Patent ID: 6918891
Filing Date: 2005-07-19
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
1. A safety needle assembly comprising: a hub having proximal and distal ends and a passage extending between said ends; a needle cannula having a proximal end mounted in said hub and a pointed distal end projecting distally from said hub; a shield slidably mounted on said needle cannula and movable from a proximal position where said pointed distal end of said needle cannula is exposed to distal position where said shield is in a shielding disposition relative to said distal end of said needle cannula; a substantially planar fin projecting from said hub for facilitating digital manipulation of said needle assembly, wherein said fin remains in a fixed position relative to said needle cannula, when said shield moves from said proximal position to said distal position; a proximal arm having a proximal end hinged to at least one of said hub and said fin and a distal end, said proximal arm being hingedly rotated from a first position adjacent said fin to a second position substantially adjacent said needle cannula, said proximal arm having locks for releasably engaging said fin; and a distal arm having a proximal end hinged to said distal end of said proximal arm and having a distal end hinged to said shield, said distal arm being substantially adjacent said cannula when said proximal arm is rotated into said second position, wherein rotation of said proximal arm into said second position moves said shield into the shielding disposition relative to said distal end of said needle cannula.