US 5,211,285 A · Telescoping, pharmaceutical mixing container

Abstract

A telescoping, pharmaceutical mixing container (2) includes outer and inner containers (4, 6) telescopically mounted to one another with the inner end (16) of the inner container situated within the outer container. The inner container has a piston cap (28) mounted to it so to provide a piston-like seal between the inner and outer containers, and houses a piston (22) within its interior. The piston cap defines a flow path (32) between first and second variable volume regions (34, 36) within the inner and outer containers respectively. Reciprocating the inner container within the outer container causes the pharmaceutical (38) to pass through the flow path and between the variable volume regions and mix. The mixing container is preferably used with a metering assembly (52) including a metering stop (74), threadably positionable along the axis (25) of the mixing container, and a driver (70) secured to the inner container. The driver includes a drive stop (72) which engages the metering stop once the inner container has moved an appropriate distance towards its collapsed condition, typically during an injection.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A telescoping, pharmaceutical mixing container comprising:

an outer container including a first end, an open second end and defining a first interior therein;
an inner container extending through the second end and into the first interior for telescopic movement within the first interior between an extended position and a collapsed position, the inner container including an inner end within the first interior, an outer end, and defining a second interior therein;
a piston housed within the second interior movable along a piston path extending between the inner and outer ends to define a second variable volume portion of the second interior between the piston and the inner end;
a piston seal carried by the inner container which seals the first interior to create a first variable volume portion of the first interior between the piston seal and the first end as the inner container and piston seal therewith move between the extended and collapsed positions;
and
a flow path element at the inner end of the inner container fluidly coupling the first and second variable volume portions;
whereby movement of the inner container between the extended and collapsed positions causes fluid movement of a fluid pharmaceutical between the first and second variable volume portions with resultant mixing of said pharmaceutical.

4 more elements

A combined pharmaceutical mixing container and metering assembly comprising:

inner and outer telescoping containers, the inner container including an inner end, housed within the outer container, and an outer end;
means for telescopically sealing the inner container within the outer container as the inner container moves between extended and collapsed positions so to create a first variable region within the outer container;
a piston movably housed within the inner container, the piston defining a second variable volume region between the piston and the inner end;
a flow path element fluidly coupling the first and second variable volume regions;
means for biasing the piston towards the inner end when the inner container is in the collapsed position;
means, threadably mounted to the outer container, for positioning a metering stop at a chosen position relative to the inner container;
the positioning means including:
detent means for providing tactile and auditory indications of the axial movement of the metering stop relative to the outer container;
an inner sleeve secured to the outer container, the inner sleeve including an external threaded portion;
an outer sleeve, the outer sleeve including internal threads which engage the external threaded portion;
and
one of the inner and outer sleeves including a series of axially extending, circumferentially spaced elements which are engaged by a radially extending element of the other of the inner and outer sleeves so to provide a mechanical indication of the movement of the outer sleeve;
and
the inner container including a driver at the outer end, the driver including a drive stop positioned to engage the metering stop as the inner container moves towards the collapsed position thereby limiting the movement of the inner container;
whereby a flowable pharmaceutical within at least one of the first and second variable volume regions is mixed by passing through the flow path as the inner container moves between the extended and collapsed positions.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Telescoping, pharmaceutical mixing container

Life of this patent

Telescoping, pharmaceutical mixing container

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19