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WO2014179599A1 - Auto-retractable safety syringe - Google Patents

Auto-retractable safety syringe Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2014179599A1
WO2014179599A1 PCT/US2014/036411 US2014036411W WO2014179599A1 WO 2014179599 A1 WO2014179599 A1 WO 2014179599A1 US 2014036411 W US2014036411 W US 2014036411W WO 2014179599 A1 WO2014179599 A1 WO 2014179599A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
hollow barrel
plunger
recess
groove
distal end
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2014/036411
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
RayFu CHEN
Original Assignee
Chen Rayfu
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Chen Rayfu filed Critical Chen Rayfu
Publication of WO2014179599A1 publication Critical patent/WO2014179599A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00—Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/178—Syringes
    • A61M5/31—Details
    • A61M5/32—Needles; Details of needles pertaining to their connection with syringe or hub; Accessories for bringing the needle into, or holding the needle on, the body; Devices for protection of needles
    • A61M5/3205—Apparatus for removing or disposing of used needles or syringes, e.g. containers; Means for protection against accidental injuries from used needles
    • A61M5/321—Means for protection against accidental injuries by used needles
    • A61M5/322—Retractable needles, i.e. disconnected from and withdrawn into the syringe barrel by the piston
    • A61M5/3234—Fully automatic needle retraction, i.e. in which triggering of the needle does not require a deliberate action by the user
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00—Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/178—Syringes
    • A61M5/31—Details
    • A61M5/315—Pistons; Piston-rods; Guiding, blocking or restricting the movement of the rod or piston; Appliances on the rod for facilitating dosing ; Dosing mechanisms
    • A61M5/31511—Piston or piston-rod constructions, e.g. connection of piston with piston-rod
    • A61M2005/31518—Piston or piston-rod constructions, e.g. connection of piston with piston-rod designed to reduce the overall size of an injection device, e.g. using flexible or pivotally connected chain-like rod members
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00—Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/178—Syringes
    • A61M5/31—Details
    • A61M5/32—Needles; Details of needles pertaining to their connection with syringe or hub; Accessories for bringing the needle into, or holding the needle on, the body; Devices for protection of needles
    • A61M5/3205—Apparatus for removing or disposing of used needles or syringes, e.g. containers; Means for protection against accidental injuries from used needles
    • A61M5/321—Means for protection against accidental injuries by used needles
    • A61M5/322—Retractable needles, i.e. disconnected from and withdrawn into the syringe barrel by the piston
    • A61M5/3234—Fully automatic needle retraction, i.e. in which triggering of the needle does not require a deliberate action by the user
    • A61M2005/3235—Fully automatic needle retraction, i.e. in which triggering of the needle does not require a deliberate action by the user triggered by radial deflection of the anchoring parts between needle mount and syringe barrel or needle housing, e.g. spreading of needle mount retaining hooks having slanted surfaces by engagement with correspondingly shaped surfaces on the piston at the end of an injection stroke
    • A61M2005/3236—Trigger provided at the distal end, i.e. syringe end for mounting a needle
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00—Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/50—Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests having means for preventing re-use, or for indicating if defective, used, tampered with or unsterile
    • A61M5/5013—Means for blocking the piston or the fluid passageway to prevent illegal refilling of a syringe
    • A61M5/502—Means for blocking the piston or the fluid passageway to prevent illegal refilling of a syringe for blocking the piston

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a retractable safety syringe, and more particularly to an auto-retractable safety syringe designed to have an auto-retractable needle hub for protecting the user from needle injury during operation.
  • a safety syringe for use in medical profession or in personal drug administration is indeed developed for providing better protection against needle-stick injuries to medical profession or personal drug administration to prevent from infection of potentially fatal bloodborne pathogens, thus an improved and safer design for a safety syringe is provided hereinafter.
  • the present invention provides an automatic retractable safety syringe including a plunger assembly, a hollow barrel, a needle hub assembly, a needle hub seal plug assembly and a compression spring.
  • the plunger assembly has a first plunger formed with a distal end and a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end, a stopper provided at the distal end of the first plunger, a locking collar being mounted on an inner circumference of the first plunger and near the proximal end of the first plunger, and a second plunger formed with a distal end and a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end, the second plunger having a part near the distal end of the second plunger being fixed onto the locking collar.
  • the hollow barrel defines an internal space as a chamber for receiving a needle hub and having a first groove or recess and a second groove or recess around its inner circumference, the first groove or recess being formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel and near the distal end, and the second groove or recess being formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel and near the proximal end.
  • the needle hub assembly has a hub with a long shaft or rod for penetration and with a distal end, a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end, and a neck between the distal end and the proximal end, a needle, and a toggle component with an aperture mounted on the neck of the hub.
  • the needle hub seal plug assembly having a seal and a plug is inserted into the hollow barrel and locked in a position above the toggle component with the seal being adhered to the proximal end of the hub.
