Source: http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-cipo/cpd/eng/patent/2360915/summary.html
Timestamp: 2019-08-24 05:40:01
Document Index: 118154845

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 5', 'art 5', 'art 2', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art\n6']

Patent 2360915 Summary - Canadian Patents Database
Canadian Patents Database / Patent 2360915 Summary
(11) CA 2360915
INJECTOR FOR IMPLANTING A FOLDED INTRAOCULAR LENS
INJECTEUR POUR IMPLANTER UNE LENTILLE INTRAOCULAIRE PLIEE
BINDER, HELMUT (Germany)
PCT/DE2000/000262
WO2000/045746
199 04 220.9 Germany 1999-02-03
An injector for implanting a folded intraocular lens is
described, with which a folded lens can be inserted into
the capsula of the lens of the eye through an opening
incision of approx. 3 mm in the eye. Essentially, the new
injector only consists of three parts, namely a one-piece
body (2), a pivoting flap (3) which is provided with a
folding rib (11) and by means of which the lens (20) is
held in an unfolded state in a first position above the
transporting channel and is slid folded into the
transporting channel by radial pressure, and a third
component, the slider (4) through which the folded lens
(20) can be slid forwards in the longitudinal direction
and out of the injector into the eye.
L'invention concerne un injecteur pour implanter un cristallin artificiel plié, permettant d'introduire un cristallin plié, à travers une ouverture d'environ 3 mm découpée dans l'oeil, dans la capsule du cristallin. Ce nouvel injecteur est caractérisé en ce qu'il ne présente que trois parties, à savoir un corps d'une seule pièce (2), un volet basculant (3) pourvu d'une nervure de pliage (11) et permettant de maintenir le cristallin à l'état non plié dans une première position se trouvant au-dessus du canal de transport et de le faire coulisser dans le canal de transport, à l'état plié, par une pression dans le sens radial, ainsi qu'un troisième élément constitutif, le coulisseau (4), qui permet de faire avancer le cristallin plié (20) dans le sens longitudinal, puis de le faire sortir de l'injecteur pour l'introduire dans l'oeil.
1. An injector for implanting a temporarily folded
intraocular lens, with which the folded lens can be
inserted into the capsula of the lens of the eye through
an opening incision of approx. 3 mm in the eye comprising
- a body which comprises a thicker insertion and holding
part and a thinner injection tube on the injection side
and a continuous axial opening as transporting channel,
- a slider which is displaceable axially in the
transporting channel, and
- an insertion opening which is provided in the insertion
and holding part transversely and at the same time
symmetrically in relation to the axis of the transporting
channel and serves as insertion channel for the lens and
communicates with the continuous opening, and in which
the unfolded lens lies flat on a supporting surface for
transport and is held by means of a holding rib extending
longitudinally and centrally in relation to the lens,
- the body is in one piece,
- the transporting channel has a constant cross-section,
- the supporting surface located in the insertion opening
is arranged inside the holding part offset upwards in the
direction of insertion in relation to the axis of the
transporting channel, and runs through an insertion slot
having a width equal to the width of the transporting
channel into the transporting channel,
- and the holding rib is a folding rib which extends
radially in the form of a plate and can be pressed
radially into the transporting channel through the
insertion opening so that the lens is inserted completely
into the transporting channel folded around the folding
2. The injector of claim 1, wherein the injector body
in all exhibits a rectangular cross-section and the
transporting channel is also rectangular.
3. The injector of claim 2, wherein the cross-section
of the transporting channel is configured to permit
transport of the folded lens with the folding rib pressed
in the transporting channel.
4. The injector of claim 1, wherein the slider is a rod
with the same cross-section throughout, the upper side of
which is provided with a groove into which the pressed in
folding rib extends during the displacement of the
slider, and the end side of the slider exhibits an inward
curve roughly following a quarter cylinder, matching the
edge of the folded lens.
5. The injector of claim 4, wherein three positioning
devices are provided on the slider and the body in a
sliding direction of the slider, so as to position the
slider in a first retracted slider position with the lens
insertion opening exposed, a second position with the
folded lens slid forward close to a front delivery
opening, and a third end stop position in which the lens
is slid completely out of the injector.
6. The injector of claim 1, wherein the supporting
surface for the unfolded lens comprises two partial
surfaces which are separated by the insertion slot, are
inclined inwards toward the transporting channel in the
shape of a roof at an angle of about 30° to the
horizontal, and run via radii into side walls of the
transporting channel and the insertion slot.
