Details for Patent: 7,416,540

Title:	Devices systems and methods for medicament delivery
Abstract:	Certain exemplary embodiments comprise an apparatus, comprising: a compressed gas container; a plurality of vials adapted to store a liquid medicament, each vial defining a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axes of the plurality of vials parallel and non-co-axial, the plurality of vials fluidly coupleable to an actuating portion of a contents of the gas container; and a plurality of pistons, each piston adapted to move within a corresponding vial from the plurality of vials, the plurality of pistons adapted to, in response to discharge of the actuating portion of the contents of the compressed gas container, transfer at least a portion of the liquid medicament from the plurality of vials and through a needle that is extendable into a patient.
Inventor(s):	Edwards; Eric Shawn (Midlothian, VA), Edwards; Evan Thomas (Gordonsville, VA)
Assignee:	Intelliject, LLC (Richmond, VA)
Filing Date:	Nov 22, 2004
Application Number:	10/515,571
Claims:	1. An apparatus, comprising: a housing having an inner surface; a medicament container disposed within the housing, the medicament container configured to contain a medicament; and an actuator configured to be disposed within the housing and to move the medicament container within the housing, the actuator including: an energy storage member having a surface, a portion of the surface being in contact with a portion of the inner surface of the housing, the energy storage member having a first position and a second position, in the first position the energy storage member has a first potential energy, in the second position the energy storage member has a second potential energy less than the first potential energy, the energy storage member configured to convert a portion of the first potential energy into a kinetic energy when moving between the first position and the second position to move the medicament container within the housing, the portion of the surface of the energy storage member configured to move relative to the portion of the inner surface of the housing when the energy storage member moves between the first position and the second position, the energy storage member having a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the medicament container; and a release member configured to selectively deploy the energy storage member from the first position to the second position. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator is further configured to move a plunger within the medicament container to expel a medicament contained within the medicament container. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator is further configured to move a plunger within the medicament container to expel a medicament contained within the medicament container, the plunger being moved with a force sufficient to break a frangible seal disposed within the medicament container. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy storage member is a gas container configured to contain a gas having a first pressure when the gas container is in the first position and a second pressure when the gas container is in the second position, the second pressure being lower than the first pressure. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the energy storage member is a gas container configured to contain a gas having a first pressure when the gas container is in the first position and a second pressure when the gas container is the second position, the second pressure being lower than the first pressure; and the actuator includes a puncturer configured to penetrate a portion of the gas container when the gas container is in the second position. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the release member includes a spring having a retracted configuration and an expanded configuration, the spring configured to engage the energy storage member such that when the spring moves from the retracted configuration to the expanded configuration the energy storage member is moved from the first position to the second position. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a needle defining a lumen therethrough, the lumen being in fluid communication with the medicament container. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medicament container is configured to be moved along its longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position, the apparatus further comprising a needle defining a lumen therethrough, the lumen being fluidically isolated from the medicament container when the medicament container is in its first position, the lumen being in fluid communication with the medicament container when the medicament container is in its second position. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to move the medicament container along its longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position and the energy storage member is a first energy storage member, the apparatus further comprising a second energy storage member configured to move the medicament container along its longitudinal axis between the second position and a third position. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to move the medicament container along its longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position, the apparatus further comprising a bias member configured to bias the medicament container in the first position. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing has a substantially rectangular shape. 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medicament container is any one of a vial, an ampule or a cartridge. 13. An apparatus, comprising: a housing; a medicament container movably disposed within the housing; a gas container movably disposed within the housing such that the gas container can move relative to the medicament container from a first position to a second position, the gas container having a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the medicament container, the gas container configured to produce a force to move the medicament container within the housing when the gas container is moved from the first position to the second position; and a release member configured to move the gas container from the first position to the second position. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein: the medicament container is configured to move in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the medicament container; and the gas container is configured to move from the first position to the second position in a second direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gas container. 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein: the medicament container is configured to move in a first direction; and the gas container is configured to move between the first position and the second position in a second direction opposite the first direction. 16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the gas container is configured to contain a gas having a first pressure when the gas container is in the first position and a second pressure when the gas container is in the second position, the second pressure being lower than the first pressure. 17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the gas container is configured to contain a gas having a first pressure when the gas container is in the first position and a second pressure when the gas container is the second position, the second pressure being lower than the first pressure, the apparatus further comprising: a puncturer configured to penetrate a portion of the gas container when the gas container is in the second position. 18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the release member includes a spring having a retracted configuration and an expanded configuration, the spring configured to engage the gas container such that when the spring moves from the retracted configuration to the expanded configuration the gas container is moved from the first position to the second position. 19. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a plunger disposed within the medicament container, the force produced by the gas container configured to move the plunger within the medicament container to expel a medicament contained within the medicament container. 