Pen Needle Outer Cover Breakaway Flange Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pen needle assemblies require a separate inner shield and outer cover, with the outer cover often being too large to fit under the pen cap, necessitating additional manufacturing and increasing costs.
Innovation Solution
An outer cover with a breakaway flange that easily separates, featuring a reduced cross-sectional thickness, allowing it to fit within the pen cap, thus eliminating the need for a separate inner shield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If an outer cover with a flange is used to protect the needle assembly, then protection and handling are improved, but the outer cover becomes too large to fit under the pen cap
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is segmented from the outer cover body through a breakaway connection. The flange can be easily separated from the outer cover after serving its protective and handling function, allowing the outer cover to reduce to a smaller size that fits under the pen cap.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakaway connection creates a localized weak point in the flange-to-cover connection. This localized feature allows the flange to be easily separated from the outer cover body, transforming the overall size of the assembly after the flange is removed.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a separate inner shield and outer cover are used, then needle protection is improved, but the number of parts and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inner shield and outer cover are merged into a single integrated outer cover assembly. The breakaway flange design allows the outer cover to provide both the protective functions of the inner shield and outer cover while reducing the total number of separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer cover with breakaway flange serves multiple functions: it protects the needle during storage and handling (outer cover function), provides a gripping surface via the flange, and after flange separation, fits under the pen cap (inner shield function). This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate inner shield and outer cover components.
Data Source
AI summary
An outer needle cover for a pen needle assembly is provided with a breakaway flange. Prior to use, the flange is connected to a body of the outer cover. The flange has a reduced cross sectional thickness portion that facilitates separation of the flange from the outer cover, thereby reducing the outer diameter of the outer cover. The reduced outer diameter of the outer cover allows the outer cover to be received by a pen cap of an existing injector device.