End cap for cartridge-shaped receptacle

Abstract

An end cap which is prepared for being fastened, especially attached, to an especially pipe socket-type connecting port of a cartridge-shaped receptacle and in a mounted state serves for sealing the connecting port, including a top surface portion, a shell surface portion being connected, especially perpendicularly and cylindrically, to the top surface portion, and a flange portion connected to the shell surface portion, the flange portion including and/or forming a sealing portion, by which the end cap can be fixed and sealed to the cartridge-shaped receptacle, and a predetermined breaking/tearing portion, at which the end cap tears and/or breaks in a predefined manner when the end cap is removed from the cartridge-shaped receptacle.

Claims

1. An end cap prepared for being fastened to a connecting port of a cartridge-shaped receptacle and in a mounted state seals the connecting port, the end cap comprising: a round top surface portion; a shell surface portion adjacent to the top surface portion, the shell surface portion extending cylindrically and perpendicularly from the top surface portion; and a flange portion adjacent to the shell surface portion, the flange portion extending perpendicularly and radially outwardly away from an end side of the shell surface portion, the flange portion comprises a sealing portion and a tamper indicator portion, the sealing portion configured to fix and seal the end cap to the cartridge-shaped receptacle and the separation portion is configured to at least one of tear or break in a predefined manner when the end cap is removed from the cartridge-shaped receptacle.

2. The end cap according to claim 1, wherein the tamper indicator portion of the flange portion is provided at a transition area to the shell surface portion and is formed as at least one of one or more predetermined breaking points at which the end cap breaks or as a predetermined tearing line at which the end cap tears when removing the end cap from the cartridge-shaped receptacle so that the sealing portion of the end cap remains on the cartridge-shaped receptacle and the remaining end cap includes the shell surface portion and the top surface portion, but not the sealing portion, and is detachable from the cartridge-shaped receptacle.

3. The end cap according to claim 1, wherein the sealing portion comprises a plurality of recesses such that the sealing portion includes a circumferential sealing ring portion and a plurality of connecting portions, the connecting portions being locally connected to the shell surface portion and the tamper indicator portion being formed by the plurality of local connections.

4. The end cap according to claim 1, wherein the tamper indicator portion is in the form of a perforated circumferential predetermined tearing line.

5. The end cap according to claim 1, wherein the end cap is in the form of an attachment cap and the sealing portion of the flange portion is at least one of accommodated in a seating provided on the cartridge-shaped receptacle or fastened to the cartridge-shaped receptacle by form fit.

6. The end cap according to claim 1, wherein the end cap comprises at least one sealing element for sealing the connecting port of the cartridge-shaped receptacle at at least one of an inside of the end cap on the top surface portion or on the shell surface portion.

7. The end cap according to claim 1, further comprising at least one web-type projection on the top surface portion at an inside of the end cap, said projection constituting, in a mounted state of the end cap, a bearing face portion of the end cap on an end face of the connecting port.

8. The end cap according to claim 1, wherein the shell surface portion of the end cap comprises at least one wing-shaped projecting handle portion at an outside of the end cap.

9. The end cap according to claim 1, wherein the end cap is at least one of made from elastic plastic material or in the form of a one-piece and single-material plastic component manufactured by injection molding.

10. The end cap according to claim 1, wherein the tamper indicator portion is a predetermined breaking/tearing portion.

11. A cartridge-shaped receptacle for an extracorporeal blood treatment machine that includes at least one connecting port forming at least one of a fluid inlet or a fluid outlet, the cartridge-shaped receptacle comprising at least one end cap according to claim 1 for closing and sealing the at least one connecting port.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings are the following figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an end cap outside of the end cap according to aspects of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an end cap inside of the end cap according to aspects of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an end cap according to aspects of the invention fixed to a connecting port of a cartridge-shaped receptacle/a cartridge;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective sectional view of the end cap according to aspects of the invention fixed to the connecting port of the cartridge-shaped receptacle/the cartridge;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the end cap according to aspects of the invention; and

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective sectional view of the end cap of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) The Figures are merely schematic and exclusively serve for the comprehension of the invention. Like elements are provided with like reference numerals. The features of the individual embodiments/exemplary configurations may be interchanged.

(9) In FIG. 1 a perspective view of an end cap 2, especially an end cap outside 4, is shown. The end cap 2 is composed of a circular cover portion 6, a shell portion 8 perpendicularly and cylindrically adjacent to the cover portion 6 and a flange portion 10 outwardly adjacent radially perpendicularly to the shell portion 8 and being completely circumferential in the peripheral direction. At an upper portion of the shell portion 8 two wing-shaped handle portions 12 are provided which are spaced apart from each other, are facing each other and are arranged to respectively cover about a third or quarter of a circle. The two wing-shaped handle portions 12 project/protrude with respect to the shell portion 8 and form a respective pitch circle projection.

(10) The flange portion 10 in this preferred embodiment according to aspects of the invention consists of a sealing portion/seal ring 14 and a plurality of (eight) triangular connecting portions 16, each being formed integrally with a triangular side to contact the seal ring 14, being tapered toward the shell portion 8 with a respective opposite point of the triangle and being evenly spread about the periphery of the flange portion. The (eight) points of the triangle establish local connections/point connections 18 to the shell portion 8. By the entirety of the (eight) local connections 18 the predetermined breaking/tearing portion according to aspects of the invention is realized in the present embodiment. The predetermined breaking/tearing portion is thus located on the flange portion 10. The cover portion 6 has a central blind hole 22 on the outside 4 of the end cap.