20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the medicament container is configured to be moved along the longitudinal axis of the medicament container between a first medicament container position and a second medicament container position, the apparatus further comprising: a needle defining a lumen therethrough, the lumen being fluidically isolated from the medicament container when the medicament container is in the first medicament container position, the lumen being in fluid communication with the medicament container when the medicament container is in the second medicament container position. 21. An apparatus, comprising: a housing having an inner surface defining a lumen; a medicament container disposed within the housing; a needle movably disposed within the housing; and an energy storage member movably disposed within the lumen of the housing such that at least a portion of the inner surface of the housing surrounds the energy storage member, the energy storage member having a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the needle, the energy storage member configured to produce a force to move the needle within the housing from a first needle position to a second needle position when the energy storage member is moved within the lumen and relative to the inner surface of the housing from a first energy storage position to a second energy storage position, the needle being in fluid communication with the medicament container when the needle is in the second needle position. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein: the needle is configured to move between the first needle position and the second needle position in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the needle; and the energy storage member is configured to move between the first energy storage position and the second energy storage position in a second direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the energy storage member. 23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein: the needle is configured to move between the first needle position and the second needle position in a first direction; and the energy storage member is configured to move between the first energy storage position and the second energy storage position in a second direction opposite the first direction. 24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the energy storage member is a gas container configured to contain a gas having a first pressure when the gas container is in the first energy storage position and a second pressure when the gas container is in the second energy storage position, the second pressure being lower than the first pressure. 25. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: a release member configured to move the energy storage member from the first energy storage position to the second energy storage position. 26. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: a spring having a retracted configuration and an expanded configuration, the spring configured to engage the energy storage member such that when the spring moves from the retracted configuration to the expanded configuration the energy storage member is moved from the first energy storage position to the second energy storage position. 27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein: a distal end portion of the needle is disposed within the housing when the needle is in the first needle position; and the distal end portion of the needle is disposed outside of the housing when the needle is in the second needle position. 28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the needle is fluidically isolated from the medicament container when the needle is in the first needle position. 29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the medicament container is movably disposed within the housing. 30. An apparatus, comprising: a housing having a first inner surface and a second inner surface; a medicament container disposed within the housing, a plunger having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the plunger disposed within the medicament container, the second end portion of the plunger and the first inner surface of the housing collectively defining a gas chamber, the plunger configured to move in a first direction within the medicament container from a first plunger position to a second plunger position; a gas container disposed within the housing such that a portion of the gas container is in contact with the second inner surface of the housing, the gas container configured to move in a second direction from a first gas container position to a second gas container position, the second direction opposite the first direction, the portion of the gas container configured to move relative to the second inner surface of the housing when the gas container is moved from the first gas container position to the second gas container position, the gas container configured to release a gas into the gas chamber to move the plunger from the first plunger position to the second plunger position when moved from the first gas container position to the second gas container position; and a release member configured to selectively deploy the gas container from the first gas container position to the second gas container position. 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the gas container defines a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the plunger. 32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein: the first direction is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the plunger; and the second direction is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the gas container. 33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein: the gas container defines a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the plunger; the first direction is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plunger; and the second direction is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gas container. 34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first end portion of the plunger is configured to expel a medicament contained within the medicament container when the plunger is moved from the first plunger position to the second plunger position. 35. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the medicament container is movably disposed within the housing. 36. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising: a puncturer configured to penetrate a portion of the gas container when the gas container is in the second gas container position. 37. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the release member includes a spring having a retracted configuration and an expanded configuration, the spring configured to engage the gas container such that when the spring moves from the retracted configuration to the expanded configuration the gas container is moved from the first gas container position to the second gas container position. 38. An apparatus, comprising: a housing having a distal end surface configured to be disposed against a body; a medicament container movably disposed within the housing; an energy storage member disposed within the housing, the energy storage member having a first position and a second position, in the first position the energy storage member is disposed a first distance from the distal end surface of the housing and has a first potential energy, in the second position the energy storage member is disposed a second distance from the distal end surface of the housing and has a second potential energy, the second potential energy less than the first potential energy, the second distance greater than the first distance, the energy storage member configured to convert a portion of the first potential energy into a kinetic energy when moving between the first position and the second position to move the medicament container within the housing, the energy storage member having a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the medicament container; and a release member configured to selectively deploy the energy storage member from the first position to the second position. 39. An apparatus, comprising: a housing having an inner surface defining a lumen; a medicament container movably disposed within the housing; an energy storage member disposed within the lumen of the housing such that at least a portion of the inner surface of the housing surrounds the energy storage member, the energy storage member having a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the medicament container; the energy storage member configured to produce a force to move the medicament container within the housing when the energy storage member is moved within the lumen and relative to the inner surface of the housing from a first position to a second position; and a release member configured to move the energy storage member from the first position to the second position.