AUTO-INJECTION DEVICE
The present application discloses a device that is designed to inject into a user medicinal or non-medical substance upon activation. The device is light and compact, suitable for wearing or carrying by a user. The device comprises a needle, a syringe, and two sets of springs. The syringe comprises a plunger and a chamber for storing an injection substance. The needle is configured to be coaxial and in communication with the syringe. Each set of springs may comprise one or more springs. The first set of springs is configured to push the needle and the second set of springs is configured to move the plunger. In one exemplary embodiment, the device is enclosed in a sealed case and the device may be made to resemble a watch.
This international application claims priority, under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/646,518, titled Wearable Medical Drug Auto-Injector and filed on Mar. 22, 2018, the entire content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF TECHNOLOGYThe present disclosure relates generally to medical devices, and more specifically to a light and compact auto-injection device suitable for wearing or carrying.
BACKGROUNDAnaphylaxis is a life-threatening medical condition that affects millions of people across all ages. When an individual with this condition contacts or ingests an allergen they are sensitive to, such as nuts, insect venom, shellfish, etc., the individual's throat begins to swell and breathing becomes difficult. If the individual does not receive an adequate dose of proper medication administered in a prescribed way within a preferred time limit, the condition can be fatal. In the case of anaphylaxis, the procedure recommended by doctors is to administer epinephrine intramuscularly into the thigh within a few minutes of the onset of the medical condition.
Anaphylaxis patients are encouraged to carry an epinephrine auto-injection device, e.g. EpiPen, that contains an effective dose of epinephrine and is ready for use by patients themselves. The auto-injection device can be activated by a stabbing motion at the injection site. After activation, the drug is automatically administered. Patients with other potentially life-threatening conditions, e.g., hyperglycemia, can also benefit from carrying or wearing an auto-injection device for emergency use.
Prior art auto-injection devices are bulky and heavy. They are not convenient to be carried around. Nor can they be worn by users as a wearable device. The present application discloses an auto-injection device that is light and compact, suitable for wearing or carrying by users in their daily activities.
SUMMARYAccordingly, it is an objective of the present disclosure to teach an auto-injection device that is light and compact and can be carried as a wearable device.
In some embodiments, an exemplary auto-injection device comprises a syringe, a needle, and two sets of springs. The syringe comprises a plunger and a chamber for storing an injection substance. The needle is connected to and in communication with the syringe. In one embodiment, the needle and the syringe are coaxial. Each set of springs comprises one or more springs. The first set of springs is coupled to the syringe and configured to push the needle. The second set of springs is coupled to the plunger and configured to push the plunger. The auto-injection device may be housed in a casing. In one embodiment, the casing is sealed to prevent contamination. In another embodiment, the needle may be protected by a protective cover to prevent contamination.
In some embodiments, each set of springs comprises a compressed state and a released state. The first set of springs is configured to move the needle outside of the casing when the first set of springs is in the released state. When the first set of springs is released, the second set of springs is released from its compressed state and drives the plunger to inject the substance stored in the chamber into the patient. In some embodiments, the first and second set of springs are released in sequence. The second set of springs is released after the first set of springs is released. In some embodiments, the first and second sets of springs may be released substantially simultaneously.
In some embodiments, the auto-injection device comprises a first activator configured to release the first set of springs. In one embodiment, the syringe of the auto-injection device is configured to compress the first set of springs when resting on one or more cantilevers. The first activator is configured to bend or push the cantilevers and move the syringe off the cantilevers in order to release the first set of springs. Once released from the compressed state, the first set of springs pushes the needle outside the casing.
In some embodiments, the auto-injection comprises a second activator configured to release the second set of springs. When the second set of springs is released from the compressed state, the second set of springs drives the plunger of the syringe to inject the substance stored in the chamber. In one embodiment, the second activator comprises a tube and a pin. The tube is configured with one or more cross-holes in the wall. The pin is inside the tube and is configured to move from an inserted position to a pulled-up position. One or more identical balls are held inside the cross-holes. The size of the balls is larger than the thickness of the wall of the tube. When the pin is in the inserted position, the balls are pushed by the pin to extrude outside the outer-wall of the tube and act as a stopper to hold the second set of springs in the compressed state. When the pin is in the pulled-up position, the one or more balls are configured to move towards the interior of the tube to release the second set of the springs. The released springs in the second set push the plunger to inject a stored substance.
In some embodiments, the auto-injection device comprises a revolving sheath that blocks the needle after injection. The sheath is configured to move from a closed position to an open position. When in the closed position, the revolving sheath rests on the casing. When in the open position, the revolving sheath blocks the needle. In one embodiment, the revolving sheath is attached to the casing via a revolving peg.
In some embodiments, a wearable device comprising a watch-sized case and an auto-injection cartridge is disclosed. The case comprises a frame, a cover and one or more outer-covers. The frame comprises two cantilevers attached to two opposing interior sides of the frame respectively. The auto-injection cartridge is inset onto the cantilevers. When the auto-injection cartridge slides off the cantilevers, the wearable device is activated. In one embodiment of the wearable device, a revolving sheath is attached to the cover to block the needle of the auto-injection cartridge after use.
