WO2011003815A1

WO2011003815A1 - Injection device with battery compartment having elements preventing polarity reversal and facilitating battery insertion/removal

Info

Publication number: WO2011003815A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/059422
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ulrich Brüggemann
Original assignee: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland Gmbh
Priority date: 2009-07-07
Filing date: 2010-07-02
Publication date: 2011-01-13

Abstract

A medicament delivery device (1) comprises a battery compartment (3) for receiving a battery (5) through an opening provided in a case (2) of the medicament delivery device (1). The battery (5) has a protruding terminal (5a) with a contact surface (5c) and the medicament delivery device a is characterised in that the battery compartment (3) comprises a wall (13) having a recess (12) for receiving the protruding terminal (5a) to make electrical connection with a contact (15) positioned within or behind the recess (12). Moreover, the recess (12) comprises a recess surface (12a) which is at least partly inclined with respect to the surface of the contact (15) such that the recess angle (12b) between the inclined recess surface (12a) and the surface of the contact (15) of the battery compartment (3) is obtuse.

Description

INJECTION DEVICE WITH BATTERY COMPARTMENT HAVING ELEMENTS PREVENTING POLARITY REVERSAL AND FACILITATING BATTERY INSERTION/REMOVAL

The present invention relates to medicament delivery devices for dispensing one or more doses of a medicament to a patient, and in particular but not exclusively to electronically controlled auto-injectors for dispensing insulin.

Medicament delivery devices are known for the self-administration of a medicament by patients. For example, those suffering from diabetes may require regular injections of insulin; others may require regular injections of a growth hormone. Injection devices allow the patient to administer and select a dose. It is known to automate this process so that a user need only press a button and the injection device will dispense a selected dose of medicament. This relieves the patient of the task of controlling the amount dispensed while manually expelling the medicament from the injection device. This is a particular problem for the elderly, the infirm, those suffering from vision difficulties and those suffering from diabetes related problems that impair their faculties. These automated devices are often referred to as auto- injectors and require the use of batteries to provide the power required to administer and/or set doses for injection.

Batteries are used to provide power to electrical devices for a variety of purposes. Although integrated rechargeable batteries are becoming more commonly used within electrical devices, conventional user-replaceable alkaline batteries are still desirable in a number of cases, particularly where a device requires a relatively small amount of power over a large number of uses and/or days for example in electronically controlled auto-injectors for administering diabetes.

One characteristic of many conventional alkaline batteries is their cylindrical form. The majority of conventional alkaline batteries feature positive and negative terminals at opposite ends of the cylindrical body. The positive terminal generally protrudes from one surface end and the negative terminal forms the generally flat opposing end. Electrical devices require correct placement of the battery terminals to the corresponding terminals in the device to complete the electric circuit and provide power to the device. The device terminals are often exposed to the user and do not provide clear distinction between the positive and negative terminal, other than with a visual aid. In spite of such visual indications, the problem of inadvertent insertion of the battery the wrong way round remains with the risk of connecting the battery to the wrong terminals. This is a particular problem for users suffering from impaired faculties.

In the event of incorrect insertion, the battery may overheat and leak within the device. Incorrect insertion may also permanently damage the device components or require provisions to allow for the incorrect insertion, for example diodes. This problem is especially dangerous for electrical devices that are intended for medicament delivery as malfunctioning circuitry or components may result in the delivery of an incorrect dose of medicament for the user or failure of the device. Although additional safety features can be employed to correct for incorrect polarity of the battery, these increase the complexity of the electrical circuitry within the device and also reduce the power and the supply voltage from the battery to the device.

If the battery is incorrectly inserted into the battery compartment, some conventional battery contacts may not result in electrical contact with the device terminals. However, due to the close fitting nature of battery compartments the battery often becomes lodged in incorrect as well as in correct position and is difficult to remove without damaging the compartment. Consequently, the user may attempt to use a tool, for example a screwdriver or a knife, to lever the battery out of the compartment. This leads to a significant risk of inadvertent completion of the electrical connection between the battery and device terminals with the incorrect battery polarity. This contacting can damage the device electronics, the battery and potentially the user. Moreover, if a user tries to remove the correctly inserted battery with a tool, the contacts and/or any other part of the device can be damaged. Above all, by using tools for removing the battery, in particular with respect to sharp tools like scissors, cutters or knifes, the risk occurs that the user gets injured by slipping off the device with the tool.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a battery compartment that avoids the above deficiencies. In particular, it is an aim of the current invention to prevent damage to a medicament delivery device in the event of incorrect as well as correct insertion of a battery into the battery compartment by preventing inadvertent electrical connection of the battery during attempts to remove the incorrectly installed battery or other damages in the case of a correctly installed battery.

