Abstract:
A injection device may be disclosed. The device may include an outer casing, a needle, and a plurality of projections surrounding the needle. The needle may be adjustable between a first position and a second position. A vibration motor may be disposed within the device to impart vibration to the device. Decorative indicia may be provided on the exterior of the device. In use, the injection device may provide sensory stimuli to distract from the pain and the anticipation thereof.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/656,702, filed Jun. 7, 2012, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Devices such as hypodermic needles, syringes, and other similar devices are generally designed in a manner that can create unnecessary pain, fear and anxiety. The pain is typically derived from the stimulus of the insertion of a sharp needle into the patient&#39;s skin, while the anxiety typically stems from the expectation of this pain. The pain and anxiety can lead to reactions such as jerks or tremors by the patient, which in turn can result in a suboptimal use of the device for the patient and technician using the device. Furthermore, the pain and anxiety resulting from this use can be traumatic for the patient leading to a phobic response. A way of diminishing the pain and/or anxiety related to hypodermic devices is therefore needed. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    According to at least one exemplary embodiment, an injection device may be disclosed. The injection device may use a plurality of projections which may be placed against the skin to alleviate or distract from the anticipation, fear or pain of a shot. A vibration motor may be included within the device so that when desired the device and or the plurality of projections may vibrate. The vibration motor may be manual or electric and may be toggled or dialed across a gradient of vibration intensities. Decorative indicia may be provided on the exterior of the device. The exterior indicia may be removable and/or replaceable so as to enable a variety of designs. The injection device may further include noise making systems such as mp3 players, radios, bells, chimes, and rattles. The device may also include a chamber for syringes or needles which may allow the point of the needle to selectively extend or retract with respect to the plurality of projections. 
         [0004]    According to at least one other exemplary embodiment, an injection device may be disclosed. The device can include a needle, which may be surrounded by a plurality of projections. The needle can further be adjustable between a first position and a second position. A vibration motor disposed within the device can impart vibration to the device. Decorative indicia may be provided on the exterior of the device. The device can facilitate reducing patient anxiety and pain by providing additional sensory stimuli to distract from the pain and the anticipation of an injection. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments. The following detailed description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an injection device. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of an injection device. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of an injection device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    Aspects of the present invention are disclosed in the following description and related figures directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. 
         [0010]    As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the described embodiments are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. 
         [0011]    Generally referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , an injection device  100  may be disclosed. Device  100  may have any desired shape that allows it to function as described herein, for example a cylindrical shape. Additionally, device  100  may include a reservoir  102  disposed therein. Reservoir  102  may be hollow and may be adapted to contain a liquid, for example a medical solution. A first end  104  of device  100  may include at least one needle  106 . A second end  108  of device  100  can include a user-operable mechanism  110  which may cooperate with reservoir  102  to facilitate administering the withdrawal or delivery of fluids to the patient via needle  106 . For example, mechanism  110  may be a plunger, a push-button, or any other mechanism known in the art that enables device  100  to function as described herein. Other exemplary embodiments may have a specially designed cavity that may accommodate the use of any commercially available syringe or specific sizes of commercially available syringes. 
         [0012]    Needle  106  can extend outwardly from first end  104 , for example, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of device  100 . Needle  106  can further extend substantially co-linearly with the longitudinal axis of device  100 . First end  104  may further include a plurality of protrusions  112  extending outwardly therefrom. Protrusions  112  may have, for example, blunt or rounded distal ends but may have other ends. The length of protrusions  112  can be such that the protrusions contact the patient&#39;s skin while allowing needle  106  to extend under the patients skin so as to administer the desired hypodermic injection. The length of needle  106  may be adaptable for the particular type of hypodermic injection desired, e.g. a subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, or other injection. Furthermore, for exemplary embodiments with a built in reservoir  102 , the needle  106  may be removably coupled to device  100  so as to allow a variety of needles of different lengths to be used with device  100 . Needle  106  may also be adapted to have a duller or sharper point than needles commonly used in the art, so as to reduce or minimize the pain stimulus. 
