VIAL, METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING VIALS, AND USE OF A VIAL

Abstract

A vial (1) for use in an air flow-operated tube mail system. The vial comprises a body (2) and a lid (3). The body has an open end and a closed end. The lid can at least be partially inserted into the open end of the body (2) in order to close the body (2). The lid further comprises at least one plastic component (3) that is designed such that, after a penetration by a cannula having a diameter of 2 mm, the plastic component is tight up to at least 2 bar internal pressure,

Claims

1. A vial for use in an airflow-operated tube mail system, comprising: a body and a cap, wherein the body has an open end and a closed end and the cap can be inserted at least partially into the open end of the body in order to plug the body, the cap comprises at least one plastics component, which is configured such that, after penetration with a cannula having a diameter of 2 mm, it is leaktight at least up to 2 bar internal pressure.

2. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cap and the body are configured such that the vial, in the closed state, is leaktight at least up to 5 bar internal pressure.

3. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cap comprises two plastics components and the two components differ in terms of their Shore hardness, wherein the component having the lower Shore hardness is disposed in a region of the cap radially within the component having the higher Shore hardness.

4. The vial as claimed in claim 3, wherein the component having the lower Shore hardness is at least partially surrounded, in that region of the cap which is insertable into the body, in a peripheral direction by the component having the higher Shore hardness.

5. The vial as claimed in claim 3, wherein the component having the higher Shore hardness is a polypropylene, and the component having the lower Shore hardness is a thermoplastic elastomer.

6. The vial as claimed in claim 3, wherein the component having the lower Shore hardness has, in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vial, a dimension of 3-6 mm, and in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the vial a dimension of 1-4 mm.

7. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body contains polypropylene.

8. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cap and the body are configured such that the cap and the body can enter into operative connection via a snap fastening.

9. The vial as claimed in claim 8, wherein the snap fastening is formed by a notch in a peripheral direction in the cap and a bead in the body.

10. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least an outer surface of the cap, which is insertable into the body, and an inner surface of the body, which can come into contact with the cap, are configured substantially smooth and without edges running in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the vial.

11. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body has at least one conically tapered portion on an outer side, and the at least one conical portion has the closed end or is arranged adjacent thereto.

12. The vial as claimed in claim 11, wherein a conicity in a lower quarter of the vial is 10-15, and/or in an upper part of the vial is 1-5.

13. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body has on an outer surface a flange at the open end.

14. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body comprises two plastics components, wherein at least one component is of non-transparent or opaque configuration and is disposed at the closed end of the body, and this at least one non-transparent or opaque component has a code.

15. The vial as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least one non-transparent or opaque component contains polypropylene.

16. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vial has a capacity of maximally 350 l.

17. The vial as claimed in claim 1, wherein the the body and/or the cap is produced by an injection molding process.

18. A vial, comprising: a body and a cap, wherein the body has an open end and a closed end, and the cap is partially insertable into the open end of the body in order to plug the body, wherein a cavity of the body has, in a region of the closed end, a smaller diameter than in a region of the open end.

19. The vial as claimed in claim 18, wherein the diameter of the cavity has in a region of the closed end 20-70% of a diameter of the cavity in the region of the open end.

20. The vial as claimed in claim 18, wherein the cavity has a step, which is configured such that the cavity has, in a region of the closed end, a smaller diameter than in a region of the open end.

21. A method for transporting vials in a tube system with airflow, wherein a vial as claimed in claim 1 is used.

22. The vial as claimed in claim 3, wherein the component having the harder Shore hardness, at least in a region of the cap which is intertable into the body, is configured without interruption in the peripheral direction.

23. The vial as claimed in claim 3, wherein the component having the lower Shore hardness has a Shore hardness in a region of 35-48 Shore A, measured according to ISO 7619.

Description

[0064] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the following description of the illustrative embodiments in combination with the schematic figures, wherein:

[0065] FIG. 1a: shows schematically a longitudinal section through a vial according to the invention;

[0066] FIG. 1b: shows an external view of the vial according to FIG. 1a;

[0067] FIG. 2a: shows schematically a longitudinal section through a further vial according to the invention;

[0068] FIG. 2b: shows schematically an external view of the vial according to FIG. 2a;

[0069] FIG. 3: shows schematically an external view of a further vial according to the invention.

