CONNECTOR, SYRINGE ASSEMBLY, AND CONNECTOR FOR MIXING

• US 20130296822A1
• Filed: 07/12/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 8,986,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/413
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/16 Holders for containers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/201 having one piercing end
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2013 having two piercing ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2055 having gripping means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2058 having multiple connecting ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2065 having aligning and guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2096 Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents

Abstract

A connector is configured to be connected to a syringe assembly provided with at least one syringe having an outer cylinder with a protruding tube-shaped port, and a holder which holds the syringe. The connector includes a connector main body mountable on a container containing a medical solution; a tube-shaped fitting section protruding from the upper section of the connector main body for receiving the syringe to connect the inside of the syringe and the inside of the container when the syringe port is fitted in the fitting section; and fixing means having a lock mechanism that fixes the syringe assembly to the connector main body when the syringe port is fitted in the fitting section, an operating section to release the fixed state provided by the lock mechanism, and a push-out section that pushes out the syringe assembly when the fixing releasing operation is performed.

Claims

1. A mixing connector connectable to a medicine container, which contains medicine and which is positioned in a first port of a holder, and a liquid container, which contains liquid different from the medicine and which is positioned in a second port of the holder possessing a configuration different from the configuration of the first port, the mixing connector comprising:

a support section;

a double-pointed needle supported in the support section and extending over a longitudinal extent, the double-pointed needle including a first portion projecting away from the support section in a first projecting direction and terminating at a sharpened end for puncturing a stopper in the medicine container, the double-pointed needle including a second portion projecting away from the support section in a second projecting direction and terminating at a sharpened end for puncturing a stopper in the liquid container, the double-pointed needle possessing a lumen extending throughout the longitudinal extent of the double-pointed needle and opening to both the first sharpened end and the second sharpened end of the double-pointed needle;

a first tube-shaped section fixed to the support section and projecting away from the support section in the first projecting direction, the first tube-shaped section possessing an inner peripheral surface and the first portion of the double-pointed needle possessing an outer peripheral surface, the first tube-shaped section surrounding the first portion of the double-pointed needle so that a space exists between the outer peripheral surface of the first portion of the double-pointed needle and the inner peripheral surface of the first tube-shaped section;

a second tube-shaped section fixed to the support section and projecting away from the support section in the second projecting direction, the second tube-shaped section possessing an inner peripheral surface and the second portion of the double-pointed needle possessing an outer peripheral surface, the second tube-shaped section surrounding the second portion of the double-pointed needle so that a space exists between the outer peripheral surface of the second portion of the double-pointed needle and the inner peripheral surface of the second tube-shaped section;

the first tube-shaped section and the second tube-shaped section each possessing an outer periphery, the outer periphery of the first tube-shaped section and the second tube-shaped section being differently shaped;

the shape of the outer periphery of the first tube-shaped section permitting the first tube-shaped section to be positioned in the first port of the holder and preventing the first tube-shaped section from being positioned in the second port of the holder; and

the shape of the outer periphery of the second tube-shaped section permitting the second tube-shaped section to be positioned in the second port of the holder and preventing the second tube-shaped section from being positioned in the first port of the holder.

2. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a removable first cap covering an open end of the first tube-shaped section to enclose an interior of the first tube-shaped section in which the first portion of the double-pointed needle is located, and a removable second cap covering an open end of the second tube-shaped section to enclose an interior of the second tube-shaped section in which the second portion of the double-pointed needle is located.

3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the double-pointed needle is a first double-pointed needle, and further comprising:

a second double-pointed needle supported in the support section and extending over a longitudinal extent, the second double-pointed needle including a first portion projecting away from the support section in the first projecting direction and terminating at a sharpened end, the second double-pointed needle including a second portion projecting away from the support section in the second projecting direction and terminating at a sharpened end, the second double-pointed needle possessing a lumen extending throughout the longitudinal extent of the second double-pointed needle and opening to both the first sharpened end and the second sharpened end of the second double-pointed needle;

the first and second portions of the second double-pointed needle possessing an outer peripheral surface;

the first tube-shaped section surrounding the first portion of the second double-pointed needle so that a space exists between the outer peripheral surface of the first portion of the second double-pointed needle and the inner peripheral surface of the first tube-shaped section;

the second tube-shaped section surrounding the second portion of the second double-pointed needle so that a space exists between the outer peripheral surface of the second portion of the second double-pointed needle and the inner peripheral surface of the second tube-shaped section.

4. A syringe assembly in combination with a connector,

the syringe assembly comprising:

a syringe that includes a plunger slidably positioned in an outer cylinder, a tube-shaped port protruding from a leading end of the outer cylinder, and a holder fixed to the syringe, the holder including an engagement portion;

the connector comprising;

a connector main body configured to be mounted on a medical solution container containing a medical solution;

a needle pipe projecting in a first projecting direction from the connector main body, the needle pipe possessing a sharp needle point at its end remote from the connector main body, the needle pipe including a lumen opening to the sharp needle point;

a tube-shaped fitting protruding from the connector main body in a second projecting direction opposite the first projecting direction, the tube-shaped fitting possessing an interior sized and shaped to receive the tube-shaped port of the syringe, the interior of the tube-shaped fitting communicating with the lumen of the needle pipe;

an arm rotatably mounted on the connector main body to engage the engagement portion of the holder to fix the syringe assembly in place relative to the connector with the tube-shaped port of the syringe positioned in the tube-shaped fitting of the connector; and

a holding device connected to the arm to hold the arm in engagement with the engagement portion of the holder and to permit the arm to be moved out of engagement with the engagement portion of the holder to permit the syringe assembly to be released from the connector.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein the arm is a first arm rotatably mounted on the connector main body to rotate about a first pivot axis, and including a second arm rotatably mounted on the connector main body to rotate about a second pivot axis spaced from the first pivot axis, the engagement portion of the holder being a first groove engaged by the first arm, the holder including a second groove engaged by the second arm.

6. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the syringe is a first syringe, the outer cylinder is a first outer cylinder, the plunger is a first plunger, the tube-shaped fitting is a first tube-shaped fitting, and the needle pipe is a first needle pipe;

the syringe assembly comprising;

a second syringe, the second syringe including a second plunger slidably positioned in a second outer cylinder, a second tube-shaped port protruding from a leading end of the second outer cylinder, and the holder fixing the first and second syringes in place relative to each other;

the connector comprising;

a second needle pipe projecting from the connector main body parallel to the first needle pipe, the second needle pipe possessing a sharp needle point at its end remote from the connector main body, the second needle pipe including a lumen opening to the sharp needle point of the second needle pipe;

a second tube-shaped fitting protruding from the connector main body parallel to the first tube-shaped fitting, the second tube-shaped fitting possessing an interior sized and shaped to receive the second tube-shaped port of the syringe, the interior of the second tube-shaped fitting communicating with the lumen of the second needle pipe.

7. The combination according to claim 6, wherein the syringe assembly includes a movable coupler connected to both the first and second plungers, the coupler being movable relative to the holder and the first and second outer cylinders to move the first and second plungers simultaneously.

8. The combination according to claim 4, wherein holding device is a spring connected to the first arm.