초록 ▼

The container includes a lower wall and an erect side wall limiting an upper opening of a housing for accommodating a flexible pouch containing a fluid; containment elements including a containment wall, the gap between its peripheral edge and the side wall being limited; the containment wall adapte

The container includes a lower wall and an erect side wall limiting an upper opening of a housing for accommodating a flexible pouch containing a fluid; containment elements including a containment wall, the gap between its peripheral edge and the side wall being limited; the containment wall adapted to be applied against the pouch and held fixed in this position by holding elements arranged in the container and borne by the containment elements by a structural and functional combination, and being movable between an inactive retracted state and an active expanded state, in which a distal end part is either moved away from the side wall or applied there against without any chance of sliding; and adapted to be applied at any desired location of a zone of the side wall such that the containment wall can be applied and held against the pouch regardless of how full the latter is.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A rigid container for a flexible pouch that is specially designed to contain a biopharmaceutical fluid, comprising: a lower transverse wall and an erected side peripheral axial wall that limits an upper transverse opening with access to a housing that is defined by an inner surfaces of the lower

1. A rigid container for a flexible pouch that is specially designed to contain a biopharmaceutical fluid, comprising: a lower transverse wall and an erected side peripheral axial wall that limits an upper transverse opening with access to a housing that is defined by an inner surfaces of the lower transverse wall and by an inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial walls, and is able to accommodate the flexible pouch that contains the biopharmaceutical fluid such that said flexible pouch applies against said inner surfaces,containment means that comprise a containment wall,with the containment wall being able to be placed transversely in the housing and having dimensions such that a transverse gap between an outside peripheral free edge of the containment wall and the inner surface of the erected side wall facing opposite the outside peripheral free edge is limited,with the containment wall being able to be applied with a certain axial force against a free upper surface of an upper transverse wall of the pouch and to be held fixed in this position by holding means in an active state,holding means that, in the active state, are applied on the inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial wall so as to hold fixed in position the containment wall that is applied with said certain axial force against the free upper surface of the pouch, wherein the holding means, arranged transversely in the container and borne by the containment means of which they are structurally and functionally part, are movable or deformable in the transverse direction between: an inactive retracted state in which a distal end part of the holding means is separated from the inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial wall facing opposite said distal end part, andan active expanded state in which said distal end part is applied against said inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial wall in such a way that in the active state of the holding means and of the distal end part, the containment wall is held fixed in position with respect to the walls of the container, and the holding means are able to be applied to any desired location of a continuous zone of the inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial wall, extended in axial direction, in such a way that the containment wall can be placed in the housing at the desired distance from the lower transverse wall or from the upper transverse opening, to be able to be applied and held with a certain axial force against the free transverse upper surface of the pouch regardless of how full the latter is, wherein the containment means comprise—in a lower area—the containment wall and—in an upper area—a support element extended transversely, placed perpendicular to the containment wall, with holding means being borne by said support element, means for rigid connection and transmission of forces being interposed between and combined with the containment wall and the support element, and being able to ensure a rigid connection for transmission of said certain force between the containment wall and the support element,wherein the means for rigid connection and transmission of forces are deformable between two end states, a retracted state and an expanded state, in which, respectively, the containment wall is brought closer to and moved farther from the holding means borne by said support element, with maneuvering means being provided and able to switch the means for rigid connection and transmission of forces between their two end states, whereby these maneuvering means constitute means for relative movement of the containment wall with respect to the support element. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the containment wall either is inherently rigid and able to absorb said certain force without substantial deformation or with the containment means then comprising stiffening means that are able, being active, to act on the containment wall to stiffen so that, thus stiffened, the containment wall is able to absorb said certain force with substantial deformation. 3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the containment means are heavy enough and able to exert said certain force against the free upper surface of the pouch by their own weight. 4. The container according to claim 1, wherein the containment means are not able enough in themselves to exert said certain force against the free upper surface of the pouch by their own weight, with the containment means comprising means for application of a force that are able, being active, to act on the containment wall for exerting on it a force such that the containment means in turn exert said certain force against the free upper surface of the pouch. 5. The container according to claim 4, wherein said means for application of a force are manual or human means, a cylinder, or heavy weights. 6. The container according to claim 1, wherein the holding means are borne by the containment wall. 7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the means for rigid connection and transmission of forces are substantially non-deformable. 