Patent ID: 7207975

Claim:
A needle stick protection device, comprising: a housing; a locking member positioned within the housing to permit the selective locking of the needle relative to the housing, the locking member comprising a substantially U-shaped spring biased strip having first and second upwardly extending arms biased relative to each other and connected by a central base member so as to define a spring biased strip with an open end, the first and second upwardly extending arms respectively including a first needle aperture and second needle aperture, wherein the locking member is coupled to at least one projection on a bottom of the housing to reduce finger pressure required in actuating the locking member; a release member associated with the locking member for facilitating the controlled release of a needle locked in position by the locking member, the release member engaging the first upwardly extending arm and the second upwardly extending arm such that selective movement of the release member causes the first and second upwardly extending arms to move between a first locking position in which the first and second upwardly extending arms are angled relative to each other at either an oblique angle or an obtuse angle and a second release position in which the first and second upwardly extending arms are substantially parallel, the first and second upwardly extending arms being biased toward the first locking position; wherein the release member includes a camming member having first and second sides shaped and dimensioned for respectively engaging camming surfaces of the first and second upwardly extending arms of the locking member; the release member further includes a release button coupled to the camming member, the release button extending through the housing for engagement by a user of the present needle stick protection device so as to permit a user to force the camming member downwardly toward the open end of the spring biased strip; wherein the first and second needle apertures are oriented to permit the free passage of a needle therethrough when the locking member is in its second release position and the first and second needle apertures are oriented to lock the needle relative to the locking member when the first and second upwardly extending arms are in their first locking position.