  • the compression spring inserted into the hollow barrel and retained in a space defined between the distal end of the hollow barrel and the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel.
  • the needle hub assembly is inserted into the hollow barrel with the hub passing through the compression spring to reach the distal end of the hollow barrel and the toggle component being retained in the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel.
  • the automatic retractable safety syringe also accompanies a pair of special tools including a holding tool and an arming tool.
  • the holding tool is used to push the hub against an inner shoulder of the hollow barrel near the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel and the arming tool is used to push the hub extending out of the opening at the distal end of the hollow barrel back to the hollow barrel.
  • a primary objective of this invention is to provide an automatic retractable safety syringe capable of performing the toggle action, thus facilitates the automatic retraction of a needle hub assembly of a syringe upon completion of an injection.
  • Another objective of this invention is to provide an automatic retractable safety syringe capable of performing the toggle action, thus provides positive toggle lock to prevent premature retraction and contributes to high mechanical advantage to reduce activation force.
  • Still another objective of this invention is to provide an automatic retractable safety syringe, in which the plunger assembly is locked in the barrel after use and the special tools including the arming tool and the holding tool are required to re-arm the needle for preventing from reuse of syringes.
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 2A is a perspective side view of the needle hub assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 2B is an enlarged view schematically illustrating the armed (locked) manner of the toggle component of the needle hub assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 2C is an enlarged view schematically illustrating the activated (unlocked) manner of the toggle component of the needle hub assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 2D is a perspective view schematically illustrating the partially extending hub of the needle hub assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 3 A is a schematic partial-cut-away side view of the plunger assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention;
  • Fig. 3B is a perspective schematic partial-cut-away side view of the plunger assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 4A is a perspective schematic view of the hollow barrel with needle hub assembly and compression spring of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 4B is a perspective schematic view illustrating the hollow barrel with needle hub assembly and compression spring of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a holding tool and an arming tool are cooperatively utilized to lock the needle hub assembly and therefore the toggle component in the armed (locked) position;
  • Fig. 5 A is a perspective schematic view illustrating the filled pattern of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 5B is a perspective schematic view illustrating the activated pattern of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 5C is a perspective schematic view illustrating the collapsed pattern of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 5D is a perspective schematic view illustrating the retracted pattern of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a distal end (portion) of an element means the end (portion) facing toward the needle; and a proximal end (portion) of the element means the end (portion) opposite to the distal end (portion) which facing toward the thumb rest of the plunger being operated.
  • an exploded view of an automatic retractable safety syringe (100) shows that the automatic retractable safety syringe (100) includes a plunger assembly (5), a hollow barrel (6), a needle hub assembly (2), a needle hub seal plug assembly (4), and a compression spring (3).
  • the hollow barrel (6) is defined an internal space as a chamber for receiving a needle hub assembly (2) and has a first groove or recess (61) and a second groove or recess (62) around its inner circumference, in which the first groove or recess (61) is formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel (6) and within the space and near the distal end, and the second groove or recess (62) is formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel (6) and within the space and near the proximal end.
  • the distal end of the hollow barrel (6) is formed with an opening (63) through which the hub (21) of the needle hub assembly (2) passes to be partially extends out of the opening (63), as shown in Fig. 2D.
  • the compression spring (3) with spiral or coiled form is inserted inside the hollow barrel (6) and retained in the space defined between the distal end of the hollow barrel (6) and the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6).
  • the needle hub assembly (2) includes a hub (21) with a long shaft or rod for penetration and with a distal end (211), a proximal end (212) being opposite to and away from the distal end (211), and a neck (213) between the distal end (21 1) and the proximal end (212) and near the proximal end (212), a needle (22) for dispensing or injection, and a toggle component (1) with an aperture (1 1) mounted on the neck (213) of the hub (21).
  • the toggle component (1) is a deformable component, such as a leaf spring or a bevel spring washer, or a linkage with or without fingers at partial or full circumference.
  • the deformable component can be made of elastic plate, strip, or clip. Due to the deformable nature, the toggle component (1) is capable of deformation from an unlocked manner into a locked manner, such as from a centrally downward manner into a centrally upward manner as shown in Figs. 2B and 2C. In addition, the provision and formation of fingers enables the toggle component (1) to be firmly locked and retained in the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6). Preferably, the toggle component (1) is presented as the form in leaf spring with fingers.
  • the needle hub assembly (2) Before the syringe (100) being operated in dispensing or injection, the needle hub assembly (2) is set into the hollow barrel (6) by inserting the needle hub assembly (2) into the hollow barrel (6) with the long shaft of the hub (21) being received inside the internal space of the hollow barrel (6) and passing through the compression spring (3) to reach the distal end (61) of the hollow barrel (6) and with the toggle component (1) being positioned on the top of the compression spring (3) and retained in the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6).
