Claims:WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A two-piece ophthalmic cap (10) for controlled dispensing of liquid from a bottle (11), said cap (10) comprising:
a first piece (12) comprises of
a cylindrical section (12A) adapted to accept the bottle or a vial container (11),
a threaded portion (12B) connected to the cylindrical section (12A),
a ring (12C) forming between top portion of the cylindrical section (12A) and the threaded portion (12B),
an elongated cylindrical portion (12D) with an opening (12E) adapted to sit on top of the threaded portion (12B), wherein the cylindrical portion (12D) temporarily holds a predetermined volume of liquid and controls fall of every drop of liquid dispensed from the vial (11), and
a collar (12F) extending at a bottom portion of the cylindrical section (12A), wherein the collar (12F) includes a notch (12G) from within, which enables locking of the first piece (12) with the bottle, when the cap is tightened to the bottle; and

a second piece (14) comprises of
a cylindrical section (14A) adapted to accept the first piece (12), and
a temper evident ring (14B) extending from the cylindrical section (14A) such that the ring (14B) gets separated from the cylindrical section (14A) when the second piece (14) is unscrewed.

2. The two-piece ophthalmic cap of claim 1, wherein the first piece (12) includes a conical sharp projection (12I) containing atleast one hole on a conical surface, wherein the projection (12I) is connected such as to form an extending part of the elongated cylindrical portion (12D) from below.

3. The two-piece ophthalmic cap of claim 2, wherein the conical sharp projection (12I) facilitates piercing of a nozzle (11A) of the bottle (11) and allows the liquid to enter the elongated cylindrical portion (12D) for dispensing the liquid from the bottle (11) in a controlled manner.

4. The two-piece ophthalmic cap of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical section (12A) of the first piece (12) is threaded (12H) from inside to securely fit the first piece (12) onto the bottle (11).

5. The two-piece ophthalmic cap of claim 1, wherein the temper evident ring (14B) separates from the cylindrical section (14A) when unscrewed and stays on the first piece (12) of the cap after separation.

6. The two-piece ophthalmic cap of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical section (14A) is threaded (14C) from within to securely fit the second piece (14) onto the first piece (12).

7. The two-piece ophthalmic cap of claim 1, wherein the second piece (14) includes a stopper (14D) extending from surface of the second piece (14) from below and adapted such that to appropriately fit within the elongated cylindrical portion (12D) preventing leakage of the liquid from the bottle (11).

8. The two-piece ophthalmic cap of claim 1, wherein the opening (12E) is of any shape such as square, rectangle, circular, triangular or any other undefined shape.

9. The two-piece ophthalmic cap of claim 1, wherein the cap (10) is used for controlled dispensing of liquid from a pharmacy grade container or bottle. , Description:BACKGROUND
Technical Field

The embodiments herein generally relate to an ophthalmic cap and more particularly to, a two-piece ophthalmic cap for controlled dispensing of liquid from a pharmacy grade container or a bottle.

Description of the Related Art

Presently 3-part dropper systems consisting of bottle, dropper and tamper-evident cap is used for dispensing of liquid from the container. The squeezable plastic bottles are manufactured in pharmacy-grade LDPE through injection blow moulding, offering superior quality and dimensional accuracy. These bottles are mainly used in ophthalmic applications, but are suitable for other applications requiring a safe, constant drop system. The bottles, droppers and caps are manufactured with polymers and masterbatches in full compliance with the current pharmacy standards. The bottles are available in natural or white color, and the tamper-evident caps in white and other colors. The volume which is to be dispensed is controlled by the amount of squeezing of the bottle. Therefore, there is no control on the volume of liquid that is dispensed out of the bottle. Sometimes the volume is more sometimes it is less, but not consistent and controlled flow of liquid from the bottle.

Also, an ophthalmic cap presently available in the market doesn’t have a liquid volume control feature. The ophthalmic caps are mostly used to cover the bottle after dispensing of the liquid and do not offer any other function nor does it dispense consistent volume of liquid from the bottle. Here the drop size may vary from drop to drop offering inconsistent dispensing of the liquid. Thus, may result in over or under flow of liquid discharge. Therefore, in a specific application where only a certain specific volume of liquid may be desired for a particular treatment, then ordinary ophthalmic solution bottle doesn’t discharge that specific volume. Also designing a bottle to discharge a specific volume of liquid is a complex process and makes the bottle more expensive.