7. The injector of claim 6, wherein supporting strips
for stop strips of the folding rib are provided on both
longitudinal sides of the insertion opening above the
supporting surfaces.
8. The injector of claim 1, wherein the folding rib is
provided at a front end of a pivoting lever articulated
pivotably on an upper side of the body.
9. The injector of claim 8, wherein indexing devices
are provided on the lever of the folding rib, which is
pivotable through about 180°, and detent means are
provided on the body so that the indexing devices and the
detent means interact to determine the angular position
of the lever when lying on and holding the unfolded lens
and when pressed in and holding the folded lens.
10. The injector of claim 9, wherein the lever is
widened at a point level with the folding rib to roughly
a width of the body so as to form a thrust plate which is
supported on one of the supporting surface and the
supporting strips when pressed in and simultaneously
support the folding rib radially.
11. The injector of claim 1, wherein a transversely
extending grip plate is provided on the body holding part
approximately in the middle on both sides.
12. The injector of claim 1, wherein the injector body
has a round cross-section, with a round transporting
channel and a round slider rod, and the radial insertion
and folding slot between the lens supporting surface and
the transporting channel has longitudinal walls that run
tangentially to the transporting channel walls.
13. The injector of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein
all three components of the injector, namely the body,
the lever and the slider are made of transparent plastic
and are assembled together by simply sliding and pressing
them into one another, and held together by snap
CA 02360915 2004-06-02
The invention relates to an injector for implanting a
(temporarily} folded intraocular lens, with which the
folded lens can be inserted in the capsula of the lens of
the eye through an opening incision of approx. 3 mm in
In. eye surgery it is very important that the surgical
incision through which the cataract is removed and then
the required artificial lens is implanted is as small as
possible (approx. 3 mm) so that optimum healing is
guaranteed and no suture is required. To be able to
implant artificial lenses with the required diameter of
approx. 5 - 6 mm, these must be foldable so that they
pass through the small incision of 3 mm.
A wide variety of devices are known for folding the
lenses and inserting the folded lens with the aid of
forceps and also injectors for direct insertion of the
lenses in the eye. In the case of the latter; generally
the lens which is inserted essentially unfolded is
progressively folded axially as it is slid forwards in
the injector, or an already folded lens is inserted and
only slid out.
' CA 02360915 2001-08-02
Thus, EP 0 503 136 A1, EP 0 497 505 A1, EP 0 402 138 A1,
WO 98/25548, WO 94/10912 and DE 40 39 119 Cl for example
disclose devices for folding an intraocular lens in a
wide variety of embodiments through which the lenses are
in each case accordingly folded or prefolded and then
inserted in the eye by means of forceps or an injector.
This procedure is relatively complex and in addition
uncertain due to the handling with the forceps as the
folded lens can easily slip out of the forceps.
DE 41 10 278 A1, DE 36 10 925 C2, WO 96/15743, EP 0 270
257 A1, EP 0 477 466 A1, WO 97/113476 and WO 97/15253
disclose lens injectors in which partly prefolded lenses
are inserted in the receiving chamber of an inserting
cartridge which can be fastened to the front end of the
injector. Usually, this cartridge also serves as
receiving chamber for safely storing and transporting the
lens. After the cartridge is fitted to the handle part of
the injector body, the lens is slid through the tapering
channel to the outlet end by axial displacement by means
of a plunger, through which the lens is folded or folded
again. These known injectors are of relatively complex
design comprising a large number of individual parts, and
the user must assemble at least two separate parts before
the lens can be slid out.
WO 97/13476 discloses an injector in which the lens is
first folded in a folding instrument and then placed
together with the latter radially in the injector. Then,
with the aid of a plunger, the folded lens is slid out of
the folding device through the tapering delivery cover,
through which the lens undergoes further folding. Thus,
two instruments are needed here, one for the preliminary
folding and one for injecting the folded lens.
WO 98/05281 discloses an injector the lens-holding
cartridge of which exhibits at its rearward end a
radially swivelling flap with a central holding rib by
means of which the unfolded lens is pressed radially into
the transporting channel and held there. However, genuine
folding of the lens only takes place through the forward
sliding movement of the lens through the tapering
transporting channel. Thus, this is a relatively complex
design with correspondingly complex handling.
In addition; WO 95/07059 and WO 95/13022 describe an
injector with a cylindrical transporting channel into
which an unfolded lens is slid tangentially with the aid
of an independent slider rib not connected to the
injector body so that the lens is rolled in the
transporting channel. The rolled lens is then slid out by
means of an additionally separate cylindrical slider
filling the transporting channel completely. Thus, two
separate parts have to be introduced into the injector
and the lens delivered in a rolled state.
