Patent ID: 7678333

Claim:
A transfer assembly for transferring a fluid between a vessel and a vial, the vessel having a body with an open end and a slidable piston positioned within the body through the open end, the vial having an inner chamber with an open end and a closed end and a penetrable seal covering the open end of the inner chamber, the closed end tapering toward an apex, the transfer assembly comprising: a housing having first and second open ends and a bore extending between the first and second open ends, the housing being connectable to the piston through said open end of said vessels; a conduit having first and second open ends and a passageway extending between first and second ends, the conduit being longitudinally slidable within the bore between a retracted position in which the first open end of said conduit is positioned within at least one of the housing and the piston when the housing is connected to the piston, and an activated position in which the first end of the conduit protrudes through the piston so that the first open end of said conduit is in fluid communication with a chamber of the vessel when the housing is connected to the piston, a hub connected to said second open end of said conduit; the bore of the housing having a first portion, a second portion adjacent to the first portion, and a shoulder formed between the first and second portions, and wherein the transfer assembly further comprises a resilient biasing member positioned between the shoulder and the hub to bias the conduit into the retracted position; and a vial socket assembly having a vial socket and a hollow piercing member, the vial socket being sized and shaped for receiving and engaging at least a portion of the vial including the penetrable seal, the hollow piercing member having a first open end in fluid communication with the conduit and a second open end for piercing the penetrable seal, the hollow piercing member being sized to extend substantially the full length of the inner chamber of the vial so that the second open end of the hollow piercing member is positioned adjacent the apex of the closed end of the inner chamber when the vial is fully engaged in the vial socket, the vial socket assembly being moveable longitudinally relative to the housing in concert with the conduit so that moving the vial socket assembly longitudinally towards the housing advances the conduit from the retracted position to the activated position to fluidly connect the chamber of the vessel and the inner chamber of the vial.