Patent ID: 8167900

Claim:
An acupuncture device which includes the following: an acupuncture needle ( 2 ) which has an elongate grip part ( 3 ) with a substantially cylindrical main portion (HG) and a needle part ( 4 ) which is fixed to the distal end of the grip part ( 3 ) in such a way that its longitudinal axis is aligned with the grip part ( 3 ), a guide tube ( 12 ) which is open at both ends and whose lumen ( 14 ) has a substantially cylindrical main portion (HL), and a releasable clamping device, by means of which the acupuncture needle ( 2 ) is held in the condition of readiness for use in the lumen ( 14 ) of the guide tube ( 12 ) so that the grip part ( 3 ) of the acupuncture needle ( 2 ) projects outwardly out of the proximal end ( 19 ) of the guide tube ( 12 ) while the distal end ( 15 ) of the guide tube ( 12 ) extends beyond the tip of the needle part ( 4 ), said grip part ( 3 ) further having one single portion ( 8 ) which is thickened in relation to the main portion (HG) of the grip part ( 3 ), said thickened portion ( 8 ) being of a substantially spherical configuration and being arranged at the distal end of the main portion (HG) of the grip part ( 3 ), said lumen ( 14 ) of said guide tube ( 12 ) having a narrowed portion ( 16 ) which is formed by a first ridge ( 22 ) projecting inwardly with respect to the cylindrical inside wall of the main portion (HL) of said lumen ( 14 ) and being arranged at a distance from the proximal end of said main portion (HL), the smallest inside diameter of said narrowed portion ( 16 ) being smaller than the largest outside diameter of the thickened portion ( 8 ) of the grip part ( 3 ) and being larger than the outside diameter of the cylindrical main portion (HG) of the grip part ( 3 ), a second inwardly projecting ridge ( 24 ) being provided at the cylindrical inside wall of said main portion (HL) of said lumen ( 14 ) and being arranged towards the proximal end ( 19 ) of said guide tube ( 12 ) at an axial spacing from said first inwardly projecting ridge ( 22 ) which axial spacing is smaller than the axial length of said spherical thickened portion ( 8 ) of said grip part ( 3 ), whereby said thickened portion ( 8 ) can be received between and simultaneously contacted by said two ridges ( 22 , 24 ), the clamping device being formed by the thickened portion ( 8 ) of the grip part ( 3 ) and the narrowed portion of the lumen ( 14 ) of the guide tube ( 12 ) which thickened portion is located between said first and second inwardly projecting ridges ( 22 , 24 ), the guide tube ( 12 ) is made from a deformable material, and the difference between the largest outside diameter of the thickened portion ( 8 ) of the grip part ( 3 ) and the smallest inside diameter of the narrowed portion ( 16 ) of the lumen ( 14 ) is so small that the clamping action can be overcome by exerting a slight axial force on the projecting proximal end ( 6 ) of the grip part ( 3 ).