         [0013]    In some exemplary embodiments, needle  106  may be movable between a first position wherein needle  106  is at least partially recessed within device  100 , and a second position wherein needle  106  is at least partially extended away from device  100 . In one exemplary embodiment, when needle  106  is in the first position, protrusions  112  may extend further than needle  106 , which may allow protrusions  112  to contact the patient&#39;s skin. When needle  106  is moved to the second position, the needle  106  may extend beyond protrusions  112 , thereby allowing the user to administer the injection. The position of needle  106  may be adjustable, for example, by mechanism  110 . For example, when depressed, mechanism  110  may be adapted to extend needle  106  and deliver the fluid within reservoir  102  in a single action. In other exemplary embodiments, needle extensions, syringe extensions and fluid delivery may be provided by several actions of mechanism  110 , or by separate mechanisms. 
         [0014]    Device  100  may further be capable of vibration. The vibration may be generated by a vibrational motor  114 . Motor  114  may be, for example, an eccentric mass motor or any other vibrational motor that allows device  100  to function as described herein. Power to the motor may be provided by a battery  116 . The battery  116  may be removable and replaceable and may be disposed within the housing of device  100 . Alternatively, battery  116  may be rechargeable, and device  100  may include structures adapted to charge battery  116 , for example external contact points, induction coils, or a socket for a power adapter plug. In other exemplary embodiments, the vibration of device  100  may be manually facilitated or operated. For example, an eccentric mass disposed within the body of device  100  may be coupled to a user-operable member. Alternatively, any structure for manually vibrating the device  100  may be contemplated and provided as desired. 
         [0015]    Motor  114  may be operable via a switch or dial  118  which may be provided on the exterior of device  100 . In an exemplary embodiment, switch  118  may be provided as a ring rotatably and concentrically coupled to device  100 , which the user may rotate to switch motor  114  on or off. In alternative embodiments, motor  114  may be toggled between an on or off position by any manner desired as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0016]    The device may further include indicia  120  which may aid in the relief of anxiety and fear that a patient could feel when experiencing or anticipating an injection. For example, for children, such indicia  120  can include, but are not limited to, visual representations of cartoon characters, combinations of color, cars, and sports or the like. In some exemplary embodiments, the device may also have the capability of producing audio as a means to alleviate a patient&#39;s anxiety and fear. In other exemplary embodiments, indicia  120  may be directed towards any age group or demographic, for example, adult or elderly patients. 
         [0017]    Indicia  120  may further be detachably coupled to device  100 , so as to allow the user to vary or customize the types of indicia  120 . For example, a first indicia may be replaced with at least one second indicia depending on a patient&#39;s preference or reaction. The indicia  120  may be removably coupled via any desired fastening means known in the art, for example by clips, snaps, adhesive material, cling material and so forth. 
         [0018]    In operation, a user may fill reservoir  102  with a desired liquid. In alternative embodiments, user may leave reservoir  102  empty, for example, if drawing fluids from a patient. User  102  may then attach any desired size needle  106  to device  100 . Subsequently, the user may switch motor  114  on so as to impart vibration to device  100 . The user may then contact the patient&#39;s skin with protrusions  112 , and may activate mechanism  110  so as to extend the needle  106  beyond protrusions  112  and administer or draw the desired liquid. 
         [0019]    The plurality of protrusions  112  can provide multiple contact points between device  100  and the patient&#39;s skin. This may provide additional sensory stimuli to the patient, thereby distracting the patient from the pain stimulus of the needle  106 . The vibration provided by motor  114  may add yet more sensory stimuli, and further distract the patient from the pain stimulus. In the retracted position, needle  106  may not be as visible to the patient as in a typical hypodermic device, which may further lessen anxiety prior to injection. Indicia  120  may provide additional diversion for the patient, which may further lessen the patient&#39;s anxiety. 
         [0020]    The foregoing description and accompanying figures illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
         [0021]    Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.