Retractable needle single use safety syringe
First Claim
1. A safety syringe assembly, comprising:
- an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel and an expanded proximal segment;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle;
a needle holder mounting said needle at a distal end thereof and slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring mounted inside of said barrel, and a spring retainer element located in said expanded proximal segment of said barrel and having a stabilizing surface extending along and about a portion of the internal wall of said barrel, and a spring support portion extending from said stabilizing surface interiorly of said barrel and supporting a distal end portion of said spring against expansion, said spring retainer also having a through opening for freely receiving said needle holder therethrough;
said spring urging said needle holder toward its retracted position; and
a latch having an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched relative to said barrel to hold said needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of said spring, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched relative to said barrel to allow said spring to expand in a proximal direction to move said needle holder to its retracted position.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A safety syringe assembly includes an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of the barrel and opening into the interior of the barrel. A plunger is slidably mounted in the barrel and has a longitudinal open channel. A needle holder mounts a needle at a distal end thereof and is slidably mounted in the longitudinal open channel of the plunger for movement between an advanced position in which the needle on the distal end of the needle holder projects from a distal end of the nozzle, and a retracted position in which the needle is retracted within the barrel. A compression spring is mounted inside of the barrel, and a spring retainer element has a spring support portion extending from the interiorly of the barrel to a portion for mounted within the barrel and supporting a distal end portion of the spring against expansion. The spring urges the needle holder toward its retracted position. A latch has a closed position in which the needle holder is latched relative to the barrel to hold the needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of the spring, and an open position in which the needle holder is unlatched relative to the barrel to allow the spring to expand in a proximal direction to move the needle holder to its retracted position.
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Citations
132 Claims
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1. A safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel and an expanded proximal segment;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle;
a needle holder mounting said needle at a distal end thereof and slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring mounted inside of said barrel, and a spring retainer element located in said expanded proximal segment of said barrel and having a stabilizing surface extending along and about a portion of the internal wall of said barrel, and a spring support portion extending from said stabilizing surface interiorly of said barrel and supporting a distal end portion of said spring against expansion, said spring retainer also having a through opening for freely receiving said needle holder therethrough;
said spring urging said needle holder toward its retracted position; and
a latch having an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched relative to said barrel to hold said needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of said spring, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched relative to said barrel to allow said spring to expand in a proximal direction to move said needle holder to its retracted position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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a hollow generally cylindrical barrel, with a distal hollow nozzle communicating with the barrel;
a plunger slidably inserted in the barrel, having a polymeric piston at a distal end, and a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder with a needle mounted at the distal end thereof and slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring wrapped around said needle holder;
said plunger having linear axial mobility independent of movements of the spring and needle holder;
a spring retainer located in said barrel supporting said compression spring;
a switch engaging the barrel and the needle holder and having two radial projections entering within the barrel cavity;
said plunger advancing the polymeric piston to make a surface contact of a distal conical end of the piston with a conical interior end of the barrel for injecting medicine through the needle by minimal force applied to said plunger;
said plunger being movable with an additional applied force to advance distally within a cavity formed in the piston as well as to compress the piston thereby additionally advancing distally within the barrel, a pair of plates projecting from the plunger engaging and radially displacing said projections of the switch upon said additional advance, so as to displace the switch radially outwardly causing the release and retraction of the needle holder. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a spring mounted inside said barrel and urging said needle holder toward its retracted position; and
a latch having an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched to said barrel to hold said needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of said spring, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched from said barrel to allow said spring to move said needle holder to its retracted position;
wherein said latch comprises a needle holder locking element non-removably, circumferentially mounted on said barrel for rotary movement between a locking position and non-locking position on the barrel relative to said needle holder. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A retraction control unit for a retractable needle syringe comprising:
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a cylindrical spring retainer with a distal axial cantilever extension, inserted coaxially and locked within a barrel of a syringe;
a plunger with a compressibly engaged resilient cap, one or more radial projections and a central channel, and capable of reciprocal linear movements, and inserted within said spring retainer clearing the cantilever;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said central open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
the distal axial cantilever extension of the said spring retainer retaining a compression spring wrapped around said needle holder, such that said needle holder passes distally through an opening in the said axial extension;
a proximal surface of said spring retainer having a stabilizer plate to support the needle holder and a deflectable anchoring plate that releasably holds the needle holder against an expansion force of the spring until it is radially deflected by the projections of said plunger, in response to a force that exceeds a fluid injection force.
