US20220305196A1 - System For Syringe Engagement To An Injector - Google Patents

Abstract

An injector system for injecting fluid includes a syringe and an injector. The syringe includes a body and a plunger movably disposed within the body. The plunger has at least one flexible leg extending toward the rearward end of the body. The injector has a housing with a front plate, a drive member at least partially disposed within the housing and operable to engage the plunger, and a syringe release assembly operable to release the syringe. The syringe assembly includes a syringe release gear that forms an enclosure for receiving the syringe when the syringe is fully seated within the housing and a plunger release tube surrounding at least a portion of the drive member. The plunger release tube has a first end rotationally engaged with the syringe release gear. Rotation of the syringe release assembly releases the at least one flexible leg from the drive member.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a Divisional Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/404,272, filed Aug. 17, 2021, which is a Continuation Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/073,574, filed Oct. 19, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,103,637, which is a Divisional Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/126,598, filed Sep. 16, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,806,852, which is a 371 Application of International Application No. PCT/US2015/21171, filed Mar. 18, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/955,527, filed Mar. 19, 2014 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/970,018, filed on Mar. 25, 2014, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUNDField
• This application relates to medical injectors and syringes, syringe interfaces, and syringe plungers for use therewith. More particularly, the present application relates to front-loading medical injectors and syringes, syringe interfaces, and syringe plungers for use with new or existing medical injectors such that the syringe is mountable upon and removable from the injectors by a syringe latch.
Description of Related Art
• Medical injectors and syringes for injecting contrast media into a patient for imaging biological structures are known in the art. For example, with reference toFIG. 1, aconventional injector apparatus10 for injecting a liquid contrast media into a vascular system of an animal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,858, which is incorporated herein by reference. Thisinjector apparatus10 has a front-loading construction. The apparatus ofFIG. 1 utilizes asyringe12 capable of being front-loaded into amounting assembly14 associated with afront wall16 of a housing18 of aninjector20 by a firstreleasable mechanism22. Thesyringe12 is capable of functioning in an injection operation without the use of a pressure jacket (although the syringe may be used in an injector with a pressure jacket).
• With continued reference toFIG. 1, themounting assembly14 is provided with an essentiallycylindrical interface26 for receiving a rearward end of thesyringe12. Theinterface26 includes anannular surface28, which may be cylindrical or conically tapered. Theannular surface28 includes a distal ledge, which is engaged bytabs30 on the rearward end of thesyringe12. Thesyringe12 is inserted into thecylindrical interface26 until thetabs30 engage the distal ledge to secure thesyringe12 to theinjector20.
• Thesyringe12 comprises an elongated main tubular body orbarrel32 and a coaxialdischarge injection section34, interconnected by an intermediateconical portion36. Aplunger38 is slidably positioned within thetubular body32 and is connectable to a secondreleasable mechanism40 on a piston42 in the injector housing18. The secondreleasable mechanism40 is formed in part by theplunger38 and in part by the piston42.
• The piston42 andplunger38 cooperate to eject fluid contained within thesyringe12 in a desired quantity and at a desired rate. The secondreleasable mechanism40 is designed to facilitate axial movement of theplunger38 in either direction when actuated. The secondreleasable mechanism40 is also designed to engage or disengage theplunger38 from the piston42 no matter where theplunger38 sits intubular body32.
• In operation, thesyringe12 is mounted by inserting thesyringe12 into theinterface26 in themounting assembly14. Thetabs30 initially move past theannular surface28 where they engage the distal ledge to securely hold thesyringe12 to themounting assembly14. Themounting assembly14 further includes a forwardly projecting annular ring orcollar44, which functions to assure perpendicular engagement between theplunger38 and piston42. As explained above, the forwardly projecting annular ring orcollar44 also functions as a seal between a resilientannular sealing flange46 on thesyringe12 and themounting assembly14.
• The resilientannular sealing flange46 surrounds thetubular body32 of thesyringe12 and is disposed forward of the tabs30 a preselected distance essentially equal to a width of theannular surface28. Thus, when thesyringe12 is inserted into theinterface26 in themounting assembly14 until thesealing flange46 engages theannular ring44, theannular ring44 andflange46 create a seal between thesyringe12 and themounting assembly14.