  • FIGs. 2B and 2C respectively illustrates the enlarged view of the toggle component in an armed (locked) manner and in an activated (unlocked) manner according to the first embodiment of this invention.
  • the toggle component (1) is presented in armed manner when being locked and retained in the first groove or recess (61) by pushing the hub (21) and the toggle component (1) against an inner shoulder (64) of the hollow barrel (6) near the first groove or recess (61).
  • the toggle component (1) would be activated or unlocked to allow the auto-retraction of the needle hub assembly (2).
  • Such auto-retraction causes the toggle component (1) to be further dislodged from the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6).
  • the toggle component (1) is switched between the armed (locked) form and the activated (unlocked) form to perform a toggle action in this invention.
  • this toggle action in form of high mechanical advantage mechanism brings advantages of preventing premature retraction as well as reducing the activation force.
  • the toggle action is performed to reduce the frictions by activating retraction, and thus a relatively short stroke to activate the needle retraction can be achieved.
  • the needle hub seal plug assembly (4) includes a seal (41) and a plug (42).
  • the needle hub seal plug assembly (4) is inserted into the hollow barrel (6) and positioned above the toggle component (1) with the seal (41) being adhered to the proximal end of the hub and provides the sealing between hub (21) and the hollow barrel (6).
  • the plunger assembly (5) includes a first plunger (53) formed with a distal end (531) and a proximal end (532) being opposite to and away from the distal end (531), a stopper (51) provided at the distal end (531) of the first plunger (53), a locking collar (52) being mounted on an inner circumference of the first plunger (53) and near the proximal end (532) of the first plunger (53), and a second plunger (54) formed with a distal end (541) and a proximal end (542) being opposite to and away from the distal end (541), in which the second plunger (54) having a part near the distal end (541) of the second plunger (54) is fixed onto the locking collar (52).
  • the second plunger (54) is formed with a first protrusion (543) at the distal end (541) of the second plunger (54) and a second protrusion (544) at the proximal end (542) of the first plunger (54).
  • the locking collar (52) is formed with a groove or recess (521) around its inner circumference of the locking collar (52).
  • the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) is locked in the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) before and during pushing the plunger assembly (5), while the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) escapes from the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) and becomes unlocked under the overhang of the locking collar (52) and therefore the second plunger (54) is dislodged from the locking collar (52) after the plunger assembly (5) is completely pressed.
  • the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) which can be shaped to be a disk, is unlocked before pushing the plunger assembly (5), while the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) is finally positioned at top of the second groove or recess (62) of the hollow barrel (6) after the plunger assembly (5) is completely pressed. Thereafter, the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) is caught by the second groove or recess (62) of the hollow barrel (6) and locked after the plunger assembly (5) is being further pressed. Accordingly, the plunger assembly (5) is locked in the barrel (6) after use, thereby contributing to provide the advantage of preventing from reuse of syringes.
  • FIG. 4A indicates the schematic view of the hollow barrel (6) with the needle hub assembly (2) and the compression spring (3) according to the first embodiment of this invention.
  • the compression spring (3) is inserted into the hollow barrel (6) in advance and retained in a space defined between the distal end of the hollow barrel (6) and the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6).
  • the needle hub assembly (2) is subsequently inserted into the hollow barrel (6) with the long shaft of the hub (21) passing through the compression spring (3) and with the toggle component (1) being seated on top of the compression spring (3).
  • the needle hub seal plug assembly (4) is subsequently inserted into the hollow barrel (6) to provide the sealing between the hub (21) and hollow barrel (6).
  • the plunger assembly (5) is inserted into the hollow barrel (6) to form a sealed chamber between the needle hub seal plug assembly (4) and the stopper (51).
  • Fig. 4B the schematic view of the hollow barrel
  • a pair of special tools including a holding tool (7) and an arming tool (8) are further accompanied to lock the needle hub assembly (2) inside the hollow barrel (6) at the distal end.
  • the holding tool (7) is inserted to press the needle hub assembly (2) and the compression spring (3) to make horizontal alignment between the needle hub assembly (2) and the compression spring (3) and hold the toggle component (1) against the inner shoulder (64) at the distal end of the barrel (6).
  • the arming tool (8) is applied at the distal end of the hollow barrel (6) to push the partially extended portion out of the opening (63) of the barrel (6) back into the hollow barrel (6), and to force the hub (21) to change the toggle component (1) from a centrally downward or the abovementioned activated manner into a centrally upward or the abovementioned armed manner, and thus allows the toggle component (1) engage with the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6) (also shown in Fig. 2B, the enlarged view illustrating the armed manner of the toggle component).
  • the needle hub assembly (2) is locked in armed (locked) position inside the hollow barrel (6).
  • FIGs. 5A through 5E various patterns representing the four stages are shown in Figs. 5A through 5E according to an embodiment of this invention.
  • the internal space as a chamber of the hollow barrel (6) is filled with determined amount of drug or solution to be injected or dispensed.
