Patent ID: 6846302

Claim:
A needle protector device comprising: a protector tube slidingly disposed in an outer tube and slidingly disposed over a syringe comprising a needle, said protector tube comprising at least one abutment initially in engagement with said outer tube such that said protector tube is constrained from moving distally with respect to said syringe; a biasing device disposed inside said outer tube operative to provide an urging force on said protector tube in a direction that tends to urge said protector tube distally towards a tip of said needle; and a release mechanism operative to move said at least one abutment out of engagement with said outer tube upon distal pushing of a plunger of said syringe such that when said at least one abutment is out of engagement with said outer tube, said biasing device urges said protector tube distally towards the tip of said needle; wherein said at least one abutment comprises at least one resilient tongue that tends to spring radially outwards from an outer contour of said protector tube, and wherein said protector tube is formed with an elongate axial groove and a depression formed proximal to said groove, and said outer tube is formed with an elongate axial groove and a depression formed proximal to said groove, and at least one resilient tongue formed at a distal end thereof comprising lugs, wherein a proximal end of said at least one resilient tongue of said protector tube is initially fixedly received in said depression of said outer tube, and said lugs are initially received in said axial groove of said protector tube.