Disposable needle holder

A need holder assembly comprising:

• a sleeve having a main portion with an opening at a proximal end of said sleeve and a neck portion at a distal end of said sleeve that is connected to said main portion;
• a needle holder slidably received within said sleeve through said opening for movement from a retracted position where a needle held in said needle holder extends through said neck portion of said sleeve, to an extended position where the needle is contained within said sleeve;
• and
• means for permanently locking said needle holder within said sleeve at said extended position, said locking means comprising:
• a segmented annular projection having a plurality of flexible segments extending from an interior wall of said sleeve about said proximal end of said sleeve, each flexible segment being angled towards a distal end of said assembly to expand when under pressure;
• and
• a groove in a proximal end of said needle holder for receiving said plurality Of flexible segments when said needle holder is in said extended position to permanently lock said needle holder and said sleeve together and prevent movement of said needle holder within said sleeve in both the proximal and distal directions because of the expansion of each angled flexible segment within said groove.

A needle holder assembly comprising:

• a sleeve having a main portion with an opening at a proximal end of said sleeve and a neck portion at a distal end of said sleeve that is connected to said main portion;
• a needle holder slidably received within said sleeve through said opening for movement from a retracted position where a needle held in said needle holder extends through said neck portion of said sleeve, to an extended position where the needle is contained within said sleeve;
• means for smoothly releasing said needle holder from said retracted position and permitting said needle holder to slide towards said extended position;
• means for permanently locking said needle holder within said sleeve at said extended position, said locking means comprising:
• a segmented annular projection having a plurality of flexible segments extending from an interior wall of said sleeve about said proximal end of said sleeve, each flexible segment being angled towards a distal end of said assembly to expand when under pressure;
• and
• a groove in a proximal end of said needle holder for receiving said plurality of flexible segments when said needle holder is in said extended position to permanently lock said needle holder and said sleeve together and prevent movement of said needle holder within said sleeve in both the proximal and distal directions because of the expansion of each angled flexible segment within said groove;
• and
• means for capturing liquid within said neck portion to prevent the liquid from splattering out of said sleeve when said needle holder is not in said retracted position.