In addition, US 5,123,905 A describes an injector with a
cylindrical body and a cylindrical transporting channel
which is provided coaxially therein and debouches into a
delivery tip which tapers comically. The cylindrical
injector body incorporates a relatively narrow radial
insertion slot through which the lens placed on the
surface of the body over the insertion slot is pressed in
with the aid of an independent insertion rib. Apart from
the fact that this known injector cannot be used at the
same time for transporting and safely storing an unfolded
lens, the insertion of the lenses through the very narrow
insertion slot is difficult or even impossible since
lenses are known to be practically incompressible. In
addition, the independent rigid slider also fills the
entire cross-section of the transporting channel so that
the insertion rib must be removed after insertion of the
lens. In addition, the transporting channel tapers
conically to a point so that the inserted lens, in
cylindrical form in the channel, is rolled up even
further when it is slid out, giving major delivery
Lastly, DE 43 03 051 A1 and US 5,190,552 A show an
injector in which an unfolded lens is inserted through.a
radial insertion opening into the transporting channel
which is open upwards radially in this section, on to a
lens-holding slide. The lens is held securely to prevent
it dropping out by means of a lens locking rod which is
slid axially over the inserted lens. When slid out, the
holding rod and the slide are together slid through an at
least initially tapering transporting channel of the
injection tube, through which the lens, still held
centrally by the holding rod, is folded around this rod.
This is also a relatively complex design with relatively
complex handling. In addition, the lens must be held
securely pressed down in its position in the slide by the
locking rod as it is slid forwards so as not to be slid_
off the slide by the rod.
The object of an aspect of the invention is to provide an
injector of the kind named above which exhibits the simplest
possible construction and allows reliable sterile handling
during safe storage, transport, folding and implanting of
According to the invention, this object of an aspect of
the invention is achieved by an injector with the
features described herein.
Accordingly, the transporting channel of the one-piece
injector body is an axially continuous opening with a
constant cross-section. Thus, the transporting channel
has a cross-section which is always the same throughout
the entire injector, namely from the slider inlet end to
the lens delivery end, which represents a simplification
in terms of manufacturing. In addition, the supporting
surface for the unfolded lens is arranged radially offset
upwards in the direction of insertion relative to the
transporting channel. As a result of this, the lens is
inserted lying above the transporting channel or~at least
essentially a distance from the bottom of the
transporting channel, but at the same time below the
upper surface of the body. Lastly, the holding rib or rod
holding the unfolded lens on the supporting surface is a
radially extending plate-shaped folding rib which is
arranged like the die of a stamping tool and can be
pressed radially well into the transporting channel or
transversely to the transporting direction through the
slot-shaped insertion opening. Thus, the folding rib and
the body act like a correspondingly embodied mould and
die on the lens lying between them and bend this in the
middle, at the same time sliding it into the transporting
channel in its final folded state. Then, it is only
necessary for the lens to be slid forwards in this final
folded state in the transporting channel by the slider,
which here obviously is also a rod with a constant cross-
In a further embodiment, there is provided an injector
for implanting a temporarily folded intraocular lens,
with which the folded lens can be inserted into the
capsula of the lens of the eye through an opening
incision of approx. 3 mm in the eye comprising a body
which comprises a thicker insertion and holding part and
a thinner injection tube on the injection side and a
continuous axial opening as transporting channel, a
slider which is displaceable axially in the transporting
channel, and an insertion opening which is provided in
the insertion and holding part transversely and at the
same time symmetrically in relation to the axis of the
transporting channel and serves as insertion channel for
the lens and communicates with the continuous opening,
and in which the unfolded lens lies flat on a supporting
surface for transport and is held by means of a holding
rib extending longitudinally and centrally in relation to
the lens, wherein the body is in one piece, the
transporting channel has a constant cross-section, the
supporting surface located in the insertion opening is
arranged inside the holding part offset upwards in the
channel into the transporting channel, and the holding
rib is a folding rib which extends radially in the form
of a plate and can be pressed radially into the
transporting channel through the insertion opening so
that the lens is inserted completely into the
transporting channel folded around the folding rib.
In a further development of the idea of the invention,
the one-piece injector body can exhibit a rectangular
cross-section overall, i.e. both the thicker insertion
~ CA 02360915 2001-08-02
and folding part and the thinner injecting part and the
transporting channel each exhibit a rectangular cross-
section. All these parts, namely the body sections and
the transporting channel, can also exhibit a round or
oval cross-section or the holding part can be rectangular
while the injection tube and the transporting channel
exhibit a round cross-section.
