Syringe filling and metering device for pharmaceutical containers

• US 5,292,318 A
• Filed: 04/06/1993
• Issued: 03/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Habley Medical Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Habley Medical Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Foster, Clark B., Haber, Terry M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bockelman, Mark
• Application Number:
  US08/042,841
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 604/82-92, 604/207-211, 604/416, 604/905, 604/407, 604/415, 141/18, 141/21, 141/27, 141/329, 141/330
• US Class Current: 604/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/062 Carpules
• 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 1/2096 Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1782 Devices aiding filling of syringes in situ combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents A61J1/2096, filling of medical containers in general B65B3/003
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31551 including axial movement of dose setting member
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like

Abstract

A syringe filling and metering device (2, 90) for pharmaceutical containers (4) including a variable volume region housing the liquid pharmaceutical (78) and a needle access portion, such as a septum (74) or piston (104), which is pierced by the needle cannula (72) of the syringe (6), such as by mounting the syringe in a syringe carrier (8). An elongate piston stop (58) is held in place by a piston driver (42) to which the syringe carrier is threadably connected. The syringe carrier is screwed into the piston driver to drive the barrel of the cartridge over the piston, thus forcing the contents of the cartridge through the needle cannula and into the syringe. The invention can also be practiced with the needle cannula piercing the piston so that the movement of the piston into the barrel of the container forces the liquid pharmaceutical through the needle cannula and into the syringe.

Claims

1. A syringe filling and metering device for use with a syringe, of the type including a needle cannula, the device comprising:

a pharmaceutical container including a generally cylindrical body with an open end and a closed end, a movable piston within the body and a liquid housed within a variable volume region defined between the piston and the closed end, the piston being pierceable by the needle cannula;

an open ended syringe carrier to which the syringe is mounted, the syringe carrier having a distal end with external threads;

the open end of the pharmaceutical container having an inner surface and internal threads formed on said inner surface, said internal threads mating to the external threads of the syringe carrier so to mount the syringe carrier therewith to the pharmaceutical container with the needle cannula piercing the piston;

the syringe carrier being sized to enter through the open end of the pharmaceutical container and exert a force upon the piston thereby driving the piston towards the closed end so as to force the liquid through the needle cannula and into the syringe when the syringe carrier and pharmaceutical container are rotated with respect to one another; and

means for precisely indicating the volume of liquid which has been transferred from the pharmaceutical container to the syringe wherein said indicating means includes a detent lock protruding from an outer surface of the syringe carrier and a detent ridge axially extending along the inner surface of the pharmaceutical container, the detent ridge sized and positioned to engage the detent lock each time the syringe carrier is rotated a set distance with respect to the pharmaceutical container.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pharmaceutical container is made of clear glass to provide visual indication of the transfer of the liquid from the pharmaceutical container to the syringe.

3. A syringe filling and metering assembly comprising:

a piston driver having an inner surface and internal threads formed on said inner surface;

an elongate piston stop housed within the piston driver;

a pharmaceutical cartridge, including a hollow body with first and second ends, a needle-pierceable septum at the first end, a piston slidably mounted within the body between the first and second ends, the second end being open and through which the piston stop passes to engage the piston, the pharmaceutical cartridge including a liquid within a variable volume region defined between the piston and the septum;

an open ended syringe carrier to which a syringe with a needle cannula is mounted, the syringe carrier including external threads mating to the internal threads of the piston driver so to mount the syringe carrier and syringe therewith to the piston driver, with the needle cannula piercing the septum of the pharmaceutical cartridge;

whereby rotating the external threads with respect to the internal threads causes the piston stop to force the piston towards the septum so as to force the liquid through the needle cannula and into the syringe; and

means for precisely indicating the volume of liquid which has been transferred from the pharmaceutical cartridge to the syringe said indicating means including a detent lock protruding from an outer surface of the syringe carrier and a detent ridge axially extending along the inner surface of the piston driver, the detent ridge sized and positioned to engage the detent lock each time the syringe carrier is rotated a set distance with respect to the piston driver.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the indicating means includes unit markings on an outer surface of the syringe carrier.