NEEDLE AND A METHOD OF ASSEMBLY THEREOF

Abstract

A needle having a shaft member and an eye member that is rotatable relative to the shaft member. The needle addresses the problem of a thread becoming twisted during use. The rotatable coupling between the shaft and eye member preferably has a surface profile that does not substantially alter the outer surface profile of the needle, thereby minimizing any affect on the normal use of the needle.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a needle and a method of assembly thereof.

The invention has been developed primarily for use in the craft and medical industries and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use.

BACKGROUND

A needle pulling thread is often rotated during use, resulting in the thread becoming twisted. The inventor has identified that a twisted thread is likely to become tangled and knotted and, as a result, difficult to draw. Furthermore, in medical applications, the inventor has identified that a tangled or knotted thread is likely to result in poorly formed sutures or increase tissue trauma.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

SUMMARY

The invention seeks to provide a needle which will overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative.

According to one aspect, there is provided a needle comprising a shaft member and an eye member, the shaft member being rotatably coupled to the eye member.

Advantageously, the needle addresses the problem of a thread becoming twisted in use. For example, should the shaft member be rotated in a first direction in use, the rotatable coupling allows the eye member to not twist so that the thread does not become twisted.

Preferably, the shaft member and the eye member are shaped to define a complimentary rotatable male and female coupling.

Advantageously, the male and female coupling allows the eye member and the shaft member to be rotatably coupled without substantially altering the outer surface profile of the needle, thereby minimizing any affect on the normal use of the needle.

Preferably, the complimentary rotatable male and female coupling is a ball and socket-type coupling.

Advantageously, a ball and socket-type coupling is a simple and robust type of mechanical coupling aiding not only the manufacture of the needle but also the robustness of the needle.

Preferably, the complimentary rotatable male and female coupling comprises a male portion and a female portion,

• • the male portion defines a first surface, and
  • the female portion defines a second surface adapted to bear against the first surface to rotably secure the male portion within the female portion.

Advantageously, the male portion and the female portion mechanically cooperate so as to secure the male portion within the female portion, thereby preventing the male portion and the female portion from becoming separated in use

Preferably, the male portion comprises a circumferential groove and the female portion comprises a circumferential rib adapted for location within the circumferential groove. Preferably, the female portion comprises a circumferential groove and the male portion comprises a circumferential rib adapted for location within the circumferential groove.

Advantageously, the mechanical interlock of the circumferential groove and the circumferential rib provides a simple and robust rotatable coupling between the eye member and the shaft member.

Preferably, the male portion is shaped such that, during manufacture, the female portion deforms under a deformation force provided by the forcing of the male portion towards the female portion so as to define the second surface.

Advantageously, the shaping of the male portion so as to deform the female portion allows for the creation of the rotatable male and female coupling during manufacture of the needle by forcing the male portion towards the female portion.

Preferably, the male portion is split such that the diameter of the male portion can decrease to allow for the insertion of the male portion within the female portion. Preferably, female portion is split such that the diameter of the female portion can increase to allow for the insertion of the male portion within the female portion.

Advantageously, the male and the female portion are adapted to assist in the manufacture of the needle.

Preferably, a retaining means adapted to provide a mechanical interlock between the eye member and the shaft member.

Advantageously, the retaining means provides a more robust rotatable coupling between the eye member and the shaft member. Furthermore, the retaining means may be further adapted to prevent the ingress of fluid into the rotatable coupling so as to make the needle suitable for sterile medical applications.

Preferably, the retaining means, the shaft member and the eye member are shaped to define a pair of complimentary rotatable male and female couplings located at opposing ends of the retaining means.

Advantageously, a pair of rotatable couplings provides rotational redundancy in the event of one of the rotatable male and female couplings becoming jammed.

Preferably, each of the pair of rotatable male and female couplings comprises a male portion comprising a circumferential groove and a female portion comprising a circumferential rib adapted for location within a respective circumferential groove. Preferably, each of the pair of rotatable male and female couplings comprises a female portion comprising a circumferential groove and a male portion comprising a circumferential rib adapted for location within a respective circumferential groove.

Advantageously, the mechanical interlock of the circumferential groove and the circumferential rib provides a simple and robust rotatable coupling between the eye member and the shaft member.

Preferably, the needle further comprises a cylindrical brace adapted to substantially prevent the eye member from titling with respect to the shaft member.

Advantageously, the cylindrical brace may be adapted to prevent the eye member from titling with respect to the shaft member so as to minimize the cross sectional area of the needle in use Furthermore, the cylindrical brace may be further adapted to prevent the ingress of fluid within the rotatable coupling so as to be suited for sterile environments.

Preferably, the needle is manufactured from a bio-compatible material.

Advantageously, the needle is particularly suited for medical, clinical or vetinary applications.

According to another aspect, there is provided a method of assembling a needle having a first member and a second member, the method comprising the steps of

• • forcing the first member and the second member together such that the first member and the second member mechanically interlock to form a rotatable coupling.

Advantageously, the needle may be assembled during manufacture in an efficient manner. The forcing the first member and the second member together can be automated by a machine, thereby removing the need for a human assembly line.