Obviously, in its cross-section the transporting channel
has to be embodied according to the dimensions of the
folded lens. Thus, the width of the channel must be
roughly equal to double the thickness of the lens plus
the thickness of the folding rib, while the height of the
channel should be at least equal to half the diameter of
the lens. In addition, it its width in relation to the
surfaces surrounding it such as the walls of the
transporting channel, the folding rib is embodied so that
the cilia of the lens are not jammed and damaged during
folding and displacement.
Since the dimensions of the injector are relatively small
overall, its components are made so that they partly
engage in one another in operation, which is possible
through the maximum simplification of the components.
After the lens is folded by pressing the folding rib into
the transporting channel, the folding rib in fact also
remains pressed in, preferably detained, while the folded
lens is slid out. Therefore, on its upper side the
sliding rod with the constant cross-section exhibits a
longitudinal groove which embraces the folding rib in a
U-shape with a small sliding tolerance during the
longitudinal movement. In addition, it is advantageous
when the front side of the slider is embodied matching
the shape of the folded lens, i.e. with
CA 02360915 2001-08-02
WO 00/45746 PCT/DE00/00262
an inward curve over approximately a quarter cylinder, so
that a uniform sliding pressure is exerted on the lens.
To guarantee reliable handling of the injector in its
roles as a lens-holding, lens-folding and lens-inserting
device, detent and indexing means are provided on the
slider, folding flap and body for the four different
working end positions.
Thus, three positions are provided for the slider, with
corresponding positioning means, namely a first position
for determining the slider positions in the position
retracted behind the radial insertion opening, a second
advanced position in which the folded lens is slid close
to the front delivery opening of the injection tube, and
lastly a third and final position in which the end face
of the slider reaches the outlet opening of the injection
tube. The first two positions can be achieved through
indexing balls or projections or similar means, while the
third position can also be achieved through abutment of
the thrust plate provided on the injector body at the
outer end of the slider projecting from the injector
According to the invention, the preferably round
supporting surface for the unfolded lens is divided by
the insertion and folding slot into two part surfaces
which are aligned horizontally, i.e. parallel to the
bottom of the transporting channel and at the same time
to the upper side of the injector body. However, these
part supporting surfaces can also be aligned inclined
inwards in the direction of the transporting channel in
the shape of a roof, preferably at an angle of 30° to the
horizontal or to the upper side of the body, or inclined
at an angle roughly corresponding to the inclination of
the lens body. This and additional large transitional
radii between the supporting surface parts and the
folding slot allow an optimum folding movement.
It is advantageous when longitudinal narrow supporting
strips are provided just above the supporting surface, by
means of which the lens is placed on the supporting
surface under slight tension and which at the same time
serve as supporting strips for the stop strips provided
on the folding rib or on the corresponding pivoting
lever. Thus, these supporting strips also ensure that the
lenses are at least held gently.
The folding rib pivotable radially into and out of the
transporting channel through the insertion opening is
provided at the front end of a pivoting lever articulated
pivotably on the upper side of the body. In this case,
the upper side of the body holding part can be provided
with a correspondingly wide groove in which the pivoting
lever is inserted completely without projecting from the
surface when pivoted or swung in. However, to allow the
pivoting lever to be swung out again, it must be possible
to grasp the inserted lever, for example by means of a
thrust plate which is provided on the lever over the
folding rib and which extends over the entire width of
the body, or by other means. However, the lever can also
be articulated by means of appropriate pivot lugs on the
body so that it lies flat on the body. In this case,
these pivot lugs on the body can be opened upwards by
means of a narrow slot in a manner known per se, so that
the pivot pins can be pressed into the mounting openings
by means of these slots. However, such a hinge snap
assembly can also be provided in the embodiment of the
lever in which it is inserted in the body.
In order to determine the two working positions of the
folding rib by means of the lever of the folding rib
which can be pivoted through approx. 180°, corresponding
indexing devices are provided on the lever and the body,
through which in each case an angular position of the
lever is determined for lying on and holding the unfolded
lens and for holding the folded lens in the inserted
position. This prevents the lever pivoting upwards or
exerting insufficient pressure in the holding position or
in the folding position with the result that the lens
falls out or moves, so that its correct delivery is not
According to one development of the idea of the
invention, to facilitate handling and also to fix the
injector in a transport container as described further
on, a transversely extending grip plate is provided
roughly in the middle on both sides of the body holding
part. As a result of this, in particular when ultimately
delivering the folded lens from the injector or placing
this lens in the eye, the injector can be handled in
roughly the same way as an injection syringe.
