CN111201051B

CN111201051B - Locking mechanism for injector medicine barrel door

Info

Publication number: CN111201051B
Application number: CN201880066389.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: Y·巴-艾尔; G·伊格尔; M·尤德利维奇
Original assignee: Western Medicine Services Israel Ltd
Current assignee: Western Medicine Services Israel Ltd
Priority date: 2017-08-10
Filing date: 2018-08-03
Publication date: 2022-04-01
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-03
Also published as: CN111201051A; US20210236722A1; JP6800371B2; WO2019032395A1; EP3664866A1; US11020525B2; JP2020526360A; US11819660B2; US20200246538A1; EP3664866B1

Abstract

An injector includes an injector housing and a cartridge door movably mounted to the injector housing between a fully closed position and an open position. A latch mechanism is movable between a latched position in which the cartridge door is locked to the injector housing in its fully closed position and an unlatched position in which the cartridge door is unlocked from the injector housing, enabling the cartridge door to move toward the open position. The latching mechanism is oriented in the unlatched position when the cartridge door is empty, and is configured to move to the latched position only when a cartridge is present in the cartridge door and the cartridge door is subsequently moved to the fully closed position thereof.

Description

Locking mechanism for injector medicine barrel door

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/543,894 entitled "Bay Door Lock Only With cart" filed on 8/10 of 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to syringes loaded with drug cartridges, and more particularly to syringes loaded with drug cartridges having a syringe door locking mechanism that requires the presence of a drug cartridge within the syringe to activate the door lock.

Background

Syringes, such as, for example, drug syringes, are typically loaded by a user with a cartridge containing a substance to be dispensed, such as a medicament or drug. In many conventional injectors, the injector door is permanently locked when closed after a cartridge has been or should have been loaded. In some cases, the door is inadvertently pushed to a closed and locked state during delivery to the user, while the cartridge is not yet loaded therein. In other cases, the user has inadvertently closed the door prematurely before inserting the cartridge. Once the injector door is closed and permanently locked without a cartridge loaded therein, the injector is effectively rendered inoperable. Premature closing and locking of the injector door prior to insertion of the cartridge into the injector may result in the user delaying receipt of the medication for the necessary time. In addition, premature closing and locking of the syringe door prior to insertion of the cartridge into the syringe may force the user to unnecessarily purchase another syringe.

To address this problem, some syringes employ a door blocking mechanism to prevent the door from closing until the cartridge has been inserted. However, some users may feel a blockage of the door (when the cartridge has not been inserted) because only the door needs to exert a greater force to close the door, which may damage the syringe. Alternatively, the syringe door may be forced to close during delivery to the user, which may also damage the syringe. For example, forcing the syringe door to close may bend or break various components of the syringe, rendering the syringe inoperable and, thus, ultimately, inoperable as with a prematurely locked syringe. Other injectors employ a mechanism to unlock a closed injector door to address the problem of premature closing of the injector door. However, allowing the locked syringe door to be reopened may result in the door being inadvertently unlocked after the cartridge has been inserted. This situation may lead to various problems intended for permanent locking of the syringe door.

It would therefore be advantageous to manufacture a syringe having a syringe door locking mechanism that requires a cartridge to be present within the syringe to activate the door lock.

Disclosure of Invention

Briefly, one aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an injector configured to receive a cartridge therein, the cartridge containing a substance to be dispensed. The injector includes an injector housing and a cartridge door movably mounted to the injector housing and having an open end and an interior passage through which the cartridge is loaded. The cartridge door is movable between a fully closed position in which the open end is covered by the syringe housing to prevent insertion of the cartridge into the internal passage, and an open position in which the open end is sufficiently exposed to receive the cartridge through the open end and into the internal passage. A latch mechanism is movable between a latched position in which the cartridge door is locked to the injector housing in the fully closed position and an unlatched position in which the cartridge door is unlocked from the injector housing, thereby enabling the cartridge door to move toward the open position. The latching mechanism is oriented in the unlatched position when the cartridge door is empty, and is configured to move to the latched position only when a cartridge is present in the cartridge door and the cartridge door is subsequently moved to the fully closed position thereof.

