JP7669056B2 - Eye drop aid - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an eye drop aid and an eye drop device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an eye drop aid that includes an intermediate member with a holding hole through which the neck of a medicine bottle is inserted, and a pair of holding members with storage recesses on both sides for storing a medicine bottle connected to the intermediate member so that it can be swiveled. A storage container is provided between the pair of holding members for storing the medicine bottle when not in use. An adapter is provided in an appropriate position on the intermediate member, which abuts against the area around the eye during eye drop administration to accurately hold the medicine bottle in the eye drop position. During eye drop administration, the medicine bottle is held between the pair of holding members, and a force greater than that applied to the medicine bottle is applied from the point of application between the pair of holding members by utilizing the principle of leverage.

JP 2019-187540 A

For example, when applying eye drops, the amount of eye drops applied is important from the viewpoint of prescription, and therefore, if a constant amount of eye drops can be dispensed from an eye dropper, the user can apply the drops with peace of mind.
An object of the present invention is to eject a constant amount of eye drop from an eye dropper.

For this purpose, the technology disclosed in this specification is an eye drop aid that aids a user in applying eye dropper drops, and is characterized by comprising: an opening forming part having an opening penetrating in one direction; a first structural part having one end and the other end, extending along the one direction, with the one end connected to the opening forming part; a second structural part having one end and the other end, extending along the one direction, with the one end connected to the opening forming part, and the other end being movable toward and away from the first structural part using the one end as a fulcrum; a protruding part provided on at least one of the first structural part and the second structural part, protruding toward the other; and a contact part provided on the other end of the second structural part, which comes into contact with another member as the other end moves, and which sets the distance between the protruding part and the opposing part facing the protruding part to a predetermined distance.

Here, the second structure may have a knob that is provided on the second structure and that is gripped by a user's fingers when moving the second structure, and the contact portion may be provided on the knob.
The outer shape of the clipping portion may be larger than the outer shape of a reservoir portion for storing eye drops in the eye dropper.
The knob may have a recess provided on a surface opposite to the contact portion and recessed toward the contact portion.
The protrusion may be formed in a curved shape.
The opening forming portion, the first structural portion, the second structural portion, the protruding portion and the contact portion may be integrally formed.
Also, it is preferable that a groove portion be provided between the opening forming portion and the second structural portion, the groove portion being recessed toward the inside.

For this purpose, the technology disclosed in this specification is an eye dropper having a storage section for storing eye drops, a discharge section for discharging the eye drops from the storage section, and a plate-shaped section formed on the opposite side of the storage section from the discharge section, and is attached to the eye dropper to assist in administering eye drops using the eye dropper, the eye dropper being characterized in that it comprises a holding section for holding the discharge section of the eye dropper, a moving section having one end connected to the holding section and the other end movably arranged, a pushing section provided on the moving section and for pushing the storage section as the moving section moves, and a limiting section provided on the moving section to limit the range of movement of the pushing section.

Here, it is preferable that the limiting portion abuts against the plate-like portion as the moving portion moves, thereby limiting the movement of the pressing portion.
The eyedropper may further include a cap portion that seals the discharge portion, and the holding portion may hold the discharge portion of the eyedropper provided with the cap.
The eye dropper may further include a removable portion that can be connected to the cap portion of the eye dropper and that enables the cap portion to be removed from the eye dropper.
The holder may further include a guide portion for guiding the orientation of the eyedropper when the eyedropper is attached.

In addition, with the above objective in mind, the technology disclosed in this specification provides an eye dropper having a storage section for storing eye drops, a discharge section for discharging the eye drops from the storage section, and a plate-shaped section provided on the opposite side of the storage section from the discharge section and formed in a plate shape; an attachment section having an opening penetrating in one direction and into which the discharge section of the eye dropper is attached by penetrating the opening; a first structural section having one end and the other end and extending in the one direction, the one end being connected to the attachment section, and the other end being movable around the one end as a fulcrum; This eye dropper is characterized by having a second structural part that extends in the one direction, one end of which is connected to the mounting part and the other end of which can move around the one end as a fulcrum, a protruding part that is provided on each of the first structural part and the second structural part and that presses the storage part of the eye dropper as the first structural part and the second structural part move, and a clamping part that is provided on each of the first structural part and the second structural part and that can clamp the plate-shaped part of the eye dropper when the first structural part and the second structural part move.

