Two-component packaging unit

The invention relates to a packaging unit for two substances which are to be kept separately from each other and to be mixed before use, in particular for a liquid substance and a powdered substance. The invention comprises a first container and a second container which is movably suspended in the neck of the first container. The second container is moved by screwing in the closure cap of the first container and is thereby opened (EP 1 186 548 A).

In particular, the present invention includes<ul><li>A first bottle-like container with a shoulder area and a neck-like opening area for the liquid substance,</li><li>A second container for the pulverulent substance disposed in the neck-like opening region of the first container</li><li>A closure cap overlapping the opening area.</li></ul>

Such packaging units are required in order to be able to keep substances which are mixed only in the short term between the time of production and the use by the end user over a longer period of time in accordance with the predetermined mixing ratio. In this form, the individual substances can be kept for a sufficient length of time, so that conventional transport and storage times are unproblematic. If necessary, As with many other product decay data.

In the case of pharmaceutical products, when such packaging units are used, the end user is enabled to produce the mixtures themselves immediately before use so that they are independent of the pharmacist who would otherwise have to mix the preparations for one or a small number of applications. Packaging units of this type are known, inter alia, from European patent applications 0 093 090, 0 344 849, 0 577 200 and 0 599 189. In all cases, the bottom of the second container inserted into the opening area of ​​the first container is at least partially separated by actuating the closure cap by means of a sharp object so that the powder of the second container can be introduced into the liquid of the first container and the substances can be mixed. The translatory movement of the sharp object towards and through the bottom of the second container is effected by translational or rotating movement of the closure cap after a retaining ring is removed which prevents unwanted movement of the closure cap and thus an unintended opening of the second container .

The known packaging units have the disadvantage that the opening of the second container is possible only by a material-destroying actuation of the closure cap, whereby there is always the risk that smaller fragments are formed which are separated from the second container and / or cover and fall into the mixture. Even if the use of such fragments is harmless to the end user, they are perceived as unpleasant and distracting.

Another drawback is that, in some embodiments, the severed floor remains connected to the second vessel via a bridge. In these cases, the pouring of liquid may cause the soil to be moved back into the bottle neck and to close it.

A further disadvantage of the known packaging unit is that the closure cap simultaneously serves as a closure for the second container and the first container. The filling of the packaging units with liquid and powder must therefore be performed immediately successively. The second containers can not be filled locally and temporally separated from the first container, because they can not be self-closed and can be transported and stored as a separate product.

Finally, some of the known packaging units are only suitable for producing a single mixing portion because the closure cap is not designed for reliable re-sealing of the first container after the removal of the securing ring. Such packaging units are substantially less economical than those with which mixtures can be produced which comprise a number of individual portions corresponding to the shelf life of the mixture.

The object of the invention is to avoid the mentioned disadvantages of the known packaging units and to propose an alternative which can be produced cost-effectively and which can be handled without problems by the end user.

In order to achieve this object, a packaging unit of the type mentioned in the introduction is provided which has the following parts:<ul><li>(2) and a bottle neck with an opening region (3), wherein optionally between the opening region (3) and the side facing the shoulder region, a preferably ring - shaped container (1), preferably a liquid component, / Or cylindrical constriction (7) and</li><li>A second container (4) for the pulverulent substance arranged in the bottle neck (7) of the container, and</li><li>A closure cap (5) which overlaps the opening area,</li></ul>in which <ul><li>The opening region (3) has a screw thread (6) on its outer side,</li><li>(8), the largest outer diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the throat, and a top region which is connected thereupon and which has, if appropriate, a middle portion and a top portion,</li><li>The outer diameter of the second container (4) has, in its upper region, at least one region which is approximately equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the throat (7) and which is below or preferably within the throat in the first closed state of the packaging unit</li><li>The upper part of the second container is closed by a cap-like lid which can be inserted into the opening of the upper part and is completely detachable therefrom and which can be non-positively connected to the inside of the closure cap or is an integral component thereof.</li></ul>

These configurations make it possible for the second container, with its bead-like thickened middle portion, or from the location of its largest outer diameter, to be held in the cylindrical constriction of the first container in a force-locking manner. By rotating the closure cap into the first container, it is moved into the abdominal region of the first container and thereby opened.

