Abstract:
A cartridge for use with an advancing pen, comprising: a cartridge body, the cartridge body containing contents, the cartridge; a seal, the seal retaining the contents within the cartridge body; a cartridge tip, the cartridge tip located substantially within the cartridge body and in contact with the contents and penetrating the seal, the cartridge tip withdrawing the contents to apply the contents to a desired surface; a retaining cap, the retaining cap sealing the cartridge tip and the seal, such that the retaining cap must be removed before the cartridge tip can deliver the contents to the desired surface.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,743, filed Jul. 30, 2004, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to marking pens and applicators. Specifically, the invention relates to an advancing pen having multiple cartridges containing liquid or semisolid material. More specifically, the present invention relates to an advancing pen having multiple cartridges, each cartridge bearing a seal to protect the contents from contamination and loss of moisture. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   When medical personnel administer an injection to a patient, draw blood, or perform any intravenous procedure, the area of the skin to be pierced must first be cleansed. The antiseptic used is most often isopropyl alcohol, in part due to its rapid drying characteristic. The rapid drying time can also be a drawback however, as isopropyl alcohol is colorless, and therefore invisible when it has dried, leaving the person performing the procedure in some doubt as to the exact location of the cleansed area. A common procedure among some phlebotomists, for example, is to make a mark on the skin with a pen to identify a desired point of entry after the area is cleansed with isopropyl alcohol. While quick and convenient, this procedure is clearly not optimal, as the pen is very likely to be a source of contamination. 
   The prior art includes several references for devices that enable the user to either mark or cleanse the site of an intended skin puncture. One such reference for a marking device is the “Hypodermic Syringe and a Method for Marking Injections” by Carswell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,270, issued Mar. 9, 1993. This reference discloses a cover for the syringe that has a marking pigment installed at the closed end of the cover. One drawback to this device is that the exposed pigment will not only mark the injection site, but also the user&#39;s pocket. Further, there is no provision for an antiseptic agent. A reference that discloses an antiseptic means integral to the syringe unit is the “Needle Cover Assembly having Self-Contained Drug Applicator” of Chiappetta, U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,229, issued Nov. 23, 1999. This device utilizes a drug swab contained in a cover for the needle of the syringe. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,265, issued to the inventor of the present invention, discloses an advancing antiseptic marking pen having individual cartridges. However, the disclosed marking pen suffers two drawbacks. First, the barrel of the marking pen includes a slotted aperture running the length of the pen barrel in order to accommodate an advancing mechanism. For medical applications, this aperture is undesirable as foreign debris and other contaminants can enter the inside of the marking pen through the aperture. Also, the individual marking cartridges disclosed are not individually sealed, also posing a sanitary risk in medical applications, as well as shortening the useful life of the fluids contained in the individual cartridges as they can prematurely lose moisture. 
   There is no reference in the prior art that discloses a device that enables the user to both cleanse and to mark the intended site of an injection or other sub-dermal procedure. This means that the medical technician must use more than one instrument for each such procedure. 
   Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device suitable for sterile applications that can both apply an antiseptic while simultaneously marking a site on a patient&#39;s skin. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that accomplishes sterile marking. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device that is quick and easy to use. 
   SUMMARY 
   The present invention provides a cartridge for use with the advancing pen described above. A cartridge comprises a cartridge body containing liquid or semisolid contents, a seal that retains the contents within the cartridge body, a cartridge tip located substantially within the cartridge body and in contact with the contents and penetrating the seal. The applicator tip withdraws the contents through a wicking action to apply the marking contents to a desired surface. The cartridge tip and seal are covered by a retaining cap. When the cartridge is advanced through the advancing pen to partially protrude through the opening, the retaining cap is removed before the cartridge tip can deliver the marking contents to the desired surface. In yet another embodiment, the cartridge can contain solid material such as pills or powder. 
   Many other features and advantages of the present invention will be realized by one skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrates a cutaway view of the advancing pen and cartridges of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the profile of the inner chamber of the advancing pen; 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate the retaining rack and movable rack placed in the inner chamber of the advancing pen of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate a cross section view and plan view, respectively, of the cartridge of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Directing attention to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , there is shown advancing pen  10  of the present invention. Advancing pen  10  comprises barrel  12  formed around inner chamber  14 . Inner chamber  14  receives a plurality of cartridges  16 , which are held in place by a plurality of retaining racks  18  and similarly-shaped movable racks  19 . The cartridges  16  are driven through opening  20  at the head of barrel  12  by rear driving cap  24 , which engages spring member  26  against the movable racks to advance cartridges  16  within retaining racks  18 . The leading cartridge is retained midway through opening  20 .  FIG. 1A  shows the orientation of cartridges  16  in their initial state, before rear driving cap  24  is engaged to advance the cartridges forward.  FIG. 1B  shows the orientation of cartridges  16  (less one cartridge that was discharged when rear driving cap  24  was depressed to engage movable racks  19 , thus driving cartridges  16  forward by the distance of one cartridge. In an embodiment, the forward-most cartridge, which is partially exposed through opening  20 , is retained by retainer member  21 , which can be implemented as a substantially circular ring that attaches to opening  20  and has a plurality of fingers  23  which exert pressure inward toward the center of the exposed cartridge, thus keeping the forward-most cartridge and preventing it from slipping out of opening  20  until movable rack  19  is again engaged. 
