Disposable cartridge for mixing exothermic or endothermic reaction substances, and relative cartridge-support assembly

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a disposable cartridge for mixing exothermic or endothermic reaction substances, and to an assembly of such a cartridge and a support for heating or cooling.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Substances are known which, when mixed, produce an exothermic reaction generating heat, or an endothermic reaction absorbing heat from, i.e. cooling, the outside environment. Mixing normally consists of dissolving or solvation of a solute in a liquid solvent, and, since the solute is normally in the form of solid granules, must be assisted, e.g. by shaking the solvent-solute mixture, at the time of use, to speed up complete dissolution and reaction of the substances.

[0005] Various types of containers or cartridges are known which have two or more compartments containing different substances to be mixed at the time of use—typically for use as separate systems—and which are small enough to be shaken by hand. When the container is to be connected to a support for heating or cooling, however, very often the system as a whole cannot be shaken by hand when mixing the substances. In some known cases, the substances are placed inside a reusable container. In other known cases, involving disposable containers, the substances must still be mixed at the time of use inside the container detached from the support, by shaking the container, which must then be connected to the support while the exothermic or endothermic reaction is already taking place.

[0006] Known systems therefore have various drawbacks. In particular, connecting the container to the support while the reaction is in progress greatly impairs efficient use of the energy generated. Moreover, connecting and disconnecting the container to and from the support is a skilled, and therefore fairly high-cost, operation, in which the operator may come into contact with very hot surfaces. Finally, systems involving reusable containers call for washing and replacing the container, which is unfeasible for other than high-cost applications.

[0007] A disposable container, of the type used for medical infusions, is known comprising two compartments made of flexible plastic material and separated by a preferential break region, which is broken at the time of use by pressing on the wall of one of the compartments; and the container can then be shaken by hand to assist mixing of the two substances. This type of container, however, is unsuitable for heat exchange with a support.

[0008] In another known embodiment for food applications, the container for heating/cooling is incorporated in the heating/cooling system. The assembly as a whole, however, is of limited size and cannot be interfaced with external systems.

[0009] It is an object of the invention to provide a disposable cartridge for mixing normally separate exothermic or endothermic reaction substances, and which is cheap and highly reliable. It is a further object of the invention to provide a cartridge for mixing substances with no need for manual shaking, and which can therefore also be used even when fitted to a substantially fixed system.

[0010] According to the present invention, there is provided a disposable cartridge for mixing exothermic or endothermic reaction substances, and which comprises two compartments having substantially rigid walls and normally containing two separate substances of the mixture; characterized in that said compartments are separated by a preferential break member; one of said compartments having means which can be operated to break said member and mix said substances; and said means also generating flow of the mixture to accelerate its reaction without shaking the cartridge.

[0011] According to the present invention, there is also provided an assembly of said cartridge and a support for heating or cooling, wherein the support is substantially fixed; said cartridge being connected to said support prior to operation of said means.

[0015] With reference to FIG. 1, number 5 indicates as a whole a disposable cartridge for mixing substances to produce an exothermic or endothermic reaction salvation. Cartridge 5 comprises a tapered body 6 having a given straight axis A; and body 6 comprises two compartments 7 and 8 having substantially rigid walls and containing two different, normally separate substances.

[0016] More specifically, the exothermic or endothermic reaction is produced by dissolving a normally granular solute 9, normally contained in compartment 7, with a liquid solvent 10 normally contained in compartment 8. Solute 9 may be anhydrous calcium chloride (CaCl₂) for an exothermic reaction, and hydrous sodium thiosulphate (Na₂S₂O₃) for an endothermic reaction. Solvent 10 is normally water or, in the case of an exothermic reaction, an antifreeze mixture of water and ethylene glycol or ethyl alcohol.

[0017] More specifically, compartment 8 of solvent 10 comprises a substantially cylindrical first portion 11 having a lateral wall 12 coaxial with axis A. A second portion 13 of compartment 8 has a lateral wall 14 also coaxial with axis A, smaller in diameter than lateral wall 12, and extending axially along almost the whole length of cartridge 5. Portion 13 is housed inside compartment 7, which has a lateral wall 15 also coaxial with axis A, so that compartment 7 has a substantially annular section, and walls 12 and 15 define the outer lateral walls of cartridge 5.

[0018] More specifically, one end 16 of first portion 11 of compartment 8 communicates with a first end 17 of second portion 13; the relative lateral walls 12 and 14 are connected by a flat annular wall 18; and another end 19 of portion 13 is closed by a preferential break member defined by a very thin, breakable end wall 20, preferably of a maximum thickness of 0.1 mm.

[0019] Compartment 7 of solute 9 has an end wall 21 located a small distance from wall 20 and having a fitting 22 closed, for example, by a plug 23. Alternatively, wall 21 may have no fitting 22, and wall 15 may be fitted to the rest of the cartridge once filled with solute 9.