It is particularly advantageous when the injector
consisting of only three parts, namely the injector body,
slider and flap, is made entirely of transparent plastic,
e.g. by injection moulding, so that the three injector
components are assembled or held together by simply
pressing them into or onto one another. Apart from that,
the transparent design of the injector allows precise
monitoring of the position of the lens. For example it is
possible to observe how the unfolded lens is lying, how
this is then folded by means of the folding rib when it
is pressed into the transporting channel, and then slid
forwards by means of the slider and then slid out.
Any error in the positioning of the lens can then be
observed at once so that the person handling the injector
can adjust his further actions to this circumstance.
Obviously, the injector body can be embodied in two parts
for production reasons, with a dividing plane parallel to
the transporting channel. After production by injection
moulding for example, the two body parts are assembled
and glued together.
In addition, according to the invention, the slider can
be embodied in two parts, being composed of a front
longitudinally displaceable part and a rearward rotatable
part. The rearward part exhibits a thread which is guided
in a threaded bore of the holding part in order to ensure
precisely controllable forward movement of the slider and
hence of the lens. In addition, retraction of the
complete slider assembly can be achieved through known
means, such as openings and snap pins on the adjacent end
sides of the parts of the slider.
For storing and transporting an injector according to the
invention, a receiving container can be used which
essentially consists of a sleeve with a cover in which
lateral holding plates are provided for positioning the
injector by means of its lateral grip plates. The holding
plates each have a barb which points in the direction of
introduction, which barbs grip over the injector grip
plates and hold the injector securely lying on the inner
wall of the container. Optimum positioning of the
injector in the container is achieved through an axial
projection which is provided on the cover and extends to
the rearward end face of the injector body when the cover
is fitted, or through a slotted spacer
tube which is fitted between the rearward end side of the
injector body and the rear thrust plate of the slider and
in addition through the bearing of the rearward end face
of the slider thrust plate on the internal end side of
the cover which can be lined with very soft elastic
plastic. Thus, even with careless handling of the
container, the slider cannot be unintentionally slid
forwards in the transporting channel beyond its rear
retracted detent position, which could lead to the
unfolded lens lying on the supporting surface being
pushed off and expelled or even damaged.
The transport container or at least its receiving sleeve
can also be made of transparent plastic in a manner know
per se, e.g. by injection moulding or blow moulding, so
that it is easy to establish whether the injector - and
the lens - are in the correct position.
The transport container with the injector located in it
can be filled with a sterile transport liquid known for
safe storage and delivery of folding lenses. In this
case, after the introduction of the injector, the
container sleeve is filled with the liquid in a vertical
position with the opening uppermost. When the cover is
fitted, the projection on the cover and/or the inner
cover cone displace liquid so that no air remains in the
closed container, guaranteeing sterile safe storage of
the injector and retention of the elasticity of the lens.
As is general practice with drugs and medical
instruments, the transport container for its part can be
placed in a packaging carton in which a packing slip is
also enclosed, guaranteeing additional protection for the
transport container and the injector and ultimately the
lens itself.
For folded delivery of an intraocular lens by the
injector according to the invention, the pivoting lever
covering the radial insertion opening in the injector
body is swung back through approx. 180°, exposing the
insertion opening, after which an unfolded lens is
inserted and placed on the supporting surface provided at
the upper end of the insertion opening. Then, the
pivoting lever is swung back again through approximately
180° until the underside of its folding rib rests on the
upper side of the lens body, if possible with the lever
detained in this holding position. Then, in this state
the "loaded" injector is used or it is inserted and fixed
in a transport container and placed in a packaging carton
etc. for safe storage for use later or prepared for
transport to other locations for use.
When it is to be used during an implant operation, the
injector is first removed from a container and the
pivoting lever is pressed in radially as far as the stop,
e.g. by pressing on its thrust plate with the folding rib
located underneath it, so that the folding rib presses
the underlying lens off the supporting surface through
the folding slot into the transporting channel. At the
same time, the lens lies and is folded symmetrically
longitudinally elastically around the folding rib and in
the process is brought into the folded insertion state.
After this, the slider is slid out of its retracted
resting position into the second position, through which
the lens is brought to its position close to the ejection
opening in the transporting channel. Thus, the injector
is ready for use for implanting the folded lens located
Then, after the short surgical incision has been made in
the eye and the narrow injection tube part of the
injector, the tip of which should be embodied so that it
tapers into an extremely shallow point for easier
introduction, has been introduced into the interior of
the eye through the iris just above the lens sac, the
injector slider is slid inwards further as far as the end
stop, through which the lens is slid out of the tip of
the injector into the lens sac. Then, the injector is
pulled out and either discarded as a single-use part or
placed in safe storage for reloading with an unfolded
lens as a multiple-use part.
