Automatically retractable needle safety syringe

• US 6,413,236 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2000
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Credence Medsystems, Inc., LEWIS R. VAN DYKE/SAFESHOT TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
• Original Assignee: Lewis R Van Dyke
• Inventors: Van Dyke, Lewis R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/598,074
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 604/93.01, 604/110, 604/181, 604/187, 604/195, 604/218, 604/221, 604/222, 604/239, 604/243, 604/257, 604/264, 604/272, 604/192, 604/198, 604/240
• US Class Current: 604/110
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3224 Means to disalign the needle tip and syringe nozzle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3242 Needle retraction by vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3234 Fully automatic needle retraction, i.e. in which triggering of the needle does not require a deliberate action by the user

Abstract

An automatically retractable needle safety syringe apparatus having an integral safety feature that automatically and immediately retracts the piercing tip end of the needle body after a single use, due to a punch which frictionally engages the foundation of the ferrule and a vacuum created within the syringe body during the process of injecting fluid therefore causing the piercing tip end of the needle body to permanently reside enclosed within the syringe body protectively pressed against the inner surface of the tube thus alleviating needle reuse and accidental needle prickings with contaminated syringe needles and therefore ultimately preventing the transmission of blood-borne pathogens and other diseases by contaminated syringe needles. The method of operation is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An automatically retractable needle safety syringe apparatus, comprising:

a syringe body having seal means on an end thereof;

a needle body having attachment means for temporarily attaching said needle body to said syringe body; and

a plunger having seal means and punch means, said seal means of said plunger and said seal means of said syringe body together creating a vacuum within said syringe body, said punch means of said plunger for engaging and withdrawing said needle body within said syringe body.

2. An automatically retractable needle safety syringe apparatus, comprising:

a syringe body having a pair of opposing ends and a variable vacuum compartment within said syringe body, said variable vacuum compartment located at a first end of said syringe body;

a needle body having a surface temporarily attached to said syringe body at a second end of said syringe body; and

a plunger slidably engageable with said syringe body having a punch attached to said plunger, said punch having a piercing edge for piercing said surface of said needle body and a pair of internal, longitudinally offset tabs for frictionally engaging said needle body.

3. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said pair of internal longitudinally offset tabs of said punch comprise:

a first internal proximal tab shaped to press against said needle body at the end of the injection stroke; and

a second internal distal tab shaped to engage said needle body at the end of the injection stroke.

4. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said syringe body further comprises:

a shaft seal attachment end;

a needle attachment end opposing said shaft seal attachment end; and

a shaft seal insertably attachable into said shaft seal attachment end.

5. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said needle body is temporarily attached to said needle attachment end of said syringe body, said needle body further comprises:

a ferrule; and

a piercing tip end attached to said ferrule.

6. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said plunger, further comprises:

a shaft having a piston attached thereto, said shaft slidably engageable with said shaft seal of said syringe body;

a piston seal attached to said piston and slidably disposed within said syringe body; and

a punch attached to said piston.

7. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said syringe body between said shaft seal and said piston seal defines said variable vacuum compartment.

8. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said syringe body further comprises a tube, a shaft seal attachment and a needle attachment, said tube of said syringe body having a shaft seal attachment end, a needle attachment end opposing said shaft seal attachment end and an inner surface extending within and along said tube between said shaft seal attachment end of said tube and said needle attachment end of said tube, said shaft seal attachment having said shaft seal interposed therein, said needle attachment having a needle receiving conduit, said shaft seal attachment and said shaft seal together insertably attachable to said shaft seal attachment end of said tube, said needle attachment insertably attachable to said needle attachment end of said tube.

9. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said punch is attached to said piston and positioned adjacent said piston end of said plunger.

10. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said plunger further comprises a thumb end and a piston end opposing said thumb end, a shaft slidably engageable with said shaft seal of said shaft seal attachment, a thumb platform attached to said thumb end, a piston attached to said shaft, and a punch attached to said piston, said punch positioned adjacent said piston and protruding toward said needle attachment.

11. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said needle body further comprises a hollow capillary channel, said hollow capillary channel having a piercing tip end and a ferrule end opposing said piercing tip end said ferrule attached to said ferrule end of said hollow capillary channel, said piercing tip end and said hollow capillary channel slidably disposed within said needle receiving conduit of said needle attachment, said ferrule having a foundation and a grommet, said foundation having a surface, said grommet having a surface temporarily and peripherally attached to said surface of said foundation.

12. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said surface of said grommet comprises means for temporarily and peripherally attaching said surface of said foundation of said ferrule to said needle attachment of said syringe body forming a slightly concave surface.

13. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said piston further comprises a piston seal attached to said plunger, said piston slidably disposed, via said piston seal, against said inner surface of said tube.

14. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein said piston has a piston surface;

wherein said shaft seal attachment and said inner surface of said tube extending within and along said tube between said shaft seal attachment and said piston surface define a stationary surface; and

wherein said stationary surface and said piston surface define said variable vacuum compartment.

15. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein said proximal tab is block shaped;

and

wherein said distal tab is wedge shaped.

16. A safety syringe apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said punch is a substantially hollow cylinder;

wherein said proximal block tab extends around less than about one-half of the circumference of said substantially hollow cylinder; and

wherein said distal wedge tab extends around less than about one-half of the circumference of said substantially hollow cylinder opposite said proximal block tab.

17. A method of permanently and protectively retracting a hollow needle automatically within a safety syringe apparatus, said safety syringe apparatus having a syringe body, a plunger and a needle body, the syringe body having a variable vacuum compartment and an inner surface, the plunger having a punch, said punch having internal, longitudinally offset tabs, the needle body having a ferrule and a piercing tip end, the ferrule of the needle body having a grommet and a foundation, comprising the steps of:

creating a vacuum within the variable vacuum compartment of the syringe body;

severing the grommet of the ferrule with the punch of the plunger;

frictionally engaging the foundation of the ferrule;

automatically retracting the piercing tip end of the needle body to a position within the syringe body, as a result of the vacuum created within the variable vacuum compartment;

permanently enclosing the piercing tip end of the needle body within the syringe body; and

protectively pressing the piercing tip end of the needle body against the inner surface of the syringe body.