Injection syringe with mobile needle guard

• US 6,893,423 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2001
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tech Group Europe Limited (West Pharmaceutical Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SEDAT Co.
• Inventors: Denolly, Pascal
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maynard, Jennifer J
• Application Number:
  US10/169,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20020193747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 604/110, 604/187, 604/197, 604/198, 604/263, 604/218, 604/19, 604/93.01, 604192-196, 604/200, 604/201, 604/203, 604/216, 604/244, 604/181
• US Class Current: 604/192
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3247 Means to impede repositioning of protection sleeve from needle covering to needle uncovering position
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/5073 by breaking or rupturing the connection parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/286 upon internal pressure increase, e.g. pierced or burst A61M5/283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31511 Piston or piston-rod constructions, e.g. connection of piston with piston-rod A61M5/5066 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/508 Means for preventing re-use by disrupting the piston seal, e.g. by puncturing

Abstract

The injection syringe has at least one syringe body (12) provided with a needle (22) and a pusher (14) mounted so as to be able to move in the body (12). The syringe has a movable guard (36) for protecting the injection end (22A) of the needle. The guard (36) is able to move with respect to the body (12) between a position retracted in the body (12) and an active protection position. The guard (36) and the body (12) have associated projecting and recessed reliefs for holding the guard in a retracted position. It has a retractable member (70) for positive holding of the engagement of the said associated reliefs, when the guard (36) is in a retracted position. The pusher (14) and the said holding member (70) are adapted for a retraction of the said holding member (70) under the action of the pushing in of the pusher (14) into the body, at the end of injection, providing a release of the positive holding of the engagement of the associated reliefs.

Claims

1. An injection syringe having a syringe body provided with an injection needle and an actuation pusher mounted so as to be able to move in the body, the injection needle having an injection end and the syringe having a movable needle guard for protecting the injection end of the needle, which guard is able to move with respect to the body between a position in which it is retracted in the body away from the injection end of the needle and an active protection position in which the front end of the guard is at the front of the injection end of the needle, the guard and the body having associated projecting and recessed reliefs for holding the guard in a retracted position, wherein the syringe has a retractable retaining member for the positive retaining of the engagement of the associated projecting and recessed reliefs, when the needle guard is in a retracted position, and wherein the actuation pusher and said retaining member are adapted for a retraction of said retractable retaining member with respect to the needle guard, under the action of the pushing in of the actuation pusher into the body, at the end of injection, providing a release of the positive retaining of the engagement of the associated projecting and recessed reliefs.

2. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein the needle guard and the retractable retaining member are made in one piece.

3. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein retractable retaining member and the needle guard are initially connected by a breakable link.

4. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein said associated projecting and recessed reliefs comprise at least one recess provided in the syringe body and at least one elastic arm carrying an external projection adapted to be received in an associated recess in the body, and said retractable retaining member has at least one stop for holding the or each external projection in the associated recess, before retraction of said retractable retaining member.

5. An injection syringe according to claim 4, wherein said elastic arms are provided by the rear end portion of the needle guard turned towards the rear actuation piston.

6. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein said injection needle is extended axially inside the body as far as a rear end of said injection needle, away from which there is initially disposed, in the body, a perforatable transverse wall, the needle and said transverse wall being able to move with respect to each other from an initial position in which the transverse wall is distant from the needle as far as a final position in which the transverse wall is pierced by said needle.

7. An injection syringe according to claim 6, wherein said retractable retaining member has a passage for the axial guidance of the rear end of the needle, when the transverse wall is perforated.

8. An injection syringe according to claim 6, wherein said transverse wall is axially deformable under the action of the actuation pusher acting on said retractable retaining member.

9. An injection syringe according to claim 6, wherein said needle guard and said transverse wall are initially spaced apart from each other, and wherein they have complementary profiles for axial connection by elastic engagement.

10. An injection syringe according to claim 6, wherein the needle guard and the transverse wall have axial connection means at least when the needle and the transverse wall are in their final position, and wherein the needle guard and the syringe body have complementary projecting and recessed profiles preventing the movement of the needle guard towards the actuation pusher when the needle and the transverse wall are in their final position.

11. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein the needle guard has at least two legs extending generally parallel, which legs are made in one piece and connected to each other at their rear end turned towards the actuation pusher.

12. An injection syringe according to claim 11, wherein the needle guard has an attached ring connecting the ends of the legs opposite to their end turned towards the actuation piston.

13. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein the needle guard and the syringe body have complementary projecting and recessed profiles preventing the movement of the needle guard towards the actuation pusher when the needle guard is in its initial retracted position.

14. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein the syringe body has at least one elastic blade and the needle guard has at least one notch adapted to co-operate with the said elastic blade in order to prevent the movement of the needle guard towards the actuation pusher when the needle guard is in its active protection position.

15. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein the needle guard is able to move with respect to the syringe body under the action of the progressive pushing in of the actuation pusher in the syringe body.

16. An injection syringe according to claim 1, wherein the actuation pusher comprises two telescopic elements mounted so as to be able to move axially with respect to each other and releasable means for the axial connection of the two elements with respect to each other during the injection phase, and wherein the syringe has means of releasing the means of axial connection of the two elements at the end of injection.

17. An injection syringe according to claim 16, wherein the actuation pusher has an external tube and an internal rod able to slide inside the external tube, which internal rod has a rear end projecting out of the external tube and having an abutment surface for a finger for pressing in the actuation pusher into the syringe body, and wherein the internal rod has an extension able to move, after release of the axial connection means, between an injection position, in which the extension is at least partially retracted in the external tube, and an active position of retraction of the holding member, in which said active position the extension projects with respect to the external tube.

18. An injection syringe according to claim 17, wherein the releasable axial connection means have at least one aperture provided in the external tube and at least one projecting member connected to the internal rod, said at least one projecting member being elastically engaged in the aperture, the aperture having, at one end, a stop for the axial immobilization of the external tube for the abutment of the projecting member engaged in the aperture.

19. An injection syringe according to claim 16, wherein the means of releasing the means of axial connection of the two elements at the end of injection have at least one release member able to co-operate with the syringe body at the end of injection in order to cause the release of the axial connection means.