  • the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) is locked in the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) while the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) is unlocked and overhanging.
  • the determined drug or solution is gradually injected or dispensed to the user, and the space of the hollow barrel (6) is thus gradually reduced due to the insertion of the plunger assembly (5).
  • the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) is locked in the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) and the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) is retained at top of the second groove or recess (62) of the hollow barrel (6).
  • the toggle component (1) is transformed into an activated manner and unlocked in the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6) so as to begin to release the compression spring (3) to extend.
  • a further press of the plunger assembly (5) enables the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) to be caught by the second groove or recess (62) of the hollow barrel (6) while the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) is dislodged from the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) and become unlocked under the overhang of the locking collar (52).
  • the toggle component (1) is already transformed from an armed manner into an activated manner and escaped from the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6).
  • the plunger assembly (5) collapses to permit the first plunger (53) and needle hub assembly (2) to retract backward inside the barrel (6) under the influence of the compression spring (3).
  • the auto-retraction of the needle hub assembly (2) is activated by the extension of the compression spring (3) which is released due to the unlock of the toggle component (1).
  • the extension of the compression spring and the release of the toggle component from the first groove or recess enable the locking collar and the first plunger to move toward the second protrusion.
  • extension of the compression spring (3) and release of the toggle component (1) from the first groove or recess (61) enable the second plunger (53) and the needle hub assembly (2) to retract back into the hollow barrel (6).
  • the fully extended compression spring (3) retains the needle (22) completely inside the barrel (6), thus preventing the user from needle stick injuries.
  • an automatic retractable safety syringe is provided with audio and tactile signals, these audio and tactile signals are provided during retraction activation, thereby allowing the user pay attention to the signals and be careful to protect themselves from injuries.

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
  • Vascular Medicine (AREA)
  • Anesthesiology (AREA)
  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Hematology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
  • Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)

Abstract

An improved automatic retractable safety syringe is disclosed. The automatic retractable safety syringe includes a plunger assembly, a barrel, a needle hub assembly, a needle hub seal plug assembly and a compression spring, and accompanies a holding tool and an arming tool. The plunger assembly comprises a first plunger, a locking collar, a second plunger and a stopper. The needle hub assembly comprises a hub, a needle and a toggle component inserted and retained in the groove or recess of around circumference of hub. The needle hub seal plug assembly comprises a seal and a plug. The toggle component performs the toggle action to facilitate the automatic retraction of a needle hub assembly of a syringe upon completion of an injection.

Description

AUTO-RETRACTABLE SAFETY SYRINGE
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. provisional application No. 61/819,496 filed May 03, 2013. The aforementioned provisional application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a retractable safety syringe, and more particularly to an auto-retractable safety syringe designed to have an auto-retractable needle hub for protecting the user from needle injury during operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, there has been growing evidence of accidental needle-stick injuries due to syringes have been widely used to inject medicine all around the world. Aside from the physical injury to the operators, the sequelae caused by this kind of accident should not be overlooked because more than twenty kinds of disease are infected through blood transmission, such as HIV-1 (AIDS), Hepatitis B and C virus or other bloodborne pathogens. Also, such bloodborne pathogens are known for transmitting serious or fatal diseases, and the major transmitting route is an accidental needle-stick injury caused by inadvertent operation of a syringe, or inappropriate reuse of needles.
However, the risk in cross-infection of infectious disease and exposure to danger pathogens are difficult to avoid while the operators administering drugs to themselves or to patients. Reusing an unsterilized or contaminated syringe may result in the spread of diseases. An improper operation or disposal of syringes with exposed needles often leads to accidental needle-stick injury, and healthcare workers are thus easily exposed to bloodborne pathogens, and even hospital employees may be exposed to significant risk of contagion. Otherwise, reusing or sharing needles is significant among drug addicts, and that dramatically increases the risk of infection. Next, the consequent spread of those bloodborne diseases becomes a serious threat to public health and it really requires a considerable society cost for handling the follow-ups after these syringe injuries accident.
Therefore, a safety syringe for use in medical profession or in personal drug administration is indeed developed for providing better protection against needle-stick injuries to medical profession or personal drug administration to prevent from infection of potentially fatal bloodborne pathogens, thus an improved and safer design for a safety syringe is provided hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an attempt to overcome the recited defects of the existing syringes, the present invention provides an automatic retractable safety syringe including a plunger assembly, a hollow barrel, a needle hub assembly, a needle hub seal plug assembly and a compression spring.
