Abstrict An improved disposable syringe having provisions for rendering
the needle incapable of harming one when the unit is discarded.
The syringe operates with a retracted needle which is driven to
a protruding position when the device is used. After use the needle
is retracted from the protruding position and bent so as to prevent
the needle from harming anyone after the unit is discarded, and
to prevent reuse of the needle.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. An improved automatic disposable syringe adapted to be used
but once, said syringe comprising:
(a) a housing containing an ampoule and hypodermic needle, said
needle being disposed in a retracted position completely within
the confines of said housing;
(b) means in said housing for driving said needle to an injecting
position wherein said needle protrudes from said housing; and
(c) retracting means movably mounted on said housing, said retracting
means being operable to engage said needle and bend the latter to
pull said needle from its protruding position to a safe position
wherein said needle is covered over by a portion of said syringe.
2. An improved automatic disposable syringe adapted to be used
but once, said syringe comprising:
(a) a housing containing an ampoule and hypodermic needle, said
needle being disposed in a retracted position completely within
the confines of said housing;
(b) means in said housing for driving said needle through a needle
port, in said housing to an injecting position wherein said needle
protrudes from said housing; and
(c) a retracting member movably mounted on said housing, said retracting
member being disposed on said housing in a position wherein said
needle port is unblocked for passage therethrough of said needle
and said retracting member being movable laterally across said needle
port to engage said needle as it protrudes through said needle port
and bend said needle and pull the latter to a safe position wherein
said needle is covered by a portion of said syringe.
3. An improved automatic disposable syringe adapted to be used
but once, said syringe comprising:
(a) a housing containing an ampoule and hypodermic needle, said
needle being disposed in a retracted position completely within
the confines of said housing, one end of said housing being formed
with a needle port;
(b) means in said housing for driving said needle to an injecting
position wherein said needle protrudes from said housing through
said needle port; and
(c) a disk mounted adjacent to said one end of said housing, said
disk being movable across said one end of said housing but being
secured to said housing so as not to be readily detachable therefrom,
said disk being movable from a first position wherein said needle
port is unblocked for passage of said needle therethrough to a second
position wherein said disk moves laterally across said needle port
to engage the protruding needle and bend the latter thereby retracting
the needle out of its protruding position to a safe position wherein
said needle is completely covered by a portion of the syringe.
4. An improved automatic disposable syringe adapted to be used
but once, said syringe comprising:
(a) a housing containing an ampoule and hypodermic needle, said
needle being disposed in a retracted position completely within
the confines of said housing, one end of said housing being formed
with a needle port;
(b) means in said housing for driving said needle to an injecting
position wherein said needle protrudes from said housing through
said needle port; and
(c) a retractor member movably mounted on an external surface of
said one end of said housing, said retractor member being secured
to said one end of said housing so as not to be readily removable
therefrom, said retractor member being movable from a first position
wherein said needle port is unblocked to allow passage of said needle
therethrough to a second position wherein said retractor member
moves laterally across said needle port to engage and bend the needle
protruding therethrough until said needle is bent to a safe position
wherein said needle is covered by said retractor member.
5. The syringe of claim 4 wherein said retractor member is provided
with a through passage which is co-axial with said needle port when
said retractor member is in said first position, the edge of said
passage engaging said protruding needle when said retractor member
is moved toward said second position.
6. The syringe of claim 5 wherein said retractor member is a disk
mounted on said one end of said housing for rotation about an axis
which is radially offset from the axis of said needle port.
7. The syringe of claim 6 wherein said disk is provided with an
internal slot into which said through passage opens, said slot providing
means for containing the bent needle.
8. The syringe of claim 6 further comprising detent means for releasably
retaining said disk in its first position.
9. An improved automatic disposable syringe adapted to be used
but once, said syringe comprising:
(a) a housing containing an ampoule and hypodermic needle, said
needle being disposed in a retracted position completely within
the confines of said housing, one end of said housing being formed
with a needle port, a post formed on said one end of said housing,
said post being radially offset from said needle port;
(b) means in said housing for driving said needle to an injecting
position wherein said needle protrudes from said housing through
said needle port;
(c) a tape secured to said one end of said housing overlying said
needle port to maintain sterility in the interior of said housing;
(d) a needle retractor disk mounted on said post, said retractor
disk overlying the majority of said one end of said housing and
having a through passage which is coaxial with said needle port,
said retractor disk providing an end surface of the syringe which
is placed against the user's flesh when an injection is administered,
and said retractor disk being rotatable about said post whereby
said through passage is moved out of alignment with said needle
port to move said retractor disk against the protruding needle to
bend the latter and draw the needle back through said retractor
disk through passage to a safe position wherein the bent needle
underlies said retractor disk.
