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EP-3653526-B1 - HOLDING STRUCTURE WITH A PLURALITY OF CONTAINERS HELD THEREON FOR SUBSTANCES FOR PHARMACEUTICAL, MEDICAL OR COSMETIC APPLICATIONS, AND TRANSPORT OR PACKAGING CONTAINER HAVING SAME

EP3653526B1EP 3653526 B1EP3653526 B1EP 3653526B1EP-3653526-B1

Inventors

  • KOMANN, CHRISTIAN
  • KLOKE, ARNE
  • Busimi, Anil-Kumar

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20191112

Claims (15)

  1. Holding structure with a plurality of containers (60) held thereon for substances for pharmaceutical, medical or cosmetic applications, wherein the containers have a basic body (62) which, at an upper end, merges into a shoulder portion (64) which is adjoined by a narrowed neck portion (65) with a widened upper edge (66) with an opening (67), and the holding structure has a plurality of receptacles (5) which are arranged in a regular arrangement and are formed by peripherally formed side walls (10), wherein the containers are received in the receptacles, and holding projections (22) for holding the containers in the receptacles are provided at the lower ends of the receptacles (5), which holding projections (22) at the lower ends protrude radially inwards into the receptacles, wherein centring elements (15) for centring the containers in the receptacles are provided above the holding projections (22), wherein the centring elements have a bevelled configuration and protrude into the receptacles in order to reduce a width of the receptacles at the lower ends thereof in a funnel shape, characterized in that the containers (60) are supported directly on the holding projections (22), without the basic body (62) being clamped on the centring elements (15) provided above these, wherein the centring elements (15) are formed peripherally.
  2. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to Claim 1, wherein a maximum width (w1) of the receptacles (5) is slightly greater than a maximum breadth or a maximum external diameter of the containers, and the centring elements (15) define a minimum width (w2) which is slightly greater than a maximum breadth or a maximum external diameter of the containers.
  3. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to Claim 2, wherein the minimum width (w2) is at least 2% greater than the maximum breadth or the maximum external diameter of the containers, more preferably at least 4% greater than the maximum breadth or the maximum external diameter of the containers, and still more preferably at least 6% greater than the maximum breadth or the maximum external diameter of the containers.
  4. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to Claim 3, wherein the centring elements (15) are formed integrally with the holding projections (22).
  5. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to one of the preceding claims, wherein guide ribs (18) are formed on the side walls (10) and extend in the longitudinal direction of the receptacles (5), wherein the guide ribs (18) protrude inwards into the receptacles (5) in a direction towards a geometric centre of the respective receptacle.
  6. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to Claim 5, wherein insertion bevels (19) are formed at the upper ends of the guide ribs and are inclined relative to the guide ribs (18).
  7. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to Claim 6, wherein the centring elements (15) directly adjoin the guide ribs (18).
  8. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an opening (23) is provided between the holding projections (22), the width (w3) of which opening (23) is smaller than the width (w2) defined by the centring elements (15).
  9. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to Claim 8, wherein the containers are configured as carpoules (60) or vials with a cylindrical basic body (62) and are received upside down in the receptacles (5), wherein the shoulder portions (64) of the carpoules (60) or vials are supported directly on the holding projections (22), such that the upper ends of the carpoules (60) or vials extend through the openings (23).
  10. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the containers are configured as vials with a cylindrical basic body (62) and are supported upright on the holding projections (22).
  11. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an annular gap is formed between a cylindrical side wall (62) of a container and a side wall (10) of a respective receptacle, wherein, as viewed in a plan view, the receptacles, starting from an imaginary point-symmetrical or mirror-symmetrical basic shape, are compressed in a first direction (53) and expanded in a second direction transverse to the first direction (53), with the result that the gap in at least one region of the receptacles is widened to form a widened clearance (56), for handling containers (60) which are received in the receptacles (5), and with the result that a width of the receptacles (5) in the first direction (53) is smaller than the width of the receptacles in the second direction transverse to the first direction (53).
  12. Holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon according to one of the preceding claims, furthermore comprising a plate-shaped carrier (2) which forms an upper side of the holding structure (1), wherein the side walls (10, 51, 52) and receptacles (5) protrude perpendicularly from the plate-shaped carrier (2).
  13. Transport or packaging container with a plurality of containers (60, 61) received therein for substances for pharmaceutical, medical or cosmetic applications, wherein the transport or packaging container (90) is of a box-shaped configuration, characterized by the holding structure (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 12 which has the plurality of containers held thereon and which is received in the box-shaped transport or packaging container in order to hold the plurality of containers in the transport or packaging container.
