AUTOINJECTOR SYSTEM

• US 20160271326A1
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avant Medical Corporation
• Original Assignee: Avant Medical Corporation
• Inventors: Slate, John B., Burk, Michael W., Koerner, Richard J., Magers, Corey M., Barnes, Andrew C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,864,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2026 Semi-automatic, e.g. user activated piston is assisted by additional source of energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/206 With automatic needle insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/208 Release is possible only when device is pushed against the skin, e.g. using a trigger which is blocked or inactive when the device is not pushed against the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3142 Modular constructions, e.g. supplied in separate pieces to be assembled by end-user
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31588 electrically driven
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/13 with means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. lip sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3365 Rotational speed
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6045 having complementary physical shapes for indexing or registration purposes
• 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 5/3134 characterised by constructional features of the distal end, i.e. end closest to the tip of the needle cannula
• 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 5/3204 Needle cap remover, i.e. devices to dislodge protection cover from needle or needle hub, e.g. deshielding devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/326 Fully automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user

Abstract

An autoinjector system for injecting a fluid medicament into a patient includes a re-usable autoinjector, and a disposable cassette loaded with a hypodermic syringe pre-filled with a fluid medicament. The autoinjector includes a first motor for injecting a needle of the hypodermic syringe into the patient and a second motor for expelling the fluid medicament from the syringe.

Claims

1. A medicament delivery system, comprising:

a housing; and

a disposed in the housing;

a syringe including a needle, a fluid chamber in fluid communication with the needle and adapted to contain a fluid medicament, and a stopper disposed in the fluid chamber for expelling the medicament through the needle, at least a portion of the syringe disposed in the sleeve,

the syringe movable between a proximal position where the needle is concealed within the housing and a distal position where at least a part of the needle is extended out of the housing;

a drive mechanism operably coupled to move the syringe from the proximal position to the distal position and to move the stopper to expel the medicament out of the needle; and

at least one retaining element disposed adjacent to the sleeve and movable between a first position and a second position radially offset from the first position,

wherein, when the at least one retaining element is in the first position, the syringe does not move relative to sleeve, and when the at least one retaining element is in the second position, the syringe moves relative to the sleeve from the proximal position to the distal position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein drive mechanism includes at least one motor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the drive mechanism includes a single motor operably coupled to move the syringe from the proximal position to the distal position and move the stopper to expel the medicament out of the needle.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the drive mechanism includes a first motor operably coupled to move the syringe from the proximal position to the distal position, and a second motor operably coupled to move the stopper to expel the medicament out of the needle.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor located on a distal end of the housing for determining when the system is in physical contact with a patient.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a capacitance sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a medicament stored in the fluid chamber of the syringe.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the medicament has a viscosity in a range of approximately 1 centipoise to approximately 320 centipoise.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a speed selector switch configured to allow a user to select a speed at which the drive mechanism expels the medicament out of the syringe.

10. A medicament delivery system, comprising:

a housing; and

a sleeve disposed in the housing;

a syringe including a needle, a fluid chamber in fluid communication with the needle and adapted to contain a fluid medicament, and a stopper disposed in the fluid chamber for expelling the medicament through the needle, at least a portion of the syringe disposed in the sleeve,

wherein the syringe is movable between a proximal position where the needle is concealed within the housing and a distal position where at least a part of the needle is extended out of the housing;

a drive mechanism operably coupled to move the syringe from the proximal position to the distal position and to move the stopper to expel the medicament out of the needle; and

at least one retaining element disposed adjacent to the sleeve and movable between a first position and a second position radially offset from the first position,

wherein, when the at least one retaining element is in the first position, the stopper does not move relative to sleeve, and when the at least one retaining element is in the second position, the stopper moves to expel the medicament out of the needle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein drive mechanism includes at least one motor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the drive mechanism includes a single motor operably coupled to move the syringe from the proximal position to the distal position and move the stopper to expel the medicament out of the needle.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the drive mechanism includes a first motor operably coupled to move the syringe from the proximal position to the distal position, and a second motor operably coupled to move the stopper to expel the medicament out of the needle.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising a sensor located on a distal end of the housing for determining when the system is in physical contact with a patient.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor comprises a capacitance sensor.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a medicament stored in the fluid chamber of the syringe.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the medicament has a viscosity in a range of approximately 1 centipoise to approximately 320 centipoise.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising a speed selector switch configured to allow a user to select a speed at which the drive mechanism expels the medicament out of the syringe.

19. A method of operating a medicament delivery system including a syringe pre-filled with a medicament disposed within a housing, the method comprising:

with a drive mechanism, advancing the syringe relative to a sleeve in the housing from a proximal position where the needle of the syringe is concealed within the housing to a distal position where at least a part of the needle of the syringe extends out of the housing;

causing a retaining element that is disposed adjacent to the sleeve to move in a radial direction from the first position to a second position; and

with the drive mechanism, advancing a stopper of the syringe through a barrel of the syringe to expel the medicament out of the needle while the retaining element is in the second position.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, with the drive mechanism, withdrawing the syringe from the distal position to the proximal position.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the syringe is advanced and withdrawn with a first motor, and the stopper is advanced with a second motor.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the syringe is advanced and withdrawn, and the stopper is advanced with a single motor.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising sensing physical contact between the medicament delivery system and a patient with a sensor located on a distal end of the housing.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising sensing physical contact between the medicament delivery system and a patient with a capacitance sensor located on a distal end of the housing.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising, with a speed selector switch, receiving an input from a user, and wherein advancing the stopper through the syringe includes advancing the stopper in accordance with the input received by the speed selector switch.