WO2011111046A1

WO2011111046A1 - Injector

Info

Publication number: WO2011111046A1
Application number: PCT/IL2011/000230
Authority: WO
Inventors: Doron Marco; Shany Peled; Yariv Ziv; Shlomi Eiger
Original assignee: White Innovation Ltd.
Priority date: 2010-03-10
Filing date: 2011-03-10
Publication date: 2011-09-15

Abstract

An injector for injecting a substance into a living being, the injector including a needle displacement assembly including an injection needle and operative, when actuated, to cause the needle to be displaced from a needle point protected position along a needle displacement axis to an injection position, and a syringe accommodating assembly operative when a piston element of the syringe is displaced along a piston displacement axis, defined by the syringe accommodating assembly and angled with respect to the needle displacement axis, to receive the substance from the syringe through a substance receiving opening and to allow the substance to be injected through the needle responsive to displacement of the syringe.

Description

INJECTOR

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Reference is made to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No.

61/282,633, filed March 10, 2010 and entitled "DEVICE FOR SUBSTANCE DELIVERY TO ANIMALS AND METHOD THEREOF", the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and priority of which is hereby claimed pursuant to 37

CFR 1.78(a) (4) and (5)(i).

Reference is also made to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No.

61/350,129, filed June 1, 2010 and entitled "DEVICE FOR SUBSTANCE DELIVERY TO SUBJECTS AND METHOD THEREOF", the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and priority of which is hereby claimed pursuant to 37 CFR

1.78(a) (4) and (5)(i).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to automatic injectors generally.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The following patent publications are believed to represent the current state of the art:

US Patent Nos.: 5,092,842; 5,417,660; 5,478,316; 5,980,491 ; 6,241,709; 6,855, 129; 6,986,760 and 7,517,334.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a low cost simple automatic injector. There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention an injector for injecting a substance into a living being, the injector including a needle displacement assembly including an injection needle and operative, when actuated, to cause the needle to be displaced from a needle point protected position along a needle displacement axis to an injection position, and a syringe accommodating assembly operative when a piston element of the syringe is displaced along a piston displacement axis, defined by the syringe accommodating assembly and angled with respect to the needle displacement axis, to receive the substance from the syringe through a substance receiving opening and to allow the substance to be injected through the needle responsive to displacement of the syringe.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the needle displacement assembly includes a needle bearing assembly fixedly supporting the needle and having a passageway arranged to communicate with the needle, the passageway having an opening which communicates with the substance receiving opening when the needle is in the injection position.

Preferably, the needle displacement assembly also includes a needle bearing assembly displacer including a compression spring and having a first, uncocked state wherein the compression spring is in an uncompressed state and a second, cocked state where the compression spring is in a compressed state. Preferably, the needle bearing assembly displacer also includes an outer housing element having a raised position relative to the syringe accommodating assembly when the needle bearing assembly is in the uncocked state and a lowered position relative to the syringe accommodating assembly when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state, at least one of the outer housing element and the syringe accommodating assembly being formed with snap engagement functionality for locking the outer housing element to the syringe accommodating assembly when the outer housing element is in the lowered position relative to the syringe accommodating assembly. Preferably, the outer housing element includes a left housing portion and a right housing portion. Additionally, the outer housing element includes a syringe receiving opening, the syringe receiving opening being aligned with the piston displacement axis only for enabling engagement of a syringe with the syringe accommodating assembly when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state.

Preferably, the injector also includes at least one manually operable trigger, operable when actuated and when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state for allowing the needle bearing assembly to be displaced from the needle point protected position along a needle bearing assembly displacement pathway arranged along the needle displacement axis to the injection position. Additionally, the syringe accommodating assembly includes first and second bores which are angled with respect to each other, the first bore defining a syringe receiving bore and the second bore defining the needle bearing assembly displacement pathway.

Preferably, the syringe accommodating assembly includes a base portion at a bottom end of the second bore, the base portion having an aperture which allows passage of at least part of the injection needle therethrough. Additionally, the second bore is formed with a pair of opposing axial side slits which extend parallel to the needle displacement axis. Preferably, the first bore defining a syringe receiving bore includes a cylindrical portion and a tapered portion. Preferably, the tapered portion communicates with a lower portion of the second bore.