• With further reference toFIG. 1, the apparatus also includes a system for transmitting syringe information from thesyringe12 to aninjector controller51. Thesyringe12 is provided with anencoding device48 forward of thetabs30 but rearward of theflange46. When attaching thesyringe12 to themounting assembly14, if thesyringe12 is rotated after thetabs30 engage the distal ledge, asensor50 is provided in theannular surface28 to read theencoding device48. Thesensor50 then forwards the associated signals to theinjector controller51, which interprets the signals and modifies the function of theinjector20 accordingly. Examples of the information which could be encoded on theencoding device48 include dimensions of thesyringe12, volume of thesyringe12, content of the syringe12 (in the case of a pre-filled syringe), manufacturing information such as lot numbers, dates and tool cavity number, recommended contrast media flow rates and pressures, and loading/injection sequences.
• As an alternative to theencoding device48 being a bar code, theencoding device48 also could include machine-readable raised or recessed surfaces. In addition, thetubular body32 of thesyringe12 also may be provided with an indicatingmechanism52 for readily detecting the presence or absence of a liquid contrast media in thesyringe12. In this instance, the indicatingmechanism52 includes a plurality of integrally molded, textured dots on thesyringe12, which provide a visual indication of whether thesyringe12 contains liquid or air.
• Accordingly, while the above injector and syringe apparatus have proven effective, the engagement reliability of themounting assembly14 discussed hereinabove was found to be insufficient. Accordingly, a need has arisen for a more reliable syringe/injector engagement interface.
SUMMARY
• According to one aspect of the device of the present disclosure, provided is an injector system for injecting fluid that includes a syringe and an injector. The syringe includes: a body comprising a rearward end and a forward end; a plunger movably disposed within the body; at least one syringe drive paw positioned toward the rearward end of the body; and a syringe engagement flange positioned toward the rearward end of the body and extending around a circumference of the body. The injector includes: a housing having a front plate defining a syringe-receiving opening therein and a drive member at least partially disposed within the housing and operable to engage the plunger disposed within the syringe. The syringe latch has a plurality of latch members extending toward a center of the syringe-receiving opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position when a force is applied thereto and from the open position to the closed position when the force is removed therefrom. The syringe engagement flange pushes against the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch to open the syringe latch as axial rearward motion is applied to the syringe relative to the syringe latch and the plurality of latch members return to the closed position to retain the syringe within the opening of the housing when the syringe is fully seated within the housing.
• The injector may further include a syringe release gear that forms an enclosure for receiving the syringe when the syringe is fully seated within the housing. The syringe release gear may be mounted to a rear side of the front plate by at least one syringe release cam pin. The syringe release gear may also include an opening formed therein that is aligned with the syringe-receiving opening of the front plate. The opening in the syringe release gear may include a plurality of teeth formed around a circumference thereof. In addition, the syringe drive paw may be configured to engage the plurality of teeth of the opening of the syringe release gear.
• The syringe may be disengaged from the injector after completion of an injection procedure by rotating the syringe. This causes rotation of the syringe release gear via the engagement between the syringe drive paw and the plurality of teeth of the syringe release gear. The plurality of latch members of the syringe latch are thereby forced into the open position which allows a user to remove the syringe from the housing of the injector. The syringe desirably includes two syringe drive paws that are positioned toward the rearward end of the body located 180° degrees apart.
• The syringe latch may include two latch members, three latch members, or any other suitable number of latch members. Each of the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch may include a first portion and an arc-shaped second portion extending from the first portion. The arc-shaped second portion, when viewed in cross-section, may include a sloping face. The syringe latch may be manufactured from a polymeric material.
• According to another aspect of the present disclosure, also provided is a method for engaging a syringe with an injector. The method includes: providing a syringe having a body with a rearward end and a forward end, a plunger movably disposed within the body, a syringe drive paw positioned toward the rearward end of the body, and a syringe engagement flange positioned toward the rearward end of the body and extending around a circumference of the body; providing an injector that includes a housing having a front plate defining a syringe-receiving opening therein, a drive member at least partially disposed within the housing and operable to engage the plunger disposed within the syringe; and a syringe latch mounted to a front side of the front plate and comprising a plurality of latch members extending toward a center of the syringe-receiving opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position when a force is applied thereto and from the open position to the closed position when the force is removed therefrom; applying axial rearward motion to the syringe relative to the syringe latch such that the syringe engagement flange pushes against the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch to open the syringe latch; and returning the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch to the closed position to retain the syringe within the opening of the housing when the syringe is fully seated within the housing.