According to the present invention, a fixed amount of eye drops can be dispensed from the eye dropper.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an eye drop auxiliary device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an eye drop bottle that is an object of the eye drop auxiliary tool. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the eye drop auxiliary device according to the first embodiment. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the eye drop auxiliary device of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is an overall perspective view of an auxiliary eye dropper according to a second embodiment. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a holding portion according to a second embodiment. FIG. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the eye drop auxiliary device of the second embodiment. 13A to 13C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the eye drop auxiliary device of the second embodiment. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a detachable function of a cap part in the eye drop auxiliary device of the second embodiment. FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of an eye drop auxiliary tool.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an eye drop auxiliary tool 1 according to the first embodiment.

(Eye drop aid 1)
As shown in Figure 1, the eye drop aid 1 of this embodiment comprises a holding unit 10 that holds an eye drop bottle 90 (described later), a first operating unit 20 that a user operates when using the eye drop aid 1, and a second operating unit 30 that a user operates together with the first operating unit 20 when using the eye drop aid 1.

The eye drop aid 1 is generally U-shaped. In the following description, the area of the eye drop aid 1 that corresponds to the inside of the U-shape is referred to as the inside, and the area of the eye drop aid 1 that corresponds to the outside of the U-shape is referred to as the outside. In addition, the lower side of the eye drop aid 1 shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as one side, and the upper side of the eye drop aid 1 shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as the other side.

An eye drop bottle 90 (see FIG. 2 described later) is attached to the inside of the eye drop aid 1. The eye drop aid 1 of this embodiment assists the user in administering eye drops into the eye using the eye drop bottle 90.

The eye drop aid 1 of this embodiment is intended for use with disposable eye drop bottles 90. This type of eye drop bottle 90 is filled with an amount of eye drop liquid that corresponds to one application, and is smaller in size and formed in a relatively thin plate shape compared to non-disposable types (see FIG. 2 described below). This type of eye drop bottle 90 is therefore very difficult to operate for users such as elderly people or patients. The eye drop aid 1 of this embodiment assists users who use such eye drop bottles 90, and makes it particularly easy to apply a fixed amount of eye drop.

For a detailed description of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1, an eye drop bottle 90 in which the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 is used will now be described.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an eye drop bottle 90 which is an object of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1.

2A, the eye drop bottle 90 is generally plate-shaped, extends in one direction, and is relatively thin. The eye drop bottle 90 has a main body 91 and a cap 92 that can be separated from the main body 91.
The main body 91 has a storage section 93 in which the eye drops are stored, and a discharge section 94 from which the eye drops are discharged from the storage section 93. The main body 91 has a plate-shaped section 95 provided on the opposite side of the storage section 93 from the cap section 92. The cap section 92 seals the storage section 93 in a state in which it is connected to the discharge section 94. The material of the eye drop bottle 90 can be, for example, a synthetic resin. The eye drop bottle 90 of this embodiment is formed to be transparent so that the amount of eye drops stored in the storage section 93 can be visually confirmed.

As shown in FIG. 2B, before use, the eye drop bottle 90 has a cap portion 92 connected to a main body portion 91. Therefore, when the cap portion 92 is attached, the eye drops stored in the storage portion 93 are sealed. In addition, the plate-shaped portion 95 is provided with text and graphic information related to the eye drop bottle 90, such as the name of the eye drop, the name of the manufacturer, and the manufacturing lot number.

2(C), the cap portion 92 is separated from the main body portion 91, allowing the eye drops to flow out of the discharge portion 94. The cap portion 92 of this embodiment is structured so that it can be twisted off from the main body portion 91 by rotating it relative to the main body portion 91. In this state, by pressing the storage portion 93, an amount of eye drops corresponding to the amount of pressure applied is discharged from the discharge portion 94. The storage portion 93 stores the amount of eye drops equivalent to three drops (for example, one drop is approximately 0.04 mL).

Next, the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment will be described in detail.
Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of the first embodiment. Fig. 3(A) is a front view of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1. Fig. 3(B) is a side view of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1. Fig. 3(C) is a side view of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 as viewed from the inside.

As described above, the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment includes a holding part 10, a first operating part 20, and a second operating part 30. The eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment can be made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP). In addition, the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment has various structural parts that constitute the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 formed integrally. In this embodiment, the holding part 10, the first structural part 21, the second structural part 31, the first protruding part 29, the second protruding part 39, the first contact part 27, and the second contact part 37, which will be described later, are formed integrally.

(Holding portion 10)
As shown in Fig. 3A, the holder 10 is provided at the end of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1. The holder 10 in this embodiment is a thin plate-like rectangular shape and has an opening 11 (see Fig. 1).
The opening 11 is an opening that penetrates in one direction, which is the thickness direction of the holding part 10, and is formed in a substantially circular shape. The inner diameter of the opening 11 is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the discharge part 94 and smaller than the outer shape of the storage part 93. This allows the discharge part 94 to penetrate the opening 11 in the holding part 10. Meanwhile, the holding part 10 is configured so that the storage part 93 is caught in the opening 11. In this manner, the holding part 10 holds the main body part 91 including the storage part 93 with the discharge part 94 of the eye drop bottle 90 penetrating the opening 11.

