# US 2016/0354551 A1 · Needle cap remover and drug delivery device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0354551 A1 - Document ID: US20160354551A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/037,938 - Filed: 2014-11-25 - Published: 2016-12-08 - Earliest claimed: 2013-11-28 - Assignees: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH - Applicants: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH - Inventors: Moritz Keim; Winfried Huthmacher; Peter Nober - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160354551A1 ## CPC - A61M 5/3204: {Needle cap removers, i.e. devices to dislodge protection cover from needle or needle hub, e.g. deshielding devices} - A61M 5/3257: {Semi-automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve extension requires a deliberate action by the user, e.g. manual release of spring-biased extension means} - A61M 5/326: {Fully automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user} - A61M 2005/3267: {Biased sleeves where the needle is uncovered by insertion of the needle into a patient's body} - 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 The invention refers to a needle cap remover (7) for a needle cap (5.1) of a drug delivery device (2). The needle cap remover (7) comprises a body (8) having a material which differs from the material of the needle cap (5.1) or of a rigid needle shield (5) encasing the needle cap (5.1) in at least one parameter, wherein a body portion (8.1), which covers the needle cap (5.1) or the rigid needle shield (5) encasing the needle cap (5.1), is adapted to capture the needle cap (5.1) or the rigid needle shield (5) encasing the needle cap (5.1) by a positive and/or non-positive connections before or during removing of the needle cap (5.1) and is adapted to shrunk when a pulling force is applied. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A needle cap remover for a needle cap of a drug delivery device, comprising: a body having a material which differs from a material of the needle cap or a rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap in at least one parameter, wherein a portion of the body, which covers the needle cap or the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap, is adapted to capture the needle cap or the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap before or during removing of the needle cap. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The needle cap remover according to claim 1, wherein the body portion is formed as a shrinking hose adapted to be arranged onto the needle cap or onto the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap and heat shrunk onto the needle cap or onto the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The needle cap remover according to claim 2, wherein the shrinking hose is formed as a sleeve of high impact resistance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The needle cap remover according to claim 2, wherein a closed end of the body is formed as a dome from which a sleeve wall extends. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The needle cap remover according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the body is formed as a fabric tube that is adapted to be arranged onto the needle cap or onto the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap and mechanically shrunk onto the needle cap or onto the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The needle cap remover according to claim 5, wherein the fabric tube is formed as an open-ended, tubular sleeve made of one or more of the following: fabric, textile, rubber and silicon. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The needle cap remover according to claim 5, wherein the fabric tube comprises an inner element comprising filling materials and/or inner threads. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The needle cap remover according to claim 7, wherein a gripping element is attached to a closed end of the body. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The needle cap remover according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the body is formed as a hollow sheet metal part adapted to be arranged onto the needle cap or onto the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap and having protrusions directed inwards to engage the needle cap or the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The needle cap remover according to claim 9, wherein the sheet metal part comprises a plurality of inwardly directed protrusions which dig into the outer surface of the needle cap or of the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap during removing of the needle cap. ### Claim 11 A drug delivery device comprising: a housing; and a needle cap remover comprising: a body having a material which differs from the material of the needle cap or a rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap in at least one parameter, wherein a portion of the body, which covers the needle cap or the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap, is adapted to capture the needle cap or the rigid needle shield encasing the needle cap before or during removing of the needle cap. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The drug delivery device of claim 11, further comprising a pharmaceutically active compound disposed in the housing. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The needle cap remover according to claim 2, wherein the shrinking hose is formed as a sleeve of thermoplastic-material. ### Claim 14 A method of removing a needle cap from a drug delivery device, the method comprising: grasping a needle cap remover at a gripping element arranged at a closed end of the needle cap remover; pulling the needle cap remover distally from the drug delivery device, thereby causing a fabric tube of the needle cap remover to contract and join to a rigid needle cap to remove the needle cap with the needle cap remover.