Administering apparatus comprising a service life timer

• US 20060153693A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TecPharma Licensing AG (Ypsomed Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: TecPharma Licensing AG (Ypsomed Holding AG)
• Inventors: Wittwer, Martin, Widmer, Urs, Kohlbrenner, Philippe, Schuler, Thomas, Fiechter, Patrick, Meier, Christof
• Application Number:
  US11/316,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20060153693A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/63
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/202 cocking means, e.g. to bias the main drive spring of an injector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3125 specific display means, e.g. to indicate dose setting
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3126 Specific display means related to dosing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3142 Modular constructions, e.g. supplied in separate pieces to be assembled by end-user
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3247 Means to impede repositioning of protection sleeve from needle covering to needle uncovering position
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/20 Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically A61M5/142 , A61M5/46 take precedence; hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54
• 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 5/31535 Means improving security or handling thereof, e.g. blocking means, means preventing insufficient dosing, means allowing correction of overset dose
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31536 Blocking means to immobilize a selected dose, e.g. to administer equal doses
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31543 piston rod reset means, i.e. means for causing or facilitating retraction of piston rod to its starting position during cartridge change
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31553 without axial movement of dose setting member
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31555 by purely axial movement of dose setting member, e.g. during setting or filling of a syringe
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31558 using scaling up or down transmissions, e.g. gearbox
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31561 using freely adjustable volume steps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31575 using scaling up or down transmissions, e.g. gearbox
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31583 based on rotational translation, i.e. movement of piston rod is caused by relative rotation between the user activated actuator and the piston rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31585 performed by axially moving actuator, e.g. an injection button
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31593 Multi-dose, i.e. individually set dose repeatedly administered from the same medicament reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3204 Needle cap remover, i.e. devices to dislodge protection cover from needle or needle hub, e.g. deshielding devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3245 Constructional features thereof, e.g. to improve manipulation or functioning
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3257 : Semi-automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve extension requires a deliberate action by the user, e.g. manual release of spring-biased extension means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/326 : Fully automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/106 : Responsive to pumped volume

Abstract

An administering apparatus having a service life timer is provided that includes a casing with a reservoir for a container for a product to be administered, a conveying member for the product, an adder for recording and adding a change in the state of the apparatus, and an output means connected to the adder that outputs a signal perceivable by the senses in response to recording a change in state of the apparatus.

Claims

1. An administering apparatus comprising a service life timer, said apparatus comprising:

a casing comprising a reservoir for a container for a product to be administered;

a conveying member for the product;

an adder for recording and adding a change in the state of the apparatus, wherein said adder is incremented upon administering said product; and

an output means coupled to the adder, said output means outputting a signal perceivable by the senses, in accordance with the addition result.

2. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adder records and adds the number of at least one of the following changes in state:

change of the container;

deliveries of the product; and

settings of a dosage to be administered.

3. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said service life timer comprises at least one actuator, wherein said adder records a movement or position the at least one actuator performs or assumes in the change in state to be recorded.

4. The administering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said at least one actuator comprises an operable triggering element, said triggering element performing a triggering movement which causes a delivery movement of the conveying member, and wherein said adder records the triggering movement of the triggering element.

5. The administering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said conveying member forms the at least one actuator, wherein said adder records a resetting position assumed after a resetting movement has been performed, or a delivery movement of the conveying member, or the resetting position and the delivery movement of the conveying member.

6. The administering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein one of said at least one actuator comprises an operable triggering element and another of said at least one actuator comprises a conveying member, wherein said adder records the triggering movement of the triggering element and the resetting position and delivery movement of the conveying member.

7. The administering apparatus according to 3, wherein said at least one actuator comprises an operable triggering element, wherein when a product dosage is set, said operable triggering element performs a dosing movement, and wherein said adder records the dosing movement of the triggering element.

8. The administering apparatus according claim 3, wherein one of said at least one actuator comprises an operable triggering element and another of said at least one actuator comprises a conveying member, and wherein said adder records the resetting position of the conveying member and the dosing movement of the triggering element.

9. The administering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said adder comprises a recorder and an adding input member, and wherein said at least one actuator couples the recorder to the adding input member during the change in state, such that the adding input member is moved by the recorder from an initial position to a new position.

10. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an injection apparatus or an infusion apparatus, wherein said adder comprises a reducing gear comprising a recorder, said reducing gear transferring movements of the recorder in response to changes in state onto a display structure of the output means.

11. The administering apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said reducing gear comprises a multi-staged reducing gear having at least two reducing stages, wherein said reducing gear or at least one of said reducing stages comprises a toothed wheel gear.

12. The administering apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said recorder is moved in a recording movement upon each recording of the changes in state, said movement comprising a back-and-forth recording movement, and wherein said reducing gear comprises an adding input member for rotational movement about a rotational axis (R), said recording movement of the recorder being converted into a rotational movement of the adding input member in a first gear stage.