(First operation unit 20)
As shown in FIG. 1, the first operating unit 20 is formed as a long, elongated plate as a whole. One end of the first operating unit 20 is connected to the holding unit 10, and the other end is a free end that can move freely. Also, as shown in FIG. 3A, the first operating unit 20 of this embodiment has a groove portion 20T formed thinner than the thickness of the holding unit 10 and the first operating unit 20 at the connection point with the holding unit 10. The groove portion 20T of this embodiment is formed on the outside of the U-shape. The groove portion 20T is formed over the entire width along the width direction of the first operating unit 20. The first operating unit 20 is movable at the other end with the end on the holding unit 10 side as a fulcrum.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the first operating unit 20 has a first structural portion 21 extending in one direction, a first pinch portion 23 that is gripped by the user, and a first protrusion 29 that protrudes toward the second operating unit 30. Furthermore, the first pinch portion 23 has a first recess 25 provided on the outside and a first contact portion 27 provided on the inside.

The first structural part 21 extends in one direction, which is the direction in which the opening 11 in the holding part 10 penetrates. In this embodiment, the first structural part 21 is connected to the holding part 10 at one end, and the first pinch part 23 is provided at the other end.

The first pinch 23 is provided on the other side of the first structural part 21. The first pinch 23 forms a part that is operated by the user's finger. In this embodiment, the first pinch 23 is inclined relative to the first structural part 21. In this embodiment, the first pinch 23 is formed so as to expand outward from one side to the other side. As shown in FIG. 3B, the width W1 of the first pinch 23 in this embodiment is larger than the width W2 of the eye drop bottle 90 (see FIG. 2B) (W1>W2). Note that the width in this embodiment is the length in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the eye drop auxiliary device 1 or the eye drop bottle 90.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the first recess 25 is recessed inward. The first recess 25 is intended to be operated by the user's finger, for example. The first recess 25 is formed in a shape corresponding to the pad of the user's finger. The first recess 25 is designed to be easily caught by the user's finger when the user touches it.

The eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment can be combined with other types of eye drop auxiliary tools. Examples of other types of eye drop auxiliary tools include those having a lever with a protrusion that pushes a cylindrical eye drop bottle. In this case, the first recess 25 of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment functions as a location where the protrusion of the lever of the other type of eye drop auxiliary tool can be caught.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the first contact portion 27 is formed in a rectangular shape. The first contact portion 27 is provided at a position facing the plate-shaped portion 95 when the eye drop bottle 90 is attached to the eye drop auxiliary device 1 (see FIG. 4 described later). The first contact portion 27 is capable of sandwiching the plate-shaped portion 95 together with a second contact portion 37 of the second operating portion 30 described later. The first contact portion 27 of this embodiment contacts the plate-shaped portion 95 to limit the movement of the first operating portion 20. Furthermore, the first contact portion 27 limits the range of movement of a first protrusion 29 provided on the first operating portion 20.

As shown in FIG. 3(A), the first protrusion 29 is provided on the other side of the holding portion 10, on one side of the first contact portion 27. The first protrusion 29 is formed in a curved shape. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 29 is formed in a generally arc shape that is highest in the center and gradually decreases toward both ends. In this embodiment, the width W3 (see FIG. 3(C)) of the first protrusion 29 is smaller than the width W2 (see FIG. 2(B)) of the storage portion 93 (W3<W2).

The first protrusion 29 is provided at a position facing the reservoir 93 when the eye drop bottle 90 is attached to the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 (see FIG. 4 described later). The protrusion height of the first protrusion 29 is set so that when the eye drop bottle 90 is attached to the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 and the first contact portion 27 comes into contact with the plate-shaped portion 95, the first protrusion 29 pushes the reservoir 93 to push out a predetermined amount of eye drops from the reservoir 93.
As described above, the first protrusion 29 is formed in a curved shape. This imitates a user's finger. As will be described later, the first protrusion 29 makes it possible to press the storage section 93 as if the storage section 93 were pressed by the user's finger.

(Second Operation Unit 30)
The basic configuration of the second operation unit 30 is similar to that of the first operation unit 20. The second operation unit 30 and the first operation unit 20 are in a line-symmetrical relationship.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second operating unit 30 is formed as a long, elongated plate overall. One end of the second operating unit 30 is connected to the holding unit 10, and the other end is a free end that can move freely. The second operating unit 30 of this embodiment also has a groove portion 30T at the connection point with the holding unit 10, which is formed to be thinner than the holding unit 10 and the second operating unit 30. The groove portion 30T of this embodiment is formed on the outside of the U-shape. The second operating unit 30 is capable of moving at the other end, with the one end on the holding unit 10 side serving as a fulcrum.

