I.V. infusion or blood collection assembly with automatic safety feature

Claim 1

A permanent automatic locking shield for mounting on a conventional winged I.V. infusion set comprising (a) a first elongated shield part; (b) a second elongated shield part; (c) means for joining said first, and second shield parts together over a conventional winged I.V. infusion set positioned in and protected by said joined shield parts; (d) said first shield part being substantially flat for receiving an said I.V. infusion set positioned in said joined shield parts and in sliding engagement for moving said I.V. infusion set and the associated wings therefor positioned in said joined shield parts from a first non-locking use position of a needle of said I.V. set positioned therein and wherein the wings of that set lay to a second permanently locked position therefor; (e) said second shield part having curved walls for forming a U-shaped chamber with said first shield part, said U-shaped chamber for receiving said I.V. infusion set therein; (f) said U-shaped chamber having a first end through which the needle of said I.V. infusion set positioned therein extends for use, and a second end through which a tube of said I.V. infusion set positioned therein extends; (g) a first pair of opposed grooves, in said U-shaped chamber through which the wings of said I.V. infusion set positioned therein extend, one each of said first pair positioned on each side of said locking shield adjacent said first end to form said first non-locking use position of the needle of said I.V. infusion set positioned therein; (h) a second pair of opposed grooves in said U-shaped chamber spaced from said first pair, with one each of said second pair positioned on each side of said locking shield adjacent said second end to form said permanently locked position for the wings of said I.V. infusion set positioned therein; (i) a pair of flexible slots one each positioned on each side of said U-shaped chamber, each slot extending from the said respective first non-locking use position groove to the said permanently locked position groove for accommodating the wings of an I.V. infusion set positioned therein moving from said first non-locking use position with the needle of said I.V. infusion set extended for use to said second permanently locked position with the wings of said I.V. infusion set positioned therein; and (j) a front wall forming each of said permanent locking grooves being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said U-shaped chamber; (k) whereby once the wings of said I.V. infusion set positioned therein move into said second permanently locked position, the said perpendicular front walls prevent movement permanently of the wings forwardly out of said second permanently locked position grooves.