Retractable needle device

• US 6,656,164 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2002
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Computer Controlled Syringe Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Computer Controlled Syringe Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Mark T.
• Primary Examiner(s): KENNEDY, SHARON E
• Application Number:
  US10/070,502
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 604/232, 604/192, 604/195, 604/196, 604/198, 604/201, 604/222, 604/205, 604/215, 604/234, 604/235, 604/236, 604/110
• US Class Current: 604/232
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/206 With automatic needle insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/20 Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically A61M5/142 , A61M5/46 take precedence; hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/28 Syringe ampoules or carpules, i.e. ampoules or carpules provided with a needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/315 Pistons; Piston-rods; Guiding, blocking or restricting the movement of the rod or piston; Appliances on the rod for facilitating dosing ; Dosing mechanisms
• 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

The present invention provides, in a preferred embodiment, a retractable needle (26) device for use with a syringe. The syringe may be manually driven or electronically driven. In the retracted position, the needle is enclosed within a safety shield and may be extended from the safety shield (60) upon actuation of the plunger (38) normally used to dispense the biocompatible material from the needle. In this instance, initial pressure on the plunger serves to extract the needle and after the needle is extracted, the biocompatible material is dispensed from a carpule in communication with the needle. When it is desired to retract the needle, the direction of the plunger travel is reversed thereby effectively retracting the needle back in to the safety shield.

Claims

1. A retractable needle device comprising:

a housing comprising a plunger operable between a first, extended position and a first, retracted position;

a shield portion engaged to the housing, the shield portion comprising a first chamber,

a carpule retraction portion in sliding engagement with plunger,

a carpule releaseably engaged to the carpule retraction portion, the carpule comprising a needle portion, a stopper portion and a second chamber disposed therebetween for receiving an injectable fluid, the carpule being disposed in the first chamber and being movable between a second, extended position in which the needle extends from the shield portion and a second, retracted position in which the needle is contained in the shield portion.

2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein the carpule is movable to the second, extended position by urging the plunger against the stopper.

3. The device defined in claim 1, wherein the carpule is movable to the second, retracted position by urging the plunger against the carpule retraction portion.

4. The device defined in claim 1, further comprising motive means connect to the plunger to move the plunger between the first, extended position and the first, retracted position.

5. The device defined in claim 1, further comprising electric motive means connect to the plunger to move the plunger between the first, extended position and the first, retracted position.

6. The device defined in claim 1, wherein the carpule comprises a carpule housing and a carpule barrel.

7. The device defined in claim 6, wherein the carpule housing comprises the needle.

8. The device defined in claim 6, wherein the carpule barrel comprises the stopper portion.

9. The device defined in claim 6, wherein the carpule barrel further comprises a pierceable portion which is pierced by a proximal end of the needle upon combination of the carpule barrel and the carpule housing.

10. A retractable needle device comprising:

a syringe component having an outer housing, a plunger, a plunger driver connected to said plunger and operable to move said plunger between extended and retracted positions, and a secondary carpule housing in sliding communication with said plunger driver;

a safety shield releaseably engageable with said outer housing of said syringe component;

a carpule for containing said biocompatible material, the carpule having a housing with an attached needle, said carpule housing releaseably engageable with said secondary carpule housing of said syringe component, said carpule having an extracted position in which an end portion of said needle extends from said safety shield, and a retracted position in which said needle is contained within said safety shield, when said carpule housing is engaged with said secondary carpule housing and said safety shield is engaged with said outer housing,

wherein when said plunger is moved to the extended position said carpule is moved to the extracted position thereby extending said needle and expelling said biocompatible material, and when said plunger is moved to the retracted position said carpule is moved to the retracted position thereby containing said needle in said safety shield.

11. The device defined in claim 10, wherein said syringe component is an electronic syringe component.

12. The device defined in claim 10, wherein said syringe component is manually operated.

13. The device defined in claim 10, wherein said carpule is integral with said carpule housing.

14. The device defined in claim 10, wherein said carpule is disposed in said carpule housing.

15. The device defined in claim 10, wherein said outer housing of said syringe component has a pair of locking lugs on an interior surface and said safety shield has a complementary pair of locking lugs at a proximal end, said complementary locking lugs for releaseable engagement with said locking lugs.

16. The device defined in claim 14, wherein said secondary carpule housing has an internally threaded portion and said carpule housing has a threaded outer portion, said threaded outer portion for releasable engagement with said internally threaded portion.

17. The device defined in claim 12, wherein said plunger driver comprises a lead screw.

18. The device defined in claim 11, wherein said electronic syringe component also has a forward switch for moving said plunger to the extended position, and a reverse switch for moving said plunger to the retracted position.

19. The device defined in claim 11, wherein said carpule has a sleeve, a stopper at a first end os said sleeve and slidable therein, and a gasket at an opposing end of said sleeve.

20. The device defined in claim 19, wherein when said plunger is moved from the retracted to the extended position, said plunger abuts said stopper of said carpule, thereby extending said needle, sliding said stopper in said sleeve and expressing said biocompatible material.

21. The device defined in claim 20, wherein when said plunger is moved from the extended to the retracted position, said plunger abuts said secondary carpule housing thereby retracting said carpule housing and said needle.