3A, the second operating unit 30 has a second structural portion 31 extending in one direction, a second pinch portion 33 which is a portion that is pinched by the user, and a second protruding portion 39 which protrudes toward the first operating unit 20. Furthermore, the second pinch portion 33 has a second recessed portion 35 provided on the outside and a second contact portion 37 provided on the inside.
The basic configurations of the second structural portion 31, the second pinch portion 33, the second recess 35, the second contact portion 37 and the second protrusion 39 of the second operating portion 30 in this embodiment are similar to those of the first structural portion 21, the first pinch portion 23, the first recess 25, the first contact portion 27 and the first protrusion 29 of the first operating portion 20.

As shown in FIG. 3(A), the first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30 are provided facing each other. In particular, the first protruding portion 29 and the second protruding portion 39 face each other. Also, the first contact portion 27 and the second contact portion 37 face each other. The first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30 are capable of moving their other ends toward and away from each other, with the holding portion 10 side serving as a fulcrum. With this movement, the distance between the first protruding portion 29 and the second protruding portion 39 and the distance between the first contact portion 27 and the second contact portion 37 can change.

Next, a method for producing the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment will be described.
The eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of this embodiment is formed by pouring synthetic resin into a mold that corresponds to the outer shape of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1. In the mold, the holder 10, the first operation part 20, and the second operation part 30 are arranged in a straight line. When the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 is removed from the mold, the holder 10, the first operation part 20, and the second operation part 30 are arranged in a straight line. By bending the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 at the groove part 20T and the groove part 30T, a U-shaped eye drop auxiliary tool 1 is obtained.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), in the eye drop auxiliary device 1, an eye drop bottle 90 is positioned between the first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30. At this time, the cap portion 92 of the eye drop bottle 90 is removed, leaving only the main body portion 91. Furthermore, the discharge portion 94 of the eye drop bottle 90 is inserted through the opening 11. At this time, the user can grasp the plate-shaped portion 95 to operate the eye drop bottle 90, so that, for example, the storage portion 93 is pressed, making it difficult for the eye drops to be discharged.

Next, as shown in Fig. 4B, the user operates the first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30 in a direction in which they approach each other. Specifically, the first pinch portion 23 and the second pinch portion 33 are pinched to displace them in a direction in which they approach the plate-shaped portion 95. The first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30 of this embodiment each include a groove portion 20T and a groove portion 30T. Therefore, the first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30 can be easily bent inward.
Then, in accordance with the displacement of the first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30, the first protruding portion 29 and the second protruding portion 39 each move in a direction approaching the storage portion 93. The storage portion 93 is pressed by the first protruding portion 29 and the second protruding portion 39 while being sandwiched between the first protruding portion 29 and the second protruding portion 39.

Furthermore, by operating the first pinch portion 23 and the second pinch portion 33, the first contact portion 27 and the second contact portion 37 each come into contact with the plate-shaped portion 95. At this time, the movement of the first operating portion 20 and the second operating portion 30 is restricted. Furthermore, the movement of the first protrusion portion 29 and the second protrusion portion 39 provided on the first operating portion 20 and the second operating portion 30 is also restricted. That is, the first contact portion 27 and the second contact portion 37 are spaced apart from the first protrusion portion 29 and the second protrusion portion 39 by a predetermined distance. Therefore, in the eye drop auxiliary device 1 of this embodiment, the user operates the first operating portion 20 and the second operating portion 30, and the first contact portion 27 and the second contact portion 37 are contracted until they come into contact with the plate-shaped portion 95, so that the amount by which the first protrusion portion 29 and the second protrusion portion 39 press the storage portion 93 becomes a predetermined amount. Then, a constant amount of eye drops is dispensed from the eye drop bottle 90 using the eye drop assistant 1.

Second Embodiment
The eye drop auxiliary tool 2 of the second embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of an auxiliary eye dropper 2 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the eye drop aid 2 of this embodiment includes a holder 50 that holds an eye drop bottle 90, a first operation unit 60 that the user operates when using the eye drop aid 2, and a second operation unit 70 that the user operates together with the first operation unit 60 when using the eye drop aid 2.

Eye drop aid 1 is generally Y-shaped. In the following description, the area of eye drop aid 2 that corresponds to the inside of the Y shape is referred to as the inside, and the area of eye drop aid 2 that corresponds to the outside of the Y shape is referred to as the outside. In addition, the lower side of eye drop aid 2 in FIG. 5 is referred to as one side, and the upper side of eye drop aid 2 in FIG. 5 is referred to as the other side.

