Liquid drug transfer devices for secure telescopic snap fit on injection vials

• US 10,357,429 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: West Pharma. Services IL, Ltd. (West Pharmaceutical Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: West Pharma. Services IL, Ltd. (West Pharmaceutical Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: David, Uri, Denenburg, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimbouski, Ariana
• Application Number:
  US15/741,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20180193228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/201 having one piercing end
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2055 having gripping means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2065 having aligning and guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2096 Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents

Abstract

A liquid drug transfer device that includes a vial adapter having at least two non-adjacent vial retention flex members and at least two non-adjacent vial guidance flex members. The vial guidance flex members are each provisioned with a purpose design hinged zone distanced from a vial adapter top wall for intentionally being hinged thereat on telescopic snap fitting on an injection vial. The vial retention flex members can double as vial guidance flex members with the condition that their hinged zones are distal to their inwardly protruding vial retention ribs relative to the vial adapter top wall.

Claims

1. A liquid drug transfer device for secure telescopic snap fitting on an injection vial having a longitudinal injection vial centerline and including a closed end vial tube, a tubular vial crown having a crown opening stopped by a vial stopper, a vial neck intermediate the vial tube and the vial crown, a vial shoulder intermediate the vial tube and the vial neck, the vial crown having an uppermost vial crown rim towards the crown opening and a lowermost vial crown rim towards the vial neck, the vial tube and the vial shoulder meeting at an uppermost vial tube rim,

the vial tube having a vial tube outer diameter d1, the vial crown having a vial crown outer diameter d2, the vial neck having a vial neck outer diameter d3 and a vial neck inner diameter d4 wherein d1>

d2>

d3>

d4 and the vial tube outer diameter d1 being selected from a predetermined range of at least one vial tube outer diameter d1 for the vial crown outer diameter d2, the liquid drug transfer device comprising;

(a) a vial adapter having a longitudinal vial adapter centerline and including a vial adapter top wall transverse to said longitudinal vial adapter centerline, a cylindrical skirt downwardly depending from said vial adapter top wall for telescopically slidingly receiving the vial crown therein, and a hollow puncturing cannula for puncturing the vial stopper, said puncturing cannula having a puncturing cannula tip with at least one flow aperture for accessing the vial tube,

said skirt including

i) at least two non-adjacent vial retention flex members having vial retention flex member tips distal to said vial adapter top wall, each said vial retention flex member having an at least partially circumferentially extending inwardly protruding vial retention rib for snap fitting over the vial crown for vial retention purposes, and

ii) at least two non-adjacent vial guidance flex members being at least as long as said at least two non-adjacent vial retention flex members and having vial guidance flex member tips distal to said vial adapter top wall,

said at least two non-adjacent vial guidance flex members each having a hinged zone located at a distance from said vial adapter top wall thereby dividing each said vial guidance flex member into an upper vial guidance flex member section proximal said vial adapter top wall and a lower vial guidance flex member section distal said vial adapter top wall,

said at least two non-adjacent vial guidance flex members each being outwardly radially hinged at its respective hinged zone relative to the longitudinal vial adapter centerline as a result of its respective vial guidance flex member tip contacting the vial shoulder upon telescopic snap fitting of said vial adapter on the injection vial; and

(b) at least one fluid transfer port in flow communication with said puncturing cannula.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least two non-adjacent vial retention flex members each has a hinged zone which is further displaced from said vial adapter top wall than its respective at least partially circumferentially extending inwardly protruding vial retention rib, such that each said vial retention flex member is outwardly radially hinged at its respective hinged zone relative to the longitudinal vial adapter centerline, as a result of its respective vial retention flex member tip contacting the vial shoulder upon telescopic snap fitting of said vial adapter on the injection vial.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least two non-adjacent vial guidance flex member each having said hinged zone displaced at the same distance from said vial adapter top wall as said at least partially circumferentially extending inwardly protruding vial retention ribs such that, on telescopic snap fitting said vial adapter on the injection vial, said at least two upper vial guidance flex member sections and said at least two vial retention flex members snugly encircle the vial crown in a uniform manner for each vial tube outer diameter d1 from the predetermined range of at least one vial tube outer diameter d1.

4. The device according to claim 3 wherein each said vial guidance flex member subtends a sector angle of at least 90°

around the longitudinal vial adapter centerline and includes a pair of spaced apart lower vial guidance flex member sections.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein each hinged zone is constituted by an external peripheral groove.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein each hinged zone is constituted by two or more spaced apart hinges.