Patent ID: 7553293

Claim:
A safety needle assembly comprising: a cylindrical housing ( 1 , 40 ) having a top surface ( 6 ) with an opening ( 8 ) and a bottom surface ( 9 , 50 ), said housing ( 1 , 40 ) having means for mounting said housing ( 1 , 40 ) onto a medical injection device, a needle cannula ( 30 ) mounted in the bottom surface ( 9 , 50 ), said needle cannula ( 30 ) having a distal end located at a distal side of the bottom surface ( 9 , 50 ) and extending through said opening ( 8 ), a shield ( 2 , 43 ) telescopically movable relatively to the housing ( 1 , 40 ) for movement between a distal position wherein the shield ( 2 , 43 ) covers the distal end of the needle cannula ( 30 ) and a proximal position where at least a part of the distal end of the needle cannula ( 30 ) is exposed, a spring ( 25 ) located, inside said housing ( 1 , 40 ) urging the shield ( 2 , 43 ) in the distal direction, a locking element ( 16 , 44 ) provided inside the housing ( 1 , 40 ) and having at least one outwardly pointing locking protrusion ( 17 , 49 ), wherein said locking element ( 16 , 44 ) is a separate part provided between the spring ( 25 ) and the shield ( 2 , 43 ) and longitudinal moved simultaneously with the shield ( 2 , 43 ) relatively to the housing ( 1 , 40 ) during use, whereby the locking protrusion ( 17 , 49 ) provided on the locking element ( 16 ) is guided from a first position where the shield ( 2 , 43 ) is in the distal position, via a second position where the shield ( 2 , 43 ) is in the proximal position to a third position where the shield ( 2 , 43 ) is in the distal position and in which third position at least one of the locking protrusions ( 17 , 49 ) is blocked by a blocking surface ( 15 , 55 ) provided on the inside surface of the housing ( 1 , 40 ) whereby further movement of the shield is irreversibly immobilized, and whereby the shield ( 2 , 43 ) is guided during longitudinal movement of the shield ( 2 , 43 ) relative to the housing ( 1 , 40 ) to prevent rotation of the shield ( 2 , 43 ) relative to the housing ( 1 , 40 ) when the locking element is guided from the first position to the second position.