- a housing comprising
  - a first position means adapted to receive a reservoir for receiving liquid,
  - a second position means adapted to receive a cartridge containing a liquid,
- a unit unreleasably attached to the housing and providing a flow path when both the reservoir and the cartridge are received respectively by the first and second positions means,
- a venting unit providing access of gas to the cartridge during emptying of the cartridge, and at least a part of the venting unit is placed off the rotational centre (r_c) of the housing and is attached to a part. The invention is characterized in that this part can rotate relative to the housing and relative to the unit providing a flow path.

According to one embodiment of the invention the unit providing the flow path between the reservoir and the cartridge when they are at their positions comprises a needle having two pointy ends. The needle can be made of any kind of material which can penetrate the membranes protecting the access to respectively the cartridge and the reservoir, and the needle could be blunt at one end and pointed at the other end.

According to one embodiment of the invention the unit providing the flow path is placed along the rotational centre of the housing.

According to the above embodiment of the invention the unit is fastened unreleasably to or is a part of a wall in the housing which wall separates the first position means adapted to receive the reservoir from the second position means adapted to receive the cartridge.

According to one embodiment of the invention the part which can rotate relative to the housing is formed as a circular plate which periphery is in proximity of or in slidable contact with walls of the housing. E.g. the circular plate can move in a track formed in the walls of the housing. The formation of a “track” prevents the circular plate from moving in a direction parallel to the rotational axis r_cof the housing. Alternatively the periphery of the circular plate is provided with a track formed along the periphery which track corresponds to one or more protruding part(s) of the housing.

According to one embodiment of the invention the circular plate can be provided with a friction layer which friction layer prevents that the cartridge moves in relation to the cartridge i.e. when the cartridge is pushed into the fitted second position means of the filling device housing and the venting unit has penetrated to the inner room of the cartridge then the friction layer will reduce the risk of any displacement of the cartridge relative to the rotary part.

According to one embodiment of the invention the venting unit comprises a venting needle which venting needle provides access from outside the cartridge to the inner room of the cartridge. The venting unit (5) can further comprise a venting valve (5b) which venting valve (5b) provides a one-way passage of clean gas into a room wherefrom the venting needle (5a) is provided with clean gas. “Clean gas” is considered to be gas of a quality as defined as necessary by the user or by the manufacturer of the device. It can be sterile gas but might be gas of a more inferior quality. Normally the gas will be atmospheric air.

According to this embodiment the venting needle is attached to the rotary part providing a flow path for clean gas from one side of the rotary part to the other and the venting valve can be attached to the open end of the venting needle pointing away from the cartridge. Alternatively the venting valve can be attached to a wall of the housing proving access of clean gas from outside wall of the housing to the inside of the wall of the housing.

The invention also relates to a kit combining a cartridge filling device according to any of the claims1-11 and a cartridge containing liquid which filling device can be either for single use and thereby permanently joined to the cartridge or for multiple use and thereby can be connected and disconnected to the cartridge.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein two preferred embodiments of the invention are shown.

FIG. 1 shows a cut-through view of a filling device housing where a reservoir to be filled is half-way in position and a cartridge containing liquid is also half-way in position;

FIG. 2 shows a cut-through view of a filling device housing where the venting valve is placed away from the venting needle.

The embodiment of the reservoir filling device ofFIG. 1 is shown in a state where liquid cannot be transferred from the liquid containing cartridge3 to the reservoir. The embodiment of the filling device comprises a housing1 having cylindrical outer walls and a separatingwall8 dividing the housing into two positions, a first position for thereservoir2 to be filled and a second position for the cartridge3 to be emptied. Each position is either provided by the walls of the housing1 thereby providing a close fit for the device to be placed there or is provided with guiding means assuring a well-defined final position of the device to be placed. In the most simple form both or one of the positions only comprise a central portion in form of the separatingwall8 having no outer walls. The positions including the guiding means are referred to as position means.

The embodiment of the filling device further comprises afilling needle4 which filingneedle4 provides a flow path for liquid flowing from the cartridge3 to thereservoir2. Both the cartridge3 and the reservoir are in the embodiments ofFIG. 1 each provided with a

membrane

6 and10 which have to be penetrated by thefilling needle4 in order to create a flow path between the two units. The fillingneedle4 is unreleasably attached to the separatingwalls8 and kept in a stationary position relative to the housing1 along the central axis of the housing1.

