Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
136 words
A programmed action syringe comprising: a barrel having at least one pin protruding into a bore defined by said barrel; a plunger movable in either of two opposite directions along said bore, said plunger having, on its exterior, at least one tracking groove engaging the pin, the tracking groove defining a programmed path extending partly in at least a first longitudinal direction corresponding to at least one of said two opposite directions and partly in a direction transverse thereto, the tracking groove having a continuous cam side against which the pin can bear for unobstructed movement of the plunger in the first longitudinal direction and an opposing cam side blocking the pin and preventing any substantial movement of the plunger in an opposing second longitudinal direction, whereby plunger movement is constrained to follow the programmed path.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
136 words
A programmed action syringe comprising: a barrel having at least one pin protruding into a bore defined by said barrel; a plunger movable in either of two opposite directions along said bore, said plunger having, on its exterior, at least one tracking groove engaging the pin, the tracking groove defining a programmed path extending partly in at least a first longitudinal direction corresponding to at least one of said two opposite directions and partly in a direction transverse thereto, the tracking groove having a continuous cam side against which the pin can bear for unobstructed movement of the plunger in the first longitudinal direction and an opposing cam side blocking the pin and preventing any substantial movement of the plunger in an opposing second longitudinal direction, whereby plunger movement is constrained to follow the programmed path.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 1 wherein said opposing cam side includes a plurality of pin stop regions, and wherein a longitudinal distance from the continuous cam side to a rear of each pin stop region defines a limited travel distance of said plunger with respect to said barrel in said second longitudinal direction.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
240 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 1 including two tracking grooves respectively defining a fill groove and a drain groove is substantially opposite longitudinal direction said fill groove having a first continuous cam side for substantially complete longitudinal cam action in a fill direction and a respective opposing first discontinuous cam side, said fill direction being said first direction when said pin tracks said fill groove, said drain groove having a second continuous cam side for substantially complete longitudinal cam action in a drain direction and a respective second discontinuous cam side, said drain direction being said first direction when said pin tracks said drain groove, said fill and drain grooves having a confluence, near an end of said plunger adjacent a fluid content chamber of said barrel, at which said first continuous cam side terminates and adjoins an initiation of said second discontinuous cam side on a fill side of said confluence and at which said first discontinuous cam side terminates and adjoins an initiation of said second continuous cam side on a drain side of said confluence, said second continuous cam side having an initial drain side region longitudinally aligned with said fill side of said confluence such that said confluence is at an offset angle with respect to strict longitudinal travel of said pin through said confluence, and said pin strikes said initial drain side region during travel from said fill side through said confluence.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 3 wherein said fill tracking groove circumscribes a longitudinal partial spiral path spanning a first arcuate portion of said plunger's circumference and said drain tracking groove circumscribes a longitudinal partial spiral path spanning a second arcuate portion of said plunger's circumference.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 4 said first and second discontinuous cam sides include a plurality of pin stop regions, wherein the longitudinal distance between each pin stop defines a limited travel distance of said plunger with respect to said barrel in directions opposite said fill and drain directions respectively when said pin travels through said fill and drain grooves.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
75 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 5 wherein said pin stop regions include U-shaped pin traps having trap entrances at the open end of the U-shape which are longitudinally aligned with sections of said first and second continuous cam sides such that longitudinal travel in a direction opposite said fill and drain directions respectively when said pin tracks said fill and drain grooves is non-rotational due to said pin entering said trap entrances.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
84 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 6 wherein said fill and drain grooves each have a floor, a flat floor region thereof adjacent said continuous cam side having a depth substantially complementary to the protrusion of said pin into said barrel and the pin traps have a sloping floor region adjacent said discontinuous cam side having an increasing shallower depth as compared to said flat floor region, leading into the pin traps, whereby trapping of the pins causes compression of the pins.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
69 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 6 wherein one end of said barrel includes means for mounting a needle thereon and the opposite end of said barrel being open, the syringe including a plunger stem protruding beyond the open end of said barrel, said plunger stem rotatively mounted to said plunger, thereby disabling rotative movement of said plunger relative to said barrel other than through cam action.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
60 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 1 wherein said continuous cam side includes a plurality of continuous cam sections that are each angularly offset with respect to an imaginary longitudinal medial line extending through the length of said tracking groove such that said pin crosses said medial line a plurality of times during travel through said tracking groove.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 9 wherein said discontinuous cam side includes a plurality of pin stop regions, wherein the longitudinal distance between each pin stop defines a limited travel distance of said plunger with respect to said barrel in said second longitudinal direction.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 10 wherein said pin stop regions extend through said medial line.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 11 wherein said pin stop regions are at a 90 degree or greater angle with respect to said medial line.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
238 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 9 including two longitudinal tracking grooves respectively defining a fill groove and a drain groove, said fill groove having a first continuous cam side for substantially complete longitudinal cam action in a fill direction and a respective opposing first discontinuous cam side, said fill direction being said first direction when said pin tracks said fill groove, said drain groove having a second continuous cam side for substantially complete longitudinal cam action in a drain direction and a respective second discontinuous cam side, said drain direction being said first direction when said pin tracks said drain groove, said fill and drain grooves having a confluence, near an end of said plunger adjacent a fluid content chamber of said barrel, at which said first continuous cam side terminates and adjoins an initiation of said second discontinuous cam side on a fill side of said confluence and at which said first discontinuous cam side terminates and adjoins an initiation of said second continuous cam side on a drain side of said confluence, said second continuous cam side having an initial drain side region longitudinally aligned with said fill side of said confluence such that said confluence is at an offset angle with respect to strict longitudinal travel of said pin through said confluence, and said pin strikes said initial and drain side region during said travel from said fill side through said confluence.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
