US2925815A - Applicator for dispensing tablet medicaments - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 23, 1960 E. w. LYNN APPLICATOR FOR DISPENSING TABLET MEDICAMENTS Filed D ec. 16, 1958 i51 RI-In INVENTOR. EDW! N W. LYN N FIG. 4.

A 7' TORNEYS'.

APPLICATOR F OR DISPENSING TABLET MEDICAMENTS Edwin W. Lynn, Irvington, Ni, assignor to Celluplaetic Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 16,1958, SerialNo. 78ti,731

' 7 Claims. (Cl. 128-264) g The present invention relates to applicators for dispensingmedicaments intablet'form, more particularly to an'applicator for dispensing' i'elatively fragile medicinal tablets intoa body orifice such as the vagina. The new applicator is of simple construction, may be readily cleaned, insures delivery of the medicinalstablet' to the desired location in the body o'rifice without fracture of thetablet and is simple to operate by the user. in the new applicator, a tablet is frictionally gripped without undue pressure and heid in oriented position during; in-

sertion intothe body cavity. A simple molding'process may be employed for manufactureofthe device.

' Briefly, the new applicator comprises a housing portion having a medial cylindrical passage therethrough opening atone end into an enlargedtablet receiving chamber and theunewapplicator is particularly designed for use with flat'tablets,.the'tablet receiving chamber thereof: is contouredifor holding such shape tablets. In order to allow for differences in tablet dimensions occasioned by wear of theimoldemployed in their'manufacture, the chamber. is so shaped as to engage the tablet at at leastfour spaced locations. This construction avoids crushing of the tablets while insuring'thatthe tablets will be properly held and oriented-in the housing during insertion in the body cavity.

t For a better. understandingofthe invention" and" for specific embodiments thereof reference may be hadto the accompanying drawing of which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through an applicator embodying the invention, a tablet being shown in dotted lines held therein;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the housing of the applicator of Fig. 1 through a plane normal to that of Fig. l and on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the applicator of Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but representing a modification.

The applicator of Figs. 1 through 3 comprises a housing 2 of molded plastic material such as cellulose acetate, cellulose butyrate or the like, a tubular handle portion 4 of similar material and a plunger element 6 preferably of clear crystalline material. The plunger 6 may be a solid rod, but preferably, as shown, is of tubular material having a flared outer end 8 adapted, when the plunger is in position to eject a tablet, to engage the end 10' on the handle portion 4. At its inner end the plunger 6 has a reentrant lip 12 which provides a smooth wall for abutment with the tablet. The housing has a smooth outer i L contour, being oval in cross section at its forward or tablet receiving end, and generally cylindrical at its other .end, with a maximum cross section a short distance from its forward end. A smoothly curved shoulder 14 is formed integral with the housing at its rear end. The housing has a cylindrical passage 16 formed therein which adaptednat its other end to receive a tubular handler withinflwhic'h an operating rod or plunger is disposed; As

I tablet.

position because the spacing between walls 24' and 26, is

is stepped at 18 to provide clearance for reception of: the

inner'end of the holder 4. Although the holder 4 has-africtionfit within the end of passage 16, it is preferably? permanently bonded to the housing 2 by means of a solvent. The passage 16 at its forward end'terminates in an enlarged chamber 20 particularly designed for reception of a flat tablet 22 of the pumpkin seed or tear drop shape shown in dotted lines in Figs. l and 2.

The chamber 20 is formed between two pairs of'walls, 24, 26 and 28, 3t), walls 24, 26 being shown in section in the plane of Fig. 1 and walls 28, 30 beingshown in section in the plane of Fig. 2. Walls 24, 26 are generally arcuate and of uniform thickness and converge only' slightly toward the junction of chamber 20 with passage 16.

but substantially greater than the thickness of the tablet.

Walls 28, 30 have inner surfaces which for a short distance from the end of the housing, to the' location indicated at 29in Figs. 1 and 2, are narrow and parallel.- Beyond the location 29 the walls widen and converge toward thej'unction with passage 16 as shown in Figs. '1 and 3. The narrow parallel surface portions of walls 28 and 30 are of a width about equal to, or slightly greater than,

the peripheral thickness of the tablet 22, and the spacing between these surface portions is slightly less than the maximum width of the tablet. When a tablet is inserted into the chamber-the flats, or parallel surface portions,

of walls 28 and 3t scrape enough off the tablet-to. retain the table therebetween in oriented position. When the portions of walls 28 and 30, four areas of support for the The tablet can be inserted in only one oriented less than the major width of the tablet.

