Claims for Patent: 9,867,949

Summary for Patent: 9,867,949

Title:	Injector safety device
Abstract:	A safety member for use with an injection device is disclosed. The safety member includes a blocking ring extending into a housing of the injection device in blocking association with a latch member associated with a trigger mechanism of the injector, in which the blocking ring blocks movement of a portion of the trigger mechanism into a firing position. The safety member further includes a manipulable portion disposed outside the housing and configured for hand-manipulation by a user to remove the safety member from the housing to unblock the firing mechanism to enable firing of the injector.
Inventor(s):	Sund; Julius C. (Plymouth, MN), Lagman; Eric (Anderson, SC), Hoeft; Peter (Seattle, WA), Lesch, Jr.; Paul R. (Lino Lakes, MN), KraMer; Thomas E. (Andover, MN)
Assignee:	Antares Pharma, Inc. (Ewing, NJ)
Application Number:	14/339,068
Patent Claims:	1. An injector, comprising: a housing; a container portion disposed within the housing, defining a fluid chamber containing a medicament, and including a plunger moveably disposed therein defining a portion of the fluid chamber; a firing mechanism including a ram; a latch moveably disposed within the housing and configured to engage a portion of the ram; a trigger engageable by a user, the trigger moveably disposed within the housing between a ready position wherein the latch is held in engagement with the portion of the ram and a firing position wherein the latch is released from engagement with the portion of the ram thereby permitting movement of the ram; a safety member positionable relative to the housing so as to restrict movement of the trigger from the ready position into the firing position; and a guard extending distally of the housing, the guard being retractable with respect to the housing from a protecting position to an actuating position, wherein retraction of the guard from the protecting position to the actuating position causes the trigger to move into the firing position, wherein the safety member restricts movement of the trigger from the ready position into the firing position by preventing movement of the guard from the protecting position into the actuating position, and wherein the trigger is moveable from the ready position to the firing position by a force in a first amount, and wherein a frictional relationship is present between the trigger and the latch creating a retaining force between the trigger and the latch in a second amount such that the first amount is greater than the second amount by about 2.5 lbs of force. 2. The injector of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an opening formed therein, and wherein the safety member includes a blocking member that is configured to abut a portion of the trigger. 3. The injector of claim 2, wherein the blocking member is retained within the opening in the housing by a snap fit and is configured to be removed by a user to permit movement of the trigger into the firing position. 4. The injector of claim 2, wherein the latch includes a flexible arm and a projection, wherein the ram includes an indentation, wherein the projection is receivable within the indentation, and wherein the projection is held within the indentation when the trigger abuts the latch in the ready position. 5. The injector of claim 4, wherein the indentation and the projection are configured such that the latch restricts movement of the ram when the projection is held in the indentation by the trigger and such that movement of the trigger into the firing position allows the projection and the indentation to disengage and the ram to move axially relative to the latch. 6. The injector of claim 1 further including a needle having a tip and being associated with the chamber for penetrating the skin of a patient for injection of the medicament, wherein the guard has a distal end that is positioned distally of the needle tip when the guard is in the protecting position, and wherein the distal end of the guard is positioned proximally of the needle tip when the guard is in the retracted position. 7. The injector of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an opening and wherein the safety member includes a blocking member and a body portion, the blocking member having an end disposed within the housing so as to abut a portion of the guard, the blocking member extending through the opening in the housing and into connection with the body portion, and wherein the body portion is disposed outside of the housing. 8. The injector of claim 7, wherein the guard includes a proximal end and wherein the trigger includes a distal end, wherein the proximal end of the guard is disposed axially remote from the distal end of the trigger when the guard is in a guarding position, and wherein the blocking member is disposed axially between the proximal end of the guard and the distal end of the trigger. 9. The injector of claim 1, wherein the injector includes a sleeve affixed within the housing and configured for retaining the container, and wherein the injector includes a locking element slidably associated with the sleeve so as to be moveable from a first position into a second position, wherein in the first position the guard is retractable into the actuating position, and wherein in the second position the locking element is positioned in a fixed relationship to the sleeve and blocks movement of the guard into the actuating position. 10. The injector of claim 9 further including a spring positioned within the housing to resiliently bias the guard toward a protecting position such that subsequent to retraction of the guard into the actuating position, the guard returns to the protecting position, wherein the retraction of the guard engages the guard with the locking element, and wherein the subsequent return of the guard to the protecting position moves the locking element into the second position. 11. The injector of claim 1 further comprising: a cap configured to cover an open end of the guard and to surround the guard, a portion of the cap abutting a portion of the housing such that the cap restricts retraction of the guard into the actuating position. 12. The injector of claim 11, wherein the guard includes a flange and the cap includes a projection such that a snap-fit is achieved between the guard and the cap. 13. The injector of claim 11, wherein the ram extends axially from the plunger. 14. The injector of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an opening formed therein, and the safety member comprises a body portion that comprises a tab that extends distally along the outside of the housing, wherein the tab comprises a projection that fits within the opening and is configured to block movement of the guard. 15. The injector of claim 1, wherein the ram is coupled to the plunger. 16. The injector of claim 1, wherein the ram is affixed to the plunger. 