Shieldable needle assembly with biased safety shield

• US 20030181868A1
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Swenson, Kirk D.
• Application Number:
  US10/391,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20030181868A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/263
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15003 for venous or arterial blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150259 Improved gripping, e.g. with high friction pattern or projections on the housing surface or an ergonometric shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150389 Hollow piercing elements, e.g. canulas, needles, for piercing the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150473 Double-ended needles, e.g. used with pre-evacuated sampling tubes hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396; needle sets for catheters A61M25/06; needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150503 Single-ended needles hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396, needle sets for catheters A61M25/06, needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150572 Pierceable protectors, e.g. shields, caps, sleeves or films, e.g. for hygienic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150687 semi-automatically triggered, i.e. in which the triggering of the pivotable protective sleeve requires a deliberate action by the user such as manual release of spring-biased extension means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150717 manually removed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150732 Needle holders, for instance for holding the needle by the hub, used for example with double-ended needle and pre-evacuated tube,
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/154 Devices using pre-evacuated means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3216 Caps placed transversally onto the needle, e.g. pivotally attached to the needle base
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3219 Semi-automatic repositioning of the cap, i.e. in which the repositioning of the cap to the needle covering position requires a deliberate action by the user to trigger the repositioning of the cap, e.g. manual release of spring-biased cap repositioning means

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a needle safety device including a medical device, such as a needle holder or a syringe. The device includes a needle cannula having a puncture tip extending from an end of the medical device. A shield pivotably connected to the medical device is pivotal with respect to the needle cannula between a shielded position encompassing the needle cannula and a retracted or non-shielded position pivotally spaced from the needle cannula. The shield includes a laterally extending lever, and the medical device includes a laterally extending arm. A biasing element having stored energy for biasing the needle cannula toward the shielded position is positioned between the lever and the arm. Movement of the lever and the arm toward each other pivots the shield to the retracted position, and releasing the lever and arm allows the stored energy of the spring to pivot the shield into the shielded position.

Claims

1. A safety needle assembly comprising:

a base hub including a laterally extending arm;

a needle cannula extending from a distal end of said base hub, said needle cannula including a distal end having a puncture tip;

a shield pivotably connected to said base hub, said shield being pivotal with respect to said needle cannula between a shielded position encompassing said distal end of said needle cannula and a non-shielded position pivotally spaced from said distal end of said needle cannula, said shield including a laterally extending lever adjacent said laterally extending arm of said hub, said laterally extending lever and said laterally extending arm extending away from the same side of a plane defined by the longitudinal axis of said needle cannula and a pivot of said shield; and

a biasing element extending between said laterally extending arm of said hub and said laterally extending lever of said shield for biasing said shield toward the shielded position, said biasing element capable of storing energy when said shield is in said non-shielded position for biasing said shield to said shielded position.

2. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said biasing element comprises a spring extending between said hub and said shield for biasing said shield toward the shielded position, said spring including first and second legs at opposite ends thereof, said first and second legs extending away from the same side of a plane defined by the longitudinal axis of said needle cannula and a pivot of said shield, said first leg in engagement with said laterally extending arm of said hub and said second leg in engagement with said laterally extending lever of said shield.

3. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said biasing element is a leaf spring.

4. A safety needle assembly as in claim 3, wherein said hub and said shield are integral, a first leg of said leaf spring comprises said laterally extending arm of said hub and a second leg of said leaf spring comprises said laterally extending lever of said shield.

5. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said laterally extending lever of said shield and said laterally extending arm of said hub include interengaging structure for releasably holding said shield in said non-shielded position.

6. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said shield includes a needle cannula lock which in a first position will provide for movement of said shield from said shielded position and in a second position will prevent movement of said shield from said shielded position.

7. A safety needle assembly as in claim 6, wherein said needle cannula lock is automatically movable from said first position to said second position.

8. A safety needle assembly as in claim 7, wherein said needle cannula lock includes a finger with a needle engaging barb on one side thereof.

9. A safety needle assembly as in claim 8, wherein with said needle cannula lock in said second position said barb engages said needle cannula preventing pivotal movement of said shield from said shielded position and in said first position said needle cannula releasably engages an opposite side of said finger allowing for movement of said shield from said shielded position.

10. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said hub includes structure for mating with a medical device.

11. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said hub includes an internal opening therethrough and said needle cannula includes an internal lumen in fluid communication with said internal opening of said hub.

12. A safety needle assembly as in claim 11, wherein said needle cannula extends through said internal opening of said hub, and includes a proximal end extending from a proximal end of said hub and including a non-patient puncture tip, and a distal end extending from a distal end of said hub and including an intravenous puncture tip.

