US2667871A - Hypodermic injection apparatus - Google Patents

Description

G. N. HEIN, JR

HYPODERMIC INJECTION APPARATUS Feb. 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed NOV. 2O 1951 E hwell dNcl 4 Kami@ Feb. 2, 1954 G. N. HEIN, JR

HYPODERMIC INJECTION APPARATUS 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed NOV. 20 ,Y 1951 a N Ru m mh/K R Nl m E (o 7 W5 w 1M W. u f7 E Y This Umm Patented Feb. 2, 1954 En assmsir HYPOBERMI'U I'NJEc'rro APPARATUS:

George-.N..Hein, Jr., SanxCarlos; tJalim application Novembeezo, 195i, 'serial' No. 257363* ioexaima. (ci. t28- mfr Tlifs invention relates to ai hypodermic injection apparatus a'ndiii its specific aspects air'nsto provde aV rneclianisnr of this character by means-of which medicament may` be hypoiei'nrieallSr` iii-- jec'ied' Without" the Use of" a skin-penetrating' needle.

It. is an objectof theiinventlon to furnish an apparatus tliei parts of may readily, he vadjnsted and controlfedl sotfrat the pressure under which the medicament is ejected' isA variec'i'. Ac'- corrf'ngiv, the dept-r1 @1f-penetration of the tissue-s willbe correspondingly varied.

Ai further' Objectis that or' furnishing a. mech-anrsm which the volume of the dosage-to be inie'cteclmayalso be varied at the will of' the operato?.

Stillv` another object' isi that' of' providing ahypoderniic injection apparatus' which; will include relatively few parts; each individually simple and` rugged in construction, such parts beingcapable ofx ready assemblage to furnish a Vunitaryv device'. operating over long periods of time with freedom freinall difficulties;

' theseand other obj ects mincir;l reference is Iiadl to the attached sheetsY of drawings illustrating one. practicalL embodiment.' or the inventionandin 'whicfra Y Fig. 1 is a sect'iional side view of threw apparatus and showingA the parts of the same adjusted to one' position;

*Fig 2 a similar view but sh'owing'the partssl'iiite to a dilleren'tv position;

Fig, 3" is a sectional' plan View taken along. tlieline 3;--3 and v'in the direction of the arrows as indicated in Eig. 4

Fig'. 45 is a transverse sectional' vievvv taken along the line 4-#4' and in the direction' of the'. arrows asindicated in Fig'. '3

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view` of a fragmentV of thev operating mechanism aridk taken along the` line 5--5 and in the direction of the arrows as indicate4 in Fig. 4;,

Fig. G-'is aside elevation of the apparatus; and

Fig'. T isa' fragmentary transverse view' taken along' the line- 1--1' and.v in thedirection of thev arrowsas' indica-ted i'n- Fig. I Y

In these views the numeral lli" indicates a casingA of' any desired congnration which hollow and toy thev forward end` of which an' extension or nose-piece fl' is secured, as for'examp-le-by screw threads; The nose-piece is formed with a bore through- Wlich- 'a plunger l2' is projectible into' a medicament chamber; For purposesv hereinafter broiiglit out this plunger-formed' with a passage I3. The medicament chamber' may take one of numerous different forms. However, preferably instead of directly receiving' liquidc medicament it'v Will reeei've' an ampule which conta-insv the desii'ed's'oiut-ion or-Iiqiiid Thus. the Wailjls-ofthe-cifraniber-nraybe ygarovi'd'e'd` with a-lining F4"- oF 's zii'table material' suc-h as reihiber; The ampli-le will embrace-a preferablycupshaped' lzody Which-is taperedl an 'oi-i-tvv'a-rd dii"- rectionairrd-v identiiie by thenunreraf f5. body againv isconveniently formed off rub-Eier altliougliother materialsmig-ht be employed. Its outerfend-is open and-dened by arelatively heavy hea-fi portion- H. A* nozzle isl provided Wliiclry includes a base Il preferably formed witha peripheralv` groove to receive the inwardbZI extending headirme the edgeof flange l G. Beyond-thistlie nozzle-is'iori-edt-With a-plte-an-d;anoutwardly extending tipi-9 Which-is-provdecl with a passage 2li, eXtend'm-g; th-roiighout its length and tliebase il. To- -sieciire' tlresepartsa-gainst' displacement a loading-cap'ML islemployedwliic'h is'formed-Witlr a centralaperture through- Wl-iclithe-projecting portion fs may extend. Conveniently; screw threads or anyotlier-'suita-lo-le-form-csf-coupling arefurnished between the loading cap andy the extension H- in orderto provide-v forr a quick-detia-enabiecalming.

