Abstract:
A one-shot needle safety cover using a rotational or a drawing method to enclose a used needle. The safety cover can be applied to a syringe, butterfly needle, blood collector, intravenous catheter, and arteriovenous fistula. In the rotating method, by means of a rotating axle a needle can be enclosed inside or exposed from a needle cap. In the drawing method, by means of an orienting member a butterfly needle can be drawn back and forth along a chamber of a needle cover. The present invention is easy to operate, more safe, and is able to prevent a needle from being used a second time.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates in general to a needle cover, and more particularly, to a one-shot needle safety cover that is easy to operate, more safe, and is able to prevent a needle from being used a second time.  
         [0002]     A conventional syringe, whether it is integrally formed with a needle or comprises a separate needle, utilizes a needle cap to protect the needle and to prevent medical personal from injury. The needle cap must be removed before proceeding with a blood drawing or an injection. After a blood drawing or an injection, the needle must be covered by the needle cap before disposal in order to prevent the danger of an exposed needle. The needle cap must be fully removed from the syringe during a treatment. However, the needle cap is easily lost. Further, placing the needle cap over the needle is dangerous. A medical person could be pierced inadvertently, thereby becoming infected. In addition, the conventional syringe is easily used for a second time.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention provides a one-shot needle safety cover that is easy to operate, more safe, and is able to prevent the needle from being use a second time.  
         [0004]     The one-shot needle safety cover of the present invention includes a rotating member and a fixing member. The rotating member has a needle cap and a rotating arm extending from one side of the needle cap and a rotating axle connecting to the body of the rotating arm. The needle cap has a receptive space formed therein and at least one slot cut therefrom. The slot is parallel with the rotating arm. The rotating axle has an enlarged head at one end thereof.  
         [0005]     The fixing member has an axle hole and a fixing hole formed at one side thereof and a protruding sleeve portion formed at the other side thereof. The axle hole and the fixing hole are connected by a passage channel. A retaining portion is formed at the bottom of the passage channel adjacent to the fixing hole. The sleeve portion has a sleeve hole formed in the middle thereof and a receptive opening formed at one end thereof adjacent to the passage channel.  
         [0006]     The rotating axle is inserted into the axle hole of the fixing member, with the enlarged head retained by the wall surface of the fixing member, and the sleeve hole of the sleeve portion is sleeved over either the top of a syringe or the bottom of a needle.  
         [0007]     The objectives of the present invention will become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.  
         [0008]     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     These as well as other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings therein:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a one-shot needle safety cover in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the one-shot needle safety cover.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a side view of a syringe with the one-shot needle safety cover installed.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the syringe and the one-shot needle safety cover of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the one-shot needle safety cover, illustrating a manipulation of the safety cover.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the one-shot needle safety cover, illustrating another manipulation of the safety cover.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the one-shot needle safety cover.  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the one-shot needle safety cover.  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the third embodiment of the one-shot needle safety cover, illustrating a manipulation thereof.  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the one-shot needle safety cover.  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view, partially broken away, of another one-shot needle safety cover in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is an exploded view of the one-shot needle safety cover shown in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 13  is cross-sectional view of the one-shot needle safety cover shown in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the one-shot needle safety cover shown in  FIG. 11 , illustrating a manipulation thereof.  
         [0024]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of yet another one-shot needle safety cover in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 16  is an exploded view of the one-shot needle safety cover shown in  FIG. 15 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the one-shot needle safety cover shown in  FIG. 15 , illustrating a manipulation thereof.  
         [0027]      FIG. 18  is a perspective view of the one-shot needle safety cover shown in  FIG. 15 , illustrating another manipulation thereof.  
         [0028]      FIG. 19  is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the yet another one-shot needle safety cover.  
         [0029]      FIG. 20  is an exploded view of the second embodiment of the yet another one-shot needle safety cover.  
         [0030]      FIG. 21  is an exploded view of the third embodiment of the yet another one-shot needle safety cover. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0032]     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 3 , a one-shot needle safety cover in accordance with the present invention can be applied to a medical device with a needle  3  that includes, but is not limited to a syringe, butterfly needle, blood collector, intravenous catheter, and arteriovenous fistula. The safety cover comprises a rotating member  1  and a fixing member  2 .  
         [0033]     The rotating member  1  comprises a needle cap  11 , a rotating arm  12  extending from one side of the needle cap  11 , and a rotating axle  13  connecting to the body of the rotating arm  12 . The needle cap  11  has a receptive space  111  formed therein, and at least one slot  112  cut therefrom. The slot  112  is parallel with the rotating arm  12 . The rotating axle  13  has an enlarged head  14  at one end thereof for pivotally connecting the rotating member  1  to the fixing member  2 .  
         [0034]     The fixing member  2  has an axle hole  21  and a fixing hole  22 , which are connected by a passage channel  23 . A retaining portion  24  is formed about the bottom of the passage channel  23  adjacent to the fixing hole  22 . Further, the fixing member  2  has a protruding sleeve portion  25  formed at one side thereof. The sleeve portion  25  has a sleeve hole  26  formed in the middle thereof and a receptive opening  27  formed at one end thereof adjacent to the passage channel.  
         [0035]     To assemble the preferred embodiment, the rotating axle  13  is inserted into the axle hole  21  of the fixing member  2 , with the enlarged head  14  retained by the wall surface of the fixing member  2 . The rotating member  1  is thereby pivotally connected to the fixing member  2 . The sleeve hole  26  of the sleeve portion  25  is sleeved over the top of the medical device. Alternatively, the sleeve portion  25  is integrally formed with the medical device, instead connected to that by means of the sleeve hole  26 .  
         [0036]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 through 6 , the usage of the preferred embodiment is illustrated. Initially, the safety cover is assembled onto a syringe by inserting the top of the syringe into the sleeve hole  26  of the sleeve portion  25 . The syringe is then rotated around the sleeve hole  26  until an oblique plane  31  of the tip of the needle  3  is opposite the rotating arm  12 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Such that, the oblique plane  31  of the needle  3  will remain facing outward while the needle  3  is inserted into a patient&#39;s body. The oblique plane  31  is kept opposite to the rotating arm  12  so that the rotating arm  12  is oriented above the syringe during an injection. The injection, therefore, will not be hindered by the rotating arm  12 . Further, because the tip of the needle  3  is stored inside the rotating member, the rotating member  1  is then rotated around the rotating axle  13  in order to expose the tip of the needle  3  through the slot  112 . After these procedures, the syringe can proceed with either a drug injection or a blood withdrawing. After utilization, the rotating member  1  is rotated around the rotating axle  3  back to its former position. The rotating member  1  is further pressed down, and the rotating axle  13  is thereby pushed into the fixing hole  22  through the passage channel  23 . The retaining portion  24  retains the rotating axle  13  and prevents it from being outward. The tip of the needle  3  is thereby stored inside the receptive space  111  of the rotating member  1 . The tip of the needle  3  cannot be exposed from the rotating member  1  even if a torque is applied to the rotating member  1 , because the tip of the needle  3  is blocked by the wall above the slot  112 . Accordingly, the syringe prevents the danger of a second use. In addition, a small amount of the patient&#39;s blood or the drug delivered is likely to remain in the needle  3 . Consequently, a water absorbing element is disposed inside the receptive space  111 . The water absorbing element can absorb the remained blood or drug, and prevent dangerous incidents.  
         [0037]     Referring to  FIGS. 7 through 10 , different preferred embodiments are shown. In  FIG. 7 , the bottom of the rotating arm  12  extends outwardly. In  FIG. 8 , at the bottom of the rotating arm, the rotating member  1  can further comprise a clip portion  121  that is able to clasp the outer wall of the syringe. In  FIG. 9 , the one-shot needle safety cover further comprises a securing means  4  that is disposed on both the rotating arm  12  and the syringe for fixing the rotating member  1  to the syringe. There are many methods to connect the securing means  4 , which include, but are not limited to, snap-on, sleeve-on, sleeve connecting, engagement, joint, junction, and retaining method. Connecting the rotating arm  12  to the syringe prevents the rotating member  1  from rotating before use. The danger caused by inadvertent exposure of the needle  3  is, therefore, eliminated. Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the rotating member  1  further comprises at least one fold portion  122 . The length of the rotating arm  12  can be shortened by means of the fold portion  122  in order to facilitate the blood drawing or the injection.  
         [0038]     Referring to  FIGS. 11 through 13 , another one-shot needle safety cover of the present invention comprises a protective cap  5 , a rotating element  6 , and an extending sleeve  7 .  
         [0039]     The protective cap  5  has a through hole  53  bored therefrom. A vertical portion  51  extends from one side of the protective cap  5 . The vertical portion  51  has an axle hole  52  formed in the middle thereof.  
         [0040]     The rotating element  6  has an extending portion  61  formed at one side thereof. A rotating axle  62  extends from the extending portion  61 , with an enlarged head  63 .  
         [0041]     By means of an extending sleeve  7 , the protective cap  5  can be connected to the medical device. The rotating axle  62  is installed into the axle hole  52 , thereby pivotally connecting the rotating element  6  to the protective cap  5 . The enlarged head  63  is retained by the inner wall surface of the vertical portion  51 . The rotating element  6  is oriented over the through hole  53  of the protective cap  5 . In addition, the one-shot needle safety cover further comprises a securing means  4  that is disposed on the rotating element  6  and the protective cap  5  for fixing them together. There are many methods to connect the securing means  4 , which include, but are not limited to, snap-on, sleeve-on, sleeve connecting, engagement, joint, junction, and retaining method.  
         [0042]     Referring to  FIG. 14 , the usage of the one-shot needle safety cover is illustrated. The extending sleeve  7  is sleeved onto a syringe with a needle  3 , with the protective cap  5  and the rotating element  6  disposed on the top of the needle  3 . The tip of the needle  3  is received by the through hole  53  of the protective cap  5 . To use the syringe, the securing means  4  is disconnected, the rotating element  6  is rotated around the rotating axle  62 , and the through hole  53  of the protective cap  5  is exposed. Further, the protective cap  5  and the extending sleeve  7  are pulled down, and thereby the needle  3  protrudes from the through hole  53 . The syringe is, therefore, able to proceed with a blood drawing or an injection. After use, the protective cap  5  and the extending sleeve  7  are returned to their former positions, and the rotating element  6  is further rotated back to cover the through hole  53 . The danger of an exposed needle is prevented. Additionally, the extending sleeve  7  may include a circular fastener at the bottom thereof for connecting to the syringe.  
         [0043]     Referring to  FIGS. 15 through 18 , yet another one-shot needle safety cover of the present invention is applied to the butterfly needle. The one-shot needle safety cover comprises a needle cover  8  and an orienting member  9 .  
         [0044]     The needle cover  8  has a chamber  81  formed therein. On one side of the needle cover  8 , a fixing plate  82 , having a concave space  83 , connects to one end of the needle cover  8 . On the same side of the needle cover  8 , a retaining plate  84 , having a retaining block  85 , connects to the other end of the needle cover  8 . On the other side of the needle cover  8  opposite the retaining plate  84 , a handle portion  86  connects to the needle cover  8 . In addition, at the inlet of the chamber  81 , a retaining portion  87  is formed, as shown in  FIG. 16 .  
         [0045]     The orienting member  9  comprises a sleeve hole  91  bored therefrom, and two clasps  92  which extend from both sides of the top thereof, respectively. One clasp  92 , opposite to the fixing plate  82 , has a clip tab  93  extending therefrom.  
         [0046]     The orienting member  9  uses the sleeve hole  91  to hold the butterfly needle. This combination can be further inserted into the chamber  81  and moved along the chamber  81  until the clip tab  93  exceeds totally the retaining plate  84 . The clasp  92  vices the wall of the needle cover  8 . The retaining block  85  retains the clip tab  93 . The needle  3  of the butterfly needle is thereby received inside the needle cover  8 . Alternatively, the orienting member  9  can be integrally formed with the butterfly needle.  
         [0047]     To use the butterfly needle, the clip tab  93  is pulled forward thereby dragging both the orienting member  9  and the butterfly needle to the front of the needle cover  8 , as shown in  FIG. 17 . The needle  3  of the butterfly needle, therefore, protrudes from the needle cover  8 . Further, the clip tab  93  is snapped into the concave space  83  of the fixing plate  82  in order to fix the orienting member  9  to the needle cover  8 . Therefore, the orienting member  9  will not slip during a blood drawing or an injection. After use, the clip tab  93  is disconnected from the fixing plate  82 , and further pulled backward until the front edge thereof exceeds the rear of the retaining plate  84 . Consequently, the clip tab  93  will be blocked by the retaining block  85 , as shown in  FIG. 18 . Because the orienting member  9  cannot move forward, the danger of a protruding needle  3  is prevented.  
         [0048]     Referring to  FIGS. 19 and 21 , another three embodiments are shown. In  FIG. 19 , the handle portion  86  is omitted from the needle cover  8 , and another clip tab  93  is added to the orienting member  9 . Both clasps  92  have a clip tab  93  extending therefrom. Further, a plurality of orienting points  88  is disposed on the outer edge of the chamber  81  to substitute for the fixing plate  82 . In  FIG. 20 , the retaining plate  84  is replaced with orienting points  85  formed on the outer edge of the chamber  81 . In  FIG. 21 , the clip tabs  93  are omitted from the orienting member  9 , and the orienting point  85  is replaced by a trench  89 .  
         [0049]     While an illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.