Apparatus and kits for fluid infusion
Inventors
Piehl, Mark D. • Robertson, Galen C. • Hagler, John Tyler Willis • Titkemeyer, Robert W. • Feiler, Jr., Frederic C.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10016564-B2
Publication Date
2018-07-10
Expiration Date
Abstract
An infusion device includes a housing with an interior chamber sized and configured to hold at least a flange and plunger of a syringe, a trigger held by the housing, and a lever in communication with the trigger and including an upwardly extending cam with a cam path having an upper end. The cam is in communication with the flange of the syringe. In response to actuation of the trigger to dispense fluid from the syringe, the upper end of the cam travels upward above the syringe and longitudinally toward a dispensing end of the syringe to linearly translate the plunger of the syringe in a first direction to dispense fluid from the syringe. To refill fluid into the syringe, the upper end of the cam travels downward and longitudinally away from the dispensing end of the syringe to linearly translate the plunger in a second direction to intake fluid.
Core Innovation
The invention describes an emergency infusion device apparatus that includes a housing sized and configured to hold at least a flange and a plunger of a syringe, with the syringe oriented with the plunger away from the dispensing end of the housing. A shuttle is mounted in the housing for reciprocal translational motion relative to the housing and configured to engage the plunger of the syringe, the shuttle including a pin. The apparatus uses a trigger rotationally coupled to the housing at a trigger pivot and a lever coupled to the trigger, where the lever includes an upwardly extending cam defining a non-linear cam path.
When the trigger moves from a first position to a second position, the cam upper end travels upward above the shuttle and longitudinally toward the dispensing end so that the cam applies a first force to the plunger via the pin and the shuttle. This causes the plunger to linearly translate in a first direction toward the dispensing end to dispense fluid from the syringe, with the first force being substantially parallel to the first direction. In response to movement of the trigger from the second position to the first position, the cam travels downward and longitudinally away from the dispensing end so the cam applies a second force to draw fluid into the syringe, opposite the first direction.
The device further incorporates optional enclosure and biasing structure, including a lid rotationally coupled to the housing and configured to enclose at least the flange and the plunger, with a lid cavity configured to receive the upper end of the cam. A spring urges the lever and the trigger toward the first position, and in at least one implementation the spring-force behavior is arranged so the force is greater when the trigger is in the retracted position than when the trigger is in the extended position. The cam path is configured as a non-linear cam path, and the upper end of the cam path is arranged to move relative to the shuttle pin and the dispensing end during trigger actuation.
Claims Coverage
The provided claim set includes two independent claims. Each independent claim centers on converting trigger movement into linear syringe plunger translation using a shuttle pin constrained by a non-linear cam path, with specified directions for dispense and intake and, in one independent claim, specified spring-force behavior for manual actuation and spring return.
Non-linear cam path converting trigger motion to plunger translation
A housing holds a syringe with the plunger oriented away from the dispensing end, and a shuttle with a pin engages the plunger for reciprocal translational motion; a lever coupled to the trigger includes an upwardly extending cam defining a non-linear cam path having an upper end and a lower end, with the pin disposed within the cam path, so trigger movement from the first position to the second position moves the cam upper end upward above the shuttle and longitudinally toward the dispensing end to apply a first force substantially parallel to the first direction to linearly translate the plunger toward the dispensing end to dispense fluid, and movement from the second position to the first position causes the cam to travel downward and longitudinally away to apply a second force opposite the first direction to draw fluid into the syringe.
Spring-urged manual trigger actuation with cam-path discharge and intake
A housing holds a syringe with the plunger oriented away from the dispensing end, and a shuttle with a pin engages the plunger for reciprocal translational motion; an actuation lever rotationally coupled to the housing at a pivot point includes a first segment with a trigger for manual actuation between an extended position and a retracted position and a second segment with an upwardly extending cam defining a non-linear cam path with an upper end, with the pin disposed within the cam path, and a spring having first and second ends coupled to the housing and the actuation lever at an attachment point is arranged to apply a force to urge the trigger from the retracted position to the extended position, where the force is greater when the trigger is in the retracted position than when the trigger is in the extended position.
Across the independent claims, the inventive coverage is directed to a syringe-operated emergency infusion apparatus that uses a shuttle pin constrained by an upwardly extending cam with a non-linear cam path to convert trigger actuation into linear plunger translation for dispensing and intake, with an additional independent-claim specification of spring-force behavior supporting spring return from retracted to extended positions.
Stated Advantages
Provides a reversible mechanical action that moves the syringe plunger to dispense fluid toward the dispensing end and to draw fluid into the syringe in an opposite direction.
Supports a non-linear cam path arrangement that coordinates the cam upper-end movement relative to the shuttle pin to apply forces to the plunger during both dispense and intake.
Documented Applications
Emergency infusion device apparatus for syringe-based dispensing and intake using an actuation lever and shuttle with a cam path.
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