An eye drop bottle 90 is attached to the inside of the eye drop assistant 2 (see FIG. 8 described later). The eye drop assistant 2 of this embodiment assists the user in administering eye drops using the eye drop bottle 90.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the holding portion 50 according to the second embodiment. Note that Fig. 6 is a diagram of the holding portion 50 as viewed from above.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the eye drop auxiliary tool 2 of the second embodiment.

(Holding portion 50)
The holder 50 is generally formed in a cylindrical shape (see Fig. 7). As shown in Fig. 6, the holder 50 has an opening 51 that opens in a predetermined shape, a bottle guide 53 that guides the orientation of the eye drop bottle 90, a first attachment part 55 to which the first operation part 60 is attached, and a second attachment part 57 to which the second operation part 70 is attached.

The opening 51 penetrates in one direction, which is the cylindrical axial direction of the holding part 50. The opening 51 is formed in a shape corresponding to the cap part 92 and the discharge part 94 of the eye drop bottle 90. The opening 51 is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the cap part 92 and the discharge part 94 of the eye drop bottle 90, and smaller than the outer shape of the storage part 93. This allows the cap part 92 and the discharge part 94 to penetrate the opening 51 in the holding part 50. On the other hand, the holding part 50 is designed so that the storage part 93 is hooked on the opening 51. In this way, the holding part 50 is able to hold the main body part 91 including the storage part 93 with the discharge part 94 of the eye drop bottle 90 penetrating the opening 51.

The bottle guide 53 is formed in a shape that corresponds to the outer shape of the storage section 93 of the eye drop bottle 90. In this embodiment, the bottle guide 53 is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the storage section 93. The bottle guide 53 allows the eye drop bottle 90 to move in the axial direction, while restricting the rotation of the eye drop bottle 90 around the axis. With this structure, the bottle guide 53 guides the eye drop bottle 90 so that the angle of the rotational direction is in a predetermined direction when the eye drop bottle 90 is attached to the holder 50.

The first mounting portion 55 has an opening in a predetermined shape. The first mounting portion 55 forms a portion into which the first structural portion 61 of the first operating portion 60, which will be described later, is inserted. The first mounting portion 55 supports the first operating portion 60.

The second mounting portion 57 has an opening in a predetermined shape. The second mounting portion 57 forms a portion into which the second structural portion 71 of the second operating portion 70, which will be described later, is inserted. The second mounting portion 57 supports the second operating portion 70.

(First operation unit 60)
7, the first operating part 60 is formed in a long, plate-like shape as a whole. One end of the first operating part 60 is connected to the holding part 50, and the other end is a free end that is freely movable.

The first operating portion 60 has a first structural portion 61 extending in one direction, a first gripping portion 63 that the user grips when operating the eye drop auxiliary device 2, a first contact portion 65 that can contact the plate-shaped portion 95, and a first protruding portion 67 that protrudes toward the storage portion 93.

The first structural part 61 is provided at one end of the first operating part 60. The first structural part 61 extends in one direction, which is the direction in which the opening 51 in the holding part 50 penetrates. The first structural part 61 forms a portion that is connected to the holding part 50. In this way, the first operating part 60 is connected to the holding part 50.

The first gripping portion 63 is provided on the other side of the first contact portion 65. The first gripping portion 63 forms a portion that is operated by the user's finger. In this embodiment, the first gripping portion 63 is inclined relative to the first structural portion 61. In this embodiment, the first gripping portion 63 is formed so as to expand outward from one side to the other side. The width W5 of the first gripping portion 63 is formed to be larger than the width W2 of the eye drop bottle 90 (see FIG. 2(B)) (W5>W2).

The first pinch portion 63 in this embodiment has a first recess 64 on the outside. The first recess 64 is recessed on the inside of the steep edge that follows the outer shape of the heart. The first recess 64 is designed to easily catch the user's finger when it touches it.

The first pinch portion 63 is configured to be detachable from the first contact portion 65. The first pinch portion 63 has an insertion groove 63H. The first pinch portion 63 is connected to the first contact portion 65 by inserting the first contact portion 65 into the insertion groove 63H. On the other hand, the first pinch portion 63 is separated from the first contact portion 65 by being pulled out of the first contact portion 65.

