US2295849A - Attachment for hypodermic syringes - Google Patents

Description

p 1942- G. KAYDEN 2,295,849

ATTACHMENT FOR HYPODERMIC SYRINGES Filed Oct. 25, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l l VENTOR us Zak/2 ffqyden I ATTORNEY Sept. 15, 1942. G. 1.. KAYDEN ATTACHMENT FOR HYPODERMIC SYRINGES Filed Oct. 25, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Gus tax e L Hayden A ORNEY Patented Sept. 15, 1942 ATTACHMENT FOR HYPODERMIC SYRINGES Gustave L. Kayden, Great Neck, N. Y.

Application October 25, 1940, Serial No. 362,708

12 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic operating means for hypodermic and the like syringes, and

contemplates the provision of an attachment adapted to be readily applied by unskilled persons to a conventional glass syringe of the type in common use, for first moving the syringe as a unit and thereby causing the needle to pierce the skin of the patient, and then moving the plunger or piston of the syringe within its barrel to inject a measured quantity of liquid medicament automatically under the skin.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a simple and efllcient holder for a convertional syringe, the holder being provided with spring-operating means easily set and controlled by unskilled persons or by the patient himself to perform both functions of the syringe, namely, to pierce the skin and to inject the medicament.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which- Fig. l is a partialelevatlon and partial vertical section of one form of the invention as it appears when attached to, a conventional syringe and set ready for operation prior to the release of the locking latches.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the same taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing a detail of the latch which normally locks the plunger-operating means.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the same taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and showing particularly the latch controlling the needle-operating means.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a modified form of the invention.

As has been hereinbefore indicated, the present invention is intended to support and operate a conventional syringe such as is designated by the numeral In (Fig. 1). Such "conventional syringe is preferably of the type having a glass barrel ll terminating in a reduced tapered neck I2 onwhich the hub of the Luer needle I3 is removably mounted. The plunger 14, which is also made of glass and which is fitted to the inside of the barrel ll, serves as the piston to eject the liquid from the barrel. Said plung r is usually of uniform diameter throughout the greatest part of its length and slides easily within the barrel and is provided at its upper end with the head or handle l5. customarily, the-barrel is marked with graduations ii to indicate the amount of its contents.

In the various forms in which my invention has been embodied, means are provided to hold the syringe barrel, which means are movable together with the barrel as a unit relatively to a member adapted to rest on the skin, and serving as a relatively stationary hand-grip means with which to hold the syringe support and operating mechanism. Such movement of the barrel injects the needle through the skin. Mechanism is also provided for accomplishing the movement of the syringe-holding means into needle-injecting position when unlocked or released for that purpose. Means are also provided to move the syringe plunger in the proper direction within the barrel to. discharge liquid through the needle after the skin has been pierced. Suitable adjustments may also be provided to adapt the various forms of the invention for use in connection with needles differing substantially in length and with different amounts of movement of the plunger and different quantities of liquid to be injected.

The syringe holder or attachment H, in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4, consists of a sheet metal or the like body member 58 shaped to receive the barrel, a sleeve 09 secured to the member l8 and movable therewith and carrying the mechanism for operating the syringe and a presser foot 20 adapted to rest on the body surface at the point where the injection is to be made.

Projecting from the member l8 are a number of generally circular open spring clamps 2|, 22 having an opening or space 23 therein for the passage of the syringe barrel into the body member it to be held therein by the pressure of the clamps. While the syringe is longitudinally adjustable frictionally within the clamps and within the member I8, I prefer to provide the forked end 24 on said member to engage the neck ii. of the syringe and to abut against the lower end of the barrel ll, though permitting a slight longitudinal adjustment of the syringewithin the member l8. However, I prefer to obtain the adjustment of the syringe barrel as to the depth of part by which the attachment is held by the physician or operator while the injection is made. Reciprocatingly mounted in the cylindrical opening 28 of the base is the sleeve I9 which is in 'on the piston 32 operating in the sleeve is. To

the piston rod 33 is secured the ratchet toothed rack 35 designed to be engaged by a suitable latch 35 to hold the piston 32 at any desired position in the sleeve. The piston rod 3 may be connected operatively to the plunger Id of the syringe by the extension 35 pivoted as at 37 to a bracket 38 on the piston rod and suitably shaped to engage the head I of the syringe plunger, being provided with a flange 39 to engage the side of the plunger head. The spring 43 urges the extension 36 toward the plunger head, but permits-the extension to be turned aside to manipulate the piston rod without interference by the plunger H5.

