The present invention relates to devices for the delivery of medicinal liquids from a storage vial to a patient and, in particular, it concerns a device for the delivery of medicinal liquids directly from a storage vial to a patient.
The most common manner of storing liquid medicines is in what are referred to as standard vials. Such vials are closed with at lid includes a septum and the liquid medicine is removed using a standard syringe and needle.
Due to the drawbacks associated with this manner of drug delivery, a number of attempts have been made to provide liquid medicine delivery devices which are easier and safer to use.
One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,470,258 to Barker et al. The Barker device is configured for use with a standard medicine vial which is attached to the device. Air is forced into the vial in order to deliver the liquid medicine in the vial to a transfer chamber in the device. Upon further manipulation, the liquid medicine is then forced out of the transfer chamber and injected into the patient.
Drawbacks to the Barker device include being a complex mechanism that is expensive to produce. Further, the use of the transfer chamber provides an opportunity to contaminate the liquid medicine.
There is therefore a need for a device for the delivery of liquid medicines that easy and safe to use and simple and inexpensive to produce and delivers the liquid medicine directly from the storage vial to the patient.
The present invention is a device for the delivery of medicinal liquids directly from a storage vial to a patient.
According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided, [TO BE COPIED IN FROM CLAIMS WHEN FINALIZED]
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention is a device for the delivery of medicinal liquids directly from a storage vial to a patient.
The principles and operation of a device for the delivery of medicinal liquids according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description.
By way of introduction, the liquid delivery device of the present invention removes liquid from a vial by inserting air into the vial, thereby creating positive pressure within the vial that forces the liquid out of the vial. It will be appreciated that since the interior volume of the vial is open to ambient pressure through a liquid delivery passage, when air is forced into the interior volume of the vial no compression of the air or the liquid occurs. Therefore, the volume of air forced into the interior volume of the vial determines the volume of the liquid medicine delivered to the medicinal delivery element, and therefore, the volume of liquid medicine delivered to the patient. With this in mind, it will be understood that the liquid delivery device of the present invention may be configured such that the volume of air forced into the interior volume of the vial is predetermined based on the desired dose of the liquid medicine required. The volume of air forced into the interior volume of the vial may be predetermined by providing a variety of liquid delivery device each having a different predetermined delivery volume. Such predetermined delivery volume may force out only a portion of the liquid in the vial, or it may be adequate to completely empty the vial. Alternatively, the pressure generating volume of the delivery device of the present invention may itself be variable, allowing the user to determine the dose to be delivered.
It should be noted that although the drawings depict the delivery device of the present invention used in conjunction with a medical vial and therefore the term vial is used throughout the description, this is not intended as a limitation and the delivery device of the present invention may be configured for attachment to substantially any container such as, but not limited to, bottles and jars. Therefore, the term “vial” as it is used herein is intended to include substantially any suitable container, therefore, the terms “vial” and “container” are used interchangeably herein. Nor should the term “medicine” used herein be considered a limitation, but rather as an example of a type of liquid suitable for used in the embodiments shown in the drawings.
As will be discussed below, the delivery device of the present invention may be configured with any one of a number of different medicinal delivery elements, thereby facilitating different ways of administering the liquid to a patient. Therefore, administration may be as a subcutaneous injection with a needle; a nasal spray; an ear spray; an eye spray; an oral spray; a spray to the surface of the skin; and rectal administration.
Referring now to the drawings,
While the circumferential contour of the walls of pressure generating volume 10 and displaceable actuator element 6 may be of substantially any suitable closed curve.
A biasing element, such as coil spring 12 maintains displaceable actuator element 6 in a storage (non-delivery) position prior to use.
Base 4 also includes a piercing element 20, which is so referred to herein due to its ability to pierce the septum of a standard medical vial. It should be noted, however, that the function of this element of the present invention is the same in all embodiments of the delivery device of the present invention regardless of the need to pierce a septum or not.
The piercing element 20 has at least one air delivery passage 22 providing fluid communication between the pressure generating volume 10 and an interior 32 of the container 30, illustrated here, by way of example only, as a standard medical vial. The piercing element 20 also includes at least one liquid delivery passage 24 providing fluid communication between the interior 32 of the container 30 and a medicinal delivery element 40, illustrated here, by way of example only, as an injection needle.
Displacement of displaceable actuator element 6 within the pressure generating volume 10 forces air from the pressure generating volume 10 through the air delivery passage 22 and into the interior 32 of vial 30, thereby forcing the liquid medicine 34 from the vial 30 through liquid delivery passage 24 to the medicinal delivery element 40.
As illustrated in
This second embodiment of the liquid delivery device 102 of the present invention resembles a traditional syringe in that displaceable actuator element 106 is supported by the fingers of the user against extensions 108 and pressure is allied by the user's thumb to the top 130t of vial 130 in order to operate the device and deliver the liquid medicine 132 to the patient.
Deployed adjacent to the end wall 106a of displaceable actuator element 106 is a septum 150 that provides a pressure resistant seal around the injection needle (medicinal delivery element 140) as the base 104 is displaced into the pressure generating volume 110 configured in the displaceable actuator element 106.
Here too, after use, spring 112 returns the displaceable actuator element 106 to its original position in which the injection needle (medicinal delivery element 140) is safely hidden.
It will be appreciated that in the embodiments of
To answer this problem, the third preferred embodiment of the liquid delivery device 200 of the present invention. This embodiment includes a base 204 that maintains the vertical deployment of the vial 230 while providing a medicinal delivery element 140 that is deployed in a horizontal position. That is to say the longitudinal axis of vial 230 and a longitudinal axis of the medicinal delivery element 240 are perpendicular to each other.
While the embodiments of
It will be appreciated that a number of additional features may be included in liquid delivery device of the present invention, among them are:
It will be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as examples and that many other embodiments are possible within the spirit and the scope of the present invention.