Needle shield assembly

• US 20030181873A1
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Swenson, Kirk D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,316,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/263
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15003 for venous or arterial blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150244 Rods for actuating or driving the piston, i.e. the cylindrical body that sits inside the syringe barrel, typically with an air tight seal, and slides in the barrel to create a vacuum or to expel blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150259 Improved gripping, e.g. with high friction pattern or projections on the housing surface or an ergonometric shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150389 Hollow piercing elements, e.g. canulas, needles, for piercing the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150496 Details of construction of hub, i.e. element used to attach the double-ended needle to a piercing device or sampling device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150503 Single-ended needles hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396, needle sets for catheters A61M25/06, needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150572 Pierceable protectors, e.g. shields, caps, sleeves or films, e.g. for hygienic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150587 by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150671 comprising means to impede repositioning of protection sleeve from covering to uncovering position
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150717 manually removed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150732 Needle holders, for instance for holding the needle by the hub, used for example with double-ended needle and pre-evacuated tube,
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15074 Needle sets comprising wings, e.g. butterfly type, for ease of handling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150816 by tactile feedback, e.g. vibration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150824 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/154 Devices using pre-evacuated means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3217 Means to impede repositioning of protection cap from needle covering to needle uncovering position, e.g. catch mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6081 Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0631 having means for fully covering the needle after its withdrawal, e.g. needle being withdrawn inside the handle or a cover being advanced over the needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3216 Caps placed transversally onto the needle, e.g. pivotally attached to the needle base

Abstract

A safety needle assembly including a needle with an intravenous puncture tip, a shield in pivotal engagement with respect to the needle, and a hub in the form of a collar providing pivotal engagement between the needle and the shield is provided. The shield is pivotally movable between an unshielded position and a shielded position in which a portion of the shield encompasses the intravenous puncture tip for shielding the needle for safety purposes. The collar and the shield include locking structure providing locking engagement therebetween for locking the shield in the shielded position for preventing pivotal movement to the unshielded position. The collar further includes at least one collar flange extending laterally along a portion of the collar for preventing disengagement of the locking structure.

Claims

1. A safety needle assembly comprising:

a needle cannula including an intravenous end having a puncture tip;

a shield in pivotal engagement with respect to said needle cannula and pivotally movable between an unshielded position pivotally spaced from said intravenous end of said needle cannula and a shielded position encompassing said intravenous end of said needle cannula; and

a collar providing pivotal engagement between said needle cannula and said shield, said collar including at least one collar flange extending laterally along a portion of said collar, said collar and said shield including structure for locking engagement therebetween for locking said shield in said shielded position for preventing pivotal movement to said unshielded position, said collar flange preventing disengagement of said locking structure.

2. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said collar flange extends laterally along a portion of said collar toward said intravenous end of said needle cannula.

3. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said shield includes a shield flange for engagement with said collar flange.

4. A safety needle assembly comprising:

a needle cannula including an intravenous end having a puncture tip;

a collar engaged with said needle cannula and including at least one collar flange extending laterally along a portion of said hub toward said intravenous end of said needle cannula; and

a shield including a pair of longitudinally extending sidewalls defining a longitudinal opening, said shield pivotably connected to said collar and pivotal with respect to said needle cannula between an unshielded position pivotally spaced from said intravenous end of said needle cannula and a shielded position with said intravenous end of said needle cannula encompassed within said longitudinal opening, at least one of said pair of sidewalls of said shield including locking structure for engaging said collar when said shield is in said shielded position for preventing pivotal movement to said unshielded position,

wherein when said shield is in said shielded position, said collar flange prevents said locking structure of said shield from being disengaged from said collar.

5. A safety needle assembly as in claim 4, wherein at least one of said pair of sidewalls includes a locking barb and said collar includes a locking dent, said locking barb and said locking dent being interengagable when said shield is in said shielded position, thereby forming said locking structure.

6. A safety needle assembly as in claim 4, wherein said shield includes an outer shield flange on at least one of said pair of sidewalls, said outer shield flange and said at least one of said pair of sidewalls forming an opening for receiving said collar flange.

7. A safety needle assembly as in claim 4, wherein said shield includes an outer shield flange and an inner shield flange on at least one of said pair of sidewalls, said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange forming an opening for receiving said collar flange.

8. A safety needle assembly as in claim 7, wherein said outer shield flange is flexible.

9. A safety needle assembly as in claim 7, wherein said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange are interconnected.

10. A safety needle assembly as in claim 7, wherein said collar flange includes a rounded forward surface.

11. A safety needle assembly as in claim 7, wherein said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange form said locking structure for engagement with said collar flange.

12. A safety needle assembly as in claim 11, wherein said collar flange includes an outer latch for engagement with said outer shield flange.

13. A safety needle assembly as in claim 12, wherein said collar flange further includes an inner latch for engagement with said inner shield flange.

