Safety syringe abstract
A safety syringe includes a protective cap resiliently held on
a needle of the syringe for preventing an unexpected injury to someone
stuck by the needle, a locking tab detachably clamped on a needle
holder of the needle, and at least a protrusion formed on the needle
holder operatively engageable with a protrusion groove formed in
a needle sleeve, whereby upon a removal of the locking tab from
the needle holder and upon an inward depression of the needle holder
and the needle into the needle sleeve to engage the protrusion on
the needle holder with the groove formed in the sleeve, the needle
will be permanently locked into the needle sleeve for a safer disposal
of the needle with the sleeve.
Safety syringe claims
I claim:
1. A safety syringe comprising:
a syringe having an adapter formed thereon;
a needle means including a needle holder securable to the adapter
of the syringe, an annular groove circumferentially formed in an
outer surface of the needle holder, at least a protrusion formed
on the needle holder, and a hollow needle secured to the needle
holder having a tip formed on a lowest end of said needle;
a protective cap resiliently secured to said needle holder for
normally shielding the tip of the needle;
a locking means engageably secured on said annular groove in said
needle holder normally preventing a downward locking of said needle
means in a needle sleeve; and
the needle sleeve including a sleeve body having a central sleeve
hole formed in the sleeve body engageable with said needle holder
for storing said needle in said sleeve hole, and a protrusion groove
annularly formed in said sleeve body operatively engageable with
said protrusion of said needle means, whereby upon a removal of
said locking means from said needle means and upon a depression
of said needle means into said needle sleeve to engage said protrusion
on said needle means with said protrusion groove in said needle
sleeve, said needle with said needle means will be permanently locked
in said sleeve for a safe disposal thereof.
2. A safety syringe according to claim 1 wherein said protrusion
of said needle means is formed with a ratchet extension on said
needle holder.
3. A safety syringe according to claim 1 wherein said protective
cap includes a central needle hole formed therein for passing said
needle therethrough, and a tensioning spring having a lower spring
end secured with said cap and an upper spring end secured to said
needle holder, said cap normally shielding said tip of said needle
as urged by said spring.
4. A safety syringe according to claim 1 wherein said locking
means includes: a handle, an U-shaped retainer secured with said
handle engageable with said annular groove formed in said needle
holder, and a spring clip secured to said retainer for clamping
said locking means on said annular groove of said needle means.
5. A safety syringe according to claim 4 wherein said spring clip
of said locking means includes two clamping portions protruding
outwardly from said U-shaped retainer defining an aperture between
the two clamping portions, said aperture having a width less than
a diameter of said annular groove in said needle holder having a
cross section generally cylindrical shaped.
6. A safety syringe according to claim 3 wherein said protective
cap is made of transparent plastic materials.
7. A safety syringe according to claim 1 wherein said needle sleeve
includes a finger protector generally formed as a shielding flange
protruding radially outwardly from a top periphery of said sleeve
body of said needle sleeve.
8. A safety syringe according to claim 4 wherein said annular
groove of said needle holder engaged with said locking means is
positioned under said protrusion of said needle holder, said locking
means after being engaged with said annular groove in said needle
holder normally retained above said finger protector of said sleeve
to prevent a downward locking of said needle into said sleeve before
using said needle.
9. A safety syringe according to claim 7 wherein said finger protector
is formed with a cone shape tapered downwardly towards said sleeve
adapted for smoothly receiving the tip of said needle.
10. A safety syringe according to claim 9 wherein said finger
protector formed as a cone shape includes a flat path recessed in
said protector for an insertion of said locking means to be engaged
with the annular groove formed in said needle holder.
11. A safety syringe according to claim 1 wherein said needle
sleeve is integrally formed with a first strap secured with said
locking means and formed with a second strap secured with a plug
sealable in a central hole formed in said needle holder.