Drawings

The following detailed description of aspects of the present disclosure will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:

fig. 1A is a top perspective view of a wearable injector with the top surface of the injector removed with an empty cartridge door oriented in its fully closed position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a partial cross-sectional view of the syringe of FIG. 1A, taken along section line 1B-1B of FIG. 1A, with the hollow cartridge door in its fully closed position and the latch mechanism of the syringe in an unlatched position;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the injector of FIG. 1A with the top surface of the injector removed and with an empty cartridge door oriented in its fully open position;

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of the injector of FIG. 1A, taken along section line 3A-3A of FIG. 1A, with a cartridge loaded in the cartridge door and the cartridge door oriented in its fully closed position, thereby orienting the latch mechanism in its latched position;

FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view of the syringe of FIG. 1A taken along section line 3B-3B of FIG. 3A; and is

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cartridge door of the injector of fig. 1A with the cartridge door oriented in a partially open/partially closed position.

Detailed Description

In the following description, certain terminology is used for convenience only and is not limiting. The words "lower," "bottom," "upper," and "top" refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. In accordance with the present disclosure, the words "inwardly," "outwardly," "upwardly," and "downwardly" refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the syringe and designated parts thereof. The terms "a/an" and "the" are not limited to one element, but rather should be read to mean "at least one," unless expressly stated otherwise herein. The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

It will also be understood that the terms "about," "approximately," "substantially," and the like, as used herein in reference to a dimension or characteristic of a component of the invention, indicate that the dimension/characteristic being described is not a strict boundary or parameter and does not preclude minor variations thereof that are functionally similar. At the very least, such references to numerical parameters shall include variations that, using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.), will not vary from the least significant digit.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout, there is shown in fig. 1A-4 a syringe, generally designated 10, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the syringe 10 takes the form of a wearable syringe (patch syringe), such as, for example and without limitation, a wearable medication syringe, although the present disclosure is not so limited.

As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the injector 10 generally includes a housing 12 having a first surface 14, the first surface 14 being configured to contact a skin surface of a user (not shown), such as a patient, the first surface 14 having an opening 14a therein. In the illustrated embodiment, the first surface 14 defines a bottom surface of the syringe housing 12, although the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The housing 12 also includes a second surface (not shown) opposite the first surface 14, such as a top, outer surface of the syringe housing 12, although the disclosure is not so limited. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, an injection needle (not shown) is movably mounted within the syringe housing 12 and is translatable between a retracted position in which at least one tip of the injection needle is contained within the needle housing 12 and an injection position in which the at least one tip of the injection needle protrudes from the syringe housing 12 through the opening 14a and into the skin (not shown) of a user.

The injector 10 is configured to receive a sealed cartridge 50 (fig. 3A), such as a generally cylindrical cartridge 50 having a distal neck, therein, the cartridge 50 containing a substance (not shown), such as a medicament. One end of the cartridge 50 is sealed by a piston 50a and the other end is sealed by a pierceable septum 50 b. After (or during) insertion of the cartridge 50 into the injector 10, the cartridge 50 is unsealed and fluidly connected to an injection needle to dispense the substance within the cartridge 50 through the injection needle to a user in a manner well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art (via piercing the septum 50 b).

The injector door 18 is movably mounted to the injector housing 12 between a fully closed position (fig. 1A, 1B, 3A, 3B) and a fully open position (fig. 2). The injector door 18 is openable to receive the cartridge 50 within the injector 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the injector gate 18 takes the form of a cartridge gate, but the disclosure is not so limited. The cartridge door 18 includes an open end 18a for slidably receiving a cartridge 50 therethrough, for example, and defines an interior channel 18b therein for receiving the cartridge 50. The internal passage 18b may be sized and shaped to receive and stabilize the cartridge 50 therein. Alternatively, the internal channel 18b may include a cartridge holder, a cartridge track, a separate stabilizing member, a combination thereof, or the like (not shown) to receive and stabilize the cartridge 50 in the internal channel 18 b.

