Method and apparatus for filling a rigid closed volume through a septum

A combination comprising:

• a container having a fixed interior volume, the container having an opening in the top thereof sealed by a pierceable elastic barrier, and a needle for filling the interior volume with a liquid, the needle comprising, an elongated cylindrical hollow stem for piercing the barrier by movement in an axial direction, said stem having a smooth outer peripheral surface of constant diameter said stem having within said diameter, a liquid flow passage and an air flow passage, the air flow passage terminating at two ports in said peripheral surface, the ports being spaced apart in said axial direction by a distance greater than a thickness of the barrier in said axial direction, and means for stopping axial movement of the stem when one of said ports is inside said volume and another of said ports is outside said container.

The combination as claimed in 11 wherein, when the stopping means stops axial movement of the stem, a first edge of the cover element is at approximately the level the top of the interior volume.

The combination as claimed in 10 wherein the non-cylindrical section of the tube comprises a collapsed part of the tube that has been collapsed from a cylindrical form to provide a non-cylindrical surface, said non-cylindrical surface and said cover element cooperating to form said air passage.

The combination as claimed in 10 wherein the non-cylindrical section of the tube comprises a cylindrical section having a hole therein, the stem further comprising a closure element secured to an interior surface of the tube for closing said hole, said closure element and said cover element forming said air passage.

A needle for filling, with liquid, a container defining a fixed volume and having an opening sealed by a pierceable elastic barrier, said needle comprising an elongated stem having a first end for penetrating said barrier and a second end for connection to a source of liquid, said stem having therein a liquid flow passage extending in an axial direction from said first end to said second end, two ports on said stem, and an air passage within said stem and connecting said ports, said ports being spaced apart in said axial direction so that when the stem is inserted through said pierceable elastic barrier, the first port is inside said container and the second port is outside the container, said first end exhibiting a smooth outer surface over the entire portion thereof that penetrates said barrier.