(11) FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the end cap 2, especially of an inside 20 of the end cap. In this case, it becomes initially clear that the blind hole 22 shown in FIG. 1 is formed as a plug-type projection 24 at the end cap inside 20. The cover portion 6 includes, on the inside 20 of the end cap, two web portions/web-type projections 26 only one of which is visible in FIG. 2, however. The web portions 26 are narrow and elongate and extend from a radial outside of the cover portion 6 toward the plug-type projection 24. The web portions 26 are formed to project/protrude with respect to the cover portion 6. The second invisible web portion 26 is opposed to the first web portion 26. Thus, the two web portions 26 are evenly distributed along the periphery of the cover portion 6.

(12) On a central portion of the shell portion 8 a peripheral sealing portion 28 configured in the kind of a sealing lip is provided on the end cap inside 20. However, for improving the sealing effect there may also be provided two, three, four or more peripheral sealing portions 28.

(13) The end cap 2 is manufactured integrally and by one single material from elastic plastic material by injection molding in one process step.

(14) FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 2 fixed to a connecting port 30 of a cartridge-shaped receptacle/a cartridge. The connecting port 30 in this case has a base-type portion 34 and a pipe socket-type portion 36. The end cap 2 is attached to the pipe nozzle-type portion 36 of the connecting port 30 and is accommodated via its seal ring 14 in a seat 38 of the base-type portion 34 and, respectively, is fastened to the base-type portion 34 of the connecting port 30.

(15) In the state as shown in FIG. 3 in which the end cap 2 is fastened to the connecting port 30 in an originally sealed state, a user immediately recognizes, especially when axially viewing the end cap 2 in FIG. 3, that point connections 18 are provided between the connecting portions 16 and the shell portion 8. Thus, an immediate visual inspection as to whether or not (no longer) a tamper-evident closure is (still) provided is enabled, according to aspects of the invention, especially by this preferred embodiment.

(16) FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective sectional view of the end cap 2 fixed to the connecting port 30 of the cartridge-shaped receptacle/the cartridge. The web portions 26 in this case rest on an end face 40 of the pipe nozzle-type portion 36 of the connecting port 30. The plug-type projection 24 protrudes into the opening of the connecting port 30 and seals the connecting port 30 to the outside. Thus, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, no film is provided for sealing the connecting port 30. Moreover, the sealing portion 28 fulfils an additional sealing function and is fully adjacent to an outside of the pipe nozzle-type portion 36 of the connecting port 30. According to aspects of the invention, thus preferably a double sealing is provided by the sealing portion on the one hand and by the plug-type projection 24 on the other hand. However, it is also imaginable to provide further sealing portions 28 which are arranged in parallel to and in the axial direction offset against the shown sealing portion 28 and equally provide a fully circumferential sealing.

(17) According to this preferred embodiment, on the one hand the seal ring 14 can be pressed into the annular seat 38. Accordingly, an outer annular portion 42 of the base-type portion 34 is elastically urged radially outwardly and bounces back radially inwardly, after the seal ring has been engaged or clipped on, so that the seal ring is thus accommodated in the annular seat 38 by form fit. On the other hand, according to this preferred embodiment the seal ring 14 may also be provided to be inserted into the annular seat without applying force and subsequently fixation by form fit may be provided to be realized by radially inwardly reforming or bending the outer annular portion 42.

(18) A second embodiment of the end cap 2 according to aspects of the invention is shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. As can be inferred from FIG. 5, the cover portion 6 in this embodiment likewise includes a blind hole 22. Rounded edges between the cover portion 6 and the blind hole 22 as well as between the cover portion 6 and the shell portion 8 improve handling of the end cap 2.

(19) The cover portion 6 merges at the outside 4 of the end cap into a radially outwardly projecting upper external portion 44 of the shell portion 8. A radially recessed central external portion 46 of the shell portion 8 is adjacent to the upper external portion 44. In this embodiment, the upper radially projecting external portion 44 thus can be easily seized by a user, thus facilitating/improving removal of the end cap 2 from a cartridge. For the rest, a spanner flat (polygonal profile) may be provided on the external portion 46 for better torque pickup.

(20) A lower corrugated external portion 48 of the shell portion 8 is connected to the central external portion 44. The lower corrugated external portion 48 is angular, for example octagonal, and has concavely inwardly curved side portions. Hence a rough corrugation is given which helps to facilitate rotation of the end cap 2 and thus opening of the end cap 2.

(21) The flange portion 10 of FIG. 5 includes, adjacent to the corrugated external portion 48, a first radially outwardly projecting flange portion 50 which approximately constitutes a periphery around the corrugated external portion 48. Triangular connecting portions 16 are adjacent to the first radially outwardly projecting flange portion 50. A peripheral predetermined breaking/tearing portion according to aspects of the invention is formed between the first radially outwardly projecting flange portion 50 and the triangular connecting portions 16. The sealing portion 14 adjacent to the triangular connecting portions 16 has an upper peripheral and recessed corner portion 52 in which, for example, the annular portion 42 shown in FIG. 4 may engage.

(22) It is evident from FIG. 6 that in this second embodiment of the end cap 2 a sealing is performed, on the one hand, by the plug-type projection 24 and, on the other hand, by a peripheral upper internal sealing portion 54 extending from the cover portion 6 to a lower internal portion 56 of the shell portion 8.