In an at least partially closed position of the cartridge door 18 (such as the fully closed position of fig. 1A), the interior passage 18b is not sufficiently accessible from the exterior of the injector housing 12 to insert a cartridge 50 therein. For example, the open end 18a of the cartridge door 18 is sufficiently covered by a portion of the injector housing 12 so that access to the internal passage 18b is prevented and, thus, the cartridge 50 cannot be inserted into the internal passage 18 b. In the fully open position (fig. 2) of the cartridge door 18, the open end 18a of the cartridge door 18 is sufficiently exposed/uncovered to allow insertion of the cartridge 18 therethrough and into the internal passage 18 b.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cartridge door 18 is pivotally attached to the injector housing 12, such as via a pin connection 16, near the closed distal end of the interior channel 18b, opposite the open end 18a, although the disclosure is not so limited. As best shown in fig. 1A, the cartridge door 18 is substantially flush with the outer body of the injector housing 12 in the fully closed position. As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge door 18 pivots away from the injector housing 12 in the open position, whereby the interior passage 18b is accessible from the open end 18a of the cartridge door 18. Other non-limiting examples of a Cartridge door 18 that is removably mounted to a syringe housing 12 are described in U.S. patent application publication No. 2018/0152281 entitled "Cartridge Insertion For Drug Delivery Device," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The injector 10 also includes a latch mechanism 20 that is movable between a latched position (fig. 3A, 3B) that locks the cartridge door 18 to the injector housing 12 in the fully closed position of the cartridge door 18 and an unlatched position (fig. 1A, 1B, 2) that unlocks the cartridge door 18 from the injector housing 12, thereby enabling the cartridge door 18 to move from its closed position to its open position (as will be described in further detail below). In the illustrated embodiment, the latch mechanism 20 includes a resiliently deflectable cantilever arm 22 and a window 24 in a sidewall of the cartridge door 18 aligned with the cantilever arm 22. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the resilient deflection properties of cantilever 22 may be achieved by material properties, dimensions, combinations thereof, and the like. In one embodiment, cantilever 22 may be constructed of a resiliently deflectable polymer, although the present disclosure is not so limited. The cantilever 22 extends from a fixed end 22a attached to the syringe housing 12 to a flanged, distal, free end 22 b. In some embodiments, the cantilever arm 22 may be integrally formed, i.e., unitary and monolithic, with the injector housing 12. For example, cantilever arm 22 may take the form of a molded component of injector housing 12. Alternatively, the cantilever 22 may be formed separately and secured to the syringe housing 12.

As best shown in fig. 1B, 2 and 3B, a portion of the boundary of window 24 defines a laterally inwardly projecting catch 24a, i.e., projecting inwardly into an aperture in the sidewall of cartridge door 18 defined by window 24. The ends 22b of the cantilever arms 22 define corresponding and opposite lateral flanges 22c facing the catch 24 a. In the fully closed position of the cartridge door 18 (fig. 1A, 1B, 3A, 3B), the cantilever arm 22 extends through the window 24 into the interior channel 18B of the cartridge door 18. In the fully open position of cartridge door 18, cantilever arm 22 is retracted from window 24 (fig. 2). Cantilever 22 is configured to have a natural, i.e., undeflected, position in which cantilever 22 is oriented in an unlatched position. That is, the end 22b of the cantilever 22, and in particular the flange 22c, is biased away and disengages from the catch 24 a. In the illustrated embodiment, cantilever 22 is naturally biased upward in the undeflected position.

When no cartridge 50 is present in the interior channel 18b, the cantilever arm 22 remains undeflected. In the fully closed position of the cartridge door 18, the cantilever arm 22 extends through the window 24 (fig. 1A, 1B) into the interior channel 18B of the cartridge door 18 when the cartridge 50 is not present in the interior channel 18B of the cartridge door 18, i.e., the cartridge 50 is not yet loaded in the interior channel 18B. However, because there is no cartridge within the interior channel 18b to deflect the flange 22c to engage the catch 24a, the latch mechanism 20 is oriented in its unlatched position. Thus, when the cartridge 50, although positioned in the closed position, is not loaded therein and remains movable between its open and closed positions, the cartridge door 18 will not lock.