The filling device is also provided with arotary part7 which according to this embodiment is formed as a turntable provided with a folding at the periphery. The folding provides a contact surface which can slide along the inner surface of the housing1 wall. Therotary part7 can rotate around the fillingneedle4 which according to this embodiment is stationary relative to the housing1.

Therotary part7 is prevented from moving in the longitudinal direction by one or moreprotruding parts12 preventing therotary part7 from moving towards the cartridge and theseparating wall8 preventing therotary part7 from moving towards thereservoir2.

Gas can pass from one side of the rotary part to the other through theventing needle5 which according to this embodiment is constructed of a penetratingmember5aand avalve member5bwhich two parts are joined. The penetratingmember5ais unreleasably attached to therotary part7 and provides a flow path for gas through therotary part7 and into the cleaninner room11 of the cartridge3. The penetratingmember5awill normally be provided with a pointed end towards the cartridge in order for it to be able to cut through themembrane layer6 protecting the entrance of the cartridge3.

Theventing valve5bis attached to the open end of the penetratingmember5aturned towards thereservoir2 and thevalve5ballows for gas/air to pass from the room between therotary part7 and theseparating wall8 into theinner room11 of the cartridge3 when thepenetrating member5ahas penetrated themembrane6 and been inserted into this room. Thevalve5bprevents micro organisms from accessing the cleaninner room11 of the cartridge3.

Therotary part7 is according to this embodiment provided with one or more friction layers9 on the side turned toward the cartridge3. The friction layers9 correspond tocontact surfaces13 on the cartridge3 and when the friction layers9 and the contact surfaces make contact the two units are “locked” relative to each other and move together.

FIG. 1 also shows thereservoir2 when this is pushed half-way into the position of the housing1, in this half-way position thefilling needle4 does not penetrate the septum ormembrane10 which is protecting the entrance of thereservoir2. Thereservoir2 according to this embodiment is also provided with an illustrative piston with which liquid has been pushed out of thereservoir2 during use and emptying of thereservoir2. When filling the reservoir with liquid from the cartridge3 thepiston14 is pulled back causing a reduced pressure in thereservoir2 and this reduced pressure will transport liquid contained in the cartridge via the flow path provided by thefilling needle4 into thereservoir2. The removal of liquid from thecartridge2, which is a closed container with rigid walls, will reduce the pressure in the cartridge3 and if air or other gas is not let into the inner room of the cartridge3 then it will be necessary to assure that thepiston14 seal tightly toward the inner walls of thereservoir2 in order to be able to provide a reduced pressure which can overcome the low pressure in the cartridge3.

Instead of increasing the quality of thereservoir piston2 it can be more convenient to prevent the pressure inside the cartridge3 to drop to low and this can be done e.g. as suggested according to the present embodiment of the filling device by letting air or other gas into the cartridge through theventing needle5.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of a filling device according to the present invention. According to this embodiment the penetratingmember5aand the ventingvalve5bare separated from each other. The ventingvalve5atransfers gas or air from the outside of the housing1 into theclean room11 between therotary part7 and the separatingwall8. According to this embodiment therotary part7 must provide an airtight seal against the walls of the housing1. The penetratingmember5ahas a blunt end turned toward thereservoir2 and a pointed end turned toward the membrane of the cartridge3. When the cartridge3 is pushed into position the penetratingmember5awill penetrate themembrane6 and provide a flow path for clean gas/air between theclean room11 formed between therotary part7 and the separatingwall8 and the innerclean room11 of the cartridge3. Gas will flow through this flow path when the pressure is reduced in thereservoir2 as thepiston14 is pulled back.

As in the embodiment ofFIG. 1 the fillingneedle4 is provided with two pointed ends respectively penetrating themembrane6 of the cartridge3 and themembrane10 of thereservoir2 when these two devices are pushed into each their position.

The housing1 of the filling device according to the present invention need not be cylindrical or have a round profile but it should be able to provide a close fit between therotary part7 and the inner surface of the housing1 especially according to the embodiment ofFIG. 2 where it is necessary to have clean atmosphere in the room between therotary part7 and the separatingwalls8. If the inner surface of the housing at this position is not round it could be provided with a round track e.g. formed in a protruding part of the inner surface of the walls of the housing1.

The liquid contained in the cartridge will often be a kind of medication which advantageously can be continuously administrated to a patient. This medication could e.g. be insulin which can be continuously administered to patients with diabetes. In this case the cartridge3 could be a glass ampoule containing an apportioned amount of insulin.