Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The present invention relates to a single-injection
; device for use in administering liquid medicament.
So-called "ready-to-use" syringes are available
for a single lnjection and,are widely employed in the
administration.:of li~uid.medicament. Prio~ art syringes
, ., include many individual.parts which are both expensive
.~ to manufacture,and to assemble,.under.sterile conditions.
. ~ Because a xeady~to-use syringe is intended for one.injection
,! only, it.is advantageous to provide syringes which are
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of minimal cost. .,
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.i In prior.art devices, the liquid medicament is ~',
':', stored in a liquid container shaped like an ampoule. This
ampoule is pushed into a syringe body. In the final assembly, ~''
i! the ampoule is placed in the syringe body such tha~ the
~ injection cannula which reaches.into.. the.interior of the . :~
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~, ..syringe body doqs not pierce.the seal at the front end of
,~ the ampoule. An essential.disadvantage of.such.a syringe '.,
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~ s that the injection'needle,fixed in the syringe body . .
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'1land the portion of the ampoule facing it have to be kept ,,~: .
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~: sterile...The resulting.space between the.liquid container '~
and the syringe body is.sometimes.penetrated.~.by micro-organisms , ~'
:during ~storage..
It would be advantageous. to provide~a sterile zone ~'
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for~the injection needle in a sealed and separate part of '.
:the syrlnge to.prevent the intoduction of micro-organisms
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during lengthy storage.
In one o~ its aspects the present invention
provides a single-injec,tion syringe having a liquid
container filled with the medicament. The container is coupled
to a syringe bbdy which..contains a moveable needle support
having a needle,for penetrating the container~ The needle
support.and.needle are contained.i~.a.cavity defined in
part by the syringe body and by a piston rod coupled to the
syringe body. The piston.rod..is.!.arranged so that it can
be used to move the.needle.support.such tha.t the needle
penetrates the container..and then the piston rod,is removed
and,used to move a stopper associated wi~h the container
for forcing the medicament out of the syringe.
Syri~ges constructed.in accordance with the
present invention will now.be desaribed in detail by way
o~ example only.with.reference:.to.the:accompanying drawings,
in which: . ' '
, Fig. 1 is a side,view of a syringe ready for use;
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¦~ Fig. 2 is.. a.longitudinal cross-sectional view .
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of the syringe shown in Fig. 1 with the syringe in use;
.Fig. 3 is a longitudi~al,.cross-sectional view of
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another:embadiment of.the syringe with the syringe in
aondition prior prior.to use; and
::: .... ,. Fig~ 3a is a top view o~ the syringe on line.IIIa-IIIa.
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As seen in Fig. 1, a syringe is provided having
' a container 1, a syringe body 2 and a piston rod 3 which
~ is detachable for operating the syringe. Such operation
;' is indicated in Fig. 2 where the piston rod 3 has been
e~gaged in tke container 1 as will be described. ',
The piston rod 3 is normally threadably engaged .
. on the syringe.body.2 and..spaced from.the,body to permit
. movement of the rod.3.towards the.. body. This movement
forces.a needl.e support 10 and associated.needle towards
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`.! the container 1 until.the needle.pit~r.ces.a ~opper 8 at .
an end of the container 1. The stopper B is.conventional
, and is held.in.this end of. ~he container.. by, an aluminum . .
'.' r.ap 7. ~s seen in Fig. 2,.the. syringe body 2 is deormed -.~.'
.~ . about an annulax.depr.ess.ion.. in.. the.. container.l to retain . ::
I the contaîner.in the body 2. ':
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,~1 . Fig. 2 also.illustrates the operation of the
:' , syringe. This operation.will be descri~ed and then the
transitional steps neceesary to convert the syringe from .;
the Fig. 1 condition to the Fig.. 2 condition will be
'1, described with referenc~ o.parts of another embodiment
`~ : shown in Fig. 3. ~. :
~ A stopper 6 is normally located in the container 1
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~ .: adjacent a finger support 5 for sealing liquid in the container. ':
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: The stopper is retained in position,by any suitable means ,' -
such as by a plurality of beads 20 shown in the Fig. 3 ,"
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embodiment. These retaining beads prevent the liquid
container from being removed while compensating for
differences in the.total length of the liquid ~ontainer.
Various other securing means of injection devices give
similar results. For example,..stoppers with annular
sealing lamellae, or threads, or so-called..bayonet-type
seals.
. In use the piston rod 3.. is threadably engaged
in the stopper 6 and pushed axially to force liquid through
.. . .
the needle and ~upport 10. As seen.in Fig. 2 the support ..
