Abstract
A component for a syringe is disclosed. The component has formed a structure which has a friction-reducing effect due to its shape in the syringe. The component can be, for example, a cylinder, a piston or a seal for the syringe. The structure comprises, for example, elevations or depressions which have a linear, punctiform, elliptical or polygonal design. Also disclosed is a syringe which has at least one such component. The use of a component with a friction-reducing structure makes it unnecessary to use an additional friction-reducing coating, for example silicone, which can lead to undesirable effects on the medicament to be administered with the syringe.
Claims
1. A component for a syringe, the component comprising: a structure in which a region of the component is formed, wherein the structure is constructed to reduce friction by its shape in the syringe.
2. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said component is a cylinder for a syringe, and said structure is located on an inner side of a casing of the cylinder.
3. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said component is a piston for a syringe, and wherein said structure is arranged on said piston so that said structure is located opposite a casing of the cylinder for the syringe when said structure of the piston is inserted into the syringe.
4. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component is a seal for a piston of the syringe, and wherein the structure is arranged on the seal such that it is arranged in the syringe against a casing of a cylinder for the syringe.
5. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a plurality of structural elements, and wherein the structural elements are homogeneous or different.
6. The component as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of structural elements is a: linear depression, linear elevation, punctiform depression, punctiform elevation, depression with elliptical design, elevation with elliptical design, depression with polygonal design, or elevation with polygonal design.
7. The component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of structural elements are arranged regularly or irregularly.
8. The component as claimed in claim 5, wherein a spacing between structural elements is in a range of 10 μm to 1 mm.
9. The component as claimed in claim 5, wherein a width of a structural element is in a range of 10 μm to 100 μm.
10. The component as claimed in claim 5, wherein a height or a depth of a structural element is in a range 1 μm to 100 μm.
11. The component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the structural elements are arranged on the component such that, with respect to a direction of movement of the piston in the cylinder of the syringe, the structural elements are substantially parallel or substantially perpendicular or at an angle between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.
12. The component as claimed in claim 5, wherein the structure comprises at least two groups of structural elements, wherein the structural elements are homogeneous within a group, and wherein the structural elements of two groups differ with respect to at least one of the following features: shape, width, height, depth, or orientation with respect to a direction of movement of the piston in the cylinder of the syringe.
13. A syringe comprising at least one component as claimed in claim 1.
14. The syringe as claimed in claim 13, comprising two components, wherein an additional friction-reducing effect results from the interaction of the respective structures of the components.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:
[0027] FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic embodiments of syringes in which the present invention can be used advantageously;
[0028] FIGS. 2 to 4 are exemplary embodiments of components for a syringe according to the invention provided with a structure;
[0029] FIGS. 5 to 8 are exemplary embodiments of a structure, such as can be formed on a component according to the invention, in plan view;
[0030] FIGS. 9 to 12 are exemplary embodiments of a structure, such as can be formed on a component according to the invention, in plan view;
[0031] FIGS. 13 to 15 are exemplary embodiments of a structure, such as can be formed on a component according to the invention, in plan view;
[0032] FIGS. 16 to 19 are sectional views through various structural elements of a structure as can be formed on a component according to the invention;
[0033] FIGS. 20 and 21 show a plan view of examples of a combination of structures as can be formed on a component according to the invention; and
[0034] FIG. 22 is a plan view of another example of a combination of structures as can be formed on a component according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically show the construction of two syringes 101 and 102 known per se. In FIG. 1A, the syringe 101 comprises a cylinder 1 in which a piston 2 is movably arranged. The cylinder 1 has, in particular, a casing 7. In FIG. 1B, the syringe 102 comprises a cylinder 1, in which a piston 2 is arranged movably. A seal 3 is attached to the piston 2 to seal the piston 2 against the cylinder 1. Cylinder 1, piston 2, and seal 3 form the components of the syringe 101 or 102 in the sense of this application. For the administration of an active substance or for the removal of a sample, the piston 2 is moved in a manner known per se relative to the cylinder 1, along the direction indicated by the arrow 10 or opposite thereto. In the case of the syringe 101 between the piston 2 and the cylinder 1, and in the case of the syringe 102 between the seal 3 and the cylinder 1, friction forces act. These frictional forces can, for example, complicate the administration of an active substance or the removal of a sample, as already mentioned above. In the case of components 1, 2, 3 of the syringe 101 or 102 according to the invention, these frictional forces are reduced without having to introduce an additional, pharmaceutically undesirable, material into the syringe 101, 102.
[0036] FIGS. 2 to 4 show three exemplary embodiments of how components according to the invention of a syringe can be designed. A component according to the invention has a region 4 with a structure 5. In the exemplary embodiments shown, each structure 5 comprises a plurality of structural elements 6. The piston 2 and the cylinder 1 are each shown only partially.
[0037] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, a region 4 of the cylinder 1 is formed as a structure 5. The friction between the piston 2 and the cylinder 1 is thereby reduced. The structure 5 is formed on an inner side 8 of a casing 7 of the cylinder 1. Here, a piston 2 without a seal is shown. Likewise, a cylinder 1, as shown in FIG. 2, could also be used with a seal 3 for the piston 2 in the case of a syringe 102 (see FIG. 1B).
[0038] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, a region 4 of a seal 3 for the piston 2 is formed as a structure 5. The friction between the seal 3 and the cylinder 1 is thereby reduced. The piston 2 with the seal 3 is shown inserted into a cylinder 1 of a syringe 102 (see FIG. 1B). The region 4 of the seal 3, which is formed as a structure 5, is arranged opposite a casing 7 of the cylinder 1.