In some embodiments, a wearable device comprising a telescoping case and an auto-injection device is disclosed. The telescoping case changes shape by extension using a telescoping mechanism. In this embodiment, the case comprises two or more separate components that together enclose the auto-injection device. Attached to the rear section of the device are small snap-fit pieces that move parallel to the body of the device within a confined space. The confined space compresses the snap-fit pieces such that they are in a compressed state before being activated. When the snap-fit pieces exit the confined space, they are allowed to expand. In the expanded state, the snap-fit pieces cannot return to the confined space, so the rear section cannot be pushed back towards the needle tip. After the body of the device has expanded, the set of activation springs remain in a partially compressed state. This ensures that they can push the needle out of the device upon activation.
These and other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate like parts having similar functionality throughout the views. Like parts may be designed differently in different embodiments. Components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure.
Embodiments of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The various embodiments of the disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
In referring to
In the embodiment shown in
In referring to
The first activator 114 (also see
As the syringe 104 moves downward, the second activator 116 (see also
As shown in
The assembled syringe 104 and the first set of springs 108 can then be assembled into the casing 120.
In one embodiment, the revolving sheath 900 is attached to the frame 700 via a revolving peg 118 illustrated in
It is noted that the frame 1410, shown in
When the rear section of the casing 120 reaches the end of its moving path, the snap-fit pieces (1502 in
The auto-injection devices 100 disclosed herein have many applications, medical or non-medical. The size of the chamber 105 in the auto-injection device 100 can be manufactured in accordance with the requirement of each application. In some applications, the size of the chamber 105 can be made fairly standard. In other applications, the size of the chamber 105 may be personalized. As mentioned in the background section, the auto-injection device 100 is useful in anaphylaxis and hyperglycemia emergency situations. The auto-injection device 100 can be useful in opioid overdose emergencies as well. Indeed, in many life-threatening situations, auto-injection devices disclosed herein can save lives by providing timely relief of the symptoms.
Although the disclosure is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the disclosure.
Claims
1. An auto-injection device comprising: wherein each of the first and the second set of springs comprises one or more springs, and wherein the syringe is configured to compress the first set of springs when the syringe rests on one or more cantilevers.
- a syringe comprising a plunger and a chamber for storing a substance to be injected;
- a needle connected to the syringe;
- a first set of springs coupled to the syringe and configured to push the syringe for moving the needle; and
- a second set of springs coupled to the plunger and configured to push the plunger;
2. The auto-injection device of claim 1, further comprising a casing for housing the needle, the syringe, the first set of springs, and the second set of springs.
3. The auto-injection device of claim 1, wherein each of the first and the second set of springs comprises a compressed state and a released state, wherein the first set of springs is configured to push the needle outside of the casing when entering into the released state.
4. The auto-injection device of claim 3, wherein, upon the first set of springs being released, the second set of springs is released from its compressed state and drives the plunger to inject the substance stored in the chamber.
5. The auto-injection device of claim 1, further comprising a first activator configured to activate the auto-injection device and to release the first set of springs.
6. (canceled)
7. The auto-injection device of claim 5, wherein the first activator is configured to move the syringe off the cantilevers to release push the one or more cantilevers to set off the first set of springs, and wherein when the first set of springs is released, the first set of springs pushes the needle.
8. The auto-injection device of claim 5, further comprising a second activator configured to release the second set of springs.
9. The auto-injection device of claim 8, wherein the second activator is activated by the first set of springs.
10. The auto-injection device of claim 9, wherein, the second activator releases the second set of springs from the compressed state to the released state, and wherein the second set of springs drives the plunger of the syringe to inject the substance stored in the chamber.
11. The auto-injection device of claim 8, wherein the second activator comprises: wherein, when the pin is in the inserted position, the moveable object is pushed by the pin to extrude outside the tube and act as a stopper to hold the second set of springs in the compressed state; wherein, when the pin is in the pulled-up position, the moveable object is configured to move along the cross-holes to release the second set of the springs.
- a tube configured with one or more cross-holes in the wall of the tube;
- a pin inside the tube, wherein the pin is configured to move from an inserted position to a pulled-up position; and
- a moveable object situated inside the cross-holes, wherein the size of the moveable object is larger than the thickness of the wall of the tube;
12. The auto-injection device of claim 11, wherein when the pin is in the pulled-up position, the second set of springs is released to push the plunger and to inject the stored sub stance.
13. The auto-injection device of claim 2, further comprising a casing for housing the needle, the syringe, the first set of springs, and the second set of springs, wherein the casing comprises a revolving sheath, the revolving sheath configured to move from a closed position to an open position; and
- wherein, when in the closed position, the revolving sheath rests on the casing and, when in the open position, the revolving sheath blocks the needle.
14. The auto-injection device of claim 13, wherein the revolving sheath is attached to the casing via a revolving peg.
15. The auto-injection device of claim 1, further comprising a protective needle cover to prevent the needle from contamination.
16. The auto-injection device of claim 2, wherein the casing is sealed to prevent the needle from being contaminated.
17. The auto-injection device of claim 2, wherein the casing comprises one or more lugs to connect straps for wearing.
18. The auto-injection device of claim 17, wherein the auto-injection device is a wrist-mounted wearable device.
19.-23. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 21, 2019
Publication Date: Dec 3, 2020
Inventors: DANIEL HARRIS OROL (Raleigh, NC), BENJAMIN VICTOR BERNSTEIN (Rosemont, PA), REED EVAN GINSBERG (Jericho, NY)
Application Number: 16/607,323