Rotating Selection Ring for Single-Use Pen Needle Magazine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medication pens face inefficiencies and inconveniences due to needle reuse, which can lead to patient pain, reduced needle tip strength, and sanitary concerns, as patients often reuse needles due to financial concerns and lack of access to supplies.
Innovation Solution
A needle assembly for medication pens that includes a housing with a spike to pierce the medication pen's reservoir septum, a communication septum for multiple needles, and a selection ring to expose one needle at a time for use, preventing reuse by maintaining sterility and ensuring each needle is used only once.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If patients reuse needles to reduce costs, then financial burden is reduced, but patient safety and hygiene are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The needle assembly is segmented into multiple individual needles (typically 5-10 needles per assembly) that are sequentially used. Each needle is isolated in its own sterile chamber until selected, allowing multiple needles to be contained in one assembly while maintaining individual sterility. This segmentation enables cost-effective multi-use assemblies while ensuring each needle remains safe and sterile until use.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sterile needles are pre-prepared and sealed in individual chambers within the needle assembly before use. The selection ring mechanism pre-identifies and prepares the next needle in sequence, so when a needle is used, the next sterile needle is already ready for immediate use. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for patients to manually handle or sterilize needles, ensuring safety while providing multiple doses.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple needles are provided in one assembly, then needle availability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual needles are merged into a single integrated needle assembly that attaches to the medication delivery pen as one unit. The assembly combines needle storage chambers, a selection ring mechanism, and a housing into a single component that replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate needle attachments. This merging provides multiple needles while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle assembly serves multiple functions: it stores multiple sterile needles, provides a selection mechanism for needle choice, maintains sterility for all needles, and interfaces with the medication delivery pen. The selection ring both identifies and mechanically advances the next needle, combining selection and advancement functions in one component. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a selection mechanism is added to choose needles, then needle selection capability is improved, but ease of operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The selection ring mechanism is designed to be operated by simply rotating the ring to the desired needle position, which then automatically advances the selected needle into the active position. The mechanism self-regulates to ensure only one needle is active at a time and automatically prepares the next needle in sequence. This self-service design allows patients to select needles without complex procedures while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive rotation.
Data Source
AI summary
An attachable needle assembly (2) for use on a medication delivery pen (4), the needle assembly (2) comprising a housing (10) enclosing a spike housing (8) configured to (a) engage the medication delivery pen (4), and (b) pierce a reservoir septum (6) of the medication delivery pen (4), a communication septum (72, 76) of the needle assembly (2) defining a septum chamber (80, 82), the septum chamber (80, 82) being in fluid communication with the spike housing (8), a plurality of needles (18) disposed in the communication septum (72, 76), a selection ring insert (30) that rotates and identifies a needle (24) of the plurality of needles (18), and a selection ring (36) exposes the selected needle (24) and moves the selected needle (24) into fluid communication with the septum chamber (80, 82), wherein when the housing (10) is in a first position, the plurality of needles (18) is not exposed, and when the housing (10) is in a second position, one of the plurality of needles (24) is in fluid communication with the septum chamber (80, 82) and exposed for medicament delivery.