22. A safety needle device for use with a syringe component, the syringe component having an outer housing, a plunger with a plunger driver connected thereto, said plunger driver operable to move said plunger between extended and retracted positions, and a secondary carpule housing in sliding communication with said plunger driver, said safety needle device having:

a safety shield releaseably engageable with said outer housing of said syringe component;

a carpule for containing said biocompatible material, the carpule having a housing having an attached needle, said carpule housing releaseably engageable with said secondary carpule housing of said syringe component, said carpule having an extracted position in which an end portion of said needle extends from said safety shield, and a retracted position in which said needle is contained within said safety shield, when said carpule housing is engaged with said secondary carpule housing and said safety shield is engaged with said outer housing,

wherein when said plunger is moved to the extended position said carpule is moved to the extracted position thereby extending said needle and expelling said biocompatible material, and when said plunger is moved to the retracted position said carpule is moved to the retracted position thereby containing said needle in said safety shield.

23. The device defined in claim 22, wherein said syringe component is an electronic syringe component.

24. The device defined in claim 22, wherein said syringe component is manually operated.

25. The device defined in claim 22, wherein said carpule is integral with said carpule housing.

26. The device defined in claim 22, wherein said carpule is disposed in said carpule housing.

27. The device defined in claim 22, wherein said safety shield has a pair of locking lugs on a proximal end for releaseable engagement with a pair of complementary locking lugs on said outer housing of said syringe component.

28. The device defined in claim 26, wherein said carpule housing has a threaded outer portion for releasable engagement with an internally threaded portion of said secondary carpule housing.

29. The device defined in claim 22, wherein said carpule has a sleeve, a stopper at a first end of said sleeve and slidable therein, and a gasket at an opposing end of said sleeve.

30. The device defined in claim 29, wherein when said plunger is moved from the retracted to the extended position, said plunger abuts said stopper of said carpule, thereby extending said needle, sliding said stopper in said sleeve and expressing said biocompatible material.

31. The device defined in claim 30, wherein when said plunger is moved from the extended to the retracted position, said plunger abuts said secondary carpule housing thereby retracting said carpule housing and said needle.

32. A retractable needle device for use with a carpule containing a biocompatible material, said device having:

a syringe component having an outer housing, a plunger with a plunger driver connected thereto, said plunger driver operable to move said plunger between extended and retracted positions, and a secondary carpule housing in sliding communication with said plunger driver;

a safety shield releaseably engageable with said outer housing of said syringe component;

a carpule housing having an attached needle, for receiving said carpule, said carpule housing releaseably engageable with said secondary carpule housing of said syringe component, said carpule housing having an extracted position in which an end portion of said needle extends from said safety shield, and a retracted position in which said needle is contained within said safety shield, when said carpule housing is engaged with said secondary carpule housing and said safety shield is engaged with said outer housing;

wherein when said plunger is moved to the extended position said carpule housing is moved to the extracted position thereby extending said needle and expelling said biocompatible material, and when said plunger is moved to the retracted position said carpule housing is moved to the retracted position thereby containing said needle in said safety shield.

33. The device defined in claim 32, wherein said syringe component is an electronic syringe component.

34. The device defined in claim 32, wherein said syringe component is manually operated.

35. The device defined in claim 32, wherein said outer housing of said syringe component has a pair of locking lugs on an interior surface and said safety shield has a complementary pair of locking lugs at a proximal end, said complementary locking lugs for releaseable engagement with said locking lugs.

36. The device defined in claim 32, wherein said secondary carpule housing has an internally threaded portion and said carpule housing has a threaded outer portion, said threaded outer portion for releaseable engagement with said internally threaded portion.

37. The device defined in claim 33, wherein said plunger driver comprises a lead screw.

38. The device defined in claim 37, wherein said electronic syringe component also has a forward switch for moving said plunger to the extended position, and a reverse switch for moving said plunger to the retracted position.

39. The device defined in claim 32, wherein when said plunger is moved from the retracted to the extended position, said plunger abuts said carpule, thereby extending said needle and expressing said biocompatible material.

40. The device defined in claim 39, wherein when said plunger is moved from the extended to the retracted position, said plunger abuts said secondary carpule housing thereby retracting said carpule housing and said needle.

41. A safety needle device for use with a carpule containing a biocompatible material and a syringe component having an outer housing, a plunger with a plunger driver connected thereto, said plunger driver operable to move said plunger between extended and retracted positions, and a secondary carpule housing in sliding communication with said plunger driver, said safety needle device having:

a safety shield releaseably engageable with said outer housing of said syringe component;

a carpule housing having an attached needle, for receiving said carpule, said carpule housing releaseably engageable with said secondary carpule housing of said syringe component, said carpule housing having an extracted position in which an end portion of said needle extends from said safety shield, and a retracted position in which said needle is contained within said safety shield, when said carpule housing is engaged with said secondary carpule housing and said safety shield is engaged with said outer housing;

wherein when said plunger is moved to the extended position said carpule housing is moved to the extracted position thereby extending said needle and expelling said biocompatible material, and when said plunger is moved to the retracted position said carpule housing is moved to the retracted position thereby containing said needle in said safety shield.

42. The device defined in claim 41, wherein said syringe component is an electronic syringe component.

43. The device defined in claim 41, wherein said syringe component is manually operated.

44. The device defined in claim 41, wherein said safety shield has a pair of locking lugs on a proximal end for releaseable engagement with a pair of complementary locking lugs on said outer housing of said syringe component.

45. The device defined in claims 41, wherein said carpule housing has a threaded outer portion for releaseable engagement with an internally threaded portion of said secondary carpule housing.