Injector

• US 5,300,079 A
• Filed: 07/12/1993
• Issued: 04/05/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Bolscher, Jeroen J. M., Niezink, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Ralph
• Application Number:
  US08/090,555
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 606/116, 606/117, 604/57, 604/59-64, 604/112, 604/115-117
• US Class Current: 606/117
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0069 Devices for implanting pellets, e.g. markers or solid medicaments for introducing of radioactive sources for interstitial radiation therapy, i.e. brachytherapy A61N5/1027

Abstract

Injector for inserting objects such as transponders (4) into a living being. The injector is provided with positioning means for fixing the position of the insertion needle (9) relative to the living being. These positioning means comprise a pin (5) designed to rest with the shank thereof against a part of the living being, such as the head (1) . The position of the insertion needle (9) can thereby be determined irrespective of differences occurring from one animal to another.

Claims

1. An injector comprising:

a body having a front end and a back end;

a grip extending downward from said body;

a needle which protrudes from said front end of said body and provides a vehicle for the transport of objects;

a means for conveying and placing objects via the needle in a mass, located within said grip and body of said injector; and

positioning means, protruding from the front end of said body, for fixing the position of the needle relative to said mass, said positioning means comprising;

a retractable pin-shaped member, fitted substantially parallel to the needle and having a connected end, connected to said front end of said body, and a free end characterized in that at the moment of insertion of the needle into the mass, the free end extends substantially beyond the end of the needle and retracts into the body of the injector upon inserting the needle further, and that a shank part of the pin-shaped member is adapted near the free end of said pin-shaped member to rest against the mass.

2. Injector according to claim 1, wherein the pin-shaped member further comprises a stop means located in between said connected end and said free end for limiting the amount said pin-shaped member retracts into said body of said injector.

3. Injector according to claim 2, wherein said pin-shaped member further comprises spacer means located between the stop means and said connected end of said pin-shaped member.

4. Injector according to claim 2, wherein the pin-shaped member is provided near the stop means with an offset bend in the pin-shaped member shank increasing the space between the parallel pin and needle.

5. Injector according to claim 1, wherein the end of the needle is bevelled and the tip of the needle is disposed towards the pin-shaped member.

6. Injector according to claim 1, wherein the end of the needle is bevelled and the tip of the needle is disposed away from the pin-shaped member.

7. Injector according to claim 1, wherein a blade is provided on the free end of said pin-shaped member, designed to lie against the body.

8. Injector according to claim 1, wherein the pin-shaped member is fitted so that it is movable essentially in the lengthwise direction relative to the body of the injector.

9. Injector according to claim 8, wherein the pin-shaped member is provided with pre-tensioning means which drive the pin-shaped member outward from the body of the injector.

10. Injector according to claim 1, wherein the means for conveying through the needle are coupled to the pinshaped member via pre-tensioning means.

11. Injector according to claim 10, wherein said coupling is achieved in such a way that from the moment that the object is essentially in place in the body, the movement of the means for conveying through the needle and the pre-tensioning means is synchronized.

12. Injector according to claim 1, wherein said pin-shaped member retracts upon said free end meeting some resistance created by contours of said mass.