Low volume accurate injector
First Claim
1. A substance-administration apparatus, comprising:
- a housing;
a needle, couplable to the housing, having a skin-insertion portion 0.3-2.5 mm in length and an outer diameter that is less than 0.23 mm;
a dosage regulator coupled to the housing, which regulates a dosage of a substance expelled in a single injection through the needle, a single dosage from a plurality of selectable dosages being selectable by a user, the plurality of selectable dosages including at least one dosage that is less than or equal to 10 ul;
an electromechanical motor automatically actuated by the dosage regulator in a pulsatile manner, the motor being drivingly coupled to a rotator, which rotates about a central axis thereof;
an injection driver for driving the substance through the needle, the injection driver having a rotatable gear system drivingly coupled to the rotator;
wherein actuation of the motor in the pulsatile manner rotates the rotator and the coupled gear system in the pulsatile manner, to, in turn, drive the injection driver in the pulsatile manner to automatically produce a series of bursts of pressure in the housing that expel the single selected dosage of the substance through the needle at a controlled rate.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Substance-administration apparatus (20) is provided, including a housing (22), and a needle (80), couplable to the housing (22), having a skin-insertion portion 0.3-2.5 mm in length and an outer diameter less than 0.23 mm. A dosage regulator (60) regulates a dosage of substance injected in a single injection through the needle (80). Dosage is selectable by a setting of the dosage regulator (60) as one of a plurality of selectable dosages. At least one dosage is less than or equal to 10 ul. An injection driver (54), activatable by a user, drives the substance through the needle (80). A motor coupled to the injection driver (54) is actuated by the dosage regulator (60) in a pulsatile manner to produce brief periods of high pressure in the apparatus (20) that expel a predetermined volume of the substance through the needle (80) at a controlled rate. Other applications are also described.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A substance-administration apparatus, comprising:
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a housing; a needle, couplable to the housing, having a skin-insertion portion 0.3-2.5 mm in length and an outer diameter that is less than 0.23 mm; a dosage regulator coupled to the housing, which regulates a dosage of a substance expelled in a single injection through the needle, a single dosage from a plurality of selectable dosages being selectable by a user, the plurality of selectable dosages including at least one dosage that is less than or equal to 10 ul; an electromechanical motor automatically actuated by the dosage regulator in a pulsatile manner, the motor being drivingly coupled to a rotator, which rotates about a central axis thereof; an injection driver for driving the substance through the needle, the injection driver having a rotatable gear system drivingly coupled to the rotator; wherein actuation of the motor in the pulsatile manner rotates the rotator and the coupled gear system in the pulsatile manner, to, in turn, drive the injection driver in the pulsatile manner to automatically produce a series of bursts of pressure in the housing that expel the single selected dosage of the substance through the needle at a controlled rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A substance-administration method, comprising:
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selecting a single dosage of a substance by selecting one of a plurality of selectable dosages from a substance-administration apparatus comprising; a housing, a needle couplable to the housing, a dosage regulator coupled to the housing which regulates the dosage of the substance from one of the plurality of selectable dosages including at least one dosage that is less than or equal to 10 ul, an electromechanical motor automatically actuated by the dosage regulator in a pulsatile manner, the motor being drivingly coupled to a rotator, which rotates about a central axis thereof, an injection driver for driving the substance through the needle, the injection driver having a rotatable gear system drivingly coupled to the rotator, wherein actuation of the motor in the pulsatile manner rotates the rotator and the coupled gear system in the pulsatile manner, to, in turn, drive the injection driver in the pulsatile manner to automatically produce a series of bursts of pressure in the housing that expel the single selected dosage of the substance through the needle at a controlled rate; inserting the needle into skin of a subject to a depth of 0.3-2.5 mm, the needle having an outer diameter that is less than 0.23 mm; expelling the single selected dosage of the substance through the needle at a controlled rate by automatically producing the series of bursts of pressure in the device; and administering the selected dosage of the substance through the needle. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification