SINGLE-DOSE VIAL ADAPTED TO BE CLOSED AGAIN

The present invention refers to a single-dose vial adapted to be closed again.

As known, the art proposes single-dose vials or small vials, generally aimed to contain and afterwards use, for supplying and delivering purposes, liquid substances such as, for example, food beverages or medical solutions with medical or veterinary topical use.

Such known vials are generally composed of a containing body of an elongated shape, with circular, oval or rectangular cross section, having a first end equipped with an integral plug removable by torsion in such a way as to allow the contained liquid to go out. The plug torsion then breaks a collar with a suitably reduced thickness, which joins the vial neck to the plug itself, consequently preventing, in case of possible needs such as or example an only partial consumption of the substance contained therein or an accidental opening, to be able to close the vial again with the same plug and generating an unavoidable waste.

Moreover, some of the existing vials contain therein solutions that need a subcutaneous or intra-muscular application by using a syringe. In such existing vials,

however, loading the syringe with the liquid substance contained inside the vial itself is not always an easy operation and usually consists in inserting the needle inside the containing body to suck the contents, thereby being scarcely practical. Moreover, oftentimes such vials must be able to be used as direct application through an infusion. Under such situations, currently the cone of a "Luer" type of infusion batching devices is connected to the vial neck by interposing a separate connection device, making the operation more complex. Instead, in those cases where it is desired to directly insert the "Luer" cone inside the neck of the vial containing body, this latter one is not equipped with air venting means, such air being pressed inside the container itself, impairing the liquid substance delivery and making it more difficult to extract the "Luer" cone from the vial neck at the end of the application.

Therefore, object of tne present invention is solving the above prior art problems by providing a single-dose vial adapted to be closed again which, once having been opened by removing the plug due to breakage of its collar joining the containing body neck, can be closed again with the same plug.

Another object of the present invention is providing a single-dose vial adapted to be closed again equipped with a neck adapted to receive inside it the "Luer" cone of a syringe body.

A further object of the present invention is providing a single-dose vial adapted to be closed again that allows securing a syringe body equipped with "Luer" cone and external threading.

Moreover, an object of the present invention is providing a single-dose vial adapted to be closed again whose neck is equipped with air venting means upon inserting the "Luer" cone, making its withdrawal easier.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will result from the following description, are reached with a single-dose vial adapted to be closed again as described in claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes and parts with equivalent functionalities) can be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the invention as appears from the enclosed claims.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the single-dose vial adapted to be closed again according to the present invention;

FIG. 2a shows a front sectional view of the single-dose vial of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2b shows a side view of the single-dose vial of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2c shows a top view of the single-dose vial of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an enlargement of the part contained in box A of FIG. 2a and along section line A-A of FIG. 2c;

FIG. 4a shows a preferred variation of the part of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4b shows a sectional view of the part of FIG. 4a along section line C-C;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the vial according to the present invention in another use position thereof;

FIG. 6a shows a front view of the single-dose vial of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6b shows a side sectional view of the single-dose vial of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6c shows a top view of the single-dose vial of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7a shows an enlargement of the part contained in box B of FIG. 6a;

- FIG. 7b shows an enlargement of the part contained in box C of FIG. 6b and along section line B-B of FIG. 6c;

FIG. 8 shows a partially sectional view of the single-

dose vial according to the present invention in a possible use thereof;

FIG. 9 shows a partially sectional view of the single- dose vial according to the present invention in another possible use thereof; and

FIG. 10 shows a partially sectional view of the single- dose vial according to the present invention in another possible use thereof.

With reference to the Figures, it is possible to note that the single-dose vial adapted to be closed again 1 according to the present invention is composed of a containing body 3 of an elongated shape, and preferably with a substantially cylindrical development, having an end equipped with a delivering opening 5 of a liquid substance contained inside the containing body 3, such delivering opening 5 being arranged at the end of a delivering neck 7. The delivering opening 5 is then kept closed by a plug adapted to be closed again 10 that can be fractured and preferably produced integral with the containing body 3 (as shown, in particular, in Figures 1 to 4b) . In particular, as can be noted in the Figures, the plug adapted to be closed again 10 is composed of a central body 11 having an external portion 12 thereof connected to the delivering neck 7, next to the delivering opening 5, by interposing a collar adapted to be fractured 13 whose thickness is suitably reduced

(adapted to be broken typically by torsion of the plug adapted to be closed again 10 with respect to the containing body 3 of the vial 1) . Externally, the central body 11 of the plug adapted to be closed again 10 can be equipped with a varying number of catching wings 17 that make its torsion easier for opening by an user.

