JP7540156B2 - Moisture-proof container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a moisture-proof container.

A moisture-proof container is known that contains, in a sealed state, a rectangular sensor chip used in a portable blood glucose meter intended for diagnosing and preventing diabetes.

Patent Document 1 discloses a moisture-proof container that includes a container body having a bottom wall and an opening, a lid that seals the container opening, a cavity formed in the bottom wall of the container body, a desiccant contained in the cavity, and a partition wall (bottom) that covers the desiccant. Since the container of Patent Document 1 contains a desiccant in the cavity of the container body, the container space becomes moisture-proof by sealing the opening of the container body with the lid. This makes it possible to prevent the activity of an enzyme contained in the contained sensor chip that reacts to glucose in blood from being reduced by moisture.

Special Publication No. 2010-516571

A user who uses the sensor chip stored in the moisture-proof container of Cited Document 1 can grab the sensor chip from the moisture-proof container with his or her fingers and remove it. Specifically, the user can remove the sensor chip by moving the sensor chip so that one side is aligned with the inner circumferential surface, and then moving the other side toward the opening while aligning it with the inner circumferential surface of the container body. However, when removing the sensor chip in this manner, there is a problem that the force that tries to move the sensor chip toward the inner circumferential surface presses the sensor chip against the bottom surface of the sensor chip and the inner circumferential surface that is approximately perpendicular to the bottom surface, as shown in FIG. 7, causing the sensor chip to bend with a small radius of curvature and break.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a moisture-proof container that can prevent the sensor chip from being bent and damaged when removed.

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem is a moisture-proof container that houses a rectangular sensor chip, the moisture-proof container comprising a cylindrical container body with an opening on one end and a bottom on the other end, an inner container that is provided at the bottom of the container body and houses a desiccant, and a lid whose opening can be opened and closed, the space surrounded by the top surface of the inner container and the side wall of the container body is the storage section, the top surface of the inner container includes a curved surface that is curved so that the center is closer to the bottom of the container body than the ends, a ring-shaped flat surface is provided on the top surface of the inner container and connected to the curved surface, a protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the container body, the protrusion abuts against the flat surface to fix the inner container between the protrusion and the bottom of the container body, and the width of the flat surface is less than three times the thickness of the sensor chip.

The present invention provides a moisture-proof container that can prevent the sensor chip from being bent and damaged when removed.

1 is a plan view and a longitudinal sectional view of a moisture-proof container according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a moisture-proof container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view and a front view of an inner container of a moisture-proof container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a moisture-proof container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a moisture-proof container according to a modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of using a moisture-proof container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a moisture-proof container according to a conventional technique.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view ((a) of Fig. 1) and a longitudinal sectional view ((b) of Fig. 1) of a moisture-proof container 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the moisture-proof container 100.

The moisture-proof container 100 includes a container body 10, a lid body 20, and an inner container 40. The inner container 40 can contain a desiccant 50, and the moisture-proof container 100 sealed with the lid body 20 has a moisture-proof interior. The moisture-proof container 100 can typically contain a rectangular sensor chip 200 used in a portable blood glucose meter for diagnosing and preventing diabetes. Note that FIG. 1 shows the container body 10 in a state where it is not closed with the lid body 20 (open state), and FIG. 2 shows the container body 10 in a state where it is closed with the lid body 20 (sealed state).

(Container body)
The container body 10 includes a substantially cylindrical sidewall 13, an opening 11 located at one end side of the sidewall 13, and a bottom 12 located at the other end side. The space surrounded by the sidewall 13 of the container body 10 and a top surface 42 of an inner container 40 described later becomes a storage section 14 that stores the sensor chip 200.

As an example, the side wall 13 has a protrusion 13a that protrudes circumferentially from the inner surface to position and secure the inner container 40.