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22. A needle retraction mechanism for a retractable safety syringe comprising:
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support means in the form of a hollow cylindrical tubular segment engageable to the internal surface of a syringe barrel by mechanical or chemical means and having an axially extending cantilever means with an opening on its distal surface for supporting biasing means in the form of a compression spring engaged with a needle holder, and a needle holder anchoring plate having needle holder retaining geometry preventing needle holder means from retracting from the support means and located on a surface of support means opposite of the cantilever means;
needle holder means with a needle at its distal end slidably engaged in the opening of said cantilever means for linear movements between an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of the syringe barrel, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said syringe barrel;
plunger means with a compressably engaged elastic cap, and a central channel that clears the cantilever means and the needle holder means in the barrel for reciprocal linear movements to receive and inject medication from the syringe;
said plunger means having radially projecting ramps flanking said central channel and being advanceable to create a first pressure gradient to inject medicine through the needle and a second pressure gradient to compress a plunger-cap junction and the elastic cap so as to cause the plunger ramps to engage and displace the anchoring plate of the support means to disengage and retract the needle holder;
wherein said needle holder means is releasably engaged by said anchoring plate at a distal end of a retraction chamber of the barrel counteracting said compression spring and advancing the needle holder distally to define an operative mode of the syringe; and
wherein said support means are inseparable from the barrel in an operative mode but, when said anchoring plate is displaced, release the needle holder and needle within the barrel.
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23. A syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, tubular barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger;
a latch for latching and unlatching said needle holder relative to said barrel; and
a spring for retracting said needle holder in response to unlatching of said needle holder by said latch;
wherein said needle holder has a lateral arm which extends radially, wherein said latch releasably engages the lateral arm of said needle holder; and
wherein said latch inseparably engages said barrel. - View Dependent Claims (24, 26, 27)
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- 25. The syringe assembly of claim 25 wherein said latch has an inwardly projecting member extending through a wall of said barrel, and wherein said plunger includes an outwardly projecting part for engaging said inwardly projecting member upon advancement of said plunger past a position for fully dispensing medication for releasing said latch.
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32. A syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel, a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger;
a latch for latching and unlatching said needle holder relative to said barrel; and
a spring for retracting said needle holder in response to unlatching of said needle holder by said latch;
wherein said needle holder has a lateral arm which extends radially, and wherein said latch releasably engages the lateral arm of said needle holder;
wherein said latch is located and configured so as to be activated by said plunger. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35)
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36. A retractable needle pre-filled safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle at the distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
an elastic O ring seated adjacent the nozzle;
a plunger with an elastic piston that seals around an interior of the barrel and is slidably mounted in said barrel, said plunger having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from said nozzle and seals against said O ring and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring mounted around said needle holder and retracting the needle holder proximally when expanded and the needle holder projecting distally when the spring is compressed;
wherein a medicine chamber defined in said barrel is proximally sealed with the rubber piston abutting against the needle holder while a needle lumen closed by mechanical means seals the chamber distally. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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a hollow generally cylindrical barrel, with a wider proximal segment and a distal hollow nozzle communicating with the barrel;
a needle holder holding a hollow hypodermic needle mounted at a distal end and a side aperture in said needle holder communicating with the needle;
a compression spring wrapped around the needle holder biasing said needle in a direction for retracting the needle;
a spring retainer located in the wider segment of the said barrel and supporting said compression spring;
a plunger slidably inserted in the barrel, and having an elastomeric piston at a distal end and a central cavity enclosing the needle holder and needle, the plunger having linear axial mobility in barrel independently of said spring and needle holder; and
a ring-like switch encircling the barrel and rotatably locked onto the barrel surface, and engaging with said needle holder to releasably compress the spring, said switch being inseparable from said syringe at least until release of said needle holder by said switch for retraction of the needle within the syringe assembly. - View Dependent Claims (46)
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47. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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a hollow generally cylindrical barrel, with a wider proximal segment and a distal hollow nozzle communicating with said barrel;
a needle holder holding a hollow hypodermic needle mounted at a distal end of the needle holder and a side aperture in said needle holder communicating with the needle;
a compression spring wrapped around the needle holder for biasing said needle in a direction for retracting the needle;
a spring retainer located in the wider segment of said barrel and supporting said compression spring;
a plunger slidably inserted in the barrel, and having an elastomeric piston at a distal end and a central open channel enclosing the needle holder and needle, the plunger having linear axial mobility in barrel, that is independent of said spring and needle holder;
a latch having an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched relative to said barrel to hold said needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of said spring, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched relative to said barrel to allow said spring to expand in a proximal direction to move said needle holder to its retracted position;
said latch comprising a semicircular element engaged on the barrel, and having two radial projections entering with the barrel cavity and engageable by said plunger for releasing said switch upon over-advancement of said plunger;
wherein said barrel includes a track slot and wherein said needle holder includes a lateral arm extending laterally from said plunger open channel into said track slot, whereby said needle holder is guided by said track slot as it moves toward its retracted position;
and wherein a distal margin of the switch engages the needle holder arm to compress the spring and thereby retain the needle extended out through the nozzle, and wherein the switch is inseparable from said syringe assembly until the switch is released to retract the needle within the syringe assembly. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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a hollow generally cylindrical barrel having an increased diameter proximal segment and a distal hollow nozzle communicating with the said barrel;
a hollow needle;
a plunger slidably arrested in the barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder mounting said needle at a distal end thereof and slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring;
a spring retainer located in said increased diameter proximal segment of said barrel and supporting said compression spring around said needle holder, said needle holder having a lateral port communicating with the hollow needle;
wherein said barrel includes a track slot and wherein said needle holder includes a lateral arm extending laterally from said plunger open channel into said track slot, whereby said needle holder is guided by said track slot as it moves toward its retracted position;
an elastomeric piston at a distal end of the plunger;
a ring switch encircling the barrel and rotatably locked onto the barrel, distal to a pair of flanges and proximal to a pair of detents on the barrel surface, engaging with the arm of the said needle holder to compress the spring to bias the needle out through the nozzle, and inseparable from the syringe until the needle is retracted within the syringe assembly by release of the needle holder;
the nozzle of the syringe having a male taper on its outer surface; and
a needle protector with a complementary female taper on a mating surface to form an air and water tight seal between the barrel nozzle and needle protector, whereby pneumatic and hydraulic forces caused by sealed fluids in the barrel prevent advance of plunger and inadvertent retraction of the said needle. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle;
a needle holder mounting said needle at a distal end thereof, and releasably coupled to the said barrel for movement between an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted with said barrel;
a compression spring mounted around the needle holder biasing the needle holder in a direction for retracting the needle proximally when expanded;
said nozzle having a male taper on its outer surface with a needle protector with a mating female taper to form an air and water tight seal between the barrel and needle protector;
whereby fluids residing in the barrel preventing advance of the plunger to the distal end of the barrel and avoiding the retraction before the use of the syringe.
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60. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder receiving said needle at its distal end and slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle projects form a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
wherein said barrel includes a track slot and wherein said needle holder includes a lateral arm extending laterally from said plunger open channel into said track slot, whereby said needle holder is guided by said track slot as it moves toward its retracted position;
a rotatable ring switch that encircles said barrel and engages with the needle holder arm projecting from the barrel wall;
a compression spring mounted around the needle holder and assembled to the barrel and biasing the needle holder for retracting the needle proximally when expanded;
the nozzle having a male taper on its outer surface, and a needle protector with a mating female taper to form an air and water tight seal between the barrel and needle protector;
whereby the retractable needle syringe assembly is sealed at the nozzle by the needle protector, such that in an operative state the syringe contains a quantum of air to prevent accidental advance of the plunger and to avoid premature retraction of the needle and disablement of the syringe.
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61. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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a hollow generally cylindrical barrel, with a distal hollow nozzle communicating with the barrel;
a plunger slidably inserted in the barrel, having a polymeric piston at the distal end, and a longitudinal open channel;
a needle;
a needle holder mounting said needle at a distal end thereof and slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring wrapped around the said needle holder;
a spring retainer located in the said barrel supporting said compression spring;
said plunger having linear axial mobility independent of movements of the spring and needle holder. a switch engaged on the barrel and having two radial projections entering within the barrel cavity;
said plunger advancing the polymeric piston to make a surface contact of a piston distal conical end with a conical interior end of barrel for injecting medicine through the needle by minimal force applied to said plunger;
said plunger being movable with an additional applied force to advance distally within a cavity formed in the rubber piston cavity and so as compress the elastic rubber piston thereby additionally advancing distally within the barrel; and
a pair of plates projecting from the plunger engaging and radially displacing said projections of the switch upon said additional advance, so as to displace the switch radially outwardly causing the release and retraction of the needle holder. - View Dependent Claims (62)
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63. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle, held on the distal end of said needle holder, projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring mounted around the needle holder and assembled to the barrel, and biasing the needle holder in a direction for retracting the needle proximally when expanded;
said needle having an open proximal end mounted in and sealed by adhesives to a distal dead end of the needle holder such that the open proximal end of the needle is not exposed to air in the barrel;
an entry and exit hole for medication located in a lateral wall of the needle holder and in communication with said needle, that is a boundary zone of zero velocity and is only affected by a pressure gradient in the barrel and not by retraction of the needle;
said needle holder having a larger cross-section at its proximal portion which adds significant mass to dampen the retraction velocity of the needle holder, and wherein the expansion spring is always in contact with the needle holder to provide minimum recoil to needle and its contents.
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64. A retractable needle safety syringe comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical body forming an aperture at the distal end of said cylindrical body and opening into the interior of said cylindrical body;
a needle holder carrying a hollow hypodermic needle projecting from said holder along the axis of said cylindrical body, said needle holder being mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body;
a releasable latch for releasably locking said cylindrical body and said needle holder to each other;
biasing means within said cylindrical body for biasing said needle holder toward said retracted position;
a plunger carrying said needle holder and mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body, said plunger being movable to a first advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a first magnitude, and to a second advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a second, greater magnitude; and
means for releasing said latch in response to movement of said plunger to said second advanced position, so that said needle holder is retracted by said biasing means upon movement of said plunger to said second advanced position. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67)
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68. A retractable needle safety syringe comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical body forming an aperture at the distal end of said cylindrical body and opening into the interior of said cylindrical body;
a needle holder carrying a hollow hypodermic needle projecting from said holder along the axis of said cylindrical body, said needle holder being mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body;
a plunger carrying said needle holder and mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body;
biasing means within said cylindrical body for biasing said needle holder toward said retracted position; and
a releasable latch for releasably locking said cylindrical body and said needle holder to each other, said latch having a latch body that extends at least partially around the circumference of said cylindrical body and is attached to said cylindrical body, said latch being movable between an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched in its advanced position against he urging of said biasing means, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched to allow said biasing means to move said needle holder to its retracted position.
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69. A retractable needle safety syringe pre-filled with a liquid to be administered to a patient, said syringe comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel of biocompatible thermoplastic forming a medicine chamber traversed by an axial biocompatible needle holder with a hypodermic needle attached to its distal end, and retained in the chamber by a reversible interlock of said barrel with said needle holder;
said needle holder being mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical barrel;
a releasable latch for releasably locking said cylindrical barrel and said needle holder to each other;
a compression spring within said cylindrical barrel for biasing said needle holder toward said retracted position;
a plunger carrying said needle holder and mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical barrel, the distal end of said plunger including a resilient piston which seals against an internal wall of the barrel;
wherein said needle holder is sealed by an “
O”
ring at a distal nozzle formed on said barrel, while the needle is also mechanically closed by a luer locked needle protector at the nozzle,wherein proximally, the barrel including the needle holder is sealed by the resilient piston;
the plunger having a channel that permits an advance of the plunger for injection of medicine as well as retraction of the needle holder and the needle within the barrel when the medicine has been injected, and the latch has been released;
wherein the integrity of needle holder location and the retraction and locking of the needle holder in the barrel is achieved by the compression spring installed on a spring retainer and engaged with the needle holder; and
wherein sealing of the medicine chamber prior to injection of the medicine is additionally supported by the spring retainer.
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70. A retractable needle safety saline filled syringe assembly for intravenous catheter placement, comprising:
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an over-the-needle catheter comprising a flexible polymeric tubular catheter having a mounting connector with a female luer taper;
a hollow generally cylindrical barrel and a distal hollow nozzle communicating with said barrel, and having male luer taper on its outer surface that engages with said female luer taper of the over-the-needle catheter to thereby mount the catheter on the nozzle;
a hypodermic needle mounted to a needle holder;
said catheter being coaxially installable over the hypodermic needle emerging out through the nozzle and extending beyond the tip of said catheter;
a compression spring wrapped around the needle holder and urging said needle holder toward its retracted position;
a spring retainer element having a spring support portion extending interiorly in the center of the barrel and supporting a distal end portion of the compression spring encircling the hypodermic needle, while permitting the passage of the said hypodermic needle through the compressed spring and an opening in said support portion, through the nozzle and within said over-the-needle catheter;
a plunger slidably inserted in the barrel, having a resilient piston at its distal end, and a central cavity receiving said spring support, the spring and the needle holder;
said needle holder having a side arm at its proximal end which compresses the spring inside the spring retainer so as to cause said needle to project distally through the nozzle of the syringe and which is releasably attached to the barrel via a switch;
whereby in normal operative mode the saline filled syringe is used puncture the skin and a vein by the needle point to gain entry of the needle and the catheter into a vein, the hypodermic needle is retracted and the catheter remains on the nozzle for further advance and maintenance of fluid communication with said syringe for monitoring the location of the catheter and infusing fluids into the vein; and
the hypodermic needle is retracted, while the flexible catheter is retained on the nozzle for non-traumatic manipulation and placement, and for monitoring the location of the catheter and fluid continuity through said catheter before connecting to intravenous fluid lines. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72)
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73. A retractable needle, single use syringe comprising:
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a hollow generally cylindrical barrel, with a wider proximal segment and a distal hollow nozzle communicating with an interior of said barrel;
a needle;
a needle holder mounting said needle at a distal end thereof and slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring mounted inside said barrel and urging said needle holder toward its retracted position; and
a plunger slidably inserted in the barrel said plunger, having an elastomeric piston at a distal end, said plunger having linear axial mobility independent of movements of the needle holder and spring;
a switch mounted to said barrel and having an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched relative to said barrel to hold said needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of said spring, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched relative to said barrel to allow said spring to expand in a proximal direction to move said needle holder to its retracted position to disable the syringe and prevent reuse of the syringe;
axially spaced flanges and detents on said barrel;
wherein the switch encircles the barrel and is locked onto the barrel, distal to the flanges and proximal to the detents on the barrel surface;
said switch engaging with said needle holder to compress the spring and being inseparable from said barrel until the needle holder is released by the switch and the needle is retracted within the syringe. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
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84. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle and is sealed with an “
O”
ring, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring mounted around the needle holder and retracting needle proximally when expanded, and a latch which at least partly encircles the barrel and releasably engages with the needle holder to hold the spring in a compressed condition;
wherein said latch has an inwardly projecting member extending through a wall of said barrel, and wherein said plunger includes an outwardly projecting part for engaging said projecting member and disengaging said latch from said needle holder, upon advancement of said plunger past a position for fully dispensing medication for releasing said latch;
wherein advancement of the plunger in a fluid-filled barrel generates a hydraulic pressure gradient that is relieved by the exit of said fluid from the needle such that any increase in the hydraulic pressure in barrel as a result of an imbalance of generation and relief of the pressures tends to prevent rather than encourage retraction of the needle. - View Dependent Claims (85, 86)
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87. A syringe comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical body forming an aperture at the distal end of said cylindrical body and opening into the interior of said cylindrical body;
a needle holder carrying a hollow hypodermic needle projecting from said holder along the axis of said cylindrical body, said needle holder being mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body;
a releasable latch for releasably locking said cylindrical body and said needle holder to each other;
biasing means within said cylindrical body for biasing said needle holder toward said retracted position;
a plunger carrying said needle holder and mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body, said 30 plunger being movable to a first advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a first magnitude, and to a second advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a second, greater magnitude; and
means for releasing said latch in response to movement of said plunger to said second advanced position, so that said needle holder is retracted by said biasing means upon movement of said plunger to said second advanced position, wherein said latch is located inside of said barrel.
