Pen needles and needle cap assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9238111-B2
Application number	US-201013258208-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2010
Priority date	Apr 17, 2009
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

A pen needle or pen needle cap assembly is designed to be manually attached e.g. by screwing onto an injection device, and is provided with a gripping region designed to allow the torque that can be applied in the tightening sense to be less than that which can be applied in the loosening sense.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A needle cap assembly for an injection device ( 10 - 22 ), the assembly comprising:
a pen needle ( 24 ) rotatably engagable with an injection device or an associated component, and having a forwardly projecting needle,
a needle cap ( 28 ) removably engaged with said pen needle ( 24 ) in which said needle cap shrouds said forwardly projecting needle, said needle cap comprising i) a generally cylindrical base ( 30 ) portion with an open end ( 30 ) defining a socket, ii) a generally frustoconical portion ( 34 ) with a frustoconical exterior surface face, and iii) a reduced diameter apex portion ( 36 ),
the generally cylindrical base ( 30 ) merging into the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) and the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) merging into the reduced diameter apex portion ( 36 ),
a longitudinal length of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) being greater than a longitudinal length of the cylindrical base ( 30 ) and greater than a longitudinal length of the reduced diameter apex portion ( 36 ),
the pen needle ( 24 ) and the needle cap ( 28 ) having complementary drive surfaces to allow rotation of the needle cap to be transmitted to said pen needle, and
a manual gripping region comprising a series of angularly spaced, outwardly projecting ribs ( 36 ) provided on the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ), wherein the gripping region accepts a first amount of torque that is transmitted to the needle cap by a manual grip on the gripping region before slippage in a tightening direction, the first amount of torque being less than a second amount of torque accepted on the gripping region in a loosening direction to loosen the pen needle, wherein,
the projecting ribs ( 36 ) each have a generally smooth, relatively low friction surface ( 38 ) facing in the loosening direction and a relatively high friction surface ( 40 ) facing in the tightening direction that limit the amount of tightening torque that can applied to ensure that, when gripped manually by a user, the amount of torque that can be transmitted in the loosening direction is greater than the amount of torque that can be transmitted in the tightening direction.

2. A needle cap assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the low friction surface ( 38 ) on each rib ( 36 ) is curved.

3. A needle cap assembly according to claim 2 , wherein said relatively high friction surface ( 40 ) is grooved or corrugated.

4. A needle cap assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said relatively high friction surface ( 40 ) extends generally radially.

5. A needle cap assembly according to claim 4 , wherein said relatively high friction surface ( 40 ) is grooved or corrugated.

6. A needle cap assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said relatively high friction surface ( 40 ) is grooved or corrugated.

7. The needle cap assembly of claim 1 , wherein,
the ribs have smoothly curved first flanks ( 38 ) at an angle of inclination facing in the loosening direction and corrugated second flanks ( 40 ) facing in the tightening direction, the angle of the first flanks being less than the angle of the second flanks.

8. The pen needle of claim 1 , wherein the complementary drive surfaces of the needle cap and the pen needle comprise:
i) external splines ( 26 ) running in a longitudinal direction of an outer surface portion of said pen needle ( 24 ), and
ii) inwardly directed ribs ( 32 ) within the socket defined by the cylindrical base ( 30 ) portion, the inwardly directed ribs ( 32 ) engagable with the external splines ( 26 ) so that torque applied to the pen cap is transmitted to the pen needle, the inwardly directed ribs ( 32 ) being limited to the cylindrical base ( 30 ) portion and not extending into the frustoconical portion ( 34 ).

9. The pen needle of claim 8 , wherein,
the outwardly projecting ribs provided on the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) are separate from other exterior portions of the of said needle cap ( 28 ) that are free of the outwardly projecting ribs, and
all of the outwardly projecting ribs together comprise a first overall portion of the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) and all of the portions of the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) that are free of the outwardly projecting ribs together comprise a second portion of the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ), the second portion being greater than the first portion,
wherein the outwardly projecting ribs ( 36 ) provided on the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) are limited to the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) such that the cylindrical base ( 30 ) is free of the outwardly projecting ribs ( 36 ).

10. The pen needle of claim 1 , wherein,
the outwardly projecting ribs provided on the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) are separate from other exterior surface portions of of said needle cap ( 28 ) that are free of the outwardly projecting ribs, and
all of the outwardly projecting ribs together comprise a first overall portion of the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) and all of the portions of the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) that are free of the outwardly projecting ribs together comprise a second portion of the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ), the second portion being greater than the first portion,
wherein the outwardly projecting ribs ( 36 ) provided on the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) are limited to the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) such that the cylindrical base ( 30 ) is free of the outwardly projecting ribs ( 36 ).

11. A needle cap assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the outwardly projecting ribs ( 36 ) provided on the exterior surface of the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) are limited to the frustoconical portion ( 34 ) of said needle cap ( 28 ) such that the cylindrical base ( 30 ) is free of the outwardly projecting ribs ( 36 ).

12. A needle cap assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each outwardly projecting rib extends longitudinally along the gripping region.

13. A needle cap assembly for an injection device the assembly comprising:
a pen needle comprising
i) a moulded plastics hub with an internal thread for engaging a corresponding threaded portion of an autoinjection device, and a plurality of external splines, and
ii) a double ended needle having a rearwardly facing end for use in penetrating a septum in the end of the cartridge, and a forwardly projecting end for use in penetrating flesh of a user; and
a needle cap ( 28 ) removably engaged with said pen needle ( 24 ) in which the needle cap shrouds said forwardly projecting end, the needle cap having
i) an open end defining a cylindrical socket with inwardly directed ribs designed to slide between the splines on the pen needle so that torque applied to the pen cap is transmitted to the pen needle, and to allow rotation of the needle cap to be transmitted to said pen needle, and
ii) an exterior surface, the exterior surface of the needle cap provided with a gripping region comprising a series of angularly spaced, outwardly projecting ribs provided on the exterior surface the ribs having a generally smooth low friction surface facing in a tightening direction and a textured high friction surface facing in a

Assignees

• Marshall Jeremy
• Robson Jessica
• Owen Mumford Ltd

Inventors

• Marshall Jeremy
• Robson Jessica

Classifications

• A61M5/3202 Primary

  Devices for protection of the needle before use, e.g. caps (A61M5/50 takes precedence; for infusion spikes A61M5/1626; protectors for sharps A61B50/3001) · CPC title

• A61M5/3213

  Caps placed axially onto the needle, e.g. equipped with finger protection guards (axially-extensible protective sleeves A61M5/3243) · CPC title

• A61M5/3293

  characterised by features of the needle hub · CPC title

• A61M5/347

  rotatable, e.g. bayonet or screw (A61M5/344 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M5/24

  Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or carpules, e.g. automatic {(ampoules or carpules A61J1/06)} · CPC title