Preferably, the syringe accommodating assembly is formed with a pair of side bottom recesses adjacent the base portion. Preferably, the left housing portion and the right housing portion both include a curved wall portion integrally formed with a top portion, and an inclined portion, the inclined portion formed with a cut out which defines part of an opening for the first bore. Preferably, each of the curved wall portions is formed with an outwardly protruding push button portion which overlies an aperture in the curved wall portion and is hinged to the curved wall portion by an integrally formed hinge.

Preferably, the push button portions are formed with an inwardly facing pin portion. Preferably, the needle bearing assembly includes a needle support including top and bottom portions which are joined by a neck portion. Preferably, a pair of vertically compressible sealing portions extend below the periphery of the bottom portion, and are integrally formed therewith.

Preferably, the passageway extends through the neck portion and communicates with the interior of the injection needle. Preferably, the injection needle is secured in the bottom portion and has a sharpened point.

Additionally, the top and bottom portions are formed with sealing rings which are sized to slidingly and sealingly engage the interior of the second bore. Preferably, the bottom portion is formed with a pair of oppositely directed flexible fingers, which are normally outwardly extending but may be pushed into corresponding recesses. Preferably, the flexible fingers are sized to slidably engage the opposing axial side slits of the second bore.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state, the compression spring is compressed between the top portion of the needle bearing assembly and the top portions of the left housing portion and the right housing portion. Additionally, when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state, the needle bearing assembly is retained against axial movement along needle displacement axis by engagement of the oppositely directed flexible fingers with the bottoms of the pair of opposing axial side slits.

Additionally, when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state, the sharpened point of the injection needle is within the second bore. Additionally, when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state, a syringe may be inserted into the first bore. Additionally, when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state, the compressible sealing portions are operative to seal the first bore, thereby preventing communication between the tapered portion and the lower portion of the second bore, and thereby preventing flow of the contents of the syringe from the syringe into the second bore.

Additionally, when the needle bearing assembly is in the cocked state, injection is performed by a user simultaneously pushing both of the push button portions inwardly with the result that the inwardly facing pin portions force the flexible fingers out of engagement with the opposing axial side slits of the second bore slits and allow the injection needle to move out through the aperture in the base portion under the urging of the compression spring. Additionally, after the injection, contents of the syringe are supplied to the interior of the injection needle via the passageway and are injected into a patient via the sharpened point of the injection needle under pressure produced by depression of the piston element of the syringe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figs. 1A and IB are simplified exploded view illustrations taken respectively as top down and bottom up views of an automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figs. 2A and 2B are simplified assembled view illustrations taken respectively as top down and bottom up views of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, shown in Figs. 1A and IB;

Figs. 3A and 3B are simplified pictorial illustrations taken respectively as top down and bottom up views of a central element forming part of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as seen in Figs. 1A - 2B and Fig. 3C is a sectional illustration taken along lines IIIC - IIIC in Fig. 3A;

Figs. 4A and 4B are simplified pictorial illustrations taken respectively as respective front right and back left views of a left housing portion forming part of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in Figs. 1A & 2A;

Figs. 4C and 4D are simplified planar illustrations taken respectively as respective right and left views of the left housing portion forming part of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in Figs. 1A, 2 A, 4 A & 4B;

Figs. 5A and 5B are simplified pictorial illustrations taken respectively as respective front right and back left views of a right housing portion forming part of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in Figs. 1 A & 2A;

Figs. 5C and 5D are simplified planar illustrations taken respectively as respective right and left views of the right housing portion forming part of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in Figs. 1 A, 2A, 5A & 5B;

Figs. 6A and 6B are simplified pictorial illustrations taken respectively as top down and bottom up views of a needle assembly forming part of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as seen in Figs. 1 A - 2B;

Figs. 6C and 6D are sectional illustrations taken along lines VIC - VIC and VID - VID respectively in Fig. 6A;

Figs. 7A and 7B are illustrations of the automatic injector of Figs. 1A - 6D in respective first and second operative orientations; and

Figs. 8A and 8B are illustrations of the automatic injector of Figs. 1 A - 6D in respective third and fourth operative orientations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is now made to Figs. 1A - 2B, which are simplified illustrations of an automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As seen in Figs. 1A - 2B, the automatic injector comprises a central element 100 and left and right housing portions 102 and 104, which generally but not completely enclose central element 100. A needle bearing assembly 106 is arranged for axial displacement along a needle displacement axis 108 defined with respect to the central element 100 under the urging of a compression spring 110.