14. A safety needle assembly as in claim 4, wherein said collar includes structure for mating with a medical device.

15. A safety needle assembly as in claim 4, wherein said needle cannula extends through said internal opening of said collar, and includes a non-patient end extending from a rearward end of said collar and including a non-patient puncture tip, and an intravenous end extending from a forward end of said collar and including an intravenous puncture tip.

16. A safety needle assembly as in claim 15, further comprising a sleeve extending about said non-patient puncture tip.

17. A safety needle assembly as in claim 15, wherein said collar includes structure for mating with a blood collection needle holder.

18. A safety needle assembly as in claim 17, wherein said collar includes threads for threaded engagement with a blood collection needle holder.

19. A safety needle assembly as in claim 4, further comprising a packaging needle cover covering said intravenous end of said needle cannula.

20. An assembly comprising:

a needle assembly comprising a hub and a needle connected to said hub comprising a non-patient end and an intravenous end having a puncture tip; and

a needle shield assembly connected to said needle assembly comprising a collar and a shield, said collar being connected to said hub of said needle assembly and said shield being movably connected to said collar, said collar and said shield including locking structure for locking engagement therebetween, said collar further including a collar flange extending laterally along a portion of said collar, whereby said shield may be pivoted with respect to said collar between an unshielded position in which said shield is pivotally spaced from said intravenous end of said needle and a shielded position in which said shield encompasses said intravenous end of said needle and said locking structure is engaged, said collar flange preventing said locking structure from being disengaged.

21. An assembly as in claim 20, wherein said shield comprises a pair of sidewalls extending between a rearward end and a forward end defining a slot for housing said intravenous end of said needle, and means for connecting said shield and said collar.

22. An assembly as in claim 21, wherein said means for connecting said shield and said collar is a hanger bar located on said shield and a hook arm located on said collar whereby said hanger bar engages with said hook arm so that said shield may be pivoted with respect to said collar and said shield is pivotable between said unshielded position and said shielded position.

23. An assembly as in claim 22, wherein said shield is connected to said collar by an interference fit between said hanger bar and said hook arm.

24. An assembly as in claim 23, wherein said collar comprises a forward annular skirt having an inner surface and an outer surface and a rearward annular skirt having an inner surface and an outer surface, said collar flange extending laterally from said outer surface of said rearward annular skirt and extending in a direction toward said forward annular skirt.

25. An assembly as in claim 24, wherein said shield includes an outer shield flange and an inner shield flange on at least one of said pair of sidewalls, said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange forming an opening for receiving said collar flange.

26. An assembly as in claim 25, wherein said outer shield flange is flexible.

27. An assembly as in claim 25, wherein said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange are interconnected.

28. An assembly as in claim 25, wherein said hub flange includes a rounded forward surface.

29. An assembly as in claim 25, wherein said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange form said locking structure for engagement with said collar flange.

30. An assembly as in claim 29, wherein said collar flange includes an outer latch for engagement with said outer shield flange.

31. An assembly as in claim 30, wherein said collar flange further includes an inner latch for engagement with said inner shield flange.

32. An assembly as in claim 21, wherein said shield further comprises means for guiding a user'"'"'s fingers to pivotally move said shield between said unshielded position and said shielded position.

33. An assembly as in claim 32, wherein said means for guiding a user'"'"'s fingers to pivotally move said shield is a top finger guide area comprising a first ramp that extends slightly on an upward slope from said rearward end of said shield to a shoulder.

34. An assembly as in claim 33, further comprising means for guiding said intravenous end of said needle toward said slot comprising a second ramp which slopes downwardly from said shoulder.

35. An assembly as in claim 20, wherein said collar includes structure for mating with a needle holder.

36. A safety assembly comprising:

a needle assembly comprising a hub and a needle connected to said hub comprising a non-patient end and an intravenous end having a puncture tip;

a needle shield assembly comprising a collar and a shield, said collar having a proximal end and a distal end connected to said hub of said needle assembly, said shield being movably connected to said collar, said collar and said shield including locking structure for locking engagement therebetween, said collar further including a collar flange extending laterally along a portion of said collar toward said distal end; and

a needle holder having a distal end with an opening extending therethrough for receiving said non-patient end of said needle assembly, said needle holder connected to said proximal end of said collar,

whereby said shield may be pivoted with respect to said collar between an unshielded position in which said shield is pivotally spaced from said intravenous end of said needle and a shielded position in which said shield encompasses said intravenous end of said needle and said locking structure is engaged, said collar flange preventing said locking structure from being disengaged.

37. A safety assembly as in claim 36, wherein said shield comprises a pair of sidewalls extending between a rearward end and a forward end defining a slot for housing said intravenous end of said needle, said shield further including an outer shield flange and an inner shield flange on at least one of said pair of sidewalls, said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange forming an opening for receiving said collar flange.

38. An assembly as in claim 37, wherein said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange are interconnected.

39. An assembly as in claim 37, wherein said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange form said locking structure for engagement with said collar flange.

40. An assembly as in claim 39, wherein said collar flange includes an outer latch for engagement with said outer shield flange.

41. An assembly as in claim 40, wherein said collar flange further includes an inner latch for engagement with said inner shield flange.