US 11,957,883 B2
Plunger rod and syringe assembly system and method
Jeroen Ketelaars, Breda (NL); Lawrence G. Leka, Santa Barbara, CA (US); Ernesto J. Perez, San Juan, PR (US); Manuel Rey, San Juan, PR (US); Jomasoel Rivera, Caguas, PR (US); Javier O. Tapia, Gurabo, PR (US); Martin van Wezel, Breda (NL); Francisco Almedina Vazquez, Cayey, PR (US); and Noel Wah Reyes, Canovanas, PR (US)
Assigned to AMGEN INC., Thousand Oaks, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/488,172
Filed by AMGEN INC., Thousand Oaks, CA (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 20, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/023306
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 22, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/183039, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 4, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/477,521, filed on Mar. 28, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0283337 A1, Sep. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. B23P 21/00 (2006.01); A61M 5/315 (2006.01); B23P 19/04 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 5/31515 (2013.01) [B23P 21/00 (2013.01); A61M 2207/10 (2013.01); B23P 19/047 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A machine for coupling a plunger rod to a syringe assembly, the machine comprising:
a selected carriage including a cradle having a seat portion sized to receive a syringe assembly and an aperture portion disposed above the seat portion and sized to receive the plunger rod;
an actuating device operatively coupled to the selected carriage and adapted to move the cradle from a first position to a second position to couple the plunger rod to the syringe assembly; and
wherein the selected carriage is selected from separate and interchangeable first and second carriages, wherein the first carriage includes a cradle adapted to receive a syringe assembly of a first size and the second carriage including a cradle sized to receive a syringe assembly of a second size that is different from the first size.