Drug delivery device with live button or user interface field

Abstract

A drug delivery device includes a container for storing a drug, the container having a stopper for expelling the drug; an injection drive comprising an energy source for directly or indirectly acting on the stopper to expel the drug; a sensor for detecting contact between the drug delivery device and a body of a patient; and a user interface (UI) for activating or causing the activation of the injection drive. The device is operative for drawing attention to the UI, if the sensor detects contact between the drug delivery device and the body of the patient, to thereby indicate that the injection drive is ready to be activated, which activation is the next step in the drug administration process.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A drug delivery device comprising:
 a casing having a bottom surface;   a container for storing a drug received within the casing;   a stopper movably disposed within the container for expelling the drug;   an injection drive comprising an energy source operably coupled to the stopper for selectively moving the stopper through the container to expel the drug;   a sensor having a first state when the drug delivery device is out of contact with a body of a patient, and having a second state when the drug delivery device is in contact with the body of the patient;   a device activation mechanism operably coupled to the sensor and the injection drive for selectively activating the injection drive, wherein the drug delivery device undergoes an external state change from a dormant state, when the sensor occupies the first state, to a ready state, upon the sensor occupying the second state; and   an adhesive pad covering the bottom surface of the casing, the adhesive pad adapted to removably attach the casing to a patient.   
     
     
         2 . The drug delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, and side walls extending between the top wall and the bottom wall; and the adhesive pad covers the entire bottom wall. 
     
     
         3 . The drug delivery device of  claim 2 , further comprising a drug delivery member fluidly coupled to the container; and wherein the bottom wall of the casing and the adhesive pad include aligned first and second openings, the first openings adapted to receive the drug delivery member therethrough and the second openings aligned with the sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The drug delivery device of  claim 1 , further comprising a removable barrier film disposed on the adhesive pad. 
     
     
         5 . The drug delivery device of  claim 1 , further comprising a light source, and wherein the external state change comprises the light source illuminating a surface. 
     
     
         6 . The drug delivery device of  claim 1 , further comprising a speaker; and wherein the external state change comprises sound played through the speaker. 
     
     
         7 . The drug delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises an electrical sensor. 
     
     
         8 . The drug delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the casing further comprises a closure or removable portion allowing insertion and removal of the container. 
     
     
         9 . The drug delivery device of  claim 1 , further comprising a processing unit, and wherein the sensor is adapted to send a signal to the processing unit in response to changing from the first state to the second state. 
     
     
         10 . The drug delivery device of  claim 9 , wherein the sensor is adapted to send a second signal to the processing unit in response to changing from the second state to the first state; and the processing unit is configured to control operation of a deactivation sequence of the injection drive in response to receiving the second signal. 
     
     
         11 . The drug delivery device of  claim 9 , wherein the processing unit is configured to receive an administration rate for operation of the injection drive. 
     
     
         12 . A method of preparing a drug delivery device, the method comprising:
 providing a drug delivery device comprising:
 a casing having a bottom surface; 
 a container for storing a drug; 
 a stopper movably disposed within the container for expelling the drug, 
 a drug delivery member fluidly coupled to the container; 
 an injection drive including an energy source operably coupled to the stopper for selectively moving the stopper through the container to expel the drug, 
 a sensor; 
 a device activation mechanism operably coupled to the sensor and the injection drive; 
 a processing unit operably coupled to the sensor and the device activation mechanism; and 
 an adhesive pad covering the bottom surface of the casing and adapted to removably attach the casing to a patient, the adhesive pad having a first opening adapted to receive the drug delivery member therethrough and a second opening aligned with the sensor; 
   adhering the drug delivery device around an injection site with the adhesive pad;   detecting contact between the drug delivery device and the injection site with the sensor, causing the sensor to change from a first state to a second state;   when the sensor occupies the second state, delivering contact information to the processing unit with the sensor, the contact information indicative of the relationship between the drug delivery device and the injection site;   upon receiving the contact information, causing the drug delivery device to undergo an external state change from a dormant state to a ready state, for drawing attention to the device activation mechanism and signaling that the drug delivery device is ready for use.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein causing the drug delivery device to undergo the external state change comprises activating a light source to illuminate a surface and activating a speaker to emit sound. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein delivering contact information to the processing unit comprises delivering an electrical signal to the processing unit from the sensor. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 12 , further comprising receiving the container in an interior of the casing through a closure or removable portion thereof.