Locking safety cover for sharp instruments

• US 5,533,974 A
• Filed: 01/23/1995
• Issued: 07/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Kendall Company LP
• Original Assignee: Devon Industries, Inc. (Nissha Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gaba, Rodolfo
• Primary Examiner(s): YASKO JR, JOHN D
• Application Number:
  US08/376,399
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 604/110, 604/187, 604/192, 604/198, 604/263, 604/163, 604/162, 604/171, 604/264
• US Class Current: 604/110
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/347 Locking means, e.g. for locking instrument in cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3109 Caps sealing the needle bore by use of, e.g. air-hardening adhesive, elastomer or epoxy resin
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/325 Means obstructing the needle passage at distal end of a needle protection sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0631 having means for fully covering the needle after its withdrawal, e.g. needle being withdrawn inside the handle or a cover being advanced over the needle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 5/3205 Apparatus for removing or disposing of used needles or syringes, e.g. containers; Means for protection against accidental injuries from used needles for sharps A61B50/362; disintegrating apparatus in general B02C, e.g. B02C19/0075, B23H9/001; disposal of medical waste in general B09B3/00; receptacles for refuse disposal in general B65F1/00
• 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 5/3243 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 5/3273 freely sliding on needle shaft without connection to syringe or needle

Abstract

A safety catheter includes a pivoted cam and gripping wheel within a housing. As the catheter needle is withdrawn from the catheter the needle point is captured and locked within the housing, reducing the risk of needlestick injuries. When locked, the cam prevents the needle tip from being pushed out of the bottom of the housing, and the gripping wheel prevents the needle from being pulled out of the top of the housing. The sharp needle point is automatically covered and safely contained in the housing as it is withdrawn from the catheter.

Claims

1. A safety device for a needle, comprising:

a housing having a thin, flat profile, a first opening and a second opening;

a cam pivotably mounted within the housing and displaceable to open and close off the first opening;

a spring within the housing; and

a gripper wheel within the housing between the spring and the cam.

2. The safety device of claim 1 further comprising a catheter fitting on the housing adjacent the first opening.

3. The safety device of claim 1 further comprising an inclined wall in the housing adjacent the second opening.

4. The safety device of claim 1 further comprising a first leg on the cam adjacent the first opening and a second leg on the cam adjacent the second opening.

5. The safety device of claim 4 wherein the first leg is wider than the second leg.

6. The safety device of claim 1 further comprising a catheter needle extending into the second opening and out of the first opening.

7. The safety device of claim 1 further comprising serrations on the outer surface of the gripping wheel.

8. The safety device of claim 1 wherein the housing has a flat top surface and a flat bottom surface, to allow the housing to lie generally flat against the skin of a patient.

9. The safety device of claim 1 further comprising 2 tapered surfaces on the housing, to provide a thumb and finger grasping surface.

10. The safety device of claim 1 further comprising a stay within the housing, positioned to slidably contact a needle extending through the housing.

11. The safety device of claim 10 further comprising a cam pivot pin in the housing adjacent to the stay, and pivotably supporting the cam.

12. A safety device for a needle, comprising:

a thin flat profile housing having a lower end wall with a standard catheter fitting, a pair of opposed parallel sidewalls joined to the lower end wall, and a pair of converging tapered sidewalls joined to the sidewalls and to an upper end wall;

a cam pivotably mounted on a pin in the housing, the cam having a first leg and a second leg, with the first leg wider than the second leg;

a first opening through the fitting and a second opening in the upper end wall and aligned with the first opening;

a gripping wheel having a roughened outer surface in contact with the second leg of the cam; and

a spring projecting from a spring receptacle in the housing, the spring in direct contact with the gripping wheel, and urging the gripping wheel against the second leg of the cam and towards one of the tapered sidewalls.