Syringe Mount for a Medical Fluid Injector

• US 20080132839A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liebel-Flarsheim Company (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Original Assignee: Mallinckrodt Incorporated (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Inventors: Strobl, Geoffrey S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,454,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• 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 5/32 Needles; Details of needles pertaining to their connection with syringe or hub infusion needles A61M5/158; Accessories for bringing the needle into, or holding the needle on, the body A61M5/42, A61M5/46 take precedence; guide needles for catheters A61M25/065; Devices for protection of needles apparatus specially adapted for cleaning or sterilising needles A61M5/001

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a syringe mount of the invention may include a plate, an actuator, and one or more movable members located between the plate and the actuator. Each of the plate and the actuator may have an orifice defined therein, and an imaginary reference axis of the syringe mount may extend through one or both of these orifices. The actuator may be movable relative to the plate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the reference axis. Further, the moveable member(s) may be designed to move (e.g., pivot) toward the reference axis due to movement of the actuator from a first position to a second position and to move (e.g., pivot) away from the reference axis due to movement of the actuator from the second position to the first position.

Claims

1. A syringe mount for connecting a syringe to a medical fluid injector, the syringe mount comprising:

a movable actuator that comprises a wall member having a distally facing wall surface and a proximally facing wall surface, the wall member having an orifice defined therein; and

a first movable member operatively coupled to the actuator and confronting the distally facing wall surface of the actuator.

2. The syringe mount of claim 1, wherein the wall member comprises a first undulating contour on a peripheral side surface thereof.

3. The syringe mount of claim 2, wherein the peripheral side surface of the wall member comprises a second undulating contour located substantially opposite the first undulating contour.

4. The syringe mount of any of claims 1-3, wherein the first movable member is pivotable relative to the actuator.

5. The syringe mount of any of claims 1-4, wherein the first movable member comprises an arcuate surface.

6. The syringe mount of any of claims 1-5, wherein a slot is defined in the wall member of the actuator.

7. The syringe mount of claim 5, further comprising a first pin coupled to the first movable member, wherein the first pin is located within the slot.

8. The syringe mount of any of claims 1-7, further comprising a coupling plate, the coupling plate disposed distally of the first movable member such that the first movable member is disposed between the movable actuator and the coupling plate.

9. The syringe mount of claim 8, wherein the coupling plate comprises a first pivot shaft projecting therefrom, wherein the first movable member has a first aperture defined therein, and wherein the first pivot shaft is located within the first aperture.

10. The syringe mount of claim 1, further comprising a second movable member operatively coupled to the actuator and confronting the distally facing wall surface of the actuator.

11. The syringe mount of claim 10, wherein the first and second movable members are pivotable relative to the actuator.

12. The syringe mount of claim 10 or 11, wherein the first and second movable members each comprise an arcuate surface.

13. The syringe mount of any of claims 10-12, wherein a slot is defined in the wall member of the actuator.

14. The syringe mount of claim 13, further comprising a first pin coupled to the first movable member and a second pin coupled to the second movable member, wherein the first and second pins are located within the slot.

15. The syringe mount of any of claims 11-14, further comprising a coupling plate, the coupling plate disposed distally of the first and second movable members such that the first and second movable member are disposed between the movable actuator and the coupling plate.

16. The syringe mount of claim 15, wherein the coupling plate comprises a first and second pivot shafts projecting therefrom, wherein the first movable member has a first aperture defined therein, and the second movable member has a second aperture defined therein, and wherein the first pivot shaft is located in the first aperture, and the second pivot shaft is located in the second aperture.

17. A medical fluid injector comprising:

a housing;

a drive ram at least partially disposed within the housing and movable along a longitudinal axis of the drive ram; and

the syringe mount of any preceding claim.

18. The injector of claim 17, wherein the housing comprises first and second projections that confront and contact the wall member of the syringe mount.

19. The injector of claim 18, wherein the first and second projections are spring-biased toward the wall member of the syringe mount.

20. The injector of any of claims 17-19, wherein the drive ram comprises a plunger coupling element disposed at a forward end thereof.

21. The injector of claim 20, wherein the plunger coupling element comprises a slot defined in the drive ram.

22. The injector of any of claims 17-21, further comprising a syringe operatively coupled to the syringe mount, the syringe comprising a body defining an interior cavity and a plunger disposed therein.

23. The injector of claim 22, wherein the body of the syringe comprises a flange at a rearward end thereof that extends radially outward from the body, wherein the flange contacts a peripheral side surface of the wall member that defines the orifice in the wall member.

24. The injector of claim 22-23, wherein the first movable member includes a contact surface that is engaged with the body of the syringe.

25. The injector of any of claims 22-24, further comprising a projection on a rearward face of the syringe plunger.

26. The injector of claim 25, wherein the projection is in receiving engagement with the drive ram.

27. A method of using a syringe mount of a medical fluid injector, the method comprising:

inserting a syringe into an orifice defined in a first component of the syringe mount;

moving the first component in a first direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the syringe while the syringe is located within the orifice; and

moving a second component of the syringe mount toward the longitudinal axis of the syringe due to the moving of the first component.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the moving of the second component comprises moving opposing first and second portions of the second component toward the longitudinal axis of the syringe, wherein the longitudinal axis is located between the first and second portions prior to and after the moving of the second component.

29. The method of claim 27 or 28, wherein the second component of the syringe contacts the syringe as a result of the moving of the second component.

30. The method of any of claims 27-29, further comprising inserting the syringe into an orifice defined in a third component of the syringe mount.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the moving of the first component comprises moving the first component relative to the third component.

32. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the moving of the second component comprises moving the second component relative to the third component.

33. The method of any of claims 30-32, wherein the syringe is disposed within the orifices of the first and third components during the moving of the first component.

34. The method of any of claims 27-33, further comprising a user of the syringe mount exerting a force on the syringe while the syringe is located within the orifice defined in the first component, wherein the force exerted by the user comprises a force vector oriented in the first direction, and wherein the force exerted by the user causes moving of the first component.

35. A method of using a syringe mount of a medical fluid injector, the method comprising:

moving a first component of the syringe mount in a first direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of a syringe while the syringe is located within an orifice defined in the syringe mount;

moving a second component of the syringe mount away from the syringe; and

removing the syringe from the syringe mount after the moving of the first and second components.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the moving of the second component comprises moving opposing first and second portions of the second component away from the syringe, wherein the syringe is located between the first and second portions at least prior to the moving of the second component.

37. The method of claim 35 or 36, wherein the second component of the syringe breaks contact with the syringe as a result of the moving of the second component.

38. The method of any of claims 35-37, wherein the removing comprises removing the syringe from both the orifice defined in the first component and an orifice defined in a third component of the syringe mount.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the moving of the first component comprises moving the first component relative to the third component.

40. The method of claim 38 or 39, wherein the moving of the second component comprises moving the second component relative to the third component.

41. The method of any of claims 38-40, wherein the syringe is disposed within the orifices of the first and third components during the moving of the first and second components.

42. The method of any of claims 35-41, wherein a drive ram of an injector with which the syringe mount is connected is positioned within the orifice defined in the first component during the moving of the first and second components.

43. The method of any of claims 35-42, wherein the moving of at least one of the first and second components comprises disengaging the drive ram of the injector from a plunger of the syringe.

44. The method of any of claims 35-43, wherein the moving of the first component is due to the moving of the second component.

45. The method of any of claims 35-44, further comprising a user of the syringe mount exerting a force on the syringe while the syringe is located within the orifice defined in the first component, wherein the force exerted by the user comprises a force vector oriented in the first direction, and wherein the force exerted by the user causes the moving of the second component.