Syringe needle abstract
A combination sheath and shield for enclosing the needle of a hypodermic
syringe and for preventing finger punctures during replacement of
the sheath over the syringe needle, which includes a sheath that
telescopically encloses the needle and frictionally engages the
support portion for the needle and a sheath having foldable flaps
that are foldable along the sheath during nonuse for compactness
during shipping and storage.
Syringe needle claims
The invention is hereby claimed as follows:
1. A combination sheath and shield for enclosing the needle of
a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe includes a needle and
needle-supporting means for the needle, said sheath and shield comprising,
a sheath having a cavity means for telescopically receiving and
enclosing the needle and at least a part of the needle supporting
means, a shield disposed along the sheath sized to protect fingers
gripping the sheath, said shield including portions foldable and
storable along the sheath when not being used to render the sheath
and shield compact for shipping and storage, said shield further
including a stationary portion on the sheath, and hinge means between
the foldable portions and said stationary portion.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said shield is made of plastic,
and said hinge means is a living hinge.
3. A combination sheath and shield for enclosing the needle of
a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe includes a needle and
needle-supporting means for the needle, said sheath and shield comprising,
a sheath having a cavity means for telescopically receiving and
enclosing the needle and at least a part of the needle supporting
means, a shield disposed along the sheath sized to protect fingers
gripping the sheath, said shield including portions foldable and
storable along the sheath when not being used to render the sheath
and shield compact for shipping and storage, means for selectively
holding the foldable portions in stored position along the sheath,
said holding means including a latch device having a first latch
member on one of said foldable portions and a second latch member
on the other of said foldable portions.
4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said latch members coact
with each other.
5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said latch members coact
with said sheath.
6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said holding means includes
tabs on the sheath coacting with the edges of said foldable portions.
7. The combination of claim 1 wherein the stationary portion extends
substantially perpendicular to said sheath.
8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said stationary portion
is integral with the sheath.
9. The combination of claim 3 wherein one of said latching members
includes a socket and the other of said latching members includes
a pin for frictionally engaging the socket to hold the foldable
portion in folded position.
10. The combination of claim 3 wherein said latch members are
ball-shaped and mounted on the edges of the foldable portions.
11. The combination of claim 3 wherein one of the latch members
is a tab mounted on the edge of one of the foldable portions, and
the other of said latch members is a hook mounted on the edge of
the other of the foldable portions.
12. A combination sheath and shield for enclosing the needle of
a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe includes a needle and
needle-supporting means for the needle, said sheath and shield comprising,
a sheath having a cavity means for telescopically receiving and
enclosing the needle and at least a part of the needle supporting
means, and a shield disposed along the sheath sized to protect fingers
gripping the sheath, said shield including a stationary portion
extending substantially perpendicular to said sheath having a width
about equal to the width of the sheath, and a pair of flaps extending
from said stationary portion and foldable and storable along the
sheath when not being used to render the sheath and shield compact
for shipping and storage, said flaps being integral with said stationary
portion and connected by living hinges.
13. The combination of claim 12 wherein said shield further includes
latch means for retaining the flaps in folded position along the
sheath.
14. The combination of claim 13 wherein the latch means includes
a first latch member at an edge of one flap and a second latch member
at an edge of the other flap.
15. The combination of claim 14 wherein said latch members are
outward of one side of said sheath, and said living hinges at said
one side are closer together than at the other side.
16. The combination of claim 15 wherein the shield is more than
four times larger in transverse dimension than the sheath.
17. The combination of claim 15 wherein the shield is about eight
times larger in transverse dimension than the sheath.
Syringe needle description
Description
This invention relates in general to a combination sheath and shield
for hypodermic syringe needles, and more particularly to a sheath
and shield where the shield is foldable for compactness and storability
during nonuse, and still more particularly to a combination sheath
and shield where the shield has foldable flaps to enhance shipping
and storability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hypodermic syringes are conventionally provided with a sheath for
enclosing the needle to protect it against contamination and breakage
during handling. Hypodermic syringes are used heavily by health
workers and others for purposes of injecting medication into a person.
