US 12,453,818 B2
Auto-injector
Matthew Ekman, Cheshire (GB); Timothy Donald Barrow-Williams, St. Albans Herts (GB); and Yannick Hourmand, Haslingfield (GB)
Assigned to Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GMBH, Frankfurt am Main (DE)
Filed by Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GMBH, Frankfurt am Main (DE)
Filed on May 30, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/679,377.
Application 18/679,377 is a continuation of application No. 17/453,601, filed on Nov. 4, 2021.
Application 17/453,601 is a continuation of application No. 16/276,366, filed on Feb. 14, 2019, granted, now 11,197,958, issued on Dec. 14, 2021.
Application 16/276,366 is a continuation of application No. 14/995,964, filed on Jan. 14, 2016, granted, now 10,232,116, issued on Mar. 19, 2019.
Application 14/995,964 is a continuation of application No. 13/579,435, granted, now 9,248,245, issued on Feb. 2, 2016, previously published as PCT/EP2011/052301, filed on Feb. 16, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/412,086, filed on Nov. 10, 2010.
Claims priority of application No. 10153999 (EP), filed on Feb. 18, 2010.
Prior Publication US 2024/0307622 A1, Sep. 19, 2024
Int. Cl. A61M 5/20 (2006.01); A61M 5/32 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 5/2033 (2013.01) [A61M 5/3202 (2013.01); A61M 5/3232 (2013.01); A61M 2005/206 (2013.01); A61M 2005/2073 (2013.01); A61M 5/3204 (2013.01); A61M 5/326 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of using an auto-injector, the method comprising:
removing a cap from a proximal end of a housing of the auto-injector such that a needle shield covering a needle of a syringe of the auto-injector is removed from the needle as the cap is removed from the proximal end of the housing while the syringe remains in an initial position relative to the housing;
placing the proximal end of the housing in direct contact with an injection site;
moving a safety member of the auto-injector relative to the housing of the auto-injector to allow a button of the auto-injector to be pushed into the housing, the safety member and the button being disposed at a distal portion of the housing; and
after (i) removing the cap from the proximal end of the housing and (ii) moving the safety member, and while the proximal end of the housing is placed in direct contact with the injection site, pushing the button proximally from a distal button position to a proximal button position allowing a distally-extending resilient arm to deflect to release a plunger rod from being held by an engagement with a retraction sleeve of the auto-injector such that (i) a distal end of the plunger rod moves proximally through an opening of a distal end of the retraction sleeve of the auto-injector by a proximally-directed biasing force of a compression spring disposed around a distal portion of the plunger rod, and (ii) the plunger rod moves proximally relative to the housing allowing (i) the syringe and the needle to move proximally relative to the housing such that the needle moves from a first needle position in which a proximal end of the needle is distal to the proximal end of the housing to a second needle position in which the proximal end of the needle is proximal to the proximal end of the housing, and (ii) a medicament to be dispensed through the needle and into the injection site,
wherein the auto-injector is configured such that, after at least a portion of the medicament has been dispensed through the needle, a delay member of the auto-injector containing a viscous substance delays a retraction of the needle.
 
7. A method of using an auto-injector, the method comprising:
removing a cap from a proximal end of a housing of the auto-injector such that a needle shield covering a needle of a syringe of the auto-injector is removed from the needle as the cap is removed from the proximal end of the housing while the syringe remains in an initial position relative to the housing;
placing the proximal end of the housing in direct contact with an injection site;
moving a safety member of the auto-injector relative to the housing of the auto-injector to allow a trigger button of the auto-injector to be pushed into the housing; and
after (i) removing the cap from the proximal end of the housing and (ii) moving the safety member, and while the proximal end of the housing is placed in direct contact with the injection site, pushing the trigger button into the housing causing a distally-extending resilient arm to deflect to release the plunger rod from being held by an engagement with a retraction sleeve of the auto-injector such that a distal end of a plunger rod moves proximally relative to the housing and proximally through an opening of a distal end of the retraction sleeve of the auto-injector by a proximally-directed biasing force of a compression spring disposed around a distal portion of the plunger rod such that (i) the needle of the syringe of the auto-injector moves proximally relative to the housing and is inserted into the injection site, and (ii) a medicament is dispensed through the needle and into the injection site,
wherein the auto-injector is configured such that, after at least a portion of the medicament has been dispensed through the needle, a delay member containing a viscous substance at least partially delays needle retraction of the needle.
 
15. A method of using an auto-injector, the method comprising:
removing a cap from a proximal end of a housing of the auto-injector such that a needle shield covering a needle of a syringe of the auto-injector is removed from the needle as the cap is removed from the proximal end of the housing while the syringe remains in an initial position relative to the housing;
moving a safety member of the auto-injector relative to the housing of the auto-injector to allow a button of the auto-injector to be pushed into the housing, the safety member disposed at a distal portion of the housing; and after (i) removing the cap from the proximal end of the housing and (ii) moving the safety member from a first position to a second position, pushing the button into the housing causing a distally-extending resilient arm to deflect to release a plunger rod from being held by an engagement with a retraction sleeve of the auto-injector such that a distal end of the plunger rod moves proximally relative to the housing and proximally through an opening of a distal end of the retraction sleeve of the auto-injector by a proximally-directed biasing force of a compression spring disposed around a distal portion of the plunger rod, and causes (i) the needle of the syringe to be exposed from the proximal end of the housing, and (ii) a medicament of the syringe to be dispensed through the needle,
wherein the auto-injector is configured such that, after at least a portion of the medicament has been dispensed through the needle, a delay member containing a viscous substance at least partially delays a distal movement of the needle relative to the housing.
 
20. A method of using an auto-injector, the method comprising:
removing a cap from a proximal end of a housing of the auto-injector such that a needle shield covering a needle of a syringe of the auto-injector is removed from the needle as the cap is removed from the proximal end of the housing while the syringe remains in an initial position relative to the housing;
moving a safety member of the auto-injector relative to the housing of the auto-injector to allow a button of the auto-injector to be pushed into the housing; and
after removing the cap from the proximal end of the housing, pushing the button of the auto-injector causing a distally-extending resilient arm to deflect to release a plunger rod from being held by a retraction sleeve of the auto-injector such that a distal end of the plunger rod of the auto-injector moves proximally relative to the housing and proximally through an opening of a distal end of the retraction sleeve of the auto-injector by a proximally-directed biasing force of a compression spring disposed around a distal portion of the plunger rod such that (i) the needle of the syringe moves relative to the housing and is exposed from the proximal end of the housing, and (ii) a medicament of the syringe is dispensed through the needle,
wherein the auto-injector is configured such that, after at least a portion of the medicament has been dispensed through the needle, a delay member containing a viscous substance at least partially delays a distal movement of the needle relative to the housing.