Container

Abstract

A container is provided for receiving a bag filled with a fluid, in particular a biopharmaceutical fluid, in which connector tubing is attached to the bag. The container includes a dish portion and a lid portion, and the dish portion is divided into a main compartment of the container and a tubing compartment of the container. The lid portion includes a main portion, a tubing portion, and a hinge between the main portion and the tubing portion, and the hinge is adapted to allow for an opening of the tubing portion while the main portion remains closed, such that the bag remains protected in the main compartment while the connector tubing in the tubing compartment is accessible from outside of the container.

Claims

1. A container for receiving a bag filled with a fluid, wherein connector tubing is attached to the bag, the container comprising: a dish portion; and a lid portion, wherein the dish portion is divided into a main compartment of the container and a tubing compartment of the container, wherein the lid portion includes a main portion, a tubing portion, and a hinge between the main portion and the tubing portion, wherein the hinge is configured to allow for an opening of the tubing portion and tubing compartment while the main portion and main compartment remain closed, such that the bag remains protected in the main compartment while the connector tubing in the tubing compartment is accessible from outside of the container, wherein the dish portion has a constriction dividing the dish portion into the main compartment and the tubing compartment, the constriction being configured to hold the connector tubing through a squeezing action between the constriction and the lid portion, and wherein the constriction is arranged between the hinge and the main compartment.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the hinge is a flexural hinge to allow for bending of the tubing portion relative to the main portion.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the main portion, the tubing portion, and the hinge of the lid portion is transparent.

4. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least one layer of foam is present inside the container.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the dish portion and the lid portion are made of a plastic.

6. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lid portion is configured to be secured in a closed position relative to the dish portion by frictional locking connections.

7. An arrangement comprising the container according to claim 1 and a bag filled with a fluid and connected to connector tubing, wherein both the bag and the connector tubing are disposed inside the container.

8. A method of delivering a fluid in a bag attached to connector tubing, the method comprising: arranging the bag filled with the fluid together with the connector tubing in the container such that the bag is in a main compartment of the container and the connector tubing is in a tubing compartment of the container, the container having a constriction dividing the container into the main compartment and the tubing compartment, the constriction being configured to hold the connector tubing through a squeezing action between the constriction and a lid portion of the container, the lid portion of the container including a main portion to cover the main compartment, a tubing portion to cover the tubing compartment, and a hinge between the main portion and the tubing portion, the constriction being arranged between the hinge and the main compartment of the container; closing the container and delivering the container to a location where the fluid is to be withdrawn from the bag; opening the tubing compartment while the main compartment remains closed, such that the bag remains protected in the main compartment while the connector tubing in the tubing compartment is accessible from the outside of the container, and withdrawing the fluid from the bag via the connector tubing.

9. A method of using the container according to claim 1 in a method of delivering a fluid in the bag attached to connector tubing, wherein: arranging the bag filled with the fluid together with the connector tubing in the container such that the bag is in the main compartment of the container and the connector tubing is in the tubing compartment of the container; closing the container and delivering the container to a location where the fluid is to be withdrawn from the bag; opening the tubing compartment while the main compartment remains closed, such that the bag remains protected in the main compartment while the connector tubing in the tubing compartment is accessible from the outside of the container, and withdrawing the fluid from the bag via the connector tubing.

10. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the dish portion and the lid portion are made of a thermoplastic.

11. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is configured to completely enclose the bag with the connector tubing when the dish portion and the lid portion of the container are completely closed.

12. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the bag is configured to contain a biopharmaceutical fluid.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the bag is configured to contain a biopharmaceutical fluid.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the container is configured to completely enclose the bag with the connector tubing when the dish portion and the lid portion of the container are completely closed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further details and advantages of the invention are apparent from the figures and the accompanying figure description. The figures show:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a container according to the invention in closed configuration,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a container according to the invention in a configuration where the main compartment is closed and the tubing compartment is opened,

(4) FIG. 3 shows an arrangement according to the invention where the container is in a completely open configuration,

(5) FIG. 4 shows an arrangement according to the invention where the container is in a completely closed configuration, and

(6) FIGS. 5 and 6 show the arrangement of FIG. 4 where the main compartment is closed and the tubing compartment is opened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a container 1 according to the invention. It comprises a dish portion 4 and a lid portion 5. The dish portion 4 is divided into a main compartment 6 and a tubing compartment 7 by a constriction 12 in the shape of the container 1.

(8) The main compartment 6 is closed off by the main portion 8 of the lid portion 5. The tubing compartment 7 is closed off by the tubing portion 9 of the lid portion 5.

(9) The main portion 8 of the lid portion 5 is connected to the tubing portion 9 of the lid portion 5 by a flexural hinge (first hinge) 11 so as to allow for a swivel action of the tubing portion 9 relative to the main portion 8.

(10) The flexural hinge can, for example, be embodied as material thinning so as to allow bending of the material in the area of the flexural hinge (first hinge) 11.