The latching mechanism 20 is configured to move to its latched position only when a drug cartridge 50 is present in the cartridge door 18 and the cartridge door 18 is subsequently moved to its fully closed position (fig. 3A, 3B). That is, as shown in FIG. 2, when the cartridge door 18 is moved to its open position, the cantilever arm 22 is retracted from the window 24. When the medication cartridge 50 is inserted into the interior channel 18b of the opened medication cartridge door 18 and the medication cartridge door 18 is subsequently moved to its closed position, the window 24 again receives the cantilever arm 22 therethrough and enters the interior channel 18b of the medication cartridge door 18. The presence of cartridge 50 within internal passage 18 deflects flange 22c of cantilever arm 22 into engagement with catch 24 a.

For example, as cartridge door 18 is progressively moved further toward the fully closed position, the curved sidewall of cartridge 50 progressively deflects cantilever arm 22 downward until flange 22c of cantilever arm 22 interlocks with catch 24a of window 24 when cartridge door 18 reaches the fully closed position. In some embodiments, if another object without smoothly curved walls like cartridge 50 is inserted into interior channel 18b of the cartridge door, the object may hit end 22b of cantilever arm 22 instead of deflecting cantilever arm 22, thereby preventing cartridge door 18 from reaching its fully closed position.

In some embodiments, a biasing member 26 (fig. 2) may be mounted in the injector housing 12 and configured to bias the cartridge door 18 toward its fully open position. In the illustrated embodiment, the biasing member 26 takes the form of a torsion spring that is mounted between the non-movable member of the syringe housing 12 and the member of the movable cartridge door 18, i.e., the torsion spring 26 abuts the syringe housing 12 at one end thereof and the cartridge door 18 at an opposite end thereof. In the closed position of the cartridge door 18, the torsion spring 26 is at least partially compressed, storing potential energy proportional to its amount of torsion. When the torsion spring 26 is unconstrained (as will be described in further detail below), the torsion spring 26 expands, i.e., does not twist, to move the cartridge door 18 toward its fully open position. In the illustrated embodiment, the helical center of the torsion spring 26 is mounted around the pin connection 16, but may be otherwise positioned. As will also be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the biasing member 26 may alternatively take the form of other members capable of storing and releasing energy. Non-limiting examples include other springs (e.g., coil or leaf springs), and the like. Alternatively, the biasing member 26 may not be used in the injector 10 and the cartridge door 18 may be manually moved between its fully closed and fully open positions.

In some embodiments, as best shown in fig. 4, the cantilever arm 22 may be configured to prevent the cartridge door 18 from reaching its fully open position, also only under the force of the biasing member 26. That is, biasing member 26 biases the empty cartridge door 18 from a fully closed position (fig. 1A) wherein cantilever arm 22 protrudes through window 24 and into interior channel 18b toward a fully open position wherein cantilever arm 22 is retracted from window 24. Optionally, the natural, undeflected position of cantilever 22 defines a position in which tip 22b of cantilever 22 snaps over another portion of window 24 (fig. 4), such as the top head of window 24, only under the biasing force of biasing member 26 to prevent further movement of cartridge door 18 toward its fully open position as cantilever 22 is being retracted from window 24 during movement toward the fully open position. Thus, the cartridge door 18 reaches the partially open/partially closed position only under the bias of the biasing member 26 (fig. 4) until the tip 22b catches on the window 24. However, cantilever arms 22 may deflect out of engagement with window 24, i.e., unlocking flanged end 22b from window 24 when a force is applied toward the fully open position of cartridge door 18 in addition to the biasing force of biasing member 26, thereby enabling cartridge door 18 to reach its fully open position. For example, the tip 22b may define an inclined surface facing the top head of the window 24 and catching on the top head. Thus, the tip 22b can deflect and slide out of engagement with the top head of the window 24 by additional force applied to the cartridge door 18 toward its fully open position. For example, a user may manually pull the cartridge door 18 toward its fully open position to deflect the cantilever arm 22 out of engagement with the window 24.