According to the present invention, there is provided a medicament delivery device comprising a battery compartment for receiving a battery through an opening provided in a case of the medicament delivery device. The battery has a protruding terminal with a contact surface and the medicament delivery device is characterised in that the battery compartment comprises a wall having a recess for receiving the protruding terminal to make electrical connection with a contact positioned within or behind the recess. Moreover, the recess comprises a recess surface which is at least partly inclined with respect to the contact of the battery compartment such that the recess angle between the inclined recess surface and the contact surface of the contact of the compartment is obtuse. That way, the recess surface appears in a cross sectional view of the recess in the form of a "V". Following that, the battery, in particular its protruding terminal, can be inserted into the battery compartment more easily for establishing electrical contact between the contact surface of the protruding terminal and the contact. Also the removal of the battery out of the battery compartment can be carried out more easily.

Due to the inclined recess surface, the user of a device according to the present invention does not need to be as accurate as it is necessary with known devices. The inclined recess surface keeps the contact positioned within or behind the recess in a position which avoids incorrect contacting in the case of incorrect insertion of the battery and further assists the user in moving the battery into the correct position for electrical contact with the contact. Moreover, the inclined recess surface assists the user also in the situation of removal of a correctly inserted battery, for example to replace an empty battery by a new one. The inclined recess surface offers, due to the inclined relationship to the contact surface of the protruding terminal, a sliding surface for the protruding terminal to get in place for the electrical contact with the contact. Also, in the other direction, the inclined recess surface offers less resistance against displacement of the protruding terminal for removal of the battery. In some embodiments, the resistance against displacement can be reduced to an absolute minimum, in particular when other elements, like location features, of the device keep the battery in place.

As to their functionality, the inclined recess surface acts as a sliding ramp for the protruding terminal of the battery. The protruding terminal of the battery can slide in both directions, namely during insertion of the battery as well as during removal of the battery. Thereby, the inclined recess surface acts in particular in an area and a situation, where the removal or insertion of the battery is at its crucial point. To remove the battery out of the battery compartment, the first part of such removal movement is crucial. After the battery has reached a certain distance from the inserted position, it can be grasped by the hand of a user and moved. During insertion of the battery, the end part of the insertion movement is crucial, namely the part of the movement when the electrical contact between the contact surface of the protruding terminal and the contact within or behind the recess is established. While this part of the insertion movement is carried out, the battery is already in a position in which it can not or only with difficulty be grasped by the hand of a user. Thereby, the inclined recess surface of an inventive medicament delivery device assists the user during insertion as well as during removal of the battery by acting as a ramp for sliding the protruding terminal of the battery. To achieve even better sliding ability, the inclined recess surface can further be polished or manufactured in any other way to reduce friction between the inclined recess surface and the protruding terminal of the battery.

Due to the functionality of the inclined recess surface, the user is not attracted to use any kind of tool to insert or remove the battery within the device. The desired action of placing or removal can be carried out easily only with the help of the inclined recess surface. Therefore, a device according to the invention may reduce the risk of injury of the user as well as of damages to the device itself. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicament delivery device can be configured such that the recess angle is between 100° and 150°. Surprisingly it has been found that such angles, which are clearly defining an obtuse recess angle without covering areas of nearly acute or reflexed angles, for example 91 ° or 179°, are even better as to the problems solved by the present invention. In particular, the ability of the inclined recess surface to act as sliding surface for the protruding terminal of the battery as well as to act with less resistance against displacement of the battery for the aim of removal, improves within such inventive range of a recess angle. To improve such ability further, the inclined recess surface can be configured to have a reduced friction with the protruding terminal. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, at the medicament delivery device the minimum diameter of the recess is greater than the maximum diameter of the protruding terminal of the battery. Once more, the recess itself does not need to function as a resistance against displacement of the battery during use of the medicament delivery device.