The first contact portion 65 is a portion formed in a rectangular plate shape. The first contact portion 65 is provided on the other side of the first structural portion 61, that is, on one side of the first pinching portion 63. The first contact portion 65 is provided at a position facing the plate portion 95 when the eye drop bottle 90 is attached to the eye drop auxiliary tool 2.
The first contact portion 65, together with a second contact portion 75 of the second operating portion 70 described later, is capable of pinching the plate-shaped portion 95 of the eye drop bottle 90. In this embodiment, the first contact portion 65 contacts the plate-shaped portion 95 to limit further movement of the first operating portion 60. In this manner, the first contact portion 65 limits the movement range of the first protrusion 67 provided on the first operating portion 60.

The first protrusion 67 is provided on the inside of the first structural portion 61. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 67 is provided on the other side of the retaining portion 50 and one side of the first contact portion 65. The first protrusion 67 is formed in a generally trapezoidal shape that is highest at the center and gradually decreases toward both ends. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 67 is composed of two rows of protruding portions. In addition, the width W6 of the first protrusion 67 in this embodiment is formed smaller than the width W2 of the storage portion 93 (see FIG. 2B) (W6<W2).
The first protrusion 67 is provided at a position facing the reservoir 93 when the eye drop bottle 90 is attached to the eye drop auxiliary tool 2. The protrusion height of the first protrusion 67 is set so that when the eye drop bottle 90 is attached to the eye drop auxiliary tool 2 and the first contact portion 65 comes into contact with the plate-shaped portion 95, the first protrusion 67 pushes the reservoir 93 to push out a predetermined amount of eye drops from the reservoir 93.

(Second operation unit 70)
The basic configuration of the second operation unit 70 is similar to that of the first operation unit 60. The second operation unit 70 and the first operation unit 60 are in a line-symmetrical relationship.
7, the second operating unit 70 is generally formed in a long, elongated plate shape. One end of the second operating unit 70 is connected to the holding unit 50, and the other end is a free end that can move freely. The second operating unit 70 is movable with the one end on the holding unit 50 side as a fulcrum.

The second operating portion 70 has a second structural portion 71 extending in one direction, a second pinching portion 73 that is pinched by the user when operating the eye drop auxiliary tool 2, a second contact portion 75 that can come into contact with the plate-shaped portion 95, and a second protruding portion 77 that protrudes toward the storage portion 93. The second pinching portion 73 also has a second recessed portion 74 provided on the outside.
The basic configurations of the second structural portion 71, the second pinch portion 73, the second recess 74, the second contact portion 75 and the second protrusion 77 of the second operating portion 70 in this embodiment are similar to those of the first structural portion 61, the first pinch portion 63, the first recess 64, the first contact portion 65 and the first protrusion 67 of the first operating portion 60.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first operating unit 60 and the second operating unit 70 are provided facing each other. In particular, the first protrusion 67 and the second protrusion 77 face each other. Also, the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 75 face each other. The other ends of the first operating unit 60 and the second operating unit 70 can move toward and away from each other, with the holding unit 50 side as a fulcrum. With this movement, the distance between the first protrusion 67 and the second protrusion 77 and the distance between the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 75 can change.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described in detail.
8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the eye drop auxiliary tool 2 of the second embodiment. Note that in FIG. 8, the first pinch portion 63 and the second pinch portion 73 are omitted from the illustration.

As shown in FIG. 8(A), the eye drop bottle 90 is positioned between the first operating unit 60 and the second operating unit 70 in the eye drop auxiliary device 2. At this time, the eye drop bottle 90 has the cap unit 92 attached. In this manner, the eye drop bottle 90 with the cap unit 92 attached can be set in the eye drop auxiliary device 2 of this embodiment. Therefore, even if the storage unit 93 is pressed, the eye drops will not be ejected. In addition, since the ejection unit 94 is not exposed, the intrusion of foreign matter from the outside into the storage unit 93 until the eye drops are actually administered is also suppressed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8(B), the user operates the first operating unit 60 and the second operating unit 70 in a direction that brings them closer to each other. Specifically, the first pinch portion 63 and the second pinch portion 73 (see FIG. 5) are pinched, thereby displacing them respectively with respect to the plate-shaped portion 95. As the first operating unit 60 and the second operating unit 70 are displaced, the first protrusion 67 and the second protrusion 77 each move in a direction that brings them closer to the storage unit 93. The storage unit 93 is then pressed by the first protrusion 67 and the second protrusion 77 while being sandwiched between them.

