Needle safety shield with reset

• US 20070016139A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kpr U.S., LLC (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sherwood Services AG
• Inventors: Breitweiser, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,850,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/164.80
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/025 for taking bone, bone marrow or cartilage samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0258 Marrow samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/325 Means obstructing the needle passage at distal end of a needle protection sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/10 Bone-marrow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0618 having means for protecting only the distal tip of the needle, e.g. a needle guard
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3273 freely sliding on needle shaft without connection to syringe or needle

Abstract

A safety shield is capable of being moved on a needle assembly to cover a sharp tip of the needle assembly. The shield can be locked in place over the sharp tip by a locking mechanism. The safety shield has a locking mechanism for locking the shield in place covering the sharp needle tip. The safety shield also has an unlocking mechanism that can move to release the locking mechanism and allow the shield to be moved to uncover the sharp tip. A reset member may include projecting portions that can be received through the shield to actuate the unlocking mechanism for releasing the locking mechanism.

Claims

1. A needle assembly (10) comprising:

mounting structure (12);

a needle (14) mounted on the mounting structure and extending outwardly therefrom, the needle having a longitudinal axis, a sharp end (28) and a central axial passageway;

a safety shield (16) associated with the needle and comprising a tubular housing (50) adapted for movement relative to the needle between a stowed position in which the tubular housing is spaced from the sharp end of the needle and a deployed position in which the tubular housing covers the sharp end, a locking mechanism (52) adapted to releasably lock the tubular housing in position covering the sharp end of the needle, and an unlocking mechanism (96) adapted to engage the locking mechanism to unlock the tubular housing from the needle; and

an obturator (26) including a shaft (70) sized and shaped for reception in the central axial passageway of the needle, and a reset member (72) operatively connected to the shaft and selectively engageable with the unlocking mechanism of the safety shield for moving the unlocking mechanism into selective engagement with the locking mechanism for releasing the locking mechanism to permit the tubular housing to move away from the sharp end of the needle.

2. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 1 wherein the unlocking mechanism (96) is supported by the tubular housing (50) for movement relative to the tubular housing and the locking mechanism (52).

3. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 2 wherein the unlocking mechanism (96) comprises a generally rigid body (98) disposed in the tubular housing (50).

4. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 3 wherein the locking mechanism (52) comprises a base (56) having an opening receiving the needle (14) therethrough and at least one arm (60) extending outwardly from the base, the rigid body (98) being shaped and arranged for engaging the base of the locking mechanism to release the locking mechanism.

5. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 4 wherein the rigid body (98) is generally tubular in shape and receives the needle (14) therein.

6. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 5 wherein the reset member (72) is disposed relative to the shaft (70) so that movement of the obturator (26) in a direction into the central axial passageway can bring the reset member into selective engagement with the tubular body (98) to move the body for releasing the locking mechanism (52).

7. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 6 wherein the obturator (26) further comprises a grip (68), the shaft (70) and the reset member (72) extending from the grip in the same direction.

8. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 1 wherein the reset member (72) comprises at least one projecting portion (78) for engagement with the unlocking mechanism (96) to release the locking mechanism (52).

9. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 8 wherein the obturator (26) comprises at least one hole (90) for receiving said projecting portion (78) for selective engagement of said projecting portion with the unlocking mechanism (96) to release the locking mechanism (52).

10. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 9 wherein said projecting portion (78) comprises at least two projecting portions and said hole (90) comprises at least two holes for receiving said at least two projecting portions for selective engagement of the at least two projecting portions with the unlocking mechanism (96) to release the locking mechanism (52).

11. A needle assembly (10) as set forth in claim 10 wherein said projecting portions (78) and the holes (90) are arranged to permit engagement of the at least two projecting portions with the unlocking mechanism (96) through the holes in one angular orientation of the projecting portions with respect to the safety shield (16).

12. A resettable needle safety shield (16) for use in selectively shielding and unshielding a sharp tip (28) of a needle (14), the safety shield comprising:

a housing (50) sized and shaped for substantially surrounding the sharp needle tip to hinder access to the sharp tip;

a locking mechanism (52) associated with the housing, the locking mechanism being adapted to lock the housing in position substantially surrounding the sharp needle tip;

an unlocking mechanism (96) associated with the housing for movement relative to the housing between a first position in which the locking mechanism is free to lock the housing in position relative to the sharp needle tip and a second position in which the unlocking mechanism releases the locking mechanism to permit movement of the housing relative to the needle.

13. A needle safety shield (16) as set forth in claim 12 wherein the unlocking mechanism (52) is supported by the housing (50) for movement between the first and second positions.

14. A needle safety shield (16) as set forth in claim 13 wherein the unlocking mechanism (96) comprises a generally rigid body (98) disposed in the housing (50).

15. A needle safety shield (16) as set forth in claim 14 wherein the locking mechanism (52) comprises a base (56) having an opening for receiving the needle (14) therethrough and at least one arm (60) extending outwardly from the base, the rigid body (98) being shaped and arranged for engaging the base of the locking mechanism to release the locking mechanism.

16. A needle safety shield (16) as set forth in claim 15 wherein the rigid body (98) is generally tubular in shape.

17. A resettable needle safety shield (16) for use in selectively shielding and unshielding a sharp tip (28) of a needle (14), the safety shield comprising a housing (50) sized and shaped for substantially surrounding the sharp needle tip to hinder access to the sharp tip, a locking mechanism (52) associated with the housing, the locking mechanism being adapted to lock the housing in position substantially surrounding the sharp needle tip, the housing including an end wall (53) having at least one hole (54) therein arranged in relation to the locking mechanism for receiving structure through the end wall for use in releasing the locking mechanism.

18. A needle safety shield (16) as set forth in claim 17 wherein the housing (50) further comprises a plurality of holes (90) in the end wall (53), the holes being arranged for receiving said structure through the end wall in one predetermined orientation of the structure.

19. A needle safety shield (16) as set forth in claim 18 in combination with the structure for use in releasing the locking mechanism (52), the structure comprising a reset member (72) including projecting portions (78) having a non-round cross sectional shape, the holes (90) in the end wall (53) each having a shape that is substantially the same as the cross sectional shape of each of the projecting portions.

20. A needle safety shield (16) as set forth in claim 17 further comprising an unlocking mechanism 96 supported by the housing (50) for movement therein between a first position in which the locking mechanism (52) is free to lock the housing in position relative to the sharp needle tip (28) and a second position in which the unlocking mechanism releases the locking mechanism to permit movement of the housing relative to the needle (14).