US 5,389,085 A · Automatic needle protector

Abstract

A syringe has a needle mounted in the lower end of a tubular mount. A protective cover, in the form of a sleeve, fits over this lower end of the tubular mount, and extends to fully cover the sharp end of the needle. The tubular mount has a pair of elongated, axial slots for the entry and exit of a cog or lug on the inside of the sleeve. Pressure on the sleeve slides the lug up the entry slot and exposes the needle. A cross over slot carries the lug to the exit slot, where it slides down to the lower end of the mount, and over a locking ridge to automatically and securely recover the needle. A spring, coupled between the mount and the sleeve has an axial force urging the sleeve down in either slot, and a rotary force urging the cog towards the exit slot. The lug must be in the entry slot to depress and use the needle, but the lug is then rotated to the exit slot and returned by the spring, automatically, to lock the lug in the safe, covering position of the sleeve. In a further embodiment, a mount is provided having a needle supporting hub attached to an upper end, an open lower end, and an aperture in the side of the mount. A protective cover fits inside of the mount and has a protruding lug which engages the mount aperture. A spring coupled between the mount and the cover is subjected to rotational and compressive forces to automatically urge the cover to the needle protection position.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A needle protector device comprising:

a needle having a tip;
a hub having an upper end adapted for coupling to a unit operative with said needle and a lower end to which said needle is attached;
a mount having an upper end coupled to said hub, an open lower end, and an aperture disposed in a side thereof, said aperture including an entrance position and an armed position radially spaced from said entrance position by a portion of said mount protruding into said aperture;
and
a protective cover having a diameter smaller than the diameter of said mount, said protective cover having an upper end disposed inside of said lower end of said mount and an apertured lower end, wherein said cover is adapted for being in a needle protection position in which said lower end of said cover is disposed over said needle tip or a retracted position in which said needle tip extends through said apertured lower end of said cover, wherein said cover has a lug for engaging said aperture of said mount so that, as said cover is moved between said needle protection position and said retracted position, said lug moves within said aperture, wherein said device is armed by rotating said cover to move said lug from said entrance position over said protruding portion of said mount and to said armed position.

2 more elements

A needle protector device comprising:

a needle having a tip;
a hub having an upper end adapted for coupling to a unit operative with said needle and a lower end to which said needle is attached;
a mount having an upper end attached to said hub, an open lower end, and an aperture disposed in a side thereof;
and
a protective cover having a diameter smaller than the diameter of said mount, said protective cover having an upper end fitting inside of said lower end of said mount and an apertured lower end, wherein said cover is adapted for being in a needle protection position in which said lower end of said cover is disposed over said needle tip or a retracted position in which said needle tip extends through said apertured lower end of said cover, wherein said cover has a lug for engaging said aperture of said mount so that, as said cover is moved between said needle protection position and said retracted position, said lug moves within said aperture, wherein said aperture includes an entrance position adjacent to said lower end of said mount and an armed position radially spaced from said entrance position by an angled portion of said mount, wherein said device is armed by rotating said cover to move said lug from said entrance position to said armed position, and wherein said mount has an assembly slot extending from said lower end of said mount toward said upper end of said mount through which said lug is directed during assembly.

2 more elements

A needle protector device comprising:

a needle;
a mount having an upper end at which a fitting and said needle are disposed said fitting being adapted for coupling to a unit operative with said needle, said mount further having an aperture disposed in a side thereof;
a protective cover having a diameter smaller than said mount, said protective cover having an upper end disposed in said lower end of said mount and an apertured lower end, wherein said cover is adapted for being in a protective position in which said lower end of said cover is disposed over said needle or a retracted position in which said needle is exposed through said apertured lower end of said cover, said cover having a lug for mating with said aperture so that said cover is moved between said protective position and said retracted position as said lug moves through said aperture;
and
a spring, coupled between said mount and said cover and being responsive to axial and rotary biasing, for urging said lug to move in said aperture.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Automatic needle protector

Life of this patent

Automatic needle protector

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28