10. The syringe of claim 9 further comprising detent means for
releasably holding said retractor disk in the position wherein said
through passage and needle port are coaxial.
11. The syringe of claim 9 wherein said retractor disk is provided
with a slot facing said one end of said housing and into which said
through passage opens, said slot providing means for receiving the
bent needle.
Description This invention relates to an improved disposable hypodermic syringe
which is non-reusable and which has a safety feature preventing
the needle from harming anyone once the device is thrown away after
use. In its preferred form, this invention relates to an improved
syringe of the type disclosed in copending application Ser. No.
955773 filed Oct. 30 1978.
There is a distinct need in the medical field for a disposable
hypodermic syringe which can be factory pre-loaded with an accurately
measured amount of a medicament and then safely store the medicament
for an extended period of time, on the order of one year or more.
This type of syringe could be used by both trained and untrained
persons, and if made to operate automatically, could be used by
laymen to self administer injections, or to administer injections
to others. Such a hypodermic syringe is described in co-pending
application Ser. No. 955773 referred to above.
One problem to be solved with such syringes relates to the needle
which is left projecting from the syringe after the latter is used.
This presents a potential problem of possible injury being inflicted
upon someone after the syringe is discarded. One solution to the
projecting needle problem which has been offered by the prior art
involves the use of a return spring which automatically retracts
the needle after the main spring has driven the needle out of the
syringe housing. This solution; however, requires a delicate balancing
of spring forces so as to insure that the injection is administered
at the proper time and in a proper sequence. This balancing is not
readily achieved in a mass produced, disposable item designed for
but a single use. For this reason, the spring return concept has
been featured in automatic syringe devices which are designed for
repeated usage and which; therefore can be made at the higher cost
needed to provide the necessary accurate spring forces.
Furthermore, a solution to the protruding needle problem which
involves a retracting of the needle which at least partially resets,
or recocks the device is not desirable with a disposable unit because
such enables the device to be reused for possibly illicit purposes.
My solution for this problem is to provide means on the syringe
which, upon actuation, retracts the needle from its protruding position
while also deforming the needle by bending it so that the needle
cannot be reused or even separated from the syringe easily. Thus,
the needle presents no possible injury problem, nor can it be any
way used for possibly illicit purposes after the device has been
used for its intended purpose.
A movable member is connected to the base of the syringe. The member
permits the needle to move from its retracted position to its fully
extended position to administer the injection, and is then manipulated
to bend the needle in a direction lateral to its axis and, at the
same time, pull it back from its extended position to a safe position
wherein it is covered completely by the member, whereby it cannot
harm anyone, and it cannot be reused, or even readily removed from
the syringe. The member, which can be termed a retracting member,
or a retracting-deforming member, is inexpensively made, and does
not appreciably increase the size or weight of the syringe.
It is therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved
disposable syringe wherein the needle is rendered incapable of causing
injury after the device is used so that the device may be safely
discarded.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved
syringe of the character described wherein the extended needle is
retracted and bent so as to be rendered unusable.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an improved
syringe of the character described wherein the needle retracting-bending
means is formed as an assembled part of the syringe which may be
easily actuated after the device is used.
These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become
more readily apparent from the following detailed description of
a preferred embodiment of a device formed in accordance with the
invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of
an automatic disposable syringe having a needle retracting member
formed as a part thereof;
FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of the syringe of FIG. 1 showing
details of the needle retracting portion thereof, the device being
shown in a cocked, ready-to-use condition;
FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but showing
the device in a "fired" condition as it appears after
an injection has been administered, and the needle has been driven
to a position wherein it protrudes from the syringe housing;
FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but showing
the initial phase of actuation of the needle retracting portion
of the device; and
FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view similar to FIG. 4 showing the
final stage of operation of the needle retracting portion of the
device, wherein the device is ready to discard.
Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown a preferred embodiment
of an automatic, disposable hypodermic syringe having a needle retracting
feature formed in accordance with this invention. The syringe 2
has a construction which is set forth in detail in co-pending application
Attorney's Docket No. H-1018; therefore, said construction, will
not be repeated in detail herein except for certain features thereof
which are useful for explaining the operation of the needle retractor.
The end surface 4 of the syringe 2 can be termed the bottom surface,
i.e., the surface which is pressed against the skin of the user,
when administering the injection. The bottom surface 4 of the syringe
2 is formed by a disk 6 which is movably mounted on the remainder
of the syringe 2. A pair of tabs 8 engage recesses 10 (see FIG.
2) in the syringe 2 to properly help index and retain the disk 6
properly oriented with respect to the remainder of the syringe 2.
As shown in FIG. 2 the syringe 2 has a retracted needle 12 aligned
with a bore 14 through which the needle 12 is driven to administer
the injection. A tape strip 16 closes the bore 14 to preserve the
sterility of the interior parts of the syringe, the tape 16 being
pierced when the needle 12 is driven to its protruding position
to administer the injection. The lower portion of the syringe 2
is formed with a projecting post 18 which extends through a hole
20 in the disk 6. Thus the disk 6 is able to pivot about the post
18 with respect to the remainder of the syringe 2; however, the
disk 6 is indexed and held in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and
2 by the tabs 10. The disk 6 also includes a through passage 22
which is coaxial with the needle 12 and bore 14 when the disk 6
is indexed to the position shown in FIG. 2. The passage 22 is provided
with chamfered ends at 24 and 26 to help prevent snagging of the
needle 12 when the latter is retracted after use. The upper surface
of the disk 6 is formed with a closed circular slot 28 which extends
radially from the passage 22 stopping short of the side wall 30
of the disk 6. It will be noted that the post 18 extends through
the slot 28 the slot 28 being wider than the post 18 so as not
to inhibit rotation of the disk 6 with respect to the remainder
of the syringe 2.
It will be appreciated that, with the parts in their respective
positions shown in FIG. 2 the device is in a cocked and ready-to-use
condition. Upon the administering of an injection, the parts of
the syringe 2 move to the respective positions shown in FIG. 3
wherein the needle 12 protrudes from the syringe 2 a predetermined
distance through the bore 14 and the disk passage 22. After the
injection has been administered, the needle 12 is retracted by turning
the disk 6 through a 360.degree. revolution about the post 18 from
the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4 and
on to the position shown in FIG. 5. It will, of course, be noted
that the axis of rotation, e.g., the axis of the post 18 and hole
20 of the disk is radially offset from the axis of the needle 12
and disk passage 22. Thus when the disk 6 is rotated about the post
18 the passage 22 is swept along an arcuate path and the wall of
the passage 22 bears against the protruding needle 12 and bends
the latter. Since the needle 12 cannot be pulled through the bore
14 due to an enlarged ferrule 15 secured to the needle, movement
of the passage 22 through its arcuate path will cause the needle
12 to be drawn back through the passage 22 and preferably into the
slot 28 as shown in FIG. 4. It will be noted that the substantially
circular shape of the slot 28 ensures that, during rotation of the
disk 6 the outer edge of the slot 28 will remain below the bore
14 so that the needle 12 can be smoothly fed into the slot 28 through
the passage 22. Engagement of the needle 12 by the passage 22 and
the side wall of the slot 28 will bend the needle 12 and render
it un-reusable. If the needle 12 is long enough, rotation of the
disk 6 back to the position shown in FIG. 5 will preferably wrap
the needle 12 to some extent around the post 18. It will be noted
that only a single tab 10 could be used, or the tabs 10 if two
are used, can be break-away tabs so as not to interfere with rotation
of the disk 6.
It will be readily appreciated that the bent, retracted needle
is completely covered by the remainder of the device so that it
cannot cause harm to anyone. The retractor is a part of the syringe,
so that it cannot be left behind when the syringe is carried about
prior to use. The syringe housing part, which includes the post
18 is preferably made of injection molded plastic, as is the disk
6. The disk 6 can simply be pressfitted onto the post 18 and the
tabs 8 properly aligned when the device is assembled. It will further
be appeciated that the improved syringe of this invention includes
an inexpensive, dependable needle retractor feature which renders
the syringe harmlessly disposable.
Since many changes and variations of the disclosed embodiment of
the invention may be made without departing from the inventive concept,
it is not intended to limit the invention otherwise than as required
by the appended claims. |