Optionally, the upper region of the second container may have a region whose diameter is smaller than the smallest inner diameter of the bottle neck of the first container, the height of this region preferably being greater than the height of the constriction.

Within the scope of the present description of the invention, a <i>"Approximately the same outer diameter of the second container as the inner diameter of the throat"</i> It is understood that the second container can be plugged into the throat at the location of this outer diameter. The connection is preferably tight against moisture or a liquid such as water.

The first container has a abdominal region, a conically tapering shoulder region, and then a bottle neck. The bottle neck preferably has a smaller inner diameter than the inner diameter of the abdominal region. The bottleneck itself forms a bottleneck, or a bottleneck is formed in the false neck.

The bottleneck on the inside of the bottle neck of the first container can be formed at the opening region, for example in the form of a circumferential inwardly directed edge, it can be formed directly above the shoulder region or in between. Preferably, it is located immediately above the shoulder area. The throat can be formed as an edge, thickened region or constriction. The throat is preferably designed as a peripheral ring around the bottle neck. However, it can also be designed in the form of one or more point elevations, edges with recesses, etc.

The throat has the task of holding the second container in the bottle neck. Preferably, an annular, peripherally circumferential constriction, particularly preferably one, is such that it can exert a function completely sealing against the second container. It can also be designed as a press fit with respect to the second container.

In some embodiments, the top edge of the throat may have the function of limiting the movement of the second container downwardly. In such cases, means are attached to the second container which can be applied to the upper edge.

In alternative embodiments, the bottle neck does not have an additional constriction, but the bottle neck itself assumes the function of the bottle neck acting as a narrowing, in particular the function of a sealing point. The function of the upper edge of the throat then takes the top edge of the bottle neck. In such cases, a bottle neck of low height is advantageous. Therefore, in the context of the present invention, in each embodiment with bottleneck, the bottle neck can be replaced in principle with a bottleneck acting as a bottleneck. For the sake of simplicity, a bottleneck with a bottleneck will be discussed in the context of this description. Unless otherwise known from the context, the term "bottleneck" also applies to a bottleneck acting as a bottleneck. However, embodiments with a bottleneck which is designed independently in the bottle neck are preferred.

The second container is such that when the packaging unit is closed for the first time it is located in the neck of the first container where it is plugged in the bottleneck of the bottle neck in such a way that it is fixed on the one hand but can also be moved axially on the other hand. Axially is the direction which corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the first container from the opening of the bottle neck to the bottom region of the abdominal region.

The second container has a cup-like lower part, which is oriented towards the abdominal area of ​​the first container in the first closed state of the packaging unit. This is followed by an upper region which is open at the top. This upper region may have a middle portion and a top portion, the middle portion connecting the lower portion to the upper portion.

The second container preferably has a bead-like thickened region, which forms the largest outer diameter of the second container, above the lower part. This outer diameter is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the throat. This thickened region can also be formed on the upper part of the upper region of the second container. As a result, the second container, together with the constriction, can seal off the bottle neck of the first container in a sealing manner. Therefore, this thickening part is preferably formed annularly around the outer jacket of the second container. This region and the throat of the first container form the sealing point. This sealing point seals the interior of the first container from the outside environment.

The internal diameters of the lower part and of the upper region of the second container can differ in analogous manner or they are of the same size.

The outer diameter of the lower part and the outer diameter of the upper region of the second container can be the same size apart from the thickened portion. These outer diameters of the second container can be smaller than the inner diameter of the throat, so that the second container is easier to move axially in the bottle neck of the first container.

If desired, the cylindrical top part can have two or more recesses extending axially from the top to the middle part.

The upper part is closed by a cup-like lid. This sits firmly on or in the shell. In embodiments in which the upper part has recesses, the cover extends from the top into the middle part of the second container so that the second container is tightly closed.

The lid is clamped in the second container.

Furthermore, the cover can have flange-like extensions which are designed in such a way that, when the second container is closed, they pass through the above-mentioned recesses in the upper part at their bottom-side end and lie above the throat of the first container or abut the upper side thereof. That is, in these embodiments, the lid sits directly on the middle part, while the upper part of the second container extends over it.

