Linear Rotation Stabilizer For A Telescoping Syringe Stopper Driverdriving Assembly

• US 20160346478A1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: West Pharma. Services IL, Ltd. (West Pharmaceutical Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Medimop Medical Projects Ltd. (West Pharmaceutical Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: BAR-EL, Yossi, YIGAL, Gil, FILMAN, Reuven Y.
• Granted Patent: US 10,149,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31588 electrically driven
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1452 pressurised by means of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/20 Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically A61M5/142 , A61M5/46 take precedence; hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2053 Media being expelled from injector by pressurised fluid or vacuum for infusion A61M5/145, A61M5/155
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31505 Integral with the syringe barrel, i.e. connected to the barrel so as to make up a single complete piece or unit
• 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 5/31576 Constructional features or modes of drive mechanisms for piston rods

Abstract

A cartridge interface assembly drives a stopper in a drug reservoir or a drug delivery device. An anti-rotational guide optionally moves along an axis of a cavity of the reservoir. The anti-rotational guide is optionally slidably anti-rotationally coupled to a housing of the drug delivery device. A telescoping plunger driver may include a proximal shaft and distal shaft that telescope by relative rotation. The distal shaft is optionally slidably anti-rotationally coupled to the anti-rotational guide. The shafts are optionally oriented along said axis. In some embodiments, rotating the proximal shaft with respect to the anti-rotational guide moves the guide along said axis with respect to the housing and moves the distal shaft along the axis with respect to the anti-rotational guide.

Claims

1. An assembly for driving a stopper in a drug reservoir of a drug delivery device comprising:

a telescoping assembly that telescopes by relative rotation between at least a proximal shaft and a distal shaft oriented along and axis of said reservoir;

said distal shaft configured to engage the stopper of the drug reservoir;

an anti-rotational guide sized to move along said axis of the reservoir;

said anti-rotational guide slidably and anti-rotationally coupled to a housing of the drug delivery device; and

a coupling slidably and anti-rotationally linking said anti-rotational guide to said distal shaft;

said sliding and anti-rotation with respect to said axis of the reservoir such that rotating said proximal shaft with respect to said anti-rotational guide moves said distal shaft along said axis and moves said distal shaft with respect to said anti-rotational guide said anti-rotational guide also moving along said axis.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein a maximum axial movement of said distal shaft with respect to the reservoir is greater than a maximum axial movement of said guide with respect to the reservoir.

3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

an intermediate shaft threadably engaged to said proximal shaft and to said distal shaft such that said telescoping assembly also telescopes by rotating said proximal shaft with respect to said intermediate shaft.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein a maximum axial movement of said distal shaft with respect to the reservoir is greater than a maximum axial movement of said intermediate shaft with respect to the reservoir.

5. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a linear stabilizer coupled to said proximal shaft, inhibiting axial movement of said proximal shaft in a proximal direction with respect to said linear stabilizer, said linear stabilizer coupled to the reservoir inhibiting axial movement of said linear stabilizer in a proximal direction with respect to the reservoir, such that said rotation of said proximal shaft causes said distal shaft to advance distally inside of the drug reservoir.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein said linear stabilizer includes a connecter shaped to attach to a proximal portion of said reservoir.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein said connecter is shaped to attach to a flange of said reservoir.

8. The assembly of claim 5, wherein said linear stabilizer includes an anti-rotational connector fitting to said housing for preventing rotation of said linear stabilizer with respect to said housing and wherein said anti-rotational guide slidably engages to said housing by means of said linear stabilizer.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein said reservoir and said assembly form a cartridge and wherein said housing includes an opening fitting said cartridge and wherein said anti-rotational connector is shaped to connect to said housing to limit rotation of said anti-rotational connector with respect to said housing when said cartridge is inserted into said opening.

10. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a bearing preventing proximal movement of said proximal shaft with respect to said housing and allowing rotation of said proximal shaft with respect to said housing.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said coupling includes a protrusion slidably inserted into a track.

12. A method of supplying a drug to a delivery device comprising:

providing a reservoir containing a drug and sealed with a stopper and a telescoping assembly that telescopes by rotating a proximal shaft with respect to a distal shaft;

said distal shaft configured to engage the stopper;

slidably and anti-rotationally engaging an anti-rotational guide to a housing of the delivery device;

preventing rotation of said distal shaft with respect to said housing by slidably guiding said distal shaft along said anti-rotational guide, and

extending said distal shaft and said anti-rotational guide linearly inside a cavity of said reservoir toward a distal end of said reservoir by rotating said proximal shaft wherein a distance of said extending of said distal shaft is greater than a distance of said extending of the anti-rotational guide.

13. The method of claim 12, further including:

driving said rotating of said proximal shaft with a motor of the drug delivery device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said distal shaft is initially distanced proximally from the stopper and said extending is toward said stopper.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said distal shaft abuts against the stopper and further comprising:

driving said stopper inside said cavity toward said distal end of the reservoir by said extending of said distal shaft.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

attaching a linear stabilizer to said reservoir, and

inhibiting proximal movement of said proximal shaft with respect to said linear stabilizer.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

forming a cartridge including said reservoir, said stopper, said distal shaft, said anti-rotational guide, and said linear stabilizer, and

inserting said cartridge as a single unit into the drug delivery device.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

coupling said housing to said proximal shaft, and

inhibiting proximal movement of said proximal shaft with respect to said housing.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein said preventing includes inserting a protrusion into a track.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said inserting includes elastically deforming at least one of said distal shaft and said anti-rotational guide.