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EP-4734813-A1 - CONTAINER FOR A LIQUID

EP4734813A1EP 4734813 A1EP4734813 A1EP 4734813A1EP-4734813-A1

Abstract

A container for a liquid comprises a receptable having an internal volume for holding a liquid; a neck assembly secured to the receptacle, the neck assembly including an inlet passageway providing access to the internal volume of the receptacle and a sealing element disposed in the inlet passageway; and a cap assembly engaged with the neck assembly and having an opening aligned with the inlet passageway. The cap assembly is moveable with respect to the neck assembly from an initial position into a sealing position in which a part of the cap assembly applies a force to the sealing element to restrict or prevent access through the inlet passageway to the internal volume of the receptacle.

Inventors

  • RAMSEY, PETER

Assignees

  • Meditech Endoscopy Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240628

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A container for a liquid comprising: a receptable having an internal volume for holding a liquid; a neck assembly secured to the receptacle, the neck assembly including an inlet passageway providing access to the internal volume of the receptacle and a sealing element disposed in the inlet passageway; and a cap assembly engaged with the neck assembly and having an opening aligned with the inlet passageway, the cap assembly being moveable with respect to the neck assembly from an initial position into a sealing position in which a part of the cap assembly applies a force to the sealing element to restrict or prevent access through the inlet passageway to the internal volume of the receptacle.
  2. 2. The container of Claim 1 , further comprising a latch mechanism arranged to retain the cap assembly in the sealing position.
  3. 3. The container of Claim 2, in which the cap assembly comprises a first ratchet tooth and the neck assembly comprises a second ratchet tooth for engagement with the first ratchet tooth.
  4. 4. The container of Claim 1 , in which the neck assembly and the cap assembly comprise complementary screw threads to engage the cap assembly with the neck assembly.
  5. 5. The container of any preceding claim, in which the cap assembly is moveable relative to the neck assembly in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the inlet passageway.
  6. 6. The container of any preceding claim, in which the sealing element is annular, and wherein when the cap assembly is in the sealing position a diameter of a bore of the annular sealing element is less than when the cap assembly is in the initial position.
  7. 7. The container of Claim 6, in which an axis of the bore of the sealing element is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the inlet passageway, and in the sealing position the cap assembly applies a force to an end of the sealing element in a direction parallel to the bore.
  8. 8. The container of any preceding claim, in which the sealing element is made of an elastomeric material.
  9. 9. The container of any preceding claim, in which the cap assembly comprises a removeable cover sealing the opening.
  10. 10. The container of any preceding claim, in which the cap assembly comprises a main body including the opening and an activation element removably attached to the main body, the activation element arranged to prevent movement of the main body from the initial position to the sealing position.
  11. 11. The container of any preceding claim, in which the receptacle comprises a flexible pouch.
  12. 12. The container of any preceding claim, in which the neck assembly comprises a reservoir for holding a volume of liquid, the reservoir being disposed between the sealing element and the receptacle.
  13. 13. The container of any preceding claim, further comprising a chamber including a rigid side wall defining a cavity, the chamber being disposed between the sealing element and the receptacle, and in which the receptacle is in the form of a flexible pouch.
  14. 14. The container of Claim 11 , in which the flexible pouch is elongate and includes a liquid-tight seal, a proximal portion of the pouch being defined between the seal and the neck assembly and a distal portion of the pouch being defined between the seal and a closed end of the pouch furthest from the neck assembly.
  15. 15. An assembly comprising a container according to any one of Claims 1 to 14 and a volume of liquid in the internal volume of the receptacle.
  16. 16. The assembly of Claim 15, in which the container is according to Claim 12, and in which the reservoir contains a volume of liquid.
  17. 17. The assembly of Claim 15, in which the container is according to Claim 14, and in which a first volume of a first liquid is held in the distal portion of the pouch and a second volume of a second liquid is held in the proximal portion of the pouch.
  18. 18. The assembly of Claim 15, further comprising a part of an object extending through the inlet passageway, a tip of the object being immersed in the liquid in the internal volume of the receptacle.
  19. 19. The assembly of Claim 16, further comprising a part of an object extending through the inlet passageway, a tip of the object being immersed in the liquid in the reservoir.
  20. 20. The assembly of Claim 18 or Claim 19, in which the object is an endoscope.

