Cartridge and medical delivery system accommodating such cartridge

Abstract

A cartridge having a distal end provided with a mechanical coding. The coding has the form of a circular protrusion where the circular outer diameter is dedicated a specific concentration of insulin contained in the cartridge. The distal end of the cartridge is fitted in to a circular contour in the housing. The outer diameter of the protrusion on the distal end of the cartridge is chosen as a larger diameter for a higher concentration of insulin. In this way only a cartridge containing the correct concentration or a lower concentration fits into a delivery system designed for a specific concentration of insulin.

1 . A cartridge that has a medication storing portion and that is suitable for use in a medication delivery device, the cartridge comprising: 
 a medicament that is available in a plurality of concentrations and is stored in the medication storing portion of the cartridge;    a mechanical coding selected from a plurality of possible mechanical codings and wherein each of the mechanical codings is indicative of a specific concentration of the medicament and wherein the mechanical coding prevents the cartridge from being accepted by a delivery device that is not designed and calibrated for the concentration of medicament in the cartridge and wherein each of the mechanical codings comprise circular protrusions and wherein the diameter of each protrusion is indicative of a concentration of the medicament.    
   
   
       2 . A cartridge according to  claim 1 , wherein the outer surface is generally cylindrical and the selected mechanical coding comprises a protrusion having a specific diameter and shape that allows the cartridge to be inserted and used only in specific medication delivery devices that are designed and calibrated for 100 IU per ml concentrations.  
   
   
       3 . A cartridge according to  claim 2 , wherein the medicament comprises an insulin.  
   
   
       4 .- 5 . (canceled)  
   
   
       6 . A cartridge according to  claim 1 , wherein the medicament is an insulin and wherein the mechanical codings are comprised of circular elements with various diameters and wherein the diameter size is indicative of insulin concentration.  
   
   
       7 . A cartridge according to  claim 6 , wherein the mechanical coding is on an adapter that is disposed on an outer cylindrical wall of the cartridge wherein the adapter is in the form of a sleeve that jackets at least the medicaton storing portion of the cartridge and wherein the mechanical coding has a circular section.  
   
   
       8 . A medication delivery system for delivering medication from a cartridge, the system comprising: 
 a medication delivery device that is calibrated and designed for a specific concentration of a medication and wherein the medication delivery device has a cartridge receiving portion with a shape and diameter so that the medication delivery device accepts only cartridges that use a specific mechanical coding that corresponds to the concentration for which the device is designed and calibrated;    a cartridge containing one of a plurality of different concentrations of medication;    a mechanical coding selected from a plurality of mechanical codings, the mechanical codings corresponding to the different concentrations, wherein the selected mechanical coding corresponds to the concentration that the medication delivery device was designed and calibrated for; and    wherein the selected mechanical coding allows the cartridge to be used only in a delivery device designed and calibrated for the concentration indicated by the selected mechanical coding, wherein the mechanical codings comprise protrusions having different diameter or different length L from a distal surface; and    wherein the selected mechanical coding comprises a continuous circular protrusion extending radially outward from a cylindrical portion of the cartridge and has a diameter with a predetermined value and a predetermined shape that allows it to fit into the cartridge receiving portion of the medication delivery device.    
   
   
       9 . The medication delivery system of  claim 8 , wherein the medication is insulin and the medication delivery system is an injection device and wherein at least one of the mechanical codings is indicative of 100 IU per ml insulin and wherein the medication delivery device is designed and calibrated for 100 IU per ml medications and wherein the cartridge receiving portion of the medication delivery device accepts cartridges having the mechanical coding thereby allowing only specific cartridges containing 100 IU per ml concentrations to be inserted and used with the medication delivery system.  
   
   
       10 . The medication delivery system of  claim 9  wherein at least one of the mechanical codings is indicative of an insulin having a concentration of something other than IU 100 insulin.  
   
   
       11 . (canceled)  
   
   
       12 . The medication delivery system of  claim 8 , wherein the mechanical codings are circular and have different diameters and wherein each diameter size corresponds to a specific concentration.  
   
   
       13 . A medication cartridge for use with a medication delivery device comprising: 
 a body having a cylindrical wall around a medication storing compartment;    a medication selected from a group of medications suitable for delivery with the medication delivery device and stored in the medication storing compartment; and    a mechanical coding for use with the cartridge; wherein the mechanical coding comprises a continuous protrusion having a circular cross section covering 360 degrees and extending radially with respect to the cylindrical wall;    wherein the mechanical coding indicative of the specific type of medication in the cartridge, and wherein the mechanical coding allows the cartridge to be used only in medications delivery devices that have been determined in advance to be suitable with the medication in the cartridge.    
   
   
       14 . (canceled)  
   
   
       15 . The medication cartridge of  claim 13 , wherein the specific type of medication is a 100 IU per ml concentration of medication.  
   
   
       16 . The medication cartridge of  claim 13 , wherein the mechanical coding is integral with the cylindrical wall of the cartridge.  
   
   
       17 . The medication cartridge of  claim 13 , wherein the mechanical coding is located a distance L from a distal end of the cartridge so that the mechanical coding is located between a distal and a proximal end of the cartridge body and wherein the coding has a diameter D that is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical wall of the body.  
   
   
       18 . The medication cartridge of  claim 13 , wherein the protrusion that forms the mechanical coding is located on an adapter sleeve that jackets the cylindrical wall.  
   
   
       19 . The medication cartridge of  claim 18 , wherein the mechanical coding is structured to align the cartridge axially within a cartridge receiving portion of one or more of the medication delivery devices that have been determined in advance to be suitable for use with the medication in the cartridge.  
   
   
       20 . The medication cartridge of  claim 19 , wherein the medication is an insulin and wherein the mechanical coding has a shape complimentary to the shape of the cartridge receiving portion.