Patent ID: 8137281

Claim:
An ultrasonic probe system comprising: a probe casing, wherein the probe casing comprises a head part provided at a front side of the probe casing and a grasping part provided at a back side of the probe casing and connected with the head part, wherein the probe casing comprises opposite outer surfaces, wherein at least one of the outer surfaces is formed with a guiding slot or a clamping protrusion, and wherein the probe casing comprises a major axis extending from the head part to the grasping part; and a needle guide comprising an arcuate clip configured to be clamped onto the probe casing, wherein the clip comprises two clamping arms, wherein each clamping arm comprises an inner surface, wherein at least one of the inner surfaces comprises a clamping protrusion or a guiding slot, wherein the clamping protrusion or guiding slot of the needle guide is configured to match and fit with the corresponding guiding slot or clamping protrusion of the probe casing, wherein the guiding slot comprises an open end configured to receive the clamping protrusion and guide the clamping protrusion into the guiding slot, wherein the guiding slot comprises a terminal end opposite the open end such that the guiding slot extends from the open end to the terminal end, wherein the clamping protrusion comprises a leading end and a terminal end opposite the leading end such that the clamping protrusion extends from the leading end to the terminal end, wherein the guiding slot is configured to initially receive the leading end of the clamping protrusion at the open end of the guiding slot so as to guide the leading end through the guiding slot from the open end of the guiding slot until the leading end is adjacent to the terminal end of the guiding slot, wherein a bottom surface of the guiding slot is formed with a positioning convex portion, and a top surface of the corresponding clamping protrusion is formed with a positioning concave portion, wherein the positioning convex portion is configured to snap into the positioning concave portion so as to fix the needle guide to the ultrasound probe, and wherein the guiding slot and the clamping protrusion are configured such that the needle guide can be connected with the probe casing by moving the needle guide in a direction substantially parallel to the major axis of the probe casing.