The plunger assembly has a first plunger formed with a distal end and a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end, a stopper provided at the distal end of the first plunger, a locking collar being mounted on an inner circumference of the first plunger and near the proximal end of the first plunger, and a second plunger formed with a distal end and a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end, the second plunger having a part near the distal end of the second plunger being fixed onto the locking collar. The hollow barrel defines an internal space as a chamber for receiving a needle hub and having a first groove or recess and a second groove or recess around its inner circumference, the first groove or recess being formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel and near the distal end, and the second groove or recess being formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel and near the proximal end. The needle hub assembly has a hub with a long shaft or rod for penetration and with a distal end, a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end, and a neck between the distal end and the proximal end, a needle, and a toggle component with an aperture mounted on the neck of the hub. The needle hub seal plug assembly having a seal and a plug is inserted into the hollow barrel and locked in a position above the toggle component with the seal being adhered to the proximal end of the hub. The compression spring inserted into the hollow barrel and retained in a space defined between the distal end of the hollow barrel and the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel. The needle hub assembly is inserted into the hollow barrel with the hub passing through the compression spring to reach the distal end of the hollow barrel and the toggle component being retained in the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel. Moreover, the automatic retractable safety syringe also accompanies a pair of special tools including a holding tool and an arming tool. The holding tool is used to push the hub against an inner shoulder of the hollow barrel near the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel and the arming tool is used to push the hub extending out of the opening at the distal end of the hollow barrel back to the hollow barrel.
A primary objective of this invention is to provide an automatic retractable safety syringe capable of performing the toggle action, thus facilitates the automatic retraction of a needle hub assembly of a syringe upon completion of an injection.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an automatic retractable safety syringe capable of performing the toggle action, thus provides positive toggle lock to prevent premature retraction and contributes to high mechanical advantage to reduce activation force.
A further objective of this invention is to provide an automatic retractable safety syringe capable of performing the toggle action, thus activates retraction to reduce frictions and activates needle retraction just by very short stroke. Yet another objective of this invention is to provide an automatic retractable safety syringe capable of providing reminds for the user, in which the audio and tactile signals are provided during retraction activation, as well as the audio, tactile and visual signals are provided during needle retraction, thus allows the user pay attention to the signals and be careful to protect themselves from injuries.
Still another objective of this invention is to provide an automatic retractable safety syringe, in which the plunger assembly is locked in the barrel after use and the special tools including the arming tool and the holding tool are required to re-arm the needle for preventing from reuse of syringes. The above-mentioned description of the present invention can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention as well as preferred modes of use and advantages thereof will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2A is a perspective side view of the needle hub assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2B is an enlarged view schematically illustrating the armed (locked) manner of the toggle component of the needle hub assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2C is an enlarged view schematically illustrating the activated (unlocked) manner of the toggle component of the needle hub assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2D is a perspective view schematically illustrating the partially extending hub of the needle hub assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 A is a schematic partial-cut-away side view of the plunger assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3B is a perspective schematic partial-cut-away side view of the plunger assembly of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4A is a perspective schematic view of the hollow barrel with needle hub assembly and compression spring of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4B is a perspective schematic view illustrating the hollow barrel with needle hub assembly and compression spring of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a holding tool and an arming tool are cooperatively utilized to lock the needle hub assembly and therefore the toggle component in the armed (locked) position;
Fig. 5 A is a perspective schematic view illustrating the filled pattern of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5B is a perspective schematic view illustrating the activated pattern of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5C is a perspective schematic view illustrating the collapsed pattern of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 5D is a perspective schematic view illustrating the retracted pattern of the automatic retractable safety syringe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Hereinafter, a detailed description of this invention will be provided below with reference to embodiments thereof. Other advantages and features of this invention will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art upon reviewing this disclosure. However, this invention may also be implemented or applied as other embodiments, and various details in this specification may be modified and altered from different viewpoints and based on different applications without departing from the spirit of this invention.
To better understand the spatial arrangement among the individual elements of the retractable safety syringe, as well as the relative motions or interrelation therein, hereinafter a distal end (portion) of an element means the end (portion) facing toward the needle; and a proximal end (portion) of the element means the end (portion) opposite to the distal end (portion) which facing toward the thumb rest of the plunger being operated.
As indicated in Fig. 1 , an exploded view of an automatic retractable safety syringe (100) according to a first embodiment of this invention shows that the automatic retractable safety syringe (100) includes a plunger assembly (5), a hollow barrel (6), a needle hub assembly (2), a needle hub seal plug assembly (4), and a compression spring (3).
Specifically, referring to Fig. 1 , Figs. 2A-2C and Fig. 5B, the hollow barrel (6) is defined an internal space as a chamber for receiving a needle hub assembly (2) and has a first groove or recess (61) and a second groove or recess (62) around its inner circumference, in which the first groove or recess (61) is formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel (6) and within the space and near the distal end, and the second groove or recess (62) is formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel (6) and within the space and near the proximal end. Moreover, the distal end of the hollow barrel (6) is formed with an opening (63) through which the hub (21) of the needle hub assembly (2) passes to be partially extends out of the opening (63), as shown in Fig. 2D.
