Automatic injectors
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An automatic injector comprising:
- a body;
a charge of medicament contained in said body;
a needle held in a normally sheathed position within said body and being driveable into an unsheathed projecting position from said body, said needle having a substantially constant diameter along a length thereof and terminating at a point at a forward end thereof;
a rigid cover member capable of movement relative to said body from an inoperative position to a protective position in which said cover member is capable of covering said needle when said needle is in said projecting position from said body, said cover member being generally concentrically disposed about a longitudinal axis of said body and having an opening in a portion thereof adapted to engage a general area of flesh to be injected by said needle, said opening having substantially the same diameter as said needle;
releasable drive means for driving said needle from said sheathed position to said unsheathed, projecting position from said body and through said opening in said cover member, said releasable drive means further forcing said medicament through said needle; and
biasing means for moving said cover member relative to said body into said protective position in which it covers said needle when said needle is in said unsheathed projecting position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic injector having a needle which is driven out of a body of the injector automatically by drive means also has an associated protective, or sharps, assembly. The sharps assembly has a cover member adapted to cover the needle after the injector has been used. The assembly is operative to provide relative movement between the injection needle and the cover member after injection so that the cover member covers the needle after use. The cover member is preferably actuated automatically so that the user never sees the needle.
268 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An automatic injector comprising:
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a body; a charge of medicament contained in said body; a needle held in a normally sheathed position within said body and being driveable into an unsheathed projecting position from said body, said needle having a substantially constant diameter along a length thereof and terminating at a point at a forward end thereof; a rigid cover member capable of movement relative to said body from an inoperative position to a protective position in which said cover member is capable of covering said needle when said needle is in said projecting position from said body, said cover member being generally concentrically disposed about a longitudinal axis of said body and having an opening in a portion thereof adapted to engage a general area of flesh to be injected by said needle, said opening having substantially the same diameter as said needle; releasable drive means for driving said needle from said sheathed position to said unsheathed, projecting position from said body and through said opening in said cover member, said releasable drive means further forcing said medicament through said needle; and biasing means for moving said cover member relative to said body into said protective position in which it covers said needle when said needle is in said unsheathed projecting position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 21)
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12. An automatic injector comprising:
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a body having a longitudinal axis; a charge of medicament contained in said body; a needle held in a normally sheathed position within said body, said needle having a substantially constant diameter along a length thereof and terminating at a point at a forward end thereof; a releasable spring for driving said needle from said sheathed position to an unsheathed, projecting position in which said needle projects from said body, said releasable spring being operable to force said medicament through said needle; a protective assembly comprising a cover member having a sleeve-like first portion generally concentrically disposed about said longitudinal axis of said body and a second portion adapted to engage a general area of flesh to be injected by said needle, said second portion having an opening therein with substantially the same diameter as said needle, said cover member being capable of axial movement relative to said body and having a protective position in which it covers said needle when said needle is in said projecting position; and biasing means for urging said cover member into said protective position as said needle is withdrawn from the area of flesh to be injected. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An automatic injector comprising:
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a body having a pierceable membrane at a forward end thereof; a charge of medicament contained in said body; a needle held in a sheathed position within said body; releasable drive means for (1) driving said needle from said sheathed position to an unsheathed, projecting position while piercing said pierceable membrane, and (2) forcing said medicament through said needle; a cover member being moveable with respect to said body and having a protective position in which it covers said needle when said needle is in said projecting position; and biasing means for urging said cover member into said protective position to cover said needle when said needle is in said unsheathed, projecting position.
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20. An automatic injector comprising:
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a body; a charge of medicament contained in said body; a needle moveable from a sheathed position within said body to an unsheathed, projecting position from said body; a graspable rear end cap capable of being grasped by the palm and fingers of a user during an injection operation, said end cap being capable of movement relative to said body; a slidably moveable cover member for covering said needle when said needle is in said projecting position in which said needle projects from said body; and a releasable drive assembly which, when released, (1) drives said needle from said sheathed position to said unsheathed, projecting position in which said needle projects from said body and (2) discharges said medicament through said needle, said releasable drive assembly being released in response to said relative movement between said body and said end cap, said relative movement being accomplished during an actuating procedure in which the user grasps the end cap and forces the cover member against a surface to be injected so that said cover member is urged against said body to move said body relative to said end cap and release said releasable drive assembly.
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Specification