Safety device for connection of a syringe with the mouth or opening of a bottle containing a drug or a small tube for drug delivery from the syringe

• US 4,576,211 A
• Filed: 05/07/1984
• Issued: 03/18/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Farmitalia Carlo Erba SRL (Pfizer Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Farmindustria SA (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Valentini, Luigi, Coccia, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rooney, Mark
• Application Number:
  US06/607,502
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 604/411, 604/86, 604/89, 604/91, 604/188, 604/198, 604/201, 604/205, 604/206, 604/208, 604/412-416, 604/905, 604/283, 604/88, 141/329, 141/330, 141/372, 141/19
• US Class Current: 141/329
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/201 having one piercing end
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2051 having tap means, e.g. tap means activated by sliding
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2055 having gripping means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2075 for external venting
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2082 for gas filtration
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2096 Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 604/905 Aseptic connectors or couplings, e.g. frangible, piercable

Abstract

The invention relates to a device to one end of which a syringe can be connected and to the other end of which the mouth or opening of a bottle containing a drug or medicine can be connected. The device comprises a closed chamber having enclosed therein a needle which is in connection with the syringe. Members are provided by means of which the mouth or opening of the bottle is steadily connected to the device and means enabling the needle to perforate a seal plug and then a small rubber plug mounted on the bottle only when the device is blocked onto the bottle so that in any case it cannot be disconnected therefrom. Such a device can be disconnected from the bottle only after the needle has been caused to reenter the closed chamber, so as to prevent any possible dripping of the liquid outside of the device.

Claims

1. A safety device for connection of a syringe to the mouth or opening of a bottle containing a drug or a small tube for drug delivery from the syringe, comprising an elongated inner body defining a cylindrical cavity, at one end of which a seat is formed for housing the free end of a syringe, an intermediate body having a hollow cylindrical extension which is housed and movable within the cavity of the inner body between a first end of stroke position defined by a retaining element limiting relative displacement of said inner body and said intermediate body in a first direction and a second end of stroke position defined by a retaining element limiting relative displacement of said inner body and said intermediate body in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, a shaped resilient plug sealingly closing the outward facing end of the cavity of said cylindrical extension, the other end of which opens into the cavity of the inner body, a housing seat for the mouth or opening of a bottle or a small tube formed at the free end of the intermediate body with said resilient plug projecting at the center of said seat, at least one flexible extension integral with said intermediate body and having a shaped portion thereof projecting to said housing seat for the bottle mouth or opening, an outer body superimposed to said intermediate and inner bodies, members restraining said outer body to the intermediate body enabling a mutual displacement between a position at which said extension is allowed to outwardly deflect, and a position at which the outer body interferes with said extension preventing the outward deflection thereof, elements restraining both said outer body and said intermediate body to the inner body, enabling the axial displacement of said outer body and said intermediate body relative to the inner body only when the outer body is located at the position at which it interferes with said extension preventing the outward deflection thereof, the cavities of said intermediate and inner bodies being adapted to house a hollow needle which can be connected to a syringe inserted in said seat of the inner body, the tip of said needle being positioned adjacent said resilient plug at the inoperative condition of the device and the top of said needle protruding through said resilient plug at the operative condition of the device.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining element of the intermediate body on the inner body and said elements restraining both the outer body and said intermediate body to the inner body comprise at least one elongate slit or window in the outer body and at least one elongate slit or window in the intermediate body, and at least one pin radially projecting from the inner body into said slits or windows, said at least one elongate slit or window in the outer and inner bodies extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the device and being superimposable to one another, except for the ends of the slit or window of the outer body which are shaped for enabling said outer body to axially move relative to the intermediate body, at least one spring being positioned between said outer and intermediate bodies, which spring holds the outer body axially urged away from the intermediate body.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said outer and intermediate bodies are restrained to each other by a straight longitudinal groove in a first one of the two bodies facing the second one of the two bodies and by at least one tooth projecting from the second one of the two bodies towards the first one of the two bodies and housed and slidable in said straight longitudinal groove.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said needle is integral with said inner body, and wherein there are provided three distinct, longitudinally spaced holes in communication with the inner cavity of the needle, the tip of the needle being closed, the intermediate hole being of a larger size than the other holes and such as to allow the passage of a liquid therethrough, while the other two holes are of somewhat reduced size, such as to allow the passage of a gas, the cylindrical extension of the intermediate body sealing on the surface of the cylindrical cavity of the inner body, the cylindrical wall of the cylindrical cavity of said inner body having formed therein at least one opening closed by a sterile filter, the needle having mounted thereon a gasket which is arranged in the cavity of said cylindrical extension of the intermediate body and relative to which said needle is longitudinally slidable, under the conditions in which the outer and intermediate bodies are superimposed to the maximum extent on the inner body, with said needle passing through said resilient plug and with the two holes of the needle closer to the needle tip projecting beyond said plug, said gasket being superimposed for sealing purposes on the one of said three longitudinally spaced holes which is farthermost from the needle tip.

