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(11) | EP 4 487 955 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | CHEMICAL LIQUID CONTAINER |
| (57) The invention refers to a chemical liquid container (10) with a container body (20)
having a top opening (22), with a container closure arrangement (30) covering the
top opening (22) of the container body (20), and with a suction hose (60) extending
through the container closure arrangement (30), so that a suction opening (64) of
the suction hose (60) is within the container body (20), wherein the container closure arrangement (30) is provided with a separate closure cap (40) being detachably fixed to an opening neck (24) of the container body top opening (22) and being provided with a wiping ring (42) defining a wiping ring opening (44), wherein the suction hose (60) extends through the wiping ring opening (44) and is in circumferential contact with and is axially slidable with respect to the wiping ring (42), wherein a separate handling element (50) is permanently fixed to a container-external fixation portion (62) of the suction hose (60), and wherein the handling element (50) is provided with a lateral gripping surface (52). Before the closure cap (40) is detached from the container body (20), the suction hose (60) can be pulled so that only a short portion of the suction hose (60) remains wet. |
[0001] The invention refers to a chemical liquid container which is preferably used in a process analyzer or in a laboratory analyzer and contains, for example, a reagent liquid or a cleaning liquid which is pumped from the chemical liquid container through a suction hose extending through the top opening of the container body to a pumping target, for example to a mixing chamber.
[0002] When the chemical liquid in the container is exhausted, the chemical liquid container needs to be replaced or needs to be refilled. The top opening of the container body is provided with a container closure arrangement to avoid spilling and evaporation of the chemical liquid. The container closure arrangement holds the suction hose which extends within the container body from the closure arrangement to the container bottom wall.
[0003] For replacing or for refilling the chemical liquid container, the container closure arrangement holding the suction hose is taken off the container body so that the relatively long distal suction hose section hanging downwardly at the container closure arrangement finally leaves the container body. The distal suction hose section potentially still has drops and droplets of the chemical liquid at its outside surface, so that there is a general risk that a service person could be spilled or simply could touch the wet distal suction hose section, and could thereby be harmed.
[0004] It is an object of the invention to provide a chemical liquid container comprising a container closure arrangement and a suction hose with improved handling safety.
[0006] The chemical liquid container according to the invention is preferably provided for a process analyzer or a laboratory analyzer, which is preferably suitable for the quantitative analysis of a water parameter. The chemical liquid container is provided for storing a process liquid, for example a reagent liquid or a cleaning liquid. The chemical liquid can be, more or less, hazardous for a human person.
[0007] The chemistry liquid container is provided with a container body having a top opening which is closed by a container closure arrangement covering the container body top opening. A continuous suction hose is provided extending through the container closure arrangement so that a suction opening at the distal end of the suction hose is within the container body.
[0008] The container closure arrangement is provided with a separate closure cap being detachably fixed to an opening neck surrounding the container body top opening. The closure cap is provided with a wiping ring defining a wiping ring opening, whereas the suction hose extends through the wiping ring opening and is in circumferential sliding contact with the wiping ring inner surface. The suction hose is axially slidable with respect to the wiping ring. The wiping ring is not necessarily a circular ring, but is adapted to the cross-sectional outside profile of the suction hose.
[0009] The container closure arrangement also comprises a separate handling element being permanently fixed to a container-external fixation portion of the suction hose, whereas the handling element is provided with a gripping surface which allows to easily grip and hold the handling element. The handling element is designed to allow to manually hold the corresponding portion of the suction hose and to axially pull as well as to axially push the suction hose with respect to the closure cap.
[0010] When the chemical liquid in the chemical liquid container is exhausted, a service person manually grips the handling element and pulls the suction hose in distal direction out of the container body so that the wiping arrangement wipes off drops and droplets of the chemical liquid which can adhere at the outside surface of the suction hose. The liquid which is wiped off from the suction hose by the wiping ring is accumulated and finally drops downwardly and thereby remains within the container body. The pulled-out section of the suction hose is dry and the non-pulled-out and wet section of the suction hose which remains proximally of the closure cap is relatively short, can not swing anymore and does therefore not spill remaining droplets of the chemical liquid anymore.
[0011] The closure cap can be detachably fixed to the opening neck of the container body, for example, by a threat coupling or by a bayonet coupling. Finally, the closure cap can be detached from the container body and can be taken off from the container body so that the container body can be exchanged by a new liquid-filled container body or can be refilled itself on site.
[0014] Preferably, the fixation portion of the suction hose to which the handling element is fixed, is distant from the suction opening of the suction hose with a distance of at least 70% of the interior container hight between a container bottom wall and the wiping ring, more preferably, the distance is substantially equal to the interior container hight. In the operational state, the suction opening of the suction hose is at the level of the container bottom wall so that the complete chemical liquid volume can potentially be sucked out of the chemical liquid container.