Continually referring to Fig. 1 , and Figs. 2A-2C, the compression spring (3) with spiral or coiled form is inserted inside the hollow barrel (6) and retained in the space defined between the distal end of the hollow barrel (6) and the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6).
Referring to Figs. 1, 2A, 2B and 4A, the needle hub assembly (2) includes a hub (21) with a long shaft or rod for penetration and with a distal end (211), a proximal end (212) being opposite to and away from the distal end (211), and a neck (213) between the distal end (21 1) and the proximal end (212) and near the proximal end (212), a needle (22) for dispensing or injection, and a toggle component (1) with an aperture (1 1) mounted on the neck (213) of the hub (21). Particularly, the toggle component (1) is a deformable component, such as a leaf spring or a bevel spring washer, or a linkage with or without fingers at partial or full circumference. In which, the deformable component can be made of elastic plate, strip, or clip. Due to the deformable nature, the toggle component (1) is capable of deformation from an unlocked manner into a locked manner, such as from a centrally downward manner into a centrally upward manner as shown in Figs. 2B and 2C. In addition, the provision and formation of fingers enables the toggle component (1) to be firmly locked and retained in the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6). Preferably, the toggle component (1) is presented as the form in leaf spring with fingers.
Before the syringe (100) being operated in dispensing or injection, the needle hub assembly (2) is set into the hollow barrel (6) by inserting the needle hub assembly (2) into the hollow barrel (6) with the long shaft of the hub (21) being received inside the internal space of the hollow barrel (6) and passing through the compression spring (3) to reach the distal end (61) of the hollow barrel (6) and with the toggle component (1) being positioned on the top of the compression spring (3) and retained in the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6).
Moreover, referring to Figs. 2B and 2C, respectively illustrates the enlarged view of the toggle component in an armed (locked) manner and in an activated (unlocked) manner according to the first embodiment of this invention. Referring to Fig. 2B, the toggle component (1) is presented in armed manner when being locked and retained in the first groove or recess (61) by pushing the hub (21) and the toggle component (1) against an inner shoulder (64) of the hollow barrel (6) near the first groove or recess (61). On the other hand, after pushing the hub (21) to the extent that the long shaft of the hub (21) extends out of the opening (63) at the distal end of the hollow barrel (6), the toggle component (1) would be activated or unlocked to allow the auto-retraction of the needle hub assembly (2). Such auto-retraction causes the toggle component (1) to be further dislodged from the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6). Hence, the toggle component (1) is switched between the armed (locked) form and the activated (unlocked) form to perform a toggle action in this invention. Accordingly, this toggle action in form of high mechanical advantage mechanism brings advantages of preventing premature retraction as well as reducing the activation force. At the same time, the toggle action is performed to reduce the frictions by activating retraction, and thus a relatively short stroke to activate the needle retraction can be achieved.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2C, the needle hub seal plug assembly (4) includes a seal (41) and a plug (42). The needle hub seal plug assembly (4) is inserted into the hollow barrel (6) and positioned above the toggle component (1) with the seal (41) being adhered to the proximal end of the hub and provides the sealing between hub (21) and the hollow barrel (6).
As illustrated in Fig. 1 and Figs. 3A-3B, the plunger assembly (5) includes a first plunger (53) formed with a distal end (531) and a proximal end (532) being opposite to and away from the distal end (531), a stopper (51) provided at the distal end (531) of the first plunger (53), a locking collar (52) being mounted on an inner circumference of the first plunger (53) and near the proximal end (532) of the first plunger (53), and a second plunger (54) formed with a distal end (541) and a proximal end (542) being opposite to and away from the distal end (541), in which the second plunger (54) having a part near the distal end (541) of the second plunger (54) is fixed onto the locking collar (52). The second plunger (54) is formed with a first protrusion (543) at the distal end (541) of the second plunger (54) and a second protrusion (544) at the proximal end (542) of the first plunger (54). In addition, the locking collar (52) is formed with a groove or recess (521) around its inner circumference of the locking collar (52).