13. The administering apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said reducing gear converts the rotational movement of the adding input member to a movement of the display structure in at least one other gear stage.

14. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an injection apparatus or an infusion apparatus, wherein said adder comprises a recorder for recording individual changes in state, said recorder performing a recording movement in each change in state.

15. The administering apparatus according claim 14, wherein said recorder comprises a contact recorder movable by means of an actuator of the apparatus by contact with the actuator, wherein the position of the actuator is altered in the change in state.

16. The administering apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said recorder is moved in a first direction and then in a second direction counter to the first direction upon each recording of the change in state.

17. The administering apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said adder comprises a recorder restoring member, wherein in each recording of the changes in state, said recorder is moved in a first direction and moved back by the recorder restoring member.

18. The administering apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said recorder restoring member counteracts the movement in the first direction with an elastic restoring force.

19. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adder comprises an adding input member, said adder moving from an initial position to a new position upon each recording of the individual changes in state, wherein said new position respectively becomes the initial position for the next recording.

20. The administering apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said recorder moves the adding input member further in an adjusting engagement upon each recording movement.

21. The administering apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said recorder and said adding input member each comprise at least one toothing in the adjusting engagement with each other, or which pass into the adjusting engagement in the recording movement.

22. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adder comprises a recorder for recording individual changes in state and an adding input member, said adding input member being coupled to the recorder, wherein upon each recording of the individual changes in state, said adding input member moves further from an initial position assumed before each recording to a new position, wherein said new position respectively becomes the initial position for the next recording.

23. The administering apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said adding input member comprises a first toothing and a second toothing, said adding input member being moved further in an adjusting engagement which the toothings alternately pass into per recording, with one counter toothing each, wherein the toothings passing into the adjusting engagement with each other exhibit an offset with respect to each other before the adjusting engagement is established, such that in the adjusting engagement, the toothings slide off on each other in pairs, forming sliding areas.

24. The administering apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said recorder forms the counter toothings, said counter toothings facing opposite each other with respect to the direction of the recording movement.

25. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adding input member is rotationally movable further about a rotational axis (R), and wherein toothings are formed about the rotational axis (R).

26. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adding input member comprises an engaging structure, said engaging structure extending over a portion of the adding input member in the direction of the movement of the adding input member, wherein said engaging structure passes into an adjusting engagement with an adding intermediate member or a display structure of the output means, in which the adding intermediate member or the display structure is moved further from an initial position to a new position, once multiple changes in state have been recorded.

27. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adder comprises an adding intermediate member comprising an input wheel, said input wheel passing into the adjusting engagement of the engaging structure.

28. The administering apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said adding intermediate member comprises an output wheel, said output wheel being rotary-driven by the input wheel and drives onto a mobile display structure of the output means.

29. The administering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said output means comprises a mobile display structure, said mobile display structure being coupled to the adding input member, such that the movement of the adding input member causes a movement of the display structure.

30. The administering apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said adder forms an inner gear with a hollow wheel formed by the display structure and an inner wheel rolling off internally on the hollow wheel upon the adder reaching a final stage.

31. An adder device for coupling to an administering apparatus for determining the status of the apparatus comprising:

an adder casing;

a recorder slidably coupled to said casing;

an adding input member rotatably coupled to said casing; and

an adding output structure coupled to said casing and said adding input member, said adding output structure outputting a status indicator perceivable by the senses;

wherein

said recorder slidably shifts in response to a change in the apparatus, said recorder engaging with said adding input member and rotatably shifting said adding input member from a first position to a second position, said display structure rotatable in response to said adding input member shifting from said first position to said second position.

32. The adder device according to claim 31, wherein said recorder comprises a restoring member for tensing said recorder in an advancing position.

33. The adder device according to claim 31, wherein said adding output structure comprises an annular disk mounted by the adder casing, said adder disk rotatable relative to a portion of said apparatus.

34. The adder device according to claim 31, wherein said recorder is secured against rotating by said adder casing.

35. The adder device according to claim 31, wherein said adder casing further comprises a rotational guide for guiding said adding input member.

36. The adder device according to claim 31, wherein said adding input member comprises a ring with one or more sets of toothings.

37. The adder device according to claim 36, wherein said recorder comprises one or more toothings situated opposite said one or more sets of adding input member toothings.

38. The adder device according to claim 37, wherein said recorder slides in a recording motion and the one or more toothings of said recorder passes into a toothed engagement with said one or more sets of adding input member toothings, said adding input member rotating from said first position to said second position in response to said recorder recording motion.

39. The adder device according to claim 31, wherein said recorder is slidable in response to an apparatus container change.

40. The adder device according to claim 31, further comprising an adding intermediate member for coupling said adding input member to said adding output structure.

41. The adder device according to claim 31, wherein said adder is mounted to said apparatus, such that said adder casing is connected to a triggering element of said apparatus.