Abstract:
A plunger in a syringe assembly for tracking flows and monitoring movements of contents in the syringe assembly includes a signal interfacing device, such as an antennae, and an electronic information storage device, such as an RFID chip, attached. The information storage device is provided to store information of the contents.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to a plunger for a syringe and more particularly, to plunger for a syringe assembly with a signal interfacing device such as an antenna and an electronic information storage device such as a radio frequency identification device (RFID) chip attached.  
         [0002]     In a February 2004 Federal Drug Administration (FDA) report entitled “Combating Counterfeit Drug,” the FDA outlined its approach to assuring that Americans are protected from counterfeit drugs. It includes the critical element of implementing new technologies to better protect drug supply. The FDA report stated: 
        “Because the capabilities of counterfeiters continue to evolve rapidly, there is no single “magic bullet” technology that provides any long-term assurance of drug security. However, a combination of rapidly improving “track and trace” technologies and product authentication technologies should provide a much greater level of security for drug products in the years ahead. Similar anti-counterfeiting technologies are being used in other industries, and FDA intends to facilitate their rapid development and use to keep drugs secure against counterfeits.”       
 
         [0004]     The FDA report further stated: 
        “Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) tagging of products by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers appears to be the most promising approach to reliable product tracking and tracing.”       
 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a syringe assembly comprises a barrel; a plunger rod assembly inside the barrel; a signal interfacing device attached to the plunger rod assembly to transmit information; and an electronic information storage device attached to the plunger rod assembly containing information transmitted through the signal interfacing device. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a side, diagrammatical view of a syringe with an electronic information storage device and a signal interfacing device attached to a plunger rod assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.  
         [0009]     Broadly, the present invention is a solution to address the potential FDA mandate above by attaching a signal interfacing device and an electronic information storage device to a plunger of a syringe to transmit information for human interaction for inventory control, content control, expiration control, track and tracing, and security features.  
         [0010]     The present invention provides a syringe  10  that includes a signal interfacing device  40  and an electronic information storage device  30  affixed to a plunger rod assembly  20  to transmit information for human interaction. Information stored in such a syringe  10  may be used for inventory control, content control, expiration control, track and tracing, and security features. The signal interfacing device  40  may identify the movement of the syringe  10  through the supply chain from manufacturing to intermediate suppliers to final users by a location reading whenever the syringe  10  is transported. The signal interfacing device  40  may send out radio frequency signals containing information of the material in the syringe  10  and dispensing date to allow a receiving station to verify if the content removed is authorized to be removed or to confirm that an authorized person is intended to receive the content being removed from the syringe.  
         [0011]     A method of attaching the electronic information storage device  30  to the plunger rod assembly  20  can be simply bonding the information storage device  30  to the surface of a plunger rod  50  through an adhesive material at an appropriate location on the surface of the plunger rod  50 . It might be beneficial to manufacture a plunger rod assembly  20  with the electronic information storage device  30  embedded inside the plunger rod  50  itself to have the electronic information storage device  30  become an integral part of the plunger rod assembly  20 . The process of embedding has the additional benefit of security and quality protection during the usage of the plunger rod assembly  20  in the syringe  10 .  
         [0012]     In one embodiment, the present invention provides attaching an RFID chip as the electronic information storage device  30 . RFID is commonly used in the industry to provide information of the objects being track through a non-contact method through specific radio frequencies. This information can be passed to the user upon demand by triggering the specified frequency channel or by an autonomous function of RFID itself. It can be a passive device as in an apparatus with information upon demand. Or, it can be a proactive device to send information autonomously on a periodical base to a nearby reading device.  
         [0013]     In another embodiment, the present invention provides attaching an antenna to a plunger rod assembly  20  of a syringe  10  as its signal interfacing device  40 . The signal interfacing device  40  provides the function of interfacing signals between the information storage device  30  and a nearby reader or receiving a demand from a second nearby electronic source. The benefit of a device such as an antenna in the current invention is that it provides a non-line of sight transmission capability to a longer range. This capability enables the user of the syringe  10  to read information regarding the movements of the syringe  10  from a remote or non-line of sight position.  
         [0014]     The information extracted by monitoring the signals from the antenna can be used to determine, for example, the content in the syringe barrel regarding its characteristics, allowable dosage, expiration date, date of manufacture, lot number and other relevant information. The antenna functions as a signal interfacing device  40  to register the movement of the syringe  10  through various locations within the supply chain from manufacturing to intermediate suppliers to final users. The antenna may also register the temperature ranges of the various locations that the syringe  10  had moved through. The method of attaching the antenna to the plunger rod  50  can be a simple adhesive bonding between the surfaces of the plunger rod  50  and the antenna. Or, the antenna can also be embedded inside the structure of the plunger rod  50  during the manufacturing processes to become an integral part of the syringe  10  for security (track and trace) and quality purpose.  
         [0015]     In yet another embodiment, the antenna is an active device capable of broadcasting its locational information to allow the monitoring of its locations before and after the syringe  10  is moved or the content of the syringe dispensed. In such case, the antenna is known as a broadcaster.  
         [0016]     In one other embodiment, the antenna transmits information on demand by another device, commonly known as an interrogator, to provide the characteristics and quantity of the content to a nearby receiver for further signal processing. The antenna is called a slave which functions as an interfacing station to receive and send out signal.  
         [0017]     In yet one other embodiment, the signal interfacing device  40  receives information from outside source by an embedded signal receiver embedded in the signal interfacing device  40  to work as a signal receiver. The signal interfacing device  40  also transmits information to an outside receiver through an embedded transmitter in the signal interfacing device  40  to function as a signal transmitter. In addition, the signal interfacing device  40  may contain a set of decision making rules that is stored in an electrical circuitry which can be in a micro-electronic form embedded in the electric circuitry in the signal interfacing device  40 . The addition of an electric circuitry adds intelligence to the signal interfacing device  40 . allowing it to process information received.  
         [0018]     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.