Claims for Patent: 11,446,440

Summary for Patent: 11,446,440

Title:	Needle assisted injection device having reduced trigger force
Abstract:	An exemplary embodiment of an injector includes a trigger mechanism, an energy source, and a user-operable firing-initiation member. The trigger mechanism can include a floating trigger member having a retaining portion, a ram assembly having a ram configured to pressurize a medicament container for expelling a medicament therefrom, the ram assembly further having a floating trigger engagement member configured to engage the retaining portion of the floating trigger member when the floating trigger member is in a pre-firing condition. The energy source can be associated with the ram for powering the ram to expel the medicament, and the user-operable firing-initiation member can be operable for causing an axial rotation of the floating trigger member from the pre-firing condition to a firing condition in which the floating trigger engagement member is released from the retaining portion to allow the energy source to fire the ram.
Inventor(s):	Thomas Kramer, Matthew H. Rust, Paul M. Goudreau, Peter A. HOEFT, Julius C. Sund, Peter L. Sadowski, Michael Travanty, Patrick Madsen
Assignee:	Antares Pharma Inc
Application Number:	US16/436,377
Patent Claims:	1. An injector, comprising: an injector housing; a medicament container including a medicament and having a medicament container proximal end and a medicament container distal end; a trigger member having a retaining portion; a ram moveable with respect to the medicament container, wherein medicament is expelled from the medicament container as the ram moves with respect to the medicament container, the ram including a trigger engagement member engageable with the retaining portion of the trigger member when the trigger member is in a pre-firing condition; an energy source associated with the ram to move the ram with respect to the medicament container; and a user-operable firing-initiation member operable for causing movement of the trigger member from the pre-firing condition to a firing condition in which the trigger engagement member is released from the retaining portion to allow the energy source to fire the ram, wherein the user-operable firing-initiation member includes a skin-contacting member disposed at a distal end of the injector that is movable proximally with respect to the injector housing when a force is applied to the skin-contacting member at the distal end of the injector, a proximal end of the user-operable firing-initiation member being operatively associated with the trigger member and configured to cause the movement of the trigger member from the pre-firing condition to the firing condition upon a proximal movement of the skin-contacting member with respect to the injector housing, the distal end of the user-operable firing-initiation member being disposed distally of the medicament container distal end and the proximal end of the user-operable firing-initiation member being disposed proximally of the medicament container proximal end after the injector has expelled the medicament from the medicament container, wherein the skin-contacting member includes a needle guard that is retractable and is configured to expose a needle connected to the medicament container upon the proximal movement of the skin-contacting member, the needle guard including a projection configured to engage a ram assembly to lock the needle guard in an extended position after the injector has expelled the medicament from the medicament container. 2. The injector of claim 1, further comprising: the needle in fluid communication with the medicament container for injecting the medicament expelled therefrom during firing. 3. The injector of claim 2, wherein the energy source and the needle are configured for injecting the medicament through the needle. 4. The injector of claim 2, wherein the energy source and the needle are configured for injecting the medicament at an average velocity of at least about 1,000 cm/sec within the needle. 5. The injector of claim 1, wherein the energy source is configured to pressurize the medicament to between about 90 psi and about 500 psi to inject the medicament. 6. The injector of claim 1, wherein the skin-contacting member comprises a first cam, and the trigger member comprises a second cam, the first cam being operatively associated with the second cam so as to cause axial rotation of the trigger member from the pre-firing condition to the firing condition upon proximal movement of the skin-contacting member with respect to the injector housing. 7. The injector of claim 1, further comprising an end cap, said end cap comprising a ram holding member that axially retains the ram in a proximal position against action of the energy source in the pre-firing condition, the retaining portion retaining the trigger engagement member engaged and held against firing by the ram holding member. 8. The injector of claim 7, wherein the ram holding member includes a projection that includes a bulge and a groove engaged with the trigger engagement member, and the retaining portion retains the engagement of the trigger engagement member with the bulge and groove in the pre-firing condition. 9. The injector of claim 7, wherein in the firing condition, the ram is disengaged from the retaining portion, and the energy source overcomes an engagement between the trigger engagement member and the ram holding member. 10. The injector of claim 1, wherein the ram is of unitary construction. 11. The injector of claim 1, further comprising a container support that is configured for holding the medicament container during injection; and wherein the ram assembly comprises the ram, the ram assembly configured to engage the container support to lock-out the injector after an injection. 12. The injector of claim 11, wherein proximal movement of the user-operable firing-initiation member is blocked by the ram assembly when the injector is locked-out. 13. The injector of claim 1, wherein a pre-firing color gamut is visible from an exterior of the injector in the pre-firing condition, the injector further comprising: an indicator having an indicator color that is absent from the pre-firing color gamut, which color is hidden from view within the injector housing in the pre-fired condition, wherein in the fired condition, the indicator color is visible from the exterior of the injector for indicating the fired condition. 14. The injector of claim 13, wherein the ram includes the indicator. 15. The injector of claim 14, wherein the ram entirely occludes a window in the fired condition. 16. The injector of claim 1, wherein the medicament comprises an androgen. 17. The injector of claim 16, wherein the androgen includes testosterone or a derivative or ester thereof. 18. The injector of claim 17, wherein the androgen includes testosterone cypionate. 19. The injector of claim 1, wherein the medicament container is fixed relative to housing. 20. The injector of claim 1, wherein the user-operable firing-initiation member engages and moves the trigger member from the pre-firing condition to the firing condition.