'Ine-rear end of: stem Ii-Z is` connected to orma-y be integral with an end wall l2I associated with acylinclrcal member 23.A The latter forms a part ofa r'vressure-acioninitiatorv structure; It' is closed at it'srear-end by a Body 245 Winchmay-lia-ve'screw threaded connection therewith; A nange 25 extends-'infvvartl-lyA from the ,cylindrical 2-3- and'i's disposed beyond an' expansiblemember 26 which has. its basefl'angeseoiirediagainst movementwith respect to th-easseinlcly;Y While in certainl re*- spects il? iS preferred to utilize-an expansibl'e menibe'l: f Simple design, it will be"l understood that one` of numerous different structures' might be employed' irl lieu of the Unit sDeca-lly'shown at 26.

The forwardZ faceoimem'ber T4 is' conveniently formed with et WGH- 2'Tin'li'1`xe with the eXprisibileV member 26. Totherear of this Well; thebod-y of 'member-2Q is formed 'with cylinders- 28', 29-` and- 31?. Y Passages; 3-1 and 3 2" areprovided betWeenth-e weirportiorr 211 anden-incas zia-and ze respectively. Withinhore 28a piston 33` is disposed; This piston may Forni- 'apart of" anV assembly' 35- which includes athriist hearing' 342 liooselycontacting outer part' of bearing is* a thread-ed stem 36- vvliiehL engages within a correspondinglythreacle'd-opening'forri1ing a partV of' airv end cap er secures to therear or casing ro. Stem at terminate in an irregular rear portion such as may conveniently mount the end of a crank (not shown). At a point short of portion 38 a split washer 39 or other part acting as an indicator, may be mounted.

Conveniently a sleeve 4|] is secured to or forms a part integral with cap 31. This sleeve is provided with a slot 4| adjacent which indicia indicative of pressure may be disposed. As illustrated in Fig. 6 this indicia may include graduation marks. In any event it will be apparent that the edge of washer 39 or its equivalent will be visible through the slot 4l and in cooperation with the indicia will register the position to which stem 36 has been projected or retracted. According to this position a corresponding pressure will exist within cylinder 28 in a manner hereinafter brought out.

Within the bore of cylinder 29 a piston 42 is disposed. This piston involves an assembly again including an anti-friction bearing 43. Conveniently stem 44 may form an integral part of one of the elements of this bearing. In common with stem it has its threads bearing against the threads or" an opening formed in cap 31 and is provided with a rearward extension suitable for mounting a crank or wrench. Also, it conveniently mounts a split ring or other suitable indicating element. The latter moves adjacent slot 45 formed in sleeve 40. That slot may have indicia disposed adjacent it which identifies the dosage or volume of the medicament and marks which are indicative of fractions of the entire dosage.

While any suitable packing provision may be associated with pistons 33 and 42 it is preferred that as shown they may be formed with grooves within which are disposed O-rings 48. Split washers 41 may be mounted in each of the bores 28 and 29 adjacent their rear or entrance ends. These washers in cooperation with the rear portions of the piston assemblies will act as limit stops to prevent too great a retraction of the pistons. The forward ends of passages 3| and 32 preferably terminate in grooves 49 extendingv across the base portion of well 21. These will prevent a freezing of the expansible member 26y into contact with the base of the well surface in the event that such member in effect completely collapsed.

l The apparatus is provided with a lock struc-v ture to retain against movement the assembly of which tube 23 and member 24 form parts. The lock structure cooperates with the bore of cylinder 39. It is apparent that it might cooperate with other portions to achieve the desired fu-nctions. one herein shown might be employed. However, it is definitely preferred that an assembly of mechanism of the general type illustrated be utilized. Also, by having the lock extend into bore 30 the device is rendered extremely compact.

Thus, the numeral 50 identifies a transversely shiftable pin which is preferably supported by the thickened Walls which form a part of the extension or rearward sleeve49. This pin is provided with a notch 5I. -When the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 5, this notch will permit of a rotation of shaft 52 which is retained against axial displacement in any desired manner. The end of shaft 52 extends beyond the body of the device and mounts an actuating arm or lever 53. A shoulder 54 preferably forms a part of shaft 52 as shown in Fig. 2. This shoulder engages With pin 50 when the latter is in one extreme Also, a lock structure different from the' position to prevent a rotation of shaft 52. The shaft is notched or cut out to provide a. cam portion 55. The latter rides against the outer surface of a head 56 against which the outer end of a spring 51 may bear. That spring may in certain instances be dispensed with. However, ordinarily such a. member should cooperate with the head to urge the latter outwardly.

