Safety needle assembly

A safety needle assembly comprising:

• a hub which includes a proximal end for connection to a syringe and a distal end;
• a cannula including a proximal end fixed to the distal end of the hub, the cannula also including a lumen extending through the cannula and a distal end;
• a collar formed separately from the hub and mounted on the hub, the collar including a pair of spaced apart mounting ears;
• each of the mounting ears including two oppositely facing side surfaces, with one of the side surfaces of one mounting ear facing one of the side surfaces of the other mounting ear, each mounting ear having a width measured in a widthwise direction between distal and proximal ends of the mounting ear;
• one of the side surfaces of each mounting ear being provided with a first groove extending in the widthwise direction from a distal side of the mounting ear toward a proximal side of the mounting ear and the other side surface of each mounting ear being provided with a second groove extending in the widthwise direction from the proximal side of the mounting ear toward the distal side of the mounting ear, each of the mounting ears being provided with a through hole formed by the overlapping first and second grooves;
• a protector positioned over the cannula and covering the distal end of the cannula, the protector being removable to expose the distal end of the cannula;
• a sheath provided with an interior and an opening extending along at least a portion of a longitudinal extent of the sheath, the sheath including a pair of pins each positioned in the through hole in one of the mounting ears to pivotally connect the sheath to the collar at a position outside the protector to permit the sheath, after removal of the protector to expose the distal end of the cannula, to pivot towards the cannula so that the cannula passes through the opening in the sheath and is positioned in the interior of the sheath in a position covered by the sheath.

A method of assembling a safety needle assembly comprising;

• positioning a collar over the distal end of a hub in a way that permits relative rotation between the collar and the hub, the collar including a sheath mounting portion, and including a cannula having a proximal end fixed to the distal end of the hub, the cannula having a distal end provided with a bevel;
• identifying the bevel on the distal end of the cannula and effecting relative rotation between the collar and the hub to orient the bevel in a desired orientation relative to the collar;
• effecting axial movement between the hub and the collar while maintaining the desired orientation to locate the collar at a position relative to the hub at which the collar is rotationally fixed on the hub;
• positioning a removable protector over the cannula to cover the bevel on the distal end of the cannula, the protector being removable to expose the distal end of the cannula;
• and
• mounting a sheath provided with an interior and an opening extending along at least a portion of a longitudinal extent of the sheath at the sheath mounting portion of the collar to pivotally connect the sheath to the collar and permit the sheath, after removal of the protector, to pivot towards the cannula so that the cannula passes through the opening in the sheath and is positioned in the interior of the sheath in a position covered by the sheath.

A safety needle assembly connected to a fluid transfer device comprising:

• a hub which includes a proximal end and a distal end;
• a cannula including a proximal end connected to the distal end of the hub, the cannula also including a lumen extending therethrough and a distal end;
• a collar formed separately from the hub and mounted on the hub, the collar being rotationally fixed on the hub and including a sheath mounting portion;
• a protector mounted on the collar and being positioned over the cannula to cover the distal end of the cannula, the protector being removable to expose the cannula including the distal end;
• a sheath including an opening along one side, the sheath being positioned outside the protector when the protector is positioned over the cannula, the sheath being pivotally connected to the sheath mounting portion of the collar to be pivoted, after removal of the protector to expose the cannula, towards the cannula so that the cannula passes through the opening in the sheath and is covered by the sheath;
• a syringe including a proximal end and a distal end provided with a hub mounting portion, a portion of the hub engaging the hub mounting portion so that the hub is connected to the syringe, the syringe having a finger flange shaped to possess a greatest dimension and a perpendicularly oriented smaller dimension;
• and
• the sheath being positioned relative to the finger flange such that when viewed from the proximal end of the syringe, an outer edge of the sheath lies within outer confines of the smaller dimension.