# US 12,214,173 B2 · Injection pens for medicine administration and tracking > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,214,173 B2 - Document ID: US12214173B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/342,435 - Filed: 2021-06-08 - Published: 2022-12-08 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-08 - Assignees: Medtronic MiniMed, Inc. - Applicants: Medtronic MiniMed, Inc. - Inventors: Michael R. Mensinger; Ellis Garai; Eric A. Larson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214173B2 ## CPC - A61M 5/31528: {by means of rotational movements, e.g. screw-thread mechanisms} - A61M 5/24: Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or cartridges, e.g. automatic - A61M 5/3146: {Priming, e.g. purging, reducing backlash or clearance} - A61M 5/31515: {Connection of piston with piston rod} - A61M 5/31568: {Means keeping track of the total dose administered, e.g. since the cartridge was inserted} - A61M 2005/31588: {electrically driven} - A61M 2205/3306: Optical measuring means - A61M 2205/3317: Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means - A61M 2205/332: Force measuring means - A61M 2205/3327: Measuring - A61M 2205/6018: providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration - A61M 2205/6036: characterised by physical shape, e.g. array of activating switches - A61M 2205/6054: Magnetic identification systems - A61M 2230/00: Measuring parameters of the user - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} ## Abstract A medicine injection pen includes a body, a drive member within the body and configured to move relative thereto upon actuation, a cartridge housing releasably engageable with the body and configured to retain a medicine cartridge, at least one sensor, and at least one detector. The medicine cartridge has a liquid medicine therein and includes a piston configured to slide therein. The drive member is configured to move relative to the body to urge the piston to slide within the medicine cartridge to dispense at least some of the liquid medicine from the medicine cartridge. The sensor(s) is configured to sense movement of the drive member relative to the body to enable determination of an amount of the liquid medicine dispensed. The detector(s) is configured to detect a gap between the drive member and the piston. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A medicine injection pen, comprising: a body; a drive member disposed within the body and configured to move relative to the body upon actuation of the drive member; a cartridge housing releasably engageable with the body and configured to retain a medicine cartridge therein, the medicine cartridge configured to retain a liquid medicine therein and including a piston configured to slide within the medicine cartridge, wherein the drive member is configured to move relative to the body upon actuation thereof to urge the piston to slide within the medicine cartridge to thereby dispense at least some of the liquid medicine through a dispensing end of the medicine cartridge; at least one sensor configured to sense movement of the drive member relative to the body upon actuation of the drive member to enable determination of an amount of the liquid medicine dispensed based on the sensed movement; and at least one detector configured to measure a gap value between the drive member and the piston. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detector is configured to measure the gap value by measuring a distance between the drive member and the piston. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detector is configured to measure the gap value based at least in part on a force required to move the drive member. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detector is configured to measure the gap value based at least in part on a position of the piston. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The medicine injection pen according to claim 4, wherein the position of the piston is determined relative to at least one of: the body, the drive member, or the medicine cartridge. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, wherein the detector includes at least one of: a contact sensor, a magnet sensor, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a force sensor, an RFID sensor, or an NFC sensor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, wherein the drive member is a drive screw configured to rotate and translate relative to the body to urge the piston to slide. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The medicine injection pen according to claim 7, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense rotation of the drive screw to enable determination of the amount of the liquid medicine dispensed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, further comprising an electronics unit configured to output an indication based upon the gap value measured. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The medicine injection pen according to claim 9, wherein the indication indicates at least one of: that the pen is ready for use, that the pen requires priming, that the pen requires adjustment, or that there is an error. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, further comprising an electronics unit configured to determine the amount of the liquid medicine dispensed based on the sensed movement. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The medicine injection pen according to claim 11, wherein the electronics unit is configured to determine the amount of the liquid medicine dispensed based on the sensed movement and the gap value. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is an encoder. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The medicine injection pen according to claim 1, wherein the detector is further configured to detect information relating to the medicine cartridge. ### Claim 15 A medicine injection pen, comprising: a body; a drive member disposed within the body and configured to move relative to the body upon actuation of the drive member; a cartridge housing releasably engageable with the body and configured to retain a medicine cartridge therein, the medicine cartridge configured to retain a liquid medicine therein and including a piston configured to slide within the medicine cartridge, wherein the drive member is configured to move relative to the body upon actuation thereof to urge the piston to slide within the medicine cartridge to thereby dispense at least some of the liquid medicine through a dispensing end of the medicine cartridge; at least one sensor configured to sense movement of the drive member relative to the body upon actuation of the drive member to enable determination of an amount of the liquid medicine dispensed based on the sensed movement; and at least one detector configured to detect a gap between the drive member and the piston, wherein the at least one detector is configured to detect the gap by determining a position of the piston based on an amount of the liquid medicine in the medicine cartridge.