HK1248151A1 - Syringe with high safety in use - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is defined in claim 1 and relates to a syringe with high safety in use.

More particularly, the invention relates to a syringe that has a device capable of removing the needle by using, on the part of the operator, a single hand, without the risk of accidentally injuring the operator by puncturing himself/herself with the tip of the needle.

As is known, currently, in order to be able to remove a needle from a syringe, the operator uses two hands, one to hold the body of the syringe and the other to remove the needle from such body. An example of a syringe having a Luer-lock connection arranged at an axial needle-end of the syringe is disclosed in US 2014/052078 A1 .

First of all, it should be noted that it is not always possible to perform operations of this kind by using both hands and furthermore this operation is not absolutely practical from the point of view of effectiveness.

Another problem that can arise for the health operator is the need to remove the cap that protects the needle of the syringe in order to be able to perform an injection.

In this case, the health operator often finds himself/herself gripping the syringe with one hand and having the other hand busy. In this case, in order to be able to remove the cap from the needle, he/she must employ the aid of an assistant or is forced to grip the cap with his/her mouth and remove it from the syringe. This of course entails high safety risks.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a syringe with high safety in use that allows the user to perform an operation for removing the needle and/or the associated cap by using a single hand.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to devise a syringe with high safety in use, which allows the user to remove the needle and/or the cap of the needle in conditions of absolute safety, avoiding any accidental puncture.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a syringe with high safety in use that is highly reliable, relatively simple to provide and at competitive costs.

This aim, as well as these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a syringe with high safety in use, comprising a syringe body adapted to accommodate slidingly a plunger, the syringe body having a protruding end that is adapted to allow mating of a base end of a needle, characterized in that the syringe comprises means for removing the needle which are interposed between said syringe body and said base end of the needle, said needle removal means being adapted to be moved in a rotary direction for removal of the needle and/or of the protective cap of the needle.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the syringe according to the present invention, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

• Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a syringe according to the present invention;
• Figure 2 is an enlarged-scale partial exploded perspective view of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a sectional view of the syringe according to the invention;
• Figure 4 is an enlarged-scale partial sectional view of Figure 3.

With reference to the figures, the syringe according to the invention, designated generally by the reference numeral 1, comprises a syringe body 2 within which a plunger 3 slides. The body 2 ends, at one end, with a substantially frustum-like cross-section 4 adapted to accommodate the base end 5 of the needle 6, which is protected by a cap 7.

The syringe according to the invention has, between the body 2 of the syringe and the base end 5 of the needle 6, needle removal means 8 adapted to be rotated and to allow the removal of the needle 6 and/or of the cap 7.

In practice, the needle removal means 8 are constituted by a hollow tubular body that is adapted to be coupled to the end of the body 2 of the syringe, in particular to the portion 4 of such syringe, and to allow screwing or engagement of the base end 5 of the needle 6 therein.

Therefore, the needle 6 with its base end 5 can be screwed into the body 8 or can be interlocked by means of wings 9 of the base end 5 of the needle 6 that engage in corresponding slots 10 defined in the tubular body 8 that constitutes the means for removing the needle 6.

It is possible to provide, between the tubular body 8 and the base end 5 of the needle 6, a washer 11 that allows the tubular body 8 to abut against the cap 7 of the needle so as to disconnect it from the needle.

The diameter of the hole of the tubular body 8 directed toward the body 2 of the syringe is equal to, or greater than, the diameter of the hole of the base end 5 of the needle.

In an alternative embodiment, the tubular body 8 can be shaped so as to slide on the body 2 of the syringe instead of being connected to its end 4.

Use of the syringe according to the invention is as follows.

The operator, by gripping with a single hand the tubular body 8, which can slide on the end part of the body 2 of the syringe, and by turning it with his/her fingers, causes the needle inserted on the end part of the body of the syringe to perform a rotary motion so that it can disconnect easily from the syringe.

If the tubular body 8 also abuts against the cap 7 of the needle, for example by way of the interposition of the washer 11, the operator can remove the cap of the needle by using a single hand. If the washer 11 is present, once the tubular body 8 has been moved, the washer 11 abuts against the base of the cap 7 and removes it.

If the tubular body 8 is screwed onto the base of the needle and can allow the removal of the cap of the needle by moving it (screwing it on) on the base of the needle, it abuts against the end of the cap 7 of the syringe and disconnects it from the needle.

If the tubular body 8 is screwed onto the base of the needle and can allow the removal of the cap of the needle or of the needle by moving it (screwing it on) on the base of the needle, it initially abuts against the end of the cap 7 of the syringe and disconnects it from the needle 7 and then, by continuing to screw it on, the tubular body 8 reaches the end of its stroke. At this point the operator, by continuing to screw on the tubular body, can make the needle 6 perform a rotary motion on the protruding end part of the syringe that will allow him/her to disconnect easily the needle 6, together with the tubular body, from the syringe (remove the tubular body 8 and the needle 6 from the syringe together).

The operator, by gripping alternately with a single hand the tubular body 8 that can slide on the end part of the body 2 of the syringe and by turning it with his/her fingers, once the tubular body has abutted against the end part of the syringe, by continuing to turn it causes, if the tubular body is long enough, the needle fitted on the end part of the body of the syringe to be pushed outwardly until it disconnects from the syringe.

In practice it has been found that the syringe according to the present invention achieves fully the intended aim and objects, since it allows to remove the needle and/or its cap by using a single hand without the risk of accidental punctures.

The syringe thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

The scope of the invention is limited by the appended claims.

Claims (7)

1. A syringe (1) with high safety in use, comprising a syringe body (2) adapted to accommodate slidingly a plunger (3), the syringe body having a protruding end that is adapted to allow mating of a base end (5) of a needle (6), characterized in that the syringe (1) comprises means (8) for removing the needle and/or a cap (7) of the needle which are interposed between said syringe body (2) and said base end (5) of the needle (6), said needle removal means (8) being adapted to be moved in a rotary direction for removal of the needle (6) and/or of the protective cap (7) of the needle, the rotary movement of said needle removal means (8) causing a sliding of said needle removal means (8) on an end part (4) of the body (2) of the syringe.
2. The syringe according to claim 1, characterized in that said needle removal means (8) comprise a tubular body adapted to be mated to the end of the syringe body and to allow engagement of the base end (5) of the needle (6) therein.
3. The syringe according to claim 2, characterized in that said tubular body (8) allows the screwing of said needle end (5) therein.
4. The syringe according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the diameter of a hole of the tubular body (8) directed toward the syringe (1) is equal to, or greater than, the hole of the base end (5) of the needle (6) that is connected to the protruding part of the syringe.
5. The syringe according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, between said tubular body (8) and said cap (7) fitted on said needle, a washer (11).
6. The syringe according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tubular body (8) has slots (10) adapted to allow the engagement of wings (9) defined at the base end of said needle.
7. The syringe according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tubular body (8) is adapted to slide on the body (2) of said syringe.