Combination retractable needle cannual and cannual lock for a medication carpule

Claim 2

A hypodermic syringe including a generally hollow syringe cylinder for containing a supply of liquid to be injected into a patient and further comprising: a removable needle cannula to be connected to the syringe cylinder so that said cannula is in fluid communication with the liquid supply contained by said cylinder, said cannula having one end thereof extending outwardly from said cylinder for administering an injection of said liquid supply; a needle cannula lock coupled to the cannula to releasably engage and thereby retain said cannula at the outwardly extended position relative to said syringe cylinder; expansible sleeve means surrounding said cannula lock to hold said lock in releasable engagement with said cannula, said sleeve means adapted to expand in response to a radially outward pressure applied thereto; and means for moving said cannula lock axially relative to said sleeve so that said cannula lock releases its engagement of said cannula to permit said cannula to be removed from said lock.

Claim 3

The syringe recited in claim 1, further comprising a carpule containing said supply of fluid to be injected, said carpule being received by said syringe cylinder in axial alignment with said cannula lock, said needle cannula having a second end extending into said cylinder to penetrate said carpule and thereby communicate with the fluid supply thereof.

Claim 4

The syringe recited in claim 2, wherein the means for moving said cannula lock relative to said sleeve to release said cannula is said carpule, said carpule being movable axially through said syringe cylinder and into contact with said lock at the interior of said expansible sleeve, the movement of said carpule within said sleeve generating a radially outward pressure for causing said sleeve to expand.

Claim 5

The syringe recited in claim 3, wherein said expansible sleeve is provided with a plurality of corrugations which condition said sleeve for expansion when said carpule is moved therewithin.

Claim 6

The syringe recited in claim 4, wherein said corrugations extend longitudinally and in parallel alignment with one another along said expansible sleeve.

Claim 7

The syringe recited in claim 3, further comprising means for engaging the second end of said needle cannula and retracting said cannula out of said cannula lock and into said carpule after said carpule has moved said cannula lock relative to said expansible sleeve so that said cannula is released by said lock.

Claim 8

The syringe recited in claim 3, wherein the maximum outside diameter of said expansible sleeve in an unexpanded configuration is less than the maximum outside diameter of said carpule.

Claim 9

For receipt within the hollow cylinder of a hypodermic syringe, a combination needle cannula and cannula lock to be interfaced with a medication carpule located at the interior of said cylinder and containing a supply of fluid, said combination comprising: a needle cannula to be connected to the cylinder of said syringe so that one end of said cannula extends inwardly into said cylinder to penetrate said carpule and communicate with the fluid supply thereof, and the opposite end of said cannula extends outwardly from said cylinder to administer an injection; a needle cannula lock coupled to the cannula to releasably retain said cannula at the outwardly extending position relative to said syringe cylinder, said cannula lock including a pair of normally spaced jaws that are movable towards one another and into locking engagement with said cannula; and expansible sleeve means being aligned axially with said carpule and positioned to surround said cannula lock to thereby move said jaws thereof towards one another and into locking engagement with said cannula, said sleeve means provided with a plurality of corrugations so as to be expandable in response to a radially outward pressure applied thereto; said carpule movable axially through said syringe cylinder and into said expansible sleeve means for generating a radially outward pressure on said sleeve means to thereby cause said sleeve means to expand and for engaging and correspondingly moving said cannula lock axially relative to said sleeve means to permit said jaws to separate from one another and release their engagement of said cannula, whereby said cannula may be removed from said lock.

Claim 10

For receipt within the hollow cylinder of a hypodermic syringe, a combination needle cannula and cannula lock to be interfaced with a medication carpule located at the interior of said cylinder and containing a supply of fluid, said combination comprising: a needle cannula to be connected to the cylinder of said syringe so that one end of said cannula extends inwardly into said cylinder to penetrate said carpule and communicate with the fluid supply thereof, and the opposite end of said cannula extends outwardly from said cylinder to administer an injection; a needle cannula lock coupled to the cannula to releasably retain said cannula at the outwardly extending position relative to said syringe cylinder, said cannula lock including a pair of normally spaced jaws that are movable towards one another and into locking engagement with said cannula; and expansible sleeve means being aligned axially with said carpule and positioned to surround said cannula lock to thereby move said jaws thereof towards one another and into locking engagement with said cannula, said sleeve means provided with a plurality of corrugations so as to be expandable in response to a radially outward pressure applied thereto; said carpule movable axially through said syringe cylinder and into said expansible sleeve means for generating a radially outward pressure on said sleeve means to thereby cause said sleeve means to expand and for engaging and correspondingly moving said cannula lock axially relative to said sleeve means to permit said jaws to separate from one another and release their engagement of said cannula, whereby said cannula may be removed from said lock.

Claim 11

The combination recited in claim 8, wherein the maximum outside diameter of said expansible sleeve means in the unexpanded configuration is less than the maximum outside diameter of said carpule.

Claim 12

The combination recited in claim 8, wherein said expansible sleeve means comprises a generally hollow cylinder, said cylinder having a contact surface projecting radially inward therefrom to engage the jaws of said cannula lock for moving said jaws towards one another to lock said cannula therebetween.