[0070] FIG. 1a shows a longitudinal section through a vial 1 according to the invention. FIG. 1b shows an external view of the same vial 1. The vial 1 has a body 2 and a cap 3. The cap 3 is inserted in an open end of the body 2 in order to plug the vial 1.

[0071] The cap 3 is formed of two components 3, 3, which differ in terms of their Shore hardness. The cap 3 is produced with a 2 K injection molding process. The Shore harder component 3 is a polypropylene. The Shore softer component 3 is a thermoplastic elastomer having a Shore hardness of 40 Shore A, measured according to ISO 7619. In a region of the cap 3 which is insertable into the body 2, the Shore softer component 3 is completely surrounded in the peripheral direction by the Shore harder component 3. In an upper end of the cap 3, the Shore softer component 3, by contrast, runs radially outward (see FIG. 1b). The Shore softer component 3 extends only over a partial section, in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the vial 1, of the Shore harder component 3. An end of the cap 3, pointing in the direction of the closed end, is formed only by the Shore harder component 3, which forms an additional cavity that is open on one side.

[0072] The Shore softer component 3 has a dimension of 4.5 mm in the direction of a longitudinal axis B of the vial 1, and 2 mm in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis B of the vial 1. The Shore softer component 3 allows a penetration of the cap with a cannula for the specimen collection. Following removal of the cannula from the cap 3, the Shore softer component 3 plugs the pass-through opening automatically. Prior to a penetration with the cannula, the vial 1 is leaktight against 5 bar internal pressure. Following the penetration, the vial is still leaktight against 2 bar internal pressure.

[0073] A connection between cap 3 and body 2 is additionally improved by a form closure in the form of a snap connection 4. The snap connection 4 is formed by a bead on the inner surface of the body 2 and a notch on the outer surface of the cap 3.

[0074] The body 2 is formed by two plastics components 2, 2. Both components 2, 2 are polypropylene, wherein one component 2 is of opaque configuration. The body 2 is in turn formed with a 2 K injection molding process. The opaque component 2 is disposed on a closed end of the body 2. On its face pointing away from the body 2, the opaque component has a data matrix code (not shown). The code serves for the identification of the vial. The vial can hence be automatically assigned and processed in the tube system.

[0075] At the open end, the body 2 has a flange 6, which is formed by the non-opaque polypropylene component 2. The flange 6 ensures that in the tube system two vials 1 do not catch together with their caps 3. The vial 1 has close to the flange 6 almost the same external diameter as the cap 3, so that virtually no additional edge is formed. At the closed end, the external wall runs in one portion 5 conically. The portion has a conicity of 10. The upper portion has a low conicity of 2.

[0076] Moreover, a cavity 8 is present within the body 2. The cavity 8 serves to receive samples which are transported in the tube system and has a filling capacity of 350 l. The cavity 8 has in the lower quarter an inner conical portion having a conicity of 33. The upper part hence has a substantially larger diameter D1 than the cavity at the closed end D2. The diameter D2 is shown by way of example at a single site, since the conical portion does not have a single diameter.

[0077] FIGS. 2a and 2b show an alternative embodiment according to the invention of a vial 1. The vial 1 of FIGS. 2a and 2b differs substantially in that the cavity 8 has in the lower quarter a higher conicity of 34. Moreover, the cavity possesses in the lowermost portion a roughly cylindrical portion. Hence the cavity 8 of FIG. 2 has a volume of only 200 l. The vial 1 of FIGS. 2a and 2b possesses, however, the same external dimensions as the vial 1 of FIGS. 1a and 1b.

[0078] The geometry of the cavity 8 of FIG. 2 allows filling with low quantities. The small quantities will be deposited in the lowermost, cylindrical portion of the cavity 8. As a result of the small diameter D2 of the portion, a certain fill height is reached, however, despite the low quantity (see FIG. 2b). It can hence be ensured that a specimen can be collected with the cannula, without the cannula having to pass right through to the bottom.

[0079] FIG. 3 shows an external view of an alternative vial 1 according to the invention. The vial 1 of FIG. 3 differs from the vials of FIGS. 1a-2b in that the cap 3 consists only of one component 3. The component 3 is constituted by the thermoplastic elastomer, which is used also in the caps of FIGS. 1a-2b. The component 3 allows the entry of a cannula and a following automatic sealing of the point of entry.