• According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an injector system for injecting fluid may include a syringe having a body comprising a rearward end and a forward end, and a plunger movably disposed within the body, the plunger having at least one flexible leg extending toward the rearward end of the body. The injector system may further include an injector having
• a housing having a front plate defining a syringe-receiving opening therein, a drive member at least partially disposed within the housing and operable to engage the plunger disposed within the syringe and releasably connect the at least one flexible leg to at least a portion of the drive member, a syringe release gear that forms an enclosure for receiving the syringe when the syringe is fully seated within the housing, the syringe release gear mounted to a rear side of the front plate, and a plunger release tube surrounding at least a portion of the drive member, the plunger release tube having a first end rotationally engaged with the syringe release gear. Rotation of the syringe release gear may rotate and axially move the plunger release tube relative to the drive member to engage the at least one flexible leg and release the at least one flexible leg from the drive member.
• According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the syringe release gear may be mounted to a rear side of the front plate by at least one syringe release cam pin. The syringe release cam pin may extend through the front plate. The syringe release gear may include an opening formed therein that is aligned with the syringe-receiving opening of the front plate. The opening in the syringe release gear may include a plurality of teeth formed around a circumference thereof. At least one syringe drive paw may be positioned toward the rearward end of the body and a syringe engagement flange may be positioned toward the rearward end of the body and extending around a circumference of the body. The injector may further include a syringe latch mounted to a front side of the front plate, the syringe latch comprising a plurality of latch members extending toward a center of the syringe-receiving opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position when a force is applied thereto and from the open position to the closed position when the force is removed therefrom, The syringe engagement flange may push against the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch to open the syringe latch as axial rearward motion is applied to the syringe relative to the syringe latch and the plurality of latch members return to the closed position to retain the syringe within the opening of the housing when the syringe is fully seated within the housing. The syringe drive paw may be configured to engage a plurality of teeth formed on the syringe release gear. The syringe may be disengaged from the injector after completion of an injection procedure by rotating the syringe, which causes rotation of the syringe release gear via the engagement between the syringe drive paw and a plurality of teeth of the syringe release gear, thereby forcing the plurality of latch members into the open position and allowing a user to remove the syringe from the housing of the injector. Each of the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch may include a first portion and an arc-shaped second portion extending from first portion. The arc-shaped portion may include a slot formed therein. The syringe may include two syringe drive paws positioned toward the rearward end of the body and located 180° degrees apart.
• According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a front-loading medical injector system may include a syringe having a body comprising a rearward end and a frontward end, and a plunger movably disposed within the body, the plunger having at least one flexible leg extending toward the rearward end of the body. The injector system may further include an injector having a housing having a front plate defining a syringe-receiving opening therein, a drive member at least partially disposed within the housing and operable to engage the plunger disposed within the syringe and releasably connect the at least one flexible leg to at least a portion of the drive member, and a syringe release assembly operable to release the syringe. Rotation of the syringe release assembly may release the at least one flexible leg from the drive member. The syringe release assembly may include a syringe release gear that forms an enclosure for receiving the syringe when the syringe is fully seated within the housing, the syringe release gear mounted to a rear side of the front plate, and a plunger release tube surrounding at least a portion of the drive member, the plunger release tube having a first end rotationally engaged with the syringe release gear. Rotation of the syringe release gear may rotate and axially move the plunger release tube relative to the drive member to engage the at least one flexible leg and release the at least one flexible leg from the drive member. The injector may further include a syringe latch mounted to a front side of the front plate for securing the syringe to the injector. The syringe latch may have a plurality of latch members extending toward a center of the syringe-receiving opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position