Patent Publication Number: US-RE38964-E

Title: One hand needle release system

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 08/370,241, filed Jan. 9, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No.  5 , 616 , 136  and entitled “QUICK RELEASE NEEDLE REMOVAL APPARATUS”. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to needle removal devices for syringes and other needle holders and pertains particularly to an improved needle release apparatus for quick and easy one hand removal of needles from holders. 
     A huge volume of hypodermic needles are used daily in the medical and health care industry and must be disposed of safely. These used needles pose a major health problem to the medical personnel using them as well as others who may come into contact with them either innocently or deliberately. The safe and effective disposal of these hypodermic needles poses one of the greatest disposal problems for the medical and health care industry. 
     Hypodermic needles are widely used for both injection of medication and for withdrawing blood samples for diagnostic purposes. In many instances the needle is removed from the holder and disposed of separately from the holder. In some cases, particularly with certain blood drawing or collection devices, the holder may be reused. In these cases, it is essential that the needle be easily, quickly and safely removed and disposed of without risk to the user. 
     The typical hypodermic needle comprises an elongated thin cannula having a sharp tip on one end and a hub at or near the other end for detachable attachment to a tubular holder such as a syringe or collector. The hub may have a threaded screw connector, Luer lock, or other type connector. The needle is usually covered with a protective tube or sheath detachably coupled to the hub for hand manipulation to aid in connecting the needle to the holder. The protective sheath is removed after the needle is mounted in the holder and when it is to be used. The sheath may be again used to protectively cover the needle after use. However, attempts to reinsert the needle into the sheath often result in pricks of the skin of the user. Therefore, direct disposal into a sharps container following use is desirable. 
     The present common techniques of drawing blood samples is by means of an evacuated tube and holder combination such as that sold under the trademark VACUTAINER by the Becton Dickinson Company. These blood collection assemblies comprise a tubular holder or barrel having an open end to receive an evacuated collection tube and a double needle in the other end. The needle is threadably mounted in one end of the tubular holder with an exterior needle for penetrating the patient tissue for receiving blood. The interior needle is covered with a sheath valve and penetrates an elastomeric stopper in one end of an evacuated vacuum tube which acts to draw the blood. 
     Many devices have been proposed in the past for removal and disposal of the needles. Examples of these are disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
         Shillington U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,821   Shillington U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,686   Thead et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,811   Sagstetter et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,922   Sagstetter et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,462   Shillington U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,680       