Preferably, the first member is shaped to define a female portion and the second member is shaped to define a complementary male portion, and wherein the step of forcing the first member and the second member together causes the female portion to deform so as to at least partially surround the male portion to form the rotatable coupling.

Advantageously, the female portion is shaped so as to crimp about the male portion, while still mainlining the rotatable coupling between the first portion and the second portion. The deformation of the female portion ensures that the first portion and the second portion cannot become detached in use.

Preferably, the second member is further shaped to define a recess and wherein the step of forcing the first member and the second member together causes the recess to receive at least a portion of the female portion therein and to cause the deformation of the female portion so as to at least partially surround the male portion to form the rotatable coupling.

Advantageously, the recess guides the deformation of the female portion thereby ensuring that the female portion takes the correct shape about the male portion.

Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a needle comprising a shaft member and an eye member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a needle wherein a shaft member and an eye member are shaped to define a complimentary rotatable male and female coupling in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a needle wherein the complimentary rotatable male and female coupling comprises a male portion and a female portion in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4, shows a needle further comprising a retaining means adapted to provide a mechanical interlock between an eye member and a shaft member in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5a and 5b show a male portion of a needle being shaped such that a female portion deforms under a deformation force provided by the forcing of the male portion towards the female portion in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 shows a needle having a cylindrical brace adapted to substantially prevent an eye member from titling with respect to a shaft member in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

It should be noted in the following description that like or the same reference numerals in different embodiments denote the same or similar features.

FIG. 1 shows a needle 100 comprising a shaft member 110 and an eye member 105. The shaft member 100 is rotatably coupled to the eye member 105.

As such one aspect of the needle advantageously addresses the problem of a thread becoming twisted in use For example, should the shaft member be rotated in a first direction in use the rotatable coupling allows the eye member to not twist so that the thread does not become twisted.

Such a needle has a wide range of application, including needles for craft such as sewing and upholstery needles and needles for medicine including surgical needles.

Furthermore, while the shaft member 110 of the needle 100 is shown in FIG. 1 to be straight, certain embodiments comprise a curved shaft member 110 depending on the application, such as needles used for surgical suture, for example.

Furthermore, while an eye member 105 is shown in FIG. 1, the needle 100 in certain embodiments may also be a hypodermic needle, wherein the shaft member 110 of the needle is rotatably coupled to a syringe, so as to eliminate any twisting of the shaft member 110, especially when inserted into a patient.

FIG. 2 shows the needle 100 wherein the shaft member 110 and the eye member 105 are shaped to define a complimentary rotatable male and female coupling 205.

The male and female coupling 205 allows the eye member 205 to rotate with respect to the shaft member 110. While the male and female coupling 205 given in FIG. 2 shows the shaft member 110 having a female portion and the eye portion 105 having a male portion, in certain embodiments, the shaft member 110 has the male portion and the eye portion 105 has the female portion. As will be further described below, the male and female coupling 205 is shaped to prevent the detachment of the eye member 105 from the shaft member 110 in use.

In the embodiment given in FIG. 2, the complimentary rotatable male and female coupling 205 is a ball and socket-type coupling. A ball and socket-type coupling is a simple and robust type of mechanical coupling aiding not only the manufacture of the needle 100 but also the robustness of the needle 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the male and female portions of the coupling 205 may be shaped to define a transverse surface interface 210 to substantially prevent the eye member 105 from tilting with respect to the shaft member 110.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown the needle 100 wherein the complimentary rotatable male and female coupling 205 comprises a male portion 315 and a female portion 325. In this manner, the male portion 315 defines a first surface 310 and the female portion 320 defines a second surface 305 adapted to bear against the first surface 310 to rotatably secure the male portion 315 within the female portion 320. Again, while the male and female coupling 205 given in FIG. 3 shows the shaft member 110 having the male portion 315 and the eye portion 105 having the female portion 320, in certain embodiments, the shaft member 110 has the female portion 320 and the eye portion 105 has a male portion 315.

As is shown in FIG. 3, the male portion 315 may comprise a circumferential groove and the female portion 320 may comprise a circumferential rib adapted for location within the circumferential groove. In this manner, the circumferential groove provides the first surface and the circumferential rib provides the second surface. The mechanical interlock of the circumferential groove and the circumferential rib provides a simple and robust rotatable coupling between the eye member 105 and the shaft member 110. In certain embodiments, the male portion may be tapered or the female portion funneled so as to assist in the insertion of the male portion within the female portion during manufacture.

In certain embodiments, the male portion 315 is split such that the diameter of the male portion 315 can decrease to allow for the insertion of the male portion 315 within the female portion 320. Alternatively or additionally, the female portion 320 may be split such that the diameter of the female portion 320 can increase to allow for the insertion of the male portion 315 within the female portion 320.