Reference is now made to Figs. 3A and 3B, which are simplified pictorial illustrations taken respectively as top down and bottom up views of central element 100, forming part of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as seen in Figs. 1A - 2B and to Fig. 3C, which is a sectional illustration taken along lines IIIC - IIIC in Fig. 3A.

As seen in Figs. 3 A - 3C, the central element 100 includes a base 120 having an aperture 122 which allows the passage of a needle therethrough. Preferably integrally formed with base 120 is a generally upstanding cylindrical bore 124 which extends generally along axis 108 (Figs. 1A - 2B) and communicates with aperture 122 and is arranged to accommodate needle bearing assembly 106 therein and to permit displacement of needle bearing assembly 106 along axis 108. Cylindrical bore 124 is formed with a pair of opposing axial side slits 126 which extend parallel to axis 108.

Central element 100 also includes an angled bore 130 which includes a cylindrical portion 132 and a tapered portion 134 which communicates with a lower portion 136 of cylindrical bore 124. Central element 100 is also formed with a pair of side bottom recesses 138 adjacent base 120.

Reference is now made to Figs. 4A - 4D, which illustrate left housing portion 102. As seen in Figs. 4A - 4D, the left housing portion comprises a curved wall portion 140 integrally formed with a top portion 142 and an inclined portion 144, formed with a cut out 146 which defines part of an opening for angled bore 130. Curved wall portion 140 is formed with an outwardly protruding push button portion 148 which overlies an aperture in the curved wall portion 140 and is hinged to the curved wall portion 140 by an integrally formed hinge 150. Push button portion 148 is preferably formed with an inwardly facing pin portion 152.

Curved wall portion 140 is also preferably formed with a flexible snap fit engagement portion 154 at a bottom edge 156 thereof. Flexible snap fit engagement portion 154 is preferably formed with an inwardly facing tooth 158.

Reference is now made to Figs. 5A - 5D, which illustrate right housing portion 104. As seen in Figs. 5A - 5D, the left housing portion comprises a curved wall portion 160 integrally formed with a top portion 162 and an inclined portion 164, formed with a cut out 166 which defines part of an opening for angled bore 130. Curved wall portion 160 is formed with an outwardly protruding push button portion 168 which overlies an aperture in the curved wall portion 160 and is hinged to the curved wall portion 160 by an integrally formed hinge 170. Push button portion 168 is preferably formed with an inwardly facing pin portion 172.

Curved wall portion 160 is also preferably formed with a flexible snap fit engagement portion 174 at a bottom edge 176 thereof. Flexible snap fit engagement portion 174 is preferably formed with an inwardly facing tooth 178.

Reference is now made to Figs. 6A - 6D, which are simplified illustrations of needle bearing assembly 106 forming part of the automatic injector constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as seen in Figs. 1A - 2B. As seen in Figs. 6A - 6D, the needle bearing assembly 106 includes a needle support 180 including top and bottom portions respectively designated by reference numerals 182 and 184, which are joined by a neck portion 186. Extending below the periphery of bottom portion 184, and preferably integrally formed therewith, are a pair of vertically compressible sealing portions 187. A throughgoing transverse bore 188 extends through neck portion 186 and communicates with the interior of a hollow needle 190, secured in bottom portion 184 and having a sharpened point 191.

Both top and bottom portions 182 and 184 are formed with sealing rings, respectively designated by reference numerals 192 and 194 respectively, which are sized to slidingly and sealingly engage the interior of upstanding cylindrical bore 124 of central element 100.

Bottom portion 184 is formed with a pair of oppositely directed, flexible fingers 196, which are normally outwardly extending as shown but may be pushed into corresponding recesses 198. Fingers 196 are sized to slidably engage opposing axial side slits 126 of upstanding cylindrical bore 124 of central element 100.

Reference is now made to Fig. 7A which illustrates the automatic injector of Figs. 1A - 6D in a first operative orientation. It is seen in Fig. 7A that central element 100 is not fully inserted into the housing defined by left and right housing portions 102 and 104, the needle bearing assembly 106 is located within upstanding cylindrical bore 124 of central element 100 and spring 1 10 is in an uncompressed state between the top portion 182 of needle bearing assembly 106 and the top portions 142 and 162 of respective left and right housing portions 102 and 104.

