EP0331452A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Safety needled medical devices
Assignee: Winfield Medical Inc
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Filing: 1989-02-28
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2009-02-28
Abstract
Abstract Improved shielded medical devices which minimize accidental needlesticks of the skin by an exposed contaminated needle are provided. The medical devices include a hollow inner tube body (10) and a telescoping outer shield (12). The outer surface (71) of the inner tube has front and rear circumferential grooves (38, 36), with a shoulder (46) located forward of the front groove (38) and a ramp (52) located rearward of the front groove (38) and decreasing in diameter as it extends away from the front groove. The shoulder (46) has a larger diameter than the ramp diameter adjacent the front groove and permits the shield (12) to be slided over the inner tube (10) without locking into the inner tube during assembly. The outer shield (12) has two inwardly extending circumferential protrusions (34a, 34b) in proximate location to each other, and at least one outwardly extending gripping flange (87 or 28). A first of the protrusions (34b) is located at the rear end of the shield and yieldingly engages the rear groove (36) during use of the medical device, thereby permitting normal use of an exposed needle. After needle contamination, the shield (12) is gripped by the thumb and forefinger of the practitioner and slid forward along the inner tube (10) until the forward inwardly extending protrusion (34a) of the shield slides up the ramp (52) and lockingly engages the front groove (38). The shield (12) is then locked relative to the inner tube (10) such that the needle is shielded. With properly arranged gripping flanges (28 or 87), the shielding action may be accomplished with one hand.
Inventors
- 👤 Dana W. Ryan
- 👤 James M. Kaiser
- 👤 Robert M. Hinsch
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 02:18
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M5/00; A61M5/178; A61M5/31; A61M5/32; A61M5/3205; A61M5/321; A61M5/3243
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
364 words
An improved medical device for assembly with a hollow needle, the medical device having a hollow inner tube member and a telescoping plastic outer shield member, the inner tube member having a front end adapted to have the hollow needle secured thereto, an open rear end, and an outer surface having first and second substantially circumferential grooves, said first groove being forward of said second groove, and the outer shield member having a front end having an opening therein, a substantially open rear end, and at least one inwardly extending protrusion located along the inner surface of said outer shield member, each of said at least one inwardly extending protrusions adapted for engaging at least one of said first groove and said second groove such that when an inwardly extending protrusion engages said second groove, said shield member is maintained in a first retracted position, and when an inwardly extending protrusion engages said first groove, said shield member is locked in a second extended position in which the needle is protected by said shield, wherein said inwardly extending protrusion engaging said second groove is disengageable from said second circumferential groove, and said shield member is slidable between said first position and said second position, characterised by a shoulder on the outer surface of said inner tube member adjacently forward of said first groove with said shoulder being slightly larger in diameter than the outer surface of said inner tube member adjacently rearward of said first groove, wherein the inner diameter of said inwardly extending protrusion engaging said first groove is smaller than the outer diameter of said shoulder and smaller than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said inner tube member directly rearwardly adjacent said first groove, and said inwardly extending protrusion of said outer shield member and said outer surface of said inner tube member are adapted in an assembly mode for said inwardly extending protrusion to engage said shoulder of said outer surface of said inner tube member and to flex outwardly as a result of the engagement, and to engage said outer surface of said inner tube member rearward of said first groove without fixedly engaging said first groove.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
364 words
An improved medical device for assembly with a hollow needle, the medical device having a hollow inner tube member and a telescoping plastic outer shield member, the inner tube member having a front end adapted to have the hollow needle secured thereto, an open rear end, and an outer surface having first and second substantially circumferential grooves, said first groove being forward of said second groove, and the outer shield member having a front end having an opening therein, a substantially open rear end, and at least one inwardly extending protrusion located along the inner surface of said outer shield member, each of said at least one inwardly extending protrusions adapted for engaging at least one of said first groove and said second groove such that when an inwardly extending protrusion engages said second groove, said shield member is maintained in a first retracted position, and when an inwardly extending protrusion engages said first groove, said shield member is locked in a second extended position in which the needle is protected by said shield, wherein said inwardly extending protrusion engaging said second groove is disengageable from said second circumferential groove, and said shield member is slidable between said first position and said second position, characterised by a shoulder on the outer surface of said inner tube member adjacently forward of said first groove with said shoulder being slightly larger in diameter than the outer surface of said inner tube member adjacently rearward of said first groove, wherein the inner diameter of said inwardly extending protrusion engaging said first groove is smaller than the outer diameter of said shoulder and smaller than the outer diameter of said outer surface of said inner tube member directly rearwardly adjacent said first groove, and said inwardly extending protrusion of said outer shield member and said outer surface of said inner tube member are adapted in an assembly mode for said inwardly extending protrusion to engage said shoulder of said outer surface of said inner tube member and to flex outwardly as a result of the engagement, and to engage said outer surface of said inner tube member rearward of said first groove without fixedly engaging said first groove.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
