Applicator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9913970-B2
Application number	US-201314654029-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2013
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

An applicator includes a piston plate, a non-linear coil spring, a casing, a lock means and a release means. The casing includes a tubular main body part that houses therein the piston plate and the non-linear coil spring, and a cover part that is arranged on one end side of the main body part. The cover part and the piston plate sandwich the non-linear coil spring there between. The lock means locks the piston plate with the casing such that the piston plate is held at a retraction position thereof on the cover part side in a state where the cover part and the piston plate compress the non-linear coil spring. The release means releases a locked state where the piston plate is locked with the casing by the lock means and where the cover part and the piston plate compress the non-linear coil spring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An applicator for transferring an active ingredient into a body through a skin by a puncture in the skin with microneedles, the applicator comprising:
a casing including:
a tubular main body part having a first end and a second end positioned in an axial direction; and
a cover part arranged on the first end;

a piston plate housed inside the casing, the piston plate including:
a first main surface having the microneedles arranged thereon;
a second main surface opposed to the first main surface;
a periphery located between the first and second main surfaces; and
a plurality of projections provided on the periphery and extending in a radial direction from the piston plate;

a non-linear coil spring housed in the casing between the second main surface of the piston plate and the cover part of the casing, and exerting a biasing force on the piston plate;
a plurality of groove parts formed on an inner circumferential surface of the tubular main body part, each of the plurality of groove parts including an axial part extending in the axial direction of the tubular main body part, and a circumferential part extending from a first or second end of the axial part along a circumferential direction of the tubular main body part; and
a release member configured for turning the piston plate along the circumferential direction of the tubular main body part,
wherein each projection of the plurality of projections of the piston plate corresponds to each groove part of the plurality of groove parts, and
wherein the piston plate is locked within the casing with the non-linear coil spring compressed when each projection of the plurality of projections of the piston plate moves from the axial part to the circumferential part of each groove part of the plurality of groove parts, and
wherein the release member turns the locked piston plate thereby moving the piston plate along the axial part of each of the plurality of groove parts by the biasing force to a position for transferring the active ingredient to the body through the skin.

2. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
a needle density of the microneedles is equal to or more than 500 needles/cm 2 ,
a total weight of an actuation part including the piston plate, the non-linear coil spring, and the microneedles is equal to or less than 1.5 g, and
a momentum of the actuation part actuated by the biasing force of the non-linear coil spring is 0.006 Ns to 0.015 Ns.

3. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein the circumferential part of each of the plurality of groove parts is inclined towards the cover part and towards each of the corresponding axial parts of each of the plurality of groove parts.

4. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein surfaces facing the second end of the tubular main body part of the plurality of projections are oblique surfaces inclined in the axial direction of the tubular main body part towards an outer side of the first end of the tubular main body part, and
a bottom wall of the tubular main body part locking the plurality of projections has oblique surfaces respectively corresponding to the oblique surfaces of the plurality of projections.

5. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein each axial part of the plurality of groove parts is formed extending obliquely in the axial direction of the tubular main body part when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the tubular main body part.

6. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein a through-hole in the circumferential direction of the tubular main body part is formed in a side wall of the tubular main body part, the through-hole having two end sides,
the release member includes:
a first portion located inside of the casing and locked with the piston plate; and
a second portion connected to the first portion passing through the through-hole and located on an outer circumferential surface of the tubular main body part, and

if the second portion moves from one end side to the other end side of the through-hole, the first portion turns the piston plate, each projection of the plurality of projections respectively reaches the axial part from the circumferential part of each groove part of the plurality of groove parts, and the locked piston plate is released.

7. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
a through-hole is formed in the cover part,
the release member includes:
a first portion located inside of the casing and locked with the piston plate; and
a second portion connected to the first portion passing through the through-hole to an outer surface of the cover part, and

if the second portion moves from one end side to another end side of the through-hole, the first portion turns the piston plate, each projection of the plurality of projections respectively reaches the axial part from the circumferential part of each groove part of the plurality of groove parts, and the locked piston plate is released.

8. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
a through-hole is formed in the cover part,
the release member includes:
a base part arranged on an outer surface of the cover part and turnable about an axis of the tubular main body part;
a knob part attached to the base part and pivotable about a direction intersecting the axial direction of the tubular main body part; and
a transmission part extending from the base part to the inside of the casing through the through-hole and transmitting a turning force of the base part to the piston plate, and

if the transmission part moves from one end side to the other end side of the through-hole by operating the knob part, the transmission part turns the piston plate, each projection of the plurality of projections respectively reaches the axial part from the circumferential part of each groove part of the plurality of groove parts, and the locked piston plate is released.

9. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
the release member includes an engagement part that engages the cover part with the piston plate,
the cover part and the tubular main body part are configured as separate members,
in the locked state,
when the cover part is biased by the non-linear coil spring and moves away from the piston plate and the cover part is at a separate position away from the piston plate, the engagement part of the release member does not engage the cover part with the piston plate, whereas
when a pressing force against the biasing force of the non-linear coil spring is exerted on the cover part and the cover part is at a close position adjacent to the piston plate, the engagement part of the release member engages the cover part with the piston plate, and

if the cover part is turned such that the engagement part engages the cover part with the piston plate, the engagement part turns the piston plate, each projection of the plurality of projections respectively reaches the axial part from the circumferential part of each groove part of the plurality of groove parts, and the locked piston plate is released.

10. The applicator according to claim 1 , wherein
the release member faces an outer circumferential surface of the tubular main body part,
a through-hole is formed at a position on a side wall of the tubular main body part, the position being on a straight line connecting between the release member and the circumferential part of each groove part of the plurality of groove parts, and
if the release member is pushed against the plurality of projections of the locked piston plate while passing through the through-hole, turning the locked piston plate, each projection of the plurality of projections respectively reaches the axial part fr

Assignees

• Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co
• Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co Ltd

Inventors

• ARAMI Shunsuke
• Ogura Makoto
• Tokumoto Seiji

Classifications

• A61M2005/1585

  Needle inserters · CPC title

• A61M2037/0046

  Solid microneedles · CPC title

• A61K9/0021

  Intradermal administration, e.g. through microneedle arrays or needleless injectors · CPC title

• A61M2037/0023

  Drug applicators using microneedles · CPC title

• A61M37/0015 Primary

  by using microneedles · CPC title