Needle assemblies
AssigneeRed Coral Acupuncture Supplies Pty Ltd
InventorKarl Anderson Macpherson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A needle assembly includes a needle with the needle having a handle at a proximal end portion thereof. The assembly also includes a guide tube sized to house the needle and handle, with the guide tube including an inwardly-extending projection adjacent a proximal end thereof. The inwardly-extending projection is configured to engage an engagement portion of the handle for retaining the needle within the guide tube such that a distal tip of the needle is positioned within the guide tube and a proximal end portion of the handle extends from the proximal end of the guide tube. The engagement being releasable upon a force applied to the proximal end portion of the handle to extend the distal tip of the needle out of the guide tube.
Claims15
A needle assembly comprising:
- a needle;
- a handle at a proximal end portion of the needle, the handle having a proximal end and a distal end and being of a substantially constant circular cross-section along its entire length between the proximal end of the handle and the distal end of the handle;
- and
- a guide tube sized to house the needle and the handle, the guide tube comprising an inwardly-extending projection adjacent a proximal end of the guide tube;
- the needle assembly being repositionable between a released configuration and an engaged configuration;
- wherein, in the engaged configuration, the inwardly-extending projection engages an engagement portion of the handle to retain the needle within the guide tube such that a distal tip of the needle is positioned within the guide tube and the proximal end of the handle extends from the proximal end of the guide tube;
- wherein the needle assembly is releasable from the engaged configuration to the released configuration upon a distal force applied to the proximal end of the handle that disengages the engagement portion from the inwardly-extending projection and allows the needle to move distally along the guide tube without further disruption to extend the distal tip of the needle out of the guide tube.
A needle assembly comprising:
- a needle;
- a handle secured at a proximal end portion of the needle, the handle having a proximal end and a distal end and being of a substantially constant circular cross-section along its entire length between the proximal end of the handle and the distal end of the handle;
- and
- a guide tube formed from a translucent polymer and sized to house the needle and the handle, the guide tube comprising an inwardly-extending projection adjacent a proximal end of the guide tube;
- the needle assembly being repositionable between a released configuration and an engaged configuration;
- wherein, in the engaged configuration, the inwardly-extending projection engages an engagement portion of the handle to retain the needle within the guide tube such that a distal tip of the needle is positioned within the guide tube and the proximal end of the handle extends from the proximal end of the guide tube;
- wherein the needle assembly is releasable from the engaged configuration to the released configuration upon a distal force applied to the proximal end of the handle that disengages the engagement portion from the inwardly-extending projection and allows the needle to move distally along the guide tube without further disruption to extend the distal tip of the needle out of the guide tube, and
- wherein the engagement portion of the handle comprises a textured anti-slip surface etched into the handle;
- and
- wherein the engagement portion of the handle is located intermediate the distal end of the handle and the proximal end of the handle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.