The size of the side wall 13 is preferably such that the sensor chip 200 stored therein does not fall over inside the storage section 14, so that the user can easily remove the sensor chip 200. Specifically, the inner diameter of the side wall 13 is preferably smaller than the length of the long side of the sensor chip 200. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, even if the number of stored sensor chips 200 is small, one end of the long side of each sensor chip 200 will contact the inner surface of the side wall 13 and the other end will contact the curved surface 42a of the inner container 40 without falling over onto the inner container 40 inside the storage section 14.

(Lid)
The lid body 20 is a member for opening and closing the opening 11 of the container body 10 to place the moisture-proof container 100 in an open or sealed state, and includes an approximately plate-shaped planar portion 21, a cylindrical inner ring 22 extending from one side of the planar portion 21 and capable of fitting into the inner surface of the opening 11, and a knob 23 extending from the outer edge of the planar portion 21.

The lid body 20 can close the opening 11 of the container body 10 by fitting the inner ring 22 into the inner peripheral surface of the opening 11, thereby sealing the moisture-proof container 100. The lid body 20 closing the opening 11 can be easily removed from the opening 11 using the knob 23, thereby opening the moisture-proof container 100.

In the moisture-proof container 100, the container body 10 and the lid body 20 are connected by a hinge 30, for example. The container body 10, the lid body 20, and the hinge 30 can be formed by integral molding using a resin material such as polypropylene (homopolymer, random copolymer, block copolymer). The container body 10 and the lid body 20 may be formed separately.

(Inner container)
The inner container 40 is a container for storing the desiccant 50, and is inserted into the bottom 12 of the container body 10. Fig. 3 is a plan view (Fig. 3(a)) and a front view (Fig. 3(b)) of the inner container 40. The inner container 40 includes a cylindrical portion 41, a top surface 42 covering one end of the cylindrical portion 41, and a dust-proof, permeable sheet 43 covering the other end. Note that Fig. 3(b) shows a partially see-through cross section for convenience.

The cylindrical portion 41 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the side wall 13 of the container body 10 so that it can be inserted into the container body 10. As an example, the cylindrical portion 41 includes 15 ribs 41a formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction and extending from one end side to the other end side along the extension direction of the central axis of the cylindrical portion 41, and recesses 41b formed in the circumferential direction on the surface of the ribs 41a. The recesses 41b are formed to a size that allows the protrusion 13a to fit into them. Note that the number of ribs 41a is merely an example and is not limited.

When the opening 11 of the container body 10 is closed by the lid 20, the top surface 42 forms a storage section 14, which is a space surrounded by the top surface 42 and the side wall 13 of the container body 10. When the inner container 40 is placed on the bottom 12 of the container body 10, the top surface 42 includes a curved surface 42a that is curved so that the center is closer to the bottom of the container body than the ends.

The cylindrical portion 41 and the top surface 42 can be formed by integral molding using a resin material such as high-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene, or polypropylene (homopolymer, random copolymer, or block copolymer). As described below, when the sensor chip 200 is removed, the end of the sensor chip 200 moves on the top surface 42. Therefore, in order to facilitate the movement of the sensor chip 200, the resin material for forming the cylindrical portion 41 and the top surface 42 may contain an additive for increasing the slipperiness, or the top surface 42 may have a plurality of linear grooves extending outward from the center in a plan view.

The dust-proof and permeable sheet 43 is a sheet material having moisture permeability and dust-proof properties that covers the opening on the other end side of the cylindrical portion 41. The dust-proof and permeable sheet 43 can be formed using polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., and can be formed, for example, using Tyvek (registered trademark) manufactured by DuPont.

(Desiccant)
The desiccant 50 contained in the inner container 40 may be, for example, zeolite, molecular sieve, calcium oxide, silica gel (type A, type B), etc. The shape of the desiccant 50 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, granular, powdery, columnar, etc., but fine granular form is preferable because it ensures a sufficient surface area and is easy to fill into the inner container 40.

As an example, the desiccant 50 can be stored in the inner container 40 by filling the inside of the integrally molded cylindrical portion 41 and top surface 42 with the desiccant 50, and then covering the opening on the other end of the cylindrical portion 41 with a dust-proof, permeable sheet 43.