The outer side of the cup-like lid is sealingly attached to the inner side of the second container, preferably at the level of the middle part.

It has been found that pressure differences in the closure process inside the second container can lead to a swirling of powder. Such a swirling can be reduced if the sealing area of ​​the cover is formed directly below the flange-like extensions and has a small height. Particularly advantageous are embodiments in which the outer contour of the cover has recesses which extend from the bottom end in the direction of the head end without touching the end on the head side. As a result, an annular peripheral peripheral and completely sealing region in the form of a band is formed at the head end of the outer contour of the cover, ie the end with the flange-like extensions. Below this is a range whose outer diameter is equal to that of the first region but which has one or more recesses. These recesses serve briefly as an air outlet path for air, which is displaced from the interior of the second container during the closing process. This lower recessed area of ​​the outer side of the cup-like cover can also be described as a region with a smaller outer diameter, on which webs are formed which extend in the axial direction, ie, parallel to the height of the cover, from the bottom to the lower edge of the sealing region . A ring circumferentially surrounding the webs would then have the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of the sealing region. The cap-like cover has no holes, but closes the second container so that a material exchange between interior and exterior is not possible.

The sealing region of the cover and the sealing region of the inner casing of the second container can have complementary locking means, for example in the form of an annular peripheral groove and spring.

On the outside of the bottom of the second container, wings can be arranged which prevent the second container from unintentionally closing its opening region or neck when the first container is emptied. These wings are formed as surfaces of small thickness. They may, for example, be designed as a quadrangle, triangle with sharp or rounded corners. The side edges and / or the surfaces can be straight, convex or concavely curved or wavy.

On the side, the wings do not project beyond the jacket region of the second container, with the largest outer diameter, preferably they do not protrude laterally beyond the jacket region with the smallest outer diameter. They can be formed individually or in pairs. A pair or pairs of pairs which are at right angles to each other are preferably formed.

The closure cap is designed in such a way that it comprises an outer cylinder with an internal screw thread and an inner cylinder with a closed bottom region integrally formed thereon. The inner cylinder engages in the opening area of ​​the first container and abuts the upper end of the cylindrical upper part of the second container.

These configurations make it possible for the second container, with its bead-like thickened middle portion, or from the location of its largest outer diameter, to be held in the cylindrical constriction of the first container in a force-locking manner. By rotating the closure cap into the first container, the second container is moved into the abdominal area of ​​the first container. During this movement, the cover remains suspended by its flange-like extensions at the constriction of the first container so that the cover is released from the clamping and closing position. This opens the second container. In one embodiment, the open second container can now fall into the belly of the first container. Thus, the substance of the second container is released for mixing with the substance of the first container.

During the downward movement of the closure cap in the direction of the second container, the inner cylinder of the closure cap pushes the second container through the throat or the bottleneck acting as a bottleneck. A cylindrical extension can be formed on the inner cylinder of the closure cap and engages with force from the top when the closure cap moves downwards into the cup-like region of the cover of the second container. If the closure cap is then turned open and removed from the first container, the latter takes along the cup-like lid of the second container.

In particular embodiments, the cylindrical extension on its outer side and the cup-like lid have complementary locking means on their inner side, for example in the form of a circumferential tongue and groove or the corresponding two components of push buttons and the like. The groove-like peripheral ring or the groove-like recess on the inner side of the cup-like part of the cover and the latching means complementary thereto can be formed on the outer side of the cylindrical extension or vice versa. These latching means facilitate the non-positive entrainment of the cover of the second container through the closure cap when its cylindrical extension is inserted into the cap-like bent-down cover of the cover.

