US 6,916,159 B2Granted

Device and method employing shape memory alloy

AssigneeTheraSense, Inc.

InventorsBenjamin M. Rush, Christopher V. Reggiardo

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Abstract

A system for the metering and delivery of small discrete volumes of liquid is comprised of a small or minimal number of inexpensive components. One such component is a movable member, such as a miniature precision reciprocating displacement pump head, which is driven by an actuator that comprises a shape memory alloy material. The operating mechanism of the system is of little or minimal complexity. The system facilitates the precise metering and delivery of the small discrete volumes of liquid. Potential applications for the system include subcutaneous, long-term, automated drug delivery, for example, the delivery of insulin to a person with diabetes. In such an application, the small, simple and inexpensive nature of the invention would allow for its use as both a portable and a disposable system.

Claims48

Dependent claims

A device for pumping a predetermined volume of fluid comprising:

a cavity operably associated with an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of a construction sufficient for operable communication with a source of fluid, the cavity at least partially defined by a resilient housing;
an inlet check valve operably associated with the inlet and an outlet check valve operably associated with the outlet;
a member operably associated with the resilient housing, the member disposed in a first position by way of a biasing force and moveable therefrom to a second position, the member sufficient to fully compress the resilient housing when in one of the first position and the second position, and sufficient to fully decompress the resilient housing when in a different one of the first position and the second position;
a biasing element operably associated with the member and of a construction sufficient to provide the biasing force;
an actuator comprising a shape memory alloy, the actuator operably associated with the member and of a construction sufficient to move the member from the first position to the second position when the shape memory alloy undergoes a dimensional change relative to an original condition thereof, and sufficient to move the member from the second position to the first position when the shape memory alloy returns toward the original condition;
wherein, when the inlet is in operable communication with the source of fluid, the cavity is empty of the predetermined volume of fluid when the resilient housing is fully compressed and the cavity is filled with the predetermined volume of fluid when the resilient housing is fully decompressed.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/683,659Filed 9 Oct 2003 · us provisional application
Priority: 9 Oct 2002
Published: US 2004/0115067 A117 Jun 2004
Granted: 12 Jul 2005
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification25 codes

F04B 43/043
Pumps having electric drive: micropumps
A61M 5/14216
Pumping with an aspiration and an expulsion action: reciprocating piston type
A61M 5/14244
Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps: adapted to be carried by the patient, e.g. portable on the body
F03G 7/0614
Characterised by the actuating element: using shape memory elements

Family

Application60/417,464Us provisional application · filed 9 Oct 2002
Application60/424,613Us provisional application · filed 6 Nov 2002
Application60/424,414Us provisional application · filed 6 Nov 2002
US 2004/0115067 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Jun 2004
US 6,916,159 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.