US2859750A

US2859750A - Hypodermic syringe

Info

Publication number: US2859750A
Application number: US564677A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Stroop
Original assignee: Pfizer Inc
Current assignee: Pfizer Inc
Priority date: 1956-02-10
Filing date: 1956-02-10
Publication date: 1958-11-11
Anticipated expiration: 1975-11-11

Description

J. H. STROOP HYPODERMIC SYR'INGE Filed Feb. 10, 1956 a f 5.1 ,ff/M M 5 W54. N4

Nov. 11, 1958 IN V EN TOR 10x1/2 bf Jima), BY

W ATTORNL'X .z/ 4 Zi@ al 7N. :w .zwf dwf F ZZ r f/ W// F United States Patent-O f 2,859,751) HYPUDERMC SYRINGE John H. Stroop, New York, N. Y., assignor to Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc., Erooltiyn, N. Y., a corporation of Deiawarey Application February 10, 1956, Seriai No. 564,677 z Claims. (ci. 12s-21s) This invention relates to a side-loading hypodermic syringe body, and more particularly to a side-loading hypodermic syringe body for operatively receiving disposable medicament-containing cartridge and needle assemblies.

At present, disposable medicament-containing cartridge and needle assemblies have been accepted with enthusiasm by the medical profession because of their convenience and assurance of sterility. Because these assemblies are discarded after administration of the medicament, their manufacturing cost should be kept to a minimum. A highly successful disposable cartridge and needle assembly is fully described and claimed in commonly assigned copending application for U. S. Letters Patent Sw. N. 264,992, led January 4, 1952, now U. S. Patent No. 2,737,949.

A syringe body used to discharge the contents of one of these assemblies accordingly should be of simplified construction to minimize the expense of manufacture. This is necessary to encourage the universal utilization of totally and partially disposable hypodermic syringes.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel structure for a simple and inexpensive hypodermic syringe body for use with disposable medicament-containing cartridge and needle assemblies.

In accordance with this invention, a novel hypodermic syringe body for operatively receiving a cartridge and needle assembly is fabricated from a trough-shaped receptacle. The wall at one end of the receptacle includes a passageway for the needle portion of the assembly, and the wall at the other end of the receptacle includes a passageway for the plunger rod. The inside length of the receptacle is sufficiently long to load the cartridge through its open side, while the needle portion is inserted through its passageway. Finger grips are integrally formed with the receptacle. The passageways for the plunger rod and needle portions may be made interchangeable so that the finger grips may be grasped from either direction.

Novel features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of an embodiment of this invention assembled with a vdisposable cartridge and needle assembly;

Fig. 2 is a plan view in elevation of the embodiment shown in Fig. l with the same disposable cartridge and needle assembly inserted therein in a direction opposite to that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view in elevation taken through Fig. -l along the line 3-3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view in elevation taken through Fig. 1 along the line 4-4 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view in elevation taken 2,859,750 Patented Nov. 11, s

through Fig. 1 along the line 5-5 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

In Figs. 1 and 2 are shown identical hypodermic syringe bodies 10 assembled with identical disposable cartridge and needle assemblies 12 facing in opposite directions with respect to these bodies. Figs. l and 2 clearly demonstrate that disposable cartridge and needle assemblies may be inserted in either direction into an embodiment of this invention so that the finger grips 14 may be grasped from either direction. This permits Arapid insertion without the necessity of careful positioning of the disposable unit and the body, as well as providing finger grips optionally at the forward end or rear end of the syringe, according to the preference of the user. The disposable cartridge and needle assembly herein shown and described is fully described and claimed in commonly assigned copending application for U. S. Letters Patent S. N. 264,992, filed January 4, 1952, now U. S. Patent No. 2,737,949.

ice

Referring to Figs. l through 5, the structural detailsv of this syringe body are described in the following. The:

body 10 may be generally described as a trough-shaped receptacle with integral linger grips 14. The open side of this trough-shaped receptacle facilitates loading of the cartridge and needle assembly as well as promoting the inexpensive fabrication of the receptacle by mass production means such as molding or casting. The body 161 herein shown and describedis, for example, molded of plastic. A highly desirable embodiment is advantageously molded of relatively hard transparent plastic material such as polystyrene. Nylon and cellulose acetate and the like may also be used to provide useful body structures. The molded portions of the unit are provided with slightly rounded surfaces and edges to maintain the structural strength of the unit and to facilitate molding. This body unit may also be advantageously manufactured of a white metal by the die-casting process.

Passageways 16 and 18 for insertion of the needle end of the assembly 12 and a shaft 2l) of plunger rod 21 are provided respectively in the

walls

22 and 24 at both ends of trough-shaped receptacle 10. Passageways 16 and 18 and the inside length of the receptacle between

walls

22 and 24 are cooperatively configured to permit insertion of the needle portion of the assembly and rotation of the cartridge within the receptacle. The passageways 16 and l shown in this embodiment of the inventQIJ are-formed by holes 16 and 18 passing respectively through

walls

22 and 24 of the receptacle.