Further, currently ophthalmic droppers available in the market are supplied in intact vial which is not pre-pierced. Separate cap is supplied with the vial, which has a spike inside. When the cap is tightened on the vial, the nozzle of the vial gets pierced by the spike inside it. Patient is expected to follow this process after the product is purchased from the market. Many patients find it difficult to understand the methodology to pierce the vials. If they do not understand or do not follow the procedure steps, then they use any external sharp/pointed objects to pierce the vial, which may involve use of rusted pins, needles or other contaminated metallic objects, etc. risking the sterility of the ophthalmic solution present inside the vial. Accordingly, there remains a need for an ophthalmic liquid discharge cap where the vials are pre-pierced and capped suitably to ensure there is no leakage. Assembly of nozzle and cap is so precise that it maintains the sterility of the solution present in the vial. Further, the ophthalmic cap should be able to control the flow of liquid from the bottle.

SUMMARY

The embodiment herein provides a two-piece ophthalmic cap for controlled dispensing of liquid from a bottle. The cap includes a first piece which comprises of a cylindrical section adapted to accept the bottle or a vial container, a threaded portion connected to the cylindrical section, a ring forming between top portion of the cylindrical section and the threaded portion, an elongated cylindrical portion with an opening adapted to sit on top of the threaded portion, wherein the cylindrical portion temporarily holds a predetermined volume of liquid and controls fall of every drop of liquid dispensed from the vial, and a collar extending at a bottom portion of the cylindrical section, wherein the collar includes a notch from within, which enables locking of the first piece with the bottle, when the cap is tightened to the bottle; and a second piece comprises of a cylindrical section adapted to accept the first piece, and a temper evident ring extending from the cylindrical section such that the ring gets separated from the cylindrical section when the second piece is unscrewed.

In an embodiment, the first piece includes a conical sharp projection containing atleast one hole on a conical surface. The projection may be connected such as to form an extending part of the elongated cylindrical portion from below.

In an embodiment, the conical sharp projection facilitates piercing of a nozzle of the bottle and allows the liquid to enter the elongated cylindrical portion for dispensing the liquid from the bottle in a controlled manner.

In an embodiment, the cylindrical section of the first piece may be threaded from inside to securely fit the first piece onto the bottle. The temper evident ring separates from the cylindrical section when unscrewed and stays on the first piece of the cap after separation.

In one embodiment, the cylindrical section may be threaded from within to securely fit the second piece onto the first piece. The second piece also includes a stopper extending from surface of the second piece from below and adapted such that to appropriately fit within the elongated cylindrical portion preventing leakage of the liquid from the bottle.

The opening may be of any shape such as square, rectangle, circular, triangular or any other undefined shape. The cap may be used for controlled dispensing of liquid from a pharmacy grade container or bottle.

These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in the accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in the context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments:

The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG 1 is the front view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment
of the present invention
FIG 2 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of
the present invention
FIG 3 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of one of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention
FIG 1 is the front view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment
of the present invention
FIG 2 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of
the present invention
FIG 3 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of one of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a two-piece ophthalmic cap fitted on a bottle for enabling controlled dispensing of liquid from a pharmacy grade container or the bottle according to an embodiment mentioned herein;

FIG. 2 illustrates a pharmacy grade bottle or the bottle (a) in a closed condition and
(b) in an open condition according to an embodiment mentioned herein;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a first piece of the two-piece ophthalmic cap according to an embodiment mentioned herein;

FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective bottom view of the first piece of the two-piece ophthalmic cap according to an embodiment mentioned herein;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of a second piece of the two-piece ophthalmic cap according to an embodiment mentioned herein; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a front schematic cross-sectional view of the ophthalmic cap according to an embodiment mentioned herein.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may not have been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG 1 is the front view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment
of the present invention
FIG 2 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of
the present invention
FIG 3 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of one of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention
Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of the invention selected for illustration in the drawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention. References in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” member that a particular feature, structure, characteristics, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. That is, those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope. In some instances, detailed descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail. All statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.

Accordingly, there remains a need for an ophthalmic liquid discharge cap where the vials are pre-pierced and capped suitably to ensure that there is no leakage from the vial. Assembly of nozzle and cap is so precise that the sterility of the solution present inside the vial is maintained. Further, the ophthalmic cap should be able to control the flow of liquid from the bottle. Referring now to the figures, more particularly from FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, preferred embodiments are shown.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a two-piece ophthalmic cap 10 fitted on a bottle 11 for enabling controlled dispensing of liquid from a pharmacy grade container or the bottle 11 according to an embodiment mentioned herein. The ophthalmic cap 10 includes a first piece 12 and a second piece 14. The first piece 12 is fitted to top of a bottle or a vial container 11. The second piece 14 sits on top of the first piece 12.

FIG. 2 illustrates a pharmacy grade bottle or the vial (a) in a closed condition and
(b) in an open condition according to an embodiment mentioned herein. In an embodiment, the ophthalmic cap 10 is fitted on top of the bottle or vial is in closed condition. Here the temper evident ring is still not separated from the first piece. This condition ensures that the bottle is not opened or tempered with any inferior drug or dosage of the liquid.