The inner container 40 containing the desiccant 50 is inserted from the opening 11 of the container body 10 toward the bottom 12 with the dustproof and permeable sheet 43 facing the bottom 12. When the inner container 40 reaches the vicinity of the bottom 12 of the container body 10, the protrusion 13a of the side wall 13 fits into the recess 41b of the inner container 40, and the inner container 40 is positioned and fixed. Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the area around the positioned inner container 40.

The protrusion 13a can be positioned so that a predetermined gap S is provided between the dustproof and permeable sheet 43 of the positioned inner container 40 and the bottom 12. This allows the storage section 14 and the space in the inner container 40 containing the desiccant 50 to communicate with each other via the dustproof and permeable sheet 43 and the gap between the adjacent ribs 41a. Therefore, when the moisture-proof container 100 is sealed, the storage section 14 can be in a moisture-proof state. The predetermined gap S can be, for example, about 0.5 mm. The moisture-proof container 100 may have a recess 12a in the bottom 12 to ensure the gap S.

The method of positioning and fixing the inner container 40 is not limited to the above embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the moisture-proof container 101 according to the modified example in a state in which the container body 10' is closed by the lid 20 (sealed state). The difference between the moisture-proof container 100 and the moisture-proof container 101 is the method of positioning and fixing the inner container 40'. Specifically, the inner container 40' of the moisture-proof container 101 does not have a recess 41b, and the protrusion 13a' of the side wall 13 is provided at a position that abuts against the top surface 41 side end of the cylindrical part 41 of the inner container 40' inserted from the opening 11 of the container body 10'. As a result, the inner container 40' inserted into the container body 10' is positioned and fixed to the bottom 12 of the container body 10 by the end of the cylindrical part 41 abutting against the protrusion 13a'.

(Function of the inner container)
Next, a description will be given of the function of the inner container 40 when removing the sensor chip 200 housed in the moisture-proof container 100. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a method of using the moisture-proof container 100.

When the number of sensor chips 200 contained in the moisture-proof container 100 decreases to a certain extent, one end of the long side of the contained sensor chips 200 contacts the inner surface of the side wall 13 of the container body 10, and the other end contacts the curved surface 42a of the inner container 40, as shown in the upper diagram of Figure 6.

In this state, when a user of the moisture-proof container 100 attempts to move the sensor chip 200 so that one surface is aligned with the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 13, at least a portion of the sensor chip 200 curves along the curved surface 42a of the inner container 40, as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 6. Compared to moisture-proof containers according to conventional technology, the moisture-proof container 100 allows the sensor chip 200 to have a larger radius of curvature because the end of the curved surface 42a and the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 13 are smoothly connected. Therefore, the moisture-proof container 100 can prevent the user from damaging the sensor chip 200 when removing it.

Then, the user of the moisture-proof container 100 can remove the sensor chip 200 from the moisture-proof container 100 by moving the sensor chip 200, at least a portion of which is bent along the curved surface 42a of the inner container 40, toward the opening 11 while aligning one surface with the inner surface of the side wall 13, as shown in the lower diagram of Figure 6.

In this way, the user of the moisture-proof container 100 can easily remove the sensor chips 200 one by one without damaging them by aligning them with the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 13. This reduces the time it takes to remove the sensor chip 200 and the risk of touching other sensor chips 200 contained therein during removal. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the detection accuracy of the sensor chip 200 due to exposure to moisture or oxygen, or oil on the hands contaminating the electrodes.

In addition, since the curved surface 42a of the inner container 40 is curved so that the center is closer to the bottom 12 than the ends, the end of the stored sensor chip 200 on the curved surface 42a side tends to move toward the central axis of the side wall 13, and as a result, the sensor chip 200 tends to be in an upright position relative to the bottom 12 within the storage section 14. Therefore, a user of the moisture-proof container 100 can more easily grasp the sensor chip 200 and move it along the inner surface of the side wall 13, making it easier to remove, compared to moisture-proof containers according to conventional technology.

