Patent ID: 11865308
Assignee: SANOFI-AVENTIS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A method of operating a medicament injection device having a rotatable cap and a releasable arrangement between a main body and the rotatable cap, wherein the releasable arrangement comprises a guide element and a slotted link, the method comprising:
rotating the rotatable cap such that the guide element of the releasable arrangement is able to move past a narrowed portion of the slotted link and to follow a predefined path at least partly in an axial direction during rotational movement of the rotatable cap, thereby causing a needle to move axially in a proximal direction and to penetrate a separable barrier of a medicament cartridge, as the rotatable cap is rotated up to a predefined point;
wherein the guide element is restricted from following the predefined path by the narrowed portion of the slotted link until the rotatable cap is rotated;
wherein after the rotatable cap has been rotated beyond the predefined point, thereby causing the rotatable cap to move axially in a distal direction during the rotational movement of the rotatable cap, the releasable arrangement cooperates to prevent further rotation of the rotatable cap, at which point the rotatable cap is removable from the medicament injection device in an axial distal direction;
wherein the slotted link comprises (i) a curved portion, and (ii) an axially straight portion that defines a path taken by the guide element as the rotatable cap is removed from the medicament injection device in the axial distal direction without causing the further rotation of the rotatable cap; and
wherein the curved portion is hook shaped, such that the predefined point is a point at which the guide element is located half way along the curved portion of the slotted link.