Patent ID: 7658724

Claim:
A method for automatically administering injectable medication comprising: storing the medication in a flat syringe having an injection needle; enclosing the flat syringe within a separate flat housing that includes a self-contained power source and drive mechanism for driving the syringe from a storage configuration in which the syringe and needle are contained completely within the housing to an injection configuration in which the injection needle protrudes from a region of the housing; providing an actuator movably mounted to the housing at said region of the housing, the actuator being operatively associated with the drive mechanism to release the syringe for movement to the injection position in response to movement of the actuator relative to the housing by urging of the actuator against an injection site; providing a cover on said region of the housing to completely enclose the region of the housing from which the needle and actuator extend, the method further comprising: removing the cover from the housing and pressing the actuator against the injection site and under a force sufficient to cause release of the syringe to enable the self-contained power source and drive mechanism to drive the syringe to an injection configuration.