In the following, the invention is described in greater
detail on the basis of a plurality of embodiment examples
with reference to the drawing.
fig. 1 shows a side view of an injector according to the
invention in a first embodiment, with an unfolded lens
loaded and the holding flap lying on it;
fig. 2 shows a side view as in fig. 1, with the flap
pressed in and the lens folded as a result;
fig. 3 shows a plan view of an injector according to
fig. 4 shows a section III-III in fig. 2, showing the
relative arrangement of the individual components more
fig. 5 shows an end elevation view according to the arrow
V in fig. 1;
fig. 6 shows a side view of an injector body in a second
embodiment, with a rectangular body holding part and a
round injection tube, transporting channel and slider;
fig. 7 shows an end elevation view according to the arrow
VII in fig. 6;
fig. 8 shows a section VIII-VIII in fig. 6;
fig. 9 shows a plan view of the injector body according
to fig. 6;
fig. 10 shows a side view of a pivoting lever with
folding ribs, for use in conjunction with the injector
body according to figs. 5 - 8;
fig. 11 shows a plan view of the pivoting lever according
to fig. 10;
fig. 12 shows a side view of a slider for use in
conjunction with the injector body according to figs. 6
to 9 ;
fig. 13 shows a front view of the slider according to
fig. 14 shows a plan view of the slider according to
figs. 12 and 13, showing the groove for sliding along the
folding rib;
fig. 15 shows a 1 . 1 scale side view of an injector
according to figs. 6 to 14;
fig. 16 shows a vertical section XVI-XVI in fig. 15, with
the pivoting lever pressed in, with a slightly modified
form of lever and supporting surface;
fig. 17 shows a longitudinal section through an injector
packed in the transport container and packaging carton;
fig. 18 shows an end elevation view with the bottom
removed from the container and carton.
As can be seen in particular in fig. 1, an injector 1
according to the invention consists mainly of a body 2 on
which a flap 3 is articulated pivotably and in which a
slider 4 is arranged so that it is displaceable
longitudinally. Thus, the injector consists solely of
three simple components and is therefore simple to
manufacture and handle.
The one-piece body 2 consists of a thicker insertion and
holding part 5 and a much thinner injection tube 6 and
has a continuous transporting channel 7 with a constant
cross-section. Both the body parts have a rectangular
cross-section, as can be seen in fig. 2. The front end
side of the injection tube 6 with the delivery opening 8
is embodied perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the
injector. A laterally extending grip plate 9 is secured
on both sides of the body holding part 5 in the middle so
that the injector can be handled like an injection
syringe in particular when implanting the lens in the
eye. In addition, these grip plates serve to fix the
injector in a transport container which will be described
in greater detail in the following with reference to
other figures.
As can be seen in figs. 1 to 4, the flap 3 consists of a
lever 10 which on the underside of its front end exhibits
a plate-shaped folding rib 11 which projects downwards.
At its other end the pivoting lever 10 is mounted
pivotably by means of laterally projecting stubs 12,
which can also be seen in fig. 5, on the upper side of
the body holding part 2 in corresponding bearing bores
13. These bearing bores 13 are open towards the top
through a snap-in slot 14 so that it is only necessary to
press the stubs 12 into the bearing bores 13 through the
snap-in slot 14 to assemble the flap 3 on the body 1. As
is also clearly visible in fig. 5, at its front end the
flap 3 is provided with a wider thrust plate 15 on the
underside of which the folding rib 11 is provided. As can
also be seen in fig. 1, the lens 20, which is still
unfolded here, is held or arranged lying on a supporting
surface 16 visible in fig. 4 in the upper zone of the
transporting channel 7, and is held by the underside of
the folding rib 11 to prevent it falling out
Fig. 2 shows the flap 3 pressed in, and it can be seen
that in this state the lens 20 is folded in half and
located entirely in the transporting channel 7. Here, the
end side 17 of the plunger 4 is located behind the lens
viewed in the direction of delivery, and when displaced
longitudinally, can slide the lens forwards in the
direction of the outlet opening 8 in the transporting
Fig. 5 shows the rectangular embodiment of the injector
body with the holding part 5, injection tube 6 and
transporting channel 7. This figure also shows the two
grip plates 9 which here are laterally rounded roughly in
the shape of a quarter circle, matching the shape of the
internal wall of the round transport container which will
be described in greater detail further on. When a
rectangular transport container is used, obviously the
grip plates are also rectangular in shape.