Furthermore, due to the greater minimum diameter of the recess compared to the maximum diameter of the protruding terminal, the removal of the battery can be carried out even more easily. If a user wants to replace a battery and needs to remove the old battery located correctly within the battery compartment, he / she can, in the present embodiment, push the battery to pivot at least a bit around the terminal opposite to the protruding terminal. Thereby, the main axis of the battery is displaced, namely pivoted, and the protruding terminal slides along the contact located within or behind the recess. Due to this pivot movement, the protruding terminal, in particular its contact surface is levered by itself partly away from the contact positioned within or behind the recess. With other words, due to the pushing of the battery by the user, the protruding terminal is automatically lifted partly off the contact and thereby can even more easily use the sliding ability of the inclined recess surface to be displaced. Such an embodiment can in particular be of advantage in situations, where the contact is positioned behind the recess with a certain distance to the edge of the recess itself. To overcome such distance and to get into sliding contact with the recess surface, the automatic lifting of the protruding terminal can be used to shift the contact surface of the protruding terminal to the respective edge of the recess. Thereby, the replacement of a battery can be carried out more easily, by keeping the contact positioned in the most save location, namely with a distance behind the recess.

In particular in embodiments using a contact positioned within and not behind the recess, it could be advantageous if the contact surface of the protruding terminal of the battery in inserted position is coplanar with the edge of the inclined recess surface on the side which faces the contact. In such a case, there is no need to lift the protruding terminal of the battery to get into sliding contact with the recess surface. Thereby, the ability to offer a minimum of resistance against displacement of the battery is increased even further by arranging the contact positioned within the recess as being in the same plane as the edge of the inclined recess surface on the side which faces the contact.

It has to be noted that the recess surface is defined as extending between the two side surfaces of the wall through which the recess proceeds in the case of a recess forming a through hole in the wall, and is defined by extending between the side surfaces of the wall facing the battery and the bottom surface of the recess formed as a blind hole. Therefore, the contact between each side surface and the recess surface form an edge of the recess surface. One of the edges is on the side facing the battery, wherein the other edge is on the side facing the contact. With other words, the recess angle can also be defined between the recess surface and the side surface of the wall which faces the contact.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the wall is at least partially configured around the recess such as to prevent insertion of the protruding terminal into the recess from a direction that is transverse relative thereto. For example, the battery may additionally comprise a terminal surface disposed on a side of the battery opposite from the protruding terminal. Thus in the event of incorrect insertion of the battery into the battery compartment, the risk of inadvertent electrical connection between the terminal surface and the recessed contact during attempts to remove the battery is reduced.

The battery compartment may additionally feature a cover for enclosing the battery within the delivery device. In this embodiment, the cover may comprise location features that urge against the battery to hold it firmly within the medicament delivery device.

The contact(s) within the device may be cantilever type contacts that effect electrical contact with the terminals of the battery and also assist in holding the battery securely within the compartment. Alternative contacts, for example coiled springs, may also be used.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the medicament delivery device is an auto-injector.

Embodiments of the present invention are advantageous in that they prevent or at least reduce the risk of electrical contact from being made, inadvertently or otherwise, between the contact of the medicament delivery device and an incorrectly inserted battery. This prevents damage to the electronics of the medicament delivery device and/or the battery. As the contact is recessed and the housing wall configured around the recess a further advantage of the invention is that it prevents electrical contact between an incorrectly fitted battery and the medicament delivery device in the event that the user attempts to remove the battery using a metal instrument such as a screwdriver.

The term "medicament delivery device" according to the current invention shall mean a single- dose or multi-dose or pre-set dose or pre-defined, disposable or re-useable device designed to dispense a user selectable or pre-defined dose of a medicinal product, preferably multiple doses, e.g. insulin, growth hormones, low molecular weight heparins, and their analogues and/or derivatives etc. Said device may be of any shape, e.g. compact or pen-type. Dose delivery may be provided through an electrical drive mechanism or stored energy drive mechanism, such as a spring, etc. Dose selection may be provided through a manual mechanism or electronic mechanism. Additionally, said device may contain components designed to monitor physiological properties such as blood glucose levels, etc. Furthermore, the said device may comprise a needle or may be needle-free. In particular, the term

"medicament delivery device" shall mean a needle-based device providing multiple doses having an electrical drive mechanism, which is designed for use by persons without formal medical training such as patients. Preferably, the drug delivery device is of the automated- type, i.e. an auto-injector.