72 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 13 wherein one end of said barrel includes means for mounting a needle thereon and the opposite end of said barrel being open, the syringe including a plunger stem protruding beyond the open end of said barrel, said plunger stem rotatably mounted to said plunger thereby disabling rotative movement of said plunger relative to said barrel other than through cam action of said pin.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
70 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 9 wherein said tracking groove has a floor, a flat floor region thereof adjacent said continuous cam side having a depth substantially complementary to the protrusion of said pin into said barrel and a sloping floor region thereof defining said pin traps adjacent said discontinuous cam side, the pin traps having an increasing shallower depth as compared to said flat floor region.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
72 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 9 wherein one end of said barrel includes means for mounting a needle thereon and the opposite end of said barrel being open, the syringe including a plunger stem protruding beyond the open end of said barrel, said plunger stem rotatably mounted to said plunger thereby disabling rotative movement of said plunger relative to said barrel other than through cam action of said pin.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 16 wherein said plunger stem has a shear strength less than a shear strength of said pin.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
151 words
A programmed action syringe comprising: a barrel having at least one pin protuding into a bore of said barrel; a plunger adapted to travel through said bore, said plunger having, on its exterior surface, at least one longitudinal tracking groove having a continuous cam side for unlimited cam action travel of said pin in said groove in a first longtiudinal direction and an opposing discontinuous cam side for limited cam action travel in an opposing second longitudinal direction, the discontinuous cam side including a plurality of pin stop regions, a longitudinal distance defined by each pin stop region defining a limited travel distance of said plunger relative to the barrel in said second longitudinal direction, said tracking groove circumscribing a longitudinal, at least partly spiral path about said plunger, causing said plunger to rotate relative to said barrel during longitudinal travel in said first direction of said pin through said bore.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
151 words
A programmed action syringe comprising: a barrel having at least one pin protuding into a bore of said barrel; a plunger adapted to travel through said bore, said plunger having, on its exterior surface, at least one longitudinal tracking groove having a continuous cam side for unlimited cam action travel of said pin in said groove in a first longtiudinal direction and an opposing discontinuous cam side for limited cam action travel in an opposing second longitudinal direction, the discontinuous cam side including a plurality of pin stop regions, a longitudinal distance defined by each pin stop region defining a limited travel distance of said plunger relative to the barrel in said second longitudinal direction, said tracking groove circumscribing a longitudinal, at least partly spiral path about said plunger, causing said plunger to rotate relative to said barrel during longitudinal travel in said first direction of said pin through said bore.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 18 wherein said pin stop regions include U-shaped pin traps.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
56 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 19 wherein said U-shaped pin traps include trap entrances at the open end of the U-shape which are longitudinally aligned with sections of said continuous cam sides such that longitudinal travel in said second direction of said plunger is non-rotational due to said pin entering said trap entrances.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
78 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 20 wherein said tracking groove has a floor, a flat floor region thereof adjacent said continuous cam side having a depth substantially complementary to the protrusion of said pin into said barrel and wherein at least some of the pin traps have a sloping floor region beginning at said discontinuous cam side and having an increasing shallower depth leading into the pin traps as compared to said flat floor region.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
78 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 20 wherein one end of said barrel includes means for mounting a needle thereon and the opposite end of said barrel being open, the syringe including a plunger stem protruding beyond the open end of said barrel, said plunger stem rotatably mounted to said plunger thereby disabling rotative movement of said plunger relative to said barrel other than through cam action of said pin in said longitudinal spiral path groove.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 22 wherein said plunger stem has a shear strength less than a shear strength of said pin.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
24 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 22, wherein a plurality of said pins and said grooves are disposed circumferentially around the syringe.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
25 words
A programmed action syringe as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least some of said pins and said grooves are arranged in diametrically opposed pairs.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
180 words
A programmed action syringe comprising: a barrel having at least one pin protruding into a bore of said barrel; a plunger movable longitudinally through said bore for at least one of filling and emptying the syringe, said plunger having on its surface at least one tracking groove receiving the pin and defining a path proceeding partly longitudinally and partly transversely, the plunger being received in the barrel such that user control of relative displacement of the plunger in the barrel is limited to exertion of relative force between the plunger and the barrel in longitudinal directions, the tracking groove having unobstructed surfaces engageable against the pin on one side of said tracking groove for unlimited travel of said plunger relative to said barrel in a permitted longitudinal direction along the path, and the tracking groove having opposing obstructed surfaces on a second side of said tracking groove for capturing said pin and blocking travel of the plunger in a direction opposite to said permitted longitudinal direction, whereby plunger movement is constrained to follow a path along the permitted longitudinal direction.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
180 words
A programmed action syringe comprising: a barrel having at least one pin protruding into a bore of said barrel; a plunger movable longitudinally through said bore for at least one of filling and emptying the syringe, said plunger having on its surface at least one tracking groove receiving the pin and defining a path proceeding partly longitudinally and partly transversely, the plunger being received in the barrel such that user control of relative displacement of the plunger in the barrel is limited to exertion of relative force between the plunger and the barrel in longitudinal directions, the tracking groove having unobstructed surfaces engageable against the pin on one side of said tracking groove for unlimited travel of said plunger relative to said barrel in a permitted longitudinal direction along the path, and the tracking groove having opposing obstructed surfaces on a second side of said tracking groove for capturing said pin and blocking travel of the plunger in a direction opposite to said permitted longitudinal direction, whereby plunger movement is constrained to follow a path along the permitted longitudinal direction.