Safety syringe description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Eric C. Strauss disclosed an automatic protracting and locking
hypodermic needle guard in his U.S. Pat. No. 4664654 comprising
a sliding member 16 and a stationary member 28. Even the protrusions
24 can be engaged with the bevel shaped indention 37 to lock the
needle tube 42 41 within the sliding member 16 for its disposal.
However, if the two protrusions 24 are accidentally compressed to
disengage from the intention 37 the spring 30 will urge the needle
41 outwardly to cause injury or contamination to a nurse, a patient
or anyone else.
Edward Klein disclosed a disposable safety medical syringe in his
U.S. Pat. No. 4955868 by providing a shield wall 4 for protecting
the hypodermic needle 1 within the wall 4. However, the shield wall
4 is resiliently urged outwardly by the spring 2 which will be
easily compressed to retract the wall 4 inwardly to protrude the
needle tip outwardly to still possibly cause injury or contamination
accident. Besides, the shield wall 4 has a diameter larger than
a diameter of the syringe wall 11 and the wall 4 has its front end
portion provided with the shield opening 6 always urged by the spring
2 so that a puncture of the needle 1 will always be obstructed by
the shield wall 4 thereby influencing a precise puncture on a patient
skin for his or her medical treatment.
As shown in FIG. 6 a conventional syringe 1 includes a needle
means 2 having a needle holder 22 secured with an adapter 11 of
the syringe 1 and a needle 21 stored in a needle sleeve 5 having
a central hole 52 formed in the sleeve 51. The needle 21 after being
used can be easily withdrawn to cause contamination or injury to
the others.
The present inventor has found the drawbacks of the conventional
syringes, and invented the present safety syringe with single use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a safety syringe
including a protective cap resiliently held on a needle of the syringe
for preventing an unexpected injury to someone stuck by the needle,
a lock means detachably clamped on a needle holder of the needle,
and at least a protrusion formed on the needle holder operatively
engageable with a protrusion groove formed in a needle sleeve, whereby
upon a removal of the lock means from the needle holder and upon
an inward depression of the needle holder and the needle into the
needle sleeve to engage the protrusion on the needle holder with
the groove in the sleeve, the needle will be permanently locked
into the needle sleeve for ensuring a safe disposal of the needle
with the needle sleeve to prevent their re-use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing all elements in construction
of the present invention.
FIG. 1a shows another preferred embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional drawing of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an illustration showing a puncture by the needle of the
present invention.
FIG. 4 is a sectional drawing of the present invention when pressing
and engaging the needle into the needle sleeve.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged illustration of FIG. 4 in accordance with
the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows a prior art of a conventional syringe.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in FIGS. 1-5 the present invention comprises: a syringe
1 a needle means 2 a protective cap 3 a locking means 4 and
a needle sleeve 5.
The syringe 1 may be a conventional syringe containing an injection
liquid container and a plunger reciprocatively held in the liquid
container (not shown) and includes an adapter 11 generally cylindrical
shaped and formed on a lower portion of the syringe 1.
The needle means 2 includes: a hollow needle 21 having a tip 211
formed on a lowest end of the needle 21 a needle holder 22 secured
with the needle 21 having a central hole 221 formed in the holder
22 engageable with the adapter 11 of the syringe 1 and fluidically
communicated with the syringe 1 and the hollow needle 21 an annular
groove 23 circumferentially formed in the needle holder 22 and
at least a protrusion 24 formed on the holder 22. The groove 23
is positioned under the protrusion 24.
The protrusion 24 may be formed as a ratchet protrusion or an annular
extension formed on a cylindrical or outer surface of the needle
holder 22. The number of protrusions 24 of this invention is not
limited and may be two protrusions 24 as shown in FIG. 1.
The protective cap 3 may be made of transparent or translucent
plastic materials for a clear vision of a needle tip 211 held through
a needle hole 31 formed in the cap 3 as shown in FIGS. 2 3. The
cap 3 is resiliently secured to the needle holder 22 by a tensioning
spring 32 having a lower spring end 321 secured with the cap 3 and
an upper spring end 322 secured to the needle holder 22. The spring
32 should be firmly secured to the holder 22 and the cap 3 to prevent
releasing from this invention for ensuring safety.
