INTERLOCK MECHANISM FOR A DRUG DELIVERY DEVICE AND DRUG DELIVERY DEVICE

• US 20120041364A1
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH (Sanofi )
• Original Assignee: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH (Sanofi )
• Inventors: Smith, Chrisopher James
• Granted Patent: US 8,911,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/68
• 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 5/31591 Single dose, i.e. individually set dose administered only once from the same medicament reservoir, e.g. including single stroke limiting means

Abstract

The invention refers to an interlock mechanism for restricting a rotational movement of a rotatable component (1) of a drug delivery device (10) and to a method for controlling the rotational movement of the rotatable component (1). The method comprises the steps of:

• • translatively moving a trigger arm (6) engaged with a protrusion (7) of a latch arm (5) from an initial position for pivoting the latch arm (5) out of one of at least one catches (3) provided in a cam profile of the rotatable component (1) thus allowing the rotatable component (1), biased by an energy source, to rotate;
  • pivoting the trigger arm (5) by one of at least one cams (4) provided in the cam profile during the rotation (R) of the rotatable component (1) whereby the trigger arm (6) is disengaged from the protrusion (7) thus allowing the latch arm (5) to re-engage with one of the catches (3) to stop the rotational movement (R) and whereby an interlock means (8) catches and holds the trigger arm (6) in its translatively moved and pivoted position until the interlock means (8) is released by a reset means;
  • translatively moving the trigger arm (6) back into the initial position once the interlock means (8) is released thereby allowing it to pivot back and re-engage with the protrusion (7).

Claims

1. An interlock mechanism for restricting a rotational movement (R) of a rotatable component of a drug delivery device, the interlock mechanism comprising:

a cam profile on the rotatable component, the cam profile with at least one catch and at least one cam;

a latch arm engageable with the catch for preventing rotation (R) of the rotatable component;

a trigger arm engageable with a protrusion of the latch arm for pivoting the latch arm out of the catch by translative movement (T) of the trigger arm thus allowing rotation (R) of the rotatable component, the trigger arm pivotable by the cam during the rotation (R) of the rotatable component for disengaging the trigger arm from the protrusion;

an interlocking means for catching and holding the trigger arm once the trigger arm has been translatively moved and pivoted;

reset means for releasing the trigger arm from the interlocking means.

2. The interlock mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that rotation (R) of the rotatable component causes delivery of a dose of the drug.

3. The interlock mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotatable component is biased by a spring motor.

4. The interlock mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the reset means are operated manually or by placing a safety cap on the drug delivery device or by changing a needle of a syringe contained in the drug delivery device or by contacting an injection site with the drug delivery device.

5. The interlock mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the reset means are operated by removing a safety cap from the drug delivery device.

6. A drug delivery device for administering a dose of a drug, the drug delivery device comprising a rotatable component causing delivery of the dose of drug when rotated, the drug delivery device further comprising an interlock mechanism according to claim 1 for restricting the rotation (R) of the rotatable component.

7. The drug delivery device according to claim 6, characterized in that multiple doses are administrable by a respective rotation (R) for each dose.

8. The drug delivery device according to claim 6, characterized in that the dose is equal to at least almost a total volume of the drug in a syringe contained in the drug delivery device.

9. The drug delivery device according to claim 6, characterized in that a needle or a jet nozzle is provided for delivering the drug.

10. A method for controlling a rotational movement (R) of a rotatable component of a drug delivery device by an interlock mechanism, the method comprising the steps of:

translatively moving a trigger arm engaged with a protrusion of a latch arm from an initial position for pivoting the latch arm out of one of at least one catches provided in a cam profile of the rotatable component thus allowing the rotatable component, biased by an energy source, to rotate;

pivoting the trigger arm by one of at least one cams provided in the cam profile during the rotation (R) of the rotatable component whereby the trigger arm is disengaged from the protrusion thus allowing the latch arm to re-engage with one of the catches to stop the rotational movement (R) and whereby an interlock means catches and holds the trigger arm in its translatively moved and pivoted position until the interlock means released by a reset means;

translatively moving the trigger arm back into the initial position once the interlock means is released thereby allowing it to pivot back and re-engage with the protrusion.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the rotatable component is biased by a spring motor.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the reset means are operated manually or by placing a safety cap on the drug delivery device or by changing a needle of a syringe contained in the drug delivery device or by contacting an injection site with the drug delivery device.

13. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the reset means are operated by removing a safety cap from the drug delivery device.