The rectangular shape of the body holding part 5 is
clearly visible in fig. 4, which provides a more detailed
view of the situation of the flap in fig. 3 when pressed
in. This holding part 5 incorporates a rectangular slot
which here - at least as far as its underside is
concerned - is also part of the transporting channel 7 in
which the slider 4 is introduced so that it is
displaceable longitudinally. On the upper side of the
holding part 5 there is an insertion opening 18 which in
its length and width must at least exhibit the
measurements of the lens 20 and can be round, as can be
seen in figs. 3 and 9. In the embodiment illustrated in
fig. 4, a supporting strip is provided on both sides of
the insertion opening 18, on which the thrust plate 15
finally bears in its downward folding movement. At the
same time, the strips 19 also serve to hold the lens
roughly in position in that when the lenses are
introduced past these strips, they snap into place on the
supporting surface 16.
Fig. 4 also shows how the lens 20 is laid elastically
around the folding rib 11 in the folded state and held
inserted in the transporting channel 7. It can be seen
that the supporting surface 16, which is divided into two
parts by the transporting channel 7 which is open at the
top in the form of a slot, runs via large radii 21 into
the side walls of the transporting channel. In addition,
- 16a -
the two parts of the supporting surface 16 are inclined
to the horizontal at an angle 22 of approx. 30° and at
the same time inclined towards the bottom of the
transporting channel, making the folding and inserting
movement of the lens much easier. It can also be seen
that through its supporting surface parts and the
transporting channel slot the holding part 5 works like a
mould and the flap with the folding rib works like a die
of a bending or deep drawing tool.
Figs. 6 to 14 show the three individual parts of an
injector in a second embodiment individually in detail.
Thus, figs. 6 to 9 show an injector body, the holding
part 5 of which is rectangular in form as in the previous
example according to figs. 1 to 5, while its injection
tube 6 and the transporting channel 7 exhibit a round
cross-section. In addition, this view shows the
arrangement of the bearing bores 13 and two indexing
points, namely a first indexing point 24 for locking the
flap with the folding rib lying on the unfolded lens, and
a second indexing point 25 for locking the flap in the
position in which it is pressed in completely with the
lens folded and inserted perpendicularly. In addition, it
can be seen in particular in fig. 6 that the front end
side of the injection tube 6 is arranged with the
delivery opening 8 at an oblique angle so that a front
injection tip 26 is formed which greatly facilitates
introduction of this injector part through the small
incision into the interior of the eye.
Figs. 8 to 11 show that the pivoting lever is wide and
when pressed in is completely embedded in the surface of
the holding part 5.
In addition, the indexing points 24 and 25 are visible in
each case on both sides, however, the arrangement of
indexing points on only one side can suffice.
Figs. 10 and 11 shows the embodiment of the flap, with a
wide lever 10 and a narrow folding rib 11 which here is
secured directly to the lever 10, without the thrust
plate located over it. The arrangement of the mounting
stubs 12, here in the form of projections, and the two
indexing points 24 and 25, which are also provided in the
form of projections on both sides of the lever, can also
Figs. 12 to 14 show a slider which in this embodiment has
a round cross-section and on its outer side exhibits a
thrust plate. On the upper side of the slider 4 there is
a longitudinal groove 28 the width of which is selected
according to the width of the folding rib so that the
slider is still easily displaceable longitudinally even
though the folding rib is pressed into the transporting
channel. In addition, on the front end side of the slider
4 there is an inward curve, following a quarter circle,
matching the shape of the folded lens to be displaced. It
can also be seen that three positioning devices are
present on the slider, namely first positioning
projections 33 for the retracted slider position, second
positioning projections 34 for the advanced lens
position, and a third end stop position 35 for the
position in which the lens is slid out of the injector
Fig. 15 shows an injector 30 according to the invention
to an approximate 1 . 1 scale in the second embodiment
according to figs. 6 to 14. It can be seen that due to
the extremely simple construction of the injector 30,
which consists of only three parts, the extremely
delicate design can be produced and operated and handled
effortlessly in a very simple manner.
In addition, fig. 16 shows a section XVI-XVI in fig. 15,
similar to the illustration in fig. 4, with the flap 3
pressed in. Here, the lever 10 of the flap 3 is embodied
as a continuous flat part on which the folding rib 11 is
arranged on its lower front side. The underside of the
lever also serves as an insertion depth stop in co-
operation with the supporting surface 16 for the unfolded
lens. The transporting channel 7 is round and here the
insertion opening 18 debouches through a folding and
insertion slot 31 with vertical walls 32 tangentially
into the round transporting channel 7.