This process requires filling of the syringe with the medication
and thereafter emptying all or part of the contents during an injection
procedure. During filling and emptying of the syringe, it is necessary
to remove the sheath and replace it. It is during replacing of the
sheath, which quite often takes place under hurried and stressful
situations, that the health worker will puncture his or her fingers.
This is not a serious problem when the needle has not been used,
as it is then sterile, but it can be a deadly problem when the needle
has been used on a person having a communicable or transmittable
disease, as that disease then can be transmitted to the worker using
the syringe. For example, it has been known for some workers to
have contracted AIDS from such a needle puncture.
Heretofore, there have been a number of proposed sheath constructions
directed at solving this problem. For example, funnel-shaped guides
have been provided at the inlet end of a sheath. Some sheaths have
been constructed so that they can be mounted on a syringe laterally,
but they then require secondary sheaths to completely enclose the
needle. There also have been some sheaths with relatively small
shields attached or formed integrally with the sheath and which
function to provide minimal protection against needle punctures.
The problem encountered with attempting to provide large shields
to better protect against puncture lies in the difficulties encountered
in shipping and storing the syringes because they require a great
deal of space.
Because of the increasing problems confronting health workers who
treat patients with highly communicable diseases and the chance
of enduring a needle puncture, it is imperative that a solution
be found to protect the health workers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The combination sheath and shield of the present invention overcomes
the problems heretofore encountered in that the shield is sufficiently
large to properly protect the health worker against needle punctures,
and it is also collapsible for greatly reducing its size to enhance
shipping and storability. While the sheath and shield are integrally
formed of a suitable plastic material, it is constructed with the
shield being foldable along the sheath so that, when mounted on
a hypodermic syringe, the syringe with the sheath and shield can
be laid substantially flat. The shield is constructed to have foldable
flaps that not only fold along the sheath when in nonuse, but also
may be locked in folded position by a suitable latching means. In
one form the latching means includes latch members at the edges
of the flaps which coact with one another when the flaps are in
folded position, and in another form latch members that coact with
the sheath to maintain the flaps in folded position. In still another
form of latching means, latch members may be provided on the underside
of the flaps for coacting with each other while the flaps are in
folded position. While it is preferred that the flaps fold downwardly
along the sheath, the shield may be disposed lower on the sheaths
to allow the flaps to be folded upwardly along the sheath. When
the shield is in folded and in latched position and on the syringe,
the syringe may be laid flat to facilitate shipping or storage.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a
new and improved sheath and shield for enclosing the needle for
a hypodermic syringe and for protecting a health worker during replacement
of the cap on the syringe against needle punctures.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination
sheath and shield for enclosing the needle of a hypodermic syringe
during nonuse, which includes a sheath for telescopically receiving
the needle and a large shield for protecting the fingers of the
user against punctures, and which shield is foldable along the sheath
during nonuse to enhance compactness for shipping and storing.