[0020] Compartments 7 and 8 are preferably made of low-cost plastic material, e.g. low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is fitted to end 19 in any manner. Thin wall 20 of compartment 8 may also be made of the same material and formed, for example, in one piece or integrally with compartment 8.

[0021] Alternatively, thin wall 20 may be made separately of medium-density polyethylene (PE) or ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), or may be made of a thin sheet of metal, e.g. aluminium. If cartridge 5 has a fitting 22, thin wall 20 is inserted inside cartridge 5 through fitting 22 and soldered to end 19 of portion 13 in any known manner. In any case, thin wall 20 may have a groove (not shown) to assist breakage.

[0022] Cartridge 5 also comprises means that can be operated to break the preferential break member to mix the two substances, and to generate flow of the mixture to dissolve it faster and so accelerate its reaction without shaking cartridge 5. Such means is to be understood broadly to include any pressurizing source that can be actuated to increase or decrease pressure within an interior. Said means can be, for example, a thumb actuated pump or a bellows, indicated as a whole by 24, which increases pressure inside compartment 8. More specifically, one example is a bellows 24 comprises an undulated lateral wall 26 made of elastic material of such a thickness as to enable it to be compressed and extended. Undulated wall 26 is fixed in any known manner to a flange 27 at the opposite end to end 16 of portion 11 of compartment 8, so that bellows 24 is also coaxial with axis A.

[0023] Bellows 24 also comprises a substantially flat, top cover wall 28 preferably made of the same material as undulated wall 26. Cover wall 28 is of such a thickness as to be substantially rigid, and has an opening in which is fixed in any known manner an intake valve 29 for filling bellows 24 with air, but preventing air from escaping. Finally, a conduit 31 is formed inside lateral wall 12 of portion 11 of compartment 8 to connect compartment 7 to the outside and release any surplus air pumped in by bellows 24.

[0024] Cartridge 5 is inserted removably inside a seat defined by a cavity 32 (FIG. 2) of a support 33 to be heated or cooled in given conditions. To ensure correct insertion of cartridge 5, lateral wall 12 of portion 11 of compartment 8 has a shoulder 34 defining the axial position of cartridge 5 inside cavity 32. Wall 15 of compartment 7 may also have a groove for exhausting any air from cavity 32 when mounting cartridge 5.

[0025] Assuming support 33 cannot, or for any reason is not to, be shaken to produce the exothermic or endothermic reaction, e.g. assuming support 33 is defined by a fixed hydraulic circuit container forming part of a complex apparatus, cavity 32 in this case is defined by a wall 36 of support 33. If the liquid in support 33 is subject to occasional changes in state in particular operating or stasis conditions, temporary heating or cooling may be required to restore operation.

[0026] Substances 9 and 10 are inserted into cartridge 5 as follows. First, the required amount of solute 9 is inserted inside compartment 7 through fitting 22, which is then either closed using plug 23 or heat sealed. If compartment 7 has no fitting 22, compartments 7 and 8 are prepared separately. Compartment 7 is first filled with solute 9, and wall 15 is then fitted, e.g. hot fitted, to compartment 8.

[0027] Finally, solvent 10 is inserted into compartment 8 in any known manner, e.g. via intake valve 29.

[0028] To heat or cool support 33, after inserting exothermic or endothermic cartridge 5 inside cavity 32, wall 28 of bellows 24 is acted on repeatedly, e.g. pressed with a finger, so that, when a given air pressure is reached inside compartment 8, thin wall 20 breaks, and solvent 10 flows partly into compartment 7 and into contact with the granules of solute 9.

[0029] Continuing the action on wall 28 of bellows 24, the air pumped by the bellows into compartment 8 produces flow in the solution and mixture, which is also transmitted to compartment 7, thus assisting dissolution of solute 9 in solvent 10, i.e. accelerating the solvation reaction. The generation or subtraction of heat produced by the reaction is thus accelerated with no need to shake cartridge 5, which, after use, can be removed from cavity 32 and replaced with a new cartridge ready to restore operation of support 33 when necessary.

[0030] The advantages, as compared with known systems, of the cartridge according to the invention will be clear from the foregoing description. In particular, one or more substances in the mixture need no longer be poured each time into a mixer; the mixture need not be shaken manually, either before or after fitting cartridge 5 to support 33; and none of the heat produced or subtracted by cartridge 5 during the reaction is lost.

[0031] Clearly, changes may be made to the cartridge as described herein without, however, departing from the scope of the accompanying Claims. For example, intake valve 29 may be located in lateral wall 12 of portion 11, and/or conduit 31 may be formed in lateral wall 15 of compartment 7; thin wall 20 may be designed to open peripherally or so that a limited portion of its area opens; and thin wall 20 may be defined by a limited portion of lateral wall 14 of portion 13 of compartment 8.

[0032] All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.

[0033] From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.