Apparatus For Pressure-administering Medicaments

Abstract

Apparatus for pressure administration of a fluent medicament in which a medicament-containing cartridge includes a needlelike outlet bore communicating with a chamber containing the medicament and includes a dispensing piston exposed at the rear end of the cartridge, and the cartridge is removably mounted on the barrel of a dispensing apparatus which includes a handle and actuator, in which the actuator controls a force transmitting assembly having a force transmitting rod directed toward the piston of the medicament cartridge and in which the force transmitting rod is subject to a buildup of axial pressure normally urging the rod toward the dispensing piston during an initial increment of travel and subsequently forcibly engages the piston during a terminal portion of the travel causing the medicament to be forcibly discharged at a skin-penetrating pressure from the needlelike outlet of the cartridge, and means for resetting the apparatus for subsequent use with another cartridge.

Description

The administration of various antibiotics, serums etc. has generally been accomplished through the use of a hypodermic syringe, and needle or cannula. The average person, and children in particular, demonstrate a tremendous resistance to having innoculations or "shots" because of their fear of the penetrating needle of the hypodermic syringe. It has been found that certain medicaments e.g. vaccines, antitoxins, corticosteroids, insulin, etc. are of the character which can be introduced between the skin layers.

Primary objects of the present invention are:

To provide novel apparatus for pressure-administering medicaments;

To provide novel apparatus for pressure-administering medicaments from a disposable cartridge;

To provide a novel pressure-administering apparatus in combination with a novel disposable dose cartridge;

To provide novel apparatus for administering medicaments in which the apparatus includes force-transmitting means contained in a barrel having means for connection to a disposable dosage cartridge in which the force-transmitting means includes the force-transmitting rod operatively connected to an actuator and includes, during an initial increment of travel, means for imposing or storing a residual axial force acting against the rod and urging it toward a removable cartridge, and during a subsequent or terminal portion of travel the stored up energy or force is suddenly released whereby the rod is forcibly exerted at the dosage cartridge and acts on a dispensing piston communicating with a chamber containing the dose of medicament being administered, and in which said chamber communicates with a minute needlelike bore whereby the medicament is pressure injected beneath the surface of one's skin.

These together with other and more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of an exemplary embodiment of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawing forming a part thereof, in which:

IN THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a vertical section showing the novel apparatus, and showing by means of phantom lines an alternate position of the parts during use;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the plane of line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken substantially on the plane of line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, similar to a portion of FIG. 1, and showing the position of the parts immediately after the medicament has been administered.

Referring to FIG. 1, apparatus for pressure-administering a medicament is indicated generally at 10 and comprises an applicator device 12 and removable dosage cartridge 14. The applicator device 12 includes a barrel 16 (preferably cylindrical) integral with a rear angularly extending handle 18. The barrel 16 is slotted at 20 i.e. adjacent to handle 18 and accommodates for pivotal movement on a transverse pivot pin 22 an actuator lever 24. Mounted on a transverse support pin 26 at the upper portion of the handle 18 is a hairpin spring 28 (or its equivalent) including legs 30 and 32 respectively engaging the handle 18 and actuator 24 to urge the same apart.

Pivotally connected to the upper end of the actuator 24 by means of pivot pin elements 34 and 36; see FIG. 2, are apertured, connecting ear portions 38 and 40, respectively, extending rearwardly from a substantially U-shaped, vertically extending actuating bracket element indicated generally at 42. The actuator bracket 42 includes slightly diverging legs 44 and 46 connected by an upper rear wall 48 which is integral with the apertured ear portion 38 and 40; previously mentioned. The legs 44 and 46 include lower, transverse sleeve portions 50 and 52, respectively; see FIG. 3, connected or restrained against relative movement by means of a C-shaped clip 54 which has upper and lower pin portions received in the sleeves and a horizontal portion flanking one side of the legs 44 and 46.

