Sheath for butterfly needles

Claim 1

A protective disposable sheath for hypodermic needles having butterfly-shaped side strips, said sheath comprising: (a) a continuous flat base plate; (b) two upper walls positioned over the same side of said base plate so that an essentially straight opening wide enough to allow passage of a hypodermic needle is provided between said upper walls and over said base plate by having an edge of one of said upper walls at an essentially constant distance from an edge of the other of said upper walls; (c) retaining means positioned within the volumes formed between said base plate and each of said upper walls, said retaining means permitting said butterfly-­shaped side strips to enter into but not to be withdrawn from said volumes formed between said base plate and each of said upper walls so that after said butterfly-shaped side strips are held in said sheath by said retaining means the base plate and said two upper walls extend beyond the pointed end of said hypodermic needle; and (d) two gripping surface means, one of said gripping surface means attached to one of said two upper walls, and extending away from said upper wall, the other of said gripping surface means attached to the other of said two upper walls, and extending away from said upper wall, portions from each of said two gripping surface means forming a channel over said essentially straight opening, said portions of said two gripping surface means forming said channel having their attachment to said two upper walls essentially at the edges of said two upper walls which form said essentially straight opening.