US 12,350,470 B2
Auto-injector
Yannick Hourmand, Haslingfield (GB); Timothy Donald Barrow-Williams, Herts (GB); and Matthew Ekman, Cheshire (GB)
Assigned to Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GMBH, Frankfurt am Main (DE)
Filed by Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GMBH, Frankfurt am Main (DE)
Filed on Mar. 29, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/622,358.
Application 18/622,358 is a continuation of application No. 18/498,416, filed on Oct. 31, 2023.
Application 18/498,416 is a continuation of application No. 16/909,107, filed on Jun. 23, 2020, granted, now 11,833,331, issued on Dec. 5, 2023.
Application 16/909,107 is a continuation of application No. 15/669,571, filed on Aug. 4, 2017, granted, now 10,729,853, issued on Aug. 4, 2020.
Application 15/669,571 is a continuation of application No. 13/993,528, granted, now 9,724,472, issued on Aug. 8, 2017, previously published as PCT/EP2011/073502, filed on Dec. 21, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/432,255, filed on Jan. 13, 2011.
Claims priority of application No. 10196067 (EP), filed on Dec. 21, 2010.
Prior Publication US 2024/0238523 A1, Jul. 18, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61M 5/20 (2006.01); A61M 5/50 (2006.01); A61M 5/32 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 5/2033 (2013.01) [A61M 5/50 (2013.01); A61M 2005/206 (2013.01); A61M 2005/208 (2013.01); A61M 5/326 (2013.01)] 30 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An auto-injector comprising:
an outer sleeve;
a needle sleeve slidable relative to the outer sleeve between (i) a first needle sleeve position in which a proximal end of the needle sleeve extends beyond a proximal end of the outer sleeve by a first distance and (ii) a second needle sleeve position in which the proximal end of the needle sleeve extends beyond the proximal end of the outer sleeve by a second distance that is less than the first distance, the needle sleeve comprising two distally projecting arms, the auto- injector configured such that distal movement of the needle sleeve relative to the outer sleeve from the first needle sleeve position to the second needle sleeve position causes an annular collar to move relative to the outer sleeve;
a needle sleeve spring having a proximal end in engagement with a surface of the needle sleeve to apply a proximally-directed biasing force to the surface of the needle sleeve and bias the needle sleeve in the first needle sleeve position;
a syringe containing a medicament and having a proximal end with an injection needle;
a syringe retainer retaining the syringe via an engagement between an outer proximal surface of the syringe and an inner proximal surface of the syringe retainer; and
a member comprising a deflectable portion that is releasably coupled to a plunger rod such that when the deflectable portion is in a first deflectable portion position the deflectable portion is prevented from deflecting out of a coupled relationship with the plunger rod by an engagement between the deflectable portion and a blocking surface of the auto-injector which limits proximal movement of the plunger rod relative to the deflectable portion while a surface of the plunger rod is subject to a proximally-directed force of a compression drive spring, the compression drive spring being (i) disposed within a recess of the member and (ii) having a diameter larger than a diameter of the plunger rod, and when the deflectable portion is in a second deflectable portion position the deflectable portion has deflected out of the coupled relationship with the plunger rod by a relative axial movement between the member and the blocking surface which causes proximal movement of the plunger rod relative to the deflectable portion while the surface of the plunger rod is subject to the proximally-directed force of the compression drive spring, the deflectable portion comprising an angled protrusion,
wherein the auto-injector is configured such that a proximal movement of the outer sleeve relative to the needle sleeve causes the needle sleeve to move from the first needle sleeve position to the second needle sleeve position which causes (i) the annular collar to move relative to the outer sleeve, (ii) the deflectable portion to move from the first deflectable portion position to the second deflectable portion position, and (iii) a proximal end of the plunger rod to displace a stopper of the syringe in a proximal direction to dispense the medicament from the injection needle of the syringe.