PORTABLE MEDICINE INJECTION DEVICE AND ANALYTE METERING SYSTEM

• US 20150190577A1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yofimeter, LLC
• Original Assignee: Gadlight, Inc.
• Inventors: Shaanan, Gad, Goldman, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,308,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14506 mechanically driven, e.g. spring or clockwork
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2407 from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31518 designed to reduce the overall size of an injection device, e.g. using flexible or pivotally connected chain-like rod members
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6063 Optical identification systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/201 Glucose concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14244 adapted to be carried by the patient, e.g. portable on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1452 pressurised by means of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1454 spring-actuated, e.g. by a clockwork
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• 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 5/24 Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or carpules, e.g. automatic ampoules or carpules A61J1/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/28 Syringe ampoules or carpules, i.e. ampoules or carpules provided with a needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31528 by means of rotational movements, e.g. screw-thread mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31543 piston rod reset means, i.e. means for causing or facilitating retraction of piston rod to its starting position during cartridge change
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31551 including axial movement of dose setting member
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31558 : using scaling up or down transmissions, e.g. gearbox
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31561 : using freely adjustable volume steps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31575 : using scaling up or down transmissions, e.g. gearbox
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3158 : performed by axially moving actuator operated by user, e.g. an injection button
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31585 : performed by axially moving actuator, e.g. an injection button
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 : Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 : delivered via infusion or injection

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are described for setting a dose of medicine and injecting the medicine. In one aspect, a method to dispense a medicine includes inserting a cartridge containing a medicine into a cartridge holder coupled to a housing of a medicine injection device, positioning a spine component of the device to make contact with the cartridge in the cartridge holder, selecting a dose of the medicine for injection, in which the selecting includes rotating an injection component of the device to a setting corresponding to the selected dose, and linearly advancing the injection component to rotate a drive gear coupled to the injection component to drive the spine component so as to push the end of the cartridge to dispense the medicine in the amount of the selected dose.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A device to dispense a medicine, comprising:

a housing configured to include a curved channel;

a cartridge holder coupled to the housing via a pivot joint, the cartridge holder including a chamber structured to encase a cartridge containing a medicine and having a first opening that aligns with one end of the curved channel and a second opening at the opposite end of the chamber; and

a dose setting and injecting mechanism including;

(i) a spine component housed in the curved channel of the housing, the spine component including a plurality of link structures linked together to allow curved movement of the spine component within the curved channel, wherein the one end of the curved channel includes a channel opening interfaced with the first opening to enable the spine component to push against the cartridge for dispensing a selected amount of the medicine through the second opening,

(ii) a shaft component structured to include a threaded cylindrical section encased at least in part within the housing and a knob disposed at least in part outside of the housing,

(iii) a gear mechanism including a rod having a first gear and a second gear, the second gear coupled to the spine component, and a drive gear having a first gear engagement mechanism for engaging to the first gear and a second gear engagement mechanism for engaging to threads of the threaded cylindrical section of the shaft component, wherein, upon engagement of the first gear and the drive gear to each other, a linear movement of the shaft component moves the spine component, and

(iv) a disengagement button coupled to the rod to disengage the first gear and the drive gear from each other, thereby allowing the spine component to move independent of the shaft component,

wherein a rotation of the shaft component moves the shaft component to a distance from the housing that corresponds to the selected amount of the medicine.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the pivot joint includes a torsion spring that causes the cartridge holder to rotate to an open position that exposes the first opening when the cartridge holder is unlocked from the housing.

16. The device of claim 15, further comprising a latching mechanism to lock the cartridge holder in a closed position in the housing and unlock the cartridge holder to allow the cartridge holder to rotate about the pivot joint to the open position.

17. The device of claim 14, further comprising a data processing unit, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor,

wherein at least one of the selected amount of the medicine or a dispensed amount of the medicine is processed as data by the processor and stored in the memory.

18. The device of claim 17, further comprising an optical scanner coupled to the data processing unit and configured to scan an identification code located on an external surface of the cartridge when the cartridge is encased in the chamber, wherein the identification code corresponds to information about the medicine contained in the cartridge.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the identification code includes a plurality of bars wrapped radially around the cartridge.

20. The device of claim 17, further comprising a wireless transmitter unit to transmit the data to a computing device.

21. The device of claim 17, further comprising a display unit to display the data.

22. The device of claim 17, further comprising sensors configured within a movement path of the shaft component to measure at least one of the rotation or the linear movement to indicate the selected dose, wherein the sensors are in communication with the data processing unit.

23. The device of claim 14, further comprising a detachable needle coupled to the exterior of the cartridge holder that aligns with the second opening to dispense the medicine from the device.

24. The device of claim 14, further comprising a clasp component encased within the housing and coupled to a bar connected to a terminal link structure of the spine component, wherein the clasp component locks the rod in the disengaged position when the disengagement button is actuated, and wherein the clasp component releases the rod to move to the engaged position when the bar is actuated based at least in part on movement of the spine component in the curved chamber toward the cartridge holder.

25. The device of claim 14, wherein the medicine includes insulin.

26. A health management system, comprising:

an analyte monitoring device to determine a concentration level of an analyte;

a computing system in communication with the analyte monitoring device, the computing system comprising;

(a) a memory unit, and

(b) a processor configured to process data; and

a medicine injection device in communication with at least one of the analyte monitoring device or the computing system, the medicine injection device comprising;

(a) a housing configured to include a curved channel,

(b) a cartridge holder coupled to the housing via a pivot joint, the cartridge holder including a chamber structured to encase a cartridge containing a medicine and having a first opening that aligns with a first end of the curved channel and a second opening, and

(c) a dose setting and injecting mechanism including;

(i) a spine component housed in the curved channel of the housing, the spine component including a plurality of link structures linked together to allow curved movement of the spine component within the curved channel, wherein the first end of the curved channel includes a channel opening interfaced with the first opening to enable the spine component to push against the cartridge for dispensing a selected amount of the medicine through the second opening,

(ii) a shaft component structured to include a threaded cylindrical section encased at least in part within the housing and a knob disposed at least in part outside of the housing,

(iii) a gear mechanism including a rod having a first gear and a second gear, the second gear coupled to the spine component, and a drive gear having a first gear engagement mechanism for engaging to the first gear and a second gear engagement mechanism for engaging to threads of the threaded cylindrical section of the shaft component, wherein, upon engagement of the first gear and the drive gear to each other, a linear movement of the shaft component moves the spine component, and

(iv) a disengagement button coupled to the rod to disengage the first gear and the drive gear from each other, thereby allowing the spine component to move independent of the shaft component,

wherein a rotation of the shaft component moves the shaft component to a distance from the housing that corresponds to the selected amount of the medicine.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the computing system is further configured to transmit and/or receive at least one of:

(a) data obtained from the analyte monitoring device, (b) data obtained from the medicine injection device, or (c) information derived from data from a user-operated computing device, based on a wireless or wired communication protocol.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the processor is configured to send a notification to a recipient based on the wireless or wired communication protocol.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor is configured to keep track of inventory of lancets and analyte sensors of the analyte monitoring device.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the processor is configured to reorder the inventory of one or both of the lancets and the analyte sensors.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor is configured to produce a prompt to direct a user to use one or both of the analyte monitoring device and the medicine injection device at a predetermined time or time interval.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the computing system is configured to process and store user input data selected from the group consisting of:

supplies used, supplies ordered, food eaten, duration, type and/or intensity of an exercise, type, dosage and/or time of medication taken, and estimated calories burned.