[0015] Preferably, a stop element is permanently fixed to an end portion of the suction hose which end portion defines the suction opening. The stop element can be a thickening portion of the hose body of the suction hose or can be a separate element permanently fixed to the suction hose, for example by gluing or clamping. The stop element defines a stop position of the suction hose relative to the closure cap and avoids that the suction hose is completely pulled out through the closure cap.
[0016] Preferably, the separate handling element is pot-like in shape and has a circumferential gripping body defining the lateral gripping surface. The circumferential gripping body can be cylindrical, convex, concave or slightly conical in shape.
[0017] Preferably, the pot-like handling element completely surrounds the closure cap in the operational state and position so that the closure cap is not manually accessible in the operational state of the container closure arrangement.
[0018] Preferably, the separate handling element is provided detachably clampable at the closure cap. More preferably, the separate handling element this clampable in axial direction, only, at the closure cap, but is rotatable with respect to the closure cap. If a service person tries to detach the container closure arrangement from the container body, the rotation of the handling element indicates to the service person that the handling element needs to be axially detached so that the suction hose is pulled before the closure cap is manually accessible to be detached from the container body. As a consequence, the handling safety is substantially improved.
[0019] Preferably, the separate handling element is defined by a transparent handling element body. The pot-shaped handling element body can completely cover the closure cap. Since the handling element is transparent and preferably is colourless, the colour of the separate closure cap is visible from the outside for a service person even in the operational state of the container closure arrangement. The colour of the closure cap can be used to indicate the type of chemical liquid in the chemical liquid container.
[0021] One embodiment of the invention is described with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein
figure 1 shows schematically a process water analyzer arrangement with a chemical liquid container in a vertical section comprising a complex container closure arrangement in an operational state,
figure 2 shows the enlarged container closure arrangement of figure 1, and
figure 3 shows the chemical liquid container of figure 2 in a service state.
[0022] Figure 1 schematically shows a process analyzer arrangement 100 for water analysis, with an optical analyzer unit 102, a water sample source 104, a waste tank 110, a sample pump 106, a reagent pump 108 and a chemical liquid container 10. The chemical liquid container 10 is filled with a chemical liquid 11, which is, in the present embodiment, a reagent liquid which can be hazardous for a human person. The volume of the liquid container 10 is, for example, 2.0 I.
[0023] The chemical liquid container 10 is easily accessible from the outside of the analyzer arrangement 100 for a service person to substitute the chemical liquid container 10 or to refill the chemical liquid container 10, when the chemical liquid 11 is exhausted. The chemical liquid container 10 comprises a transparent plastic container body 20 having a top opening 22 defined by a cylindrical opening neck 24 and comprises a container closure arrangement 30 at the container top opening 22. The container closure arrangement 30 fluidically substantially closes the container top opening 22. The container body 20 defines a substantially horizontal container bottom wall 21, a substantially cylindrical container sidewall 23 and the opening neck 24.
[0024] The container closure arrangement 30 comprises a closure cap 40 and a separate and pot-shaped handling element 50 completely covering the closure cap 40 in the operational state of the container closure arrangement 30 which is shown in figures 1 and 2. Figure 3 shows the container closure arrangement 30, and in particular the handling element 50, in a service state in which the handling element 50 is detached and is axially distant from the closure cap 40.
[0025] The plastic and opaque closure cap 40 is provided with an elastic wiping ring 42 defining a circular wiping ring opening 44. A relatively stiff suction hose 60 made of a suitable plastic extends through the wiping ring opening 44 and is always in circumferential contact with the radially inner surface of the wiping ring 42. The annular-shaped suction hose 60 has an outer diameter of about 3.2 mm. The suction hose 60 is easily axially slidable with respect to the wiping ring 42. The suction hose 60 always remains fluidically connected to the reagent pump 108 and is only changed in regular service intervals.
[0026] At the outside of the cylindrical container opening neck 24 an outside threat structure 25 is provided which corresponds with an inside threat structure 45 of the substantially cylindrical outside wall of the closure cap 40. The closure cap 40 is substantially M-shaped seen in a vertical cross section.
[0027] The separate handling element 50 is substantially pot-shaped and is, with its pot bottom wall, permanently fixed to a container-external fixation portion 62 of the suction hose 60 by a clamping means 80. Alternatively, the handling element 50 can be permanently fixed to the fixation portion 62 of the suction hose 60 by gluing.
[0028] The clamping means 80 comprises a separate clamping muffle 82 which is screwed with its outer threat 84 into an inner corresponding inner threat 86 of the handling element 50, so that the inner clamping surface 88 of the clamping muffle 82 is pressed against the outside clamping surface of the fixation portion 62 of the suction hose 60.