The locking means 4 includes: a handle 41 an U-shaped retainer
42 secured with the handle 41 and engageable with the annular groove
23 formed in the needle holder 22 and a spring clip 43 having two
clamping portions 431 protruding outwardly from the U-shaped retainer
42 to define an aperture 44 therebetween with the aperture 44 being
smaller in width than a diameter or width of the groove 23 for ensuring
a firm stable normal engagement of the retainer 42 of the locking
means 4 with the groove 23 of the needle means 2.
The shape of a cross section of the syringe adapter 11 the needle
holder 22 and the sleeve 5 is not limited in this invention, but
is preferably generally cylindrical shaped.
The locking means 4 may be made of metal such as an aluminum tab
or plastic materials which are not limited in this invention.
The needle sleeve 5 includes: a sleeve body 51 having a length
larger than that of the needle 21 and generally cylindrical shaped,
a central sleeve hole 52 formed in the sleeve body 51 engageable
with the needle holder 22 for holding the needle 21 in the sleeve
hole 52 a finger protector 53 generally formed with a shielding
flange radially protruding from a top periphery of the sleeve body
51 and a protrusion groove 54 annularly formed in the sleeve body
51 at an upper portion of the sleeve hole 52 to be engageable with
the protrusion 24 of the needle means 2. The hole 52 is large enough
for storing the cap 3 in the sleeve 5.
When using the present invention for a hypodermic injection or
puncture, the needle holder 22 of the needle means 2 is fixed to
the adapter 11 of the syringe 1 as shown in FIG. 2 and then withdrawn
from the sleeve 5 for proceeding a puncture as shown in FIG. 3
wherein the needle tip 211 is poked into a patient's skin S by protruding
the needle tip 211 downwardly outwardly from the cap 3 which is
retained on a skin surface as shown in FIG. 3. After finishing the
puncture, the needle 21 is pulled upwardly from the skin S and the
tensioning spring 32 will urge the cap 3 outwardly to shield the
tip 211 to prevent an unexpected sticking or injury or contamination
to the others.
Before removing the locking means 4 from the needle means 2 (means
4 normally positioned between protrusion 24 and protector 53), the
depression of said needle means 2 into the sleeve 5 will move the
locking means to be retarded by the finger protector 53 to prevent
a permenent locking of the needle 21 in the sleeve 5 before using
the needle 21.
After the injection treatment, the used needle 21 can be stored
in the sleeve 5 by removing the locking means 4 from the groove
23 and by depressing the needle means 2 inwardly in order to engage
the protrusions 24 with the annular groove 54 formed in the sleeve
5. Since the protrusion 24 may be made of ratchet shape as shown
in FIGS. 5 4 and once the protrusions 24 of the needle holder 22
are engaged with the groove 54 in the sleeve 5 the needle 21 will
no longer be pulled outwardly from the sleeve 5 to ensure a permanent
"locking" of the needle 21 in the sleeve 5 which can serve
for a single use and can be disposed without causing contamination
or injury to anyone. The finger protector 53 also protects a user's
fingers when inserting the needle 21 into the sleeve 5.
Accordingly, this invention provides an absolute safe instrument
of a syringe and a needle, to be superior to any conventional syringe.
As shown in FIG. 1a, the finger protector 53 may be formed as a
cone shape tapered downwardly for an easier insertion of the needle
21 into the sleeve 5 when disposed. A flat path 531 is recessed
in the protector flange 53 adapted for the insertion of the locking
means 4 to be engaged with the groove 23 of the needle holder 22.
As shown in FIG. 1b, the sleeve 5 may be integrally formed with
two straps 55 56 for respectively connecting the locking means
4 and connecting a plug 57 for sealing the hole 221 after finishing
the injection and inserting the needle means 2 into sleeve 5.
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