AUTOMATIC NEEDLE GUARD
A device for selectively protecting a needle includes an adapter holding the needle and a guard engaging the adapter for relative movement therebetween. Further, the device includes a means for guiding movement between the adapter and the guard. Structurally, the guiding means includes a “V” shaped slot in the guard and a radially-extending boss on the adapter. The boss is received in the slot to limit relative movement between the guard and the adapter. Specifically, in a first position of the device, the boss is in a first leg of the slot and the needle partially extends beyond the guard. In a second position, the boss is held at the apex of the slot and the needle fully extends beyond the guard. In a third position, the boss is in the second leg of the slot and the needle is retracted into the guard to protect the needle.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/273,545, filed Oct. 14, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/267,830, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,062,265, filed Nov. 4, 2005, and hereby incorporates the same applications herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention pertains generally to needle protection devices. More particularly, the present invention pertains to needle protection devices that use a cylindrical guard to extend beyond the needle's tip to prevent contact with the tip. The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively useful as a needle protection device that uses cooperation between a “V” shaped slot and a radially-extending boss to limit relative movement between the guard and the needle.
BACKGROUNDNeedles are very common in medical practices, and are frequently used to deliver medications or to draw blood for diagnosis. As a result of their intensive use, it is estimated that some 600,000 to 800,000 accidental needle stick injuries occur every year. Further, there are roughly 8,000,000 healthcare workers in the United States who are at risk of being stuck with a contaminated needle. As the risks involved in providing medical treatment have risen and individual safety and sanitation are taken into consideration, disposable or single-use type of injection devices have become prevalent. While safer than reusable injection devices, these needles must still be handled carefully and the needle tips must be covered before and after use.
Although currently there exist various needle protection devices, most require the user to take an affirmative step to cover the needle tip after its use, thereby causing potential risk of contact with the needle. Other devices require specially designed needles, plungers, or medicament chambers.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a protective device that can be installed on a needle to ensure there is only a single use of the needle. It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective device having a guard that passively covers and protects the needle after an injection. It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective device that controls movement of the guard relative to the needle. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a protective device that requires an affirmative step to uncover the needle, but automatically covers the needle after an injection. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a protective device for a needle that is relatively easy to manufacture, reliable and easy to use, and is comparatively cost effective.
SUMMARYIn accordance with the present invention, a needle protection device includes an adapter for holding a needle. The device also includes a guard having a cylindrical wall that is dimensioned to engage the adapter for relative axial movement therebetween. Such movement is biased by a spring that urges the guard away from the adapter. Further, the guard includes an orifice for selectively passing the needle therethrough. In order to guide relative movement between the adapter and the guard, the guard is provided with a “V” shaped slot having a first leg and a second leg with an apex therebetween. Correspondingly, the adapter is provided with a radially-extending boss. The boss is received within the slot to limit relative movement between the guard and the adapter.
As a result of cooperation between the slot and the boss mentioned above, the device is only moveable from a first position to a second position, and from the second position to a third position. In the first position, the boss is in the first leg of the slot and the needle partially extends through the orifice of the guard. In the second position, the needle fully extends through the orifice of the guard and the boss is held at the apex of the slot in response to a force opposing the biasing means. In the third position, the boss is in the second leg of the slot and the needle is retracted into the guard to protect the needle.
For the purposes of the present invention, the boss is provided with an engagement face that is designed to interact with the slot to ensure that the boss moves to the end of the second leg from the apex during movement of the guard from the second position to the third position. Specifically, the face is inclined toward the second leg, so that contact between the face on the boss and the edge of the slot causes the boss to move toward the end of the second leg.
In order to protect the needle before use, the device may further include a removable shield. Structurally, the shield includes a hollow portion for receiving the needle. Further, the shield includes a radially extending rib that can be selectively positioned in the orifice of the guard to prevent axial movement of the guard from the first position to the second position.
For the present invention, the device may further include a locking mechanism that locks the device in the third position, to thereby prevent further relative movement between the guard and the adapter. Specifically, the adapter is provided with a shoulder that extends radially outward, and the guard is provided with an abutment that extends radially inward. When the device moves into the third position, the shoulder and the abutment engage one another to prevent further relative movement between the guard and the adapter.
The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:
Referring initially to
Still referring to
Referring to
Referring now to
Turning to the guard 18, it can be seen from
As further shown in
Typically, the device 10 is stored and transported in the orientation shown in
In
After the needle 12 has injected a fluid 76 into the subject 72, the needle 12 is withdrawn from the subject 72. During withdrawal, the spring 44 pushes the guard 18 away from the adapter 22. At the same time, the boss 26 moves from the apex 32 to the second leg 30 (as shown in
To ensure that the boss 26 moves to the end of the second leg 30 rather than back to the first leg 28, the boss 26 is provided with an engagement face 78. The face 78 is inclined toward the second leg 30 so that when the boss 26 moves out of the apex 32 it slides to the end of the second leg 30.
Referring now to
Referring now to
When a force is applied to the guard 18 in the proximal direction 15 to move the guard 18 toward the adapter 22, i.e., during an injection, the boss 26′ moves from the first stop 88 to its position as boss 26″ at the apex 32. Movement of the guard 18 toward the adapter 22 may be stopped by contact between the boss 26″ and the apex 32, or by contact between other components in the device 10.