Description

Container for a Liquid FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a container for a liquid. The present invention relates, in particular, to a container for a liquid including a cap that may be easily sealed. The container of the present invention may be used as a cleaning apparatus for flushing and cleaning internal channels of an item of equipment such as an endoscope or similar instrument. This invention also relates to a method of using a container according to the invention to immerse and retain a part of an object (such as the tip of an endoscope) in a volume of liquid. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Figure 1 illustrates an air/water system of an endoscope 902. A first component of such an endoscope air/water system is an air pump 904 in a light source 906. The air flows into the endoscope 902 through a light guide connector 908 of the endoscope 902. The air travels through a very small diameter channel 910 in the endoscope 902 and flows out of an air/water valve 912. The air/water system is controlled from a control section 918 of the endoscope 902. During use of the endoscope 902, in order to insufflate an organ to be examined, the air/water valve 912 is gently covered thereby preventing air exiting through the air/water valve 912 and instead diverting air down the insertion tube 920 and out of a distal tip 922 of the endoscope 902. Another component of the air/water system is a water bottle. The water bottle is attached to air and water ports 914, 916 of the endoscope 902. During use, the air/water valve 912 may be depressed so that air entering the endoscope 902 is diverted through the air port 914 of the endoscope 902 and into the water bottle causing the bottle to be pressurized. This pressure then forces water from the bottle, through the water port 916, and into another small diameter channel 924 in the endoscope. The water travels along the channel 924 and may be used to flush or clear the view at the distal tip 922 of the endoscope 902. The air/water channel is therefore actually formed by the two separate small diameter channels 910, 924 that combine into a single channel only proximate the distal tip 922 of the endoscope 902. Furthermore, a small metal nozzle is generally disposed at the tip 922 of the endoscope 902 to deflect air or water from the air/water channel 910, 924 across the image lens of the endoscope 902. The presence of this metal nozzle means that it is not possible to brush the air/water channel 910, 924. This, together with the small diameter of the air/water channel 910, 924, as well as other factors, makes it difficult to clean and decontaminate the air/water channel 910, 924. The air/water nozzle is the area of greatest failure in the channel system of endoscopes as the air/water nozzle is the point of smallest internal diameter of the air/water channel system, which means that it can easily become blocked or obstructed by debris. Furthermore, during an endoscopic procedure, air infused into the organ being examined can force debris to back up into the nozzle and into the air/water channels 910, 924. This debris can travel some distance back into the channels. The endoscope also includes a suction/biopsy channel 926 that extends to the tip 922 of the endoscope 902. It will be appreciated that it is very important to thoroughly clean and sterilise this suction/biopsy channel 926 to prevent cross-contamination. Accordingly, after use of an endoscope, the endoscope must be cleaned and sterilised. Cleaning refers to the removal of visible debris, which may include both inorganic and organic substances. Cleaning usually involves a mechanical process, together with water and detergent. Following cleaning, sterilisation of the endoscope destroys microorganisms present on or in the endoscope. Sterilisation processes usually involve steam or a chemical sterilant. Following sterilisation, the endoscope undergoes high-level disinfection. It is currently recommended that a preliminary cleaning routine should be undertaken immediately after use and before the endoscope is detached from the light source/video processor. Current pre-clean practice is to flush air and water through both the air/water channel and the suction/biopsy channel. It has been found, however, that routine precleaning procedures for endoscopes do not remove biofilm reliably from endoscope channels. This leads to failures in the subsequent decontamination processes. It is also recommended that the air and water channels, suction/biopsy channel, and any auxiliary channel, are also irrigated with detergent, not only to check for blockages but also to expel any blood, mucus and other debris. PCT/GB2023/050913 describes a cleaning apparatus 950, illustrated in Figure 2, comprising a bag or container 952 for holding a volume of a liquid 954, which is preferably a detergent solution. In use, a tip 956 of an endoscope may be inserted into the internal volume of the bag 952 and the liquid 954 is drawn up th