Firing button for automatic injection device

• US 8,758,301 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AbbVie Biotechnology Ltd. (Puerto Rico) (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: AbbVie Biotechnology Ltd. (Puerto Rico) (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shang, Sherwin S., Ozdaryal, Esra, Post, David A., Tsvirko, Eduard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berdichevsky, Aarti Bhatia
• Assistant Examiner(s): OSINSKI, BRADLEY JAMES
• Application Number:
  US12/968,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20110178500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 604/131, 604134-136, 604/182, 604/187
• US Class Current: 604/135
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/206 With automatic needle insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3109 Caps sealing the needle bore by use of, e.g. air-hardening adhesive, elastomer or epoxy resin
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3125 specific display means, e.g. to indicate dose setting
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31508 provided on the piston-rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• 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 5/2033 Spring-loaded one-shot injectors with or without automatic needle insertion multishot dosing syringes A61M5/31525, needle insertion only A61M5/3287
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3135 characterised by constructional features of the proximal end
• 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 5/3202 Devices for protection of the needle before use, e.g. caps A61M5/50 takes precedence; for infusion spikes A61M5/1626; protectors for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3204 Needle cap remover, i.e. devices to dislodge protection cover from needle or needle hub, e.g. deshielding devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/326 Fully automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 29/00 Non-central analgesic, antipyretic or antiinflammatory agents, e.g. antirheumatic agents; Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAID]
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 35/00 Antineoplastic agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 43/00 Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide firing mechanism assemblies that minimize or eliminate a misfire of an automatic injection device that causes a delay in the delivery of an injection. Exemplary embodiments provide automatic injection devices including firing mechanism assemblies that minimize or eliminate a misfire that causes a delay in the delivery of an injection. Exemplary embodiments provide methods for minimizing or eliminating misfire that causes a delay in delivery of an injection in automatic injection devices. Exemplary embodiments provide methods for using automatic injection devices that are free of a misfire that causes delay in delivery of a therapeutic substance into a patient'"'"'s body.

Claims

1. An automatic injection device having a proximal end configured to deliver a dose of a therapeutic agent and a distal end configured to be controllable by a user, the automatic injection device comprising:

a firing body provided at the distal end of the automatic injection device, the firing body comprising;

a hollow tubular member having a bore, and

a radial surface extending inwardly from a distal portion of the hollow tubular member;

a plunger having a first and second longitudinally extending plunger arm, each plunger arm terminating in a respective, first radially extending plunger foot and a second radially extending plunger foot, the plunger arms extending through the bore of the hollow tubular member of the firing body, and the first and second plunger foot seated on the radial surface of the firing body, the first plunger foot of the first plunger arm has a first conical surface and a second conical surface, and the second plunger foot of the second plunger arm has a first conical surface and a second conical surface, wherein a first contact surface of the plunger is defined by the first conical surface of the first plunger foot and the first conical surface of the second plunger foot, and wherein a second contact surface of the plunger is defined by the second conical surface of the first plunger foot and the second conical surface of the second plunger foot; and

a firing button provided at the distal end of the automatic injection device, the firing button comprising;

an inner ring having an inner diameter of between 6.0 mm and 6.7 mm provided in proximity to the plunger foot, the inner ring configured to contact the plunger foot and to disengage the plunger foot from the radial surface of the firing body to allow the plunger to move through the bore of the hollow tubular member of the firing body, when the firing button is activated by the user.

2. The automatic injection device of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing;

a syringe slideably mounted within the housing; and

a bung slideably mounted in the syringe and moveable to expel a dose through a needle provided at the proximal end of the syringe;

wherein the plunger is configured to contact the bung and to transmit an expulsion force thereto.

3. The automatic injection device of claim 1, further comprising:

an actuating bias member operable to move the plunger when released.

4. The automatic injection device of claim 1, further comprising:

a return bias member acting between the housing and a distal end of the syringe to hold the syringe retracted within the housing until the actuating bias member is released.

5. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the inner ring is 6.4 mm.

6. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the inner ring is 6.5 mm.

7. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the inner ring is 6.6 mm.

8. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the inner ring is 6.7 mm.

9. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein a length of the inner ring is 6.73 mm.

10. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein a length of the inner ring is greater than 6.73 mm.

11. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein a length of the 5 inner ring is 6.75 mm.

12. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein a length of the inner ring is between 6.73 mm and 6.83 mm.

13. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein a length of the inner ring is 6.80 mm.

14. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein a length of the inner ring ranges 15 from 6.73 mm to 6.83 mm.

15. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner ring is formed of a thermoplastic material or a thermosetting material.

16. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the firing button further comprises:

an outer portion configured for contact by the user of the automatic injection device to allow the user to depress the outer portion toward the proximal end of the automatic injection device.

17. The automatic injection device of claim 16, wherein the outer portion protrudes from the distal end of the automatic injection device.

18. The automatic injection device of claim 16, wherein the outer portion covers all or part of the distal end of the automatic injection device.

19. The automatic injection device of claim 16, wherein the outer portion of the firing button further comprises:

an outer tubular wall; and

an end wall coupled to a terminal end of the outer tubular wall, the end wall configured for contact by the user.

20. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner ring comprises:

a tubular wall with a circular cross-section.

21. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner ring has a minimum wall thickness configured to minimize deformation of the inner ring during engagement of the inner ring with the first and the second plunger foot.

22. The automatic injection device of claim 21, wherein the minimum wall thickness of the inner ring ranges between 0.6 mm and 2.0 mm.

23. The automatic injection device of claim 21, wherein the minimum wall thickness of the inner ring ranges between 0.8 and 2.0 mm.

24. The automatic injection device of claim 21, wherein the minimum wall thickness of the inner ring is 0.9 mm.

25. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the firing button avoids a misfiring of the automatic injection device, the misfiring causing a delayed 5 delivery of an injection.

26. The automatic injection device of claim 25, wherein a measure of the delay in the delivery of the injection caused by the misfiring is greater than three seconds.

27. The automatic injection device of claim 1, further comprising a dose of a TNFα

inhibitor.

28. The automatic injection device of claim 27, wherein the TNFα

inhibitor is a human TNFα

antibody, or antigen-binding portion thereof.

29. The automatic injection device of claim 28, wherein the human TNFα

antibody, or antigen-binding portion thereof, is adalimumab or golimumab.

30. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the first plunger foot of the first plunger arm further includes a third conical surface, the second plunger foot of the second plunger arm further includes a third conical surface, and the plunger further includes a third contact surface defined by the third conical surface of the first plunger foot of the first plunger arm and the third conical surface of the second plunger foot of the second plunger arm.

31. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner ring of the firing button is configured so that, when the firing button is activated by the user, the initial contact of the inner ring with the plunger is at a distal portion of the first conical surface.

32. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the firing button is displaced toward the plunger when activated by the user.

33. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the radial surface of the firing body is an inclined surface.

34. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner ring of the firing button is configured to initially contact a distal portion of the plunger foot during an injection.

35. The automatic injection device of claim 1, wherein the inner ring of the firing button initially contacts the plunger foot after the firing button is depressed over a first distance relative to the firing body.