Vial for filling a syringe

Abstract

A vial for dispensing a liquid into a syringe is described which comprises a body section for holding the liquid, the body section having a top and a bottom; a port having a removable seal, where the port is adapted for a syringe connection and where the port is interconnected with the body section at a point near the top of the body section by a passageway which for at least a portion of its length extends above the level of the liquid in the body section when the vial is inverted, thereby preventing leakage of the liquid from the body section when the seal of the port is removed. A method of making the vial is also described.

1 . A vial for dispensing a liquid into a syringe, the vial comprising: 
 a body section for holding the liquid, the body section having a top and a bottom;    a port having a removable seal, where the port is adapted for a syringe connection and where the port is interconnected with the body section at a point near the top of the body section by    a passageway which for at least a portion of its length extends above the level of the liquid in the body section when the vial is inverted, thereby preventing leakage of the liquid from the body section when the seal of the port is removed.    
     
     
         2 . The vial according to  claim 1 , further comprising a vent having a removable seal, where the vent is interconnected with the body section at a point on the body section that is above the level of the liquid when the vial is inverted.  
     
     
         3 . The vial according to  claim 2 , wherein the vent is located at a level that is below the level of the liquid in the body section when the vial is inverted.  
     
     
         4 . The vial according to  claim 3 , wherein the vent is sufficiently small that leakage of the liquid from the vent is prevented when the seal of the vent is removed.  
     
     
         5 . The vial according to  claim 2 , wherein the port having a removable seal and the vent having a removable seal each have a breakable seal comprising a frangible web.  
     
     
         6 . The vial according to  claim 5 , wherein the breakable seal of the port and the breakable seal of the vent are connected to a tab that provides an enlarged gripping surface for manually breaking the seals.  
     
     
         7 . The vial according to  claim 6 , wherein the body section, breakable seals and the tab are unitary.  
     
     
         8 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the port is located at or above a point that is at approximately the same level as the top of the body section.  
     
     
         9 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the port is located above the top of the body section.  
     
     
         10 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the port is adapted for connection with a luer syringe fitting and/or a tapered plug syringe fitting.  
     
     
         11 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the port is adapted for connection with a luer syringe fitting.  
     
     
         12 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein all parts of the vial are composed of one or more polymers.  
     
     
         13 . The vial according to  claim 12 , wherein all parts of the vial comprise the same polymer.  
     
     
         14 . The vial according to  claim 12 , wherein the polymer is sufficiently transparent or translucent that the amount of liquid in the body section can be determined visually.  
     
     
         15 . The vial according to  claim 12 , wherein the polymer is opaque.  
     
     
         16 . The vial according to  claim 12 , wherein the dispensing container is color-coded to identify a property of the liquid in the body section.  
     
     
         17 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the vial is formed from a single piece of polymer.  
     
     
         18 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the bottom of the body section is flat, whereby the vial can stand upright on a flat surface.  
     
     
         19 . The vial according to  claim 1 , further comprising a liquid which fills a portion of the body section.  
     
     
         20 . The vial according to  claim 19 , wherein the liquid comprises at least one material that is selected from vitamins, over-the-counter drugs, or prescription drugs.  
     
     
         21 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the body section has a volume of about 5 ml.  
     
     
         22 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the body section has a volume of about 10 ml.  
     
     
         23 . The vial according to  claim 1 , wherein the body section has a volume that is greater than the volume of the liquid that is held in the body section.  
     
     
         24 . The vial according to  claim 23 , wherein the body section has a volume that is approximately two times the volume of the liquid that is held in the body section.  
     
     
         25 . A method of making a vial for dispensing a liquid into a syringe, the method comprising: 
 extruding a polymer into a blow mold;    closing the mold;    forming a vial comprising: 
 a body section for holding the liquid, the body section having a top and a bottom;  
 a port having a removable seal, where the port is adapted for a syringe connection and where the port is interconnected with the body section at a point near the top of the body section by;  
 a passageway which for at least a portion of its length extends above the level of the liquid in the body section when the vial is inverted, thereby preventing leakage of the liquid from the body section when the seal of the port is removed;  
   adding the liquid to the vial;    sealing the vial; and    removing the sealed vial from the mold.    
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the step of forming a vial further comprises forming a vent having a removable seal, where the vent is interconnected with the body section at a point on the body section that is above the level of the liquid when the vial is inverted.  
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the vent is located at a level that is below the level of the liquid in the body section when the vial is inverted.  
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the vent is sufficiently small that leakage of the liquid from the vent is prevented when the seal of the vent is removed.  
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the port having a removable seal and the vent having a removable seal each have a breakable seal comprising a frangible web.  
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 29 , wherein the breakable seal of the port and the breakable seal of the vent are connected to a tab that provides an enlarged gripping surface for manually breaking the seals.  
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 30 , wherein the vial, breakable seals and the tab are unitary.  
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the polymer comprises a material that is selected from at least one of polyethylene, polypropylene, ethyl vinyl alcohol copolymer, cyclic olefin copolymer, cyclic olefin polymer, liquid crystal polymer, polyethylene terephthalate, anhydride modified polyolefin, polycarbonate, polyacrylic, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, a fluoropolymer, a thermoplastic polyester, nylon, or a mixture thereof.  
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the polymer comprises a material that is selected from at least one of low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, oriented polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate copolymer, anhydride modified ethylene vinyl acetate, anhydride modified low density polyethylene, anhydride modified linear low density polyethylene, polybutylene terephthalate, crystalline nylon, amorphous nylon, MXD6, or mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the polymer comprises a material that is selected from at least one of low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, or polypropylene.  
     
     
         35 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the polymer has a melt index between about 0.1 to about 200 g/10 min.  
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the polymer is extruded into the blow mold in the form of a parison which is optionally formed from a single polymer, a blend of two or more polymers, or a multilayer structure comprising two or more layers of the same or different polymers.  
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the step of closing the mold forms breakable seals that cover the vent and the port, wherein the seals are optionally attached to an integral tab.  
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the temperature of the polymer entering the blow mold is between about 100° C. and about 500° C.  
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the liquid is added to the vial at a temperature of from about 10° C. to about 50° C.