The stem 58 is attached to head 55 and extends into the bore of a slotted spool assembly 59. Also disposed within that bore is a block of relatively soft rubber as indicated at 60 which has its outer edges extending in the form of anA arc normally providing a continuation of the spool surfaces. Encircling block 5U isa sleeve 62 also preferably of soft rubber. This sleeve has its bore in engagement with the shank 6I of the spool as well as the sideedges of the block S9. Braking elements, preferably in the form of substantially semicircular shoes 63 of metal, encircle sleeve '52. A further set of rotatably oiset shoes 54 of similar material encircle shoes 53. Rings of relatively hard rubber 65 may be disposed-adjacent opposite ends of the assembly. Also if desired, rings of metal (not shown) may retain the parts of the assembly against displacement with respect to each other.

As is apparent if pin 59 is shifted to a position at which its notch 5IV is in line with shoulder 54, then shaft 52 may be turned. Such turning is achieved by means of the actuating lever 53 or its equivalent. When turned from theY position shown in Fig. 5 to that illustrated for example in Fig. 2, cam portion 55 will ride against' the upper end of head 56 thereby shifting rod or stern 58 inwardly of the spool bore. it will serve to displace the core block 6U to expand portions of the latter through the sides of the slit of the spool stem 6I into engagement with the inner faces of sleeve 62. The latter will now be expanded to correspondingly expand the shoes 63 and 64. This will cause the outer faces of the latter shoes to'frictionally engage with the face of bore 30. So engaged the parts will be held against movement. This will occur because the rear or outer end of spool 59 has threaded engagement with endV of cap 31 which is Y anchored against movement with respect to casing i0.

In use it will be understood that with the parts in the position shown in Fig. l an ampule embracing an invertible rubber cup l5 may be positioned within the medicament chamber after which the loading cap 2|l is applied to the nose piece of extension Il. As afore brought out ampules of diverse characters may be utilized in lieu of the unit specifically illustrated. In any,

medicament is to be administered under maximum pressures, then an operator will shift pin 50 and rotate shaft 52 in orderV to prevent movements of member 24with respect to casing l 0. A

ratchet or crank will be mounted upon the rear- The latter will be turned.' until its piston 33 projeci'sv into bore 28 to amaxiend 38 of stem 35.

So shiftedv extent:` so projected liquidi Within: that bore im advance or the. piston. will. be. expelled` thloughpssage SEIT into thek body of theA expan`- sible.- r'riernloerr 26. 'phat' liquid. may 'take one of numerous; different forms "cluding even a relatively heavy grease! or' o The crank or ratchet Wilt bef dist-nbuntedt f om the rear' portion 38 of stem 35 and Willf be' mounted upon the corlfes'pendin'gi portion of' stem'- is and turned to: rotate: the latter; Such rotation will' cause pistoni 42" to: be projected themanner shown EigL- 3'. Such projection will also cause the liquid toi be expelledv througlipassage 32' into the". expansible member;

AslA that' rneinherVT increases in'- capacity it will eXterrdi for greater distances into the interior of tube. The latter being iilie'd' WithA gas under pifessureiitfollows that the body of gasr will be even: further" compressed Accordingly the gas Willi acti upon the louter face. of the expansible assembly ini an attempttourge theliduid Within the same back into the bores of cylinders fis and 25;

Phe site of injection having been selected the oiii'ceV 2e of nozzle tip l's'if i's brought to a' point o'verlying'tliat site'. T'hat oricey may have a diameter of, for example, of .003""tov .0`12"". ln any event", if'the-` operator will' shiftpin 5tto a'positionv at whichI its notch 5|' is i-ri line with the shoulder portion 525;, shaft"- ez" may be rotated.. iiitli suchrotation' stem' or plunger 5s will be retracted. Such retraction will occur either incident-l to the' action of a spring such as 57, or because of the natural resiliency of bloei: et and the: parts of the assembly associated therewith. In any event, the edges of' that block will not forciblyfb'ear against the'inner faces of the sleeve 62'. Therefore, the expansive action on brake slices 63 and E245A will be relieved. This will allow member 23 to project; Thespee'dY of projection will lbe controlled by the meteringeect' of the passagesl I3 and 32. In' any event, plunger i2' vvillV actf against the base of the ampule' and servev to expel medicament under pressures and at such velocities; through the' orice 20 that' the liquid will Vpiercethe epidermis' Without it being necessar'yto employ a skin-penetrating needle.

