Granted Patent B2

US 12,558,486 · App. 18/949,343 · Granted Feb 24, 2026

Inventors: Christopher Andrew Zikry (Northridge, CA); Benjamin Edward Merritt (San Clemente, CA); Parker Ozenne (Aliso Viejo, CA); Steven McConnell (Anaheim, CA); Mikayla Ann Barkley (Irvine, CA)

Assignee: Inari Medical, Inc.

A61M5/31501A61M5/2033

Abstract

Claims (28)

1 . An automatic-locking and automatic-unlocking syringe, comprising:

a barrel;

a plunger assembly slidably positioned within the barrel, wherein the plunger assembly is movable between a first position and a second position; and

a locking assembly coupled to the barrel, wherein—

the plunger assembly is configured to be withdrawn through the barrel to generate vacuum pressure in the barrel;

the plunger assembly is configured to move from the first position to the second position in response to the vacuum pressure;

the plunger assembly is configured to move from the second position to the first position in response to the vacuum pressure being released;

the plunger assembly is configured to lock to the locking assembly in the second position such that the locking assembly inhibits movement of the plunger assembly through the barrel; and

the plunger assembly is configured to unlock from the locking assembly in the first position such that the locking assembly permits movement of the plunger assembly through the barrel.

2 . The syringe of claim 1 wherein the plunger assembly includes a sealing head, a shaft, and a biasing member operably coupling the sealing head to the shaft.

3 . The syringe of claim 2 wherein in the first position the biasing member biases the sealing head into engagement within the shaft.

4 . The syringe of claim 3 wherein in the second position the vacuum pressure moves the sealing head from the shaft, against a biasing force of the biasing member, to define a locking recess therebetween.

5 . The syringe of claim 4 wherein the locking assembly includes a lock plate configured to be positioned in the locking recess when the plunger assembly is in the second position such that the lock plate inhibits movement of the plunger assembly through the barrel.

6 . The syringe of claim 5 wherein movement of the plunger assembly from the second position to the first position is configured to drive the lock plate from the locking recess to permit movement of the plunger assembly through the barrel.

7 . The syringe of claim 5 wherein the lock plate includes a button portion configured to be actuated by a user to drive the lock plate out of the locking recess when the plunger assembly is in the second position to permit movement of the plunger assembly through the barrel.

8 . The syringe of claim 1 wherein the locking assembly includes a housing, a lock plate positioned at least partially within the housing, and a biasing member operably coupling the lock plate to the housing.

9 . The syringe of claim 8 wherein the biasing member is configured to drive the lock plate into locking engagement with the plunger assembly when the plunger assembly is in the second position, and wherein the plunger assembly is configured to drive the lock plate against a biasing force of the biasing member when the plunger assembly is in the first position.

10 . The syringe of claim 1 , wherein the plunger assembly comprises—

a handle assembly including a first shaft having a distal portion;

a seal assembly including a second shaft and a seal head coupled to the second shaft, wherein the seal head includes a sealing member positioned to sealingly engage the barrel; and

a biasing member operably coupling the first shaft to the second shaft, wherein the biasing member has a biasing force, and wherein—

the handle assembly is configured to be withdrawn relative to the barrel to withdraw the seal assembly and the sealing member through the barrel to generate the vacuum pressure in the barrel; and

in, the second position, the vacuum pressure is configured to generate a vacuum force on the seal assembly greater than the biasing force of the biasing member such that the biasing member compresses and the seal head moves away from the distal portion of the first shaft.

11 . The syringe of claim 10 wherein the biasing member is a compression spring.

12 . The syringe of claim 10 wherein, in the first position when the vacuum pressure is released, the biasing force is configured to drive the seal head to engage the distal portion of the first shaft.

13 . The syringe of claim 10 , wherein the locking assembly includes a lock plate, wherein the vacuum pressure is configured to generate the vacuum force on the seal assembly greater than the biasing force of the biasing member such that the seal head moves away from the distal portion of the first shaft to define a locking recess therebetween in the second position, and wherein the lock plate is configured to be positioned in the locking recess to lock the locking assembly to the plunger assembly to inhibit movement of the plunger assembly through the barrel.

14 . The syringe of claim 13 wherein, in the first position when the vacuum pressure is released, the biasing force is configured to drive the seal head to engage the distal portion of the first shaft to drive the lock plate from the locking recess to unlock the locking assembly from the plunger assembly.

15 . The syringe of claim 10 wherein the second shaft comprises a visual indicator, wherein the first shaft includes an aperture, and wherein the visual indicator is at least partially visible through the aperture when the vacuum force on the seal assembly is greater than the biasing force of the biasing member such that the seal head moves away from the distal portion of the first shaft.

Assignments (3)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (400)

Cited By (1)

US 12,702,538