Abstract:
A device for winding and storing a used needle of an injector. The device includes a needle-hub assembly, a cylindrical container and a needle winding axle. A hub of the needle-hub assembly is arranged through a bottom wall of the cylindrical container at an eccentric position relative to a longitudinal axis thereto. After using the injector, the cylindrical container is rotated about the needle winding axle, whereby the used needle is wound and finally stored within the cylindrical container.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an injector for medical use having a needle fixed to its syringe, particularly to a safety injector which permits the used needle to be handled with safety. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     One example of such safety injector is disclosed in Japanese Patent 1-136665(A). This prior art injector includes adisposable container for containing the needle after used and removed from the syringe. 
     More specifically the used needle can be removed from the syringe by using the cover plate of the disposable container, not directly using one&#39;s fingers. For this purpose the cover plate is designed to have a slot made therein, comprising a wide section for receiving the flanged end of the needle and a narrow section for catching the flanged end of the needle. The whole length of used needle is inserted from the wide section of the slot in the disposable container, and the syringe is moved toward the narrow section of the slot so that the flange of the needle may be put in contact with the rear side of the cover plate across the narrow section of the slot. Then, the syringe is pulled up to leave the used needle in the disposable container. 
     Inconveniently injectors must be carried always along with associated disposable containers, and such disposable containers must be put aside when using the injectors. More disadvantageously after using the injector a doctor or nurse inserts the used needle into the slot of the disposable container. On this occasion there is a danger of injuring his or her hand or finger with the contaminated needle. If the syringe-and-needle is not moved so far as to put the needle completely in the narrow section of the slot of the cover plate, it may happen that the contaminated needle is not removed from the syringe when the syringe is pulled up from the disposable container, and then the contaminated needle is likely to injure one&#39;s hand or finger as a result of counter action to the pulling-up of the syringe. 
     There has been, therefore, an increasing demand for reducing such inconvenience and danger in handling injectors. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To meet such demand a safety injector having a needle-and-hub body attached thereto is improved according to the present invention in that it has needle winding-and-storing means equipped therewith, said needle winding-and-storing means comprising a cylindrical container and a needle winding axle rotatably fixed therein. 
     The cylindrical container has a small through hole made therein for the needle of the needle-and-hub body to pass therethrough; and the needle winding axle has the hub of the needle-and-hub body fixed thereto, permitting the cylindrical container to rotate about the needle winding axle. The cylindrical container is adapted to turn about the needle winding axle, which stands aside from the hub of the needle-and-hub body, thereby permitting the needle winding axle to pull in and wind the needle of the needle-and-hub body therearound. The injector may further comprise detent means for preventing the cylindrical container from rotating in the opposite or unwinding direction. It may further comprise rattle-proof means provided between the needle winding axle and the cylindrical container, thereby preventing the rattling or inadvertent rotation of the cylindrical container before the needle-winding operation starts. 
     The injector may further comprise a thumb catch integrally connected to the hub of the needle-and-hub body or the needle winding axle for assisting the needle-winding operation. The needle of the needle-and-hub body may be a thin needle, soft needle or resin needle of all or partial resin, thereby facilitating the winding of the needle of the needle-and-hub body. 
     The safety injector permits the pulling-in and coiling of the needle immediately after being used until the needle end disappears from the disposable container, thereby assuring that nobody may be injured by the contaminated needle. The injector whose disposable container contains a contaminated needle can be disposed of. 
     The disposable container is fixed to the syringe of the injector, thereby eliminating any inconvenience which otherwise, would be caused by carrying a separate disposable container along with an injector. Thanks to means for preventing rotation of the disposable container in the unwinding direction and rattle-proof means the injector can be handled with safety. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the following description of some safety injectors according to preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are shown in accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safety injector according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section of the safety injector taken along the line  2 — 2  in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the disposable container of the safety injector; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the fragment of one example of anti-unwinding means of the safety injector; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the fragment of another example of anti-unwinding means of the safety injector; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the disposable container similar to FIG. 3, illustrating that the needle is wound one turn about the needle winding axle; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the disposable container similar to FIG. 3, illustrating that the needle is wound two turns about the needle winding axle; 
     FIG. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the disposable container similar to FIG. 3, illustrating that the needle is wound three turns about the needle winding axle; 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the disposable container of a safety injector according to a second embodiment; 
     FIG. 10 illustrates the disposable container of a safety injector according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 11 is a longitudinal section of the container of the safety injector according to the third embodiment. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 to  7  show a safety injector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, a safety injector has a needle-and-hub body attached to its liquid outlet-and-inlet projection  1   a , and a needle winding-and-storing means  4  fixed to the hub  2  of the needle-and-hub body. 