Particularly, based on Figs. 3A-3B and in view of Figs. 5A-5C, the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) is locked in the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) before and during pushing the plunger assembly (5), while the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) escapes from the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) and becomes unlocked under the overhang of the locking collar (52) and therefore the second plunger (54) is dislodged from the locking collar (52) after the plunger assembly (5) is completely pressed. Moreover, the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54), which can be shaped to be a disk, is unlocked before pushing the plunger assembly (5), while the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) is finally positioned at top of the second groove or recess (62) of the hollow barrel (6) after the plunger assembly (5) is completely pressed. Thereafter, the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) is caught by the second groove or recess (62) of the hollow barrel (6) and locked after the plunger assembly (5) is being further pressed. Accordingly, the plunger assembly (5) is locked in the barrel (6) after use, thereby contributing to provide the advantage of preventing from reuse of syringes. Now, please refer to Fig. 4A, indicates the schematic view of the hollow barrel (6) with the needle hub assembly (2) and the compression spring (3) according to the first embodiment of this invention. The compression spring (3) is inserted into the hollow barrel (6) in advance and retained in a space defined between the distal end of the hollow barrel (6) and the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6). After the insertion of the compression spring (3), the needle hub assembly (2) is subsequently inserted into the hollow barrel (6) with the long shaft of the hub (21) passing through the compression spring (3) and with the toggle component (1) being seated on top of the compression spring (3). After the needle hub assembly (2) is locked in position, the needle hub seal plug assembly (4) is subsequently inserted into the hollow barrel (6) to provide the sealing between the hub (21) and hollow barrel (6). Finally, the plunger assembly (5) is inserted into the hollow barrel (6) to form a sealed chamber between the needle hub seal plug assembly (4) and the stopper (51). Continually referring to Fig. 4B, the schematic view of the hollow barrel
(6) with the needle hub assembly (2) and the compression spring (3) according to an embodiment of this invention is shown, in which a pair of special tools including a holding tool (7) and an arming tool (8) are further accompanied to lock the needle hub assembly (2) inside the hollow barrel (6) at the distal end. The holding tool (7) is inserted to press the needle hub assembly (2) and the compression spring (3) to make horizontal alignment between the needle hub assembly (2) and the compression spring (3) and hold the toggle component (1) against the inner shoulder (64) at the distal end of the barrel (6). In addition, the arming tool (8) is applied at the distal end of the hollow barrel (6) to push the partially extended portion out of the opening (63) of the barrel (6) back into the hollow barrel (6), and to force the hub (21) to change the toggle component (1) from a centrally downward or the abovementioned activated manner into a centrally upward or the abovementioned armed manner, and thus allows the toggle component (1) engage with the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6) (also shown in Fig. 2B, the enlarged view illustrating the armed manner of the toggle component). By the cooperation between the holding tool (7) and the arming tool (8), the needle hub assembly (2) is locked in armed (locked) position inside the hollow barrel (6). Both these two special tools are required to re-arm the needle such that reuse of syringes can be prevented. Moreover, the accomplishment of protecting the user from injuries is achieved and enhanced by accompanying with the above-mentioned function that the plunger assembly is locked in the hollow barrel after use.
Regarding the actuation of the automatic retractable safety syringe, various patterns representing the four stages are shown in Figs. 5A through 5E according to an embodiment of this invention. As depicted in Fig. 5 A, the internal space as a chamber of the hollow barrel (6) is filled with determined amount of drug or solution to be injected or dispensed. In this stage, the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) is locked in the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) while the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) is unlocked and overhanging.
Next, please refer to Fig. 5B, while pushing the plunger assembly (5), the determined drug or solution is gradually injected or dispensed to the user, and the space of the hollow barrel (6) is thus gradually reduced due to the insertion of the plunger assembly (5). During this stage, the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) is locked in the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) and the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) is retained at top of the second groove or recess (62) of the hollow barrel (6). Besides, the toggle component (1) is transformed into an activated manner and unlocked in the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6) so as to begin to release the compression spring (3) to extend. Then, as shown in Fig. 5C, a further press of the plunger assembly (5) enables the second protrusion (544) of the second plunger (54) to be caught by the second groove or recess (62) of the hollow barrel (6) while the first protrusion (543) of the second plunger (54) is dislodged from the groove or recess (521) of the locking collar (52) and become unlocked under the overhang of the locking collar (52). Meanwhile, the toggle component (1) is already transformed from an armed manner into an activated manner and escaped from the first groove or recess (61) of the hollow barrel (6). Furthermore, the plunger assembly (5) collapses to permit the first plunger (53) and needle hub assembly (2) to retract backward inside the barrel (6) under the influence of the compression spring (3).
Referring to Fig. 5D, the auto-retraction of the needle hub assembly (2) is activated by the extension of the compression spring (3) which is released due to the unlock of the toggle component (1). The extension of the compression spring and the release of the toggle component from the first groove or recess enable the locking collar and the first plunger to move toward the second protrusion. In addition, extension of the compression spring (3) and release of the toggle component (1) from the first groove or recess (61) enable the second plunger (53) and the needle hub assembly (2) to retract back into the hollow barrel (6). Hence, the fully extended compression spring (3) retains the needle (22) completely inside the barrel (6), thus preventing the user from needle stick injuries.
Otherwise, in order to alert the user of the retraction of the needle hub assembly, an automatic retractable safety syringe is provided with audio and tactile signals, these audio and tactile signals are provided during retraction activation, thereby allowing the user pay attention to the signals and be careful to protect themselves from injuries.