Overlapping

portions

26 and 28 of wall 22 in line with hole 16 are cut away from opposite directions to permit angular insertion of the needle portion of assembly 12 in the direction shown in Fig. l. This angle of insertion allows the cartridge portion to clear the opposite wall 24 of receptacle 10 as the needle portion of the assembly is inserted and the cartridge portion is rotated into the trough. The recess 28 extends from the open side of the receptacle to hole 16, and the recess 26 extends from the closed end of the receptacle to the hole 16. These

recesses

26 and 28 may be conveniently formed during the molding process or by milling subsequent to molding. These overlapping recesses provided on either side of the wall 22 provide a wall of maximum thickness and strength which allows a maximum angle of insertion for the disposable cartridge and needle assembly.

The opposite wall 24 is formed with similar

overlapping recesses

30 and 32 to permit angular insertion of the needle portion of the cartridge in the direction shown in Fig. 2 in a manner similar to that previously described in conjunction with wall 22.

The plunger rod 21 is optionally inserted either through passageway 16 or 18 in accordance with the direction of insertion of the disposable cartridge and needle assembly. This plunger rod 21 is conveniently fabricated in one piece including a shaft 20 and thumb disc 34 -by a conventional mass production process such as molding or casting; and is made, for example, of a plastic such as polystyrene. Nylon and cellulose acetate or the like, or a suitable die-casting metal, may be used for convenient fabrication of the plunger. The shaft 20 includes as internally threaded hole 36 for engaging the stud 38 of the plunger 40 of the disposable cartridge and needle assembly.

The finger grips 14 are simultaneously integrally formed with the body. Theseinger grips 14 may be positioned at any point along the length of the body.

, When positioned at one end of the receptacle, as herein shown, they provide the option of grasping the syringe at the needle or plunger end when administering the contents of the disposable cartridge or needle assembly. These iinger grips may also be placed in the center of the receptacle for consistent positioning regardless of the direction of insertion of the needle and cartridge assembly.

When the disposable cartridge and needle assembly is inserted from either direction and the cartridge portion 42 is loaded into the receptacle, the plunger rod 21is inserted through the hole in the wall of the receptacle opposite to the wall through which the needle portion of the cartridge is inserted. The plunger rod is screwed to stud 38 which is attached to plunger 40 within cartridge 42. The finger grips 14 are grasped by the iingers of the operator, and the thumb of the operator is pressed against the disc 34 of the plunger rod to rst pierce the stopper 44 within the reduced neck portion 46 of the disposable cartridge. The stopper 44 is sealed within the neck 46 by a ferrule 48. The stopper 44 includes an axial needle receiving recess 22 terminating in a thin wall which normally separates the inner end of a double-pointed needle 50 from the contents of the cartridge 42. The ferrule 48 is also provided with a central opening to permit passage of the needle 50 through the stopper 44.

Needle 50 is provided with a cylindrical hub portionV 52 which includes a portion of enlarged diameter 54 encasing the outer periphery of ferrule 48. Presence of the shoulder 55 at the front of needle hub portion 54 anchors the hub within the pasageway.

Initial pressure forces ferrule 48 to fully seat within skirt of portion 54. This forces the inner point of needle 50 through stopper 44 to place the needle in communication with the contents of cartridge 42. Subsequent pressure forces plunger 40 forward to discharge the contents of the cartridge 42 through needle 50.

' The other end 56 of cylindrical portion 52 is reduced in diameter to receive a needle cover member 58 which hermetically seals the needle. Details of this cartridge and needle assembly are fully described, as aforementioned, in copending application for U. S. Letters Patent S. N. 264,992, now U. S. Patent No. 2,737,949.

The specific configuration of the passageways in the walls of the receptacle may be varied to suit the various configurations of cartridge and needle assemblies. The bodies may be provided assembled with the disposable units or may be provided separately. The plunger rods may be optionally provided by the manufacturer either with the disposable cartridge and needle assemblies, with the bodies alone or with the assembled hypodermic syringe. The plunger rods may have enlarged inner ends to maintain them attached to the syringe bodies.

As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, modifications and equivalents of these embodiments may be employed without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A hypodermic syringe body for operatively receiving a disposable cartridge and needle assembly comprising a trough-shaped receptacle, the wall at one end of said receptacle including a passageway for the needle portion of said assembly, the wall at the other end of vsaid receptacle including a passageway for a plunger rod, said receptacle having a length suiiicient to accommodate said cartridge portion of said assembly, uger grips integrally cast with said trough-shaped receptacle, said passageways being disposed in the walls at both ends of said trough-shaped receptacle, said passageways being suiiiciently large to interchangeably permit passage therethrough of said needle end of said assembly and said plunger rod, and said passageways being sufficiently large and the thickness of said walls being sufliciently small to cooperatively permit rotation of said cartridge into said receptacle when said needle portion is inserted through one of said passageways.

2. A side-loading hypodermic syringe body for operatively receiving a disposable cartridge and needle assembly joined by a hub, said body comprising a troughshaped receptacle, the walls at both ends of said receptacle being cut out to include interchangeable passageways for the needle portion of said assembly and a plunger rod, said walls providing means for anchoring said hub and cartridge within said receptacle, the area of said passageways being sufliciently large and the thickness of said walls being suiiiciently small to cooperatively permit said cartridge to be rotated into said receptacle when said hub is inserted at an angle through one of said passageways, said receptacle having a length suflicient to accommodate said hub and cartridge portions of said assembly within said receptacle, and linger grips integrally cast with said trough-shaped receptacle.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,012,700 Payne Dec. 26, 1911 2,745,403 Goldberg May 15, 1956