Patent ID: 8622975

Claim:
A safety needle assembly comprising: a hub; a needle fixed to said hub, said needle having a distal end formed for insertion into a patient; a shield movable relative to said hub from a first position, where said shield covers said distal end of said needle, to a second position, where said distal end of said needle is exposed and not covered by said shield; a first annular magnetic element fixed to said hub about said needle; and, a second annular magnetic element fixed to said shield; wherein, said first and second magnetic elements are aligned and configured so as to define a repulsive force therebetween which urges said first and second magnetic elements apart, said repulsive force urging said shield toward said first position, and, wherein, said repulsive force being surmountable by a predetermined level of force which causes said shield to move relative to said hub from said first position to said second position.