According to the pressures employed the-depth of penetration will' be` more or less. As afore brought out the operative pressure may be regulated' by* the amount of projection of rod 3e and its piston 33'. When plunger i2 is fully projected, then piston assembly 3:25 will lie adjacent ring ci or its equivalent which will function as a stop for the parts. Likewise the volume of the injected'y dosage maybe varied by simply projecting screw threaded' rod 4d to a greater or lesser' extent. .The amountv of pressure and the volume of the dosage will be-4 indicated throughy the slotsilii and 46. The desired results W-illat.` ailv times be achieved because of the interconnectiori provided` as a consequence of the enclosure defined by! the expansible member 25, the wellportion 2l?, passages 3l and 32 and the position. of the pistons` within the cylinderv boresy 28 and 29'.y Piston 33' being unconnected to threaded rou` eef it may move anyW-here's Witnin the range dened by the stopsproV-ided by' the inner end of cylinder bore 28 and rod 3S. On the other hand, piston d2 being connected to rod lill, it Will positively shift in axial direction with that rod.

With the device discharged, rod 36 is fully retracted by applying to its portion 38 a suitable crank or wrench. Thereupon threaded rod or shaft. 4t2 is` likewise turned tov retract piston ist. The assembly of the latter contacting it?, cody 2t? and cylinder` 2'3' willi. be' positively' reel tract-ed. Thereupon` loadingcap 2li will` be'. disV`Y- mounted, the speri-t amp'ule may b'efremoved-andi discarded and a fresh ampule positioned Within. the medicament. chamber; Witn tneremounting of cap 2|' the' entire procedure may.' again; be rea' peatedwitl'i' the op' erator! adj usting screws-1.36 and'` is to precisely the posi-tions whichi will. assure an operating stroke and. pressniresly s'ucli as are desired by thephysieian'inattendance;v

invention as specificallyaforenotedare achieved.

Obviously llilrilerotlsV Changes? CI'lS'tlCtiO and? rearrangement ofY the parts. might be resorted'to Without departing' from' th'efspiritof the tion asdein'edbythe clainis-L If claim:

l. A device' forhypo'dermically injectingmedice ement including in combination a casing prei vidi'ngar medicament chamber adjacent; oneY of# its ends, a' plunger projectibleinto said' chamber for expelling the medicament therefrom, sig-pres-`` sure accumulator assembly Within said casing operatively connected to said plu-nger" tocause projection of 'tl-'ie same, saidI assembly comprising a body containing gas under pressure, a member expansibie into said bodyya of' liquid-containing cylinders connected t'o tl-ienterior'ot said member to' expandv the-sameai'id pistons movableone within each or said cylinders' toE dispiaceliquid therefrom.

2. A device for hypodermically' injecting med-ic@ ardent including" in combination a cas-ing piro viding a medicament chamber' adjacent one of its ends, a plunger projectibleinto-.saidchamber` for expelling the medicament therefrom, a pres-r sure accumulator assembly withinv said` casing operatively connected to said plunger toi cause projection of the same, said assemblyy comprise" lng a body containing gas under'pressure, amem-f ber expansible into said body', a pair ofliquidl-r containing cylinders connected to the interior of said member to expand the'same,pi`stonslmov= able one within' each of said cylinders-to displaceY liquid. therefrom' and means forv indicating' the position assumedl bys'a'id pistons withinsaid' cyl@ inders. l

3. A device for hypodermically injectingrnedic-v amenti including inA combination aV casing? pro'-i Viding a medicament chamber adjacent one o'i'f' its ends', a plunger projectibl'e into said chamber for expelling the medicament therefrom, a pressure `accumulator assembly' Within said' casing operatively connected to said" plunger to cause projection of the same, said assembly comprising a body containing gas under pressure, a member expansible into said body, a-p'air ofy liquidi-convltaining cylinders connected tothe' in'terior'of said member to expand the same, pistons movable one Within each of said? cylinders to displace liquid therefrom, means forindicating the positionas sume'd by said pistons'fwithin' said cylinders.

