Needle shield assembly

• US 7,316,668 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Swenson, Kirk D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sirmons; Kevin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WITCZAK, CATHERINE
• Application Number:
  US10/392,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20030181873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 604/110, 604/187, 604/192, 604/197, 604/198, 604/263
• US Class Current: 604/192
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15003 for venous or arterial blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150244 Rods for actuating or driving the piston, i.e. the cylindrical body that sits inside the syringe barrel, typically with an air tight seal, and slides in the barrel to create a vacuum or to expel 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 5/150496 Details of construction of hub, i.e. element used to attach the double-ended needle to a piercing device or sampling device
• 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 5/150587 by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150671 comprising means to impede repositioning of protection sleeve from covering to uncovering position
• 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 5/15074 Needle sets comprising wings, e.g. butterfly type, for ease of handling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150816 by tactile feedback, e.g. vibration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150824 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/154 Devices using pre-evacuated means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3217 Means to impede repositioning of protection cap from needle covering to needle uncovering position, e.g. catch mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6081 Colour codes
• 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 5/3216 Caps placed transversally onto the needle, e.g. pivotally attached to the needle base

Abstract

A safety needle assembly including a needle with an intravenous puncture tip, a shield in pivotal engagement with respect to the needle, and a hub in the form of a collar providing pivotal engagement between the needle and the shield is provided. The shield is pivotally movable between an unshielded position and a shielded position in which a portion of the shield encompasses the intravenous puncture tip for shielding the needle for safety purposes. The collar and the shield include locking structure providing locking engagement therebetween for locking the shield in the shielded position for preventing pivotal movement to the unshielded position. The collar further includes at least one collar flange extending laterally along a portion of the collar for preventing disengagement of the locking structure.

Claims

1. A safety needle assembly comprising:

a needle cannula including an intravenous end having a puncture tip;

a collar engaged with said needle cannula and including at least one collar flange extending laterally along a portion of said collar toward said intravenous end of said needle cannula in a forward direction generally parallel with an axis defined by the needle cannula; and

a shield including a pair of longitudinally extending sidewalls defining a longitudinal opening, said shield pivotably connected to said collar and pivotal with respect to said needle cannula between an unshielded position pivotally spaced from said intravenous end of said needle cannula and a shielded position with said intravenous end of said needle cannula encompassed within said longitudinal opening,

a first locking mechanism comprising at least one of said pair of sidewalls of said shield including a locking barb and said collar including a locking dent, said locking barb and said locking dent being interengagable when said shield is in said shielded position, thereby forming a first locking structure for preventing pivotal movement to said unshielded position,

a second locking mechanism comprising, contact between said collar flange and said shield when said shield is in said shielded position,

wherein said shield includes an outer shield flange on at least one of said pair of sidewalls, said outer shield flange and said at least one of said pair of sidewalls forming an opening for receiving said collar flange.

2. A safety needle assembly comprising:

a needle cannula including an intravenous end having a puncture tip;

a collar engaged with said needle cannula and including at least one collar flange extending laterally along a portion of said collar toward said intravenous end of said needle cannula in a forward direction generally parallel with an axis defined by the needle cannula; and

a shield including a pair of longitudinally extending sidewalls defining a longitudinal opening, said shield pivotably connected to said collar and pivotal with respect to said needle cannula between an unshielded position pivotally spaced from said intravenous end of said needle cannula and a shielded position with said intravenous end of said needle cannula encompassed within said longitudinal opening,

a first locking mechanism comprising at least one of said pair of sidewalls of said shield including a locking barb and said collar including a locking dent, said locking barb and said locking dent being interengagable when said shield is in said shielded position for preventing pivotal movement to said unshielded position,

a second locking mechanism comprising an outer shield flange and an inner shield flange on at least one of said pair of sidewalls of said shield, and said collar flange, said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange forming an opening for receiving said collar flange when said shield is in said shielded position.

3. A safety needle assembly as in claim 2, wherein said outer shield flange is flexible.

4. A safety needle assembly as in claim 2, wherein said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange are interconnected.

5. A safety needle assembly as in claim 2, wherein said collar flange includes a rounded forward surface.

6. A safety needle assembly as in claim 2, wherein said outer shield flange and said inner shield flange form said locking structure for engagement with said collar flange.

7. A safety needle assembly as in claim 6, wherein said collar flange includes an outer latch for engagement with said outer shield flange.

8. A safety needle assembly as in claim 7, wherein said collar flange further includes an inner latch for engagement with said inner shield flange.