FIGS. 5a and 5b show an embodiment of the needle 100 wherein the male portion 315 is shaped such that the female portion 320 deforms under a deformation force provided by the forcing of the male portion 315 towards the female portion 320 so as to define the second surface. Specifically, as is shown in FIG. 5a, the male portion 510 comprises a guide recess 510. As such, upon the female portion 320 being forced towards the male portion 510, as is shown in FIG. 5b, the guide recess 510 is adapted to receive the female portion 320 therein and deform the female portion 320 such that the female portion is crimped around the male portion 315. Such an arrangement allows for the simple creation of the rotatable male and female coupling 205 during manufacture of the needle 110. In certain embodiments, the tip of the female portion 320 may comprise one or more lengthwise cut-outs to assist in the deformation of the female portion 320 around the male portion 315.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown the needle 100 further comprising a retaining means 405 adapted to provide a mechanical interlock between the eye member 105 and the shaft member 110. The retaining means 405 provides a more robust rotatable coupling between the eye member 105 and the shaft member 110. Furthermore, the retaining means 405 may be further adapted to prevent the ingress of fluid into the rotatable coupling so as to make the needle 100 suitable for sterile medical applications.

In this manner, the retaining means 405, the shaft member 110 and the eye member 105 are shaped to define a pair of complimentary rotatable male and female couplings 205 located at opposing ends of the retaining means 405. A pair of rotatable couplings eases the rotation of the eye member 105 and the shaft member 110 and provides redundancy in the event of one of the rotatable male and female couplings 205 becoming jammed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, each coupling comprises a male portion 315 comprising a circumferential groove and a female portion 320 comprising a circumferential rib adapted for location within a respective circumferential groove.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, there is shown a needle having a cylindrical brace 605 adapted to substantially prevent the eye member 105 from titling with respect to the shaft member 110. The cylindrical brace 605 may be further adapted to prevent the ingress of fluid within the rotatable coupling so as to be suited for sterile environments. The cylindrical brace 605 may be attached to either the shaft member 110 or the eye member 105. Alternatively, the cylindrical brace 605 may be adapted to slidably come to rest at the location of the rotatable male and female coupling 205.

In one embodiment, the needle is manufactured from a bio-compatible material, thereby adapting the needle for use in the medical field.

It should be noted that in certain embodiments, male and female couplings other that those described above may be employed to rotatably couple the eye member 105 and the shaft member 110.

INTERPRETATION

Embodiments:

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description of example embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

Specific Details

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

Terminology

In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as “forward”, “rearward”, “radially”, “peripherally”, “upwardly”, “downwardly”, and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

Different Instances of Objects

As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

Comprising and Including

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Any one of the terms: including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising.

Scope of Invention

Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present invention.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

It is apparent from the above, that the arrangements described are applicable to the craft and medical industries.

Claims

1. A needle comprising a shaft member and an eye member, the shaft member being rotatably coupled to the eye member.

2. A needle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shaft member and the eye member are shaped to define a complimentary rotatable male and female coupling.

3. A needle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the complimentary rotatable male and female coupling is a ball and socket-type coupling.

4. A needle as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the complimentary rotatable male and female coupling comprises a male portion and a female portion,

the male portion defines a first surface, and

the female portion defines a second surface adapted to bear against the first surface to rotably secure the male portion within the female portion.

5. A needle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the male portion comprises a circumferential groove and the female portion comprises a circumferential rib adapted for location within the circumferential groove.

6. A needle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the female portion comprises a circumferential groove and the male portion comprises a circumferential rib adapted for location within the circumferential groove.

7. A needle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the male portion is shaped such that, during manufacture, the female portion deforms under a deformation force provided by the forcing of the male portion towards the female portion so as to define the second surface.

8. A needle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the male portion is split such that the diameter of the male portion can decrease to allow for the insertion of the male portion within the female portion.

9. A needle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the female portion is split such that the diameter of the female portion can increase to allow for the insertion of the male portion within the female portion.

10. A needle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a retaining means adapted to provide a mechanical interlock between the eye member and the shaft member.

11. A needle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the retaining means, the shaft member and the eye member are shaped to define a pair of complimentary rotatable male and female couplings located at opposing ends of the retaining means.

12. A needle as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the pair of rotatable male and female couplings comprises a male portion comprising a circumferential groove and a female portion comprising a circumferential rib adapted for location within a respective circumferential groove.

13. A needle as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the pair of rotatable male and female couplings comprises a female portion comprising a circumferential groove and a male portion comprising a circumferential rib adapted for location within a respective circumferential groove.

13. A needle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical brace adapted to substantially prevent the eye member from titling with respect to the shaft member.

14. A needle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the needle is manufactured from a bio-compatible material.

15. A needle being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A method of assembling a needle having a first member and a second member, the method comprising the steps of:

forcing the first member and the second member together such that the first member and the second member mechanically interlock to form a rotatable coupling.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first member is shaped to define a female portion and the second member is shaped to define a complementary male portion, and wherein the step of forcing the first member and the second member together causes the female portion to deform so as to at least partially surround the male portion to form the rotatable coupling.

18. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second member is further shaped to define a recess and wherein the step of forcing the first member and the second member together causes the recess to receive at least a portion of the female portion therein and to cause the deformation of the female portion so as to at least partially surround the male portion to form the rotatable coupling.