Fig. 7B shows the automatic injector of Figs. 1A - 7A in a second operative orientation, wherein it is cocked by relative displacement of the central element 100 and the left and right housing portions 102 and 104 towards each other along axis 108 as shown by arrows in Fig. 7A. As shown clearly by comparison of Fig. 7A to Fig. 7B, the overall height of the automatic injector is reduced from LI to L2 after being cocked.

The automatic injector of Figs. 1A - 7A is maintained in this cocked arrangement by snap fit engagement of tooth 158 of flexible snap fit engagement portions 154 of housing portion 102 and of tooth 178 of flexible snap fit engagement portions 174 of housing portion 104 with side bottom recesses 138 adjacent base 120 of central element 100. The spring 110 is compressed between between the top portion 182 of needle bearing assembly 106 and the top portions 142 and 162 of respective left and right housing portions 102 and 104.

Reference is now made to Figs. 8A and 8B, which are illustrations of the automatic injector of Figs. 1A - 6D in respective third and fourth operative orientations. As is seen clearly in Fig. 8A, notwithstanding the urging of spring 110, the needle bearing assembly 106 is retained against axial movement along axis 108 by engagement of oppositely directed, flexible fingers 196 with the bottoms of opposing axial side slits 126. In this operative orientation, the sharpened point of the needle is within the central element 100.

As further seen in Fig 8A, when the automatic injector is in its second operative "cocked" orientation, a syringe 200 may be inserted into the angled bore 130. It is appreciated that when the automatic injector is in its second operative "cocked" orientation, vertically compressible sealing elements 187 are preferably operative to seal tapered portion 134 of angled bore 130, thereby preventing flow of the contents of the syringe 200 from the syringe 200 into cylindrical bore 124.

As shown in Fig. 8B, injection is performed by a user simultaneously pushing both push button portions 148 and 168 inwardly with the result that pin portions 152 and 172 force flexible fingers 196 out of engagement with slits 126 and allow needle 190 to move out through aperture 122 in base 120 of central portion 100 under the urging of spring 110. Only at this stage can the contents of the syringe 200 be supplied to the interior of the needle 190 via transverse bore 188 and injected into a patient via the sharpened point 191 of the needle 190 under pressure produced by depression of the piston of the syringe.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the various features described hereinabove as well as modifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not in the prior art.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. An injector for injecting a substance into a living being, the injector comprising:

a needle displacement assembly including an injection needle and operative, when actuated, to cause said needle to be displaced from a needle point protected position along a needle displacement axis to an injection position; and

a syringe accommodating assembly operative when a piston element of said syringe is displaced along a piston displacement axis, defined by said syringe accommodating assembly and angled with respect to said needle displacement axis, to receive said substance from said syringe through a substance receiving opening and to allow said substance to be injected through said needle responsive to displacement of said syringe.

2. An injector according to claim 1 and wherein said needle displacement assembly comprises:

a needle bearing assembly fixedly supporting said needle and having a passageway arranged to communicate with said needle, said passageway having an opening which communicates with said substance receiving opening when said needle is in said injection position.

3. An injector according to claim 2 and wherein said needle displacement assembly also comprises:

a needle bearing assembly displacer including a compression spring and having a first, uncocked state wherein said compression spring is in an uncompressed state and a second, cocked state where said compression spring is in a compressed state.

4. An injector according to claim 3 and wherein said needle bearing assembly displacer also comprises:

an outer housing element having a raised position relative to said syringe accommodating assembly when said needle bearing assembly is in said uncocked state and a lowered position relative to said syringe accommodating assembly when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state, at least one of said outer housing element and said syringe accommodating assembly being formed with snap engagement functionality for locking said outer housing element to said syringe accommodating assembly when said outer housing element is in said lowered position relative to said syringe accommodating assembly.

5. An injector according to claim 4 and wherein said outer housing element comprises a left housing portion and a right housing portion.

6. An injector according to either of claims 4 and 5 and wherein said outer housing element includes a syringe receiving opening, said syringe receiving opening being aligned with said piston displacement axis only for enabling engagement of a syringe with said syringe accommodating assembly when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state.