To better prevent damage to the sensor chip 200, the moisture-proof container 100 may further include the features described below.

In a cross section including the central axis of the container body 10, the acute angle θ (see FIG. 4) between the tangent L at the end of the curved surface 42a and the side wall 13 of the container body 10 may be less than 30°. This makes it possible to prevent the radius of curvature of the sensor chip 200, which curves along the curved surface 42a, from becoming smaller at the end of the curved surface 42a, and therefore makes it possible to preferably prevent damage to the sensor chip 200.

It is also preferable that the curved surface 42a is a hemispherical surface. If the curved surface 42a is a hemispherical surface, the acute angle θ between the tangent line L at the end of the curved surface 42a and the side wall 13 of the container body 10 will be close to zero, making it possible to more effectively prevent damage to the sensor chip 200.

In addition, in a cross section including the central axis of the container body 10, it is preferable that the radius of curvature of the curved surface 42a changes continuously. This prevents the sensor chip 200 from bending on the curved surface 42a in such a way that the radius of curvature changes discontinuously, thereby suppressing stress concentration and more effectively preventing damage to the sensor chip 200. It is preferable that the radius of curvature of the curved surface 42a changes continuously, but there may be some parts where the radius of curvature does not change continuously due to manufacturing reasons, such as gates that occur during molding using resin.

In addition, it is preferable that the distance D (see FIG. 4) between the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 13 and the end of the curved surface 42a in the radial direction of the container body 10 is less than three times the thickness of the sensor chip 200 contained in the storage section 14. This prevents the end of the sensor chip 200 on the curved surface 42a side, which moves along the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 13 toward the opening 11, from coming into forceful contact with the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 13 and being damaged when passing through a step in the radial direction of the container body 10 between the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 13 and the end of the curved surface 42a, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 6.

The above description has been given using the sensor chip 200 used in a portable blood glucose meter for diagnosing and preventing diabetes as an example, but the contents of the moisture-proof container 100 are not limited to this.

The present invention can be used for containers that hold rectangular sensor chips or test pieces.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10, 10' Container body 11 Opening 12 Bottom 12a Recess 13 Side wall 13a, 13a' Protruding portion 14 Storage portion 20 Lid 21 Flat portion 22 Inner ring 23 Knob 30 Hinge 40 Inner container 41 Cylindrical portion 41a Rib 41b Recess 42 Top surface 42a Curved surface 43 Dust-proof permeable sheet 50 Desiccant 100, 101 Moisture-proof container 200 Sensor chip S Gap

Claims (5)

A moisture-proof container containing a rectangular sensor chip,
A cylindrical container body having an opening at one end and a bottom at the other end;
an inner container provided at the bottom of the container body and housing a desiccant;
a cover body capable of opening and closing the opening,
A space surrounded by a top surface of the inner container and a side wall of the container body is a storage section,
The top surface of the inner container includes a curved surface that is curved so that a center portion is closer to the bottom portion of the container body than an end portion,
A ring-shaped flat surface is provided on the top surface of the inner container and connected to the curved surface,
A protrusion is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the container body,
The protruding portion abuts against the flat surface, thereby fixing the inner container between the protruding portion and a bottom of the container body,
The width of the flat surface is less than three times the thickness of the sensor chip.
Moisture-proof container. In a cross section including the central axis of the container body,
The acute angle formed by the tangent at the end of the curved surface and the inner circumferential surface of the container body is less than 30°.
The moisture-proof container according to claim 1. The curved surface is a hemispherical surface.
3. The moisture-proof container according to claim 1 or 2. In a cross section including the central axis of the container body,
The radius of curvature of the curved surface changes continuously.
3. The moisture-proof container according to claim 1 or 2 . The sensor chip can be accommodated in a state where one end of a long side is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the container body and the other end is in contact with the curved surface.
The moisture-proof container according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .