Needle safety shield with reset

• US 7,850,650 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kpr U.S., LLC (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Covidien AG (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Breitweiser, Kenneth M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi; Nicholas D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bouchelle; Laura A
• Application Number:
  US11/179,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,982 Days
• Field of Search: 604/110, 604/162, 604/164.08, 604/192, 604/164.01, 604/198
• US Class Current: 604/162
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/025 for taking bone, bone marrow or cartilage samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0258 Marrow samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/325 Means obstructing the needle passage at distal end of a needle protection sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/10 Bone-marrow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0618 having means for protecting only the distal tip of the needle, e.g. a needle guard
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3273 freely sliding on needle shaft without connection to syringe or needle

Abstract

A safety shield is capable of being moved on a needle assembly to cover a sharp tip of the needle assembly. The shield can be locked in place over the sharp tip by a locking mechanism. The safety shield has a locking mechanism for locking the shield in place covering the sharp needle tip. The safety shield also has an unlocking mechanism that can move to release the locking mechanism and allow the shield to be moved to uncover the sharp tip. A reset member may include projecting portions that can be received through the shield to actuate the unlocking mechanism for releasing the locking mechanism.

Claims

1. A needle assembly comprising:

mounting structure;

a needle mounted on the mounting structure and extending outwardly therefrom, the needle having a longitudinal axis, a sharp end and a central axial passageway;

a safety shield associated with the needle and comprising a tubular housing adapted for movement relative to the needle between a stowed position in which the tubular housing is spaced from the sharp end of the needle and a deployed position in which the tubular housing covers the sharp end, a locking mechanism adapted to releasably lock the tubular housing in the deployed position covering the sharp end of the needle, and an unlocking mechanism adapted to engage the locking mechanism to unlock the tubular housing from the needle, the unlocking mechanism comprising a generally rigid body disposed in the tubular housing for movement relative to the tubular housing and the locking mechanism; and

the locking mechanism comprising a base having an opening receiving the needle therethrough and at least one arm extending outwardly from the base, the rigid body being shaped and arranged for engaging the base of the locking mechanism to release the locking mechanism; and

an obturator including a shaft sized and shaped for reception in the central axial passageway of the needle, and a reset member operatively connected to the shaft and selectively engageable with the unlocking mechanism of the safety shield for moving the unlocking mechanism into selective engagement with the locking mechanism for releasing the locking mechanism to permit the tubular housing to move away from the sharp end of the needle, wherein the rigid body is generally tubular in shape and receives the needle therein.

2. A needle assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the reset member is disposed relative to the shaft so that movement of the obturator in a direction into the central axial passageway can bring the reset member into selective engagement with the tubular body to move the body for releasing the locking mechanism.

3. A needle assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the obturator further comprises a grip, the shaft and the reset member extending from the grip in the same direction.

4. A resettable needle safety shield for use in selectively shielding and unshielding a sharp tip of a needle, the safety shield comprising:

a housing sized and shaped for substantially surrounding the sharp tip of the needle to hinder access to the sharp tip;

a locking mechanism associated with the housing, the locking mechanism being adapted to lock the housing in position substantially surrounding the sharp needle tip;

an unlocking mechanism associated with the housing for movement relative to the housing between a first position in which the locking mechanism is free to lock the housing in position relative to the sharp tip of the needle and a second position in which the unlocking mechanism releases the locking mechanism to permit movement of the housing relative to the needle, the unlocking mechanism comprising a generally rigid body disposed in the housing for movement between the first and second positions;

wherein the locking mechanism comprises a base having an opening for receiving the needle therethrough and at least one arm extending outwardly from the base, the rigid body being shaped and arranged for engaging the base of the locking mechanism to release the locking mechanism, wherein the rigid body is generally tubular in shape.

5. A resettable needle safety shield for use in selectively shielding and unshielding a sharp tip of a needle, the safety shield comprising a housing sized and shaped for substantially surrounding the sharp tip of the needle to hinder access to the sharp tip, a locking mechanism associated with the housing, the locking mechanism being adapted to lock the housing in position substantially surrounding the sharp tip of the needle, the housing including an end wall having at least one hole therein arranged in relation to the locking mechanism for receiving structure through the end wall for use in releasing the locking mechanism;

wherein the housing further comprises a plurality of holes in the end wall, the holes being arranged for receiving said structure through the end wall in one predetermined orientation of the structure, the structure comprising a reset member including projecting portions having a non-round cross sectional shape, the holes in the end wall each having a shape that is substantially the same as the cross sectional shape of each of the projecting portions.

6. A needle safety shield as set forth in claim 5 further comprising an unlocking mechanism supported by the housing for movement therein between a first position in which the locking mechanism is free to lock the housing in position relative to the sharp needle tip and a second position in which the unlocking mechanism releases the locking mechanism to permit movement of the housing relative to the needle.