The above embodiments are provided only to demonstrate principles and functions of the present invention and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various changes in form and details may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A retractable syringe comprising:
a hollow barrel defining an internal space as a chamber for receiving a needle hub and having a first groove or recess and a second groove or recess around its inner circumference, the first groove or recess being formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel and near the distal end, and the second groove or recess being formed on inner surface of the hollow barrel and near the proximal end;
a needle hub assembly having a hub with a distal end, a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end and a neck between the distal end and the proximal end, a needle, and a toggle component with an aperture mounted on the neck of the hub;
a compression spring inserted into the hollow barrel and retained in a space defined between the distal end of the hollow barrel and the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel; and
a plunger assembly having a first plunger formed with a distal end and a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end, a stopper provided at the distal end of the first plunger, a locking collar being mounted on an inner circumference of the first plunger and near the proximal end of the first plunger, and a second plunger formed with a distal end and a proximal end being opposite to and away from the distal end, the second plunger having a part near the distal end of the second plunger being fixed onto the locking collar; wherein the needle hub assembly is inserted into the hollow barrel with the hub passing through the compression spring to reach the distal end of the hollow barrel and the toggle component being retained in the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel.
2. The retractable syringe of claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the hollow barrel is formed with an opening and the hub of the needle hub assembly extends out of the opening at the distal end of the hollow barrel before the toggle component being retained in the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel.
3. The retractable syringe of claim 2, wherein the toggle component is locked and retained in the first groove or recess by pushing the hub against an inner shoulder of the hollow barrel near the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel and by pushing the hub extending out of the opening at the distal end of the hollow barrel back to the hollow barrel.
4. The retractable syringe of claim 3, wherein a holding tool is used to push the hub against an inner shoulder of the hollow barrel near the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel and an arming tool is used to push the hub extending out of the opening at the distal end of the hollow barrel back to the hollow barrel.
5. The retractable syringe of claim 1 , wherein the second plunger is formed with a first protrusion at the part near the distal end of the second plunger and a second protrusion is formed near the proximal end of the second plunger.
The retractable syringe of claim 5, wherein the locking collar is formed with a groove or recess around its inner circumference, and the first protrusion near the distal end of the second plunger is received by the groove or recess of the locking collar before the plunger assembly being pushed.
The retractable syringe of claim 6, wherein the second protrusion of the second plunger is locked in the second groove or recess of the hollow barrel and the first protrusion near the distal end of the second plunger is dislodged from the groove or recess of the locking collar after the plunger assembly being pushed to reach to the toggle component.
The retractable syringe of claim 1 , wherein the needle hub assembly is retracted by an extension of the compression spring and a release of the toggle component from the first groove or recess.
The retractable syringe of claim 8, wherein the extension of the compression spring and the release of the toggle component from the first groove or recess enable the locking collar and the first plunger to move toward the second protrusion.
0. The retractable syringe of claim 8, wherein the extension of the compression spring and the release of the toggle component from the first groove or recess enables the second plunger and the needle hub assembly to retract into the hollow barrel.
1. The retractable syringe of claim 1 , wherein the toggle component is a deformable component.
12. The retractable syringe of claim 1 1, wherein the deformable component is a leaf spring, a bevel spring washer, or a linkage.
13. The retractable syringe of claim 1 1, wherein the deformable component is made of a material selected from the group consisting of elastic plate, strip, and clip.
14. The retractable syringe of claim 1 1, wherein the deformable component is centrally downward before the toggle component being retained in the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel while the deformable component is centrally upward after the toggle component being retained in the first groove or recess of the hollow barrel.
15. The retractable syringe of claim 1 , wherein a needle hub seal plug assembly having a seal and a plug is inserted into the hollow barrel and locked in a position above the toggle component with the seal being adhered to the proximal end of the hub.
PCT/US2014/036411 2013-05-03 2014-05-01 Auto-retractable safety syringe WO2014179599A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US201361819496P 2013-05-03 2013-05-03
US61/819,496 2013-05-03

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Cited By (1)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018217147A1 (en) * 2017-05-23 2018-11-29 Neuronano Ab Device for insertion into nervous tissue

Citations (3)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5632733A (en) * 1995-05-11 1997-05-27 Shaw; Thomas J. Tamperproof retractable syringe
US6632198B2 (en) * 1999-10-15 2003-10-14 Becton Dickinson And Company Retracting needle syringe
US8034034B2 (en) * 2009-01-12 2011-10-11 Howmedica Osteonics Corp. Syringe and method of use

Patent Citations (3)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5632733A (en) * 1995-05-11 1997-05-27 Shaw; Thomas J. Tamperproof retractable syringe
US6632198B2 (en) * 1999-10-15 2003-10-14 Becton Dickinson And Company Retracting needle syringe
US8034034B2 (en) * 2009-01-12 2011-10-11 Howmedica Osteonics Corp. Syringe and method of use

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018217147A1 (en) * 2017-05-23 2018-11-29 Neuronano Ab Device for insertion into nervous tissue
US11678907B2 (en) 2017-05-23 2023-06-20 Neuronano Ab Device for insertion into nervous tissue

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