In an embodiment, when the second piece 14 is turned to open or unscrewed, the temper evident ring gets separated or detached from the second piece 14 and holds on to the first piece 12 indicating that the bottle 11 may have been opened or being tempered. Thus, without removing the first piece 12 from the bottle, the dosage can be delivered by just opening the second piece 14.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the first piece 12 of the two-piece ophthalmic cap 10 according to an embodiment mentioned herein. The first piece 12 includes a cylindrical section 12A, a threaded portion 12B, a ring 12C, an elongated cylindrical portion 12D with an opening 12E, adapted to sit on top of the threaded portion 12B and a collar 12F formed or extended at a bottom portion of the cylindrical section 12A.

In an embodiment, the cylindrical section 12A may be adapted to accept the bottle or a vial container 11. In an embodiment, the ring 12C is forming between top portion of the cylindrical section 12A and the threaded portion 12B. The function of the ring is to hold the temper evident ring in place on the first piece 12 indicating that the cap 10 has been opened.
In an embodiment, the cylindrical portion 12D controls fall of every drop of the liquid dispensed from the bottle 11. The collar 12F facilitates holding the cap 10 onto the bottle tightly so that the ophthalmic cap is secured to the bottle or vial.

FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective bottom view of the two-piece ophthalmic cap 10 according to an embodiment mentioned herein. In an embodiment, the cylindrical section 12A of the first piece 12 may be threaded 12H from inside to securely fit the bottle 11 onto the first piece 12. In addition, the collar 12F formed at a bottom portion of the cylindrical section 12A also helps in ensuring the first piece 12 is securely fit to the bottle 11. In an embodiment, the collar 12F includes a notch 12G from within, which enables locking of the first piece 12 with the bottle 11 when the cap 10 is tightened to the bottle 11, thus ensuring the first piece 12 fits on top of the bottle or vial 11 facilitating smooth and regular use of the pharma bottle 10.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of a second piece of the two-piece ophthalmic cap according to an embodiment mentioned herein. The second piece 14 includes a cylindrical section 14A which may be shaped such that to fit first piece 12 from below. The second piece 14 helps in preventing the liquid in the bottle 11 from getting leaked. In one embodiment, the second piece 14 prevents from any contamination of the elongated cylindrical portion 12D i.e. tip of the first piece 12.

In one embodiment, the cylindrical section 14A may be threaded 14C from within to securely fit the second piece 14 onto the first piece 12 from below. In an embodiment a temper evident ring 14B forming part of the cylindrical section 14A such that the ring 14B gets separated from the cylindrical section 14A when the second piece 14 is unscrewed. Here, the temper evident ring 14B may get separated from second piece and stays on the first piece 12 below the ring 12C after separation.

In an embodiment, the second piece 14 includes a stopper 14D which may be extending from surface of the second piece 14 from below and adapted such that to appropriately fit within the elongated cylindrical portion 12D preventing leakage of the liquid from the bottle or vial 11.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front schematic cross-sectional view of the ophthalmic cap 10 according to an embodiment mentioned herein. In an embodiment, the second piece 14 may include a stopper 14D which may be extending from surface of the second piece 14 from below and adapted such that to appropriately fit within the elongated cylindrical portion 12D. Thus, preventing leakage of the liquid from the bottle 11.

In an embodiment, the first piece 12 may further include a conical sharp projection 12I which may consist of atleast one hole on a conical surface. The projection 12I may be connected such as to form an extending part of the elongated cylindrical portion 12D from below. In an embodiment, the conical sharp projection 12I facilitates piercing of a nozzle 11A of the bottle 11 and allows the liquid to enter the elongated cylindrical portion 12D for dispensing the liquid from the bottle 11 in a controlled manner.

In an embodiment, the opening 12E at the top of the first piece 12 may be of any shape such as square, rectangle, circular, triangular or any other undefined shape but not limited to the embodiments mentioned herein.

In an advantageous embodiment, the vial or bottle 11 is fitted two-piece ophthalmic cap and is ready to use for the end user without requiring him to pierce the vial 11. The conical sharp projection 12I or a spike present in the first piece 12 facilitates piercing of a nozzle 11A of the vial or the bottle 11. The second piece 14 with tamper evident ring is pre-tightened onto the first piece 12 in order to ensure the product integrity.

When the second piece 14 is unscrewed, the temper evident ring 14B gets separated from the second piece and stays on the first piece 12. In an embodiment, the second piece 14 also plugs the open end of the first piece at the top. The end user has to just open the over cap and start using the product without getting into the hassles of piercing.

In yet another advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure provides the two-piece ophthalmic cap 10 to give better control on the flow of liquid from the bottle or vial container 11. Here the desired quantity may be dispensed without spillage of excess liquid from the vial.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope.