Patent ID: 6344031
Filing Date: 2002-02-05
Classification: A61J,A61L,A61M

Abstract:
A syringe comprising:(a) an axially elongated barrel having a wall defining a hollow interior; (b) an adapter carried by said barrel adjacent a distal end thereof and removable therefrom in response to rotation relative to and about the axis of said barrel, the adapter having a passage for providing fluid communication with the interior of said hollow barrel and with a needle carried by the adapter; (c) a plunger having first and second opposite ends and axially movable in said barrel between positions axially spaced from said adapter and engaging said adapter; (d) adapter engagement structure on said plunger including on said first end an axially extending projection spaced radially from the wall of said barrel, said projection having drive and connective engagement surfaces, plunger engagement structure on said adapter including an axially extending recess opening from said adapter in a direction toward said plunger, said adapter having drive and connective engagement surfaces in said recess, said drive surfaces on said projection being engageable with said drive surfaces on said adapter in said recess when said plunger engages said adapter and jointly movable to enable rotation of the adapter relative to the barrel in response to relative rotation of the plunger and barrel to cause the adapter to part from the distal end of the barrel, said connective surfaces on said projection and on said adapter in said recess being engageable with one another to connect the plunger and adapter one with the other and enable said adapter and the needle carried thereby when said adapter is parted from the end of the barrel in response to joint rotation of said adapter and said plunger relative to said barrel, to be withdrawn wholly into the interior of the barrel in response to joint axial movement of said plunger and said adapter in a direction away from the distal end of the barrel.