DISPOSABLE CUTANEOUS TRANSJECTOR

• US 3,788,315 A
• Filed: 04/20/1971
• Issued: 01/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stephen Laurens
• Original Assignee: Stephen Laurens
• Inventors: Laurens, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaudet, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunne, G. F.
• Application Number:
  US05/135,727
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 128/173H,173 222/389
• US Class Current: 604/70
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2053 Media being expelled from injector by pressurised fluid or vacuum for infusion A61M5/145, A61M5/155
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/30 Syringes for injection by jet action, without needle, e.g. for use with replaceable ampoules or carpules
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0736 Capsules, e.g. CO2

Abstract

A disposable cutaneous transjecting device is formed of a cylindrically shaped housing having an open end closed by a cover securely attached to the housing. The housing forms a chamber divided by a piston plunger into a subchamber for a liquid medication and another subchamber containing means, such as a compressed gas or a spring member, for displacing the piston plunger and forcing the medication through capillary openings in the cover. Prior to use the means are restrained from displacing the piston plunger. A removable cap forms a seal for the cover. On the exterior of the housing a trigger or similar member is located for releasing the means so that the piston plunger is displaced toward the cover and the medication is ejected through the openings in the cover.

Claims

1. A disposable cutaneous transjecting device comprising a selfcontained manually operable transjector, said transjector comprising an elongated housing open at one end and closed at the other end and forming a chamber within said housing, a cover member secured to the open end of said housing and providing a closure for said chamber therein, said cover member having at least one small diameter capillary passageway therethrough in its surface extending across the open end of said housing and said passageway communicating between said chamber and the exterior surface of said cover member, a piston plunger fitted within said chamber for displacement therein in the axial direction of said housing extending between its ends and said piston plunger dividing said chamber into a pair of spaces with the one of said spaces adjacent said cover member arranged to contain a liquid medicament therein, means within the other one of said spaces for displacing said piston plunger toward said cover member, manually actuatable means accessible on the exterior of said housing for retaining said means from displacing said piston plunger and for releasing said means for displacing said piston plunger through the one of said spaces toward said cover member so that the liquid medicament contained in said one of said spaces is displaced therefrom through said passageway in said cover member, a removable seal member fitted over the exterior surface of said cover member containing said passageway for preventing contamination, said means within the other one of said spaces for displacing said piston plunger comprises a quantity of compressed gas, said actuatable means comprises a partition wall extending transversely of the elongated direction of said housing and located on the opposite side of said piston plunger from said cover member, said partition wall having an opening therethrough for admitting the compressed gas into contact with said piston plunger, and a transversely displaceable member arranged to seal the opening in said partition wall and having an opening therethrough which is registerable with the opening in said partition wall for releasing said compressed gas into contact with said piston plunger for discharging the medicament from said device, whereby said device is usable as a disposable element containing a required dosage of a medicament ready for transjection upon the removal of said seal member.

2. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said transversely displaceable member comprising an elongated rod-like member extending through said housing from one side to the other with the opening being provided therethrough, a release element provided on one end of said rod-like member so that wHen said rod-like member is positioned to retain said means from displacing said plunger said release element is positioned outwardly from the outer surface of said housing and when said rod-like member is moved through said housing said release element is displaced toward said housing and acts as a stop preventing said rod-like member from further passage through said housing and the opening through said rod-like member is aligned with the opening in said partition wall and admits the compressed gas to said piston plunger for ejecting the medication from the one of said spaces adjacent said cover member.

3. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said rod-like member having an annular protuberance formed thereon and acting as a safety element for preventing accidental displacement of said rod-like member through said housing, said protuberance being in contact with the walls forming said housing when said rod-like member is in position for retaining said compressed gas from displacing said piston plunger.

4. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that removable means are attached to the exterior of said housing on the opposite end of said rod-like member from said release element and are arranged to prevent said rod-like member from being movably displaced through said housing.

5. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the exterior surface of said cover in alignment with said chamber is convex.

6. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the inner surface and the outer surface of said cover member are in substantially parallel relationship and the surface of said piston plunger closer to said cover member having a convex configuration approximating the meniscus of the liquid medication to be contained within the one of said spaces forming said chamber.

7. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said cover member having screw threads formed thereon and said housing having similar screw threads thereon adjacent its open end for effecting threaded engagement between said cover and said housing.

8. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said cover member being arranged to fit over the end of said housing and is thermally fused to said housing.

9. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the radially outer suface of the end exterior face of said cover member encircling the convexly shaped surface of said cover member containing and passageways having alternating ridges and valleys forming a roughened surface for avoiding slippage of said device when applied to the transjecting side and for maintaining the transjecting side taut.

10. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 9, characterized in that said alternating ridges and valleys extending radially on the end face of said cover member have a width in the radial direction of approximately 2 to 3 mm.

11. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said removable seal member is formed of a soft polyethylene material.

12. A cutaneous transjecting device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing is cylindrically shaped and is formed of a lightweight plastic material, said housing being approximately 4 to 5 cm in length and 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter and the walls of said housing being in the range of 2 to 4 mm in thickness, and the openings in said cover member being approximately 1 to 2 mm in diameter.