Needle insertion systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9370621-B2
Application number	US-33636708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2008
Priority date	Dec 16, 2008
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

A housing may have a needle, plunger, and bias mechanism supported within the housing by a tab configured to retain the plunger in position and to allow the plunger to move under bias force imparted by the bias mechanism to move the needle to an insert position when the tab is removed. A base and a structure may be configured for relative movement there between and may be adapted to be secured to a user with a cannula extending through a body of the structure into the user during use of a medical device. A housing may be adapted to be secured to a user to support a medical device operable with an insertion needle, the housing having a magnifying material for increasing visibility of an injection site.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A needle-inserting device comprising:
a housing having a flexible portion, an internal chamber, a longitudinal dimension, and an internal surface having an angled, ramped or wedge-shaped portion;
a plunger arranged for movement within the internal chamber, in the direction of the longitudinal dimension of the housing, from a first plunger position to a second plunger position;
a bias mechanism for imparting a bias force on the plunger when the plunger is in the first plunger position, wherein the bias force is directed toward the second plunger position; and
a needle connected to the plunger for movement with the plunger; and
a tab connected to or integral with and the plunger and carried by the plunger, the tab having a tab end configured to retain the plunger in the first plunger position, the tab end moveable relative to the housing;
an insert structure arranged for movement within the internal chamber of the housing with movement of the plunger from the first plunger position to the second plunger position, the insert structure including a body through which the needle extends, wherein at least one of the plunger or the body of the insert structure is arranged to engage the angled, ramped or wedge-shaped portion of the housing and outwardly flex the flexible portion of the housing upon the insert structure being moved as the plunger moves from the first plunger position to the second plunger position;
wherein upon movement of the tab end, the plunger is released from being retained in the first plunger position by the tab end and moves with the tab end, relative to the housing, in the direction of the longitudinal dimension of the housing from the first plunger position to the second plunger position under the bias force imparted by the bias mechanism to move the needle to an insert position and outwardly flex the flexible portion of the housing.

2. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 , wherein the bias mechanism comprises a chemical substance that expands upon application of another substance or energy from an energy source.

3. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 , wherein the tab end is integral with the plunger, but fractures to break off from the plunger upon being moved to release the plunger from being retained in the first plunger position.

4. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 , wherein the tab end is located outside of the internal chamber of the housing when the plunger is retained in the first plunger position, and the entire plunger is arranged within the internal chamber of the housing when the plunger is retained in the first plunger position.

5. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 , wherein the tab end is located outside of the internal chamber of the housing when the plunger is retained in the first plunger position, the entire plunger and all portions of the tab other than the tab end are arranged within the internal chamber of the housing when the plunger is retained in the first plunger position, and the entire tab end is moveable relative to the housing to detach from the plunger and all portions of the tab arranged within the internal chamber of the housing.

6. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 , wherein all portions of the tab other than the tab end are arranged within the internal chamber of the housing when the plunger is retained in the first plunger position, and wherein the entire tab end is moveable relative to the housing to detach from all portions of the tab arranged within the internal chamber of the housing.

7. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 ,
wherein at least a portion of the needle is adapted to pierce skin of a user as the plunger moves from the first plunger position to the second plunger position to move the needle to the insert position.

8. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 ,
the housing having an opening that opens to the internal chamber, the opening having a width dimension;
the tab end having a width dimension larger than the width dimension of the opening.

9. The needle-inserting device of claim 8 ,
the tab end configured to be one of rotatable and twistable to fit within the opening of the housing to release the plunger from being retained in the first plunger position.

10. The needle-inserting device of claim 8 ,
the tab end configured to be compressible to fit within the opening of the housing to release the plunger from being retained in the first plunger position.

11. The needle-inserting device of claim 8 , wherein the tab end is located on one side of the opening of the housing prior to the tab end being moved to release the plunger, the tab end passing through the opening of the housing when the tab end is moved to release the plunger head from being retained in the first plunger position.

12. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 , the device further comprising:
a hollow cannula having a hollow interior and arranged with the needle extending through the hollow interior;
wherein upon movement of the tab end, the plunger is free to move from the first plunger position to the second plunger position under the bias force imparted by the bias mechanism to move the hollow cannula to a cannula insert position.

13. The needle-inserting device of claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the cannula is adapted to pierce skin of a user as the plunger moves from the first plunger position to the second plunger position to move the cannula to the cannula insert position.

14. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 , the device further comprising:
an insert structure arranged for movement within the internal chamber of the housing with movement of the plunger from the first plunger position to the second plunger position, the insert structure including a body through which the needle extends;
the housing having at least one slot or groove;
the body of the insert structure including a shaped portion configured to engage the at least one slot or groove upon the insert structure being moved as the plunger moves from the first plunger position to the second plunger position.

15. The needle-inserting device of claim 14 ,
the housing having a flexible portion in the vicinity of the at least one slot or groove; and
the body of the insert structure arranged to engage and outwardly flex the flexible portion of the housing upon the insert structure being moved as the plunger moves from the first plunger position to the second plunger position.

16. The needle-inserting device of claim 1 , the device further comprising:
an insert structure arranged for movement within the internal chamber of the housing with movement of the plunger from the first plunger position to the second plunger position, the insert structure including a body through which the needle extends;
the insert structure having a fluid channel, the fluid channel operatively connectable to a reservoir when the insert structure moves with the plunger from the first plunger position to the second plunger position.

17. The needle-inserting device of claim 16 , the device further comprising:
a hollow cannula having a hollow interior and arranged with the needle extending through the hollow interior;
wherein upon movement of the tab end, the plunger is free to move from the first plunger position to the second plunger position under the bias force imparted by the bias mechanism to move the hollow cannula to an insert position; and
wherein the fluid channel is in fluid communication with the hollow interior of the cannula upon the insert structure being moved with the plunger from the first plunger position t

Assignees

• Hanson Ian B
• Kavazov Julian D
• Bikovsky Rafael
• Medtronic Minimed Inc

Inventors

• Hanson Ian B
• Kavazov Julian D
• Bikovsky Rafael

Classifications

• A61M2005/14252

  with needle insertion means · CPC title

• A61M2005/1426

  with means for preventing access to the needle after use · CPC title

• A61M5/14248 Primary

  of the skin patch type · CPC title

• A61M2005/1581

  Right-angle needle-type devices · CPC title

• A61M2205/583

  by visual feedback · CPC title