Details for Patent: 7,648,482

Title:	Devices, systems, and methods for medicament delivery
Abstract:	An apparatus includes a housing, a medicament container and an actuator. The actuator includes a release member and an 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. The energy storage member is configured to convert a portion of the first potential energy into kinetic energy when moved from the first position to the second position to move the medicament container within the housing. The energy storage member has a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the medicament container. The release member is configured to selectively deploy the energy storage member from its first position to its second position.
Inventor(s):	Edwards; Evan Thomas (Fredericksburg, VA), Edwards; Eric Shawn (Midlothian, VA), Licata; Mark J. (Doswell, VA)
Assignee:	Intelliject, Inc. (Richmond, VA)
Filing Date:	Nov 21, 2006
Application Number:	11/562,061
Claims:	1. An apparatus, comprising: a housing; a medicament injector disposed within the housing, the medicament injector configured to inject a medicament contained therein into a body, the medicament injector including a needle, the needle defining a longitudinal axis; and an actuator configured to be disposed within the housing and to move the medicament injector between a first medicament injector position and a second medicament injector position, in the first medicament injector position a second end of the needle is within the housing, in the second medicament injector position the second end of the needle is outside the housing, the actuator including: an 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 moved in a first direction from the first position to the second position, wherein the kinetic energy directly moves the medicament injector in a second direction between the first medicament injector position and the second medicament injector position, the second direction opposite the first direction the energy storage member having a longitudinal axis offset from the longitudinal axis of the needle; 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 configured to move the medicament injector with a force sufficient for the needle to penetrate skin. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy storage member is configured to move along its longitudinal axis between the first position and the second position. 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; and the actuator includes a puncturer configured to penetrate a portion of the gas container when the gas container is in the second position. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the medicament injector includes a medicament container; and the actuator is configured to move the medicament container between a first medicament container position and a second medicament container position, in the first medicament container position, a lumen defined by the needle is fluidically isolated from the medicament container, in the second medicament container position, the lumen is in fluid communication with the medicament container. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the medicament injector includes a medicament container; and the actuator is configured to move the medicament container between a first medicament container position and a second medicament container position, in the first medicament container position, a lumen defined by the needle is fluidically isolated from the medicament container, in the second medicament container position, the first end of the needle is disposed within the medicament container such that the lumen is in fluid communication with the medicament container. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the medicament injector includes a medicament container and a movable member having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the movable member being configured to receive a portion of the kinetic energy produced by the energy storage member when the energy storage member moves between the first position and the second position, the second portion of the movable member being configured to move within the medicament container to expel a medicament contained within the medicament container. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing has a substantially rectangular shape. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the release member is movably coupled to a distal end portion of the housing. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a retraction spring configured to bias the medicament injector in the first medicament injector position, a longitudinal axis of the retraction spring being offset from the longitudinal axis of the needle. 11. An apparatus, comprising: a housing having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion; a medicament injector disposed within the housing, the medicament injector configured to inject a medicament contained therein into a body, the medicament injector including a medicament container and a needle; an energy storage member having first configuration and a second configuration, the energy storage member configured to produce a force when moved from the first configuration to the second configuration to move the medicament injector in a first direction between a first medicament injector position and a second medicament injector position; a first actuation member having a first position and a second position, first actuation member configured to move the energy storage member from its first configuration to its second configuration when the first actuation member is moved in a second direction from its first position to its second position, the second direction substantially opposite the first direction, the first actuation member configured to be selectively moved from its first position to its second position by manipulating a second actuation member adjacent the distal end portion of the housing; and a biasing member configured to bias the first actuation member. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: when the medicament injector is in the first medicament injector position the needle is contained within the housing; and when the medicament injector is in the second medicament injector position a portion of the needle extends from the distal end of the housing. 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a longitudinal axis of the medicament container is offset from a longitudinal axis of the energy storage member. 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the energy storage member is configured to move between a first position and a second position, the energy storage member being disposed in its first position when in the first configuration, the energy storage member being disposed in its second position when in the second configuration. 15. The apparatus of claim 11, 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 configuration and a second pressure when the gas container is in the second configuration, 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 configuration. 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: the biasing member is a spring; and the first actuation member includes a spring retainer configured to retain the spring. 17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: the biasing member is a spring; and the first actuation member has a distal end configured to engage the distal end portion of the housing and a proximal end configured to engage the energy storage member, the first actuation member configured to be moved from its first position to its second position by disengaging the distal end of the retainer from the distal end portion of the housing by manipulating the second actuation member. 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: the biasing member is a spring configured to bias the first actuation member towards its second position; and the first actuation member has a distal end configured to engage the distal end portion of the housing and a proximal end configured to engage the energy storage member, the first actuation member configured to be moved from its first position to its second position by moving the second actuation member inwardly towards the proximal end portion of the housing to disengage the distal end of the retainer from the distal end portion of the housing. 19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second actuation member defines an opening within which a portion of the needle is disposed when the medicament injector is in the second medicament injector position. 20. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising: a retraction spring configured to bias the medicament injector in the first medicament injector position, a longitudinal axis of the retraction spring being offset from a longitudinal axis of the medicament container. 21. An apparatus, comprising: a housing; a medicament injector disposed within the housing, the medicament injector configured to inject a medicament contained therein into a body, the medicament injector including a medicament container and a needle; a gas container configured to contain a gas, the gas container having first configuration in which the gas has a first pressure and a second configuration in which the gas has a second pressure lower than the first pressure, the gas container configured to produce a force when moved from the first configuration to the second configuration to move the medicament injector between a first medicament injector position and a second medicament injector position, a longitudinal axis of the gas container being noncoaxial with a longitudinal axis of the medicament container; a puncturer configured to penetrate a portion of the gas container when the gas container is in the second configuration; and a retraction spring configured to bias the medicament injector in the first medicament injector position, the retraction spring configured to exert a biasing force along an axis noncoaxial with the longitudinal axis of the medicament container. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: an actuation member having a first position and a second position, the actuation member configured to move the gas container from its first configuration to its second configuration when the actuation member is moved from its first position to its second position, the actuation member configured to be selectively moved from its first position to its second position by manipulating a distal end portion of the housing. 23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: an actuation member having a first position and a second position, the actuation member configured to move the gas container from its first configuration to its second configuration when the actuation member is moved from its first position to its second position, the actuation member configured to be selectively moved from its first position to its second position by manipulating a distal end portion of the housing; and a biasing member configured to bias the actuation member. 24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein: when the medicament injector is in the first medicament injector position the needle is contained within the housing; and when the medicament injector is in the second medicament injector position a portion of the needle extends from a distal end of the housing. 25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the gas container is configured to move between a first position and a second position, the gas container being disposed in its first position when in the first configuration, the gas container being disposed in its second position when in the second configuration. 26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein: the medicament injector includes a medicament container; and the force is configured to move the medicament container between a first medicament container position and a second medicament container position, a lumen defined by the needle is 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.