     FIG. 2  illustrates a cross sectional view along the longitudinal axis of inner chamber  14 . Channels  30 ,  32  receive retaining racks  18  and channels  34 ,  36  receive the movable racks. Channels  30 ,  32 ,  34  and  36  are similarly dimensioned to as retaining racks  18  and movable racks  19  are similarly dimensioned. However, retaining racks  18  are secured within channels  30 ,  32 , while movable racks  19  are allowed to slide back and forth within channels  34 ,  36 . In an embodiment, a smaller alignment channel  38  is also included to receive an alignment pin  40  on cartridge  16 . Alignment pin  40 , when inserted in alignment channel  38 , keeps cartridge  16  from rotating within inner chamber  14 . 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate the profile of retaining rack  18  as well as retaining rack  18  and movable rack  19 . Retaining rack  18  and movable rack  19  can be conceptually visualized as a plurality of rack pins formed into an integral unit  41  ( FIG. 3A ). Each rack pin  42  comprises engaging member  44 , which protrudes inwardly into inner chamber  16  to engage cartridge  16  at shoulder  50 . Rack pin  42  is formed around a hollow area  43  that allows engaging member  44  and arm  46  to flex outward from the longitudinal axis of inner chamber  14  when rear driving cap  24  is depressed, thus allowing cartridge  16  to advance along retaining racks  18 . Movable racks  19  are secured to spring member  26  such that when rear driving cap  24  is depressed, movable racks  19  drive the plurality of cartridges  16  forward by the distance of one cartridge. When rear driving cap  24  is released, movable racks  19  return to their original position. In an embodiment, movable racks  19  exceed retaining racks  18  by the length of one cartridge. In an embodiment, rear driving cap  24  and spring member  26  can be removed from advancing pen  10 , so that additional cartridges  16  can be reloaded into the rear of advancing pen  10 . 
     FIG. 4A  illustrates an elevation view of cartridge  16 . In an embodiment, cartridge  16  includes alignment pin  40 , more clearly illustrated in  FIG. 4B . Cartridge  16  comprises a substantially cylindrical body  50 . In an embodiment, cylindrical body  50  comprises a taper at location  52  that is sufficiently dimensioned to receive cartridge cap  54 . In an embodiment, cartridge cap  54  screws onto cartridge  16  by engaging thread  56  on cartridge  16 , but other attachment mechanisms can be used, such as incorporating a lip rather than a thread on cartridge  16 , or simply using a pressure fit between cartridge cap  54  and cartridge  16 . In an embodiment, cartridge cap  54  comprises retaining members  58 , that engage seal  60  on cartridge  16 . In an embodiment, seal  60  is a circular member having an aperture sufficiently dimensioned to allow cartridge tip  64  to protrude from cartridge  16 . Seal  60  provides an added layer of moisture barrier and sealant to protect contents  62  within cartridge  16  from loss of moisture and/or contamination. Cartridge tip  64  is shielded by seal cartridge cap  54  until cartridge cap  54  is removed. In an embodiment, cartridge tip  64  comprises a material such as felt, or other suitable material, that is able to wick contents  62  and apply them to a desired surface. In an embodiment, cartridge cap  54  includes engaging member  66 , which is a circular member that engages seal  60  with even pressure until cartridge cap  54  is removed. 
   Contents  62  can embody a wide variety of fluids and semisolid materials. The present invention is particularly useful as an antiseptic marking pen for medical applications, allowing a healthcare worker to sterilize and mark an area of skin for medical procedures. Due to the closed structure of advancing pen  10  and the use of cartridge cap  54 , contents  62  can be maintained in a sterile environment and protected from loss of moisture. Advancing pen  10  can be used in a wide variety of non-medical applications, such as a traditional marking pen. The advantage of the present invention again is in the sealed, individual cartridges, which can contain similar materials or similar colors, or in different embodiments, contents  62  can vary between individual cartridges. 
   The above disclosure is not intended to be limiting. While advancing pen  10  is described in terms of being a marking pen, it is capable of delivering a wide variety of liquid and semisolid materials in non-marking applications, such as adhesives, cosmetics, and cleansing materials such as alcohol, liquid detergent, bleach, and the like. Advancing pen  10  is especially useful in medical applications for applying medical adhesives, sterilizing agents, medicines applied topically, and other materials useful in medical applications. 
   In an alternative embodiment, advancing pen  10  can be used to dispense solid materials. In this embodiment, cartridge  16  does not include a cartridge tip, but still incorporates cartridge cap  54  to retain solid materials within cartridge  16 . This embodiment of the present invention is especially useful in that advancing pen  10  can be used as a medication dispenser, with each cartridge  16  containing a measured dose of medicine, nutritional supplements or vitamins, such as a pill, combination of pills, or substance in powdered form, to be taken at certain intervals. 
   Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that numerous modifications and alterations can be made to the various embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof.