Abstract:
A device separates a needle from a syringe before subsequent separate handling of the needle and the rest of the syringe. The needles are accumulated in a container made of stainless steel which is then put into a smelting furnace, thereby preventing the worker from being pricked and thus infected by the used needles. The plastic portions of the syringes are accumulated in another container for further handling.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a device for separating a needle from a used syringe, particularly a hypodermic syringe. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Handling of used syringes, particularly hypodermic syringes, is a problem for hospitals and/or other medical treating or examination centers. The syringes are often accumulated and then burnt, yet the workers are exposed to the needles during manual handling. The residual of the syringes after burning cannot be recycled, as a syringe comprises a needle made of stainless steel and other parts that are made of plastics having a melting point lower than that of stainless steel. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a device for separating a needle from a syringe before subsequent separate handling of the needle and the rest of the syringe. The needles are accumulated in a container made of stainless steel which is then put into a smelting furnace or the like, thereby preventing the worker from being pricked and thus infected by the used needles. The plastic portions of the syringes are accumulated in another container for further handling. Thus, the device in accordance with the present invention provides a solution for used syringes, which is not only hygienic but also friendly to the environment. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a device for separating a needle from a used syringe comprises means for holding a used syringe and means for separating a needle from the used syringe. A container is provided for accumulating the needle separated from the used syringe. The container is made of a material identical to that of the needle. Another container is provided for accumulating the used syringe without the needle. 
     In an embodiment of the invention, the device includes a main body in which the holding means and the separating means are mounted. The device includes a compartment, the holding means being a groove communicated with the compartment in the main body, the groove being configured to hold a needle hub of the used syringe. The main body includes a post mounted therein. The separating means includes a shaft having a pulling member mounted thereon. The needle of the used syringe is extended through the pulling member and has a peripheral portion abutting against the post. The shaft is rotatable to bend the needle by means of pressing the needle against the post and finally pulling the needle from the needle hub. A torsion spring is provided for returning the shaft to its initial position. 
     The main body further includes a plate securely mounted therein. The shaft extends through the plate. A guide plate is securely attached to the plate and mounted around the shaft. The guide plate includes an arcuate groove and the shaft has a pin slidably guided in the arcuate groove such that the shaft moves axially when the shaft is turned. The bent needle impinges the plate and is thus separated from the used syringe when the shaft moves axially. 
     In addition, means are provided for driving the shaft. In an embodiment of the invention, the shaft includes an end on which a driven gear is mounted. The driving means comprise a driving gear rotatably supported by the main body and a manual handle mounted outside the main body and securely attached to a gear shaft of the driving gear. In an alternative embodiment, the driving means comprise a driving gear rotatably supported by the main body and a motor operably connected to the driving gear. An on/off switch is provided for controlling the motor. 
    
    
     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device for separating a needle from a used syringe in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the device in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along plane B—B in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating separation of a needle from a used syringe. 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along plane A—A in FIG.  1 . 
     FIGS. 6 through 8 are sectional views similar to FIG. 5, illustrating separation of a needle from a used syringe. 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a container for accumulating needles. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 through 9 and initially to FIGS. 1 through 3, a device for separating a needle from a used syringe in accordance with the present invention generally includes a main body  10  having a first compartment  13  in a first end  11  thereof and a second compartment  14  in a second end  12  thereof. A container  40  made of stainless steel is placed in the main body  10  in a position  15  below the second compartment  14 . Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, a holding member  16  (in the form of a seat or groove that is communicated with the second compartment  14 ) is mounted to or formed on the second end  12  of the main body  10  for holding a needle hub  52  of a used syringe  50 . The holding member  16  allows a needle  54  of the used syringe  50  to extend into the second compartment  14  and thus to be located above the container  40 . A counter  17  for counting the total number of pulled needles and a switch  18  for controlling rotation of a motor  21  are mounted to the first end  11  of the main body  10 . A foldable handle  19  is mounted on top of the main body  10  for easy carriage, as best shown in FIG.  1 . 
     Still referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a driving means  20  is mounted in the first compartment  13  for driving a separating means  30  mounted in the first compartment  13  and the second compartment  14 . The driving means  20  includes the above-mentioned motor  21 , a driving gear  22 , a driven gear  23  meshed with the driving gear  22 , and a manual handle  24  outside the main body  10 . The driving gear  22  has a gear shaft  22   a  rotatably mounted between a positioning plate  131  in the first compartment  13  and a portion of a housing (not labeled) of the main body  10 . The driving gear  22  can be driven by either the manual handle  24  that is engaged with the gear shaft  22   a  or the motor  21  having an output shaft  21   a  that is connected to the gear shaft  22   a  by a belt  26  and two pulleys  25  and  22   b , best shown in FIG.  3 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the separating means  30  comprises a shaft  31 , a guide plate  32 , a torsion spring  34 , and a pulling member  35 . The shaft  31  includes a first end  311  in the first compartment  13  and a second end  312  in the second compartment  14 . The driven gear  23  is mounted to the first end  311  of the shaft  31  to rotate therewith. The shaft  31  is extended through and thus supported by a partition plate  13   a  between the first compartment  13  and the second compartment  14  and a plate  141  in the second compartment  14 . The guide plate  32  is securely mounted to the plate  141  and around the shaft  31  and includes an arcuate groove  33  into which a pin  313  on the shaft  31  extends. Thus, the shaft  31  moves axially under the guidance of the arcuate groove  33  when the shaft  31  is turned. The torsion spring  34  returns the shaft  31  to its initial position. The pulling member  35  is mounted on the second end  312  of the shaft  31  and includes a passage  35   a  having a wider, sector-like first portion  35   b  and a narrow, straight second portion  35   c , best shown in FIG.  5 . Located below the pulling member  35  and attached to the plate  141  is a post  36  for bending the needle  54  of the used syringe  50 . 
     When the driving gear  22  is rotated by means of either turning the switch  18  on or rotating the manual handle  24 , the shaft  31  turns and thus bends the needle  54  (see FIGS. 6 and 7) by means of pressing the needle  54  against the post  36 . Since the pin  313  is guided along the arcuate groove  33  of the guiding plate  32 , the shaft  31  also moves axially away from the container  40  until the needle  54  impinges the plate  141 . As a result, the needle  54  is completely separated from the needle hub  52  (FIGS.  4  and  8 ). After separation of the needle  54 , the shaft  31  is returned to its initial position under the action of the torsion spring  34 . The needles  54  separated from the used syringes  50  are accumulated in the container  40  under the guidance of the plate  141 . The container  40  is then moved into a smelting furnace or the like after putting on a cover  41  to enclose the container  40 . The container  40  and the needles  54  are both made of stainless steel and thus can be melted together for recycling purpose. The plastic parts of the syringes  50  are accumulated in another container (not shown) for recycling purpose. 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.