Needle magazine

Abstract

The system is a semi automatic needle magazine mounted on, or as a part of a medication delivery system. It comprises of a plurality of confinements each containing an injection needle. The needle magazine can be rotated in order to position one injection needle at the time in front of a cartridge located in the medication delivery system. Once the injection needle is located in front of the cartridge the needle magazine can be pushed towards the medication delivery system whereby the injection needle penetrates the septum of the cartridge.

1 . A needle magazine for storing and dispensing a plurality of needle assemblies for use on an injection device having a housing accommodating a cartridge containing medicine for a number of dosed injections and which needle magazine can be carried on said injection device, said needle magazine comprising: 
 a plurality of confinements each containing a needle assembly having a first distal end, which is sharpened for piercing the skin of the user and an opposite proximal end and a side wall there between, said confinements each having a first distal surface and an opposite proximal surface,    a shell connecting said confinements side by side, and    means for supporting each needle assembly in an upright position, having said first distal end pointing towards said first distal surface and said opposite proximal end pointing towards said opposite proximal surface,    Characterized in that 
 Said shell can be rotated in order to index said needle assemblies and to position one of said needle assemblies above said cartridge, and that  
 said shell can be activated for bringing said proximal end of said positioned needle assembly into contact with said cartridge, and said distal end of said needle assembly into a position where said distal end of said needle assembly is located outside said magazine, whereby said medicine can be injected.  
   
     
     
         2 . A needle magazine according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said shell connecting said confinement can be shifted between a first position where said needle assembly is fully confined inside said confinement and a second position in which said positioned needle assembly penetrates said distal surface and said proximal surface.  
     
     
         3 . A needle magazine according to  claim 2 , characterized in that said shell is shifted between said first position and said second position by moving said shell towards said injection device.  
     
     
         4 . A needle magazine according to  claim 3 , characterized in that said magazine has means locking said shell in said second position against the force of a spring, and that said means can be released whereby the shell travels back into said first position under influence of said spring.  
     
     
         5 . A needle magazine according to anyone of the claims  14 , characterized in that said means supporting said needle assemblies in an upright position is either connected to a hub located on said side wall of each needle assembly inside said confinement or supporting said hub from outside said confinement.  
     
     
         6 . A needle magazine according to  claim 5 , characterized in that said means for supporting said needle assemblies is a number of arms provided on said shell.  
     
     
         7 . A needle magazine according to  claim 6 , characterized in that said arms is made up from several parts connected together through a number of film-hinges allowing said arm to flex.  
     
     
         8 . A needle magazine according to  claim 5 , characterized in that said means for supporting said needle assemblies is a number of circular walls projecting from said shell.  
     
     
         9 . A needle magazine according to anyone of the claims  1 - 7 , characterized in that said confinements is a plurality of cavities each having the form of a circular segment, which segments together forms a full circle.  
     
     
         10 . A needle magazine according to anyone of the claims  1 - 8 , characterized in that each confinement is a bag, and that a plurality of such bags each containing one needle assembly is connected together.  
     
     
         11 . A needle magazine according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that said magazine has means preventing said shell from being rotated in one rotational direction.  
     
     
         12 . A needle magazine according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that said magazine has means preventing said shell from rotating more than approximately 360 degrees.