7. An injector according to any of claims 3 - 6 and also comprising at least one manually operable trigger, operable when actuated and when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state for allowing said needle bearing assembly to be displaced from said needle point protected position along a needle bearing assembly displacement pathway arranged along said needle displacement axis to said injection position.

8. An injector according to any of claims 3 - 7 and wherein said syringe accommodating assembly includes first and second bores which are angled with respect to each other, said first bore defining a syringe receiving bore and said second bore defining said needle bearing assembly displacement pathway.

9. An injector according to any of the preceding claims and wherein said syringe accommodating assembly includes a base portion at a bottom end of said second bore, said base portion having an aperture which allows passage of at least part of said injection needle therethrough.

10. An injector according to claim 9 and wherein said second bore is formed with a pair of opposing axial side slits which extend parallel to said needle displacement axis.

11. An injector according to any of claims 8 - 10 and wherein said first bore defining a syringe receiving bore includes a cylindrical portion and a tapered portion.

12. An injector according to claim 11 and wherein said tapered portion communicates with a lower portion of said second bore.

13. An injector according to any of the preceding claims and wherein said syringe accommodating assembly is formed with a pair of side bottom recesses adjacent said base portion.

14. An injector according to claims 5 and 8 and wherein said left housing portion and said right housing portion both include a curved wall portion integrally formed with a top portion, and an inclined portion, said inclined portion formed with a cut out which defines part of an opening for said first bore.

15. An injector according to claim 14 and wherein each of said curved wall portions is formed with an outwardly protruding push button portion which overlies an aperture in said curved wall portion and is hinged to said curved wall portion by an integrally formed hinge.

16. An injector according to claim 15 and wherein said push button portions are formed with an inwardly facing pin portion.

17. An injector according to any of claims 8 - 16 and wherein said needle bearing assembly includes a needle support including top and bottom portions which are joined by a neck portion.

18. An injector according to claim 17 and wherein a pair of vertically compressible sealing portions extend below the periphery of said bottom portion, and are integrally formed therewith.

19. An injector according to either of claims 17 and 18 and wherein said passageway extends through said neck portion and communicates with the interior of said injection needle.

20. An injector according to claim 19 and wherein said injection needle is secured in said bottom portion and has a sharpened point.

21. An injector according to any of claims 17 - 20 and wherein said top and bottom portions are formed with sealing rings which are sized to slidingly and sealingly engage the interior of said second bore.

22. An injector according to any of claims 17 - 21 and wherein said bottom portion is formed with a pair of oppositely directed flexible fingers, which are normally outwardly extending but may be pushed into corresponding recesses.

23. An injector according to claim 22 and wherein said flexible fingers are sized to slidably engage said opposing axial side slits of said second bore.

24. An injector according to any of claims 17 - 23 and wherein when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state, said compression spring is compressed between said top portion of said needle bearing assembly and said top portions of said left housing portion and said right housing portion.

25. An injector according to claim 22 and wherein when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state, said needle bearing assembly is retained against axial movement along needle displacement axis by engagement of said oppositely directed flexible fingers with the bottoms of said pair of opposing axial side slits.

26. An injector according to claim 20 and wherein when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state, said sharpened point of said injection needle is within said second bore.

27. An injector according to claim 8 and wherein when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state, a syringe may be inserted into said first bore.

28. An injector according to claims 12 and 18 and wherein when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state, said compressible sealing portions are operative to seal said first bore, thereby preventing communication between said tapered portion and said lower portion of said second bore, and thereby preventing flow of the contents of said syringe from said syringe into said second bore.

29. An injector according to claims 10, 15 and 22 and wherein when said needle bearing assembly is in said cocked state, injection is performed by a user simultaneously pushing both of said push button portions inwardly with the result that said inwardly facing pin portions force said flexible fingers out of engagement with said opposing axial side slits of said second bore slits and allow said injection needle to move out through said aperture in said base portion under the urging of said compression spring.

30. An injector according to claims 20, 28 and 29 and wherein after said injection, contents of said syringe are supplied to said interior of said injection needle via said passageway and are injected into a patient via said sharpened point of said injection needle under pressure produced by depression of said piston element of said syringe.