[0029] The pot-shaped handling element 50 is provided with a slightly conical circumferential gripping body 55 defining a lateral gripping surface 52 which allows to easily grip and hold the handling element 50, and to pull or push the suction hose 60 in distal or proximal axial direction through the wiping ring opening 44. The pot-shaped handling element 50 completely surrounds the closure cap 40 in the operational state so that the closure cap 40 is not manually accessible in the operational state of the container closure arrangement 30.
[0030] The separate handling element 50 is defined by a transparent and colourless handling element body 50' so that the colour of the closure cap 40 is always visible from the outside even in the operational state of the container closure arrangement 30. The colour of the closure cap 40 is an indication for the type of chemical liquid in the chemical liquid container 10, and indicates, for example, the reagent liquid with the colour blue.
[0031] The fixation portion 62 of the suction hose 60 is distant from a suction opening 64 of the suction hose 60 with a distance d which is slightly longer than the interior container hight h between the container bottom wall 21 and the wiping ring 42. In the operational state, the suction opening 64 of the suction hose 60 is at the level of the container bottom wall 21 so that potentially the complete chemical liquid volume can be sucked out of the chemical liquid container body 20.
[0032] A stop element 66 is permanently fixed to the distal end portion 63 of the suction hose 60. The stop element 66 is, in the present embodiment, a separate clamping means which is permanently clamped to the suction hose end portion 63. The stop element 66 defines a stop position of the suction hose 60 relative to the closure cap 40 and avoids that the suction hose 60 is completely pulled out through the closure cap 40.
[0033] The handling element 50 is provided with several axial/radial inner clamping ribs 57 and is axially detachably clamped at the closure cap 40. However, the handling element 50 is in the operational state easily rotatable with respect to the closure cap 40. If a service person rotates the handling element 50, the closure cap 40 is not co-rotated. For unscrewing the closure cap, the handling element 50 needs to be pulled up so that the suction hose 60 is pulled up as well.
[0035] When the chemical liquid 11 in the chemical liquid container 10 is exhausted, a service person manually grips the handling element 50 and pulls the suction hose 60 in distal direction so that the wiping ring 42 wipes off drops and droplets of the chemical liquid which can adhere at the outside surface of the suction hose 60. The liquid which is wiped off from the suction hose 60 by the wiping ring 42 is accumulated and finally drops downwardly and thereby remains in the within the container body 20. The pulled-out section of the suction hose 60 is dry and the non-pulled-out, whereasthe wet section of the suction hose 60 is relatively short and remains proximally of the closure cap 40, can not swing anymore and does therefore not spill remaining droplets of the chemical liquid. Finally, the closure cap 40 is detached by being screwed off from the container body 20 so that the container body 20 can be exchanged by a new liquid-filled container body 20 or can be refilled itself.
1. Chemical liquid container (10) with a container body (20) having a top opening (22),
with a container closure arrangement (30) covering the top opening (22) of the container
body (20), and with a suction hose (60) extending through the container closure arrangement
(30), so that a suction opening (64) of the suction hose (60) is within the container
body (20),
wherein the container closure arrangement (30) is provided with a separate closure cap (40) being detachably fixed to an opening neck (24) of the container body top opening (22) and being provided with a wiping ring (42) defining a wiping ring opening (44),
wherein the suction hose (60) extends through the wiping ring opening (44) and is in circumferential contact with and is axially slidable with respect to the wiping ring (42),
wherein a separate handling element (50) is permanently fixed to a container-external fixation portion (62) of the suction hose (60), and wherein the handling element (50) is provided with a gripping surface (52).
2. The chemical liquid container (10) of claim 1, whereas the fixation portion (62) of
the suction hose (60) is distant from the suction opening (64) of the suction hose
(60) with a distance (d) of at least 70%, preferably of more than 100%, of the interior
container hight (h) between a container bottom wall (21) and the wiping ring (42).
3. The chemical liquid container (10) of one of the preceding claims, whereas a stop
element (66) is permanently fixed to a suction hose end portion (63) defining the
suction opening (64).
4. The chemical liquid container (10) of one of the preceding claims, whereas the separate
handling element (50) is pot-like in shape defining a circumferential gripping body
(55) defining the lateral gripping surface (52).
5. The chemical liquid container (10) of one of the preceding claims, whereas the separate
handling element (50) is provided detachably clampable at the closure cap (40).
6. The chemical liquid container (10) of claim 5, whereas the separate handling element
(50) is clampable in axial direction, only, at the closure cap (40).
7. The chemical liquid container (10) of one of the preceding claims 4 to 6, whereas
the separate handling element (50) is defined by a transparent handling element body
(50').
8. The chemical liquid container (10) of one of the preceding claims, wherein the closure
cap (40) is provided with a separate venting opening (48).