Reservoir filling systems and methods

• US 8,167,846 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Minimed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Minimed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Chong, Colin A., Luan, Truong Gia, Bikovsky, Rafael, Ibranyan, Arsen
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, (Jackie) Tan-Uyen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANDRY II, GERALD ERNEST
• Application Number:
  US12/499,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20110009825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 604/131, 604151-155, 604/158, 604/167.06
• US Class Current: 604/167.06
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14268 with a reusable and a disposable component
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1726 the body parameters being measured at, or proximate to, the infusion site
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14248 of the skin patch type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1456 with a replaceable reservoir comprising a piston rod to be moved into the reservoir, e.g. the piston rod is part of the removable reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 23/02 having reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0402 Cleaning, repairing, or assembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85978 With pump
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A reservoir may be filled with fluidic media in a first type of environment, a plunger head may be placed within the reservoir in the first type of environment, and a casing that may be configured to envelop at least a portion of a plunger arm operatively connected to the plunger head may be attached adjacent to at least a portion of the reservoir in a second type of environment. A reservoir may be provided having a first and second portion for respectively containing fluidic media, the second portion may be adapted to be removable, the reservoir may be selectively filled with a first volume or a second volume of fluidic media, a seal member may be placed in the reservoir, and the second portion may be removed in a case where the reservoir contains the first volume of fluidic media.

Claims

1. A method of making a system for containing fluidic media, the method comprising:

providing a reservoir body having a first portion and a second portion for respectively containing fluidic media, the first portion and second portion being in fluid flow communication with each other;

adapting the second portion to be removable from the reservoir body;

wherein the second portion of the reservoir body having an interior volume that is in fluid flow communication with an interior volume of the first portion of the reservoir body when the second portion is not removed from the first portion;

filling, at least partially, the first portion or the second portion of the reservoir body with a volume of fluidic media;

placing a seal member in the reservoir body, the seal member to be arranged in at least one of the first portion and the second portion of the reservoir body, the seal member comprising a plunger head arranged for movement within the reservoir body;

removing the second portion from the reservoir body in a case where the first portion is sufficiently filled with the first volume of fluidic media and the seal member is arranged at least partially in the first portion of the reservoir body; and

operatively connecting a plunger arm to the plunger head.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adapting the second portion comprises:

scoring a perimeter around the reservoir body;

the perimeter separating the first portion of the reservoir body and the second portion of the reservoir body.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adapting the second portion comprises:

forming a perimeter around the reservoir body;

the perimeter separating the first portion of the reservoir body and the second portion of the reservoir body.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a thickness of the reservoir body along the perimeter is less than a thickness of the first portion of the reservoir body.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a portion of the reservoir body corresponding to the perimeter is made of a different material than a material of the first portion of the reservoir body.

6. A method of claim 3, wherein the perimeter comprises perforations around the reservoir body.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the first portion of the reservoir body is less than a thickness of the second portion of the reservoir body.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the reservoir body is made of a material different from a material of the first portion of the reservoir body.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein adapting the second portion comprises:

providing an annular body sized and dimension to fit around at least a portion of the reservoir body;

the annular body separating the first portion of the reservoir body and the second portion of the reservoir body.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of filling the reservoir body and placing a seal member in the reservoir body occurs in an aseptic environment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second portion is removed from the reservoir body in an environment that is not aseptic.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plunger arm and the plunger head are integral to one another.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein filling the reservoir body comprises filling the reservoir body to a fill line.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the seal member placed in the reservoir body contacts fluidic media at the fill line.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the seal member is to be located in the first portion of the reservoir body in a case where the reservoir body contains a volume equal to the first volume of fluidic media;

and

wherein the seal member is to be located in the second portion of the reservoir body in a case where the reservoir body contains a volume equal to the second volume of fluidic media.

12. A method of making a system for containing fluidic media, the method comprising:

providing a reservoir body having a first portion and a second portion for respectively containing fluidic media, the first portion and second portion being in fluid flow communication with each other;

adapting the second portion to be removable from the reservoir body;

wherein the second portion of the reservoir body having an interior volume that is in fluid flow communication with an interior volume of the first portion of the reservoir body when the second portion is not removed from the first portion;

filling, at least partially, the first portion or the second portion of the reservoir body with volume of fluidic media;

placing a seal member in the reservoir body, the seal member to be arranged in at least one of the first portion and the second portion of the reservoir body, the seal member comprising a plunger head arranged for movement within the reservoir body;

removing the second portion from the reservoir body in a case where the first portion is sufficiently filled with the first volume of fluidic media and the seal member is arranged at least partially in the first portion of the reservoir body; and

attaching a casing adjacent to at least a portion of the reservoir body, the casing configured to envelop at least a portion of a plunger arm operatively connected to the plunger head, the casing further configured to allow the plunger arm to move in an axial direction relative to the reservoir body and at least partially within the reservoir body.

14. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

operatively connecting the plunger arm to the plunger head.

15. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

locating the plunger arm at least partially in the casing; and

operatively connecting the plunger arm to the plunger head after the casing is attached to the reservoir body.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein attaching a casing adjacent to at least a portion of the reservoir body comprises welding the casing to the reservoir body.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the casing is laser welded to the reservoir body.