Support for a cartridge for transferring an electronically readable item of information from the cartridge to an electronic circuit

• US 20060178637A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Eilersen
• Original Assignee: Michael Eilersen
• Inventors: Eilersen, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,621,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/189
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6027 Electric-conductive bridges closing detection circuits, with or without identifying elements, e.g. resistances, zener-diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6072 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14546 Front-loading type injectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/24 Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or carpules, e.g. automatic ampoules or carpules A61J1/06

Abstract

The invention relates to: A support (15) for a cartridge (10) provided with one or more electronically readable information carrying areas (121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127). The invention further relates to the use of a composite material for a support. The object of the present invention is to provide means, which are capable of securely transferring information with an increased density from a cartridge to an electronic circuit, and which are flexible and may be customized to a variety of physical designs. The problem is solved in that the support (15) for the cartridge (10) is at least partially constituted by one or more electrically connecting supports (151), each comprising a number of closely spaced mutually electrically insulated conductors (1511) embedded in an electrically insulating material (1512, 155) that stretches from one of the supporting surfaces of the cartridge to a contact area (163) for receiving and transferring the information, when said cartridge (10) is positioned in said support (15). This has the advantage of providing a flexible solution, allowing a large information density on a cartridge to be safely transferred to an electronic circuit. The invention may be used e.g. in connection with replaceable medication cartridges for medication delivery devices and with other cartridges from which an item of information is to be electronically transferred.

Claims

1. A support for a medication holding cartridge provided with one or more electronically readable items of information carrying area, wherein the support is at least partially made from one or more electrically connecting supports, each comprising a plurality of closely spaced mutually electrically insulated conductors embedded in an electrically insulating material that stretches from one of the supporting surfaces of the cartridge to a contact area for receiving and transferring the information when the cartridge is positioned in the support and wherein the cartridge has an axis of symmetry and the contact area comprises a group of regularly spaced electrically conducting pads of width W_cp, the adjacent pads being separated by an electrically insulating area of width D_iacp and wherein D_iacp.>

2*T_i1.

2. The support of claim 1, wherein Wcp>

Ti1+Tc1.

3. A medication delivery device comprising:

a medication containing cartridge having an electrically readable item of information in the form of a series of electrical conductors;

a support for the cartridge, wherein the support contains an information transfer area for transferring the electrically readable item of information to the device, and wherein the support comprises a plurality of electrical conductors that contact corresponding electrical conductors on the cartridge and wherein a voltage potential applied to the conductors on the support results in a change in electrical potential of the conductors on the cartridge and wherein a measurement of the change in electrical potential on the cartridge conductors serves to convey information to the medical device.

4. A method of transferring information about the contents of a medication holding cartridge from the cartridge to a medication delivery device, the method comprising the steps of:

a. inserting a cartridge having a series of spaced insulated conductors into a support on a medication delivery device;

b. energizing the conductors on the support and reading a change in the electrical potential across the conductors on the cartridge, wherein a specific change in electrical potential corresponds to a predetermined piece of information about the contents of the cartridge thereby effecting a transfer of information from the cartridge to the device.