17. An injector, comprising: a housing; a container portion disposed within the housing, defining a fluid chamber containing a medicament, and including a plunger moveably disposed therein and defining a portion of the fluid chamber; a firing mechanism including a ram, the firing mechanism further comprising at least one latch moveably disposed within the housing and configured to engage a portion of the ram in a latching connection, the firing mechanism further comprising an inner housing; a safety member; and a trigger moveably disposed within the housing between a ready position wherein the at least one latch is held in engagement with the portion of the ram by the trigger and a firing position wherein the at least one latch is released from engagement with the portion of the ram, permitting movement of the ram, wherein the safety member is positionable relative to the housing so as to restrict movement of the trigger into the firing position, and further in that the at least one latch extends from a proximal end of the inner housing, wherein an axial movement of the trigger in a proximate direction disengages the latching connection between the at least one latch and the ram. 18. The injector of claim 17, wherein the housing includes an opening formed therein, and wherein the safety member includes a blocking member having an end disposed within the housing so as to abut a portion of the trigger, the blocking member extending through the opening of the housing and attaching to a body portion of the safety member that is disposed outside of the housing. 19. The injector of claim 18, wherein the blocking member is retained within the opening in the housing by a snap fit and is configured to be removed by a user to permit movement of the trigger into the firing position. 20. The injector of claim 18, wherein the trigger is moveable from the ready position to the firing position by a force in a first amount, and wherein a frictional relationship is present between the trigger and the at least one latch creating a retaining force between the trigger and the at least one latch in a second amount, and wherein the safety member restricts the movement of the trigger into the firing position by providing a safety force to the trigger in a third amount such that the first amount is greater than the second amount by about 2.5 lbs. 21. The injector of claim 18, wherein the at least one latch includes a flexible arm and a projection, wherein the ram includes an indentation, wherein the projection is receivable within the indentation, and wherein the projection is held within the indentation when the trigger abuts the at least one latch in the ready position. 22. The injector of claim 21, wherein the indentation and the projection are configured such that the at least one latch restricts movement of the ram when the projection is held in the indentation by the trigger and such that movement of the trigger into the firing position allows the projection and the indentation to disengage and the ram to move axially relative to the at least one latch. 23. The injector of claim 17, comprising a guard extending distally of the housing, the guard being retractable with respect to the housing from a protecting position to an actuating position, wherein retraction to the actuating position causes a portion of the guard to move the trigger into the firing position, wherein the safety member restricts movement of the trigger into the firing position by preventing movement of the guard into the actuating position. 24. The injector of claim 17, comprising a needle having a tip and being associated with the chamber for penetrating the skin of a patient for injection of the medicament, wherein the guard has a distal end that is positioned distally of the needle tip when the guard is in a protecting position, and wherein the distal end of the guard is positioned proximally of the needle tip when the guard is in the retracted position. 25. The injector of claim 17, wherein the housing includes an opening and wherein the safety member includes a blocking member and a body portion, the blocking member having an end disposed within the housing so as to abut a portion of the guard, the blocking member extending through the opening in the housing and into connection with the body portion, and wherein the body portion is disposed outside of the housing. 26. The injector of claim 25, wherein the guard includes a proximal end and wherein the trigger includes a distal end, wherein the proximal end of the guard is disposed axially remote from the distal end of the trigger when the guard is in a guarding position, and wherein the blocking member is disposed axially between the proximal end of the guard and the distal end of the trigger. 27. The injector of claim 17, wherein the injector includes a sleeve affixed within the housing and configured for retaining the container, and wherein the injector includes a locking element slidably associated with the sleeve so as to be moveable from a first position into a second position, wherein in the first position the guard is retractable into the actuating position, and wherein in the second position the locking element is positioned in a fixed relationship to the sleeve and blocks movement of the guard into the actuating position. 28. The injector of claim 27, further including a spring positioned within the housing to resiliently bias the guard toward a protecting position such that subsequent to retraction of the guard into the actuating position, the guard returns to the protecting position, wherein the retraction of the guard engages the guard with the locking element, and wherein the subsequent return of the guard to the protecting position moves the locking element into the second position. 29. The injector of claim 17, wherein the safety member is in the form of a cap configured to cover an open end of the guard and to surround the guard, wherein the guard includes a flange and the cap includes a projection such that a snap-fit is achieved between the guard and the cap, a portion of the cap abutting a portion of the housing such that the cap restricts retraction of the guard into the actuating position. 30. The injector of claim 17, wherein the ram is urged towards a distal end of the injector by an energy source in the form of a spring; the trigger has a latching portion that abuts the at least one latch, and the trigger is slideable inside an outer housing; and when the trigger is slid approximately to the injecting position, the latching portion slides beyond the portion of the at least one latch that it contacts. 31. The injector of claim 17, wherein the housing comprises an opening formed therein, and the safety member comprises a body portion that comprises a tab that extends distally along an outside of the housing, wherein the tab comprises a projection that fits within the opening. 32. The injector of claim 17, wherein the ram extends axially from the plunger.