when a force is applied thereto and from the open position to the closed position when the force is removed therefrom. At least one syringe drive paw may be positioned toward the rearward end of the body, and a syringe engagement flange may be positioned toward the rearward end of the body and extending around a circumference of the body. The syringe engagement flange may push against the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch to open the syringe latch as axial rearward motion is applied to the syringe relative to the syringe latch and the plurality of latch members return to the closed position to retain the syringe within the opening of the housing when the syringe is fully seated within the housing. Each of the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch may include a first portion and an arc-shaped second portion extending from first portion.
• These and other features and characteristics of the device of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structures and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the device of the present disclosure. As used in the specification and the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional injector system showing an injector housing and a syringe in a disassembled relationship;
• FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an injector system in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure showing the syringe and the injector housing in a partially disassembled relationship;
• FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the syringe latch in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure for connecting the syringe to the injector housing;
• FIGS. 4A-4E are cross-sectional views of a portion of the injector system ofFIG. 2 illustrating the steps required for loading a syringe into the injector housing;
• FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the injector system ofFIG. 2 showing the syringe and the injector housing in the assembled state;
• FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the injector system ofFIG. 2 taken along line B-B;
• FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the injector system ofFIG. 2 taken along line A-A;
• FIGS. 8A-8D are cross-sectional views of a portion of the injector system ofFIG. 5 illustrating the steps required for unloading a syringe from the injector housing;
• FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an injector in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the disclosure;
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the injector ofFIG. 9 having the faceplate removed such that an alternative embodiment of the syringe latch is visible;
• FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the injector ofFIG. 10 with syringes attached thereto;
• FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the injector ofFIG. 9 with syringes attached thereto;
• FIG. 13 is a side view of a syringe configured to be used with the injector ofFIG. 9; and
• FIG. 14 are front views of the syringe latch of the injector ofFIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “lateral”, “longitudinal”, and derivatives thereof, shall relate to the device of the present disclosure as it is oriented in the drawing figures. However, it is to be understood that the device of the present disclosure may assume various alternative variations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the device of the present disclosure. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting.
• With reference toFIG. 2, aninjector system100 for injecting a liquid contrast media into a vascular system of an animal is provided. Theinjector system100 has a front-loading construction. The system ofFIG. 2 utilizes asyringe102 capable of being front-loaded into a mountingassembly104 associated with afront plate106 of a housing (not shown) of aninjector108 by a firstreleasable mechanism22. Thesyringe102 is capable of functioning in an injection operation without the use of a pressure jacket (although the syringe may be used in an injector with a pressure jacket).
• Thesyringe102 includes an elongated main tubular body orbarrel110 and a coaxialdischarge injection section112 interconnected by an intermediateconical portion114. Aplunger116 is slidably positioned within thetubular body110 and includes at least one plunger connectflex leg118 that is connectable to a piston/plunger interface120 on apiston122 of theinjector108. Theplunger116 also includes aplunger sense interrupter123 extending from a central portion thereof in the direction of the at least oneflex leg118. Theplunger sense interrupter123 is configured to interrupt a light path produced by anIR transmitter140 andIR receiver142 through afiber optic cable144 extending along the length of thepiston122, thereby providing a signal to an injector controller (not shown) that thesyringe102 is fully seated within theinjector108. An alternative embodiment of theplunger sense interrupter123 determines the presence/absence of thesyringe102 without the use of a fiber optic cable.
• Thesyringe102 further includes asyringe engagement flange124 positioned toward the rearward end of thebody110 and extending around a circumference of thebody110. When viewed in cross-section, thesyringe engagement flange124 includes asloping section126, ashoulder section128 extending from the slopingsection126 that is essentially perpendicular to an exterior surface of thebody110 of thesyringe102, and anengagement section130 extending from theshoulder section128. Theengagement section130 is configured to engage a plurality ofteeth132 of anopening134 of asyringe release gear136 of theinjector108 as discussed in greater detail hereinafter in relation toFIG. 6.
