Patent ID: 7566323

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a needle cannula having a distal point, a proximal end and further having a shaft with a circumference; a tip protector having a base, the tip protector defining an opening to receive the needle cannula shaft and the tip protector is slideably mounted thereon; blocking means coupled to the tip protector for blocking the tip protector opening so as to enclose the distal point of the needle cannula within the tip protector; a gasket coupled to the tip protector base defining an opening nominally of a size almost identical to the shaft circumference to receive the needle cannula shaft; impeding means fixedly coupled to the needle cannula shaft at a predetermined location of the shaft and defining a size larger than the shaft circumference and the gasket opening for impeding movement of the tip protector along the needle cannula shaft beyond a pre-determined distance from the needle cannula distal point.