     The needle winding-and-storing means  4  comprises a needle winding axle  5  fixed to the hub  2  of the needle-and-hub body, and a cylindrical container  6  rotatably fixed to the needle winding axle  5 . Specifically the needle winding axle  5  has a longitudinal extension  5   a  integrally formed at an eccentric position to its central axis, and the longitudinal eccentric extension  5   a  of the needle winding axle  5  is bonded to the hub  2  of the needle-and-hub body. 
     As seen from FIG. 3, the needle winding axle  5  has a plateau-like flange  7  integrally formed to its bottom end and a center protrusion  8  integrally formed to its top end. The eccentric extension  5   a  is integrally formed in the plateau-like flange  7 . Also, the eccentric extension  5   a  has a recess  9  made therein for accommodating the hub  2  of the needle-and-hub body and a small through hole  10  consecutive to the recess  9  for permitting the needle of the needle-and-hub body to pass therethrough. 
     The cylindrical container  6  has a large through hole  12  made at the center of the ceiling plate  11  for accommodating the center protrusion  8  of the needle winding axle  5 , and a small through hole  13  made in the ceiling plate  11  for permitting the needle of the needle-and-hub body to pass therethrough. 
     The cylindrical container  6  is rotatably fixed to the needle winding axle  5  by putting on the needle winding axle  5  and by fixing the center protrusion  8  of the needle winding axle  5  to the ceiling plate  11  with a headed fastener  14 . 
     The eccentric extension  5   a  has a thumb catch  15  integrally connected thereto for positively holding the syringe  1  and the needle winding axle  5 , thereby permitting stable rotation of the cylindrical container  6  to assist the needle-winding operation. 
     In order to assure a stable rotation of the cylindrical container  6  in the winding direction detent means is provided for instance, between the bottom of the cylindrical container  6  and the plateau-like flange  7  of the needle winding axle  5 . 
     FIG. 4 shows one example of such detent means, which comprises sawtooth-like indentations  6   a  made on the annular bottom of the cylindrical container  6 , and a resilient ramp piece  16  to detachably engage with the sawtooth-like indentations  6   a . The resilient ramp piece  16  can be yieldingly bent when the cylindrical container  6  rotates in the winding direction as indicated by arrow “x”, but a selected sawtooth-like indentation will be caught by the resilient ramp piece  16  when the cylindrical container  6  is going to turn in the unwinding direction. The resilient ramp piece  16  can be a spring plate, and can be fixed at least one selected position on the plateau-like flange  7 . 
     FIG. 5 shows another example of such detent means making use of the resiliency of a resin material of which the cylindrical container  6  and the needle winding axle  5  are made. It comprises sawtooth-like indentations  6   a  and  7   a  made both on the annular bottom of the cylindrical container  6  and the plateau-like flange  7 , leaving a narrow gap therebetween. These sawtooth-like indentations  6   a  and  7   a  can be somewhat deformed to permit the overlying indentations  6   a  to ride over the underlying indentations  7   a  only in rotating the cylindrical container  6  in the winding direction as indicated by arrow “x”. 
     FIGS. 6 to  8  illustrate the manner in which the needle winding axle  5  pulls in and wind the used needle therearound. Specifically the syringe  1  is held in the left hand with the thumb catch  15  caught by the thumb, and the cylindrical container  6  is held in the right hand to rotate the cylindrical container  6  in the winding direction as indicated by arrow “x” (FIG.  1 ). Thus, the cylindrical container  6  turns clockwise about the needle winding axle  5 . 
     The hub  2  of the needle-and-hub body is fixed to the eccentric extension  5   a  of the plateau-like flange  7  of the needle winding axle  5 , and therefore, the clockwise rotation of the cylindrical container  6  causes the used needle of the needle-and-hub body to be wound about the needle winding axle  5  while being pulled in through the through hole  13 . The used needle of the needle-and-hub body is wound two or three turns about the needle winding axle  5  by rotating the cylindrical container  6  two or three times as seen from FIGS. 6 and 7. Finally the tip of the used needle is pulled in the cylindrical container  6 , and once the used needle has been pulled therein, it cannot come up from the cylindrical container  6  again unless the cylindrical container  6  is broken, thus assuring that nobody can be injured by the used needle. 
     If the needle  3  is thick enough to cause counter action to the winding operation of the cylindrical container  6 , and if the right hand is put apart from the cylindrical container  6  after every turn, the cylindrical container may be rotated in the unwinding direction, allowing the used needle to protrude from the ceiling of the cylindrical container  6  again. 
     The detent means, however, prevents the unwinding of the used needle once it has been wound about the needle winding axle  5 . 
     Referring to FIG. 9, a safety injector according to the second embodiment of the present invention is so designed as to be appropriate for use in winding a needle of relatively thinness. Specifically, the needle winding-and-storing means  24  comprises a winding axle  25  fixed to the hub  2  of a needle-and-hub body and a rotary cylindrical container  26  rotatably fixed to the winding axle  25 . The lower portion  25   a  of the winding axle  25  is fixed to the hub  2  of the needle-and-hub body by using adhesive agent. 
     The center protrusion  25   b  of the winding axle  25  passes through the ceiling plate  26   a  of the cylindrical container  26 , and the top of the center protrusion  25   b  appearing from the ceiling plate  26   a  is joined by flattening to be caught by the ceiling plate  26   a , thereby permitting the ceiling plate  26   a  to rotatably support the winding axle  25 . Such joining can be performed by using heating means, ultrasonic means or high-frequency means. 
     The cylindrical container  26  has a small through hole  27  made in its ceiling plate  26   a , and the cylindrical container  26  opens on its bottom side although the bottomless cylindrical container  26  is liable to rattle more or less around the winding axle  25 . Such rattle, however, causes no significant influence in winding operation. 
     In order to suppress such rattle prior to the winding operation rattle-proof means  28  is provided between the needle winding axle  25  and the cylindrical container  26 . This rattle-proof means  28  has the effect of preventing any deformation of needle, which, otherwise, would be caused by undesired rotation of the winding axle. 
     The rattle-proof means  28  is provided for example, in the form of stopper pin  29 , which passes through a small through hole in the cylindrical container  26  until its tip has been put in a recess  30 , which is made in the winding axle  25 , thereby preventing the rattling of the cylindrical container  26  around the winding axle  25 , and at the same time, undesired rotation of the winding axle  25 . 
     The stopper pin  29  must be kept thrust into the recess  30  of the winding axle  25  after the injector is used, and before the cylindrical container  26  is rotated. Therefore, the rattle or rotation of the cylindrical container  26  cannot be caused while the injector is being used. The resultant stable condition assures that no dangerous handling is caused. 
     Just before pulling in and winding the needle of the needle-and-hub body the stopper pin  29  is held by the head  29   a  with fingers to be pulled out, thereby disengaging the cylindrical container  26  from the winding axle  25  to permit the cylindrical container  26  to rotate in winding direction. Thus, the needle of the needle-and-hub body can be pulled in and wound around the winding axle  25 , not permitting the needle of the needle-and-hub body to protrude again from the ceiling of the cylindrical container  26 . 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 show a safety injector according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is different from the second embodiment only in that it has detent means for preventing the cylindrical container from rotating in the opposite or unwinding direction. Parts other than the detent means are same as in the second embodiment, and are indicated by same reference numerals as in FIG. 9 to omit descriptions of such similar parts. 
     As seen from FIGS. 10 and 11, thewinding axle  25  has a circular flange  31  integrally connected to its bottom, and the circular flange  31  is put in contact with the annular bottom circumference of the cylindrical container  26 . The circular flange  31  has sawtooth-like indentations  31   a  formed on its circumference whereas the annular bottom circumference of the cylindrical container  26  has sawtooth-like indentations  26   b  formed thereon. Thus, the cylindrical container  26  is permitted to turn only in the winding direction as indicated by arrow in FIG.  10 . 
     The safety injector according to the third embodiment works in the same way as the second embodiment. Thanks to the detent means the cylindrical container  26  can be rotated stable, and thanks to the rattle-proof means  28  the injector can be used with increased safety. 
     The needle  3  of the needle-and-hub body can be a thin needle, soft needle or resin needle of all or partial resin, thereby facilitating the winding of the needle  3  of the needle-and-hub body.