• Since thesyringe102 is being used in this embodiment without a pressure jacket, for strength and visibility of the contents of thesyringe102, thesyringe102 may be formed of a clear PET polyester material. In the alternative, the wall of thesyringe102 may be formed of polypropylene reinforced by providing a series of annular ribs on thetubular body110 of thesyringe102 in a longitudinally spaced relationship. In addition, thesyringe102 desirably includes an encoding device for providing information regarding thesyringe102 to theinjector108 an indicating mechanism for readily detecting the presence or absence of a liquid contrast media in thesyringe102 similar to the encoding device and indicating mechanism ofsyringe12 discussed hereinabove.
• With continued reference toFIG. 1, the injector includes a housing (not shown) having thefront plate106 defining a syringe-receivingopening138 therein. Thepiston122 is positioned within the housing and is configured to extending into and out of the syringe-receivingopening138 under the power of adrive mechanism146. Thepiston122 includes the piston/plunger interface120 at an end thereof that is operable to interact with the at least oneflex leg118 of theplunger116 to engage theplunger116 disposed within thesyringe102.
• With reference toFIG. 3 and with continuing reference toFIG. 2, theinjector108 also includes asyringe latch148 mounted to a front side of thefront plate106 by anysuitable fastening device150 for maintaining the syringe in the seated position within theinjector108. Thesyringe latch148 comprises a substantially oval shapedbody member152 and a plurality oflatch members154 extending toward a center C of thebody member152. In the embodiment of thesyringe latch148 illustrated inFIG. 3, twolatch members154 are included. Thesyringe latch148 is desirably manufactured from a resilient, polymeric material such that thelatch members154 are configured to move from a closed position to an open position when a force is applied thereto and from the open position to the closed position when the force is removed therefrom.
• Each of the plurality oflatch members154 of thesyringe latch148 includes afirst portion156 extending from thebody member152 and an arc-shapedsecond portion158 extending from thefirst portion156 and configured to engage thesyringe engagement flange124 of thesyringe102. The arc-shapedsecond portion158, when viewed in cross-section, may include a sloping face160 (seeFIGS. 4A-4E) that engages with thesloping section126 of thesyringe engagement flange124 to force thesyringe latch148 into the open position.
• With continued reference toFIG. 2, theinjector108 also includes thesyringe release gear136 that forms anenclosure162 for receiving thesyringe102 when thesyringe102 is fully seated within the injector housing. Thesyringe release gear136 is mounted to a rear side of thefront plate106 by at least one syringerelease cam pin164. The syringerelease cam pin164 is configured to be connected to thesyringe release gear136 and extend through thefront plate106 of theinjector108 into aslot166 in the arc-shapedsecond portion158 of thelatch members154 of thesyringe latch148.
• With reference toFIG. 7 and with continued reference toFIG. 2, thepiston122 is surrounded by aplunger release tube168. Theplunger release tube168 has a first end that is rotationally engaged with thesyringe release gear136 such that rotation of thesyringe release gear136 causes rotation of theplunger release tube168.
• The process for engaging asyringe102 with theinjector108 to form aninjector system100 is illustrated inFIGS. 4A-4E. This process allows for syringe engagement with aninjector108 that provides a syringe engagement adapted to releasably engage thesyringe102 with theinjector108 regardless of the rotational orientation of thesyringe102 with respect to theinjector108. The syringe engagement uses theflex legs118 attached to the back side of theplunger116 of thesyringe102 and a corresponding feature on thepiston122 of aninjector108 that provides axial engagement that does not require any specific rotational orientation of thesyringe102 to releasably engage with theinjector108. Additionally, a feature (i.e., the syringe engagement flange124) is provided on the outside surface of the rear portion of thetubular body110 to transfer rotational movement of the syringe into a release mechanism (i.e., the syringe release gear136) implemented in theinjector108 releasing both thesyringe102 and theplunger116 regardless of the axial position of the engagedsyringe plunger116.
• The first step in the process for engaging thesyringe102 with theinjector108 is shown inFIG. 4A in which thesyringe102 is positioned axially with the syringe-receivingopening134 of thefront plate106 of theinjector108 and is moved axially along thepiston122 into theenclosure162 formed by thesyringe release gear136 in the direction of arrow A₁. With reference toFIG. 4B, as thesyringe102 is inserted, the slopingsection126 of thesyringe engagement flange124 engages thesloping face160 of the arc-shapedsecond section158 of thelatch members154 of thesyringe latch148 and pushes thesyringe latch148. In addition, with reference toFIGS. 4C and 4D, as thesyringe102 is inserted, the sloped surface of the piston/plunger interface120 flexes the at least oneflex leg118 of theplunger116 open. With reference toFIG. 