Flexible piston rod

• US 6,474,219 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Original Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Inventors: Klitmose, Lars Peter, Ljunggreen, Henrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Look, Edward K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lazo, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US09/808,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20010023637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 921/36, 921/37, 604/214, 604/224, 604/228
• US Class Current: 92/137
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31518 designed to reduce the overall size of an injection device, e.g. using flexible or pivotally connected chain-like rod members
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/0113 the piston rod being flexible or articulated B05C17/0109 takes precedence

Abstract

A flexible piston rod for an injection device, which piston has the form of a helical spring made from a number of narrowly adjacent turns of windings. These turns provide an external thread fitting into the internal thread of a nut element. When the nut element is rotated, the piston rod is advanced forward, which movement is used to displace a piston inside a cartridge containing a fluid to be expelled. In order to prevent the piston rod from rotating when the nut element is rotated, the helical spring making up the piston rod is provided with a longitudinal spine, which is located at a peripheral area of the helical spring.

Claims

1. A flexible piston rod for an injection device, having the form of a helical spring made up from a number of narrowly adjacent turns of windings providing an external thread for moving a piston forward inside a cartridge containing a liquid, said flexible piston rod transmitting a movement from a piston rod drive to a longitudinal displacement of said piston, said flexible piston rod having a distal end abutting said piston inside said cartridge and a proximal end being deflected away from the axis of said cartridge, said piston rod drive including a nut element having an internal thread engaging said external thread of said flexible piston rod and which nut element is locked against longitudinal displacement and forcedly rotated, characterized in that said flexible piston rod has means locking said flexible piston rod against rotation.

2. The flexible piston rod of claim 1, wherein said means locking said piston rod against rotation is a longitudinal spine located at the peripheral area of said helical spring forming the flexible piston rod.

3. The flexible piston rod of claim 2, wherein said helical spring has an initial tension and that the spine is a reduction or removal of the initial tension in a longitudinal area of said helical spring.

4. The flexible piston rod of claim 2, wherein the spine is a depression in the out-turned peripheral area of each winding covering an angular part being substantial smaller than 360 degrees.

5. The flexible piston rod of claim 2, wherein said spine is introduced in said spring by applying a momentarily force or a pressure over an area on the out-turned peripheral area of each winding.

6. The flexible piston rod of claim 5, wherein said momentarily force or said pressure is applied by forcing said flexible piston rod over a relatively sharp edge.

7. The flexible piston rod of claim 5, wherein the spine is introduced in said spring when the spring is being coiled.

8. The flexible piston rod of claim 2, wherein the spine is a physical removal of a part of the out-turned peripheral area of each winding covering an angular part being substantial smaller than 360 degrees.

9. The flexible piston rod of claim 8, wherein the removal of the material forming the part of the spring to be removed is done by grinding.