Adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly, and an adhesive thumb ring for a syringe

Abstract

An adhesive thumb ring for a syringe is provided including a ring body and an adhesive surface on the ring body. The adhesive surface is configured to adhere to a plunger head on a syringe barrel of a syringe. For instance, the adhesive thumb ring can be rapidly and securely attached to a curved, T-shaped plunger head of a typically pre-filled, pre-packaged dermal filler syringe. The adhesive thumb ring is particularly suitable for facilitating one-handed pushing and pulling operation of the syringe in the injection of dermal filler into the skin of a patient, significantly assisting the syringe operator in preventing vascular occlusion.

Claims

1. An adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly, comprising: a syringe, comprising a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger movably attached to the syringe barrel and protruding outward of the syringe barrel through a proximal end thereof, wherein the syringe plunger is selectively movable in a first direction towards an internal space of the syringe barrel and in an opposite, second direction outward of the internal space of the syringe barrel; and an adhesive thumb ring formed as a separate piece relative to the syringe, the adhesive thumb ring comprising: a deformable ring-shaped body configured for the insertion therethrough of a person's thumb, the ring-shaped body defined by a concave interior surface and a convex exterior surface, an adhesive material along the convex exterior surface of the ring-shaped body, the adhesive material defining an outer, convex adhesive surface, and a peel-off cover covering the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material; wherein the syringe and the adhesive thumb ring are configured to adopt: an initial, first configuration, in which the syringe and the adhesive thumb ring are detached from one another and the peel-off layer covers the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material of the adhesive ring, a second configuration, in which the peel-off cover is peeled off of the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material of the adhesive ring and the ring shaped body is attached to the syringe plunger by an adherence of the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material of the adhesive thumb ring to an outer surface of the syringe plunger, and a third configuration, achievable by pressing the ring-shaped body towards the outer surface of the syringe plunger in the second configuration, wherein, in the third configuration, the ring-shaped body and the convex adhesive surface are deformed to provide a greater contact surface area between the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material and the outer surface of the syringe plunger than in the second configuration.

2. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 1, further comprising a needle carried by the syringe barrel at a distal end thereof, wherein the needle is in fluid communication with the internal space of the syringe barrel.

3. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 1, wherein, in the second configuration, the ring shaped body is deformed to conform to a shape of the outer surface of the syringe plunger.

4. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 1, wherein the syringe plunger comprises a plunger head arranged at a proximal end of the syringe plunger, wherein the plunger head provides said outer surface.

5. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 4, wherein the plunger head is formed with a curved T-shape.

6. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is configured to adopt: a pushing configuration in which the syringe and the adhesive thumb ring are in the third configuration and the ring-shaped body and syringe plunger are moving towards the syringe barrel by a force being exerted on the ring-shaped body in the first direction, and a puffing configuration in which the syringe and the adhesive thumb ring are in the third configuration and the ring-shaped body and syringe plunger are moving away from the syringe barrel by a force being exerted on the ring-shaped body in the second direction.

7. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped body is closed and curved.

8. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped body is circular.

9. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped body is oval or elliptical.

10. The adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly of claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped body has a diameter of to 1.

11. An adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly, comprising: a syringe, comprising a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger movably attached to the syringe barrel and protruding outward of the syringe barrel through a proximal end thereof, wherein the syringe plunger is selectively movable in a first direction towards an internal space of the syringe barrel and in an opposite, second direction outward of the internal space of the syringe barrel, and further wherein the syringe plunger comprises a curved plunger head at a proximal end thereof, the curved plunger head comprising a concave proximal surface; and an adhesive thumb ring formed as a separate piece relative to the syringe, the adhesive thumb ring comprising: a deformable ring-shaped body configured for the insertion therethrough of a person's thumb, the ring-shaped body having a concave interior surface and a convex exterior surface, an adhesive material along the convex exterior surface of the ring-shaped body, the adhesive material defining an outer, convex adhesive surface, and a peel-off cover covering the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material; wherein the syringe and the adhesive thumb ring are configured to adopt: an initial, first configuration, in which the syringe and the adhesive thumb ring are detached from one another and the peel-off layer covers the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material of the adhesive ring, a second configuration, in which the peel-off cover is peeled off of the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material of the adhesive ring and the ring-shaped body is attached to the concave proximal surface of the curved plunger head by an adherence of the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material of the adhesive thumb ring to the concave proximal surface, and a third configuration, achievable by pressing the ring-shaped body towards the concave proximal surface of the curved plunger head in the second configuration, wherein, in the third configuration, the ring-shaped body and the convex adhesive surface are deformed to provide a greater contact surface area between the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive material and the concave proximal surface of the curved plunger head than in the second configuration.

12. An adhesive thumb ring and syringe assembly, comprising: a syringe, comprising a syringe barrel and a syringe, plunger movably attached to the syringe barrel and protruding outward of the syringe, barrel through a proximal end thereof, wherein the syringe plunger is selectively movable in a first direction towards an internal space of the syringe barrel and in an opposite, second direction outward of the internal space of the syringe barrel, and further wherein the syringe plunger comprises a curved plunger head at a proximal end thereof, the curved plunger head comprising a concave proximal surface; and an adhesive thumb ring formed as a separate piece relative to the syringe, the adhesive thumb ring comprising: a deformable ring-shaped body configured for the insert on therethrough of a person's thumb, the ring-shaped body having a concave interior surface and a convex exterior surface, an adhesive strip along the convex exterior surface of the ring-shaped body, the adhesive strip defining an outer, convex adhesive surface, and a peel-off cover covering the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive strip; wherein the syringe and the adhesive thumb ring are configured to adopt: an initial, first configuration, in which the syringe and the adhesive thumb ring are detached from one another and the pee-off layer covers the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive strip of the adhesive ring, a second configuration, in which the peel-off cover is peeled off of the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive strip of the adhesive ring and the ring-shaped body is attached to the concave proximal surface of the curved plunger head by an adherence of the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive strip of the adhesive thumb ring to the concave proximal surface, and a third configuration, achievable by pressing the ring-shaped body towards the concave proximal surface of the curved plunger head in the second configuration, wherein, in the third configuration, the ring-shaped body and the convex adhesive surface are deformed to provide a greater contact surface area between the convex adhesive surface of the adhesive strip and the concave proximal surface of the curved plunger head than in the second configuration.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 presents a perspective view of an adhesive thumb ring for a syringe in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 presents a perspective view of the adhesive thumb ring of FIG. 1 being attached to an exemplary dermal filler kit syringe provided with a plunger ending in a curved, T-shaped plunger head;

(4) FIG. 3 presents a front elevation view of the syringe and adhesive thumb ring of FIG. 2 being operated by a syringe operator in typical application of the adhesive thumb ring;

(5) FIG. 4 presents a cross-sectional front elevation view of the syringe and adhesive thumb ring of FIG. 2, shown attached; and

(6) FIG. 5 presents a front elevation view of an adhesive thumb ring in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the invention, shown attached to a syringe.

(7) Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word exemplary or illustrative means serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any implementation described herein as exemplary or illustrative is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms upper, lower, left, rear, right, front, vertical, horizontal, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

(9) Shown throughout the figures, the present invention is directed toward an adhesive thumb ring which is attached to a syringe plunger to facilitate one-handed pulling and pushing of a syringe plunger when carrying out an injection of a dermal filler into skin in cosmetic remediation applications.

(10) Referring initially to FIGS. 1 through 4, an adhesive thumb ring 100 is illustrated in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the adhesive thumb ring 100 includes a ring body 102. As illustrated, in some embodiments, the ring body 102 may have a circular or annular shape. In other embodiments, the ring body 102 may have alternative shapes such as, but not limited to, an ellipse, an oval or other similarly closed, preferably curved shape. The ring body 102 may be fabricated of plastic, cardboard, lightweight metal or other suitable material which is consistent with the functional requirements of the adhesive thumb ring 100. In some embodiments, the ring body 102 may have a width or diameter which is about to about 1. In other embodiments, the ring body 102 may have alternative sizes.

(11) As illustrated in FIG. 1, the ring body 102 may have an interior surface 104 and an exterior surface 106. The interior surface 104 and exterior surface 106 of the present embodiment are cylindrical in shape. An adhesive strip 108 may be provided on the exterior surface 106 of the ring body 102. The adhesive strip 108 may have an adhesive surface 110 on an outer side thereof, comprising an adhesive material. A peel-off, adhesive strip cover 112 may initially adhere to the adhesive surface 110. Preparatory to use of the adhesive thumb ring 100, the adhesive strip cover 112 may be selectively peeled from the adhesive surface 110 to expose the adhesive surface 110.

(12) In some embodiments, the adhesive strip 108 may be made of paper, plastic or another support material provided with adhesive on opposite sides, wherein one side is adhered to the exterior surface 106 of the ring body 102 and the other side provides the adhesive surface 110. In other embodiments, the adhesive strip 108 may be integrally formed with the ring body 102, the outer side of the adhesive strip providing the adhesive surface 110. In other embodiments, the adhesive strip 108 may be a layer of adhesive material, adhered to the exterior surface 106 of the ring body 102 and having an outer surface providing the adhesive surface 110.

(13) As illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, in typical application, the adhesive thumb ring 100 may be attached to and used in conjunction with a syringe 114 to facilitate one-handed operation of the syringe 114. The syringe 114 may have a conventional design with an elongated syringe barrel 116 defining an internal space 117. A syringe needle 118 may extend from a distal end of the syringe barrel 116, in fluid communication with the internal space 117 of the syringe barrel 116. A syringe flange 120 may terminate a proximal end of the syringe barrel 116. The syringe flange 120 has a front side 121 and a rear side 122. A sliding syringe plunger 123 may be disposed in the syringe barrel 116, slidable along the internal space 117. A plunger head 124 may terminate the end of the syringe plunger 123 which extends outside the syringe plunger 123. The plunger head 124 depicted herein is curved and T-shaped, as is typical in dermal filler application syringes.

(14) As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the adhesive thumb ring 100 may be attached to the plunger head 124 of the syringe plunger 123 by first detaching the adhesive strip cover 112 from the adhesive surface 110 on the adhesive strip 108, as illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the adhesive surface 110 may next be firmly pressed against the plunger head 124 of the syringe plunger 123, thereby creating an adhesive bond between the adhesive surface 110 and the plunger head 124, which attaches the adhesive thumb ring 100 to the syringe plunger 123. In some embodiments, the ring body 102 and adhesive strip 108 of the adhesive thumb ring 100 can be slightly deformable, such that the adhesive thumb ring 100 is deformed to conform to the shape of the plunger head 124 when the adhesive surface 110 is pressed against the plunger head 124, to increase the adhesive surface area between the adhesive thumb ring 100 and the plunger head 124. The adhesive bond between the adhesive surface 110 and the plunger head 124 can be sufficiently strong to maintain the adhesive thumb ring 100 in the deformed shape, conforming to the shape of the plunger head 124. Further, the adhesive material of the adhesive surface 110 is selected and configured to generate a sufficiently strong adhesive bond between the ring body 102 and the plunger head 124 such that the adhesive bond can generate a pulling force on the plunger head 124 that is capable of overcoming an internal vacuum force inside the syringe barrel 116 and facilitate pulling of the syringe plunger 123 by pulling the adhesive thumb ring 100 in the direction away from the syringe barrel 116.

(15) As illustrated in FIG. 3, in typical application, a syringe operator or user may wish to use a syringe 114 as described hereinabove for any applicable use. For instance and without limitation, the syringe operator may wish to use the syringe 114 for carrying out a process of injecting a supply of dermal filler into the skin (not illustrated) of a patient. The injected dermal filler may fill in facial wrinkles in the skin, restoring a smoother and more youthful appearance.

(16) In order to facilitate the process, the user may attach the adhesive thumb ring 100 to the syringe 114. More specifically, the ring body 102 of the adhesive thumb ring 100 can be adhesively secured to the plunger head 124 of the syringe plunger 123, typically as was heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. Next, the thumb 132 on a hand 126 of the syringe operator may be extended through the ring body 102. The index finger 128 and middle finger 130 on the same hand 126 of the syringe operator may grasp the syringe flange 120 on the syringe 114. As shown in FIG. 3, the user's index finger 128 and middle finger 130 may specifically rest on the front side 121 of the syringe flange 120 in order to facilitate pushing the syringe plunger 123; alternatively, the user's index finger 128 and middle finger 130 may rest on the rear side 122 of the syringe flange 120 in order to facilitate pulling the syringe plunger 123.