A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a
combination sheath and shield for enclosing the needle of a hypodermic
syringe wherein the shield is integrally formed with the sheath
and includes foldable flaps that are foldable along live hinges
to lie against the sheath during nonuse and which includes a latching
means for latching the flaps in folded position.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction
with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like reference
numerals refer to like parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a hypodermic syringe having a
sheath and shield according to the present invention mounted on
the syringe and enclosing the needle;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view taken substantially along line 2--2
of FIG. 1 to show the folded and latched flaps in solid view and
in unfolded position in phantom;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hands of a person during manipulation
of the sheath and shield and the hypodermic syringe when replacing
the sheath on the needle to illustrate the protection afforded against
puncture if the needle is attempted to be wrongly inserted back
into the sheath;
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken through the sheath and
shield substantially along line 4--4 of FIG. 1 to also show coaction
between the sheath and the needle supporting means when the sheath
and shield is in position on the syringe;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sheath and shield removed from
the syringe and showing the shield in unfolded and usable position;
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the sheath and shield of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken through the shield
substantially along line 7--7 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged end view of the latching means taken substantially
along line 8--8 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is perspective view of a combination sheath and shield having
a modified latching means which coacts with the sheath and illustrating
one flap in folded position in solid and in open position in phantom;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a combination sheath and shield
according to the invention having a still further modified latching
means which includes a socket on the underside of one of the flaps
and a pin on the underside of the other flap which coact when the
flaps are in folded position to latch the flaps together;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a still further modified latching
means in the form of ball locks mounted on the edges of the flaps
and illustrating the flaps in solid in folded and latched position
and in phantom in open position;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the sheath and shield of the present
invention and which includes a still further modified latching means
in the form of a hook mounted on one of the flaps which engages
over the other flap when they are in folded position;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a combination sheath and shield
according to the present invention which includes a still further
modified latching means in the form of hooks mounted on the sheath
that latchably engage the edges of the flaps when they are in folded
position;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a combination sheath and shield
according to the invention with a still further modified latching
means in the form of ribs on the sheath and clips on the undersides
of the flaps which engage the ribs when they are in folded position;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a modified combination sheath
and shield according to the invention where the shield is spaced
below the open end of the sheath and the foldable flaps swing upwardly
into stored position;
FIG. 16 is an end elevational view of the sheath and shield of
FIG. 15 and showing the manner in which the flaps are latchable
into folded position by providing a flange at the open end of the
sheath with notches for receiving the edges of the flaps when they
are in folded position; and
FIG. 17 is a top plan view of a further modified sheath and shield
according to the invention wherein the shield is polygonally shaped
as opposed to being disk-shaped in the previous embodiments.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 8
one form of the combination sheath and shield according to the invention
is illustrated and generally designated by the numeral 20. The combination
sheath and shield is illustrated in needle-enclosing position on
a hypodermic syringe 21 in FIGS. 1 2 and 4 and in removed position
in FIG. 3. Additionally, the shield is shown in folded position
in FIGS. 1 2 and 4 and in open position in FIG. 3.
It will be understood that the combination sheath and shield of
the present invention may be adapted for use on various types of
hypodermic syringes to enclose their needles and that only one such
type of hypodermic syringe is illustrated, which includes generally
a barrel 24 having a finger-engaging flange 25 at the upper end,
a needle-supporting means at the lower end in the form of a hub
26 and a needle 27 carried by the hub. A plunger 28 having an end
flange 29 is slidably received in the barrel 24. It will be understood
that the hypodermic syringes operate in the usual manner in which
the plunger is retracted to fill the barrel and later depressed
for emptying the contents during an injection procedure. When the
syringe is filled, it is necessary to remove the combination sheath
and shield so that the needle can be inserted into a medicine bottle
in the usual manner. Thereafter, and normally before usage of the
syringe for an injection procedure, the combination sheath and shield
is replaced on the syringe for protecting the integrity of the needle.
During an injection procedure, the sheath and shield is again removed,
and after the injection procedure has been completed, the sheath
and shield are replaced on the syringe so that it can be disposed
of and also to protect against someone accidentally contacting the
needle and becoming contaminated with any disease picked up by the
needle during use on a diseased person. It is during the time of
replacing the sheath and shield following an injection procedure
that it is critical to protect the fingers of the user against needle
punctures. The sheath and shield of the present invention provides
that protection, together with the ability to have the shield collapsible
for compactness during shipping and storage, as well as disposal
procedures.
The combination sheath and shield 20 includes generally a sheath
34 and a shield 35. It will be appreciated that the sheath and shield
may be made separately and thereafter assembled, or they may be
made together as an integral structure. Further, they will be made
of a suitable plastic material having a suitable flexibility. For
example, they may be made of a polypropylene or a linear polyethylene,
or any other suitable thermoplastic material. With respect to a
hypodermic syringe, its parts are normally made of plastic, except
for the needle which is made of metal.
