Auto-Injector

• US 20080147006A1
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shl Medical AG
• Original Assignee: SHL Medical AB (SHL Group AB)
• Inventors: Brunnberg, Lennart, Wikner, Jakob
• Granted Patent: US 8,062,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/136
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2013 triggering of discharging means by contact of injector with patient body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/206 With automatic needle insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2073 preventing premature release, e.g. by making use of a safety lock
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3247 Means to impede repositioning of protection sleeve from needle covering to needle uncovering position
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2033 Spring-loaded one-shot injectors with or without automatic needle insertion multishot dosing syringes A61M5/31525, needle insertion only A61M5/3287
• 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 5/321 Means for protection against accidental injuries by used needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3271 with guiding tracks for controlled sliding of needle protective sleeve from needle exposing to needle covering position
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3287 Accessories for bringing the needle into the body; Automatic needle insertion A61M5/20, A61M5/31525 take precedence

Abstract

A device for delivering a dose of medicament includes a generally elongated housing, a container containing medicament to be injected through a needle, a force device acting on the container and capable of, upon activation, moving the container and the needle for penetration and subsequently expelling medicament through the needle, and an activating device arranged to activate the force means. The activating device includes a needle shield slidably arranged in relation to the housing, which upon movement releases the force device, and a release device arranged in the front, injecting, area of the device, which, when in a non-activated state prevents the needle shield from sliding, thereby preventing activation, and when activated, enables sliding of the needle shield and thereby activation of the device. The release device is arranged on the device such that it promotes an ergonomic grip of the device for its activation.

Claims

1. A device for delivering a dose of medicament, comprising a generally elongated housing, a container containing medicament to be injected through a needle, force means acting on the container and capable of, upon activation, moving the container and the needle for penetration and subsequently expelling medicament through the needle, and activating means arranged to activate the force means, wherein the activating means comprises a needle shield slidably arranged in relation to the housing, which upon movement releases the force means, and release means arranged in a front, injecting, area of the device, which, when in a non-activated state prevents the needle shield from sliding, thereby preventing activation, and when activated, enables sliding of the needle shield and thereby activation of the device, and the release means is arranged on the device such that it promotes an ergonomic grip of the device for its activation.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the release means comprises at least one button to be activated in order to enable movement of the needle shield.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the release means comprises two buttons arranged such that it guides a user to hold the device like a pen for activation.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the button(s) is/are push buttons or sliding buttons.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the button(s) is/are push buttons or sliding buttons.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the release means is arranged as a sleeve slidable in relation to the housing.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the sleeve is slidable in a forward direction from a non-activated state to an activated state, thereby enabling sliding of the needle shield.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the release means comprises a deformable front end of the housing, which, when pressed radially by a user, expands radially from an interlocking position with the needle shield to a release position.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the force means comprises a plunger rod and a compression spring acting on the plunger rod, which acts on a stopper arranged in the container.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the activating means comprises flexible locking means arranged to hold the plunger rod with the compression spring in a tensioned state, which flexible locking means are released when the needle shield is moved a certain distance, releasing the plunger rod.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the activating means comprises stop ledges co-acting with ledges on the plunger rod to hold the plunger rod with the compression spring in a tensioned state, which stop ledges are arranged on a rotatable component and means arranged on the needle shield capable of rotating the rotatable component when the needle shield is moved a certain distance, rotating the stop ledges out of contact with the ledges on the plunger rod, releasing the plunger rod.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the needle shield is arranged with protrusions co-acting with inclined ridges on the rotatable component causing the rotatable component to rotate when the needle shield is moved.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising means for pushing the needle shield to an extended position covering the needle when the device is withdrawn from an injection site, and means for locking the needle shield in the extended position.