Frontloaded injection device

• US 20040108339A1
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Original Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Inventors: Larsen, Andre, Hansen, Michael Ejstrup, Enggaard, Christian Peter, Moller, Claus Schmidt
• Granted Patent: US 7,175,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/326
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2411 from the front
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14546 Front-loading type injectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/24 Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or carpules, e.g. automatic ampoules or carpules A61J1/06

Abstract

A frontloaded injection device comprising a cartridge holder into which a replaceable cartridge containing a fluid is inserted. The cartridge holder comprises a closing element such as a pair of claws which are displaceable in a radial direction. The closing element is provided at the front of the injection device and locks the cartridge by gripping at the neck part of the cartridge after the cartridge has been loaded into the cartridge holder from the front of the injection device. The closing element is preferably biased in an outwardly radial direction when the locking element is moved axially out of the cartridge holder.

Claims

1. An injection device comprising a cartridge holder and a dose setting and injection part by which set doses can be apportioned from a cartridge in the cartridge holder as a piston rod is successively moved into a first end of said cartridge to press a piston closing said first end of the cartridge into the cartridge which has a second end closed by a membrane, whereby a liquid stored between the piston and the membrane can be pressed out through a hollow needle which is mounted on the device so that it pierces said membrane, access to the cartridge holder being obtained by opening a first end thereof through which the first end of the cartridge can be inserted with its piston facing the piston rod which extends into the cartridge holder from a second end thereof characterized in that, at least one closing element is provided at the first end of the cartridge holder which closing element in its closed position forms a support for the second end of a cartridge to bar for an axial movement of the cartridge out of the cartridge holder and which closing element is displaceable in a radial direction relative to the cartridge holder so that said closing element can be moved to a position allowing a cartridge to pass axially into or out of the cartridge holder.

2. An injection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cartridge holder is provided with at least one axial element which has at its end at the second end of the cartridge holder an inward protrusion perpendicular to said axial element, which protrusions form the closure of the cartridge holder and may be moved in a radial direction relative to the cartridge holder by deflecting the end of the element carrying said inward protrusion away from its axial position and the cartridge holder.

3. An injection device according to claim 2, characterized in that the closure at the second end of the cartridge holder is formed of by number of axial elements each having an inward protrusion perpendicular to the respective axial element.

4. An injection device according to claim 3, characterized in that the said axial elements are biased to be deflected outwardly and are held in an axial position by an encompassing cartridge holder having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the arrangement of the axial elements when these are in their axial position, and that the axial elements is designed to be moved axially out of the cartridge holder to be deflected outward by their bios.

5. An injection device according to claim 4, characterized in that the closing mechanism comprises a ring which is mounted on the device and can be rotated between to rotational positions, the ring having pins extending through slots in the cartridge holder and into tracks in a tubular element on which the longitudinal elements are arranged, the tracks being helically designed so that the tubular element is displaced in an axial direction when the ring is rotated from one rotational position to the other.

6. An injection device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one closing element is mounted at a front end of the cartridge holder axially displaceable relative to said cartridge holder.