13. A safety needle assembly as in claim 12, wherein said hub includes structure for mating with a blood collection needle holder.

14. A safety needle assembly as in claim 13, wherein said hub includes threads for threaded engagement with a blood collection needle holder.

15. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said laterally extending lever of said shield includes a tactile surface for engagement with a user'"'"'s finger.

16. A safety needle assembly as in claim 1, further comprising a packaging needle cover covering said distal end of said needle cannula.

17. A safety needle assembly comprising:

a base hub including an internal opening therethrough and a laterally extending arm;

a needle cannula extending through said opening of said hub, said needle cannula including a proximal end extending from a proximal end of said hub and including a non-patient puncture tip, and a distal end extending from a distal end of said hub and including an intravenous puncture tip;

a shield pivotably connected to said distal end of said hub, said shield being pivotal with respect to said needle cannula between a shielded position encompassing said distal end of said needle cannula and a non-shielded position pivotally spaced from said distal end of said needle cannula, said shield including a laterally extending lever adjacent said laterally extending arm of said hub, said laterally extending lever and said laterally extending arm extending away from the same side of a plane defined by the longitudinal axis of said needle cannula and a pivot of said shield; and

a biasing element extending between said laterally extending arm of said hub and said laterally extending lever of said shield for biasing said shield toward the shielded position, said biasing element capable of storing energy when said shield is in said non-shielded position for biasing said shield to said shielded position.

18. A safety needle assembly as in claim 17, wherein said laterally extending lever of said shield and said laterally extending arm of said hub include interengaging structure for releasably holding said shield in said retracted position.

19. A safety needle assembly as in claim 18, wherein said hub includes structure for mating with a blood collection needle holder.

20. A safety needle assembly comprising:

a hub including a laterally extending arm;

a needle cannula extending from a distal end of said hub and including a distal end having a puncture tip;

a shield pivotably connected to said hub, said shield being pivotal with respect to said needle cannula between a shielded position encompassing said distal end of said needle cannula, and a non-shielded position pivotally spaced from said distal end of said needle cannula, said shield including a laterally extending lever adjacent said hub, said laterally extending arm of said hub and said laterally extending lever of said shield including interengaging structure for maintaining said shield in said non-shielded position, said shield further including a needle cannula lock which in a first position provides for movement of said shield from said shielded position and in a second position prevents movement of said shield from said shielded position; and

a biasing element extending between said laterally extending arm of said hub and said laterally extending lever of said shield for biasing said shield toward the shielded position, said biasing element capable of storing energy when said shield is in said non-shielded position for biasing said shield to said shielded position.

wherein said needle cannula lock in said first position exerts a biasing force against said needle cannula biasing said shield toward the non-shielded position, and said spring exerts a biasing force greater than said biasing force exerted by said cannula lock for maintaining said shield biased toward the shielded position.

21. A safety needle assembly as in claim 20, wherein said hub and said shield are integral, and wherein said biasing element comprises a leaf spring with a first leg of said leaf spring forming said laterally extending arm of said hub and a second leg of said leaf spring forming said laterally extending lever of said shield.

22. A safety needle assembly comprising:

a base hub including a proximal end and a distal end;

a needle extending from the distal end of the hub, said needle including a distal end having a puncture tip;

a laterally extending arm adjacent the distal end of said hub and extending laterally from the hub;

a laterally extending lever extending laterally from the distal end of the hub;

a hinge section formed at the intersection of said laterally extending arm and said laterally extending lever and defining an acute angle therebetween, said hinge section further defining a pivot axis for pivotal movement of said laterally extending lever with respect to said laterally extending arm between a first position and a second position with said second position defining an angle which is more acute than said first position; and

a shield integral with said laterally extending lever and extending toward the distal end of said needle for encompassing said distal end of said needle when said hinge is in said first position,

wherein pivotal movement of said laterally extending lever from said first position to said second position causes biasing energy to accumulate between said laterally extending arm and said laterally extending lever, said biasing energy biasing said laterally extending lever to said first position for encompassing said distal end of said needle.

23. A safety needle assembly as in claim 22, wherein said biasing energy accumulates in a spring element causing a bending moment between said laterally extending arm and said laterally extending lever.

24. A safety needle assembly as in claim 23, wherein said spring element comprises a torsion spring.

25. A safety needle assembly as in claim 22, wherein said biasing energy accumulates in the hinge section.

26. A safety needle assembly as in claim 22, wherein said hinge section comprises a leaf spring.