. 10 is attached to a cannula ll.which extends from a record
;1 ~rustrum 16. The frustro-conical shape of frustrum 16
depends from a shoulder 17 so that.a plastic socket 18
l projecting in the interior of the piston rod 3 could
engage the needle.support 10 as will.be descrihed. In the
case of a.long cannula.which.is used as the injection needle,
the frustrum 16 is not required.
l As previously mentioned,.~the-intermediate steps
I between the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 positlons will.be described
.~ with reference to Fig. 3 in.which primed numerals correspond -~
I to parts already described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
In Fig. 3 the syringe is ready for use. The needle
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nd needle sup.por* 10, and.cannula ll.are contained in a
sealed.cavity defined by the hollow piston rod 3' and bore 9. ~ .:
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A plastic membrane 12 separates this cavity from the stopper ,
, 81.
As seen in Fig. 2, an annular projection 13 is
provided on the needle support 10 for normal.engagement in
i an outer annular grQove 14 defined.. in .the threaded portion
,of the.syringe body 2. ,Such an engagement is shown in
I Fig. 3. ~n inner,annular.. grooYe.is also provided on body 2 ,.,
I (Fig. 2).. and corresponding to groove 22.in body 2~., The
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~', support 10 is,located,in,.,this.. inner groove
, as seen iD Fig.. 2. The needle suppor,t,,l.O.,preferably also
includ~s stabilizing fins 15.
-I ,, ... ,. It.will now be.appar.ent:.. that.the embodiment B
.1l ... .
hown in Fig. 3 is s.imilar.to the embodiment A shown in
Figs. 1 and 2.. The embodiment..B,differs,..primarily in that
j the body 2''has finger.support 5.' and receiv,es.a separate . -
:j .... . container.l' which.. is held.. in.place by heads.. 20 which also . '
.~ contain the stopper 6'. By~contrast.. the container 1 of :
.~ ,
, embodiment A forms.an.integral,.par.t of,the structure and
:. ha~s the.finger s,upport,5.formed directly on it. :,
. , . The use~of both embodiments will...be.described
.,with,.reference initially to Fig. 3 which is typical of
: both embodiments.,in their normal,.positions,..and.then with
i-,~ ~ :,:
reference~to Fig. 2 which is typical of both embodiments ,,
'~;,: ~ : in~positions..which they would occupy during use.
.: . .During assembly, the piston.rod,3' is threaded
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onto the syringe body 2' until a socket corresponding
to a socket 18 shown in Fig. 2 engages the needle support
10. In this condition the needle support is located in
a first position where the needle is out of engayement
with the container 1'. The needle support 10' is then
in a cavity which 1s sterilized.and defi~ed.partially
by the body 2' and partiall~ by the hollow piston rod 3'.
When the~syringe is to be used, the piston rod 3' is
ro~ated to cause it.to move up the threads of the body 2' .
thereby forcing the...annular projec~ion 13 7 out of its
location in.the outer.annular.groove.of the body 2l and
towards.the container..l'. The movement continues to force
the needle.through the.rubber stopper 8' and to engage the
annular projection 13' in the inner annular groove of the
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body 2'. At this point the leading end of the piston rod
3' engaqes a stop 21 on the body 2'.
The piston rod 3' i.s now removed to expose the
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l.;` cannula 11' and the externally threaded.end of the rod 3'
:: ,: . .
.~ is èngaged in the stopper 6' associated.with the container . .
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Operation.of the syringe is indicated in Fig. 2
which, as mentioned,.is typical of both embodiments.A and B.
In Fig. 2 the piston rod has been.mo~ed.towards the needle
~ support 10 to expel liquid through the associated needle
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and out through the cannula 11. Once the medicament has
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been administered..the syringe can be discarded.
; . The bodies 2 and 2' of the respective
embodiments A and.B are.preferably of a material which
allows deformation to.enga~e the body with the respective
containers 1 and 1'. Further, the body 2' permi~s the
creation of beads 20 from a rim 4 by means of a punch
moved in the direction of the container axis. The
piston rods and containers 1, 1' are also preferably
of any suitable plastic material capable o~ being
sterilized and containing the liquid.medicament.
. An injection needle, the size of which depends
: . . ..
on:the intended injection, can.be.placed on the record
; frustrum 16 of the needle support 10. .However, it is
,~ also possible to use the injection cannula 11 since this
cannula projects beyond the.frustrum and is firmly
connected to the needle support 10 for such use.
:l It will be evident.from the aforegoing description ,:
~:l that the device of the present invention has the a~vantage
that the whole cannula is located in a.sterile cavity -.
and that fractionation of the rubber disc or stopper
:; , . . .
;l and thus clogging of the cannula.. are avoided to a large : -
I extent.
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. .: The rubber stopper 8.is.pre~erably provided with
a conical cavity,. through which air bubbles, which ~requently
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form in the interior of the container filled with the
liquid medicament prior to the application, can simply
be removed by pressing the pi~ton rod.
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