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88. A safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel, said plunger being movable to a first advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a first magnitude, and to a second advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a second, greater magnitude;
a needle;
a needle holder mounting said needle at a distal end thereof and slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which said needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a compression spring mounted inside of said barrel, and a spring retainer having a spring support portion extending interiorly of said barrel and supporting a distal end portion of said spring against expansion, said spring retainer also having a through opening for freely receiving said needle holder therethrough;
said spring urging said needle holder toward its retracted position; and
a latch having an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched relative to said barrel to hold said needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of said spring, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched relative to said barrel to allow said spring to expand in a proximal direction to move said needle holder to its retracted position, wherein said latch is an integral part of said spring retainer. - View Dependent Claims (89, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95)
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92. A safety syringe assembly comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a spring mounted inside and barrel and urging said needle holder toward its retracted position; and
a latch having an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched to said barrel to hold said needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of said spring, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched from said barrel to allow said spring to move said needle holder to its retracted position;
wherein said latch is inseparably mounted to said barrel, in said hollow interior of said barrel.
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96. A safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger for movement between an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said barrel;
a spring mounted inside said barrel and urging said needle holder toward its retracted position; and
a latch having an engaged position in which said needle holder is latched to said barrel to hold said needle holder in its advanced position against the urging of said spring, and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched from said barrel to allow said spring to move said needle holder to its retracted position;
wherein said latch comprises a needle holder locking element non-removably mounted to said barrel, in said hollow interior, and movable between a locking position and non-locking position relative to said needle holder. - View Dependent Claims (97, 98)
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99. A syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger and having a radially projecting arm;
a latch for latching and unlatching said needle holder relative to said barrel;
said latch engaging said radially projecting arm on said needle holder by which the needle holder engaged with the barrel, thereby releasably latching said needle holder relative to said barrel; and
a compression spring located in said barrel in surrounding relation to said needle holder and having a distal end held against expansion so as to expand in a proximal direction for retracting said needle holder in response to unlatching said needle holder by said latch;
wherein said latch and said needle holder are at all times located in said hollow interior of said barrel. - View Dependent Claims (100, 101)
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102. A syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger;
a latch for latching and unlatching said needle holder relative to said barrel; and
a spring for retracting said needle holder in response to unlatching said needle holder by said latch;
wherein said needle holder has a lateral arm which extends radially, and wherein said latch releasably engages the lateral arm of said needle holder;
wherein said latch and said lateral arm of said needle holder are at all times located in said hollow interior of said barrel. - View Dependent Claims (103, 104)
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105. A syringe assembly, comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical barrel having a hollow interior forming a hollow nozzle located at a distal end of said barrel and opening into the interior of said barrel;
a plunger slidably mounted in said barrel and having a longitudinal open channel;
a needle holder slidably mounted in said longitudinal open channel of said plunger;
a latch for latching and unlatching said needle holder relative to said barrel; and
a spring for retracting said needle holder in response to unlatching said needle holder by said latch;
wherein said latch releasably engages said needle holder, wherein said latch is mounted so as to be activated by said plunger, and wherein said latch and said needle holder are at all times located in said hollow interior of said barrel. - View Dependent Claims (106, 107)
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108. A syringe comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical body forming an aperture at the distal end of said cylindrical body and opening into the interior of said cylindrical body;
a needle holder carrying a hollow hypodermic needle projecting from said holder along the axis of said cylindrical body, said needle holder being mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body;
a releasable latch for releasably locking said cylindrical body and said needle holder to each other;
biasing means within said cylindrical body for biasing said needle holder toward said retracted position;
