Cartridge insertion mechanism for a fluid delivery device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12465681-B2
Application number	US-202418585706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2024
Priority date	Oct 15, 2014
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A fluid delivery device comprises a drive unit including an actuator and one or more first features and a cartridge filled with a fluid prior to being inserted into the housing. The cartridge having a fluid reservoir sealed at one end by a movable piston and sealed at another end by a pierceable septum. The cartridge includes one or more second features that are configured to align and mate with the one or more first features allowing the cartridge to be inserted into the drive unit. The piston is moveabe by the actuator once the cartridge is inserted into the drive unit.

First claim

I claim:

1 . A fluid delivery device comprising:
a drive unit including an actuator and one or more first features; and a cartridge filled with a fluid prior to being inserted into the housing and having a fluid reservoir sealed at one end by a movable piston and sealed at another end by a pierceable septum, the cartridge including one or more second features that are configured to align and mate with the one or more first features allowing the cartridge to be inserted into the drive unit, the piston being moveable by the actuator once the cartridge is inserted into the drive unit, the cartridge being sealed to the drive unit by a seal, wherein the drive unit includes a housing having a door, the door being rotatable relative to the housing to cover the cartridge and seat the cartridge into position within the drive unit, wherein the seal includes a first flexible portion proximate an end of the cartridge and a second flexible portion, the second flexible portion being less flexible than the first flexible portion and including one or more second features.

2 . The fluid delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a hydraulically driven actuator.

3 . The fluid delivery device of claim 2 , wherein the seal is secured to the fluid reservoir by a sleeve that slips over the cartridge and at least partially over a portion of the seal.

4 . The fluid delivery device of claim 3 , wherein the sleeve includes the one or more second features.

5 . The fluid delivery device of claim 2 , wherein the seal is coupled to the one or more second features.

6 . The fluid delivery device of claim 2 , wherein the seal is a ring secured to an exterior of the cartridge.

7 . The fluid delivery device of claim 2 , wherein the seal is an integral feature of the cartridge.

8 . The fluid delivery device of claim 2 , wherein the seal includes at least two pieces that are coupled together from opposing lateral sides of the cartridge and create a friction fit with the cartridge.

9 . The fluid delivery device of claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the one or more first features and/or at least one of the one or more second features includes a tapered lead-in configured to help guide the cartridge into place during insertion and compress the seal against the cartridge.

10 . The fluid delivery device of claim 2 , wherein the seal is provided on the end of the cartridge and mating the one or more second features with the one or more first features compresses the seal against the drive unit to seal the cartridge to the drive unit.

11 . The fluid delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge includes a longitudinal axis and the one or more first features and the one or more second features include one or more radially projecting protrusions and/or indentations relative to the longitudinal axis.

12 . The fluid delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first features are generally rectangular projections and the one or more second features are grooves configured to intermesh with the generally rectangular projections.

13 . The fluid delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first features are grooves and the one or more second features are generally rectangular projections configured to intermesh with the grooves.

14 . The fluid delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge includes a cover structure configured to be generally flush with a housing of the drive unit when the cartridge is fully inserted into the drive unit.

15 . The fluid delivery device of claim 1 further comprising:
a needle assembly having a needle, the needle having a delivery end and a fluid coupling end, the fluid coupling end being fluidly disengaged from the fluid reservoir in an initial position, the delivery end extending past the bottom surface of the housing in a deployed position and the fluid coupling end extending through the pierceable septum and fluidly coupled with the fluid reservoir in the deployed position.

16 . A cartridge for insertion in a fluid delivery device, the cartridge comprising:
a reservoir filled with a fluid, the reservoir sealed at one end by a movable piston and sealed at another end by a pierceable septum; and one or more radial projecting and circumferentially extending keyed features configured to align and mate with one or more corresponding keyed features of the fluid delivery device allowing the cartridge to be inserted into the fluid delivery device, the cartridge being sealed to the fluid delivery device by a seal, wherein when the cartridge is inserted into the fluid delivery device, the cartridge is seated into position by a door coupled to the fluid delivery device, the door being rotatable relative to the fluid delivery device to cover the cartridge, wherein the seal includes a first flexible portion proximate an end of the cartridge and a second flexible portion, the second flexible portion being less flexible than the first flexible portion and including one or more keyed features.

Assignees

• Mannkind Corp

Inventors

• Gregory Christopher C

Classifications

• A61M2005/14573

  with a replaceable reservoir for quick connection/disconnection with a driving system · CPC title

• A61M2005/14513

  with secondary fluid driving or regulating the infusion · CPC title

• A61M5/288

  by piercing without internal pressure increase (A61M5/283 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M5/14526

  the piston being actuated by fluid pressure · CPC title

• A61M2205/6045

  having complementary physical shapes for indexing or registration purposes · CPC title