Figs. 17 and 18 show a packaged injector 1, 30. An
injector 1, 30 according to the invention is inserted in
a transport container 40 which in turn is placed in a
packaging carton 41 in which a packing slip 42 is also
It can be seen that the transport container 40 consists
of a sleeve 39 which is closed by a cover 38. Here, a
sleeve 39 with a round cross-section is provided.
However, it can also exhibit a rectangular cross-section.
Arranged in the interior of the sleeve 39 there are two
transversely spaced plates 34 which are spaced in
relation to one another so that the holding part 5 of the
body can easily be slid in between them. The holding
plates 43 serve as a longitudinal insertion stop for the
injector through its grip plates 9 in the direction of
insertion. On their free upper side the holding plates 43
have hooks 44 which point in the direction of insertion
and grip around the upper side of the grip plates 9 and
thus hold the injector lying on the wall of the sleeve
39. In addition, the cover 38 exhibits a projection 37
which runs axially and extends to the rearward end side
of the body holding part of the injector, so that the
body is clamped securely between the holding plates 43
and the projection 37 after the cover is closed. Thus,
unintentional insertion of the slider and ejection of the
unfolded lens from the injector can be avoided even if
the transport container is handled incorrectly and
possibly dropped.
However, a spacer clip not shown in the drawing can also
be used in place of the projection 37 provided on the
cover 38. This clip has a length equal to the spacing
between the rearward end face of the holding part and the
thrust plate of the slider in the retracted first slider
position. It can be a slotted tube which can easily be
slid up and down transversely on the sliding rod. In
addition, then the outer end face of the slider thrust
plate is supported on the inside of the cover, which is
favourable when this inside is lined with a very soft
material such as foam.
w CA 02360915 2001-08-02
1. Injector, first embodiment
5. Holding part
6. Injection tube
7. Transporting channel
8. Delivery opening
9. Grip plate
10. Lever
11. Folding rib
12. Stub
13. Mounting pin
14. Snap slot
15. Thrust plate
16. Supporting surface
17. End side
18. Insertion opening
19. Supporting strip
20. Lens
21. Radius
22. Inclination
24. First indexing point
25. Second indexing point
27. Thrust plate
28. Longitudinal groove
30. Injector, second embodiment
31. Slot
32. Walls
33. First positioning projections
34. Second positioning projections
35. End stop
37. Projection
38. Cover
39. Sleeve
40. Transport container
41. Packaging carton
42. Packing slip
43. Holding plates
44. Hook
Forecasted Issue Date 2005-04-19
(86) PCT Filing Date 2000-02-01
(87) PCT Publication Date 2000-08-10
(85) National Entry 2001-08-02
Examination Requested 2001-08-02
(45) Issued 2005-04-19
Lapsed 2013-02-01
Request for Examination $200.00 2001-08-02
Filing $150.00 2001-08-02
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 2 2002-02-01 $50.00 2001-08-02
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 3 2003-02-03 $50.00 2003-01-27
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 4 2004-02-02 $50.00 2004-01-29
Final $150.00 2005-01-19
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 5 2005-02-01 $100.00 2005-01-19
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 6 2006-02-01 $100.00 2006-01-17
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 7 2007-02-01 $100.00 2007-01-23
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 8 2008-02-01 $100.00 2008-01-23
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 9 2009-02-02 $100.00 2009-01-26
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 10 2010-02-01 $325.00 2010-04-29
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 11 2011-02-01 $125.00 2011-01-20
BINDER, HELMUT
Drawings 2001-08-02 3 68
Claims 2001-08-02 5 153
Description 2001-08-02 24 904
Representative Drawing 2001-12-03 1 5
Abstract 2001-08-02 1 22
Cover Page 2001-12-13 1 37
Description 2004-06-02 25 945
Claims 2004-06-02 4 124
Representative Drawing 2005-03-30 1 5
Cover Page 2005-03-30 1 37
Fees 2004-01-29 1 52
Fees 2005-01-19 1 53
PCT 2001-08-02 5 179
Correspondence 2001-12-10 1 46
PCT 2001-08-02 31 1,407
PCT 2001-08-03 8 262
Correspondence 2002-09-12 6 230
Fees 2003-01-27 1 50
Prosecution-Amendment 2003-12-05 3 104
Prosecution-Amendment 2004-06-02 11 395
Correspondence 2005-01-19 1 49
Fees 2006-01-17 1 51