Advantageously, as shown for example in Figures 5 to 7b, the plug adapted to be closed again 10, once removed from the vial 1 in order to open it by breaking the collar 13, is equipped with connection means that allow its removable fastening to at least one portion of the delivering neck 7 in order to be able to close the delivering opening 5 again even once the collar 13 has been broken. In particular, the fastening means of the plug adapted to be closed again 10 are preferably made as at least one groove 19 (preferably two and arranged in diametrically opposite positions) internal to at least one closing recess 21 of the central body 11, adapted to grip at least one corresponding connecting tooth 9 (preferably two) suitably arranged along the external surface of the delivering neck 7 of the containing body 3. In a preferred embodiment thereof (as can be noted in particular from FIG. 7a) , the groove 19 and its related connecting tooth 9 can have their respective cooperating surfaces suitably inclined in order to make it easier to close and open again the plug adapted to be closed again 10 by rotating this

latter one with respect to the delivering neck 7.

In an alternative variation (not shown) of the vial 1 according to the present invention, the fastening means of the plug adapted to be closed again 10 can be made as at least one threading arranged inside the closing recess 21 adapted to grip a corresponding threading suitably arranged on the external surface of the delivering neck 7.

Due to clear reasons of space reduction and realisation symmetry, the closing recess 21 is preferably arranged inside the central body 11 in a diametrically opposite position to the portion 12 of this latter one originally connected to the delivering neck 7 through the collar 13, so that, once having removed the plug adapted to be closed again 10 from the delivering opening 5 by breaking the collar 13 itself, it can be closed again by simply overturning it, arranging the closing recess 21 on the delivering opening 5 and suitably rotating the central body 11 to allow the securing teeth 9 to grip inside the respective grooves 19. Given such symmetry, it can be noted that, advantageously, the catching wings 17 always remain longitudinal to the vial 1, thereby facilitating both breaking the collar 13, and closing again the plug adapted to be closed again 10, and its following reopening.

As shown for example in Figures 8 to 10, the delivering neck 7 can be directly used for the sealed insertion of a

cone 31 of a "Luer" type, for example a syringe or a batching device 30 for infusion and the related withdrawal of the liquid substance contained inside the containing body 3 of the vial 1 according to the present invention. In particular, according to a preferred variation of the vial 1 as shown in FIG. 4a, 4b and 9, internally the surface of the delivering neck 7 can be equipped with air venting means, preferably made as at least one longitudinal groove 25 to the neck 7 itself (as can be noted from the Figures, preferably the neck 7 can be equipped with at least four radially arranged grooves) adapted to connect the containing body 3 interior with the outside, even if the delivering opening 5 is occupied by a "Luer" cone 31. Function of such air venting means is making it easier to insert the "Luer" cone 31 inside the delivering opening 5, improving the delivery of the liquid substance outside through the "Luer" cone 31 inserted inside the delivering opening 5 and making it easier to extract the "Luer" cone 31 from the neck 7 of the vial 1 at the end of its application.

In another possible variation thereof like the one shown in FIG. 9, the vial 1 according to the present invention is made in such a way that the delivering neck 7 is fitted onto the containing body 3 to guarantee that, once having inserted a "Luer" cone 31 with suitable sizes inside the delivering opening 5, at least one distance χ is defined between the

mouth 25a of the groove 25 inside the containing body 3 and the suction end 31a of the "Luer" cone 31. In this way, a preferred air channel is created around the "Luer" cone and it is avoided that air penetrates inside the syringe together with the sucked liquid substance.

In another possible application like the one shown in FIG. 10, the fastening teeth 9 of the delivering neck 7 can be used for securing a "Luer" threading 33 of a "Luer" cone 31 like the one with which some types of known syringes 30 are equipped.