The external surface of the sheath 34 is fluted, although it could
be made smooth. Further, it is tapered from the top open end to
the bottom closed end, although again it need not be tapered. As
seen particularly in FIG. 4 the sheath provides a needle cavity
38 having an end wall 39 at the lower end and an open end or mouth
40 at the upper end, whereby the needle is telescopically received
within the cavity. Additionally, at the upper open end of the sheath,
or mouth end, it will be formed to frictionally coact with the hub
26 to frictionally retain the shield on the syringe when desired.
It will be understood that application of a separating pressure
will dislodge the sheath from the hub of the hypodermic syringe
when it is desired to use the needle for filling or injecting. A
flange 41 is provided at the upper open end of the sheath, although
this is not necessary, and when the shield would be integrally made
with the sheath, it would not need to be provided.
The shield 35 includes a stationary portion 45 and two opposite
foldable portions or flaps 46. The shield is disk-shaped and essentially
circular in form, although it may take other forms and even be polygonal,
as shown in FIG. 17. The flaps are interconnected with the stationary
portion 45 by means of living hinges 47. Each living hinge includes
portions 47a that are parallel to each other and portions 47b that
are non-parallel and which converge toward the outer edge 49 of
the shield. The converging sections 47b, as will be more clearly
hereinafter explained, allow the adjacent portions of the flaps
to come closer together in order to permit latching means to more
easily operate. Thus, the segments 47a extend approximately half
way across the shield, and segments 47b extend approximately half
way across the shield. However, the living hinges may be parallel
across the entire shield, as seen by the embodiment in FIG. 15.
It is also important that the size of the shield be such as to
adequately protect the fingers during replacement of the sheath
on the syringe. The shield of the present invention is about eight
times greater in dimension than the outer dimension of the sheath.
It must be at least four times greater, but preferably about eight
times.
Latching means is mounted on the outer edge of the shield and,
in this embodiment, includes a tab 52 mounted on one of the flaps,
and a hook 53 mounted on the other flap, which coact to selectively
latch the flaps together when they are folded alongside of the sheath.
The hook and tab are shown in latched position in FIGS. 1 2 and
8. As seen particularly in FIG. 8 the hook is provided with a cam
surface 54 over which the tab cams or slides when it moves into
hooked position, as shown in FIG. 8. The flexibility of the flaps
by virtue of the material from which they are made allows the tab
to move up the cam or ramp 54 when the flaps are moved toward each
other and then over into hooked position, thereby retaining the
flaps in folded position. Thus, merely pushing the flaps toward
each other into folded position will effect the latching, and when
it is desired to open the flaps, it is only necessary to apply finger
pressure between the flaps in order to cause an unlatching and then
separating of the flaps so that they move to open position. Positioning
of the fingers under the shield and around the sheath automatically
holds the flaps in open position and in a shielding position to
shield the fingers against needle puncture. However, the flaps will
spring toward open position when unlatched.
As seen particularly in FIG. 7 the living hinges 47 are preferably
formed by a groove being provided along the top surface of the shield
to facilitate the downward folding of the flaps. A living hinge
is well known for plastic materials, and it relates to an area along
the material that permits ease of bending of the material. It should
be appreciated that the shield may be made of separate parts with
other types of hinge means and still be within the scope of the
present invention.
It will now be best understood that the operation of the sheath
and shield of the present invention is such that when it is initially
made by a manufacturer and prepared for shipping, the flaps will
be moved to folded position. It is then received by the user, who
opens the flaps when it is desired to put the shield into operation
to protect the fingers of the user. Thereafter, again when it is
desired for storing the hypodermic syringe with the shield and sheath
thereon, the shield is folded so that the overall device is more
compact, and whereby it will be appreciated that the hypodermic
syringe with the sheath and shield can be laid flat.
