Non reusable disposable capsule containing an individual vaccine dose to be hypodermically injected with a pressure needleless injection apparatus

• US 4,966,581 A
• Filed: 08/05/1988
• Issued: 10/30/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bioject Medical Technologies Inc. (Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vitajet Industria E Commercio LTDA
• Inventors: Landau, Sergio
• Primary Examiner(s): Pellegrino, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US07/229,566
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 604/72, 604/68, 604/415, 604/148, 604/244, 604/218, 215/32
• US Class Current: 604/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3104 Caps for syringes without needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3121 via the proximal end of a syringe, i.e. syringe end opposite to needle cannula mounting end
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/286 upon internal pressure increase, e.g. pierced or burst A61M5/283 takes precedence
• 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: A61M 5/50 having means for preventing re-use, or for indicating if defective, used, tampered with or unsterile retractable needles or needle protectors with means for preventing re-use A61M5/321
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/502 for blocking the piston

Abstract

This invention related to a simple device for hypodermic pressure-injection which does not make use of needles for introducing the vaccine into the patient'"'"'s body, and which is fully constituted by low cost disposable material self-destroying after being utilized a single time. This device already contains within it, a single metered dose of vaccine or medication to be injected and, when in use, it comprises solely four elements; and injector nozzle with an outlet orifice, a sealing disc, a cylindrical body and the dose itself of vaccine to be injected. The device, referred to as disposable capsule, is used at the front portion of a pressure-injection apparatus and aims at establishing a vaccination means which is simultaneously disposable, fast, safe, of low operational cost and mainly that does not make use of hypodermic needles and whose assembly which touches the patient at the injection site is self-destroyed after a single use, thereby avoiding any possibility of reuse and consequent possibility of disseminating blood-transmittable diseases.

Claims

1. A disposable capsule for a needleless hypodermic injection device comprising:

a hollow body having an open front end and a rear end that is closed by a bottom wall that is attached to the body by an outwardly extending flange having a smaller thickness than a remaining portion of the bottom wall, said body is connectable to said hypodermic injection device so that a piston can engage the bottom wall and detach said flange from said body;

a nozzle, attached to the front end of the body, having a minute front orifice through which a liquid to be injected can expelled in the form of a jet; and

a sealing disc within said body so as to prevent the liquid within the body from leaking out the rear end, said disc is moveable from a first position at the rear end of the body to a second position at the front end of the body so that the liquid to be injected can be expelled out said orifice, said disc immediately moves when said piston detaches the flange and moves the bottom wall toward the front end.

2. The disposable capsule according to claim 1, wherein a removable cover is connected to said nozzle so as seal the orifice and wherein said nozzle is made of a high resistance thermoplastic such as polycarbonate or polyacetal, said body and cover are made of such thermoplastic material as polythylene or polypropylene, and the sealing disc is of molded from a rubber compound such as silicone or ethylenepropylene.

3. The disposable capsule according to claim 2, wherein at the bottom wall has a small centrally-located orifice to permit the air to be expelled off when said sealing disc is being introduced into said body and can allow a hypodermic needle to pass through said bottom wall and said disc so that the fluid to be injected can be placed within the body.

4. The disposable capsule according to claim 3, wherein the nozzle is snap-fitted to the open front end of body so that any attempt of separating the nozzle and the body will cause said body to be plastically deformed preventing it from being reused in the injector device.

5. The disposable capsule according to claim 2, wherein both the nozzle and body are cylindrical, and wherein the cover is firmly fitted to the nozzle by a double-entry helical screw thread located inside a circular end of said cover so that two diametrically-opposed lips of said nozzle can penetrate in between the two threads of said helical screw until a bottom portion of the cover abuts and seals the orifice.

6. The disposable capsule according to claim 5, wherein the cover contains the inscription of the type of vaccine, number of the lot and date of manufacture, so that even after the cover is removed from the individual package, the capsule can be identified as to the contents thereof.

7. The disposable capsule according to claim 6, wherein identification of the capsule contents is assisted by the change of colors of the thermoplastic material used for molding the body since each type of vaccine corresponding to a different color.

8. A disposable capsule, for a needleless hypodermic injection device, comprising:

a hollow body having a front end closed by a top wall, and a open rear end said top wall is attached to the body and has a center portion having a smaller thickness than the remaining portion of the top wall so that it can be easily ruptured, and said body is connectable to said hypodermic injection device so that a piston in the injection device can move within the body;

a nozzle, attached to the front end of the body, having a minute front orifice through which a liquid to be injected can be expelled in the form of a jet; and

a sealing disc positioned within the body at the rear end so as to prevent a liquid within the body from leaking out the rear end, said disc is moveable from a first position at the rear end of the body to a second position at the front end of the body so that the top wall can be ruptured and the liquid to be injected expelled out said orifice, said disc moves when engaged by the piston as the piston moves through the body towards the front end.

9. The disposable capsule according to claim 8, wherein a removable cover is connected to said nozzle so as seal the orifice and wherein said nozzle is made of a high resistance thermoplastic such as polycarbonate or polyacetal, said body and cover a made of thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and the sealing disc is molded from a rubber compound such as silicone or ethylene-propylene.

10. The disposable capsule according to claim 9, wherein both the nozzle and body are cylindrical, and wherein the cover is firmly fitted to nozzle by a double-entry helical screw thread located inside a circular end of said cover so that two diametrically-opposed lips of said nozzle can penetrate in between the two threads of said helical screw until a bottom portion of the cover abuts and seals the orifice.

11. The disposable capsule according to claim 10, wherein the cover contains the inscription of the type of vaccine, number of the lot and ate of manufacture, so that even after it is removed from the individual package, the capsule can be identified as to the contents thereof.

12. The disposable capsule according to claim 11, wherein identification of the capsule contents is assisted by the change of colors of the thermoplastic material used for molding the body since each type of vaccine corresponding to a different color.

13. A disposable capsule according to claim 8, wherein a lower portion of the nozzle is attached to the body and an upper portion of the nozzle is spaced from said body to form a gap so that the front end can expand into the gap to lock the body to the nozzle when the sealing disc is positioned at the front end.

14. A disposable capsule according to claim 13, wherein the disc is self-sealing so that a hypodermic needle can pass through said disc, so that the fluid to be injected can be placed within the body without affecting the sealing function of the disc when the needle is removed.

15. The disposable capsule according to claim 13, wherein once the capsule is fully mounted in a sterile environment, it is introduced into an individual package similar to that utilized for disposable syringes, which allows it to undergo a heat-free sterilization process by gases and which when tampered, is capable of leaving a definite sign of this tampering.

16. A disposable capsule, for needleless hypodermic injection device, comprising:

a hollow body having a front end closed by a top wall, and a rear end that is closed by a bottom wall that is attached to the body by an outwardly extending flange having a smaller thickness than a remaining portion of the bottom wall, said top wall is attached to the body and has a center portion having a smaller thickness than the remaining portion of the top wall so that it can be easily ruptured, and said body is connectable to said hypodermic injection device so that a piston in the injection device can engage the bottom wall and detach said flange from the body;

a nozzle, attached to the front end of the body, having a minute front orifice through which a liquid to be injected can be expelled in the form of a jet; and

a sealing disc positioned within the body at the rear end so as to prevent a liquid within the body from leaking out the rear end, said disc is movable from a first position at the rear end of the body to a second position at the front end of the body so that the top wall can be ruptured and the liquid to be injected expelled out said orifice, said disc moves when said piston detaches the flange and moves the bottom wall toward the front end.