4E, continual movement of thesyringe102 in the direction of arrow A₁causes thesyringe102 to be fully seated within theenclosure162 formed by thesyringe release gear136. When the body of thesyringe102 is fully seated within theenclosure162 formed by thesyringe release gear136, the following items occur: first, theengagement section130 of thesyringe engagement flange124 engages theteeth132 of thesyringe release gear136. In addition, thesyringe engagement flange124 moves beyond the arc-shapedsecond portion158 of thelatch members154 of thesyringe latch148, thereby closing thesyringe latch148 to retain thesyringe102. Desirably, when thesyringe latch148 returns to the closed position, it provides an audible “click” to indicate to the operator that thesyringe102 has been installed on theinjector108. Furthermore, theflex legs118 on theplunger116 flex closed engaging the piston/plunger interface120. Finally, theplunger sense interrupter123 of theplunger116 interrupts the light path produced by anIR transmitter140 andIR receiver142 through afiber optic cable144 extending along the length of thepiston122, thereby providing a signal to an injector controller (not shown) that thesyringe102 is fully seated within theinjector108.
• Removal of thesyringe102 from theinjector108 upon the completion of an injection procedure requires that thesyringe102 be rotated, as described below. This operation is illustrated in and described by reference toFIGS. 8A-8D.
• With reference toFIG. 8A andFIG. 8B, the rotation of thesyringe102 causes rotation of thesyringe release gear136 via the engagement between theengagement section130 of thesyringe engagement flange124 and the plurality ofteeth132 of thesyringe release gear136 as shown inFIG. 6. This rotation, in turn, causes rotation of the syringe release cam pins164 along theslots166 provided in thelatch members154 of thesyringe latch148 as shown inFIG. 8C. Thelatch members154 of thesyringe latch148 are thereby forced into the open position.
• As also shown inFIG. 8C, the rotation of thesyringe release gear136 also rotates theplunger release tube168 about thepiston122 since theplunger release tube168 is coupled to thesyringe release gear136 as described hereinabove. The rotation of theplunger release tube168 about thepiston122 causes a cam action at a release cam surface170 (seeFIGS. 1 and 5) causing an axial extension of theplunger release tube168 towards the syringe-receivingopening134 of thefront plate106. The axial extension of theplunger release tube168 forces the at least oneflex leg118 of theplunger116 to flex open to release the piston/plunger interface122.
• At this point, a user can remove thesyringe102 from the housing of theinjector108. Once thesyringe102 is removed, thesyringe release gear136 returns to original position allowing thesyringe latch148 to return to the closed position and theplunger release tube168 to drop down as shown inFIG. 8D.
• While thesyringe latch148 discussed hereinabove includes two latch members, this is not to be construed as limiting the disclosure as any suitable number of latch members may be utilized. For instance, with reference toFIGS. 9-14, the injector may be embodied as a dualsyringe injector system200 that includes a pair ofsyringes202a,202band aninjector204. As shown inFIGS. 10 and 11, theinjector204 utilizes asyringe latch206a,206bfor each of thesyringes202a,202bthat includes threelatch members208 for engaging thesyringe202a,202bwithin theinjector204. In addition, rather than having thelatch members208 connected to a body member as with thesyringe latch148 discussed hereinabove, each of thelatch members208 is independent and utilizes a spring return210 (seeFIG. 14).
• More specifically, with reference toFIGS. 13 and 14, asyringe202a,202bfor use withinjector204 includes abody212 comprising arearward end214 and aforward end216; a plunger (not shown) movably disposed within thebody212; and at least onesyringe drive paw218 positioned toward therearward end214 of thebody212. Desirably, thesyringe202a,202bincludes a pair ofsyringe drive paws218 at therearward end214 of thebody212 located 180° apart. Thesyringe202a,202balso includes asyringe engagement flange220 positioned toward therearward end214 of thebody212 and extending around a circumference of thebody212.
• Theinjector204 includes a pair of syringe latches206a,206bmounted to a front side of the front plate thereof. Each of the syringe latches206a,206bcomprises a plurality oflatch members208 extending toward a center of the syringe-receivingopening222 and configured to move from a closed position to an open position when a force is applied thereto and from the open position to the closed position when the force is removed therefrom. Thesyringe engagement flange220 pushes against the plurality oflatch members208 of thesyringe latch206a,206bto open thesyringe latch206a,206bas axial rearward motion is applied to thesyringe202a,202brelative to thesyringe latch206a,206band the plurality oflatch members208 return to the closed position to retain thesyringe202a,202bwithin theopening222 of theinjector204 when thesyringe202a,202bis fully seated within theinjector204.
• Thesyringe202a,202bmay be disengaged from theinjector204 after completion of an injection procedure by rotating thesyringe202a,202b. This causes rotation of asyringe release gear224 via the engagement between the syringe drivepaws218 and a plurality of teeth of thesyringe release gear224. The rotation of thesyringe release gear224 activates the spring returns210, which force thelatch members208 of thesyringe latch206a,206binto the open position, thereby allowing a user to remove thesyringe202a,202bfrom theinjector204.
• While specific embodiments of the device of the present disclosure have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the device of the present disclosure which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.