In some embodiments, the top of the second container closes with one or more flange-like extensions which face outwardly like the extensions of the cup-like lid. In the case of a plurality of flange-like extensions of the upper part of the second container, these are separated from each other by the aforementioned recesses. However, only a single peripheral peripheral extension or flange can be formed. The recesses then penetrate this peripheral peripheral flange. If the container is moved downwards, the sealing middle part again passes through the throat. The second container, however, no longer falls into the first container, but is held by its extensions or the flange from the upper side of the throat. The recesses in the upper part of the second container are then used in these embodiments. They are so high that they bridge the lower region of the second container which has passed the throat to the region of the second container which has not yet passed the throat. That is, the recesses are higher than the height of the throat. This ensures that, in this position, the interior of the first container can communicate with the external environment after the cover and the closure cap have been removed. The communication path thereby leads from the interior of the first container along the outer side of the lower part and the middle part of the second container through the recesses into the opening area of ​​the first container. To ensure that this communication path is maintained undisturbed when the first container is moved, for example tilted, it is advantageous if at least the upper region of the outer side of the upper part of the second container has a similarly large outer diameter as its middle region. Here, for example, a second bead-like thickening can be formed. This is because, in this case, the second container is held in the opened end position by this region in the opening region so that it does not change its position relative to the first container when the first container is moved. The region of the upper part with a larger outer diameter and the region of the middle region, which also has a larger outer diameter than the remaining regions of the second container, can be separated by a region with a smaller outer diameter. The two regions can also merge into one another when the outer diameters remain the same. The last variant, however, requires a consistently greater force expenditure to push the second container through the throat of the first container, than the first-mentioned variant.

In the case of embodiments with a flange or several extensions at the head end of the upper part of the second container, in which the container is held in the end of the bottle in its end position in a force-locking manner, it is not compulsory for the lid to have forts by which it is held. In this case, it is sufficient if the force required for the cover to be positively received by the cylindrical extension of the closure cap is less than the force required to force the container into its end position in a force-locking manner. Also, the force required to open the lid must be less than the force required to move the container from its end position. In this case, firstly, the lid can engage in a positive engagement with the cylindrical extension in the downward movement of the closure cap before the container is pushed into the end position. When the closure cap is opened, it takes the lid without loosening the container from its end position, since the non-positive connection between cover and second container is less than that between the second container and the first container. In such embodiments, in which the second container is to remain in the bottle neck, that is to say at its upper end, a flange or extensions, the cover can only engage into the cylindrical extension when the end position of the second container is reached. In these cases, the cover preferably has detent lugs on the inner side of its cup-like upper part, which engage or engage in the corresponding groove on the outer side of the cylindrical extension<i>vice versa</i>.

In a further embodiment, the second container has at least one barb-like means on the outer side of its lower part, additionally or instead of the bead or the circumferential peripheral sealing region with the largest outer diameter. This is such that the second container can only be pushed from above through the narrow point of the first container, namely with the lower part first. This latching means is preferably designed in the form of a wedge whose tapering side extends downwards towards the bottom of the container and whose upper side is designed as an edge which is perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the jacket of the second container.

The cover itself can in this case engage with its upper side in a force-locking manner into the cylindrical extension of the closure cap, or the closure cap itself forms the cylindrical cover. The latter is preferred. The middle part and upper part of the second container can be a single element with, for example, a smooth outer jacket. The outer diameter of the middle portion and / or the upper portion of the second container is smaller than the inner diameter of the throat so that this portion of the second container can pass through the throat without friction. Preferably, the height of the second container from the upper edge of the barb-like means to the upper edge of the container neck of the second container is less than the height from the lower edge of the throat to the upper edge of the container neck of the first container. Particularly preferably, the height from the upper edge of the barb-like means to the upper edge of the container neck of the second container plus the height of the region into which the lid of the second container or the sealing region of the cylindrical extension of the closure cap extends is smaller than the height of The lower edge of the throat to the upper edge of the container neck of the first container. In this embodiment, the packaging unit is finished by first loading the second container with the substance for storage and subsequently closing it with the cover or via the cylindrical extension of the closure cap. Then the second container is pushed with its lower side forward through the throat as described in the other embodiments. In doing so, the force for pushing the barb-like means against the throat has to be overcome. The cap is then screwed tightly.

If the closure cap is then opened, the second container is carried by its movement by means of the non-positive connection of its cover or directly through the closure cap until the barb-like means of the lower part is suspended from the bottleneck from below. Upon further opening movement of the closure cap, its connection to the second container (in the case of embodiments with a separate cover under its entrainment) is released, and the second container falls into the first container.