a plunger carrying said needle holder and mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body, said plunger being movable to a first advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a first magnitude, and to a second advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a second, greater magnitude; and
means for releasing said latch in response to movement of said plunger to said second advanced position, so that said needle holder is retracted by said biasing means upon movement of said plunger to said second advanced position, and means for locking said plunger in said second advanced position. - View Dependent Claims (109)
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110. A syringe comprising:
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an elongated, generally cylindrical body forming an aperture at the distal end of said cylindrical body and opening into the interior of said cylindrical body;
a needle holder carrying a hollow hypodermic needle projecting from said holder along the axis of said cylindrical body, said needle holder being mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body;
a releasable latch for releasably locking said cylindrical body and said needle holder to each other;
biasing means within said cylindrical body for biasing said needle holder toward said retracted position;
a plunger carrying said needle holder and mounted for longitudinal movement between retracted and advanced positions within said elongated cylindrical body, said plunger being movable to a first advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a first magnitude, and to a second advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a second, greater magnitude; and
means for releasing said latch in response to movement of said plunger to said second advanced position, so that said needle holder is released by said biasing means upon movement of said plunger to said second advanced position, the nozzle of the syringe having a male taper on its outer surface and a needle protector with a complementary female taper on a mating surface to form an air and water tight seal between the barrel nozzle and needle protector, whereby pneumatic and hydraulic forces caused by sealed fluids in the barrel prevent advance of plunger and inadvertent retraction of the said needle.
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111. A method of administering a medication, using a retractable needle, single use syringe, said method comprising:
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applying a manual force of a first magnitude in order to move a plunger of the syringe to a first advanced position for dispensing medication;
applying a manual force of a second greater magnitude in order to move said plunger to a second advanced position for releasing a latch, so that a needle holder is released and retracted thereby permanently retracting a needle within a body of the syringe. - View Dependent Claims (116)
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112. A method of administering a medication using a retractable needle, single use syringe, said method comprising:
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manually moving a plunger to a first advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a first magnitude for dispensing said medication; and
manually moving said plunger to a second advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a second greater magnitude for releasing a latch so that a needle holder is released and a needle is retracted within a body of said syringe. - View Dependent Claims (117)
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113. A method of intravenous catheter placement using a retractable needle safety syringe assembly, said method comprising:
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installing a flexible polymeric tubular catheter on a syringe coaxially with a nozzle of the syringe and with a hypodermic needle projecting out through the nozzle and catheter;
puncturing of the skin and vein by a needle point to gain entry of the needle and the catheter in a vein;
retracting said needle while said catheter remains on the nozzle for further advance; and
maintaining fluid communication through said catheter and said syringe for monitoring the location and infusing fluids in the vein;
wherein said retracting includes manually moving said plunger to an over-advanced position in response to an applied manual force of a predetermined magnitude for releasing a latch so that a needle holder is released and the needle is retracted. - View Dependent Claims (118)
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114. A method of dispensing a medication needle using a retractable single use syringe, said method comprising:
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manually moving a plunger to an advanced position for dispensing said medication, and retracting a needle of said syringe;
said retracting including rotating a latch, that extends around at least a part of the circumference of a cylindrical syringe body, and is attached to said cylindrical body from an engaged position in which a needle holder is latched in an advanced position with said needle extending from said syringe and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched to allow a biasing means to move said needle holder to a retracted position wherein said needle is retracted within a body of said syringe. - View Dependent Claims (115, 119)
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120. A method of intravenous catheter placement using a retractable needle safety syringe assembly, said method comprising:
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installing a flexible polymeric tubular catheter on a syringe coaxially with a nozzle of the syringe and with a hypodermic needle projecting out through the nozzle and catheter;
puncturing of the skin and vein by a needle point to gain entry of the needle and the catheter in a vein;
retracting said needle while said catheter remains on the nozzle for further advance; and
maintaining fluid communication through said catheter and said syringe for monitoring the location and infusing fluids in the vein;
