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Publication Number
US-10751475-B2
Publication Date
2020-08-25
Expiration Date
Abstract
An injection device has a housing and a metering member held rotatably in the housing and fixed in the direction of a longitudinal central axis. The metering member via a threaded connection is connected to a sleeve held rotationally fixed in relation to the housing and displaceable in the direction of the axis. When setting a dosage, the metering member rotates relative to the housing, and the sleeve moves distally. When dispensing a set dosage, the sleeve moves in the proximal direction, and the metering member by virtue of the threaded connection rotates in the opposite direction. To enable an automatic injection, the device has a spring supported in relation to the injection sleeve via a first end and in relation to the housing via a second end; the spring, when squeezing out liquid, moves the sleeve proximally and on account thereof causes the set dosage to be dispensed.
Core Innovation
An automatically dispensing injection device includes a housing defining a longitudinal central axis and an injection sleeve held rotationally fixed in relation to the housing and axially displaceable along the longitudinal central axis. A metering member is held in the housing so as to be rotatable and fixed axially along the longitudinal central axis, and the metering member is disposed radially within the injection sleeve. The metering member is connected to the injection sleeve via a first threaded connection so that dose setting and dispensing are produced by relative rotation and corresponding axial displacement through the threaded connection.
When setting a dosage of injection liquid to be squeezed out, the metering member rotates in a first direction in relation to the housing and the injection sleeve by virtue of the first threaded connection moves in the distal direction. During squeezing out the set dosage, the metering member rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction in relation to the housing and the injection sleeve by virtue of the first threaded connection moves in the proximal direction. This establishes a reversible threaded-kinematic behavior between the metering member and the injection sleeve across the distal and proximal directions.
Automatic injection is enabled by a spring having a first end and a second end, supported via the first end in relation to the injection sleeve and via the second end in relation to the housing. When squeezing out injection liquid, the spring moves the injection sleeve in the proximal direction and causes the set dosage of injection liquid to be squeezed out. The device description further specifies optional mechanical features including compression spring placement, radial compact arrangement, dose visibility via a housing viewing window and a sleeve opening/scale, a proximal web/pocket arrangement covering the window at maximum dosage without increasing device length, rotationally controlled coupling and latching structures, and a metering piston with a second threaded connection.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim defines four main inventive aspects: a rotatable, axially fixed metering member with a first threaded connection to a rotationally fixed, axially displaceable injection sleeve; distal/proximal sleeve movement linked to opposite rotation of the metering member for dose setting versus squeezing out; a spring supported between the injection sleeve and the housing that drives proximal sleeve movement during squeezing out; and the resulting automatically dispensing behavior for squeezing out a set dosage. Dependent claims refine these aspects by specifying spring configuration and support locations, adding scale and viewing window alignment behavior, and introducing additional coupling/piston/threaded-connection mechanics.
Threaded conversion between dose setting and injection squeezing
The metering member connected to the injection sleeve via a first threaded connection rotates relative to the housing and, when setting a dosage, moves in the distal direction; when squeezing out the set dosage, the metering member rotates in an opposite direction relative to the housing and the injection sleeve and moves in the proximal direction by virtue of the first threaded connection.
Spring-supported proximal sleeve drive for automatic injection
A spring having a first end and a second end is supported via the first end in relation to the injection sleeve and via the second end in relation to the housing, wherein the spring, when squeezing out injection liquid, moves the injection sleeve in the proximal direction and causes the set dosage of injection liquid to be squeezed out.
Compression spring supported between injection sleeve and housing
The spring is configured as a compression spring with the first and second ends supported on the injection sleeve and on the housing, respectively.
Dose visibility using viewing window and sleeve opening
The device includes a housing with a viewing window and an injection sleeve with an opening aligned over the viewing window so that a scale is visible, where the injection sleeve portion for a maximum dosage covers a proximal region of the viewing window.
Operating element coupling producing opposite relative rotation during injection
An operating element is mechanically coupled to a metering member to set the dosage and, during injection, coupled to the housing to rotate relative to the metering member while squeezing out the set dosage of injection liquid.
Metering piston with second threaded connection
A container and a metering piston are included, where the metering piston is connected to the metering member via a second threaded connection so that the piston rotates together with the metering member to set the dosage and then moves proximally while squeezing out the metered injection liquid via the second threaded connection.
Overall, the claims cover a threaded mechanism that converts relative rotation of a rotatable, axially fixed metering member into distal/proximal injection sleeve motion for dose setting versus squeezing out, together with a spring supported between the sleeve and the housing that drives proximal sleeve motion during automatic injection. Dependent features further cover compression spring support, viewing-window/scale visibility tied to sleeve opening behavior, additional operating element coupling, and an optional metering piston driven via a second threaded connection.
Stated Advantages
Automatic injection by spring-driven proximal movement that causes the set dosage of injection liquid to be squeezed out.
Documented Applications
Automatically dispensing an injection device to squeeze out a set dosage of injection liquid.
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