A modified latching means for retaining the flaps in folded position
is shown in the embodiment of FIG. 9 which includes clips 58 mounted
on the underside of the flaps 46 which coact with the sheath to
hold the flaps in folded position. Thus, the clips 58 which may
be placed in staggered position so that they do not interfere with
one another when the flaps are in folded position are formed to
snap fit over the sheath 34 when in folded position. It will be
understood that they may easily be unsnapped when desiring to open
the shield by applying pressure to the backsides of the flaps.
Another form of latching means is illustrated in the embodiment
of FIG. 10 wherein the latching means includes a socket 60 mounted
on the underside of one of the flaps 46 and a pin 61 mounted on
the underside of the other of the flaps 46 which coacts to be frictionally
received in the socket 60 when the flaps are in closed position
as shown in dotted lines to retain the flaps in closed position.
It will be appreciated that the socket and pin are positioned so
that they will align at one side of the sheath when the flaps are
moved to folded position.
Another form of latching means is illustrated in FIG. 11 wherein
ball locks are mounted on the edges of the flaps and which includes
ball locks 64 and 65 that extend from the edges of the flaps and
which, when the flaps are brought together, overlap in locking position.
The flaps 46 in FIG. 11 are shown in folded position in solid lines
and in phantom in open position to illustrate the operation of the
latching means. It will be appreciated that from the latching position,
it is a simple matter to apply pressure to the balls 64 and 65 to
disengage them and allow the flaps to open.
Another form of latching means is illustrated in FIG. 12 which
includes a hook 68 mounted on the edge of one of the flaps 46 and
formed so that when the flaps are brought into folded position,
it will snap over the edge of the other flap and retain them in
locked position.
A still further form of latching means is illustrated in FIG. 13
which includes a pair of hooks 70 and 71 mounted on the opposite
sides of the sheath 34 and which coact with the edges of the flaps
46 when they are brought into folded position, as seen in phantom.
A still further type of latching means is illustrated in FIG. 14.
In this embodiment, the sheath 34 is provided with a smooth exterior
face, and the latching means includes opposed ribs 71 formed on
the sheath to coact with clips 72 formed on the undersides of the
flaps 46 so that when the flaps are folded downwardly, the clips
engage the ribs and hold the flaps in folded position.
A further modified sheath and shield according to the present invention,
and generally designed by the numeral 20A, is shown in FIGS. 15
and 16. The sheath is generally designated by the numeral 75 and
shield by the numeral 76. The shield is mounted in spaced relation
below the upper open end 77 of the sheath. The shield is spaced
downwardly from the upper open end so that the flaps may be folded
upwardly along the sheath. The flaps are identified as 78 and the
latching mechanism includes a flange 79 at the upper end of the
sheath having notches 80 for receiving the edges of the flaps when
they are in upward folded position, as illustrated particularly
in FIG. 16. Other than folding of the flaps upwardly, the sheath
and shield combination is used in the same manner as the other embodiments
in that the sheath telescopically covers a syringe needle, and the
shield protects the fingers against punctures from the needle during
replacement of the sheath on the syringe.
Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 17 and generally
designated by the numeral 20B, which differs from the sheath and
shield 20 of FIGS. 1 to 8 only in that the shield, designated 35a,
is polygonal in shape. When viewed from the top, as illustrated,
it is octagonal, although it may have any desired number of sides.
A latching means in the same form as that shown in the first embodiment
having a hook 82 and a tab 83 is provided for latching the flaps
in closed position. This embodiment operates in the same manner
as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 8.
In view of the foregoing, it is appreciated that the sheath and
shield of the present invention provides a high degree of protection
to the user against finger punctures and also allows ease of shipping
and storage by being compactible into a structure that can allow
the entire assembly of the syringe and the sheath and shield to
lay flat. Thus, the foldable flaps permit the ease of shipping and
storing of the unit as a whole.
It will be understood that modifications and variations may be
effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts
of the present invention, but it is understood that this application
is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. |