Auto-injector with a system for delaying the device indicating the removal of the auto-injector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10912893-B2
Application number	US-201615577833-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2016
Priority date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

An auto-injector having a body ( 1 ) receiving a reservoir (S) and including a piston (P); a piston rod ( 5 ) movable between a primed position and an injection position in which the piston rod ( 5 ) has moved the piston (P) to inject fluid into an injection site; and a visual, audible, and/or tactile indicator device for indicating that the autoinjector may be removed from the injection site. The autoinjector includes a retarding system to delay actuating the indicator device relative to the end of injection and that includes a dashpot ( 16 ), a shear member ( 19 ) and a fluid. The dashpot or the shear member is rotatably mounted in the body and the other is stationary in rotation, the turning of one relative to the other being braked by shearing the fluid contained in the dashpot. The dashpot and shear member include projections that impede the flow of the fluid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An auto-injector comprising:
a body receiving a reservoir, said reservoir containing fluid and including a piston;
a piston rod that is adapted to co-operate with the piston of said reservoir, said piston rod being movable by an injection spring between a primed position and an injection position in which said piston rod has moved the piston of the reservoir so as to inject the fluid into an injection site; and
a visual, audible, and/or tactile indicator device for indicating to a user that said auto-injector may be removed from said injection site;
said auto-injection includes a retarding system so as to delay actuating said visual, audible and/or tactile indicator device relative to an end of injection, said retarding system comprising a dashpot, a shear member arranged in said dashpot, and a fluid arranged in said dashpot around said shear member, one of said dashpot and of said shear member being rotatably mounted in said body, and another of said dashpot and of said shear member being stationary in rotation, a relative rotation between said dashpot and said shear member being braked by shearing said fluid contained in said dashpot, said dashpot including projections on an inside surface of said dashpot, and said shear member includes projections on an outer surface of said shear member, said projections of said dashpot and said projections of said shear member generating impediments to a flow of the fluid in the dashpot, and shearing the fluid in said dashpot when a projection of one of said proiections of the dashpot faces a projection of one of said proiections of the shear member.

2. The auto-injector according to claim 1 , wherein said dashpot is rotatably mounted in said body and said shear member is stationary in rotation.

3. The auto-injector according to claim 1 , wherein said retarding system comprises said dashpot containing said fluid, said shear member, a spring, a locking key, and said piston rod.

4. The auto-injector according to claim 3 , wherein said locking key comprises a head, a longitudinal rod, and an endpiece that is adapted to co-operate with the piston rod.

5. The auto-injector according to claim 4 , wherein, prior to triggering the retarding system, the head of the locking key is in a blocking position in which the head of the locking key co-operates with a corresponding profile of the body and with a corresponding profile of said dashpot, such that said dashpot is prevented from turning relative to said body by said locking key.

6. The auto-injector according to claim 5 , wherein, when the piston rod arrives towards an end-of-injection position, the piston rod co-operates with the endpiece of the locking key so as to pull said locking key axially downwards out from the blocking position, such that said dashpot is thus no longer prevented from turning by said locking key.

7. The auto-injector according to claim 3 , wherein said spring is a retarding spring, configured as a spiral spring that is fastened firstly to said dashpot or to said shear member and secondly to said body.

8. The auto-injector according to claim 7 , wherein said dashpot includes at least one flexible tab that co-operates with at least one profile of said body so as to provide an audible indication that the retarding system is operating.

9. The auto-injector according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one flexible tab co-operates with a plurality of profiles so as to generate a continuous noise while said retarding system is being actuated.

10. The auto-injector according to claim 8 , wherein said flexible tab co-operates with a single profile so as to generate a noise at an end of actuating said retarding system.

11. The auto-injector according to claim 3 , wherein said spring of the retarding system is said injection spring, said retarding system further comprising an indicator element of said visual, audible, and/or tactile indicator device, and a support member that is interposed between said indicator element and said injection spring.

12. The auto-injector according to claim 11 , wherein said indicator element is axially movable in said body, but said indicator element is not rotary, said dashpot being rotary but not axially movable in said body, an outside surface of said dashpot including at least one external thread that co-operates with said indicator element, such that an axial movement of said indicator element around said dashpot causes said dashpot to turn around said shear member.

13. The auto-injector according to claim 11 , wherein said indicator element includes flexible tabs that, before actuation of the retarding system, co-operate with a frustoconical or sloping wall of the body, a head of the locking key, in a blocking position, preventing said flexible tabs from deforming radially inwards.

14. The auto-injector according to claim 1 , wherein said auto-injector includes an actuator sleeve that includes a contact end for coming into contact with the user's body, said actuator sleeve extending inside said body at least in part, and being movable relative to said body between projecting positions in which said actuator sleeve projects out from said body at least in part, and an actuated position in which said actuator sleeve is moved axially into said body, said actuator sleeve being in a first projecting position before actuation of the auto-injector, and in a second projecting position after actuation of the auto-injector.

15. The auto-injector according to claim 1 , wherein said reservoir includes a needle through which said fluid is injected into said injection site.

16. The auto-injector according to claim 1 , wherein said reservoir forms a pre-filled syringe.

Assignees

• Aptar France Sas

Inventors

• Fabien David
• Gomez Thomas
• Saussaye Anthony
• His Olivier

Classifications

• A61M5/326

  Fully automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user · CPC title

• A61M2205/583

  by visual feedback · CPC title

• A61M2205/582

  by tactile feedback · CPC title

• A61M2205/581

  by audible feedback · CPC title

• A61M2005/2086

  having piston damping means, e.g. axially or rotationally acting retarders · CPC title