Firing button for automatic injection device

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide firing mechanism assemblies that minimize or eliminate a misfire of an automatic injection device that causes a delay in the delivery of an injection. Exemplary embodiments provide automatic injection devices including firing mechanism assemblies that minimize or eliminate a misfire that causes a delay in the delivery of an injection. Exemplary embodiments provide methods for minimizing or eliminating misfire that causes a delay in delivery of an injection in automatic injection devices. Exemplary embodiments provide methods for using automatic injection devices that are free of a misfire that causes delay in delivery of a therapeutic substance into a patient's body.

1 . A firing button for use in an automatic injection device, the firing button comprising:
 an outer portion configured for contact by a user of the automatic injection device to allow the user to depress the outer portion toward a first end of the automatic injection device; and   an inner ring coupled to the outer portion and provided proximate to a bifurcated end of a plunger in the automatic injection device, the inner ring configured to engage the bifurcated end of the plunger when the outer portion is depressed by the user, the inner ring having an inner diameter of between 6.0 mm and 6.7 mm.   
     
     
         2 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the outer portion protrudes from a second end of the automatic injection device. 
     
     
         3 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the outer portion covers all or part of the second end of the automatic injection device. 
     
     
         4 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner diameter of the inner ring is 6.4 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner diameter of the inner ring is 6.5 mm. 
     
     
         6 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner diameter of the inner ring is 6.6 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner diameter of the inner ring is 6.7 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein a length of the inner ring is between 6.73 mm and 6.83 mm. 
     
     
         9 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein a length of the inner ring is 6.73 mm. 
     
     
         10 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein a length of the inner ring is 6.75 mm. 
     
     
         11 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein a length of the inner ring is 6.80 mm. 
     
     
         12 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the firing button avoids a misfiring of the automatic injection device, the misfiring causing a delayed delivery of an injection. 
     
     
         13 . The firing button of  claim 12 , wherein a measure of the delay in the delivery of the injection caused by the misfiring is greater than three seconds. 
     
     
         14 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring is formed of a thermoplastic material or a thermosetting material. 
     
     
         15 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the outer portion comprises:
 an outer tubular wall; and   a planar outer wall coupled to and extending over a terminal end of the outer tubular wall, the planar outer wall being configured for contact by the user.   
     
     
         16 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring comprises:
 a tubular wall with a circular cross-section.   
     
     
         17 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring has a wall thickness configured to minimize deformation of the inner ring during engagement of the inner ring with the bifurcated end of the plunger. 
     
     
         18 . The firing button of  claim 17 , wherein the wall thickness of the inner ring ranges between 0.6 mm and 2.0 mm. 
     
     
         19 . The firing button of  claim 17 , wherein the wall thickness of the inner ring ranges between 0.8 and 2.0 mm. 
     
     
         20 . The firing button of  claim 17 , wherein the wall thickness of the inner ring is 0.9 mm. 
     
     
         21 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the bifurcated end of the plunger is seated on a surface of a firing body, and wherein engagement of the inner ring with the bifurcated end of the plunger disengages the bifurcated end of the plunger from the surface of the firing body. 
     
     
         22 . The firing button of  claim 21 , wherein subsequent to disengagement of the bifurcated end of the plunger from the surface of the firing body, the plunger transmits an expulsion force to a bung slideably mounted in a syringe, the expulsion force moving the bung to expel a dose from the syringe. 
     
     
         23 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the automatic injection device comprises a dose of a TNFα inhibitor. 
     
     
         24 . The firing button of  claim 23 , wherein the TNFα inhibitor is a human TNFα antibody, or antigen-binding portion thereof. 
     
     
         25 . The firing button of  claim 24 , wherein the human TNFα antibody, or antigen-binding portion thereof, is adalimumab or golimumab. 
     
     
         26 - 55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . A firing button for use in an automatic injection device, the firing button comprising:
 an outer portion configured for contact by a user of the automatic injection device to allow the user to depress the outer portion toward a first end of the automatic injection device; and   an inner ring coupled to the outer portion and provided in proximity to a bifurcated end of a plunger in the automatic injection device, the inner ring configured to engage the bifurcated end of the plunger when the outer portion is depressed by the user, the inner ring having a minimum wall thickness configured to reduce deformation of the inner ring when the inner ring engages with the bifurcated end of the plunger,   wherein the reduced deformation of the firing button avoids a misfiring of the automatic injection device, the misfiring causing a delayed delivery of an injection.   
     
     
         57 . The firing button of  claim 56 , wherein a measure of the delay in the delivery of the injection is greater than three seconds. 
     
     
         58 . The firing button of  claim 56 , wherein the minimum wall thickness of the inner ring ranges between 0.6 mm and 2.0 mm 
     
     
         59 . The firing button of  claim 56 , wherein the minimum wall thickness of the inner ring ranges between 0.8 mm and 2.0 mm. 
     
     
         60 . The firing button of  claim 56 , wherein the minimum wall thickness of the inner ring is 0.9 mm. 
     
     
         61 . The firing button of  claim 56 , wherein an inner diameter of the inner ring ranges from 6.0 mm to 6.7 mm. 
     
     
         62 - 78 . (canceled) 
     
     
         79 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the bifurcated end of the plunger includes first and second longitudinally extending plunger arms, each plunger arm terminating in a respective radially extending first and second plunger foot. 
     
     
         80 . The firing button of  claim 79 , wherein the first plunger foot of the first plunger arm has a first conical surface and a second conical surface, and the second plunger foot of the second plunger arm has a first conical surface and a second conical surface, wherein a first contact surface of the plunger is defined by the first conical surface of the first plunger foot and the first conical surface of the second plunger foot, and wherein a second contact surface of the plunger is defined by the second conical surface of the first plunger foot and the second conical surface of the second plunger foot. 
     
     
         81 . The firing button of  claim 80 , wherein the first plunger foot of the first plunger arm further includes a third conical surface, the second plunger foot of the second plunger arm further includes a third conical surface, and the plunger further includes a third contact surface defined by the third conical surface of the first plunger foot of the first plunger arm and the third conical surface of the second plunger foot of the second plunger arm. 
     
     
         82 . The firing button of  claim 80 , wherein the inner ring of the firing button is configured so that, when the firing button is activated by the user, the initial contact of the inner ring with the plunger is at a distal portion of the first contact surface. 
     
     
         83 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the firing button is displaced toward the plunger when activated by the user. 
     
     
         84 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the radial surface of a firing body is an inclined surface. 
     
     
         85 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring of the firing button is configured to initially contact a distal portion of a plunger foot during an injection. 
     
     
         86 . The firing button of  claim 1 , wherein the inner ring of the firing button initially contacts a plunger foot after the firing button is depressed over a first distance relative to a firing body.