Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-10
2004-06-22
Casler, Brian L. (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
C604S110000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06752788
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Applicant claims priority of Chinese application in the name of TUEN, Yu Ying, filing number 01231198.7, filed Jul. 7, 2001, issued Mar. 1, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to protection covers for syringe-type needles, including syringe needles used for medical treatment, dentistry, veterinary treatment, and laboratory work, and including needles such as subcutaneous syringe needles, intravenous syringe needles, LUER-LOK type syringe needles, and hemospasia syringe needles.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many pathogens are known to be transmitted by needle-stick injuries. As such, the prior art includes a large number of needle packaging structures designed to prevent such injuries. Injection molding processes allow for the manufacture of single-piece disposable needle packaging structures. Disposable syringe needles generally include a needle, a syringe, and a protection cover. For disposable syringe needles commonly used in hospitals or other medical institutions, the protection cover is often detached from the syringe needle and set aside just before the needle is used to administer an injection. The protection cover is set aside while the needle is being used to administer an injection and is then reattached after the injection. As such, it is possible for the protection cover to be lost or for bystanders, such as members of the medical staff, to be accidentally punctured by the uncovered needle.
The unprotected needle creates disposal problems. The sanitation requirements and operational rules of institutions that use disposable syringe needles require such needles to be discarded after use. It is necessary to ensure that a protection cover protects each used needle before the needle is discarded. Protection covers, however, can get lost, and, as such, syringe needles are sometimes discarded without any protection covers or without properly attached protection covers. These unprotected needles may lead to the spread of infectious diseases that spread via blood, such as AIDS or hepatitis.
Efforts to solve these problems include a number of patents. Chinese Patent CN2314803 (Lin Shao Shan, filed Dec. 25, 1997, published Apr. 4, 1999) discloses a side-opening syringe needle protection cover, including a protection cover to protect the needle and a needle hub that integrates with a needle base, with a side slot on the protection cover. When the protection cover is closed, the needle is within the side slot, and the protection cover can be opened horizontally to expose the needle. When the injection is over, the protection cover can be closed to enclose the needle. There are protruding U-shaped brims at the bottom of the protection cover, and there are side blocks at the two sides of the needle hub. On top of the side blocks are notches that interlock with outward protrusions, securing the needle in the side slot when the protection cover is closed, and the needle can be exposed for use when the protection cover is opened.
The CN2314803 side-opening syringe needle protection cover solves some problems. The cover can solve the problem of losing the protection cover. The protection cover can be opened and closed with one hand while avoiding accidental puncturing. The locking structure allows a user to horizontally bend the protection cover to expose the needle for injection and to close the cover after use. However, a problem arises because the protection cover can be reopened after enclosing the needle. If a used needle is not properly discarded, it may not be possible for members of the medical staff to recall whether or not the needle has been used, which could lead to the reuse of a needle. Even worse, different medicines could be inadvertently mixed in the syringe, which may cause sanitation problems, patient injury, or death. All of these problems must be avoided.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,779,451 (Sponsel, Oct. 28, 1930) discloses a Hypodermic-syringe Guard. While Sponsel discloses a bendably attached slotted protective needle cover, the '451 needle guard does not give any indication whether or not a needle has been used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,611 (Orgain, Feb. 23, 1993) discloses a Safety Sheath For Needles, Sharp Instruments And Tools. The safety sheath includes a number of different mechanisms for unsheathing and resheathing a needle. The '611 safety sheath is specifically designed so that it can be used repeatedly (column 2, lines 63-64). Furthermore, Orgain discloses the importance of a locking mechanism that will not damage the needle during resheathing (column 2, lines 29-33). However, for disposable syringe needles, the needle should not be reused, and it is desirable to have the needle damaged to prevent reuse of the needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,455 (Hollister, Aug. 3, 1993) discloses a Syringe With Protective Housing that exhibits a number of disadvantages associated with the prior art. While Hollister discloses a bendably attached slotted protective needle cover, the '455 protective housing does not give the user visual indications that the needle has been used. As such, the unused needle covered by this protective housing looks just like the used needle covered by this protective housing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,907 (Bevilacqua, Apr. 23, 1996) discloses a Syringe Needle Guard Assembly that exhibits the same disadvantages as the '455 housing.
None of the above prior art discusses syringe needle protection covers that give users more than one visual indication that a needle has been used. What is needed, therefore, is a syringe needle protection cover that overcomes the above-mentioned limitations, namely a protection cover that 1) gives users more than one visual indication that a needle has been used, 2) locks in a closed position with multiple locking structures, and 3) after use, deforms the needle so as to render it nonreusable.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a syringe needle protection cover. The protection cover prevents a user from mistakenly reusing a syringe needle. The protection cover has a longitudinal member with an axial slot and is connected to a needle hub by a hinge. The unopened cover suppresses a latch. Opening the cover to use the needle releases the latch. After the initial release of the latch, the latch prevents the cover from returning to an erect position. The cover returns to enclose the needle but in a bent/diagonal position relative to the syringe body. After resheathing the needle, a locking bar engages on the needle. Closing the cover bends the needle once, and the locking bar bends the needle a second time if and when the cover is reopened. The bent cover and the bent needle provide two indications that the needle is used.
Objects
Multiple Locking Structures
One object of the invention is to have a needle cover that locks in a closed position with multiple locking structures.
Needle Deformation
Another object of the invention is to have a needle cover that deforms the needle after use to render it non-reusable.
Visual Indications of Needle Use
Another object of the invention is to have a needle cover that gives users more than one visual indication that a needle has been used, thereby reducing the likelihood that a needle will be reused.
Features
Multiple Locking Structures
One feature of the invention is that it has multiple locking structures that make it difficult to re-open the Longitudinal Member after it has been closed.
This syringe needle Protection Cover includes a Needle Hub to secure a needle and a side-opening Longitudinal Member with an Axial Slot that covers and protects the needle. The needle is at the center of the Needle Hub. The Longitudinal Member integrates with the Needle Hub at one side via a Hinge, and has two U-shaped Brims that are oriented at a right angle to each other, that protrude outward, and that are separated by a Slot. There are Side Blocks at the two sides of the Needle Hub. On the Side Blocks are Locking Protrusions, and below the Locking Protrusions are Flukes.
The first locking s
Casler Brian L.
Clock Tower Law Group
DeSanto Matthew
Heels Erik J.
Mather Joshua D.
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