Molded: tablets, such as the tablet 2 2, are granularand frangible. Their composition is ordinarily such that they tend to abradeor wear'the mold inwhich theyareformed: Consequently,as:a mold becom'esworn it p'roduces larger tablets, principally thicker tablets? With the above described shape of chamber 20, a tablet of increased thickness can be as readily inserted as a standard size tablet as the walls 24 and 26 do not engage the tablet. A tablet of greater maximum width can also be accommodated within the chamber because the flats of walls 28, 30 will shave off the excess material of the tablet and retain the tablet in oriented position irrespective of initial width of the tablet.

In use of the above described applicator the tablet is inserted as above described. With the plunger 6 retracted the housing carrying the tablet is inserted into the body orifice to the desired location for the tablet. The plunger 6 is then moved inwardly to engage the tablet and force it from the housing, the curved reentrant wall 12 of the plunger engaging the tablet at symmetrically located edge areas and thereby providing a positive but gentle unidirectional force for ejection of the tablet without danger of fracture. The inner end of the plunger 6 can not extend beyond the outer end of the housing because of the provision of the flared end 8 which, in cooperation with the end 10 of the handle 4, provides a stop to limit the travel of the plunger. Because the diameter of the flared end 8 of the plunger is greater than the maximum diameter of the end of the handle 4, the plunger may be readily grasped for removal or retraction during loading of the chamber.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4 differs from that of Figs. 1-3 primarly in the contour of In the plane of Fig. l the distance between-these' walls is slightly greater than the diameter of passage 16 Y 3 the tablet receiving chamber. invention the side walls 28 and 30', as in the embodiment of Figs. 1-3 have narrow parallel surfaces for a short dis tance, say 5 from the forward end of the housing. These surfaces converge toward the junction with the passage 16 without increase in width. There is .thus formed a substantially uniform pair of channels from the outerto the inner end of the housing for reception of opposite edges of the tablet. In this embodiment of the invention some of the sides of a tablet adjacent the edges are sheared off by the channels 28' and 30, the amount sheared ofi depending upon the width and depth of the channels and the thickness of the tablet. As in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3, the tablet will be held in oriented position and is gently ejected when the lip 12 of the plunger is pressed thereagainst.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention provides a novel and useful applicator for tablet medicaments that holds a fragile tablet gently but firmly in oriented position, that insures ready ejection of the tablet when desired, that may be easily disassembled for cleaning and that is smoothly contoured on its outer surface for easy penetration of a body cavity. Because edge surfaces of a tablet are shaved or sheared when the tablet is inserted into the applicator, the retaining forces on the tablet are minimized and made uniform irrespective of initial size of tablet and danger of crumbling or breaking of the tablet is obviated. Also, because of the external plunger stop provided by the flared end of the plunger, danger of penetration of abody cavity by the other end of the plunger, with consequent possibility of damage to body tissues, is avoided.

The invention has now been described with reference to two specific embodiments thereof. Obviously various changes in the specific constructions illustrated could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the accompanying claims.

The following is claimed:

1. An applicator for dispensing fragile tablets into a body cavity, comprising in combination, a smooth walled molded plastic housing of generally oval cross section at one end and of cylindrical cross section at the other end and provided with a medial passage therethrough, said passage at the first mentioned end of said housing widening into a tablet receiving chamber contoured and dimenaimed to provide opposite wall surfaces within the cham- In this embodiment of, the

her that arev parallel for a short distance from the tablet receiving end of the housing, which opposite wall surfaces frictionally engage opposite edges of a tablet when in one oriented position, a portion of the length of said passage being cylindrical, a tubular handle having one end mounted in the cylindrical portion of said passage and a plunger disposed within said handle and adapted when reciprocated to engage a tablet in the chamber and eject it therefrom.

2. The applicator according to claim 1 wherein said opposing wall surfaces rearwardly of said parallel parts thereof widen and converge smoothly toward the cylindrical portion of said passage.

3. The applicator according to claim 1 wherein said parallel parts of said opposing wall surfaces are parts of channels formed in the Wall of said chamber that converge toward the cylindrical portion of said passage and which receive and guide the opposite edges of a tablet during introduction of the tablet into the chamber.

4. The applicator according to claim 1 wherein said plunger is tubular and is provided at its tablet engaging end with an inturned lip forming a rounded smooth tablet abutting surface.

5. The applicator according to claim 4 wherein the length of the plunger is substantially equal to the combined length of an assembled housing and handle and wherein the other end of said plunger is flared to provide a stop by abutment with the end of said handle when the plunger is in tablet ejecting position.

6. The applicator according to claim 1 wherein said handle is permanently bonded to said housing.

7. The applicator according to claim 1 wherein the distance between the opposite parallel wall surfaces within the chamber of the housing is less than the distance between two opposite edges of the said tablet whereby said parallel opposite wall surfaces serve to shave ofi portions of the curved edges of such tablet during introduction of the tablet into the chamber to provide a retaining force on the tablet which is uniform irrespective of the initial size of such tablet.

Ellis Mar. 9, 1915 Van Sickle Mar. 11, 1958

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