Patent GB-717667-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to hypodermic injection apparatus
IPC: A61M5/24
Filed: 1950-08-31
Abstract: 717,667. Hypodermic syringes. HEIN, G. N. Aug. 31, 1950 [Sept. 1, 1949], No. 21539/50. Class 81(2) Hypodermic injection apparatus comprises a hollow piston movable in a casing which has a medicament-receiving chamber at one end, the piston carrying a plunger projectible into the chamber to expel medicament therefrom, and manually operable force - multiplying or leverage means provided for increasing the pressure of a pressure accumulator housed within the piston independently of the movements of the piston, the piston being initially held by releasable retaining means in a retracted position so that upon release of said means, expansion of the accumulator will project the piston and plunger to expel medicament from the chamber. In a needleless injector, Fig. 3, a casing 10 has at one end a medicament chamber 14 defined by a rubber cup-shaped container 15. Slidable within the casing is a hollow piston 23 carrying a plunger 21, movement of the piston and plunger being limited by a screw 24. The chamber 25 within the piston is sealed at one end by a flexible unit 26. This unit is secured in position by a threaded tube 30 which is screwed into the end of the piston. Slidable within the tube 30 is a piston 32 which by means of a winged-screw 36, 37, :39, which screws through a cap 38 at the end of the casing 10, is advanced into the chamber 25 thus further compressing the compressed fluid, e.g. nitrogen, contained therein. The piston 23 is held in the retracted position by a spring-urged pawl 44 which abuts a collar 50 screwed on the tube 30. This pawl is caused to move away from the collar 50 by depression of a lever 42 but this depression may only be effected if a notched rod 47 is turned into such a position that the lever may engage the notch. Adjustment of the amount of medicament ejected from the chamber 14 is effected by movement of the collar 50 and by applying varying amounts of additional pressure to the fluid in the chamber 25 by the degree of inward movement of the piston 32. On completion of the ejection from the chamber 14 the plunger 21 is withdrawn by turning the winged-screw 36, 37, 39 such as to retract the piston 32. Fig. 5. shows the injection end of the injector in detail. The rubber cup 15 is surrounded by a sleeve of softer rubber 82 such that when the plunger 21 is projected the surface of cup 15 will be peeled out of contact with the sleeve 82 the rubber displaced in the sleeve immediately filling-in the space vacated by the cup as the inverting action is continued. In a modified form of medicament chamber assembly the sleeve 82 is replaced by a rubber sleeve encircling the cup 15 and formed with flanges for sealing contact with the outer casing of the injector the space between sleeve and casing being filled with a liquid. In this construction if an ampoule should be enclosed within the cup 15 it will be supported against bursting should such a result be desired. In another form of injector, Fig. 8, the wing-screw 106, 108, actuated piston 103 does not act directly on the flexible unit 128 but through the medium of grease, oil or other displaceable material which is contained within a sleeve 100 and which may pass through a passage 101 to act upon the unit. In this form of injector communication may be established between the piston 91 and the plunger 92, this normally being prevented by a spring-actuated valve assembly 98. If charge or discharge of the interior of the piston is to be effected inward movement of the valve plug 95 may be made by the insertion of a suitable tool through the bores 93, 94 of the plunger. Release of the retracted piston 91 is caused by depression of a spring- loaded rod 123 which actuates a pivoted spring-loaded lever 117. This depression may only take place if the cap 122 is in a position of "firing," i.e. the cap and rod 123 may move downwards. This is normally prevented as the cap is coupled to a nut 126 by a loose connection defined by a pin 124 and a slot 125, the slot being so shaped as to prevent downward movement of the cap when the latter is so rotated as to place the pin 124 in the "safe" position as shown in Fig. 9. In order to retract the piston and plunger 91, 92 after ejection of the medicament the carriage 121, to which component parts 122, 123, 126, 117 are secured, is shifted to the right to enable the lever 117 to again engage the notch in the piston 91. The piston 103 is then retracted and the carriage moved to the left thus retracting the piston 91. The carriage 121 is reciprocable in a guide unit 119 attached to the injector casing 86, the outer face 120 of the unit being inclined. This inclination necessitates a loosening of the nut 126 before the carriage is moved to the right and it also prevents any tendency of the carriage to move to the right as viewed in Fig. 8 with the nut 126 clamped down, as such tendency will result in a wedging action between the carriage and the face 120. The cap 88, which defines the medicament chamber, is pivotally connected to the casing 86. In a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 8 the pressure accumulator is replaced by a spring within the piston 91 the piston 103 being replaced by a ring and collar which on operation of the winged-screw 106, 108 further compresses the spring. Fig. 14 shows another embodiment of injector the pressure accumulator being in the form of a spring 163 disposed within a piston 162, actuation of a winged-screw 171, 180 causing through a slidable collar 172 further compression of the already compressed spring. The release and piston retraction cap and mechanism 146 is similar to that shown and described with reference to Fig. 8. The medicament for the cup 150 is, however, in the embodiment, stored within an ampoule 165 disposed in the piston 162 and is transferred to the cup 150 through a cannula 155 and one-way valve mechanism 154, 157, 158. A rod 181 passing through the wingedscrew 171, 180 is used to move the ampoule stopper 166 to charge the cup 150. The ampoules are placed in or taken from the piston 162 by removing the set-screw 176, cap 179, collar 174 and hence the wingedscrew 171, 180, collars 172, 178 and rod 181 from the injection assembly thus uncovering the open end of the piston 162. In the injector shown in Fig. 16 a braking device automatically acted upon by the internal pressure within the cup 186 during medicament ejection is incorporated. In this construction the plunger 187 is connected to the retractable piston 183 through braking material 191. The piston contains a tube 192 in which a spring 193 is located pre-tensioning of the spring being effected by a rod and plunger 194. The tube also contains one end of a plunger 188 which passes through in slidable contact therewith, the plunger 187 to bear against the medicament cup 186. The plunger 188 is formed with cam surfaces 189 and in contact with these surfaces and the material 191 are radially extending rods 190. On actuation of the spring loaded plunger and piston 187, 183, the pressure within the cup 186 rapidly rises thrusting the cup against the plunger 188. Rearward movement of 188 ensues, this causing the rods 190 to move outwards thus braking, through the material 191, the thrusting movement of the plunger and piston. As the pressure within the cup 186 diminishes the braking action will also diminish, since rod 188 under the influence of spring 193 will move outwardly. All the above embodiments may be used with a skinpiercing needle although lower accumulator pressures must then be employed. Specification 697,643 is referred to.