The term "case" according to instant invention shall preferably refer to any exterior housing ("main housing", "shell") or interior housing ("insert", "inner body"). The case may be designed to enable the safe, correct, and comfortable handling of the drug delivery device or any of its mechanism. Usually, it is designed to house, fix, protect, guide, and/or engage with any of the inner components of the drug delivery device (e.g., the drive mechanism, cartridge, plunger, piston rod) by limiting the exposure to contaminants, such as liquid, dust, dirt etc. In general, the case may be unitary or a multipart component of tubular or non-tubular shape. Usually, the exterior housing serves to house a cartridge from which a number of doses of a medicinal product may by dispensed.

Devices embodying the invention may be usefully deployed in re-useable medicament delivery devices that comprise replaceable medicament cartridges and may also be deployed within an auto-injector device.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like elements:

Figure 1 is a perspective overview of a medicament delivery device that embodies the present invention;

Figure 2a is a battery, intended for use in the device of figure 1.

Figure 2b is a perspective front end view of the device as shown in figure one, with the battery and covering door omitted for clarity;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the battery compartment from the rear of the device and additionally shows a second battery contact;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view showing the inclined recess surface according to a embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of figure 4 during removal of the battery;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of figure 4 during removal of the battery;

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of figure 4 during removal of the battery; Figure 8 is a cross sectional view showing the inclined recess surface according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of figure 8 during removal of the battery;

Figure 10 is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of figure 8 during removal of the battery;

In figure 1 , a medicament delivery device 1 , comprises a case 2, a battery compartment 3 with a battery 5 and a cover 7 for the battery compartment. The case 2 of the medicament delivery device may additionally contain a medicament cartridge, control means and dosing means (all not shown). A threaded needle attachment 8 is provided to which a needle can be attached for dose delivery and subsequently removed and discarded. A cover (not shown) may be provided to fit over the lower portion of the case 2 to assist in protecting the device from the ingress of particles and fluid when the device is not in use for injection.

A battery compartment 3 is located within an opening in the case 2 and may preferably be formed of a single component that additionally supports the internal electronics of the device. The battery compartment 3 is configured to receive a battery 5 and may be covered by a cover 7. Although the opening is shown exposing the top and side of the case 2, it may be appreciated that the opening may be within one face only and may be located at any position within the case 2. In the case of the opening for the battery compartment 3 only exposing one face of the case 2, the cover 7 would also be suitably adapted to cover the battery

compartment 3. It may also be appreciated that the case 2 may comprise several components that may be welded or snap-fit together, wherein the battery compartment 3 may constitute or be formed by one or more components of the case 2. Advantageously, the case 2 and the battery compartment 3 are formed of an insulating material.

The battery 5 comprises opposed positive and negative terminals, whereby one, nominally positive, terminal protrudes from one end face and the opposed negative terminal is the surface of the second end face. This negative terminal surface may be slightly recessed within the battery, depending upon the battery type and manufacturer used. This type of battery is well known and is the terminal arrangement used in standard AA, AAA and CR2 battery types, amongst others. The battery 5 is generally a standard alkaline battery, although other battery technologies, including rechargeable battery technologies may be used. The battery 5 is maintained and enclosed within the battery compartment 3 by a cover 7. The cover 7 is made from a plastics material, nominally the same material as the case 2. The cover 7 is shown as a captive cover and is held in place by protrusions (not-shown) that engage with corresponding grooves (e.g. a snap-fit) in the case 2 and form a hinge to allow the cover to expose the battery 5. Alternatively, or in addition, the cover 7 may be free to be detached from the device when open, for example during battery replacement. The cover 7 may be designed to be fully detachable from the case 2 or may releasably detach when a greater than threshold force is applied to the cover. An advantage of a detachable cover 7 is that it can be refitted to the device without damage to the cover or the case 2. Providing a detachable cover 7 also improves access to the battery 5 and/or the battery compartment 3. This improved access is advantageous for users of the device with reduced manual dexterity.

