Safety devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9649453-B2
Application number	US-201113880518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2011
Priority date	Oct 25, 2010
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

According to the invention, a safety device for a pre-filled syringe comprises a hollow support body for retaining the pre-filled syringe therein, a hollow needle shield and a spring means made from a resilient plastics material. The needle shield is telescoped with the support body and the spring means biases the needle shield in a distal direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A safety device for a pre-filled syringe, comprising:
a hollow support body suitable for substantially containing and retaining the pre-filled syringe therein, such that a hypodermic needle of the pre-filled syringe protrudes from the support body in a distal direction;
a hollow needle shield that shields the hypodermic needle of the pre-filled syringe contained within the hollow support body, wherein the needle shield comprises a plurality of substantially planar or convex side walls;
a double-walled outer body comprising a plurality of outer side walls, the outer body being configured to telescope with respect to the needle shield, and each outer side wall being arranged parallel to one of the side walls of the needle shield;
a spring made from a resilient plastics material,
wherein the needle shield is telescoped with the support body,
wherein the spring is arranged between the needle shield and the support body and biases the needle shield in the distal direction,
wherein the spring comprises a plurality of generally L-shaped resilient spring leaves, each of the spring leaves being operably connected to a distal end wall of the needle shield and to a distal shroud of the support body to bias the distal end wall and the distal shroud away from each other, and
wherein the distal shroud comprises a plurality of catches to inhibit translation of the spring leaves, each of the catches limiting translation of a corresponding spring leaf.

2. The safety device according to claim 1 , wherein the needle shield comprises an axial length that substantially corresponds to maximal spring deflection of the spring.

3. The safety device according to claim 1 , wherein all side walls of the needle shield have a same width.

4. The safety device according to claim 1 , wherein the spring leaves are oriented relative to each other at an angle, and each of the spring leaves is arranged adjacent to one of the side walls of the needle shield in a plane substantially parallel to the side wall of the needle shield.

5. The safety device according to claim 1 , wherein: the support body comprises a plurality of substantially planar or convex side walls, and
an inner sleeve of the needle shield comprises a plurality of substantially planar or convex side walls, each side wall of the needle sleeve being arranged parallel to one of the side walls of the support body.

6. The safety device according to claim 5 , wherein:
all side walls of the support body have a same width, and
all side walls of the inner sleeve have a same width.

7. The safety device according to claim 5 , further comprising at least one flexible arm formed to the inner sleeve, the flexible arm being deflectable in a lateral direction perpendicular to a central axis and comprising a guide pin that protrudes in a radial direction.

8. The safety device according to claim 7 , further comprising a guide track formed into at least one of the side walls of the support body,
wherein the guide pin protrudes into the guide track and is configured to interact with the guide track to retain the needle shield in an initial position and in an advanced position, the guide pin being further configured to interact with the guide track to guide the movement of the needle shield between the initial position, a retracted position and the advanced position.

9. The safety device according to claim 5 , wherein the double-walled outer body comprises a plurality of inner side walls,
wherein each inner side wall is arranged parallel to one of the side walls of the support body, and
wherein the outer body is configured to telescope with respect to the support body.

10. The safety device according to claim 9 , wherein the support body is substantially received within the outer body at the end of an injection stroke, whereby the support body is locked relative to the outer body.

11. An injection device comprising:
a pre-filled syringe comprising a hypodermic needle; and
a safety device comprising
a hollow support body suitable for substantially containing and retaining the pre-filled syringe therein, such that the hypodermic needle of the pre-filled syringe protrudes from the support body in a distal direction;
a hollow needle shield that shields the hypodermic needle of the pre-filled syringe contained within the hollow support body, wherein the needle shield comprises a plurality of substantially planar or convex side walls;
a double-walled outer body comprising a plurality of outer side walls, the outer body being configured to telescope with respect to the needle shield, and each outer side wall being arranged parallel to one of the side walls of the needle shield;
a spring made from a resilient plastics material,
wherein the needle shield is telescoped with the support body,
wherein the spring is arranged between the needle shield and the support body and biases the needle shield in the distal direction,
wherein the spring comprises a plurality of generally L-shaped resilient spring leaves, each of the spring leaves being operably connected to a distal end wall of the needle shield and to a distal shroud of the support body to bias the distal end wall and the distal shroud away from each other, and
wherein the distal shroud comprises a plurality of catches to inhibit translation of the spring leaves, each of the catches limiting translation of a corresponding spring leaf.

12. The injection device according to claim 11 , wherein:
the spring leaves are oriented relative to each other at an angle, and
each of the spring leaves is arranged adjacent to one of the side walls of the needle shield in a plane substantially parallel the side wall of the needle shield.

13. The injection device of claim 11 , wherein the hypodermic needle is integral to the pre-filled syringe.

14. A safety device for a pre-filled syringe, comprising:
a hollow support body suitable for substantially containing and retaining the pre-filled syringe therein, such that a hypodermic needle of the pre-filled syringe protrudes from the support body in a distal direction, the support body comprising a plurality of substantially planar or convex side walls;
a hollow needle shield that shields the hypodermic needle of the pre-filled syringe contained within the hollow support body, the hollow needle shield comprising an inner sleeve having a plurality of substantially planar or convex side walls, each side wall of the needle shield being arranged parallel to one of the side walls of the support body;
a double-walled outer body comprising a plurality of inner side walls, the outer body being configured to telescope with respect to the support body, and each inner side wall being arranged parallel to one of the side walls of the support body, and
wherein a spring made from a resilient plastics material,
wherein the needle shield is telescoped with the support body,
wherein the spring is arranged between the needle shield and the support body and biases the needle shield in the distal direction,
wherein the spring comprises a plurality of generally L-shaped resilient spring leaves, each of the spring leaves being operably connected to a distal end wall of the needle shield and to a distal shroud of the support body to bias the distal end wall and the distal shroud away from each other, and
wherein the distal shroud comprises a plurality of catches to inhibit translation of the spring leaves, each of the catches limiting translation of a corresponding spring leaf.

Assignees

• Roberts Gareth
• Ward Chris
• Ekman Matthew
• Sanofi Aventis Deutschland

Inventors

• Roberts Gareth
• Ward Chris
• Ekman Matthew

Classifications

• A61M2005/3267

  Biased sleeves where the needle is uncovered by insertion of the needle into a patient's body · CPC title

• A61M5/3272

  having projections following labyrinth paths · CPC title

• A61M5/3257 Primary

  Semi-automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve extension requires a deliberate action by the user, e.g. manual release of spring-biased extension means · CPC title

• A61M5/326 Primary

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