4. A device for' hypodermically `injecting me# dicament including in combination a casingp'ro#r vidin'g a medicament'- chamber adjacent one of its ends', va plunger projectible into' said chamber for expelling the medicament'therefrom', a pressure accumulator assembly Within said casing operatively connected to Said plunger to cause projection of the same, said assembly comprising a body containing gas under pressure, a member expansible into said body, a pair of liquid-containing cylinders connected to the interior of said 7 member to expand the same, pistons movable one Within each of said cylinders to displace liquid therefrom, means for indicating the position assumed by said pistons within said cylinders, and releasable lock means connected to said cylinders to restrain movements of the plunger.

5. A device for hypodermically injecting medicament including in combination a casing providing a medicament chamber adjacent one of its ends, a plunger proj ectible into said chamber for expelling the medicament therefrom, a pressure accumulator assembly Within said casing operatively connected to said plunger to cause projection of the same, said assembly comprising a body containing gas under pressure, a member expansible into said body, a pair of liquid-comY taining cylinders connected to the interior of said member to expand the same, pistons movable one Within each of said cylinders to. displace liquid therefrom, means for indicating the position assumed 'by said pistons Within said cylin-l ders, a further cylinder movable with said pair f cylinders, and expansible lock means disposed with said further cylinder to engage the bore of the same and prevent a movement o all of said cylinders and said plunger and means Whereby.

said lock means may be freed from engaging the face of said bore.

6. A device for hypodermically injecting rnedicament including in combination a casing providing a medicament chamber adjacent one of its ends, a plunger projectible into said chamber for expelling the medicament therefrom, a tube connected tosaid plunger and adapted to have its interior lled with gas under pressure, a member connected to move with such tube, a member expansible into said tube and mounted by said member, said rst named member being formed With a pair of cylinders connected by passages with the space deined by said member and pistons disposed one within each of said cylinders for displacing liquid therefrom into the interior of said expansible member.

7. A device for hypodermically injecting medicament including in combination a casing providing a medicament chamber adjacent one of its ends, a plunger projectible into said chamber s for expelling the medicament therefrom, a tube connected to said plunger and adapted to have its interior lled with gas under pressure, a member connected to move with such tube, a member expansible into said tube and mounted by said member, said rst named member being formed 4 with a pair of cylinders connected by passages with the space defined by said member, pistons disposed one within each of said cylinders for displacing liquid therefrom into the interior of said expansible member, said body being formed with a. further cylinder and releasable lock means extending into the bore of said further cylinder.

8. AV device for hypodermically injecting medicament including in combination a casing providing a medicament chamber adjacent one of its ends, a plunger projectible into said chamber for expelling the medicament therefrom, a tube connected to said plunger and adapted to have its interior filled with gas under pressure, a member connected to move with such tube, a member member, said first named member being formed with a pair of cylinders connectedrby passages with the space defined by said member, pistons disposed one within each of said cylinders for displacing liquid therefrom into the interior of said expansible member and means for individually projecting said pistons.

9. A device for hypodermically injecting merdicament including in combination a casing providing a medicament chamber adjacent one of its ends, a plunger projectible into said chamber for expelling the medicament therefrom, a tube connected to said plunger and adapted to have its interior lled with gas under pressure, a member connected to move with such tube, a member expansible into said tube and mounted by said member, said rst named member being formed with a pair of cylinders connected by passages with the space defined by said member, pistons disposed one within each of said cylinders for displacing liquid therefrom into the interior of said expansible member, means for individually projecting said pistons and means associated with said projecting means for indicating the position assumedy by each of said pistons Within said cylinders.

10. A device for hypodermically injecting medicament including in combination a casing providing a medicament chamber adjacent one of its ends, a plunger projectible into said chamber for expelling the medicament therefrom, a tube connected to said plunger and adapted to have its interior lled with gas under pressure, a member connected to move with such tube, a

member expansible into said tube and mounted' further cylinder to lock all of said cylindersl against movement and'means shiftable to effect a displacement of said material and a return cf same to an initial position. GEORGE N. HEIN, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,380,534 Lockhart VJuly 31, 1945 OTHER REFERENCES A manuscript doctors thesis: Local Inf`1ltra.`

tion of Tissues from a Machine Designed to Deliver High Pressure, High Velocity Jets of Fluid, by John F. Roberts. The manuscript is in a -bound volume in the Medical Library of Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons 630 West 168th St., New York, New York. Catalog number R747.C7/C73/l935. The volume is open to inspection by persons granted the privilege of use of the Library and is available on interlibrary loan. (A copy is in Division of the Patent Oce.)

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