The underside of the cover 7 features one or more location features 9 that, when the cover is closed, act against the battery 5 and prevent, limit or minimise radial movement of the battery within the battery compartment 3. The cover 7 is securely closed over the battery 5 and the battery compartment 3 by one or more snap fit protrusions 10 that connect with corresponding grooves within the case 2. Alternative means for the securing the battery cover 7 may also employed, for example screw means, snap-fit projections, or a fingernail clip. Figure 2a shows the battery 5 in detail. The battery 5 comprises a protruding positive terminal 5a and a negative terminal surface 5b. It may be appreciated that the polarity of the terminals may be reversed, and/or the relative positions of the terminals rearranged, for example the negative terminal surface 5b may be recessed within the case of the battery 5. Figure 2b shows a front end perspective view of the device 1. For clarity the cover 7 has been omitted and the device 1 is shown with the battery 5 removed. As may be seen from the figure, a contact 1 1 is located within the battery compartment 3. The contact 1 1 is preferably a cantilever type contact and is configured to connect to the negative terminal of the battery 5. Any other known contact, for example a coil spring, may alternatively be used. The contact 1 1 may be partially embedded between the compartment 3 and the case 2 to secure the contact 11 in the required position.

Figure 3 shows an end perspective view of the device 1. Again, for clarity, the cover 7 has been omitted and the device 1 is shown with the battery 5 removed. As may be seen from figure 3, a recess 12 is located within a wall 13 of the case 2 and/or the housing of the battery compartment 3 and forms an opening between the battery compartment 3 and the case 2. The recess 12 may also be formed by the corresponding shape of the battery compartment 3 in relation to the corresponding opening within the case 2. The wall 13 of the case 2 and/or the housing of the battery compartment 3 may be configured partially or completely around the recess 12.

A second contact 15 is located either within or behind the recess 12 and is configured not to protrude into the battery compartment 3 to prevent the formation of an electrical connection with the negative terminal 5b of the battery 5 in the case of incorrect insertion of the battery 5. The contact 15 is configured to form an electrical connection with the protruding positive terminal 5a of a battery 5 if the battery 5 has been correctly inserted into the battery

compartment 3. The contact 15 is also preferentially a cantilever-type contact, although any means for forming an electrical connection with the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5, that does not protrude into the battery compartment 3 may be employed.

The contacts 11 , 15 may also be configured to be biased against the respective terminals 5a, 5b of the battery 5 when the cover 7 is closed over the opening in the case 2. In order to bias the contacts, additional structural features (not shown) on the cover 7 slot within the case 2 and act against the contacts 11 , 15 to bias the contacts against the terminals 5a, 5b to help improve the electrical connection.

In use, positioning the contact 15 within or behind the recess 12 ensures that an electrical connection can only be made with the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5. If the battery 5 is incorrectly inserted, the terminal surface 5b of the battery does not protrude into the recess 12 and is unable to create an electrical connection.

The recess 12 is preferably fully surrounded by the wall 13 of the case 2 and/or the housing of the battery compartment 3 (i.e. the wall of the case and/or battery compartment housing is configured around the recess) such that, in the event that the battery 5 is incorrectly inserted into the device, any attempt to remove the battery 5 using an additional implement, for example a small metal screwdriver, would allow removal of the incorrectly fitted battery 5 whilst preventing contact between the negative terminal surface 5b of the battery and the positive contact 15 of the device 1 via the screwdriver. By preventing an electrical contact from being made between the positive contact 15 of the device 1 and the negative terminal 5b of the battery 5, the risk of damage to the device and/or the battery resulting from the incorrect insertion is minimised.

In addition to preventing accidental electrical contact in the event of incorrect insertion of the battery 5, locating the contact 15 within the recess 12 and surrounding the recess 12 by the battery compartment housing 3 and/or the case 2 in the direction of battery insertion by the wall 13 prevents the battery 5 from being inserted correctly unless the battery is inserted in a direction that is not substantially transverse relative to the recess 12. If an attempt is made to insert the battery 5 from a direction substantially transverse to the recess 12, the protruding terminal 5a abuts the wall 13 of the case 2, making entry of the battery 5 into the battery compartment 3 difficult. This helps to reinforce to the user the correct method of inserting the battery 5 into the compartment 3 to minimise the chance of incorrect insertion.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view showing details of the inclined recess surface 12a. As it can be derived from figure 4, the recess 12 is of round or oval shape and forms an opening through wall 13. One side surface of the wall 13 is facing the battery 5, while the other side surface of the wall 13 is facing the contact 15 which is positioned behind the recess 12. The recess 12 itself has an inclined recess surface 12a, which follows the round or oval shape of the recess 12. Thereby, the inclined recess surface 12 is in general in the form of a truncated cone. The inclined recess surface 12a has a recess angle 12b, which is defined between the contact surface 5c of the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5 in inserted position and the inclined recess surface 12a. It has to be noted, that the recess surface 12a does not necessarily need to be inclined all over the recess 12, but is at least inclined in the direction of insertion and removal movement of the battery 5. In the embodiment shown in figure 4, the recess surface 12a is inclined all over the recess 12, which is due to easier manufacturing of the recess 12 and its recess surface 12a.