wherein said retracting includes rotating a latch, that extends around at least a part of the circumference of a cylindrical syringe body and is attached to said cylindrical body, from an engaged position in which a needle holder is latched in an advanced position with said needle extending from said syringe and a disengaged position in which said needle holder is unlatched to allow a biasing means to move said needle holder to a retracted position wherein said needle is retracted within a body of said syringe. - View Dependent Claims (121)
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122. A retractable needle safety syringe assembly, comprising:
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a hollow generally cylindrical barrel, with a wider proximal segment and a distal hollow nozzle communicating with the barrel;
a needle holder having a hypodermic needle mounted at a distal end thereof;
a compression spring wrapped around the needle holder;
a plunger slidably inserted in the barrel, and having an elastomeric piston at a distal end and a central channel enclosing the spring wrapped needle holder and needle, and having linear axial mobility in barrel independently of said spring and said needle holder;
a tubular spring retainer having a distal extension for supporting said compression spring wrapped around the needle holder and biasing said needle in a direction for retracting the needle within the barrel, and a proximal extension plate having a projection that positively engages with the needle holder in the central channel of the plunger to maintain it in an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said nozzle;
the wider barrel segment forming a distal support shelf for supporting the spring retainer and an elevated internal ring within the proximal segment of said barrel for proximally stabilizing the spring retainer;
said plunger advancing the piston to make a surface contact of a piston distal conical end with a conical interior end of barrel for injecting medicine through the needle by minimal force applied to said plunger;
said plunger being movable with an additional applied force to advance distally within a cavity formed in the rubber piston cavity and so as compress the elastic rubber piston thereby additionally advancing distally within the barrel, whereby a pair of plates projecting from the plunger disengage the proximal plate projecting over the needle holder causing the release and retraction of the needle holder.
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123. A retraction control module for retractable needle safety syringe, said module comprising:
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a hollow cylindrical tube with a distal axial extension forming a central cantilever with a central through opening, and a proximal eccentric anchoring plate forming an engagement geometry to engage and anchor a needle holder to the module;
said needle holder having an advanced position in which a needle on the distal end of said needle holder projects from a distal end of said syringe, and a retracted position in which said needle is retracted within said syringe;
a helical compressed spring encircling the needle holder and supported by said axial extension and the central cantilever with the needle holder and an attached needle passing through the central through opening of said cantilever, and within the tube;
a plunger compressibly engaged with a resilient cap passing through said cylindrical tube and having two parallel walls defining a central open channel that contact with the eccentric anchoring plate without deflecting said anchoring plate;
said plunger having a distally advanced position and ramps on said parallel walls which deflect the anchoring plate radially to disengage the needle holder and cause retraction of the needle when the plunger is advanced to said distally advanced position;
said needle holder being slidably mounted in said central open channel of said plunger;
said anchoring plate with extension arising from the opposite surface of the hollow cylinder from said distal axial estension and engaging with a proximal part of the needle holder preventing the expansion of said spring. - View Dependent Claims (124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131)
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132. A retraction control module for a retractable needle syringe, said module comprising:
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a tubular module defining a cross-sectional geometry of a closed plane that fits within the barrel of a syringe by one of a mechanical fit, a chemical bond and an ultrasonic bond at a desired axial location;
said retraction control module having a central cantilever with a central opening arising from inside and at a distal surface thereof;
wherein said cantilever supports a compression spring wrapped around a part of a needle holder and locked between the cantilever and a proximal lateral part of the needle holder;
a plunger with a compressibly engaged elastic cap and a central channel;
a proximal surface of the tubular module having an anchoring plate juxtaposed to the plunger channel and having at one end a right angled bend towards the center to releasably engage a needle holder against the extensile force of a spring, so as to urge a needle out of the nozzle for a normal operative mode of the syringe;
said needle holder passing through the opening in the cantilever and having an axial linear mobility unless restricted by its engagement with the anchor plate of the said retraction control module or a detent in a proximal end of the plunger;
said plunger having linear axial movements within the retraction control module, 15 and having triangular projections on flanges which define the central channel which just contact the anchoring plate to inject the contents of the barrel, and wherein, in response to the plunger when forced further, said projections displace the anchoring plate so as to release the needle holder and needle.
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Specification