Furthermore, by operating the first pinch portion 63 and the second pinch portion 73 (see FIG. 5), the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 75 each come into contact with the plate-shaped portion 95. At this time, the movement of the first operating portion 60 and the second operating portion 70 is restricted. Furthermore, the movement of the first protrusion portion 67 and the second protrusion portion 77 provided on the first operating portion 60 and the second operating portion 70, respectively, is restricted. That is, the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 75 are spaced apart from the first protrusion portion 67 and the second protrusion portion 77 by a predetermined distance. Therefore, in the eye drop auxiliary tool 2 of this embodiment, the user operates the first operating portion 60 and the second operating portion 70, and the first contact portion 65 and the second contact portion 75 are shortened until they come into contact with the plate-shaped portion 95, so that the amount by which the first protrusion portion 67 and the second protrusion portion 77 press the storage portion 93 becomes a constant amount. Then, a constant amount of eye drops is dispensed from the eye drop bottle 90 using the eye drop assistant 2.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the detachable function of the cap portion 92 in the eye drop auxiliary tool 2 of the second embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 9(A), an eye drop bottle 90 is set in the eye drop auxiliary tool 2. At this time, a cap part 92 is attached to a main body part 91 of the eye drop bottle 90. In addition, the eye drop auxiliary tool 2 is provided with a first pinch part 63 at the other end part.
Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, the first pinch portion 63 is pulled out from the first contact portion 65. Then, the insertion groove 63H of the first pinch portion 63 is made to face the cap portion 92. Furthermore, the insertion groove 63H of the first pinch portion 63 is fitted into the cap portion 92. Then, the first pinch portion 63 is rotated to screw off the cap portion 92 from the main body portion 91. Then, the cap portion 92 is separated from the main body portion 91. The size of the first pinch portion 63 in this embodiment is sufficiently larger than the cap portion 92 so that the user can easily operate it. In addition, the main body portion 91 is held by the eye drop auxiliary tool 2. In other words, the main body portion 91 that the user intends to operate is substantially the same size as the eye drop auxiliary tool 2. This allows the user to perform an operation to separate the cap portion 92 in a state where the size of the object to be grasped with the fingers is larger than when, for example, the main body portion 91 and the cap portion 92 are separated without using the eye drop auxiliary tool 2.

For example, in the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of the first embodiment, both the first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30 are configured to be movable, but this is not limited to the above. One of the first operating unit 20 and the second operating unit 30 may be fixed to the holding unit 10, for example, and the other may be configured to be movable. This is also true for the eye drop auxiliary tool 2 of the second embodiment.

For example, in the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of the first embodiment, the first operating part 20 and the second operating part 30 are provided with the first protrusion 29 and the second protrusion 39, respectively, but this is not limited to this aspect. For example, the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 may be provided with only one of the first protrusion 29 and the second protrusion 39.

For example, in the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of the first embodiment, the pushing amount of the first protrusion 29 and the second protrusion 39 is set by contacting the first contact portion 27 and the second contact portion 37 with the plate-shaped portion 95 of the eye drop bottle 90, but this is not limited to the embodiment. The eye drop auxiliary tool 1 may limit the movement range of the first protrusion 29 and the second protrusion 39 by contacting the first contact portion 27, etc. with a location other than the storage portion 93 of the eye drop bottle 90, not limited to the plate-shaped portion 95.

In addition, for example, the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 is not limited to contacting the first contact portion 27, etc., with the eye drop bottle 90. In the eye drop auxiliary tool 1, the first contact portion 27 and the second contact portion 37 may not be in contact with the eye drop bottle 90, but may be in direct contact with each other, for example, to limit the range of movement of the first protrusion 29 and the second protrusion 39.

The target of the eye dropper aids 1 and 2 of this embodiment is not limited to the eye dropper bottle 90 of this embodiment, and they can be used with eye droppers of other shapes. In this case, for example, the contact portion is configured to come into contact with a location in the eye dropper other than the storage portion where the eye drops are stored as the first structural portion 21 moves. Then, the distance between the protrusions that press the storage portion can be set to a predetermined distance.

(Modification)
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the eye drop auxiliary tool 1.

As shown in FIG. 10, the eye drop auxiliary tool 1 of the modified example is different from that of the first embodiment in the configurations of the first pinching part 230 and the second pinching part 330.
The first picking portion 230 includes a first contact portion 27 provided on the inside and a first cover portion 270 configured to be detachable from the first contact portion 27. Similarly, the second picking portion 330 includes a first contact portion 27 provided on the inside and a second cover portion 370 configured to be detachable from the second contact portion 37.
Furthermore, the modified eye drop auxiliary device 1 is capable of adjusting the range of movement of the first protrusion 29 and the second protrusion 39 in the direction in which they approach each other, depending on whether the first cover part 270 and the second cover part 370 are attached or detached.

