Safety needle guard

A needle guard, comprising:

• a housing, defining an interior, and having a first port and a second port extending therethrough and aligned along an axis of the housing;
• and
• a locking mechanism disposed within the interior of the housing, the locking mechanism comprising:
• a binding plate defining a multi-slot aperture, at least a portion of the multi-slot aperture aligned with the first port and the second port along the axis of the housing, wherein the first port, the second port, and the multi-slot aperture are adapted to receive a needle cannula therethrough,
• a biasing member for biasing the needle cannula within the aperture, and
• a sensing arm connected to the binding plate adapted to contact the needle cannula, and positionable for restricting movement of the needle cannula in a distal direction,
• wherein the multi-slot aperture comprises a first region having a first dimension, and a second region having a second dimension, the second dimension being smaller than the first dimension, and wherein the biasing member is adapted to advance the needle cannula within the multi-slot aperture from the first region to the second region, wherein upon advancement of the needle cannula within the multi-slot aperture by the biasing member, the binding plate is adapted to tilt and contact the needle cannula, thereby preventing movement of the needle cannula in a proximal direction.

A device, comprising:

• a needle cannula having a cannula tip;
• a housing disposed about a portion of the needle cannula, defining an interior, and having a first port and a second port extending therethrough and aligned along an axis of the housing;
• and
• a locking mechanism disposed within the interior of the housing, the locking mechanism comprising:
• a binding plate defining a multi-slot aperture, at least a portion of the multi-slot aperture aligned with the first port and the second port along the axis of the housing, wherein the first port, the second port, and the multi-slot aperture are adapted to receive the needle cannula therethrough;
• a biasing member for biasing the needle cannula within the aperture, the biasing member positionable for restricting movement of the needle cannula in a distal direction;
• and
• a transverse barrier connected to the binding plate adapted to contact a portion of the needle cannula, and positionable for restricting movement of the needle cannula in a proximal direction, wherein upon advancement of the needle cannula within the multi-slot aperture by the biasing member, the transverse barrier and the binding plate are adapted to tilt and contact the needle to prevent movement of the needle cannula in the proximal direction
• wherein the multi-slot aperture comprises a first region having a first dimension, and a second region having a second dimension, the second dimension being smaller than the first dimension, and wherein the biasing member is adapted to advance the needle cannula within the multi-slot aperture from the first region to the second region.

A method of actuating a needle guard, comprising the steps of:

• providing a needle guard disposed about at least a portion of a needle cannula, the needle guard comprising:
• a housing, defining an interior, and having a first port and a second port extending therethrough and aligned along an axis of the housing;
• and
• a locking mechanism disposed within the interior of the housing, the locking mechanism comprising:
• a binding plate defining a multi-slot aperture, at least a portion of the multi-slot aperture aligned with the first port and the second port along the axis of the housing, wherein the first port, the second port, and the multi-slot aperture are adapted to receive the needle cannula therethrough;
• a biasing member for biasing the needle cannula within the aperture;
• a sensing arm connected to the binding plate and comprising a contact surface, wherein the sensing arm is adapted to transition from a restrained position in which the contact surface contacts a portion of the needle cannula, to an activated position in which the sensing arm restricts movement of the needle cannula in a distal direction;
• and
• at least one biasing element for biasing the binding plate in a distal to proximal direction, wherein the multi-slot aperture comprises a first region having a first dimension, and a second region having a second dimension, the second dimension being smaller than the first dimension, and wherein the biasing member is adapted to advance the needle cannula within the multi-slot aperture from the first region to the second region, wherein upon advancement of the needle cannula within the multi-slot aperture by the biasing member, the binding plate is adapted to tilt and contact the needle cannula, thereby preventing movement of the needle cannula in a proximal direction;
• and
• transitioning the sensing arm from the restrained position to the activated position by interrupting contact between the contact surface and the needle cannula.