Patent ID: 6149630
Filing Date: 2000-11-21
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
A blood drawing syringe comprising:an originally empty barrel;needle means connected to an end of said barrel for drawing blood from a patient into said barrel;a plunger positioned within said barrel, said plunger being slidable within said barrel away from said needle means;a needle guard formed of a squeezable semi-rigid organic material surrounding said barrel, said needle guard being slidable with respect to said barrel from a first position, in which said needle guard does not surround said needle means, to a second position, in which said needle guard does surround said needle means; andlocking means normally retaining said needle guard in said first position with respect to said barrel, said locking means comprising radially projecting means on one of said needle guard and said needle means and radially facing recess means on the other of said needle guard and said needle means, said radially projecting means normally engaging said radially facing recess means to prevent said needle guard from moving with respect to said barrel, said spaced apart radially projecting means and said radially facing recess means being disengagable, after drawing blood from a patient, by squeezing said needle guard to disengage said radially projecting means and said radially facing recess means to permit said needle guard to move with respect to said barrel from said first position to said second position, such disengagement being capable of accomplishment by gravity when the syringe is held in a substantially vertical position with the needle means pointing up by a step that only requires action by a single hand of a user.