Auto-Injector Apparatus

• US 20140171872A1
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mylan Specialty L.P. (Pfizer Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meridian Medical Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Mathews, Colin J., Hurlstone, Chris J., Turner, Ben G., Harvey, Oliver T., Reber, Dominic C., Wilmot, John G., Mesa, Clarence M., Hill, Robert L., Stewart, James R.
• Application Number:
  US14/184,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20140171872A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/136
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14252 with needle insertion means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1585 Needle inserters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/202 cocking means, e.g. to bias the main drive spring of an injector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/206 With automatic needle insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8287 operated by an external magnetic or electromagnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/002 Packages specially adapted therefor, e.g. for syringes or needles, kits for diabetics needle protection, e.g. caps, A61M5/3202; for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/145 using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/148 flexible, e.g. independent bagsA61M5/155 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1483 using flexible bags externally pressurised by fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/152 pressurised by contraction of elastic reservoirs containers for dispensing contents by contraction of an elastic bag provided therein, in general B65D83/0061
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/158 Needles for infusions; Accessories therefor, e.g. for inserting infusion needles, or for holding them on the body
• 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 5/2425 by compression of deformable ampoule or carpule wall
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2459 upon internal pressure increase, e.g. pierced or burst A61M5/2429 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31 Details
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3202 Devices for protection of the needle before use, e.g. caps A61M5/50 takes precedence; for infusion spikes A61M5/1626; protectors for sharps A61B50/3001
• 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: A61M 5/34 Constructions for connecting the needle , e.g. to syringe nozzle or needle hub connecting catheter tubes to hubs A61M25/0014

Abstract

An auto-injector apparatus includes a flexible container containing a liquid medicant, a needle communicated with a container, a housing with a container being received in the housing, a pump disposed in the housing and positioned to engage the flexible container and expel the medicant from the container through the needle upon relative movement between the pump and the container, and a main drive spring operably associated with the needle to extend the needle from a first needle position wherein the needle is completely received in the housing to a second needle position wherein the needle protrudes from the housing. The pump may be a roller.

Claims

1. An auto-injector apparatus, comprising:

a flexible container containing a liquid medicament;

a needle communicated with the container;

a housing comprising a housing body and an opening and a housing lid movably attached to the housing body, the lid being moveable between a closed position closing the opening and an open position wherein the opening is accessible, the container being received in the housing;

a pump disposed in the housing and positioned to engage the flexible container and expel the medicant from the container through the needle upon relative movement between the pump and the container;

and a main drive spring operably associated with the needle to extend the needle from a first needle position wherein the needle is completely received in the housing to a second needle position wherein the needle protrudes from the housing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a cocking linkage connecting the lid to the main drive spring and the retraction spring so that opening of the lid extends the main drive spring and the retraction spring.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the flexible container and the needle are connected together as part of a replaceable cartridge assembly replaceably received in the housing; and

the pump and the main drive spring are connected to the housing for multiple use with sequential replaceable cartridge assemblies.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the housing having a transparent window therein through which the flexible container is visible; and

an opaque secondary container in which the housing is sealed.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

the housing having a transparent window therein through which the flexible container can be viewed; and

a pull strip movable between a first position blocking the transparent window and a second position wherein the transparent window is unblocked so that the flexible container can be viewed prior to use.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pump comprises an inflatable balloon.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pump comprises a pair of magnets on opposite sides of the flexible container.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pump comprises an electro-magnet and a magnetically attracted mass on opposite sides of the flexible container.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pump comprises a source of fluid pressure communicated with the interior of the flexible container.

10. An auto-injector apparatus, comprising:

a housing having a proximal end and a distal end, the housing having a housing body and an opening and a housing lid movably attached to the housing body, the lid being moveable between a closed position closing the opening and an open position wherein the opening is accessible,

a container carriage reciprocably disposed in the housing, the container carriage including a cavity adapted to receive a medicant container, the container carriage being movable within the housing between first and second carriage positions;

a roller disposed in the housing and positioned to roll proximally through the cavity of the container carriage to expel medicant from the container;

and a main drive spring operably associated with the carriage to move the carriage proximally from its first position to its second position.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a cocking linkage connecting the lid to the main drive spring and the retraction spring so that opening of the lid extends the main drive spring and the retraction spring.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the roller comprises an integral coil of the coiled spring strip.

13. An auto-injector apparatus, comprising:

a flexible container containing a liquid medicant;

a needle communicated with the container;

a roller positioned to engage the flexible container and expel the medicant from the container upon relative movement in a displacement direction between the roller and the container, the roller having a rotational axis transverse to the displacement direction; and

wherein the flexible container has a width transverse to the displacement direction, the width varying along the displacement direction.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a main drive operably associated with the roller to move the roller relative to the container from a first engagement position relative to the container to a second engagement position relative to the container.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the width of the container at the second engagement position is greater than the width of the container at the first engagement position, so that a speed of injection of medicant increases during relative movement between the first and second engagement position.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the width of the container continuously increases from the first engagement position to the second engagement position.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the width of the container at the second engagement position is less than the width of the container at the first engagement position, so that a speed of injection of medicant decreases during relative movement between the first and second engagement positions.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the width of the container continuously decreases from the first engagement position to the second engagement position.