     These prior art devices are generally effective to remove the needles. However, they all have various drawbacks. For example, many of them cannot be effectively used with one hand and require the use of both hands. This is usually difficult or inconvenient for the user. 
     In the above identified parent application, we disclose a needle holder apparatus having means for releasing the needle from the holder when it is inserted into a special opening in a container and pressed forward. That holder required a special opening in the container for engagement with the forward end of the holder. 
     It is desirable that a simple, safe and effective quick release needle holder for hypodermic needles be available that can be used with one hand without special tools or containers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple and effective quick one hand release needle holder for hypodermic needles. 
     In accordance with a primary aspect of the present invention, a quick release needle holder for hypodermic needles, comprises a tubular barrel having a needle hub receiving socket on one end, said needle receiving socket having a segmented wall defining a plurality of inwardly directed annular jaws for receiving and gripping a needle hub, means for normally biasing said jaws inwardly to an innermost position for gripping and mounting a needle hub, and finger operable means for releasably biasing said jaws to a needle hub releasing position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded assembly view in section of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a view taken generally on line  3 — 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  section view taken generally on line  4 — 4  of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a view like  FIG. 3  taken generally on line  5 — 5  of  FIG. 1  with the needle omitted. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings an exemplary embodiment of the invention embodied in a holder of a blood collection assembly is illustrated and designated generally by the numeral  10 . The blood collection assembly comprises an elongated generally cylindrical tube or barrel  12  having finger flanges  14  and  16  extending outward from opposite sides at a back open end thereof. A release sleeve  18  is reciprocally mounted on the forward end of the barrel  12  and includes finger flanges  20  and  22  extending outward from opposite sides of the rear end thereof. A needle  24  is threadably mounted in a forward axially extending neck portion defining a needle hub mounting socket designated generally by the numeral  26  on the forward end of the barrel. The present invention was devised specifically for blood collection assemblies but is applicable to other hypodermic needle holders such as syringes, IV tubing site connectors and the like. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 , the tube or barrel has a forward end-wall  28  with the reduced needle hub mounting socket  26  formed of a reduced forwardly projecting neck or annular wall portion that is segmented into four segments or jaws  30 ,  32 ,  34  and  36 . These segments are defined by axially extending full length slots  38 ,  40 ,  42  and  44 . The segments  30 - 36  define a plurality of inwardly directed annular jaw members having internal threaded surfaces  46  which form a socket for threadably receiving and mounting a needle hub. The jaw members are formed with internal threads  46  for threadably receiving the threaded needle hub  72  of a needle  24 . Other forms of needle connectors may also be used. 
     The jaws  30 - 36  extend coaxially and are annularly spaced about the central longitudinally axis of the barrel  12 . The jaws or segments of the hub are further mounted to pivot inwardly and outwardly toward and away from the central axis for gripping and releasing a threaded hub of a needle, respectively. The barrel  12  is preferably fabricated from a polycarbonate compound and has some spring characteristics to enable the hub segments to be biased outward to release a needle hub  72 . The hub segments are formed to be normally biased to the innermost position to threadably receive a needle hub  72 . Each segment is also formed with an outer protrusion  48  forming an undercut or retainer shoulder  50 . 
     The longitudinally slidable releasing sleeve  18  is formed with a forward wall  52  having an aperture  54  with an annular shoulder  56  for engaging retainer shoulders  50  behind protrusions  48  (FIG.  2 ). This retains the sleeve  18  in place on the neck of the needle mounting socket  26 . The aperture  54  is formed by an annular wall or shoulder that engages the outer surface of the jaws and normally biases them inward to an innermost position. Also formed in the aperture  54  of the forward end wall  52  are a plurality of inwardly projecting wedges  58 ,  60 ,  62 , and  64  ( FIG. 5 ) which extend in the slots  38 ,  40 ,  42  and  44  for biasing or camming the segments or jaws apart as the sleeve  18  is pulled or slid backward toward the rear or back end of the tube  12 . This action of sliding the sleeve  18  backward on the tube  12  biases or cams the jaws  30 - 34  apart releasing the needle hub allowing it to drop from the socket  26 . The wedge members  58 - 64  act as cam means for camming engagement with surfaces of the slots between the jaw members for biasing them outwardly into a needle hub releasing position. The sleeve is normally biased to a forwardmost position by an elastic collar  66 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4  for retaining the jaws in an innermost position for threading engagement with the hub of the needle. The elastic collar  66  is captured between the end wall  28  of tube  12  and the inner surface of end wall  52  of the slidable sleeve  18 . 
     The connector assembly is designed to threadably receive or grip the threaded hub  72  of a needle  24  of the type as shown in FIG.  4 . The sleeve  18  is normally biased to the forwardmost position by means of a silicone collar or spring  66  so that the jaws can threadably receive the hub of the needle. The sleeve may be biased to the rearmost position by engaging the finger flanges  20  and  22  with the fore-finger and second finger and engaging the rear of tube  12  with the thumb, pressing the fingers and thumb toward one another slides the sleeve  18  along tube  12  camming the jaws open and releasing the hub of the needle. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4  the needle connector assembly is designed to mount and retain a conventional needle assembly of the type designed for blood collection holders as illustrated. The needle  24  is an elongated hollow cannula having a threaded hub which comprises a central radially extending disk like flange  70  with a threaded stud like member  72  and an internal needle  74  extending therefrom. A splined or fluted coupling  76  is formed on the forward end of the needle assembly comprising axially elongated radially extending splines or ribs. The needle assembly has an outer or external needle  24  and an inner or internal needle  74  which is covered by a silicone sheath that forms or acts as a valve. 
     The needle is mounted in the retainer and connector assembly of the tube  12  by threadably extending the needle hub assembly into the socket  26 . The needle flange  70  engages the outer ends of the jaws and stops or positions the threaded portion  72 . The forward bias of the sleeve by the spring force of the collar  66  forces or maintains the jaws to their inner or inward gripping position for gripping or threadably receiving the hub of the needle assembly. This positions the inner needle inside the tube  12  to be engaged and to puncture a stopper of a vacuum blood collection tube. 
     When it is desired to remove the needle, the sleeve is simply moved backward on the tube  12  biasing the jaws open releasing the needle hub for its removal. This is accomplished by pressing forward on the back end of the sleeve while pulling backward on the finger tabs or flanges  20  and  22  on the sleeve while holding it over a container so that the needle is quickly released and falls directly into a disposable container. 
     While I have illustrated my invention by means of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that numerous changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.