When the force in the proximal direction 15 is removed, i.e., during withdrawal of the needle 12 from the subject 72, the spring 44 forces the guard 18 away from the adapter 22 in the distal direction 17. As a result, the boss 26″ moves axially away from the apex 32 to its position at boss 26′″ in the second leg 30 of the slot 24. As indicated by
While the particular Automatic Needle Guard for Medication Pen as herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of obtaining the objects and providing the advantages herein before stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as described in the appended claims. Further, it is contemplated that the boss and slot cooperating structures may be reversed such that the boss be formed on the guard and the slot be formed in the adapter. Such an embodiment is considered to be an equivalent combination of structure to the specific embodiment disclosed and claimed herein.
Claims
1. A medical device comprising:
- (a) a body, the body having a distal end and a proximal end;
- (b) a needle, the needle having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the needle is coupled with the body;
- (c) a guard having a distal end and a proximal end, the guard defining a chamber, wherein the guard is configured to translate axially relative to the body; and
- (d) a removable shield having a first shield position and a second shield position, wherein the removable shield, in the first shield position, covers the distal end of the needle and prevents the guard from translating relative to the body.
2. The device according to claim 1, the device further comprising a spring positioned between the guard and the body.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the guard is movable from a first guard position, wherein at least a portion of the needle extends through an orifice defined by the distal end of the guard, to a second guard position, wherein the distal end of the needle more fully extends through the orifice relative to the first guard position, to a third guard position, wherein the distal end of the needle is substantially retained within the chamber defined by the guard.
4. The device according to claim 3, further comprising a lock that substantially prevents axial movement of the guard relative to the body in the third guard position.
5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the removable shield includes at least one radially-extending rib positioned within the chamber defined by the guard.
6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the removable shield includes a first rib and a second rib, the first rib opposing the second rib, wherein the first rib and the second rib are positioned within the chamber defined by the guard.
7. The device according to claim 6, wherein an orifice defined by the distal end of the guard includes a first slot and a second slot sized to accept the first rib and the second rib respectively.
8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second shield position comprises removing the removable shield such that the distal end of the needle is exposed and the guard is allowed to move axially relative to the body.
9. A medical device comprising:
- (a) a body, the body having a distal end and a proximal end;
- (b) a needle, the needle having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the needle is coupled with the body;
- (c) a guard having a cylindrical wall, a distal end, and a proximal end, the cylindrical wall defining a chamber, wherein at least a portion of the body is positioned within the chamber and the guard is selectively movable relative to the body; and
- (d) a removable shield, wherein at least a portion of the removable shield is positioned within the chamber defined by the guard such that the removable shield in the chamber substantially limits axial movement of the guard relative to the body.
10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising a spring positioned between the guard and the body.
11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the guard is movable from a first guard position, wherein at least a portion of the needle extends through an orifice defined by the distal end of the guard, to a second guard position, wherein the distal end of the needle more fully extends through the orifice relative to the first guard position, to a third guard position, wherein the distal end of the needle is substantially retained within the chamber defined by the guard.
12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising a lock that substantially prevents axial movement of the guard relative to the body in the third guard position.
13. The device according to claim 9, wherein the removable shield includes at least one radially-extending rib positioned within the chamber.
14. The device according to claim 9, wherein the removable shield includes a first rib and a second rib, the first rib opposing the second rib, wherein the first rib and the second rib are positioned within the chamber defined by the guard when the shield is in a first shield position.
15. The device according to claim 9, wherein the second shield position comprises removing the removable shield such that the distal end of the needle is exposed and the guard is allowed to move axially relative to the body.
16. A medical device comprising:
- (a) a body having a distal end and a proximal end;
- (b) a needle, the needle having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the needle is coupled with the body;
- (c) a guard having a cylindrical wall, a distal end, and a proximal end, the cylindrical wall defining a chamber, wherein at least a portion of the body is positioned within the chamber and the guard is selectively movable relative to the body between a first guard position, a second guard position, and a third guard position; and
- (d) a removable shield, having a first shield position and a second shield position, wherein in the first shield position the removable shield covers the distal end of the needle and at least a portion of the removable shield is positioned within the chamber defined by the guard such that the removable shield substantially limits axial movement of the guard relative to the body, and in the second shield position the removable shield is removed such that the distal end of the needle is exposed and the guard is axially movable relative to the body.
17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the first guard position comprises at least a portion of the needle extending through an orifice defined by the distal end of the guard, the second guard position comprises the distal end of the needle extending more fully through the orifice relative to the first guard position, and the third guard position comprises substantially retaining the distal end of the needle within the chamber defined by the guard.
18. The device according to claim 16, further comprising a lock that substantially prevents axial movement of the guard relative to the body in the third guard position.
19. The device according to claim 16, wherein the removable shield includes at least one radially-extending rib positioned within the chamber.
20. The device according to claim 16, wherein the removable shield includes a first rib and a second rib, the first rib opposing the second rib, wherein the first rib and the second rib are positioned within the chamber defined by the guard when the shield is in the first shield position.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 23, 2013
Publication Date: May 23, 2013
Inventor: Donald L. Millerd (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 13/747,804
International Classification: A61M 5/32 (20060101);