Patent ID: 8597255

Claim:
A safety needle for automatically covering a tip of a needle following removal of the needle from a patient, the safety needle comprising: a hollow needle having a tip for injecting into the patient and a longitudinal axis; a hub mounted to the needle and having an outer surface, a receiving end distal to the tip of the needle and an injection end proximal to the tip of the needle, the injection end having at least one recess, at least part of the outer surface of the hub tapering inwardly toward the injection end; and a slidable sleeve having a mounting end distal to the tip of the needle and an injection end proximal to the tip of the needle, the tip of the needle being located inside the slidable sleeve in an extended position, the tip of the needle projecting from the slidable sleeve in a retracted position, the slidable sleeve including at least one arm with a projection, the projection extending radially inwardly from the mounting end, the projection having an enlarged end and a reduced proximal width, the reduced proximal width attached to the mounting end of the arm and the enlarged end spaced from the mounting end of the arm, the slidable sleeve slidably mounted to the hub between the receiving and injection ends of the hub, the outer surface of the hub deflecting the projection outwardly in a radial direction as the slidable sleeve slides axially toward the receiving end of the hub, and wherein a displacement force urges the slidable sleeve from an initial position toward the retracted position generating a restoring force within the slidable sleeve, the restoring force urging the slidable sleeve to move toward the injection end of the needle hub and into the extended position upon removal of the displacement force, the projection sliding into and being retained within the at least one recess in the extended position.