The latch 35 is slidably mounted in'the cap 5! preferably removably secured to the end of the sleeve i9 and havingan opening therein for the passage of a piston rod. As best seen from Fig. 3, said latch is provided with a bevelled projection 52 passing through the slot 43 of the cap and is also provided with an intermediate slot ti l through which passes the piston rod 33 and the rack 35. The portion 45 of the latch arranged at the end edge of the slot is bevelled to conform to the shape of the teeth of the toothed rack and serves as a pawl to fix the rack and the piston rod relatively to the sleeve I3 against downward movement, though permitting the piston rod to be raised against the action of the spring 23 into a position wherein the extension 36 engages the plunger head I5. Outstanding from the upper end of the base is the arm 45 terminating in a bevelled end edge 41. Said edge is designed to engage the correspondingly bevelled edge of the projection 42 to press the latch 35 inwardly against the action of its spring 48 and thereby to remove the pawl portion 45 from the toothed rack 34 topermit the spring 29 to draw the piston rod downwardly and thereby to operate the plunger I4. Such operation of the latch occurs only when the sleeve I9 has moved downwardly within the base 25 sufiiciently to carry the latch 35 in contact with the latch-operating edge 41.

Normally, however, the sleeve I9 is held. in its set position shown in Fig. 1, ready for operation by means of the finger operated latch 43 pivoted to the base 25 as at 50 and provided with a projection 5I passing through the opening 52 in the base and into contact with the end edge 53 of the sleeve I9. Said latch is spring pressed into its operative position by means of a suitable spring coiled about a pivot 50 of the latch. When 1 said sleeve is pulled upwardly, it carries the body member I8, the syringe II, the piston 32 and piston rod 33 upwardly until the edge 53 reaches a position above the holding end 52 of the latch at which time the latch spring rotates the latch to carry its holding end 52 inwardly and underneath the edge 53 of the sleeve thereby holding the parts in the set positions thereof. To set the plunger-operating means, the piston 32 is pulled upwardly against the action of the spring 23, the bevelled rack 33 slipping past the pawl edge 55 which yields to permit such passage. The plunger it having been set to draw the desired quantity of liquid into the syringe barrel Ii, if the extension is above the plunger head, the latch projection 62 is pressed inwardly and the piston lowered to carry said extension into contact with the plunger head. If said extension is below the plunger head, it is turned aside andthen the plunger raised to carry the extension to the same level as the plunger head after which it is released to permit the spring 38 to carry it into contact with the plunger head.

The presser foot 25 having been set to regulate the depth of penetration of the needle I3 into the skin, and the plunger it and extension 35 having been relatively set, and the sleeve i3 having been raised up and held in its raised position by the latch 43, the syringe attachment together with the syringe is set on the skin of the person at the place where the injection is to be made and with the presser foot resting on the skin, the entire assembly being handled and manipulated by means of the base member 25. After the syringe and its attachment have been set in place, the latch 49 is pressed thereby permitting the spring 29 to pull on the piston 32. Said pull is transmitted to the sleeve I5, the member I8 and the syringe Ill by means of the latch 35 which is locked to the piston rod 33. Consequently, the sleeve and syringe and the parts carried thereby are pulled downwardly to project the needle I3 through the slot of the presser foot and to cause it to pierce the skin. As the latch 35 moves downwardly with its sleeve,

' it is engaged by the operating edge 37 and pushed toward the left against the action of the spring 58 thus releasing the rack 34 and permitting the spring 29 through its continued pull on the piston rod 32 to lower the piston rod and through the extension 36 to lower the piston I4 thereby discharging liquid from the syringe and through the needle and under the skin of the patient.

The shock of the skin-piercing operation is largely taken up by means of the yieldable cushion ring 55 designed to engage the'lower end edge 53 of the sleeve and to cushion the last part of the movement of said sleeve I9. A cushioning action against the too rapid injection of liquid is provided by means of air passages 56, 5T in thebase member 25, the outlet end of the passage 51 being controlled by the screw 58 which is prise a single spring arranged concentrically of the syringe. In this form of the invention the inner sleeve I50 is secured to the syringe by the pivoted flange-holding member I5 I. Slidably arranged along the inner sleeve I50 is the collar I 12 is arranged the compression spring I58 which tends to move said collar downwardly and there- I I through. Normally the spring I58 is prevented from doing so by the spring latch I58 pivoted to the outer sleeve I51 and having an end part passing through the opening I66 the outer sleeve and arranged underneath the collar I12. Means are provided to prevent possible operation of the plunger it during the skin piercing operation of the needle and as illustrated in Fig. 5, said means comprises the lever I65 pivoted as at I68 to the upper end I61 or the inner sleeve IN. The lower end of the lever I65 is provided with a notch or recess I68 receiving an edge part I68 of 'the arm I10. Said lever passes through the slot I1I in the collar I12 extending from said arm I16 and surrounding the inner sleeve I56. The spring I58 rests on said collar and urges said collar to gether with the lever I65 downwardly. The flat spring I13 interposed between the lever and the inner sleeve I50 urges said lever into engagement with the part I68 oi the arm. Downward movement of the parts relatively to the outer sleeve I51 is normally prevented by the latch I58.

