Medicinal syringe actuating device

Claim 2

A hypodermic syringe actuator for use with a conventional syringe having a case for fluid, a case flange at one end thereof, a fluid-expelling plunger, a hypodermic needle and a protective needle cap, the actuator comprising an elongate outer body, a front body opening, a rear body opening, an inner cylinder movable longitudinally in the outer body, a spring holder on said outer body, a bearing leg on said inner cylinder, a spring between the holder and the leg, the leg and holder being urged apart by the spring to springload said inner cylinder for motion longitudinally of said body toward the front opening; means releasably securing said inner cylinder in springloaded condition in said outer body, a syringe-receiving carrier removably lodged in said inner cylinder, means for latching said carrier to move with said inner cylinder, means for unlatching said carrier from said inner cylinder to move therein, retraction means biasing said carrier along said inner cylinder; syringereceiving means at one end of said carrier adapted to grip the syringe at its case flange, a syringe plunger actuator extending from the other end of said carrier, spring means biasing said plunger actuator toward said syringe-receiving means; a latch defeating means operable during elongate motion of the inner cylinder and carrier toward the forward body opening; means limiting motion of the carrier with respect to the inner cylinder, and means limiting motion of the inner cylinder with respect to the outer body.

Claim 3

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the means for latching the carrier to move with the inner cylinder comprises a compound leaf spring in the carrier, a latch portion at an end of the leaf spring, an aperture in the carrier, a first forward slot in the inner cylinder, said aperture and slot coinciding when the retraction means and the springloading means are activated.

Claim 4

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 further comprising a second inner cylinder slot forward of the first slot and axially aligned with the first slot, a trigger pivotably secured in the outer body, an externally operable trigger thrust disc, a trigger tang, and a trigger load spring biasing the trigger tang into latching engagement with the first and second inner cylinder slots, said tang being adapted to expel from slot engagement the latch portion of the compound leaf spring when thrust is withdrawn from the trigger thrust disc.

Claim 5

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said leaf spring extends from the latch portion to a forward bifurcated portion oriented at right angles to the latch portion and so adapted to contact the case flange of a syringe in the carrier.

Claim 6

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the syringe plunger actuator comprises a shaft in the carrier, a shaft plunger, spring, a latch plate in the carrier about the shaft, surfaces centrally of the plate defining a lock aperture adapted to bind the shaft agaiNst the pressure of the plunger spring when the latch plate is askew with respect to the shaft and to release the shaft when the plate is normal to the shaft, a spring loading said plate into skewed attitude, a tang on said plate, and an end on the outer body, said tang contacting said end upon forward motion of the inner cylinder and the carrier to change the attitude of the latch plate to normal of the shaft.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 further comprising a contact head on the shaft, and a cushion on the head.

Claim 8

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the carrier retraction means comprises an annular wall on the front end of the inner cylinder, a retraction spool with flanged ends, a spring on the spool bearing between the annular wall and a spool flange; said spool being hollow to surround a syringe held in the carrier, and a forward wall on the front end of the carrier adapted to be thrust upon by the spool when the carrier is unlatched from the cylinder.

Claim 9

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the inner cylinder comprises a longitudinal wall, a front annular wall, a flanged spool circumscribed by the annular wall, a spring between the annular wall and a spool flange, an open rear wall, a first front slot, a second front slot, a rear slot, all of said slots being longitudinally aligned in the longitudinal wall, a wall of the rear slot defining a stop surface for the latch portion of the carrier leaf spring, a rear slot extension unaligned with said slots but connected to the rear slot, and an inwardly extending boss adapted to align the carrier.

Claim 10

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the carrier comprises an elongate cylindrical wall, a rear end wall, a front end wall, an intermediate rear wall, an intermediate front wall, circumferential openings in the cylindrical wall between the front wall and the front intermediate wall adapted to receive the case flange of a hypodermic syringe, a flange retaining spring adjacent the front wall, a spring latch, a latch aperture, an elongate pair of spaced wall surfaces in the cylindrical wall defining a guide groove diametrically opposed to the latch aperture, said groove narrowing rearwardly of the carrier, a plunger actuator shaft journalled in the rear wall, an acuator spring, a shaft latch, a contact head on the shaft, and means for defeating the latch.

Claim 11

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said latch securing said plunger actuator in the bias-loaded position comprises a latch disc, central offset grippers in the disc, and a compression spring biasing the latch disc and grippers into latching position; and said latch defeating means comprises a contact wall on said outer body, and a latch disc tang adapted to engage the contact wall upon forward longitudinal motion of said carrier, said latch disc being urged into latching position by the compression spring to arrest the plunger actuator upon reversal of longitudinal motion of said carrier.

Claim 12

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a tubular flesh contact tip, means at the front opening of the outer body for releasably receiving the contact tip, a first contact surface on the contact tip defined in a plane normal to the axis of longitudinal motion of the inner cylinder, and a second contact surface on the tip opposite the first contact surface defined in a plane at an acute angle to said axis of longitudinal motion of the inner cylinder.