As it can be derived form figure 4, the minimum diameter of the recess 12 is greater than the maximum diameter of the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5. In particular, the minimum diameter of the recess 12 is approximately 50% greater than the maximum diameter of the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5. However, also different correlations between the two diameters, like 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45% or anything in-between such values can be of advantage for different embodiments. The minimum diameter of the recess 12 is defined by the minimum opening diameter of the recess surface 12a. The recess surface 12a and the side surfaces of the wall 13 are contacting each other at two edges. As to the two opposite side surfaces of the wall 13, also one of such edges is facing the battery 5, while the opposite edge is facing the contact 15. Due to the feature of the present invention that the recess angle 12b has to be obtuse, the edge 12c of the side surface facing the contact 15 defines the minimum diameter of the recess 12.

The contact 15 with a contact surface 15a for electrical contact with the contact surface 5c of the protruding terminal 5a is positioned behind the recess 12 in the embodiment depicted in figure 4. This means that the contact 5c, formed by an electrically conductive sheet or plate, is located with a certain distance behind the side of the wall 13 facing the contact surface 15a of contact 15. Such distance forms a further slot behind the recess 12, which keeps the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5 in place while the medication delivery device 1 is used. The certain distance can for example be 50% of the extension of the protruding terminal 5b along the main axis of the battery 5, but also other values, like 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40% or 45% or any value in-between ca be of advantage. However, it has to be noted, that also location features 9, which have been described with respect to other embodiments above, can be used for the primary locking of the battery 5 in the present embodiment of figure 4.

The recess surface 12a of the recess 12 of the embodiment of figure 4 is inclined with a recess angle 12b of approximately 140°. This value for the parameter recess angle 12c is a compromise between less resistance against the removal of the battery 5 on the one hand and less need of space on the wall 13 on the other hand. The greater the recess angle becomes, the more space may be needed for the inclined recess surface. However, also lower recess angles, for example like 135°, 130°, 125°, 120°, 1 15°, 1 10°, 105° or 100° are possible within the scope of the present invention. In particular recess angles being close to acute angles, namely in recess angles around 90°, or being close to reflexed angles , namely recess angles around 180°, are thereby excluded in this example. The inclined recess surface 12a has, due to the recess angle 12b, the functionality of a ramp for the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5. Such functionality will be described more detailed in the following with respect to the figures 5, 6 and 7.

The figures 5, 6 and 7 show different steps of the removal of the battery according to the embodiment depicted in figure 4. This embodiment is in particular specific as to the position of the contact 15 with contact surface 15a behind the recess 12 with a certain distance to the side surface of the wall 13 facing the contact surface 15a of contact 15. Moreover, it is specific as to the correlation between the minimum opening size of the recess 12 and maximum diameter of the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5.

According to the embodiment depicted in the figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, to remove the battery 5, such battery 5 is pushed by a user in general perpendicular to its main axis. Due to the fact that the opposite end of the battery 5 with the negative terminal 5b is general flat and fixed with its outer geometry or the respective opposite contact, the battery reacts to the pushing with a pivot movement around the opposite end of the battery 5. The first step of such pivot movement is depicted in figure 5. As it can be derived from figure 5, due to the pivot movement, the protruding terminal 5a is lifted partly from the contact surface 15a of contact 15, namely in figure 5 at its upper end. This partly lifting of the contact 15 enables the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5 to overcome the certain distance between the contact surface 15a of contact 5 and the edge 12c of the inclined recess surface 12a. The result of the lifting and a further pushing of the battery 5 can be seen in figure 6. The battery 5 is moved away from a position of electrical contact with the contact surface 15a of contact 15 positioned behind the recess 12. This happens by sliding the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5 along the inclined recess surface 12a of the recess 12. The sliding is possible due to the obtuse recess angle 12b. After the sliding process, namely after the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5 has left the inclined recess surface 12a, the battery 5 is free and can be taken out of the battery compartment 3. To carry out the afore-described removal of the battery 5, a user does not need any tool beside his finger to push the battery 5. During insertion of the battery 5, the afore-described steps are carried out in the opposite order. Figure 7 shows the battery 5 fully out of contact with the wall 13. In such position, the battery 5 can easily be grasped by the users palm to finish the removal movement of the battery 5 out of the battery compartment 3.