Claims (23)

We claim:

1. An injector system for injecting fluid, comprising:

a syringe, comprising:

a body comprising a rearward end and a forward end;

a plunger movably disposed within the body;

at least one syringe drive paw positioned toward the rearward end of the body; and

a syringe engagement flange positioned toward the rearward end of the body and extending around a circumference of the body; and

an injector, comprising:

a housing having a front plate defining a syringe-receiving opening therein and a drive member at least partially disposed within the housing and operable to engage the plunger disposed within the syringe; and

a syringe latch comprising a plurality of latch members extending toward a center of the syringe-receiving opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position when a force is applied thereto and from the open position to the closed position when the force is removed therefrom,

wherein the syringe engagement flange pushes against the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch to open the syringe latch as axial rearward motion is applied to the syringe relative to the syringe latch and the plurality of latch members return to the closed position to retain the syringe within the opening of the housing when the syringe is fully seated within the housing.

2. The injector system ofclaim 1, wherein the syringe latch comprises a substantially oval-shaped body member and the plurality of latch members extend toward a center of the body member.

3. The injector system ofclaim 1, wherein each of the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch comprise a first portion and an arc-shaped second portion extending from the first portion.

4. The injector system ofclaim 3, wherein the arc-shaped second portion, when viewed in cross-section, comprises a sloping face.

