Medical injection system

• US 20060030816A1
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boris Zubry
• Original Assignee: Boris Zubry
• Inventors: Zubry, Boris
• Granted Patent: US 7,255,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2437 by clamping means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31518 designed to reduce the overall size of an injection device, e.g. using flexible or pivotally connected chain-like rod members
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31511 Piston or piston-rod constructions, e.g. connection of piston with piston-rod A61M5/5066 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus is described for the storage and transfer of medical material. In one aspect of the invention a syringe having rodless piston magnetically couples to an actuator that is positioned along the syringe independent of the rodless piston. Another aspect contemplates using medical material in a cartridge that is used to store like an ampoule and transfer like a syringe.

Claims

1. A syringe comprising:

walls forming a cylindrical chamber;

a transfer device connected to at least one of said walls;

a piston operating in said cylindrical chamber to transfer material between said transfer device and said cylindrical chamber;

an actuator magnetically coupled to said piston through at least one of said walls; and

said actuator being located in a position on said syringe independent of a position of said piston.

2. The syringe of claim 1 wherein magnetically coupling said actuator to said piston includes:

a magnet assembly operating about at least one of said walls producing a magnet field to operate said piston;

an actuator drive train responsively connecting said actuator to said magnet assembly; and

said magnet assembly includes natural magnets.

3. The syringe of claim 1 wherein said actuator is an switch and magnetically coupling said actuator to said piston includes:

a magnet assembly operating about at least one of said walls producing a magnet field to operate said piston; and

an actuator drive circuit responsively connecting said actuator electrically to said magnet assembly.

4. The syringe of claim 3 wherein said magnet assembly includes electro-magnets.

5. The syringe of claim 1 wherein said syringe includes a handgrip and said actuator is trigger operatively positioned proximate to said handgrip.

6. The syringe of claim 1 wherein said walls form a main body of said syringe.

7. The syringe of claim 1 wherein said walls form a cartridge having said piston and removable from said syringe and said syringe including a housing connected said transfer device and actuator and a cartridge nest for receiving said cartridge.

8. A medical material storage and delivery cartridge comprising:

a casing forming a cylindrical chamber having at least one opening;

a stopper positioned in a sealing engagement to said casing to block the at least one opening and penetrable by a transfer device; and

a piston operating in said cylindrical chamber such that when said cartridge is connected to the transfer device, said piston transfers material between said transfer device and said cylindrical chamber.

9. The cartridge of claim 8 including a removable portion of said casing that when removed creates a second opening positioned relative to said piston and said stopper to permit air transfer through said casing when said piston moves between said stopper and said second opening.

10. The cartridge of claim 8 including:

a second opening in said casing positioned relative to said piston and said stopper to permit air transfer through said casing when said piston moves between said stopper and said second opening; and

a removable cap sealingly engaged to said casing to cover said second opening.

11. The cartridge of claim 10 including a membrane in said second opening operating to limit the transfer of air through said casing.

12. The cartridge of claim 11 wherein said membrane limits the direction of the transfer of air.

13. The cartridge of claim 12 wherein said membrane is a bellows valve.

14. The cartridge of claim 11 wherein membrane limits the limits the transfer of air by a chemical composition.

15. The cartridge of claim 8 wherein said piston is a magnet.

16. The cartridge of claim 8 wherein said piston is coated with a layer inert to said medical material.

17. The cartridge of claim 8 wherein said piston is magnetically responsive to operate without a mechanical linkage to a piston rod.

18. The cartridge of claim 9 wherein said piston is magnetically responsive to operate without a mechanical linkage to a piston rod.

19. The cartridge of claim 10 wherein said piston is magnetically responsive to operate without a mechanical linkage to a piston rod.

20. The cartridge of claim 17 forming a syringe assembly in combination with a delivery device comprising:

a cartridge nest to hold said cartridge;

a transfer interface positioned along said cartridge nest proximate to where said stopper is held to position a transfer device in penetrating engagement with said stopper;

a guard having a tensioning member and positioned along said cartridge nest to securely hold said cartridge in said nest;

a magnet assembly operating along said cartridge nest to create a movable magnetic field through said casing to move said piston; and

an actuator responsively coupled to said magnet assembly to move said piston through said chamber.

21. The syringe assembly of claim 20 wherein:

said cartridge includes cartridges of different sizes;

said guard is adjustable to adapt said cartridge nest to the different sizes of said cartridges.

22. The cartridge of claim 18 forming a syringe assembly in combination with a delivery device comprising:

a cartridge nest to hold said cartridge;

a transfer interface positioned along said cartridge nest proximate to where said stopper is held to position a transfer device in penetrating engagement with said stopper;

a guard having a tensioning member and positioned along said cartridge nest to securely hold said cartridge in said nest;

said guard having an edge that operates upon insertion of said cartridge into said nest to remove said removable portion of said casing;

a magnet assembly operating along said cartridge nest to create a movable magnetic field through said casing to move said piston; and

an actuator responsively coupled to said magnet assembly to move said piston through said chamber.

23. A method for storing and dispensing medical material comprising the steps of:

providing a cartridge including a casing forming a cylindrical chamber having at least one opening;

a stopper positioned in a sealing engagement to said casing to block the at least one opening and penetrable by a transfer device; and

a rodless piston;

inserting a medical material into said cartridge;

storing said medical material in said cartridge;

dispensing said medical material from said cartridge to a living body by operating said rodless piston in said cylindrical chamber such that when said cartridge is connected to the transfer device, said rodless piston transfers material through said transfer device from said cylindrical chamber to the living body.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said dispensing step includes the step of attaching said cartridge to a delivery device.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said dispensing step includes the step of moving said rodless piston to operate in said chamber by a magnetic coupling to an actuator.

26. The method of claim 23 includes, before said dispensing step, the step of creating a second opening in said cartridge.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein said providing step is providing a set of cartridges wherein each cartridge within the set has a chamber with a different medical material capacity.

28. The method of claim 23 further including:

wherein said transporting step and said storing step are order independent;

before said dispensing step, the step of creating a second opening in said cartridge;

wherein said dispensing step includes the step of attaching said cartridge to a delivery device; and

wherein said dispensing step includes the step of moving said rodless piston to operate in said chamber by a magnetic coupling to an actuator of said delivery device.