For example, when both the first cover part 270 and the second cover part 370 are attached, the distance between the first protrusion part 29 and the second protrusion part 39 in contact with the plate-shaped part 95 is the largest. Next, when both the first cover part 270 and the second cover part 370 are removed, the distance between the first protrusion part 29 and the second protrusion part 39 in contact with the plate-shaped part 95 is the smallest. And, when either the first cover part 270 or the second cover part 370 is attached, the distance between the first protrusion part 29 and the second protrusion part 39 in contact with the plate-shaped part 95 is the intermediate distance. In this way, the distance between the first protrusion part 29 and the second protrusion part 39 can be changed depending on the attachment/detachment mode of the first cover part 270 and the second cover part 370, and the amount of eye drops discharged from the storage part 93 can be changed.

Here, the holding portion 10 and the holding portion 50 are examples of an opening forming portion, a holding portion, and an attachment portion. The first protruding portion 29, the first protruding portion 67, the second protruding portion 39, and the second protruding portion 77 are examples of a protruding portion and a pressing portion. The first contact portion 27, the second contact portion 37, the first contact portion 65, and the second contact portion 75 are examples of a contact portion, a limiting portion, and a clamping portion. The first recess portion 25, the second recess portion 35, the first recess portion 64, and the second recess portion 74 are examples of a recess. The first structural portion 21, the second structural portion 31, the first structural portion 61, and the second structural portion 71 are examples of a moving portion. The first picking portion 63 and the second picking portion 73 are examples of a removal portion. The bottle guide portion 53 is an example of a guide portion. The eye drop bottle 90 is an example of an eye dropper.
Further, the eye drop assistant tool 1 or the eye drop assistant tool 2 to which the eye drop bottle 90 is attached can be regarded as an eye drop device.

Although various modified examples have been described above, these modified examples may be combined with each other or with the present embodiment. For example, in the first embodiment, the shape of the opening 11 may be made to correspond to the cap portion 92. This allows the eye drop bottle 90 with the cap portion 92 attached to be set in the eye drop auxiliary tool 1, as in the second embodiment.
Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

1...eye drop aid, 2...eye drop aid, 10...holding portion, 11...opening, 20...first operating portion, 21...first structural portion, 23...first gripping portion, 25...first recessed portion, 27...first contact portion, 29...first protruding portion, 30...second operating portion, 31...second structural portion, 33...second gripping portion, 35...second recessed portion, 37...second contact portion, 39...second protruding portion, 53...bottle guide portion, 55...first mounting portion, 57...second mounting portion part, 60...first operating part, 61...first structural part, 63...first gripping part, 63H...insertion groove, 64...first recess, 65...first contact part, 67...first protrusion, 70...second operating part, 71...second structural part, 73...second gripping part, 74...second recess, 75...second contact part, 77...second protrusion, 90...eye drop bottle, 91...main body part, 92...cap part, 93...storage part, 94...discharge part, 95...plate-shaped part

Claims (7)

An eye dropper is attached to the eye dropper, the eye dropper having a storage section for storing eye drops, a discharge section for discharging the eye drops from the storage section, and a plate-shaped section provided on the opposite side of the storage section from the discharge section, the eye dropper assisting a user in administering eye drops to the eye using the eye dropper,
an opening forming portion having an opening penetrating in one direction and to which a part of the discharge portion of the eyedropper is attached ;
a first structural portion having one end and the other end, extending along the one direction, the one end being connected to the opening forming portion;
a second structure having one end and the other end, extending along the one direction, the one end being connected to the opening forming portion, the other end being movable toward and away from the first structure with the one end as a fulcrum;
a protrusion provided on at least one of the first structural portion and the second structural portion , protruding toward the storage portion of the eyedropper attached to the opening ;
a first contact portion provided at the other end of the first structural portion and capable of contacting the plate-shaped portion of the eyedropper;
a second contact portion provided at the other end of the second structure portion, the second contact portion sandwiching the plate-shaped portion of the eyedropper between the second contact portion and the first contact portion as the other end moves, and setting a predetermined distance between the protruding portion and the storing portion ;
An eye drop auxiliary device comprising: a knob provided on the second structure and adapted for a user to grip with his/her fingers when moving the second structure;
The eye drop auxiliary tool according to claim 1 , wherein the second contact portion is provided on the pinch portion. 3. The eye drop auxiliary device according to claim 2, wherein the outer shape of the clipping portion is larger than the outer shape of the reservoir portion. 3. The eye drop auxiliary device according to claim 2, wherein the pinch portion has a recess provided on a surface opposite to the second contact portion and recessed toward the second contact portion. The eye drop aid according to claim 1, characterized in that the protrusion is formed in a curved shape. The eye drop auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening forming portion, the first structural portion, the second structural portion, the protrusion portion , the first contact portion and the second contact portion are integrally formed. The eye drop aid according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a groove portion recessed inward, provided between the opening forming portion and the second structural portion.

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