5. A safety device for connection of a syringe to the mouth or opening of a bottle containing a drug or a small tube for drug delivery from the syringe, characterized in that it comprises an elongate inner body defining a cylindrical cavity, at one end of which a seat is formed for housing the free end of a syringe, an intermediate body having a hollow cylindrical extension which is housed and movable within the cavity of the inner body, a shaped resilient plug sealingly closing the outward facing end of the cavity of said cylindrical extension, the other end of which opens into the cavity of the inner body, a housing seat for the mouth or opening of a bottle or a small tube formed at the free end of the intermediate body with said resilient plug projecting at the center of said seat, at least one flexible extension integral with said intermediate body and having a shaped portion thereof projecting to said housing seat for the bottle mouth or opening, an outer body superimposed to said intermediate and inner bodies, members restraining said outer body to the intermediate body enabling a mutual displacement between a position at which said extension is allowed to deflect outwardly and a position at which the outer body interferes with said extension preventing the outward deflection thereof, elements restraining both said outer body and said intermediate body to said inner body, enabling the simultaneous displacement of said outer body and said intermediates body jointly relative to said inner body only when said outer body is located at the position at which it interferes with said extension preventing the outward deflection thereof, the cavities of said intermediate and inner bodies being adapted to house a hollow needle which can be connected to a syringe inserted in said seat of said inner body, the tip of said needle being positioned adjacent said resilient plug at the inoperative condition of the device and the tip of said needle protruding through said resilient plug at the operative condition of the device.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said members retaining said outer body to said intermediate body and said elements restraining both said outer body and said intermediate body to said inner body comprise a longitudinal slit in a first one of said outer and intermediate bodies and a tooth extending from a second one of said outer and intermediate bodies and sliding in said slit, and members restraining said inner body to said intermediate body allowing for the latter to rotate and simultaneously longitudinally translate with respect to said inner body, said bodies comprising at least a helicoidal slit formed in one of the two bodies and a pin rigid with said inner body or with said outer body and radially extending in said slit, said pin extending in a seat formed in said outer body or respectively in said inner body in such a way as to allow for said outer body to translate in a limited degree both with respect to said intermediate body and said inner body at the end of stroke positions of said intermediate body with respect to said inner body between said outer body and said intermediate body, there being arranged a spring which biases said outer body longitudinally away from said intermediate body.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein a helicoidal slit is formed in said outer body and a like helicoidal slit is formed in said intermediate body, said pin being rigid with said inner body and extending within said slits, the ends of said slit formed in said outer body being slanted longitudinally of the device.

8. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said needle is integral with said inner body, and wherein there are provided three distinct, longitudinally spaced holes in communication with the inner cavity of said needle, the tip of said needle being closed, the intermediate hole being of a larger size than the other holes and such as to allow the passage of a liquid therethrough, while the other two holes are of somewhat smaller size, such as to allow the passage of a gas, the cylindrical extension of said intermediate body sealing on the surface of the cylindrical cavity of said inner body, the cylindrical wall of the cylindrical cavity of said inner body having formed therein at least one opening closed by a sterile filter, said needle having mounted thereon a gasket which is arranged in the cavity of said cylindrical extension of said intermediate body and relative to which said needle is longitudinally slidable, under the conditions in which said outer and intermediate bodies are superimposed to the maximum extent on said inner body, with said needle passing through said resilient plug and with the two holes of said needle closer to the needle tip projecting beyond said plug, said gasket being superimposed for sealing purposes on the one of said three longitudinally spaced holes which is farthest from the needle tip.