8. The container according to claim 1, wherein the support element is selected from the group that comprises a plate, a rigid frame or a plate that can be placed transversely in the housing, having dimensions such that the transverse gap between an outside peripheral free edge and the inner surface of the side wall opposite is limited. 9. The container according to claim 1, wherein the means for relative movement that comprise the means for rigid connection and transmission of forces and the maneuvering means are selected from the group consisting of a cylinder, a deformable chamber made more or less flat or more or less expanded by a more or less significant filling with a fluid, equipped with an inlet/outlet port for the filling fluid, filling and draining means being able to be combined with the inlet/outlet port, or a combination of the latter, placed between the containment wall and the support element. 10. The container according to claim 1, wherein an elastically deformable element that is designed to assume the shape of the free upper surface of the pouch is combined with the containment wall. 11. The container according to claim 1, wherein the containment wall comprises one or more holes, cutouts or pipe passages, connections or pipes or the like that are functionally combined with or designed to be functionally combined with the pouch. 12. Process for using a container according to claim 1, comprising: providing an empty flexible pouch is provided;placing the empty flexible pouch in the housing of the container in such a way that it can be deployed in the latter;filling the pouch through an opening to introduce therein a certain quantity of biopharmaceutical fluid, with the pouch thus being at least partially deployed, its side wall being contained by the side wall of the container, and then the opening of the thus filled pouch is closed;at any time and regardless of how full the pouch is, the containment means, whose holding means are in the inactive retracted state, are brought transversely into the housing of the container, until the containment wall comes against the free transverse upper surface of the pouch and is applied on the free transverse upper surface of the pouch with a certain axial force;in this situation, the holding means are switched from the inactive retracted state to the active expanded state, and thus the distal end part is locked on the inner surface of the side wall opposite, at any corresponding location of the continuous zone. 13. The process according to claim 12, wherein means for relative movement of the containment wall with respect to the support element are provided, wherein when the containment means are brought into the housing of the container and when the holding means are switched from the inactive retracted state to the active expanded state, the means for relative movement of the containment wall with respect to the flat element are in a retracted state. 14. The process according to claim 12, wherein means for relative movement of the containment wall with respect to the support element are provided, wherein to drain the pouch, the means for relative movement of the containment wall with respect to the support element are switched from the retracted state to the expanded state. 15. The process according to claim 13, wherein means for relative movement of the containment wall with respect to the support element are provided, wherein to drain the pouch, the means for relative movement of the containment wall with respect to the support element are switched from the retracted state to the expanded state. 16. Containment means that comprise a containment wall, with the containment wall being able to be placed transversely in the housing and having dimensions such that a transverse gap between an outside peripheral free edge of the containment wall and an inner surface of an erected side peripheral axial wall facing opposite the outside peripheral free edge is limited,with the containment wall being able to be applied with a certain axial force against a free upper surface of an upper transverse wall of a pouch and to be held fixed in this position by holding means in an active state,holding means that, in the active state, are applicable on the inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial wall so as to hold fixed in position the containment wall that is applied with said certain axial force against the free upper surface of the pouch,wherein the holding means, arranged transversely in the container and borne by the containment means, of which they are structurally and functionally part, are movable or deformable in the transverse direction between: an inactive retracted state in which a distal end part of these holding means is separated from the inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial wall facing opposite said distal end part, andan active expanded state in which said distal end part is applied against said inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial wall, in such a way that in the active state of the holding means and of their distal end part, the containment wall is held fixed in position with respect to the walls of the container,and the holding means are able to be applied to any desired location of a continuous zone of the inner surface of the erected side peripheral axial wall, extended in axial direction, in such a way that the containment wall can be placed in a housing at a desired distance from a lower transverse wall or from an upper transverse opening, to be able to be applied and held with a certain axial force against the free transverse upper surface of the pouch regardless of how full the latter is,wherein the containment means comprise—in a lower area—the containment wall and—in an upper area—a support element extended transversely, placed perpendicular to the containment wall, with holding means being borne by said support element, means for rigid connection and transmission of forces being interposed between and combined with the containment wall and the support element, and being able to ensure a rigid connection for transmission of said certain force between the containment wall and the support element,wherein the means for rigid connection and transmission of forces are deformable between two end states, a retracted state and an expanded state, in which, respectively, the containment wall is brought closer to and moved farther from the holding means borne by said support element, with maneuvering means being provided and able to switch the means for rigid connection and transmission of forces between their two end states, whereby these maneuvering means constitute means for relative movement of the containment wall with respect to the support element.