In use, the injector 10 may be initially delivered to a user with the cartridge door 18 in its fully closed position. With the use of biasing member 26, injector 10 may be delivered to a user with cartridge door 18 in a partially open/partially closed position, wherein cantilever arm 22 blocks cartridge door 18 from reaching a fully open position. Alternatively, the injector 10 may be delivered to the user with the cartridge door 18 in the fully open position. With the cartridge door 18 fully or partially closed, the user pulls the cartridge door 18 to its fully open position (fig. 2) and inserts the cartridge 50 into the interior channel 18 b. The user then moves the cartridge door 18 to the fully closed position whereby the flange 22c of the cantilever 22 interlocks with the catch 24a of the window 24 as previously described (fig. 3A, 3B). Thus, the cartridge door 18 is locked in its fully closed position with the cartridge 18 present therein. Thus, advantageously, the cartridge door 18 will not lock in its fully closed position unless the cartridge 50 has been inserted into the internal passage 18 b. If the empty cartridge door 18 were inadvertently moved into the fully closed position by the user prior to loading the cartridge 50 or at any other time when the cartridge 50 is not present during delivery to the user, the cartridge door 18 will not lock (the injector 10 will not be disabled) because the flange 22c of the cantilever arm 22 will not interlock with the catch 24a of the window 24, as previously described (fig. 1A). Thus, the cartridge door 18 will remain movable to its open position to load the cartridge 50.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. As one example, but not by way of limitation, cantilever arm 22 may alternatively extend from cartridge door 18, and a window 24 defining a catch 24a may be formed in injector housing 12. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A syringe configured to receive a cartridge containing a substance to be dispensed therein, the syringe comprising:

a syringe housing;

a cartridge door movably mounted to the injector housing and having an open end and an internal passage through which the cartridge is loaded, the cartridge door being movable between a fully closed position in which the open end is covered by the injector housing to prevent insertion of the cartridge into the internal passage, and an open position in which the open end is sufficiently exposed to receive a cartridge through the open end and into the internal passage; and

a latch mechanism movable between a latched position in which the cartridge door is locked to the injector housing in the fully closed position thereof and an unlatched position in which the cartridge door is unlocked from the injector housing such that the cartridge door is movable toward the open position,

wherein when the cartridge door is empty, the latch mechanism is oriented in the unlatched position and only when a cartridge is present in the cartridge door and the cartridge door is subsequently moved to its fully closed position, a portion of the latch mechanism engages the cartridge to move the latch mechanism to the latched position.

2. The injector of claim 1, wherein the latch mechanism comprises a resiliently deflectable cantilever arm and an opposing catch, the cantilever arm being disengaged from the catch in the unlatched position, and the cantilever arm being configured to deflect in the latched position to interlock with the catch.

3. The injector of claim 2, wherein one of the injector housing and the cartridge door comprises the cantilever arm and the other of the injector housing and the cartridge door comprises the opposing fastener.

4. The injector of claim 2 or 3, wherein the cartridge door includes a window in a sidewall thereof and the fastener forms a portion of the window, the cantilever arm protruding through the window and into an interior chamber of the cartridge door in the fully closed position thereof, the cantilever arm including a flanged end configured to interlock with the fastener when the cartridge is present in the cartridge door and the cartridge door is subsequently moved to the fully closed position thereof.

5. The injector of claims 2 or 3, wherein the cantilever arm is configured to be deflected by the cartridge present in the cartridge door.

6. The syringe of claim 2 or 3, wherein the cantilever arm is undeflected in the unlatched position.

7. An injector according to any of the preceding claims 1-3, further comprising a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the cartridge door, thereby biasing the cartridge door toward its open position.