Claim 13

Apparatus in accordance with claim 11 wherein said means for receiving the contact tips comprises a hollow front nose on the outer body, a pair of diametrically opposed registry stops on the hollow nose, said registry stops being adapted to engage either contact surface of a flesh contact tip.

Claim 14

Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a second holder spaced from the spring holder, a spring retainer fixed between said holders, an inner cylinder wall, said bearing leg extending from said wall about said retainer and movable therealong and Said spring between the bearing leg and the holder being a compression spring.

Claim 15

Apparatus in accordance with claim 13 further comprising a spring retaining rod comprising said spring retainer, and a carrier cushion between said bearing leg and one of the holders.

Claim 16

A hypodermic syringe actuator for use with a conventional syringe having a fluid case, a case flange at one end thereof, a fluid-expelling plunger, a needle and a needle cap, the actuator comprising an elongate outer body, an open front end, an open rear end, a removable nose piece, a contact surface on the nose piece, means on the body for releasably receiving the nose piece, an inner cylinder movable longitudinally in the body, an elongate cylinder wall, an open rear end on the cylinder, an annular restrictive wall on the front of the cylinder, a retraction spool held movably in the cylinder and restrained by the annular wall, a spring urging the spool into the cylinder, first and second latch slots in the cylinder wall, a rearward aperture in the cylinder wall axially aligned with the first and second slots, an aperture extension off-axis from the slots and aperture, a boss extending inwardly from the cylinder wall; a carrier in the inner cylinder and removable therefrom, a syringe receptacle on the carrier, a syringe plunger actuator on the carrier, an actuator latch, means for defeating the actuator latch, a latch hood, a syringe retainer spring on the carrier, a latch aperture in the carrier wall, a carrier latch adapted to protrude into and through the aperture to latch in an inner cylinder slot, a cocking shaft protruding from the carrier; said carrier including a pair of spaced peripheral walls extending from the syringe receptacle rearwardly of the carrier; a cylinder impelling spring, means on the outer body retaining the impelling spring, a bearing leg on the inner cylinder thrust upon by the impelling spring to load the cylinder forward, an outer body trigger springloaded to latch in a forward inner cylinder slot, said trigger including an engaging tang and a thrust disc, a trigger spring between the tang and disc; said tang latching said inner cylinder in a first cocked position and releasing said cylinder with the carrier containing a syringe for insertion of the needle responsive to pressure on the trigger thrust disc; said tang repelling said carrier latch from a cylinder slot upon release of the trigger; and a disc shroud on the outer body adapted to preclude accidental thrust upon the trigger disc.

Claim 17

A hypodermic syringe actuator for use with a conventional syringe having a fluid case, a case flange at one end thereof, a fluid-expelling plunger, a needle and a needle cap, the actuator comprising an elongate outer body, an open front end, an open rear end, a removable nose piece, a contact surface on the nose piece, means on the body for releasably receiving the nose piece, an inner cylinder movable longitudinally in the body, an elongate cylinder wall, an open rear end on the cylinder, an annular restrictive wall on the front of the cylinder, a retraction spool held movably in the cylinder and restrained by the annular wall, a spring urging the spool into the cylinder, first and second latch slots in the cylinder wall, a rearward aperture in the cylinder wall axially aligned with the first and second slots, an aperture extension off-axis from the slots and aperture, a boss extending inwardly from the cylinder wall; a carrier in the inner cylinder and removable therefrom, a syringe receptacle on the carrier, a syringe plunger actuator on the carrier, an actuator latch, means for defeating the actuator latch, a latch hood, a syringe retainer spring on the carrier, a latch aperture in the carrier wall, a carrier latch adapted to protrude into and through the aperture to latch in an inner cylinder slot, a cocking shaft protruding from the carrier; said carrier including a pair of spaced peripheral walls extending from the syringe receptacle rearwardly of the carrier; a cylinder impelling spring, means on the outer body retaining the impelling spring, a bearing leg on the inner cylinder thrust upon by the impelling spring to load the cylinder forward, an outer body trigger springloaded to latch in a forward inner cylinder slot, said trigger including an engaging tang and a thrust disc, a trigger spring between the tang and disc; said tang latching said inner cylinder in a first cocked position and releasing said cylinder with the carrier containing a syringe for insertion of the needle responsive to pressure on the trigger thrust disc; said tang repelling said carrier latch from a cylinder slot upon release of the trigger; and a disc shroud on the outer body adapted to preclude accidental thrust upon the trigger disc.

Claim 18

Apparatus in accordance with claim 15 wherein said latch securing said plunger actuator in the bias-loaded position comprises a latch disc, central offset grippers in the disc, and a compression spring biasing the latch disc and the grippers into latching position; and said latch defeating means comprises a contact wall on said outer body, and a latch disc tang adapted to engage said contact wall upon forward longitudinal motion of said carrier, said latch disc being urged into latching position by said spring to arrest the plunger actuator upon reversal of longitudinal motion of said carrier by release of pressure upon the trigger thrust disc.