(11) In this embodiment, the dish portion 4 and the lid portion 5 are also connected to each other by a further (second) hinge 11. In this way, the dish portion 4 and the lid portion 5 can be manufactured in one process, e.g., by an injection moulding process using plastic. Embodiments where the lid portion 5 is separate from the dish portion 4 are of course conceivable.

(12) Both the main portion 8 of the lid portion 5 and the tubing portion 9 of the lid portion are locked in the closed configuration by frictional locking connections 14.

(13) These each include a protrusion and a matching recess of different shapes, such that friction between the protrusions and the recesses lock the main portion 8 of the lid portion 5 and the tubing portion 9 of the lid portion 5 to the dish portion 4 due to the sizing of the protrusions and the recesses.

(14) Arranged in the dish portion 4 is a layer of foam 13 the function of which will be described in connection with FIGS. 5 to 6.

(15) FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a configuration where the tubing compartment 7 is opened (i.e., the tubing portion 9 of the lid portion 5 is opened, independently of the closed configuration of the main compartment 6/main portion 8 of the lid portion 5).

(16) FIG. 3 shows an arrangement 10 according to the invention where the bag 2 together with the connector tubing 3 is arranged in the container 1 of FIG. 1, however without the layer of foam 13 (described in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6. In other words, it is possible to use the container 1 according to the invention in an arrangement 10 according to the invention with or without the layer of foam 13.

(17) The bag 2 has been filled with a biopharmaceutical liquid (i.e. a biopharmaceutical medicine) and placed inside the container 1.

(18) In FIG. 3, the container 1 is completely open. In particular, both the main compartment 6 and the tubing compartment 7 are opened by the further (second) hinge 11 between the dish portion 4 and the lid portion 5.

(19) FIG. 4 shows an arrangement 10 according to the invention where the bag 2 together with the connector tubing 3 is arranged inside the container 1 of FIG. 1. The bag 2 has been filled with a biopharmaceutical liquid (i.e. a biopharmaceutical medicine) and placed inside the container 1. The container 1 then has been closed into the configuration of FIG. 1. As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, the container 1 completely encloses the bag 2 with the connector tubing 3 when the dish portion 4 and the lid portion 5 of the container 1 are completely closed (completely closed meaning both the main portion 8 and the tubing portion 9 of the lid portion 5 are closed as in FIG. 4).

(20) It is noted that the connector tubing 3 is slightly squeezed in a constriction 12 of the container 1 so as to hold the connector tubing 3 in place. As can be seen particularly well in FIGS. 5 and 6, the constriction 12 is located between the hinge (first hinge) 11 of the lid portion 5 and the main compartment 6 of the dish portion 4

(21) As a next step, the arrangement 10 can be placed inside a freezer in order to freeze the liquid inside the bag 2. During the freezing, the liquid experiences an increase in volume which causes also an increase of the size of the bag 2. This can exert a force on the container whichas mentioned beforecan lead to damage and even destruction of the container 1. The container 1 can then not serve the purpose of protecting the bag 2 and the connector tubing 3 from outside influence in order to reduce the risk of loss of sterile integrity of the bag 2 together with the connector tubing 3.

(22) In order to prevent this, the layer of foam 13 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) compensates for the volume/size increase of the liquid/the bag 2. Because the foam also becomes harder because of the low temperatures, the foam forms a conformal bedding for the bag 2 and the connector tubing 3, such that the bag 2 and the connector tubing 3 is immobilized inside the container 1. Impacts of the bag 2 and/or the connector tubing 3 onto the inside of the container 1 because of movement of the container 1 are therefore prevented to a large extent, which serves to improve the protection of the bag 2 and the connector tubing 3.

(23) Now the arrangement 10 according to the invention can be transported and delivered with the liquid in a frozen state. It is of course also possible to transport the arrangement without freezing the liquid.

(24) At or near the point of use (e.g., where the pharmaceutical is to be administered), the liquid can be thawed such that the volume increase and the hardening of the foam is reversed.

(25) Before, during, but preferably after, the thawing process, the tubing portion 9 of the lid portion 5 can be opened so as to allow for access to the tubing compartment 7. This configuration of the arrangement is depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6.

(26) The connector tubing 3 can now be connected to some outside apparatus for example for administering the pharmaceutical on a patient.

(27) It should be noted that the liquid in the bag 2 has been protected in the closed main compartment 6 during the whole time from putting the bag 2 into the container 1 until the administering of the pharmaceutical, potentially until the administering of the pharmaceutical is finished, upon which the container together with its contents can be disposed.

(28) In FIGS. 5 and 6 the layer of foam 13 described before is visible.

(29) FIG. 6 shows the configuration of FIG. 5, where the container is in an upright position. This is a preferred position for emptying the bag 2 inside the container if the tubing 3 is connected (not shown), for example, to further tubing for administering the pharmaceutical.

(30) For ease of use, the container comprises an opening 15 on which the container can be hung from a hook or the like.