An improved medical device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said outer surface of said inner tube member includes a first ramp substantially rearwardly adjacent said first groove, said first ramp being of decreasing diameter as it extends away from said first groove.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
56 words
An improved medical device as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that said outer surface of said inner tube further includes a second ramp substantially forwardly adjacent said second groove, said second ramp being of decreasing diameter as it extends away from said second groove, wherein a valley is formed between said first and second ramps.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
83 words
An improved medical device as claimed in any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, characterised in that said inner tube member has a first outwardly extending gripping flange substantially at said open rear end thereof, and said plastic outer shield member has a substantially cylindrical outer surface having at least one second gripping flange extending outwardly therefrom, such that said outer shield can be slid from said retracted position to said extended position by applying relative forces to first and second flanges.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
An improved medical device as claimed in claim 3 and 4, characterised in that said second groove is located substantially adjacent and between said first gripping flange and said second ramp, and said second groove comprises a third ramp, said third ramp of increasing diameter as it extends toward said second ramp.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
71 words
An improved medical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said at least one inwardly protrusion comprises at least two generally circumferential protrusions axially removed along a longitudinal axis of said outer shield, wherein a first of said protrusions is adapted to engage said first groove in a locking fashion, and a second protrusion is adapted to engage said second groove in a disengageable fashion.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
170 words
An improved medical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said inner tube member further comprises a front end wall having an annular opening and a hollow neck portion supported by said front end wall, said hollow neck portion extending at least a short distance forward of said front end wall and having an opening adjacent said annular opening, said neck portion including outwardly extending locking means about an outer surface of said hollow neck portion, and said shield member further comprises a front end wall and a nozzle supported by said shield member front end wall, said nozzle and said shield member front end wall having openings for permitting the hollow needle to pass therethrough, and said nozzle having inwardly extending locking means located about the inner surface of said nozzle and adapted to lock with said outwardly extending locking means to prevent rotational movement of said shield member relative to said tube member when said shield member is in said retracted position.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
135 words
An improved medical device as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that said as least one outwardly extending second gripping flange comprises one or both of at least one ramped gripping flange circumferentially located around said shield member and located at other than the extreme rear end and extreme forward end of said shield member, said at least one ramped gripping flange increasing in diameter as it extends toward a forward end of said shield member, said at least one ramped gripping flange arranged to be engaged and pushed by a thumb of a practitioner, and at least one safety gripping flange circumferentially located around said shield member and located at the forward end of said shield member and arranged with a back face for gripping between a thumb and a forefinger of a practitioner.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
107 words
An improved medical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said inner tubes comprises a third groove proximate to said first groove, said first and third grooves being separated by a distance approximately equal to a distance separating said first and second substantially circumferential protrusions, wherein said first groove is wider than said third groove, a first of said circumferential protrusions which is located forward of a second of said circumferential protrusions is of greater axial thickness than said second circumferential protrusion such that said first circumferential protrusion is arranged to lockingly engage said first groove but not said third groove.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
A medical device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said inner tube member and hollow outer shield member are formed by injection molding of plastic mixed with a lubricant.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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