extends down into the bottle to penetrate the diaphragm barrier (the barrier is used to prevent contamination in certain medications). This is obviously not desirable because it damages and circumvents the purpose of the diaphragm barrier. Furthermore, the downward extending needle prevents the bottle from being completely drained, which defeats the purpose of the more efficient micro-drops. In another embodiment of the same patent, a replacement tip is provided that does not have a needle. However, both this replacement tip and the previously discussed tip pre-suppose that either the bottle had no existing dropper tip or the original tip of the bottle is removable. The modern reality is simply not so. Most liquids (including medicinal and non-medicinal) that are meant to be dispensed via drops are sold in a dropper bottle having a tip. And the tip of many modern-day dropper bottles is not removable because it is formed along with the bottle as a monolithic structure. Because of this, the prior art cannot be applied to the majority of dropper bottles consumers experience in the market.
It is a goal of the present invention to provide an adapter that will work with the majority of existing dropper bottles that a consumer will experience in the market of drop dispensable liquids. This adapter will convert a user's existing dropper bottle into a micro drop dispensing bottle. The present invention addresses the need in the form of an adapter that can be attached directly to the user's legacy or existing eye dropper bottle. To accomplish the goal of the present invention, the adapter comprises a coupler to attach to the original bottle, an internal sheath—referred to as the “inner tube”—configured to at least partially surround and make a seal with the tip of the original bottle, a micro drop forming tip that is in fluid connection with the inner tube, and a removable new cap that can engage the adapter to protect the micro drop forming tip and thereby protect the bottle contents from external contamination.
The micro drop adapter is described herein according to multiple implementations. As a convention for orientation, the descriptive directions of up, above, on top of, down, under, below, etc., may be used. One having ordinary skill in the art will understand that a bottle is typically oriented with the base or bottom of the bottle in the lowest position and the tip of the bottle will be positioned in the highest position. Therefore, terms such as up, above, on top of, etc., will refer to a relative position that is further from the base or bottom of the bottle. And similarly, terms such as down, under, below, etc., will refer to a relative position that is closer to the base or bottom of the bottle.
The typical prior art dropper bottle 100, shortened to “the bottle 100,” is well understood in the art, but essentially consists of a circular or oval shaped base, a sidewall, and a top dispensing portion. See
The present disclosure describes various implementations of a micro drop adapter that is capable of dispensing micro drops. Some of the below described, implied, or understood implementations are capable of dispensing a micro drop of a particular pre-defined volume. However, certain implementations will dispense a micro drop having a pre-defined average volume in the range of 10-30 microliters.
The micro drop adapter 111, shortened to “the adapter 111,” of the implementations of
The body section 112 of the adapter 111 is tubular with a body outer wall 116, a body inner wall 117, a body top end 118, and a body bottom end 119, wherein the body bottom end 119 has a body opening 120 and the body top end 118 is connected to the widest portion of the cone section 113. The inner wall 117 of the body section 112 is configured to receive and engage the threaded portion 106 of the bottle 100 (see
The substantially frustoconical cone section 113, or simply the “cone section 113,” of the adapter 111 has a cone outer wall 122, a cone inner wall 123, a cone top end 124, and a cone bottom end 125. The cone bottom end 125 is connected to the body top end 118. The cone inner wall 123 of the cone section 113 and the body inner wall 117 of the body section 112 together define a cavity 126. The cavity 126 is capable of accommodating a diverse range of original tip 104 shapes.
In some implementations, the micro drop adapter does not have a cone section 113 but rather the body section 112 creates the cavity 126 with the adapter tip section 115.
Still referring to
In some implementations, inner tube 114 is a cylindrical tube. In other implementations, inner tube 114 is a frustoconical tube. In some implementations, inner tube 114 is made of a material that is at least partially elastically deformable. In some implementations, inner tube 114 is made of one or more of the materials comprising the following group: rubber, rubberized silicone, silicone, and plastic.
Still referring to
In some implementations, adapter tip section 115 will comprise a narrow tube of cylindrical shape. In other implementations, adapter tip section 115 will comprise a tapered tube shape. Regardless of shape or dimension, the adapter tip section 115 is adapted to form and dispense micro drops.
Some implementations will further comprise a cap for the adapter to close off the dispensing channel. Adapter cap 139 (see, e.g.,
Turning now to
The adapter 211 seen in
The adapter implementations have been described as connected sections and functional parts (such as a body section, a cone section, an inner tube section, etc.). That is strictly true of certain implementations. However, having read the present disclosure it will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that some implementations will be formed monolithically such that the sections and functional elements are not separate parts that have been connected after the fact—but rather are elements forming a whole unit. In fact,
The adapter of some implementations is constructed from a material that is suitable for sterilization procedures. Some sterilization procedures utilize intense ultraviolet light; therefore, a suitable material of construction will have the property of being undamaged or highly resilient to exposure to intense ultraviolet light. In plastics, the term is “UV stabilized.” Another common sterilization procedure is the use of an autoclave, which involves high pressure and heat. Therefore, other implementations will be constructed of a material that can withstand the pressure and heat of autoclave sterilization.
The implementation of
Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of detail or with reference to one or more particular implementations, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example. It should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Furthermore, the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms. Obvious variations and other various changes in the composition, combination, and arrangement of parts can be utilized to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as herein disclosed and claimed.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application 62/915,703, filed Oct. 16, 2019. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 15/950,300, filed Apr. 11, 2018.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20210030589 A1 | Feb 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62915703 | Oct 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15950300 | Apr 2018 | US |
Child | 17072008 | US |