Medical injection system and method, gas spring thereof and launching device using gas spring

Hand held device for injecting a medical product comprising:

• a housing having a port and being configured and dimensioned for hand held operation;
• a nozzle assembly having an ampule chamber for holding the medical product, an orifice in said nozzle assembly in fluid communication with said ampule chamber for allowing passage of the medical product through said orifice, and a pressure wall member disposed and movable within said ampule chamber, said nozzle assembly being configured and dimensioned for seating engagement within said port;
• and
• an energy mechanism dimensioned and configured for selective coupling to said pressure wall member for selectively moving said pressure wall member at a speed sufficient to eject the medical product from said ampule chamber under a substantially uniform pressure which is sufficient to pierce at least one layer of skin, said energy mechanism comprising:
• a gas spring disposed within said housing;
• a coupling mechanism attached to said gas spring for selectively retaining said gas spring in a locked compressed position and for selectively unlocking said gas spring into its expanded uncompressed position.

Hand held device for injecting a medical product comprising:

• a housing having a port and being configured and dimensioned for hand held operation;
• a nozzle assembly having an ampule chamber for holding the medical product, an orifice in said nozzle assembly in fluid communication with said ampule chamber for allowing passage of the medical product through said orifice, and a pressure wall member disposed and movable within said ampule chamber, said nozzle assembly being configured and dimensioned for seating engagement within said port;
• and
• energy means dimensioned and configured for selective coupling to said pressure wall member for selectively moving said pressure wall member at a speed sufficient to eject the medical product under a substantially uniform pressure which is sufficient to pierce at least one layer of skin from said ampule chamber, said energy means comprising:
• a gas spring disposed within said housing;
• a coupling mechanism attached to said gas spring for selectively retaining said gas spring in a locked compressed position and for selectively unlocking said gas spring into its expanded uncompressed position.

Portable device for injecting a medical product comprising:

• a housing formed of a plastic composition or any composite material including a plastic material;
• a nozzle assembly disposed in said housing and having an ampule chamber for holding the medical product, an orifice in said nozzle assembly in fluid communication with said ampule chamber for allowing passage of the medical product through said orifice, and a pressure wall member disposed and movable within said ampule chamber holding the medical product;
• and
• an energy mechanism disposed in said housing and being dimensioned and configured for selective coupling to said pressure wall member for moving said pressure wall member at a speed sufficient to eject the medical product from said ampule chamber under a substantially uniform pressure which is sufficient to pierce at least one layer of skin, said energy mechanism comprising a gas spring.

Portable injection system for injecting a medical product comprising:

• a nozzle assembly having an ampule chamber for holding the medical product, an orifice in said nozzle assembly in fluid communication with said ampule chamber for allowing passage of the medical product through said orifice, and a pressure wall member disposed and movable within said ampule chamber holding the medical product;
• an energy mechanism dimensioned and configured for selective coupling to said pressure wall member for moving said pressure wall member at a speed sufficient to eject the medical product from said ampule chamber under a substantially uniform pressure which is sufficient to pierce at least one layer of skin, said energy mechanism comprising a gas spring;
• and
• a coupling device for coupling a medication supply vial to a nozzle assembly of a needleless injection device.

Projectile launching device for launching a projectile by a compressed air, comprising:

• an outer hollow cylinder having a side wall and a closed end wall with an air discharging port;
• a barrel having a bore connected to said cylinder, said bore communicating with said port;
• a firing piston having a closed wall member positioned within said hollow cylinder for movement therein, wherein said closed end wall, said closed wall member and said side wall defining a firing pressure chamber;
• a stepped gas spring connected to said firing piston for rapidly moving said firing piston toward said closed end wall so as to compress air within said firing chamber, wherein said gas spring comprises:
• a tubular sleeve;
• a pair of end plugs sealingly enclosing said tubular sleeve, inner walls of said sleeve and said end plugs defining a gas spring chamber;
• and
• a gas spring piston extending through said end plugs and occupying a portion of said gas spring chamber, said gas spring chamber being pressurized with gas and sealed, wherein said gas spring piston is slidable relative to said end plugs,
• wherein said gas spring piston has a first piston portion and a second piston portion, said first piston portion having a larger cross section than said second piston portion, wherein at least a portion of said second piston portion occupies said gas spring chamber when said gas spring piston is at its neutral condition, wherein said gas spring chamber is further compressed by moving said first piston portion into said gas spring chamber;
• a mechanism for forcing said firing piston away from said closed end wall;
• and
• a trigger mechanism for maintaining said firing piston away from said closed end wall.

Method of injecting a medical product into a patient comprising the steps of:

• providing a needleless injecting device comprising a nozzle assembly having an ampule chamber for holding the medical product, an orifice in said nozzle assembly in fluid communication with said ampule chamber for allowing passage of the medical product through said orifice, and a pressure wall member disposed and movable within said ampule chamber holding the medical product;
• and an energy mechanism dimensioned and configured for selective coupling to said pressure wall member for moving said pressure wall member at a speed sufficient to eject the medical product from said ampule chamber under a substantially uniform pressure, said energy mechanism comprising a gas spring;
• further compressing said gas spring to energize;
• holding said gas spring in the energized state;
• filling said ampule chamber with an appropriate amount of the medical product;
• and
• releasing said gas spring from said energized condition, wherein the energy released from said gas spring is acted upon said pressure wall member to eject the medical product out of said ampule chamber and into a prescribed area of injection at a substantially uniform pressure which is sufficient to pierce at least one layer of skin.