5. The injector system ofclaim 4, wherein the sloping face of the arc-shaped second portion engages with the syringe engagement flange to force the syringe latch into the open position.

6. The injector system ofclaim 1, wherein the syringe latch is manufactured from a polymeric material.

7. The injector system ofclaim 1, wherein the syringe latch comprises three latch members.

8. The injector system ofclaim 7, wherein the three latch members are evenly spaced around the center of the syringe-receiving opening.

9. The injector system ofclaim 1, wherein the injector further comprises a syringe release gear that forms an enclosure for receiving the syringe when the syringe is fully seated within the housing.

10. The injector system ofclaim 9, wherein the syringe release gear comprises an opening formed therein that is aligned with the syringe-receiving opening of the front plate.

11. The injector system ofclaim 10, wherein the opening in the syringe release gear comprises a plurality of teeth formed around a circumference thereof and the at least one syringe drive paw is configured to engage the plurality of teeth of the opening of the syringe release gear.

12. The injector system ofclaim 11, wherein the syringe is disengaged from the injector after completion of an injection procedure by rotating the syringe, thereby causing rotation of the syringe release gear via the engagement between the at least one syringe drive paw and the plurality of teeth of the syringe release gear such that the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch are forced into the open position which allows a user to remove the syringe from the housing of the injector.

13. An injector system for injecting a fluid, comprising:

a syringe, comprising:

an elongated tubular body comprising a rearward end and a forward end;

a plunger movably disposed within the tubular body, the plunger having at least one flexible leg extending toward the rearward end of the tubular body;

a syringe engagement flange positioned toward the rearward end of the tubular body and extending around a circumference of the tubular body, the syringe engagement flange comprising:

a sloping section; and

an engagement section adjoined with the sloping section;

a fluid injector, comprising:

a housing having a front plate defining a syringe-receiving opening therein and a drive member at least partially disposed within the housing and operable to engage the plunger disposed within the syringe; and

a syringe latch comprising a plurality of latch members extending toward a center of the syringe-receiving opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position when a force is applied thereto and from the open position to the closed position when the force is removed therefrom,

wherein the sloping section of the syringe engagement flange pushes against the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch to open the syringe latch as axial rearward motion is applied to the syringe relative to the syringe latch and the plurality of latch members return to the closed position to retain the syringe within the opening of the housing when the syringe is fully seated within the housing.

14. The injector system ofclaim 13, wherein the syringe latch comprises a substantially oval-shaped body member and the plurality of latch members extend toward a center of the body member.

15. The injector system ofclaim 13, wherein each of the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch comprise a first portion and an arc-shaped second portion extending from the first portion.

16. The injector system ofclaim 15, wherein the arc-shaped second portion, when viewed in cross-section, comprises a sloping face.

17. The injector system ofclaim 16, wherein the sloping face of the arc-shaped second portion engages with the sloping section of the syringe engagement flange to force the syringe latch into the open position.

18. The injector system ofclaim 13, wherein the syringe latch comprises three latch members.

19. The injector system ofclaim 18, wherein the three latch members are evenly spaced around the center of the syringe-receiving opening.

20. The injector system ofclaim 13, wherein the injector further comprises a syringe release gear that forms an enclosure for receiving the syringe when the syringe is fully seated within the housing.

21. The injector system ofclaim 20, wherein the syringe release gear comprises an opening formed therein that is aligned with the syringe-receiving opening of the front plate.

22. The injector system ofclaim 21, wherein the opening in the syringe release gear comprises a plurality of teeth formed around a circumference thereof and the engagement section of the syringe engagement flange is configured to engage the plurality of teeth of the opening of the syringe release gear.

23. The injector system ofclaim 22, wherein the syringe is disengaged from the injector after completion of an injection procedure by rotating the syringe, thereby causing rotation of the syringe release gear via the engagement between the engagement section and the plurality of teeth of the syringe release gear such that the plurality of latch members of the syringe latch are forced into the open position which allows a user to remove the syringe from the housing of the injector.

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