The packaging unit according to the invention advantageously differs among other things from the previously known packaging units in that for the second container, a lid, which is installed separately, can be provided so that the second container can be filled locally and temporally separately and can be stored and transported separately from the first container . In order to produce the mixture, the lid is detached from the second container in a non-destructive manner, so that no fragments of the lid or container material are formed and can enter the mixture. After the second container has been displaced from its original position, the mixture can easily be removed in portions and the packaging unit can be reliably closed. The proposed packaging unit is easy to produce and easy to handle and use by the end user. The invention is preferably used for the provision of pharmaceutical formulations such as, for example, antibiotics or vitamin formulations and / or for formulations for supplementary nutrition. In such cases, a powder can be stored in the second container and a liquid can be stored in the first container. The packaging according to the invention has the further advantage that the interior of the second container can be stored dry and diffusion of liquid from the interior of the first container through the sewing positions into the interior of the second container is not possible. In addition, the second container closes the interior of the first container in a conical and tight manner against water vapor which possibly penetrates into the interior of the closure cap along the screw thread of the closure cap,<i>vice versa.</i> Further advantages and embodiments of the inventive idea are described in the subclaims. Details are explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures. Show it:<dl id="dl0001"><dt>FIG</dt><dd>A first embodiment of the packaging unit according to the invention in the longitudinal section</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>A second embodiment of the packaging unit according to the invention in the longitudinal section.</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>1 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG.</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>A representation of the closure cap from below.</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>2 a representation of an embodiment according to FIG. 2 with a peripherally circumferential flange on the upper part of the second container in the cross-section.</dd></dl>

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the positions of the second container relative to the first container are respectively shown with a and b before and after the introduction of the mixing process.

The packaging unit illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a total of five components to be produced separately. The first bottle-like container 1 has a shoulder area 2 and a neck area 3, which is neck-like, and is provided with a screw thread 6 at the end. Between the screw thread 6 and the shoulder region 2, a cylindrical constriction 7 is formed, which serves for the non-positive fastening of the second container 4. The second container consists of a cup-like lower part 8, a bead-like thickened middle part 9 and a cylindrical upper part 10 which is provided with two or more axially extending recesses 11. For closing the second container 4, a cap-like lid 12 is inserted into the latter, the axial extent of which is greater than that of the bead-like thickened middle part 9 of the second container, and which engages non-positively into the pot-like lower part 8 of the second container 4. The cap-like lid 12 is provided with flange-like extensions 13, by means of which the flange 12 engages the recesses 11 of the upper part 10 at the upper side of the throat 7. At the bottom of the lower part are two pairs of wings in the form of gray hatched surfaces. A pair is perpendicular to the observer.

The closure cap 5 comprises an outer cylinder 14 with an internal screw thread 15 and an inner cylinder 16 integrally formed thereon with the bottom region 17 closed. The inner cylinder 16 engages in the opening region 3 of the first container and bears against the upper end of the cylindrical upper part 10 of the second container 4 . The closed bottom region 17 of the closure cap 5 has a cylindrical extension 18, which is dimensioned for the engagement in the cup-shaped cover 12.

The fifth part of the illustrated packaging unit is a measuring cup 21 for portioning the mixture by the end user, which can be clamped into the inner cylinder 16 of the closure cap for storage. Instead of the measuring cup, other dosage aids may be provided in the packaging unit.

In order to produce the mixture, the closure cap 5 is moved out of the position shown in FIG. 1a after the removal of a conventional safety ring (not shown) by rotation in the direction of the shoulder region 2 of the first container 1, as a result of which the second container 4 moves towards the interior of the container 1 and is finally released from its mounting in the throat 7. It can then fall into the container 1 and serve as a mixing aid when shaking.

