IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0508104
(2003-03-17)
|
등록번호 |
US-7678084
(2010-04-21)
|
국제출원번호 |
PCT/US2003/006707
(2003-03-17)
|
§371/§102 date |
20040915
(20040915)
|
국제공개번호 |
WO03/080160
(2003-10-02)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Judson, Jared Alden
- Stewart, William Charles
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
66 인용 특허 :
27 |
초록
▼
A medication dispensing apparatus having a gear set (64) to provide a mechanical advantage to the plunging of the apparatus plunger (66). The gear set (64) has a first pinion (114) in meshed engagement with a rack of the plunger (102), and a second pinion (126) in meshed engagement with a rack of a
A medication dispensing apparatus having a gear set (64) to provide a mechanical advantage to the plunging of the apparatus plunger (66). The gear set (64) has a first pinion (114) in meshed engagement with a rack of the plunger (102), and a second pinion (126) in meshed engagement with a rack of a drive member (80) of the apparatus. The gear set (64) operatively interconnects the plunger (66) and the drive member (62) such that after the plunger (66) is moved relative to the housing in a proximal direction to prepare the apparatus for injection, the plunger (66), when manually pushed back toward the housing, causes the drive member (62) to advance in a distal direction to force medication through an outlet, typically provided with an injection needle, at the distal end of the apparatus.
대표청구항
▼
We claim: 1. A medication dispensing apparatus comprising: a housing; a drive member within said housing and movable in a distal direction; a fluid container defining a medicine-filled reservoir with a movable piston at one end and an outlet at the other end, said piston engagable by said drive mem
We claim: 1. A medication dispensing apparatus comprising: a housing; a drive member within said housing and movable in a distal direction; a fluid container defining a medicine-filled reservoir with a movable piston at one end and an outlet at the other end, said piston engagable by said drive member to be advanced toward said outlet when said drive member is moved distally; a plunger movable relative to said housing from a distal position to a proximal position, said plunger manually pushable relative to said housing in the distal direction to be shifted from said proximal position to said distal position; and means for interconnecting said drive member and said plunger to convert motion of said plunger from said proximal position to said distal position into a lesser amount of motion of said drive member in said distal direction, said interconnecting means including a gear set including a first pinion in meshed engagement with a rack of said plunger and a second pinion in meshed engagement with a rack of said drive member, said gear set mounted within said housing to move longitudinally relative to said plunger, said drive member and said housing during movement of said plunger from said proximal position to said distal position, wherein said interconnecting means further comprises a rack axially fixed with respect to said housing and parallel to said rack of said plunger, said first pinion in meshed engagement with said fixed rack. 2. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein a diameter of said first pinion is greater than a diameter of said second pinion. 3. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first pinion and said second pinion are rotatably fixed together and coaxially arranged within said housing. 4. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first pinion comprises a pair of mirror image pinions that are coaxial with and flank said second pinion. 5. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fixed rack and said plunger rack each comprises a pair of racks. 6. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fixed rack and said drive member rack are disposed on one side of an axis of rolling rotation of said first pinion, and said plunger rack is disposed on the other side of said axis of rolling rotation of said first pinion. 7. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said drive member includes a first piece and a second piece threadedly engaged with said first piece, said first piece for engaging said piston for piston advancement, said second piece comprising said rack in meshed engagement with said second pinion. 8. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 7 wherein said drive member first piece is rotatably fixed relative to said housing during movement of said plunger between said distal position and said proximal position. 9. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for rotating said drive member first piece relative to said housing to prime the apparatus. 10. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a dial threadedly engaged with said housing and operable to set a dose for injecting, and a clutch between said plunger and said dial, said clutch engaged to rotatably connect said plunger to said dial during dial operation to set the dose, said clutch disengaged to permit rotation of said dial relative to said plunger during manual plunging of said plunger from said proximal position to said distal position during injecting. 11. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 10 wherein said plunger comprises a plunger rack member within said dial and a manually engagable button external to said dial, said button and plunger rack member axially fixed together. 12. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 10 for delivering a fixed dose and further comprising user cues including a first arrow pointing in a first direction and visible in a viewing window when the dial is fully screwed into the housing, a second arrow pointing in a direction different from said first direction and visible when the dial is fully screwed out from the housing, and wherein the dose window appears to gradually fill during the movement of the dial from its fully screwed in position to its frilly screwed out position. 13. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 11 wherein said dial comprises biasing means for engaging said button to force said plunger proximally relative to said dial, and wherein said clutch between said plunger and said dial comprises interfitting teeth of said dial and said plunger rack member that are disengaged upon said plunger being axially shifted against the force of said biasing means. 14. A medication dispensing apparatus comprising: a housing; a drive member within said housing and movable in a distal direction, said drive member comprising a longitudinally extending rack; at least one anti-back up member operably engaging said drive member to prevent movement of said drive member in a proximal direction within said housing; a fluid container defining a medicine-filled reservoir with a movable piston at one end and an outlet at the other end, said piston engagable by said drive member to be advanced toward said outlet when said drive member is moved distally; a rack longitudinally fixed within said housing and parallel to said drive member rack; a plunger comprising a rack parallel to said drive member rack, said plunger movable relative to said housing between a distal position and a proximal position; and a gear set including a first pinion and a second pinion, said first pinion in meshed engagement with said plunger rack and said longitudinally fixed rack, said second pinion in meshed engagement with said drive member rack, said first pinion and said second pinion being unidirectionally coupled to prevent said second pinion from rotating in a first direction relative to said first pinion; whereby when said plunger is shifted from said distal position to said proximal position, said first pinion rolls along said longitudinally fixed rack and said plunger rack, and said second pinion rolls along said drive member rack and rotates relative to said first pinion in a direction opposite to said first direction; and wherein when said plunger is shifted from said proximal position to said distal position, said first pinion rolls along said longitudinally fixed rack and said plunger rack, and said second pinion rolls along said drive member rack while simultaneously, due to it being unidirectionally coupled with said first pinion, forcing said drive member to move in the distal direction to advance said movable piston toward said outlet. 15. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 14 wherein said first pinion is unidirectionally coupled with said second pinion by one of a ratchet pawl and ratchet teeth internally disposed on a ring of said first pinion, and a clutch disc comprising the other one of said ratchet pawl and ratchet teeth and engagable with the ratchet teeth or ratchet pawl of said first pinion, said clutch disc rotatably fixed with said second pinion. 16. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 14 comprising a fixed dose stop disposed on one of said plunger and said housing, said dose stop slidable in a longitudinal groove of the other one of said plunger and said housing, wherein opposite end faces of said dose stop abuts surfaces that define different ends of said groove when said plunger is disposed in said distal and proximal positions. 17. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 16 wherein said fixed dose stop is fixed to said housing and is slidable within said longitudinal groove formed on an exterior periphery of said plunger. 18. A medication dispensing apparatus comprising: a housing; a drive member within said housing and including a first piece and a second piece, said first piece movable in a distal direction, said second piece clutchably connected to said first piece to be moveable relative thereto in a proximal direction but not the distal direction, said drive member second piece comprising a longitudinally extending rack; a fluid container defining a medicine-filled reservoir with a movable piston at one end and an outlet at the other end, said piston engagable by said drive member first piece to be advanced toward said outlet when said drive member first piece is moved distally; a rack longitudinally fixed within said housing and parallel to said rack of said drive member second piece; a plunger comprising a rack parallel to said rack of said drive member second piece, said plunger movable relative to said housing between a distal position and a proximal position; and a gear set within said housing and operatively interconnecting said plunger and said drive member second piece to permit said plunger to move from said distal position to said proximal position while moving said drive member second piece in the proximal direction relative to said drive member first piece, and to cause said drive member second piece and thereby said drive member first piece to move in said distal direction when said plunger is plunged from said proximal position to said distal position, said gear set including a first pinion and a second pinion, said first pinion in meshed engagement with said plunger rack and said fixed rack, and said second pinion in meshed engagement with said rack of said drive member second piece. 19. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 18 wherein said first piece defines a channel in which fits said second piece, and wherein said second piece is clutchably connected to said first piece by ratchet teeth of said first piece within said channel which are engagable with at least one ratchet pawl of said second piece. 20. The medication dispensing apparatus of claim 18 wherein said longitudinally fixed rack and said rack of said drive member second piece are disposed on one side of an axis of rotation of said first pinion, and said plunger rack is disposed on the other side of said axis of rotation of said first pinion.
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