'When, however. said latch is operated to release the collar I12, the spring I58 moves said collar downwardly together with the arms I16 and I54 and together with theinner sleeve'l60 and the syringe III, the plunger I4 moving withthe syringe and the arm I54 as a unit until the cushion ring I66 engages the upper end of the outer sleeve I51 when further downward movement of the parts is halted and the skin-piercing operation completed. During the latter part of the skin-piercing operation, the downwardly bevelled portion I at the upper end of the lever I65 strikes the edge part I14 of the opening I16 in the upper part of the outer sleeve I51, whereby said lever is swung in a counter-clockwise direction about its pivot to remove the lever from its engagement with the arm part I69 thereby releasing the arm III) for downward movement under the action of the spring I58 and thereby to accomplish the liquid-injecting operation. The presser foot I11 being adjustably connected to the outer sleeve in the same manner as has been described hereinbeiore in connection with the presser foot of Fig. 1, no further description thereof is deemed necessary.

While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, but intend to claim my invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An operating attachment to project the needle and barrel of a hypodermic syringe in which the needle is attached to the barrel and to operate the plunger in the said barrel, said attachment comprising a barrel holding member, a plunger operating member on the holding member supported for movement with and relatively to said holding member and adapted to automatically project the needle and barrel as a unit and to separably operate said plunger, and fluid pressure controlled means for regulating the rate of movement of said members, thereby cushioning the shock attendant the skin piercing function of the needle and the injection of hypodermic fluid by the plunger.

2. An operating attachment to project the needle and barrel of a hypodermic syringe in III) which the needle is attached to the barrel and to operate the plunger in said barrel. said attachment comprising a plunger-operating mem- ,ber .adapted to reciprocate in an enclosed fluid containing space and to project the needle and barrel'as a unit and to separably operate said plunger. and means for controlling the fluid pressure in said space to regulate the rate of movement of said plunger operating member, therebyqcushioning the needle and plunger action.

3. In a separable attachment for a complete operative syringe having a barrel provided with an attached needle and having a plunger movable in said barrel, a barrel support adapted to be removably attached to said barrel, a second support for said barrel support, a plunger operating member adapted for movement with and independently of said barrel support, means for actuating saidbarrel support and plunger operating member relative to said second support, said plunger operating member comprising a piston and piston rod movable in a fluid containing enclosed space within said attachment, and means for controlling the fluid pressure in said enclosed space to regulate the rate of movement or said piston.

4. The attachment as in claim 3. wherein the enclosed space within which the piston and its rod are adapted to move is an air containing conduit within said barrel support, and the means for controlling pressure comprises valve means for regulating the air displacement of said piston.

5. The attachment as in claim 3, wherein the enclosed fluid containing space includes a pas- 7 means for controlling the rate of movement of said plunger operating member comprising a piston operable in said barrel support, a closable conduit leading from within said barrel support externally thereof, and a valve at the external end of said conduit for controlling the rate of air flow through said conduit.

7. In a hypodermic syringe combination, a barrel, a needle associated therewith, a plunger movable in said barrel, means for projecting said I needle into skin piercing operation, means for moving said plunger to inject hypodermic fluid, and means for gradually retarding the movement of said needle projecting and plunger operating means to absorb the shock attendant skin piercing and hypodermic injecting operation, said latter means comprising a valve regulable conduit for controlling air pressure and a yieldable rubber element in the path of movement of said needle projecting and plunger operating means.

8. An attachment for a complete operative syringe having a barrel provided with an attached needle and having a plunger movable in the barrel, comprising: a holding member for fixedly engaging said barrel, a base support, said holding member being slidably associated with said base support, a plunger operator adapted to be locked to said holding member and movable therewith as a unit and also arranged for sliding motion with respect thereto, a single spring means engaging said base support and engaging said plunger operator and being aaooeae of said spring means being spaced from the axis or the syringe to be held in said attachment.

10. The structure recited in claim 8, the axis of said spring means being spaced from the axis of the syringe adapted to be held by said attachment, said spring means consisting of a tension spring.-

IL'The structure recited in claim 8, the axi of said spring means being coaxial with the syringe adapted to be held by said attachment.

12. The structure recited in claim agsaid spring a means being coaxial with the syringe adapted to be held by said attachment, said spring means comprising a compression spring.

GUSTAVE L, KAYDEQ.

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