1 b, the cylindrical extension 18 on the bottom region 17 is also pressed into the cup-shaped lid 12, so that the lid 12 together with the closure cap 5 from the container 1 is pressed into the cup-shaped lid 12 Can be removed when the mixture is to be poured out. Since the cap-like cover with its flange-like extensions rests against the upper side of the throat, and since the second container 4 has axially extending recesses 11, the container 4 can be displaced translationally by the actuation of the closure cap 5 and can be freed from its frictional attachment in the throat 7 , Without the cap-like cover 12 having to participate in this movement. Instead, it is fixed relative to the container 1 in its original position, which ultimately causes the separation between the container 4 and the cover 12.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the bottle-like container 1, the closure cap 5 and the measuring cup 21 do not differ from the embodiment according to FIG. 1. In this respect, a description for avoiding repetition is omitted. The second container 4 and the cup-like cover 12 have been modified. The cylindrical upper part 10 of the second container 4 is again provided with axially extending recesses, and the cup-like cover also has flange-like extensions 13 (not shown) with which it passes through the recesses 11 At the top of the throat. Unlike the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the upper part 10 of the second container 4 is provided at the end with a circumferential flange 19 and directly below the flange 19 with a second bead-like thickening 20. The axial extent of the cup-like lid 12 is smaller than in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 and the lid also engages not into the lower part 8 but into the middle part 9 of the container 4.

During translatory movement of the closure cap 5 in the direction of the shoulder region 2 of the container 1, the container 4 is displaced from its position shown in FIG. 2 a in the direction towards the interior of the container 1 and is released from its fluid holding device in the throat 7, 2 b in which the circumferential flange 19 rests against the upper side of the throat 7 and the container 4 is held in the throat 7 with its second bead-like thickening in a force-locking manner. At the same time, the cylindrical extension 18 of the closure cap 5, in turn, engages in the cap-like cover 12, whereby the latter is clamped by the closure cap 5 and is removed from the opening region 3 when the closure cap 5 is unscrewed. The axially extending recesses 11 in the upper part 10 of the container 4 are longer than the height of the bottleneck 7. This causes the recesses 11 in the position shown in FIG. 2b to connect the interior of the first container to the opening thereof, Which is closed by the bead-like middle part of the second container, and communication between the interior of the container and the outer environment is made possible as soon as the closure cap is unscrewed with the cover 12 held on the extension 18. As a result, in this embodiment, the recesses 11 serve not only as a through-hole for the flange-like extensions 13 of the cover 12, but as the container 4 remains in the container 1 in the position shown in FIG. 2 b as exit openings for the liquid inside the container. In the position shown in FIG. 2b, ie after the closure cap has been rotated against the first container so that the second container has been opened and before the closure cap is removed, a powder in the second container can be filled by shaking the first container with the container Liquid in the first container via the recesses 11.

Not shown are recesses in the circumferential flange 19 for the flange-like continuations of the cover 13, which are not visible in FIG. 2, so that both the flange-like extensions of the cover and the circumferential flange 19 of the container 4 lie in a plane on the upper side of the seat 7 of the container 1 can. In the second embodiment, the container 4 is not movable freely in the container 1, so that disturbing noises are possibly avoided during mixing.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment according to FIG. 1 with the first container 1 above the second container 4 with thickened middle part 9, upper part 10 and recesses 11 above the cap-like cover 12 with flange-like extensions 13, a sealing peripheral circumference 22, And recesses 24. Above this is the closure cap 5, into which the measuring cap 21 can be inserted.

FIG. 4 shows the closure cap 5 from the underside. The cylindrical extension 18, which can engage in the cap-like cover 12 in a force-locking manner, can be seen. In this case, the cylindrical extension has recesses. The inner cylinder 16 at the foot of the cylindrical extension 18 is the region of the closure cap 5, which can touch the container 9 at its upper region and pushes through the throat 7.

5 shows an embodiment according to FIG. 2 with recesses 11 in the upper part 10 of the second container 9. The upper part of the container closes with a circumferential flange 19 which is penetrated by the recesses 11. The cap-like inner region of the cover 25 is clearly recognizable.

The explosion drawings illustrated in FIG. 3 also define the terms "top" and "bottom" used in connection with this description of the invention. The direction "up" is the direction along the longitudinal axis of the container from the container bottom to the measuring cylinder. The direction "down" is the corresponding direction. The terms "top" and "bottom" are derived from these directional indications for each of the individual elements. The terms "inside" and "outside" define analogously: the inside is the side facing the center axis of the container. The outer side corresponding to the side of an element facing away from the central axis. Accordingly, the terms "inside" and "outside" are defined.

The term "height" is defined as the length specification parallel to the center axis of the container pointing upwards from the top downwards.