The wall 48 of the actuator bracket is centrally apertured at 56; see FIG. 2 and an elongated force-transmitting rod 58 has fixed on an intermediate portion thereof an abutment washer 60 and projects rearwardly from the wall 48 and forwardly between the legs 44 and 46 of the actuator bracket and through an apertured support element 62, terminating in a forward, rounded distal end 64. The rod 58 has secured rearwardly of the distal end 64 in space relation from the abutment washer 60 an abutment-and-camming element 66 which includes side upwardly converging camming surfaces 68 and 70 respectively, and lower abutment surfaces 72 and 74, respectively. Circumposed about the rod 58 between the rear surface of the camming-and-abutment element 66 and the opposed surface of the rear wall 48 of the actuating bracket 42 is a compression spring 76 which serves the purpose of storing axially imposed energy during an initial portion pivotal movement of the actuator lever 24, and subsequently forcibly releasing and urging the actuating rod 58 axially downwardly, see FIG. 1, during operation of the device.

Extending downwardly along opposed upper and lower portions of the barrel 16 and secured at 78 and 80 are inwardly directed leaf spring elements 82 and 84, respectively, which include on their opposed respective inner surfaces abutment elements 86 and 88 having a rear abutment surface 90 and 92 respectively, and forward diverging camming surfaces 94 and 96, respectively.

The cartridge 14 includes a nozzle portion produced from any suitable material i.e. preferably a molded plastic and includes a forward, relatively minute needlelike dispensing bore 100 in direct communication with a rearwardly opening chamber 102. The rear portion of the nozzle 104, is suitably connected by means of a relatively coarse thread, bayonet-and-slot connection etc. to the lower open end of the barrel 16. Contained in the chamber 102 is a dosage cartridge 106 open at its forward end 108 and containing therein a charge of fluent medicament 110. The medicament 110 is restrained at the rear in the dosage cartridge 106 by a suitably, peripherally sealed dispensing piston 112 including a rear actuating stem 114 engageable by the terminal rounded end of rod end 64 of the rod 58 as will presently be described, and atmospheric pressure retains the medicament from passing through bore 100 until piston pressure is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cartridge 14 is mounted on the forward open end of the barrel 16 of the dispensing device. The parts are in the solid line position shown, and the handle 18 and actuating lever 24 are grasped in one's hand. The needlelike bore 100 is placed on that portion of the anatomy where the medicament 110 is to be administered, and is held thereat at a sufficient sealing pressure. The actuating lever 24 is pivoted about pin 22 to the phantom line position as illustrated. This pivotal movement results in the actuating bracket 42 moving toward the left and accordingly compressing spring 76 as indicated. During the leftward movement of the spring 76, and its compression due to leftward movement of the actuating bracket 42, the forward ends of the actuating bracket i.e. the sleeves 50 and 52 will tend to urge the leaf springs 82 and 84 apart toward the position shown by phantom lines in FIG. 1. The abutment elements 86 and 88 will restrain leftward movement of the actuating rod 58 and prevent the terminal end 64 thereof from engaging the stem 114 of dispensing piston 112. However, the rear surfaces 90 and 92 of the abutment elements 86 and 88 respectively, will eventually be moved laterally out of the path of movement of the camming-and-abutment element 66. When this occurs, the energy stored in the compression spring 76 forcibly urges the rod 58 toward the left wherein the rounded end 64 forcibly engages the stem 114 and causes the piston 112 to move downwardly as illustrated in FIG. 4. The diameter of the piston 112, in this exemplary embodiment is illustrated as being approximately 10 times the cross-sectional area of the needlelike bore 100. Thus if 20 pounds per square inch of pressure is generated by the piston 112 as it is forcibly urged downwardly in FIG. 4, for example, approximately ten times or 200 pounds per square inch of pressure would be exerted by the medicament discharged from the needlelike bore 100. The forward end of the nozzle 104 will generally be covered by a sterile cover element and the medicament 110 will not move out of the needlelike bore 100 due to atmospheric pressure.

