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Automatic injector

  • US 6,210,369 B1
  • Filed: 12/16/1998
  • Issued: 04/03/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An automatic injector comprising:

  • a housing having a longitudinal axis and opposed forward and rearward end portions, said forward end portion being engageable with a portion of flesh defining an injection site;

    a needle having a forward lip portion, a rearward tip portion, and a fluid passageway formed therein open to said forward and rearward tip portions;

    said needle being movable relative to said housing between (1) a normal, inoperative position wherein said needle is disposed entirely within said housing and (2) an injecting position wherein the forward tip portion of said needle extends forwardly of said housing forward end portion;

    a medicament cartridge having a sealed interior containing a supply of fluid medicament;

    said medicament cartridge being normally sealed from said needle, said medicament cartridge and said needle being constructed and arranged to be fluidly communicated during an automatic injecting operation such that the rearward tip portion of said needle pierces said cartridge and extends rearwardly into said cartridge interior so as to fluidly communicate the fluid passageway of said needle with said cartridge interior and allow the fluid medicament contained in said cartridge interior to flow into said fluid passageway;

    a manually operable drive assembly having an actuator extending generally rearwardly from the rearward end portion of said housing, said drive assembly being constructed and arranged such that a user can perform the automatic injecting operation by engaging the forward end portion of said housing with the aforesaid injection site and manually operating said actuator such that said drive assembly moves said needle to said injecting position thereof and causes said cartridge and said needle to be fluidly communicated so that the forward tip portion of said needle pierces the injection site and the rearward tip portion of said needle pierces said cartridge, said drive assembly subsequently forcing the fluid medicament outwardly from said cartridge interior through the fluid passageway of said needle and into the injection site; and

    a removal resistant actuator cover positioned on the rearward end portion of said housing so as to cover said actuator and prevent unintended operation of said actuator, said cover having an annular wall portion made from yieldingly deformable material;

    one of said actuator cover and said housing rearward end portion providing a generally radially extending locking projection and the other of said actuator cover and said housing rearward end portion having structure defining a generally radially extending shoulder surface and a generally axially extending groove open to said shoulder surface;

    said cover and said housing rearward end portion being constructed and arranged such that said cover can be turned relative to said housing rearward end portion about the aforesaid longitudinal axis from (1) a removal resisting position wherein said locking projection and said groove are out of circumferential alignment with respect to one another so that said shoulder surface and said projection cooperate to prevent said cover from being moved axially outwardly relative to said housing rearward portion and (2) a removal allowing position wherein said locking projection and said groove are in substantial circumferential alignment with respect to one another so that said cover can be removed from said housing rearward portion by moving said cover axially outwardly relative to said housing rearward portion so as to expose said actuator and permit manual operation thereof;

    said one of said cover and said housing rearward end portion having a movement limiting projection substantially circumferentially aligned with said groove, said actuator cover being constructed and arranged such that the user can manually deform said annular wall portion by applying manual pressure thereto so as to affect generally radial relative movement between said locking projection and said movement limiting projection from normal, locking positions to releasing positions;

    said movement limiting projection being positioned and configured such that, when said locking projection and said movement limiting projection are in said locking positions thereof, said locking projection will engage said movement limiting projection as said cover is being turned toward said removal allowing position thereof to thereby prevent said cover from being turned into said removal allowing position, said movement limiting projection being positioned and configured such that, when said locking projection and said movement limiting projection are in said releasing positions thereof, said locking projection will pass over said movement limiting projection as said cover is being turned towards said removal allowing position thereof to thereby allow said cover to be turned into said removal allowing position.

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