Disposable injector cap

• US 6,773,415 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Ypsomed AG (Ypsomed Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Disetronic Services AG (Ypsomed Holding AG)
• Inventors: Heiniger, Hanspeter
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thissell, Jeremy
• Application Number:
  US10/232,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20030060776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 604/110, 604/241, 604/187, 604/93.01, 604/192, 604/197, 604/198
• US Class Current: 604/110
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3247 Means to impede repositioning of protection sleeve from needle covering to needle uncovering position
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3267 Biased sleeves where the needle is uncovered by insertion of the needle into a patient's body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/59 Aesthetic features, e.g. distraction means to prevent fears of child patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/326 Fully automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user

Abstract

An injector cap including a sleeve and a blocking means, wherein the sleeve is mounted slidably on a portion of an injection device, e.g., on an ampoule support, is forced by a pre-tensioning means into a first position in which it covers a cannula carried by the injection device, and can be slid against the pre-tensioning means into a second position in which the cannula emerges from the end of the sleeve, and wherein the blocking means non-detachably blocks the sleeve against sliding when it has been returned from the second position to the first position.

Claims

1. An injector cap for an ampoule support, comprising:

a sliding sleeve mounted slidably on said ampoule support, wherein said sliding sleeve is forced by a pre-tensioning means into a first position in which the sliding sleeve covers a cannula, and wherein said sliding sleeve can be slid against the pre-tensioning means into a second position in which said cannula emerges from a front facing end of said sliding sleeve; and

a blocking means for non-detachably blocking the sliding sleeve against sliding again into the second position when the sliding sleeve has been returned from the second position to the first position, wherein the blocking means includes a locking ring disposed inside and proximate at a front end of the sliding sleeve when the sliding sleeve is forced by the pre-tensioning means into the first position, and the locking ring is engageably moved along with the cannula back to the first position to help block the sliding sleeve against sliding again into the second position when the sliding sleeve has been returned from the second position to the first position.

2. The injector cap as set forth in claim 1, wherein said blocking means comprises locking means for locking said sliding sleeve relative to a fixed part of said ampoule support once the sliding sleeve has returned to said first position.

3. The injector cap as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking ring is slidably mounted in said sliding sleeve and locks in behind a locking protrusion of a cannula support fastened to said ampoule support when said sliding sleeve is slid into said second position.

4. The injector cap as set forth in claim 3, wherein said locking ring comprises locking clips arranged circumferentially and converging inwards, said locking clips locking in behind said locking protrusion.

5. The injector cap as set forth in claim 3, wherein said locking ring comprises spacer clips which said sliding sleeve pushes against, via elastic stays, once said sliding sleeve has returned to said first position.

6. The injector cap as set forth in claim 5, wherein said sliding sleeve comprises a stopper for said spacer clips of said locking ring which, when said sliding sleeve is transferred from said first position to said second position, slides said locking ring over said cannula support until said locking clips lock in behind said locking protrusion.

7. An injector, comprising:

an ampoule support; and

an injector cap, said injector cap comprising;

a sliding sleeve mounted slidably on said ampoule support, wherein said sliding sleeve is forced by a pre-tensioning means into a first position in which the sliding sleeve covers a cannula, and wherein said sliding sleeve can be slid against the pre-tensioning into a second position in which said cannula emerges from a front facing end of said sliding sleeve; and

a blocking means for non-detachably blocking the sliding sleeve against sliding again into the second position when the sliding sleeve has been returned from the second position to the first position, wherein the blocking means includes a locking ring disposed inside and proximate at a front end of the sliding sleeve when the sliding sleeve is forced by the pre-tensioning means into the first position, and the locking ring is engageably moved along with the cannula back to the first position to help block the sliding sleeve against sliding again into the second position when the sliding sleeve has been returned from the second position to the first position.

8. The injector as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least one of said injector cap and cannula support is attached to said ampoule support via a thread means.

9. An injector cap for use on injection device, comprising:

a sleeve movably mounted on a portion of the injection device, wherein the sleeve is forced by a pre-tensioning member into a first position covering a needle carried by the injection device and can be moved against the pre-tensioning member into a second position in which the needle emerges from the sleeve; and

a lock which non-releaseably locks the sleeve against moving back to the second position when the sliding sleeve has been returned from the second position to the first position, wherein the lock includes a locking ring disposed inside and proximate at a front end of the sliding sleeve when the sliding sleeve is forced by the pre-tensioning member into the first position, and the locking ring is engageably moved along with the needle back to the first position to help block the sliding sleeve against sliding again into the second position when the sliding sleeve has been returned from the second position to the first position.

10. The injector cap according to claim 9, wherein the sleeve slides.