In figure 8, a further embodiment of the present invention is depicted, wherein such

embodiment is very similar to the embodiment of figures 4 to 7 with respect to the inclined recess surface 12a. However, contrary to the embodiment of figures 4 to 7, the presently discussed embodiment has a contact 15 with a contact surface 15a which is positioned within the recess 12. Such a position within the recess 12 can further be described that the contact surface 5c of the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5 in inserted position is coplanar with the edge 12c of the inclined recess surface 12a on the side which faces the contact surface 15a of contact 15. Due to this coplanar configuration, the removal of the battery 5 can be carried out even more easily. The removal of the battery 5 will be described in the following with respect to figures 8, 9 and 10. As it can be derived from figure 8, the maximum diameter of the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5 may be smaller than or equal to the minimum diameter of the recess 12, which has already been described in detail with reference to the embodiment described in figures 4 to 7. To remove the battery 5 out of the battery compartment 3, contrary to the embodiment of figures 4 to 7, no pivot movement is needed for easy removal of the battery 5. In fact, as it can be seen in figure 9, the pushing of the battery 5 may result in a parallel movement of the battery 5 according to the main axis of the battery 5. No tilting or pivoting of the battery 5 is necessary due to the fact that no certain distance between the contact surface 15a of contact 15 and the edge 12c of the inclined recess surface 12a exists. Therefore, the battery 5, in particular the protruding terminal 5a of the battery 5 can slide directly from the contact surface 15a of contact 15 onto the inclined recess surface 12a and from there out of the recess 12 and the wall 13. The result of such removal movement can be seen in figure 10.

Reference Sings

1 medicament delivery device

2 case

3 batterv compartment

5 batterv

5a protrudinq positive terminal

5b neqative terminal

5c contact surface of the protrudinq terminal

7 cover

8 threaded needle attachment

9 location features

10 snap fit protrusion

1 1 contact

12 recess

12a recess surface

12b recess anqle

12c edqe of the side facinq the contact

13 wall

15 contact

15a contact surface of the contact

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A medicament delivery device (1 ) comprising a battery compartment (3) for receiving a battery (5) through an opening provided in a case (2) of the medicament delivery device (1 ), the battery (5) having a protruding terminal (5a) with a contact surface (5c), characterised in that

the battery compartment (3) comprises a wall (13) having a recess (12) for receiving the protruding terminal (5a) to make electrical connection with the contact surface (15a) of a contact (15) positioned within or behind the recess (12),

wherein the recess (12) comprises a recess surface (12a) which is at least partly inclined such that the recess angle (12b) between the inclined recess surface (12a) and the contact surface (15a) of the contact (15) is obtuse.

2. A medicament delivery device (1 ) according to claim 1 characterised in that the recess angle (12b) is between 100° and 150°.

3. A medicament delivery device (1 ) according to anyone of the preceding claims

characterised in that the minimum diameter of the recess (12) is greater than the maximum diameter of the protruding terminal (5a) of the battery (5).

4. A medicament delivery device (1 ) to anyone of the preceding claims characterised in that the contact surface (5c) of the protruding terminal (5a) of the battery (5) in inserted position is coplanar with the edge (12c) of the inclined recess surface (12a) on the side which faces the contact (15).

5. A medicament delivery device according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the wall (13) is configured around the recess (12) such as to prevent insertion of the protruding terminal (5a) into the recess (12) from a direction that is transverse relative thereto.

6. A medicament delivery device according to claim 5, wherein the battery (5) comprises a terminal surface (5b) disposed on a side of the battery opposite from the protruding terminal (5a), such that in the event of incorrect insertion of the battery into the battery compartment (3), inadvertent electrical connection between the terminal surface and said contact (15) cannot be made upon removal of the battery.

7. A medicament delivery device according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the battery compartment (3) has a cover (7) for enclosing the battery (5) within the medicament delivery device (1 ).

8. A medicament delivery device according to claim 7, wherein the cover (7) comprises location features (9) that act against the battery (5) to limit radial movement of the battery relative to the medicament delivery device (1 ).

9. A medicament delivery device according to any previous claim wherein the contact (15) is a cantilever type contact.

10. A medicament delivery device according to any previous claim wherein the

medicament delivery device is an auto-injector.