  14. Transport or packaging container according to Claim 13, which is closed or sealed by means of a gas-permeable plastic film, in particular by means of a plastic film which is formed from a gas-permeable braid of plastic fibres and is in particular a Tyvek ® film.
  15. Sterile packaging structure for the sterile transport of a plurality of containers for pharmaceutical, medical or cosmetic purposes, having at least one transport or packaging container according to Claim 13 or 14 and having the containers received therein, wherein the at least one transport or packaging container is received in at least one sterile external packaging bag and is packaged in a sterile manner with respect to the environment, wherein the at least one sterile external packaging bag preferably has a gas-permeable portion which is formed in particular by a braid of plastic fibres, such as polypropylene fibres (PP), for example.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the treatment of containers for substances for pharmaceutical, medical or also cosmetic applications, and it relates in particular to a holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon for substances for pharmaceutical, medical or also cosmetic applications, for example vials, ampoules or carpoules, or of more complex assemblies having such containers. PRIOR ART Medicament containers, for example vials, ampoules or carpoules, are widely used as containers for the storage of medical, pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations for administration in liquid form, in particular in pre-dosed quantities. These medicament containers generally have a cylindrical shape, can be produced from plastics or from glass and can be obtained in a cost-effective manner in large numbers. In this respect, the containers are increasingly being delivered in holding structures in a predetermined geometric arrangement to a pharmaceuticals manufacturer or to a subsequent processing operation and are further processed while the containers are held or received in the holding structure. For this purpose, cost-effective and durable holding structures are required in which the containers are held or received in an arrangement which takes up the least possible space. The holding structures usually have guide portions which promote the insertion of the containers into receptacles of the holding structure, and positioning portions for precise positioning of the containers. At the same time, the highest possible packing density is to be made possible. CN 103359348-A discloses a holding structure in the form of a trough-shaped holding tray, having a bottom on which there are provided a plurality of vertical positioning pegs which at the same time serve as guide portions for inserting the containers into the receptacles formed by the positioning pegs. However, the containers are held with comparatively large play. The achievable packing density of the containers is relatively small. WO 2017/038878 A1 discloses a further holding structure, having a plate-shaped carrier on which there are formed a plurality of cylindrical receptacles having peripherally formed side walls. The cylindrical receptacles are arranged at a comparatively small distance from one another. German Utility Model DE 20 2016 107 209 from the applicant discloses a further holding structure of the aforementioned type in which inner receptacles of the holding structure are formed by axially extending positioning cylinders and separating webs which connect the positioning cylinders to one another. Although this arrangement allows a higher packing density of the containers, the production of the holding structure by plastic injection moulding is comparatively complicated. For a wide variety of reasons, use is generally made, according to the prior art, of holding structures in which the receptacles are formed by peripheral side walls. For holding containers having a cylindrical basic body, the receptacles here always have either a circular basic shape or the basic shape of a quadrangle, namely a square or rectangle, or of a hexagon, which entails a certain play in the receptacles and makes positioning and centring difficult. In the prior art EP 3 354 589 A1, EP 3 381 828 A1 and US 9,403,619 B2 concern further holding structures for supporting a plurality of containers for substances for medical, pharmaceutical or cosmetic applications, particularly of vials and cartridges. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to make available an improved holding structure for simultaneously holding a plurality of containers for substances for pharmaceutical, medical or cosmetic applications, which holding structure permits precise positioning and centring of the containers in the receptacles. According to further aspects of the present invention, a holding structure of this kind is to be able to be produced easily and cost-effectively and in particular is intended to permit an advantageously high degree of stiffness and a high packing density of the containers. Further aspects of the present invention relate to transport units or transport or packaging containers and to a sterile packaging structure having such a holding structure. These objects are achieved by a holding structure with containers held thereon according to Claim 1, by a transport or packaging container according to Claim 13, and by a sterile packaging structure according to Claim 15. Further advantageous embodiments form the subject matter of the dependent claims which refer back to said claims. According to the present invention, a holding structure with a plurality of containers held thereon for substances for pharmaceutical, medical or cosmetic applications is made available, wherein the containers have a basic body which, at an upper end, merges into a shoulder portion which is adjoined by a narrowed neck portion with a wide