Fluid passing apparatus with means for covering the same

• US 4,898,589 A
• Filed: 09/07/1988
• Issued: 02/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dolgin Stuart M A Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stuart M. Dolgin
• Inventors: Torbet, Philip, Dolgin, Stuart M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pellegrino, Stephen C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/241,352
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 604/110, 604/117, 604/163, 604/187, 604/192, 604/198, 604/263
• US Class Current: 604/198
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3223 Means impeding or disabling repositioning of used needles at the syringe nozzle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3224 Means to disalign the needle tip and syringe nozzle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3231 Proximal end of needle captured or embedded inside piston head, e.g. by friction or hooks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3249 Means to disalign the needle tip and the distal needle passage of a needle protection sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3256 having folding ring sections
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/322 Retractable needles, i.e. disconnected from and withdrawn into the syringe barrel by the piston devices for protecting guide needles in combination with catheters A61M25/0612
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3243 being axially-extensible, e.g. protective sleeves coaxially slidable on the syringe barrel devices for protecting guide needles in combination with catheters A61M25/0612
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3257 Semi-automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve extension requires a deliberate action by the user, e.g. manual release of spring-biased extension means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3275 being connected to the needle hub or syringe by radially deflectable members, e.g. longitudinal slats, cords or bands

Abstract

Apparatus for passing a fluid into or out of a warm-blooded animal which includes a fluid containing body, a needle assembly releasably mountable on the exterior surface of the body, a plunger for urging fluid into or out of the body and an externally mounted cap or retraction device for automatically covering the needle after it has been used and preventing the needle from reentering the aperture in the body.

Claims

1. Apparatus for passing a fluid into or out of a warm-blooded animal or tissue thereof comprising:

(a) a body adapted to contain said fluid;

(b) a needle assembly in flow communication with said body and adapted to penetrate the warm blooded animal or tissue thereof comprising;

(i) a base having a pair of opposed ends,

(ii) needle means affixed to one end of the base, and

(iii) means for releasably securing the other end of the base to the body;

(c) means for mounting the needle assembly on the exterior surface of the body;

(d) means for urging said fluid out of or into said body through said needle assembly; and

(e) cover means comprising;

(i) a body having a top end including an opening for passage of the needle means,

(ii) a bottom end adapted to be secured to the base of the needle assembly,

(iii) at least one pair of arms hingedly attached to each other, one of said arms hingedly attached to the top end of the cover body and the other of said arms hingedly attached to the bottom end of the cover body, whereby the cover body moves from a retracted position wherein the needle means extends through the opening in the top end of the cover body and is in the operable position for passing fluid into or out of said warm-blooded animal, to an extended position wherein the cover body moves upwardly and above the needle means thereby encasing the needle means within the cover body, and

(iv) means operatively interconnecting the cover body to the needle assembly for releasably retaining the cover body in the retracted position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means operatively connected to said cover means for offsetting the axis of the body of the cover from the axis of the needle means when the cover body is moved to the extended position encasing the needle means, whereby the needle means is prevented from reentering the opening in the top end of the cover body.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the offsetting means comprises one pair of said at least one pair of arms having a length in the extended position which exceeds the length in the extended position of the other pair of arms, wherein when the cover means is moved to the extended position, the cover body is moved radially over the needle means in a direction away from the longest pair of extended arms.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the cover means comprises two pairs of arms attached to opposed sides of the cover body.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the body of the cover is at least partially hollow and said opening in the top end of the cover is defined by a wall, said offsetting means comprising a conical tapered side extending from the wall into the hollow portion of the cover, whereby when said cover is in the extended position the needle is prevented from reentering the opening by said conically tapered side.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cover means comprises one pair of said arms attached to the cover body.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cover means comprises two pairs of arms attached to opposed sides of the cover body.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cover body retaining means comprises an annular flange on either the base of the needle assembly or the interior surface of the cover body and an annular groove in the other of the base of the needle assembly or the interior surface of the cover body, said flange being releasably insertable into said groove when said cover means is in the retracted position.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the annular flange is on the base of the needle assembly and the annular groove is in the exterior surface of the cover body.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said at least one pair of arms is moveable to a position extending substantially parallel to the axis of the needle means about the hinges connecting the pair of arms to the cover body to facilitate packaging of the apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fluid urging means comprises a plunger movable axially within the body of the apparatus and comprising a head section having at least one outer surface in communication with the interior surface of the body and a stem connected at one end of the head section.

12. A fluid injection or withdrawal apparatus adapted to inject or withdraw fluid from a patient, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a hollow barrel means including means for receiving fluid for injection into or withdrawal from a patient, said barrel means having an opening adjacent one end thereof;

(b) a needle assembly mounted on said one end of said barrel means, said needle assembly including a hollow needle having a forward end and a bore therein for fluid communication with the opening in said barrel means;

(c) a needle cover movable relative to said barrel means, said needle cover including a forward end for covering said forward end of said needle and movable between an extended position covering said forward end of said needle and a retracted position exposing said forward end of said needle;

(d) at least one pair of arms operatively connected between said needle cover and said barrel means, the inner end of one of said arms being hingedly operatively connected to said barrel means and the inner end of the other of said arms being hingedly operatively connected to said needle cover;

(e) hinge means hingedly connecting the outer ends of said arms for movement of said needle guard between the extended and retracted positions; and

(f) locking means operatively connected between said needle cover and said barrel means for selectively locking said needle cover in the retracted position exposing said forward end of said needle.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 comprising two pair of arms operatively connected between said needle cover and said barrel means.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising means for offsetting the axis of the needle cover from the axis of the needle when the cover is moved to the extended position covering the forward end of the needle.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the offsetting means comprises one pair of said at least one pair of arms having a length in the extended position which exceeds the length in the extended position of the other pair of arms, wherein when the needle cover is moved to the extended position, the needle cover is moved radially over the needle in a direction away from the longest pair of extended arms.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the locking means comprises an annular flange on either of the needle cover or the needle assembly and an annular groove in the other of the needle cover or the needle assembly, said flange being releasably insertable into said groove when the needle cover is in the retracted position.