The medicament will have been administered when the parts are in the position shown in FIG. 4, at which time the compression spring 76 reassumes its noncompressed condition. The abutment-and-camming element 66, it will be noted, is disposed below the elements 86 and 88 at the ends of the respective leaf springs 82 and 84. The hair pin spring 28, when the lever 24 is no longer clamped in one's hand, tends to urge the lever 24 back to the solid line position shown in FIG. 1, and when this occurs, the actuator bracket rear wall 48 engages the abutment washer 60 drawing the rod 58 upwardly and the camming surfaces 68 and 70 respectively urge the leaf spring elements 82 and 84 apart so that the abutment element 66 can once more assume its position above the elements 86 and 88, i.e. the solid line position of FIG. 1.

Thereafter, the cartridge 14 can be removed and replaced by another sterile cartridge having another dose of the medicament to be administered.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for pressure-administering fluent medicament comprising, in combination:

a body member,

said body member including handle means angularly extending from one end and barrel means,

said barrel means opening away from said handle means;

force-transmitting means in said barrel means, said force-transmitting means including an actuator portion, power-storing-and-power-release means operatively connected to an operator portion; and

means on said barrel means for detachably mounting a medicament cartridge assembly on said barrel means for operating engagement by said operator portion of said force-transmitting means, said force-transmitting means comprising a rod element supported for rectilinear movement in said barrel means, spring means normally urging said rod element toward said handle means,

an actuator bracket reciprocably supported on said rod for relative movement with respect to said rod, at least one leaf spring disposed along the path of movement of said actuator bracket and converging toward said rod and bracket element, said leaf spring including an abutment extending toward said rod and an abutment surface extending generally toward the path of movement of said rod, an abutment-and-camming element on said rod and abuttingly engageable with said leaf spring abutment and including an upwardly converging camming surface extending toward said rod,

a power spring interposed between said abutment-and-camming element on said rod and said bracket element whereby initial relative movement of said actuator bracket element with respect to said rod causes said power spring to be compressed and forces said rod toward the abutment element on said leaf spring, and subsequent movement of said actuator bracket element with respect to said rod causes said power spring to be compressed and forces said rod toward the abutment element on said leaf spring, and subsequent movement of said actuator bracket laterally displaces the leaf spring and permits the rod to forcibly move toward the open end of said barrel means, and a return stroke causes said leaf spring to be biased outwardly due to engagement with the camming surface of said rod.

2. Apparatus for pressure-administering fluent medicament comprising, in combination:

a body member,

said body member including handle means angularly extending from one end and barrel means,

said barrel means opening away from said handle means;

force-transmitting means in said barrel means, said force transmitting means including an actuator portion, power-storing-and-power-release means operatively connected to an operator portion;

means on said barrel means for detachably mounting a medicament cartridge assembly on said barrel means for operating engagement by said operator portion of said force-transmitting means,

said force-transmitting means comprising an elongated rod,

a cam-and-abutment element on an intermediate portion of said rod,

an actuator bracket element connected to said operator portion and reciprocably mounted on said rod, compression spring means interposed between said bracket element and said cam-and-adjustment element whereby movement of said bracket element toward the cam-and-abutment element urges the rod away from said bracket element,

laterally displaceable, resiliently supported abutment means interposed in the path of travel of said cam-and-abutment means and displaceable by said bracket element after a previously determined amount of travel and corresponding compression of said compression spring whereby said compression spring forcibly urges said rod toward the open end of the barrel means.

3. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said cam-and-abutment element includes at least one upwardly converging cam surface for laterally displacing said resiliently supported abutment means for recocking the force transmitting means.

4. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said resilient supported abutment means comprises at least one leaf spring extending longitudinally within said barrel means and secured at one end to an intermediate portion of said barrel means and including a forward end converging toward the path of reciprocation of said rod.