[0039] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, a region 4 of the piston 2 is formed as a structure 5. The friction between the piston 2 and the cylinder 1 is thereby reduced. The piston 2 is shown here inserted into a cylinder 1 of a syringe 101 (see FIG. 1B). The region 4 of the piston 2, which is formed as a structure 5, is arranged opposite a casing 7 of the cylinder 1.
[0040] In all cases, it is a region 4 of the respective component according to the invention, i.e. cylinder 1 in the case of FIG. 2, seal 3 in the case of FIG. 3, and piston 2 in the case of FIG. 4, which is formed as the structure 5. A further material is thus not introduced into the syringe.
[0041] FIGS. 5 to 8 show, in plan view, exemplary embodiments of a structure 5, as can be formed on a component 1, 2, 3 according to the invention. Each structure 5 comprises a plurality of structural elements 6. Here, in each case, only a section 9 of a component is shown, whereby it is irrelevant whether the component is a cylinder 1, a piston 2 or a seal 3. The arrow indicates the direction 10 already shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
[0042] In the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the structural elements 6 are linear-shaped; they can be linear-shaped elevations or linear-shaped depressions. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 8, the structural elements 6 are punctiform; they can be punctiform elevations or punctiform depressions. In the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the arrangement of the structural elements 6 is regular. The arrangement of the structural elements 6 is characterized, in particular, by a spacing a between adjacent structural elements 6. As can be seen from the figures, in the case of FIG. 5, the linear-shaped structural elements 6 are aligned parallel to the direction 10, in the case of FIG. 6, perpendicular thereto. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7, the linear-shaped structural elements 6 form an angle of 45 degrees with the direction 10.
[0043] FIGS. 9 to 12 show, in plan view, further exemplary embodiments of a structure 5, as can be formed on a component 1, 2, 3 according to the invention. Each structure 5 comprises a plurality of structural elements 6. Here, in each case, only a section 9 of a component 1, 2, 3 is shown, whereby it is irrelevant whether the component is a cylinder 1, a piston 2 or a seal 3. The arrow indicates the direction 10 already shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the structural elements 6 are arranged regularly, the structures 5 are each characterized by a spacing a between adjacent structural elements 6. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9, the structural elements 6 are linear-shaped, for example, linear elevations or depressions, but in contrast to FIG. 7, no continuous lines. The structural elements include an angle in the range of 30 degrees to 60 degrees with the direction 10. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 10, the structural elements 6 form two groups of linear-shaped structural elements which intersect at a right angle and enclose an angle of 45 degrees with the direction 10. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 11, the structural elements 6 form two groups of linear-shaped structural elements which are arranged at a right angle to one another and enclose an angle of 45 degrees with the direction 10. FIG. 12 shows a further regular arrangement of punctiform structural elements 6.
[0044] FIGS. 13 to 15 show, in plan view, further exemplary embodiments of a structure 5, as can be formed on a component 1, 2, 3 according to the invention. Each structure is composed of a plurality of structural elements 6. Here, in each case, only a section 9 of a component 1, 2, 3 is shown, whereby it is irrelevant whether the component is a cylinder 1, a piston 2 or a seal 3. The arrow indicates the direction 10 already shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
[0045] FIG. 13 shows regularly arranged structural elements 6 of elliptical cross section. FIG. 14 shows regularly arranged structural elements 6 of polygonal, in this case in particular hexagonal, cross section. FIG. 15 shows irregularly arranged structural elements 6, which also differ in size and shape.
[0046] FIGS. 16 to 19 show exemplary embodiments of sectional views through structural elements 6, as can occur in structures on components 1, 2, 3 according to the invention. The structural elements 6 are characterized by a width b. In the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 16 and 18, the structural elements 6 form elevations with respect to a reference level 41 of the component 1, 2, 3, and are characterized by a height c relative to this reference level 41. In the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 17 and 19, the structural elements 6 form depressions opposite a reference level 41 of the component 1, 2, 3, and are characterized by a depth c relative to this reference level 41. The reference level 41 is, for example, given by a surface of the respective component 1, 2, 3 in the region between the structural elements 6. The exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 16 and 17 show sectional views through linear-shaped structural elements 6 with a rectangular cross-section; the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 18 and 19 show sectional views through structural elements 6 with a circular-shaped ground plot and a rounded cross-section.
[0047] FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 show, in plan view, an example of a component 1, 2, 3 according to the invention. Only a section 9 of the component 1, 2, 3 is shown, respectively. Here, the structure 5 comprises two groups of structural elements, a group of first structural elements 61 and a group of second structural elements 62. The first structural elements 61 are homogeneous among one another. The second structural elements 62 are homogeneous to one another. The first structural elements 61 differ from the second structural elements 62. For example, the first structural elements 61 can have the form of broken lines while the second structural elements 62 have the form of solid lines. In FIG. 20, the first structural elements 61 and the second structural elements 62 are arranged such that the structural elements penetrate each other mutually. In FIG. 21, the first structural elements 61 are arranged parallel to the second structural elements 62. During use, an arrangement as in FIG. 21 favors a hooking, so that an arrangement according to FIG. 20 is preferred.
[0048] FIG. 22 shows a plan view of a further example of a component 1, 2, 3 according to the invention. Only a section 9 of the component 1, 2, 3 is shown. As in the examples of FIGS. 20 and 21, the structure 5 comprises two groups of structural elements, a group of first structural elements 61 and a group of second structural elements 62. The first structural elements 61 are homogeneous among one another. The second structural elements 62 are homogeneous to one another. The first structural elements 61 have an elliptical ground plot, the second structural elements 62 have a polygonal, in this case a rhombic, ground plot.
[0049] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.
