Safety Needle

• US 20090012478A1
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salus Technologies Ltd. (Respiri (Israel) Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Salus Technologies Ltd. (Respiri (Israel) Ltd.)
• Inventors: Weston, Terence Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,339,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/192
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/312 comprising sealing means, e.g. severable caps, to be removed prior to injection by, e.g. tearing or twisting
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3247 Means to impede repositioning of protection sleeve from needle covering to needle uncovering position
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3268 having cantilever elastically spreadable arms, e.g. to accumulate energy during needle uncovering movement for urging protection sleeve to return to needle covering position
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/002 Packages specially adapted therefor, e.g. for syringes or needles, kits for diabetics needle protection, e.g. caps, A61M5/3202; for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3213 Caps placed axially onto the needle, e.g. equipped with finger protection guards axially-extensible protective sleeves A61M5/3243
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/326 Fully automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user

Abstract

This invention relates to a safety needle to prevent needle stick injuries. The invention provides a safety needle accessory comprising a hollow needle having a base end and a sharp end, a hub surrounding the base end of the needle and having a connector for connection to an injection device, a sleeve surrounding the hub and slidable relative to the hub in an axial direction, an elastically deformable member, and a pack having a closed end covering the sharp end of the needle and an open end exposing the connector of the hub and which is releasably mounted over the needle, hub and sleeve. The sleeve is slidable in a first axial direction from a first position in which the needle is fully or partially covered by the sleeve to a second position in which the needle is exposed, via an intermediate position between the first and second positions in which the sharp end of the needle projects from the sleeve, and in a second axial direction from the second position to a third position in which the needle is fully covered by the sleeve. The deformable member is deformed by the sleeve sliding from the first to the second position and the force for sliding from the second to the third position is provided by the stored elastic energy in the deformable member. The closed end of the pack has a removable cap at a position on the pack such that removal of the cap exposes the sharp end of the needle but not the sleeve when the sleeve is in the intermediate position.

Claims

1. A safety needle accessory comprising

a hollow needle having a base end and a sharp end,

a hub surrounding the base end of the needle and having a connector for connection to an injection device,

a sleeve surrounding the hub and slidable relative to the hub in an axial direction, an elastically deformable member, and

a pack having a closed end covering the sharp end of the needle and an open end exposing the connector of the hub and which is releasably mounted over the needle, hub and sleeve,

and wherein the sleeve is slidable in a first axial direction from a first position in which the needle is fully or partially covered by the sleeve to a second position in which the needle is exposed, via an intermediate position between the first and second positions in which the sharp end of the needle projects from the sleeve, and in a second axial direction from the second position to a third position in which the needle is fully covered by the sleeve,

wherein the deformable member is deformed by the sleeve sliding from the first to the second position and the force for sliding from the second to the third position is provided by the stored elastic energy in the deformable member,

and wherein the closed end of the pack has a removable cap at a position on the pack such that removal of the cap exposes the sharp end of the needle but not the sleeve when the sleeve is in the intermediate position.

2. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein pack is mounted on the needle hub.

3. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 2, wherein pack is not in any substantial contact with the sleeve when the sleeve is in the intermediate position.

4. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pack is substantially tubular.

5. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the open portion of the pack is covered by a releasable membrane.

6. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pack is made from a vacuum-formed plastics material.

7. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastically deformable member is formed integrally with the sleeve or the hub.

8. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sleeve has a radially elastically deformable portion and the hub has radially converging or diverging portion, and sliding the sleeve in the first axial direction causes elastic radial deformation of the deformable portion of the sleeve by sliding of the radially elastically deformable portion of the sleeve directly on the converging or diverging portion of the hub.

9. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sleeve has a radially converging interior portion, and the hub has a radially elastically deformable portion, and sliding the sleeve in the first axial direction causes elastic radial deformation of the deformable portion of the hub by sliding of the radially elastically deformable portion of the hub directly on the converging interior portion of the sleeve.

10. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 7, wherein the deformable portion of the sleeve or hub comprises at least one cantilever arm which bears resiliently on diverging or converging portion of the hub or sleeve, respectively.

11. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable member is a helical spring.

12. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accessory further comprises a locking mechanism which locks the sleeve in the third position.

13. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 12, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a latching pawl on the inside surface of the sleeve and a shoulder on the outside surface of the hub, or a latching pawl on the hub and a track on the sleeve.

14. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the safety needle pack is constructed from materials capable of being sterilized with gamma irradiation, steam and/or ethylene oxide.

15. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the elastically deformable member, prior to use, is not under any substantial load.

16. A safety needle accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first position is the same axially as the intermediate position.

17. A device comprising the accessory as claimed in claim 1, and a injection device.

18. An injection device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the needle and hub are integral with the injection device.

19. An injection device as claimed in claim 17, wherein injection device is a syringe.

20. A method for preparing an injection comprising the steps of providing a device as claimed in claim 17, removing the cap, and filing the injection device with an injectate from a suitable container.