(17) The syringe operator may insert the syringe needle 118 into a medical vial (not illustrated) which contains a supply of the dermal filler. While resting the index finger 128 and middle finger 130 on the rear side 122 of the syringe flange 120, the syringe operator can move the thumb 132 away from the syringe plunger 123 to pull the adhesive thumb ring 100. Pulling of the adhesive thumb ring 100 causes a pulling of the plunger head 124, via the adhesive bond between the adhesive thumb ring 100 and the plunger head 124. Thus, the syringe plunger 123 is displaced outward from within the syringe barrel 116, creating a depression in the internal space 117 of the syringe barrel 116. The pressure decrease draws the dermal filler from the medical vial through the syringe needle 118 and into the syringe barrel 116. After the syringe barrel 116 has received the desired quantity of dermal filler and the syringe needle 118 is withdrawn from the medical vial and is ready to be inserted into the patient's skin. Alternatively, in some applications, the syringe barrel 116 of the syringe 114 may be pre-filled with a selected quantity of the dermal filler prior to attachment of the adhesive thumb ring 100 to the plunger head 124.

(18) The syringe operator then inserts the syringe needle 118 into the skin of the patient. After the syringe needle 118 is inserted into the patient's skin, the user may again rest the index finger 128 and middle finger 130 on the rear side 122 of the syringe flange 120 and move the thumb 132 away from the syringe plunger 123 to pull the adhesive thumb ring 100, thus pulling the syringe plunger 123 to partially withdraw the syringe plunger 123 from the syringe barrel 116. This action may withdraw a small quantity of fluid from the patient's skin through the syringe needle 118 into the syringe barrel 116. In the event that the fluid which is drawn into the syringe barrel 116 includes blood, the syringe operator may conclude that the syringe needle 118 has been inserted into a blood vessel in the patient's skin. Accordingly, the syringe operator may slightly withdraw and reposition the syringe needle 118 and repeat the process until the fluid which is drawn from the patient's skin is clear and no longer includes blood. When blood is not detected, the syringe operator may conclude that the syringe needle 118 has not been inserted into a blood vessel in the patient's skin. Then, the syringe operator can rest the index finger 128 and middle finger 130 on the front side 121 of the syringe flange 120 and push the thumb 132 forward against the interior surface 104 of the ring body 102 to displace the syringe plunger 123 in the syringe barrel 116 of the syringe 114. This action causes the syringe plunger 123 to increase the pressure in the syringe barrel 116, forcing the dermal filler from the syringe barrel 116 through the syringe needle 118 and into the patient's skin. The syringe operator may subsequently repeatedly withdraw the syringe needle 118 from the patient's skin, obtain another quantity of the dermal filler from the medical vial and again inject the dermal filler into the patient's skin, as was heretofore described, to inject the selected quantity of dermal filler and impart the desired appearance to the patient's skin. After use, the adhesive thumb ring 100 may be detached from the plunger head 124 of the syringe plunger 123 and preferably discarded.

(19) While a dermal filler application has been described as way of example, it will be recognized and understood by those skilled in the art that the syringe 114, with the adhesive thumb ring 100 attached to the plunger head 124, may have a variety of alternative uses.

(20) Referring next to FIG. 5, an alternative illustrative embodiment of the adhesive thumb ring is generally indicated by reference numeral 200. The adhesive thumb ring 200 may have a design which is the same as or similar to that of the adhesive thumb ring 100 heretofore described with respect to FIGS. 1-4, with like reference numerals in the 200 series corresponding to like reference numerals of the adhesive thumb ring 100 in the 100 series. The adhesive thumb ring 200 may have a generally elongated, oval or elliptical shape. Operation of the adhesive thumb ring 200 may be as was heretofore described with respect to the adhesive thumb ring 100. Accordingly, the adhesive thumb ring 200 may be configured to more closely engage the thumb 132 (FIG. 3) on the hand 126 of the syringe operator to further facilitate pushing and pulling of the adhesive thumb ring 200.

(21) It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the adhesive thumb rings of the disclosure allow a syringe operator to operate a syringe both in the normal manner by pushing on the syringe plunger using the thumb and also pulling on the syringe plunger using the same thumb. The adhesive thumb rings are easy to place on the syringe, facilitate easy one-handed operation to facilitate dermal filler injection, quickly allow a syringe operator to check placement of the syringe needle tip and avoid blood vessel occlusion, expedite dermal filler placement, reduce procedure completion time and increase patient comfort.

(22) Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.