U.S. patent application number 11/834282 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-22 for needle tip protector.
This patent application is currently assigned to SMITHS MEDICAL ASD, INC.. Invention is credited to John C. Kulli.
Application Number | 20070270753 11/834282 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34886088 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070270753 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kulli; John C. |
November 22, 2007 |
NEEDLE TIP PROTECTOR
Abstract
A needle tip protector (80) includes a needle gripping U-shaped
clip (81).
Inventors: |
Kulli; John C.; (Hamlin,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOOD, HERRON & EVANS, LLP
2700 CAREW TOWER
441 VINE STREET
CINCINNATI
OH
45202
US
|
Assignee: |
SMITHS MEDICAL ASD, INC.
160 Weymouth Street
Rockland
MA
02370
|
Family ID: |
34886088 |
Appl. No.: |
11/834282 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10906171 |
Feb 5, 2005 |
|
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11834282 |
Aug 6, 2007 |
|
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|
60544843 |
Feb 13, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
604/164.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 2005/325 20130101;
A61M 25/0612 20130101; A61M 5/3273 20130101; A61M 25/0618
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
604/164.01 |
International
Class: |
A61M 5/178 20060101
A61M005/178 |
Claims
1. A needle tip protector comprising: a needle having a shaft and a
sharp tip end; a generally U-shaped clip having an aperture in each
leg thereof for the needle shaft to pass easily therethrough in a
first state of the clip and to grip the needle shaft in a second
state of the clip, the needle shaft extending through the aperture
in each leg.
2. The needle tip protector of claim 1 further comprising a housing
telescoped over the needle shaft, the clip being contained within
the housing.
3. The needle tip protector of claim 1 further comprising a trigger
operatively associated with the needle and the clip such as to hold
the clip in the first state when the needle shaft is engaged with
the trigger.
4. The needle tip protector of claim 1, the clip being resilient so
as to naturally tend towards the second state.
5. The needle tip protector of claim 4 further comprising a trigger
element operatively associated with the needle shaft such that the
trigger member holds the clip member in the first state when
engaged with the needle and releases the clip member when released
from engagement with the needle.
6. The needle tip protector of claim 5 further comprising a housing
telescoped over the needle shaft, the clip being contained within
the housing.
7. The needle tip protector of claim 6, the trigger being contained
within the housing.
8. The needle tip protector of claim 1 wherein the legs of the clip
are angularly offset in the second state relative to a portion of
the legs in the first state, the needle tip protector further
comprising a cam positioned to urge an adjacent clip leg to further
angularly offset.
9. The needle tip safety protector of claim 8, the cam presenting a
surface extending at an angle from a plane perpendicular to the
needle shaft.
10. The needle tip protector of claim 1 wherein the legs of the
clip are angularly offset in the second state relative to a portion
of the legs in the first state, the needle tip protector further
comprising a pair of cams each positioned to urge an adjacent clip
leg to further angularly offset.
11. The needle tip safety protector of claim 10, each cam
presenting a surface extending at a respective angle from a plane
perpendicular to the needle shaft.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 10/906,171, filed Feb. 5, 2005 and claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Application No. 60/544,843, filed Feb. 13, 2004, the
disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to medical needles and, more
particularly, to devices for protecting against the sharp tip of
the needle.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
[0003] Needles (to include all sharp-tipped cannulae) are used
throughout the medical profession for a variety of medical
procedures. For example, hypodermic needles are used with syringes
to administer fluids and/or medications to patients and to withdraw
fluids from patients. Similarly, sharp-tipped cannula are used to
insert catheters into patients for various medical purposes. An
intravenous catheter may typically include a sharp-tipped needle
cannula with its shaft extending through the catheter so that the
sharp tip extends slightly beyond the distal end of the catheter.
The other end of the needle is connected to a hub or other
structure which is held by the healthcare worker during insertion.
The needle hub is typically fitted into the catheter hub. The
needle and catheter are inserted together into the patient until
the catheter end is properly placed in the patient's blood vessel.
The needle hub is pulled from the catheter hub to withdraw the
needle, leaving the catheter in place in the patient for
administration or withdrawal of fluids or other medically required
procedures or purposes. But as with hypodermic needles, after use,
the exposed sharp tip of the needle cannula presents a source of
accidental needle-stick, which may cause injury or disease, such as
by transmission of dangerous blood-borne pathogens.
[0004] A variety of different devices intended to enclose or
otherwise shield the sharp needle tip have been developed in
recognition of the need to reduce or eliminate accidental
needle-sticks. While many of these devices provide advantages,
further enhancements are desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides needle tip protectors which
provide further enhancements over prior approaches. To this end,
and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a
support is telescopingly received over the needle shaft and
includes a pair of spring arms each supporting at its end an
apertured member adapted to extend into the axis of the needle,
with the members being normally urged by the spring arms into a
position where the apertures thereof are out of alignment with the
needle axis, but which are held in alignment when a needle shaft is
extending through the apertures. Thus, when the needle shaft is
retracted from the loaded position in which it is extending through
the apertures to an unloaded position, the spring arms urge the
apertured members out of alignment so as to create a barrier
against moving the needle back into the loaded position.
[0006] In accordance with a different aspect of the present
invention, needle gripping structure is provided to secure the
needle in the unloaded position. In one embodiment, the needle
shaft may include an irregularity defining an oversized portion
near the sharp tip with the support having an aperture sized to
prevent the irregularity from passing through the support when the
needle moves from the loaded to the unloaded position. As a
consequence, when the needle is pulled to the unloaded position,
the tip end becomes trapped between the now-misaligned aperture
members and the support. In still other embodiments, the needle
gripping structure may be active, such as provided by an extension
flange or projection which grips into a slot in the needle such as
shown in European Patent No. 0 352 928 B2, a locking clip such as
shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,482, or other mechanisms such as shown
in aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,482, or U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,458,658;
611,781; or 5,662,610. The disclosures of all of the foregoing U.S.
and European patents are incorporated herein by reference in their
entireties.
[0007] In a still further embodiment of the invention, the needle
gripping structure may provide a needle tip protector in the form
of a generally U-shaped clip having an aperture in each leg thereof
for the needle shaft to pass easily therethrough when the clip is
in a first state and to grip the needle shaft in a second state of
the clip with one or both of the legs being angularly offset from
the position the leg(s) held in the first state of the clip. The
clip may be resilient so that it normally tends towards the second
state. A trigger mechanism may be provided which cooperates with
the needle shaft so as to hold the clip in the first state when the
needle is in the loaded state and to release the clip when the
needle releases from the trigger so as to allow the clip to go into
the second state thereby to grip the needle. Cam structure may also
be provided to assist in urging the clip leg(s) into the angular
offset position to tighten the grip on the needle shaft as the
needle shaft is moved while in the unloaded position.
Advantageously, a surface of the cam is at an angle relative to a
plane perpendicular to the needle shaft to facilitate such
tightening of the grip.
[0008] In accordance with a yet further, different aspect of the
present invention, the support may be defined by an aspect of a
housing which telescopingly receives the needle. Further the needle
gripping structure may be contained, at least in part, within the
housing.
[0009] When the needle tip protector is to be used with a catheter,
it is advantageous to have the needle tip protector remain affixed
with the catheter hub until or with the needle being moved into the
unloaded position. To this end, and in accordance with a still
additional, different aspect of the present invention, features of
the needle tip protector or its housing are urged against the
interior surface of the catheter hub when the needle shaft is
passing therethrough such as in the loaded state of the needle, and
which are biased to move away from the catheter hub interior wall
when the needle shaft is no longer passing therethrough so as to
release from the catheter hub. In one embodiment, the apertured
members could be held so as to have aspects thereof extend
outwardly into the catheter hub interior wall, such as an annular
recess therein, in the loaded position of the needle such that they
are urged together when the needle departs the loaded state, so as
to release from the catheter hub. In another embodiment, the
apertured members may be held with a housing having resilient
fingers extending therefrom and which have detents to engage the
catheter hub interior wall when flexed apart by the needle shaft
passing therethrough.
[0010] By virtue of the foregoing there are thus provided needle
tip protectors which provide further enhancements over prior
approaches. These and other objects and advantages of the present
invention shall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and
the description thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and, together with the general description of the
invention given above and the detailed description of the
embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the
present invention.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a
needle tip protector of the present invention in the needle loaded
state;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the needle tip
protector of FIG. 1 in the needle unloaded state and defining a
barrier to the needle tip;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an axial cross-sectional view of the needle tip
protector of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 4 is an axial cross-sectional view of the needle tip
protector of FIG. 2;
[0016] FIG. 5 is an axial cross-sectional view of a second
embodiment of a needle tip protector of the present invention in
the needle loaded state;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the needle tip
protector of FIG. 5 in the needle unloaded state and defining a
barrier to the needle tip;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a partial, cross-sectional side view of the needle
tip protector of FIG. 6 associated with a catheter and affixed to
the hub thereof in accordance with the principles of the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing release of the
needle tip protector from the catheter hub;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a perspective, particularly cut-away view of the
needle tip protector of FIG. 1 with a housing;
[0021] FIG. 10 is a partial, cross-sectional side view of the
needle tip protector and housing of FIG. 9 with catheter hub
engagement fingers shown held to a catheter hub in the needle
loaded position;
[0022] FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing the hub
engagement fingers released from the catheter hub in the needle
unloaded position;
[0023] FIG. 12 is an axial cross-sectional view of a third
embodiment of a needle tip protector in accordance with the
principles of the present invention in the needle loaded state;
and
[0024] FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 in the needle unloaded
state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] With respect to FIGS. 1-4 there is shown a first embodiment
10 of a needle tip protector intended to cooperate with a needle 12
having a shaft 14 extending from a needle hub 15, and a sharp tip
end 16. Needle tip protector 10 includes a support member 20 such
as a wall or disk (or multiple, overlapping elements, not shown)
having or defining an aperture 22 telescopingly receiving shaft 14
of needle 12. A pair of spring arms 24, 26 which may be wires, thin
strips, or wide bands, extend from support 20 in a direction toward
sharp tip 16. A pair of apertured members 28, 30 are connected to
respective ones of the spring arms 24 and 26. Apertured members may
be walls or other such structure, and may advantageously be in the
form of circular discs as shown in FIG. 1. Members 28 and 30 each
has a respective aperture 32, 34, such as a circular or other
shaped hole, therein sized to receive therethrough shaft 14 of
needle 12.
[0026] Members 28, 30 may be pushed into alignment, such as by
being urged radially inwardly relative to each other by an external
force, so that holes 32 and 34 thereof are in alignment with a
common axis such as the longitudinal axis 36 of needle 12. As
so-aligned, needle shaft 14 is telescopingly received through
support aperture 22 and holes 32, 34 of apertured members 28, 30 to
define a loaded position of needle 12 as shown in FIG. 1. Spring
arms 24, 26 tend to urge disks 28 and 30 apart so that apertures
32, 34 try to move out of alignment from common axis 36. To this
end, when needle 14 is retracted (as indicated by arrow 37 in FIG.
3) from the loaded position of FIGS. 1 and 3 to an unloaded
position, such as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, shaft 14 comes out of
aperture 32, and possibly aperture 34 depending upon the design and
the spacing between apertured members 28 and 30, so as to allow one
or both of the members 28, 30 to move radially outwardly (as
exemplified by arrow 38 in FIGS. 2 and 3) and out of the alignment
with axis 36 of needle 12. In the unloaded position, apertured
members 28, 30 are out of alignment so as to provide a barrier
against moving needle tip 16 back into the loaded position of
needle 12.
[0027] In order to limit misalignment of apertured members 28 and
30 so, for example, they do not come too far apart and create a gap
therebetween for re-emergence of needle tip 16, members 28 and 30
may advantageously extend in a direction transverse or
perpendicular to the axis 36 of needle shaft 14 such that they
define confronting faces 40, 42 each of which is provided with a
respective ledge 44, 46 which are in opposed positions (FIGS. 3 and
4). As seen in FIG. 3, in the loaded position of needle 12, ledges
44 and 46 may be spaced apart such as to either side of needle
shaft 14. However, with needle 12 moved to the unloaded position,
shown by way of example in FIG. 4, one or both of members 28 and 30
are free to move radially out of alignment due to the action of
spring arms 24, 26. However, the extent of outwardly radial
movement is limited by the ledges 44, 46 which cooperate such as by
impacting against one another.
[0028] While apertured members 28, 30 of tip protector 10 are shown
as moving inwardly to align and outwardly to misalign, the opposite
directions of movement could also be utilized. To this end, and
with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, it will be seen that an
alternative embodiment 10' of needle tip protector has apertured
members 28' and 30' with apertures 32' and 34' offset so as to be
closer towards edges 48, 49 than edges 50, 51, the latter being
near or where the spring arms 24, 26 attach. Members 28' and 30'
may be disc-shaped such as ovoid or circular and are moved radially
outwardly relative to each other so as to align the apertures 32',
34' for needle 12 to telescope therethrough in the loaded position
as seen in FIG. 5. Spring arms 24, 26 urge the members 28', 30'
together (as indicated by arrow 38' in FIG. 5) such that when
needle 12 moves (as indicated by arrow 37 in FIG. 5) out of the
loaded position to an unloaded position, as shown by way of example
in FIG. 6, apertured members 28' and 30' move radially inwardly
relative to each other so as to go out of alignment with needle
axis 36 and to thus provide the desired barrier to reemergence of
needle tip 16. In embodiment 10', no ledges are required due to
presence of spring arm 24 against which member 30' may impact, for
example, although ledges could be provided.
[0029] A further aspect of tip protector 10' facilitates its use
with a catheter 52. In particular, and with reference to FIG. 7, it
can be seen that in the loaded position of needle 12, one or more
of edges 50, 51 of members 28', 30' are urged against the interior
wall 54 of catheter hub 56, to grip thereat. Edges 50, 51 may
additionally or alternatively be received into a recess 58 (which
may be annular) of catheter hub wall 54. Edges 50, 51 may be the
peripheral portions of members 28', 30' or may be projecting
elements attached thereto or formed thereon. As a consequence, in
the loaded position of needle 12 such as with needle 12 extending
through catheter tube 57 such that needle tip 16 projects
therefrom, tip protector 10' is within and held to catheter hub 56.
Although not shown, it will be appreciated that needle hub 15 may
form part of, be attached to, or communicate into, a flashback
chamber. When needle 12 is moved (in the direction of arrow 37 in
FIG. 8) into the unloaded state, as seen in FIG. 8, members 28',
30' move radially inwardly so as to not only provide a barrier to
re-emergence to needle tip 16, but also to come away from catheter
hub wall 54 thereby allowing tip protector 10' to easily come away
from catheter hub 56.
[0030] Shaft 14 of needle 12 may be provided with an irregularity
62 (shown in dotted line in FIG. 8), such as a crimp, a bump or
other projecting feature to define an oversized portion of shaft
14, near tip 16. Aperture 22 of support member 20 may be sized so
as to prevent irregularity 62 from pressing therethrough such that
in the unloaded position of needle 12 as seen in FIG. 8, the tip
end 16 is captured between members 28' 30' (or members 28, 30 where
protector 10 is used) and support member 20. If the irregularity 62
is present, it must be small enough to go through apertures 32' and
34' but not so small as to go through aperture 22 in support wall
20. Further, apertures 32' and 34' (or 32 and 34) may need to have
their openings shaped to help cam the irregularity into the
aperture on withdrawal of the needle from the loaded state.
[0031] Alternatively or additionally, a housing 64 may be provided,
with proximal wall 66 thereof defining support member 20 as seen in
FIG. 9. Alternatively, spring arms 22, 24 could extend from the
distal wall 68 of housing 64, such that wall 68 defines support 20.
Housing 64 may be a cylindrical or other shaped plastic or metal
structure which is designed to be telescopingly received over
needle shaft 14 with needle tip 16 extending therefrom. Housing 64
thus provides a cover to needle tip 16 within protector 10, and to
protector 10 to reduce the likelihood that apertured members 28, 30
might be pushed back together and allow for re-emergence of needle
tip 16. Depending on size, housing 64 may also be received in
catheter hub 56. Tip protector 10 and 10' may be of metal and/or
plastic. For example, members 28, 30 or 28', 30' and spring arms
24, 26 may be metal, and support member 20 may be metal or may be
plastic, especially if housing 64 is formed of plastic.
[0032] Housing 64 may be modified to housing 64' as shown in FIG.
10 to include resilient fingers 70, 72 extending from distal wall
68 of housing 64 and being normally biased radially inwardly such
as to be urged together. The area 74 defined between fingers 70, 72
is normally less than the diameter of needle shaft 14, such that
with shaft 14 telescoped therethrough as seen in FIG. 10, fingers
70, 72 are held radially outwardly and against catheter hub
interior wall 54 so as to hold housing 64 to catheter hub 56.
Advantageously fingers 70, 72 each include detents 76 adapted to
engage into recess 58 of catheter hub 56 so as to improve the hold.
When needle 12 is moved (in the direction of arrow 37 in FIG. 10)
into the unloaded position as shown in dashed line in FIG. 11,
needle shaft 14 is no longer holding fingers 70 and 72 fully apart,
so they move back towards each other (as indicated by arrows 77 in
FIG. 11), releasing the hold on catheter hub 56, to thus allow for
easy release from cathether hub 56 upon further pulling of needle
12 away from catheter hub 56 as indicated by arrows 78 in FIG. 11.
The structure and operation of fingers 70, 72 may be as shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,310 the disclosure of which is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety. Housing 64' may be sized to
include tip protector 10 or 10' (only protector 10' is shown, in
dashed line, in FIGS. 10 and 11 for reference purposes) and to fit
either within or outside of catheter hub 56, the former when the
apertured members 28, 30 or 28', 30' are also sized to fit within
hub 56.
[0033] Needle tip 16 may be held within housing 64 or 64' due to an
irregularity 62 (see FIG. 8). Housing 64 or 64' may additionally,
or alternatively, include therein structure to actively grip shaft
14 of needle 12, especially once needle 12 has assumed the unloaded
state. Some examples are an extension flange or projection which
grips into a slot in the needle such as shown in European Patent
No. 0 352 928 B2, a locking clip such as shown in U.S. Pat. No.
5,328,482, or other mechanisms such as shown in aforesaid U.S. Pat.
No. 5,328,482, or U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,458,658; 611,781; or 5,662,610.
Alternatively, and in accordance with a further aspect of the
present invention, a third embodiment 80 of a needle tip protector
is provided by an active needle gripping structure in the form of a
U-shaped clip 81 as will now be described with reference to FIGS.
12 and 13. In particular, U-shaped clip 81 includes a pair of legs
or wall 82, 84 with a yoke 86 extending therebetween. Also, formed
in each leg 82, 84 is an aperture 87, 88, respectively, which is
intended to pass shaft 14 freely therethrough in a first or loaded
position of the clip 81 such as with legs 82, 84 being generally
vertically oriented or parallel to each other as seen in FIG. 12,
and to otherwise grip the surface of shaft 14 when the clip 81 is
in a second or unloaded state as shown in FIG. 13, such as with
legs 82, 84 being angularly (advantageously outwardly in the
direction of arrows 89 and 89' in FIG. 13) offset from the
positions they had in FIG. 12.
[0034] Clip 81 is advantageously a piece of resilient spring metal
or shaped plastic such that it normally tends into the second state
(FIG. 13), but can be bent or flexed into the first state seen in
FIG. 12. The dual leg aspect of clip 81 provides an advantageous
bi-directional grip on needle shaft 14 such that clip 81 may be
sufficient to define a needle tip protector. To this end, clip 81
may be contained within housing 64, which may also be the housing
to support the apertured members 28, 30 or 28', 30' (not shown in
FIGS. 12 and 13), if desired. The proximal and distal walls 66, 68
of housing 64 each allow shaft 14 to pass therethrough, but not
clip 80.
[0035] A trigger mechanism 90 may be provided for clip 81. In
particular, trigger mechanism 90 has a base wall 92 with a front
retainer 94 defining an aperture or slot 96 therein sized to
receive needle shaft 14 therethrough in the needle loaded position
of FIG. 12. With needle shaft 14 extending through aperture 96,
base wall 92 is held in fixed spaced relation to shaft 14 such that
clip legs 82, 84 may be held in the first state between upstanding
clip ledges 100, 102 of base wall 92. Ledges 100, 102 may be
defined by the end surfaces of cutout or depression 104 of base
wall 92. When needle 12 is moved in the direction of arrow 37 (FIG.
12) to the unloaded position, such as shown in FIG. 13 by way of
example, mechanism 90 tilts or falls away (as indicated by arrow
106 in FIG. 13) from needle shaft 14, thereby releasing legs 82, 84
so that they may take on the second position to grip shaft 14. To
facilitate a tilting action, trigger mechanism 90 may be a
resilient metal or plastic strip pivotally hinged to proximal wall
66 of housing 64 and biased thereby downwardly, and/or may include
one or more springs (not shown) to provide the bias.
[0036] In the unloaded state, seen in FIG. 13, the needle tip 16 is
held inside housing 64. Housing 64 may be provided with one or more
cams 110, 112 positioned outwardly of legs 82, 84. Each cam 110,
112 cooperates to urge respective legs 82, 84 of clip 81 into being
further angularly offset in response to pushing or pulling of
needle 12. In particular, if needle 12 is pulled to the right in
FIG. 13, clip leg 84 will bear against surface 114 of cam 112
causing leg 84 to attempt to pivot further outwardly in the
direction of arrow 89' to thus further enhance the grip of leg 84
on needle shaft 14 by leg 84. Similarly, if needle 12 is pushed to
the left in FIG. 13, clip leg 82 will bear against surface 116 of
cam 112 causing leg 82 to attempt to pivot further outwardly in the
direction of arrow 89 to thus further enhance the grip of leg 82 on
needle shaft 14. To enhance the pivot tendency of legs 82, 84,
surfaces 114 and 116 may extend at an angle from a plane 118
perpendicular to the needle shaft 14, with the angle matching the
normal angular offset of the associated clip leg 82 or 84 in the
second state, by way of example.
[0037] Although clip 81 is shown within a relatively rigid housing
64 which also advantageously houses trigger mechanism 90, it will
be appreciated that some portion or all of the containment and/or
trigger mechanism for clip 81 could be provided by protector 10, by
way of example.
[0038] While the present invention has been illustrated by the
description of embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have
been described in considerable detail, it is not intended to
restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to
such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily
appear to those skilled in the art. By way of example, in the case
of use with a catheter 52, tip protectors 10 and 10' may be held to
catheter hub 56 by directly (or indirectly via fingers 70, 72)
interacting with the interior wall 54 of hub 56. Alternatively, tip
protector 10 or 10' could be held to catheter hub 56 (directly or
indirectly) by interaction with the exterior of catheter hub 56.
Additionally, support member 20 and its related aperture 22 may
serve to align tip protector 10 or 10' and/or housing 64, depending
upon the overall thickness and aperture size defined by support
member 20. Further, a Teflon felt wiper (not shown) may be placed
within housing 64 to help contain blood (also not shown) which
might find its way onto the needle shaft 14. The invention in its
broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details,
representative apparatus and methods and illustrative examples
shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such
details without departing from the scope or spirit of the general
inventive concept.
* * * * *