Patent ID: 7850650

Claim:
A needle assembly comprising: mounting structure; a needle mounted on the mounting structure and extending outwardly therefrom, the needle having a longitudinal axis, a sharp end and a central axial passageway; a safety shield associated with the needle and comprising a tubular housing adapted for movement relative to the needle between a stowed position in which the tubular housing is spaced from the sharp end of the needle and a deployed position in which the tubular housing covers the sharp end, a locking mechanism adapted to releasably lock the tubular housing in the deployed position covering the sharp end of the needle, and an unlocking mechanism adapted to engage the locking mechanism to unlock the tubular housing from the needle, the unlocking mechanism comprising a generally rigid body disposed in the tubular housing for movement relative to the tubular housing and the locking mechanism; and the locking mechanism comprising a base having an opening receiving the needle therethrough and at least one arm extending outwardly from the base, the rigid body being shaped and arranged for engaging the base of the locking mechanism to release the locking mechanism; and an obturator including a shaft sized and shaped for reception in the central axial passageway of the needle, and a reset member operatively connected to the shaft and selectively engageable with the unlocking mechanism of the safety shield for moving the unlocking mechanism into selective engagement with the locking mechanism for releasing the locking mechanism to permit the tubular housing to move away from the sharp end of the needle, wherein the rigid body is generally tubular in shape and receives the needle therein.