Hypodermic Syringe And Needle Assembly

Abstract

A hypodermic syringe barrel for receiving and holding a vial therein containing a medicament and the like and a stopper sealing one end of the vial, and a transfer needle assembly snap fitted into one end of the syringe barrel to lock the needle assembly to the barrel, the transfer needle adapted to pierce the stopper in the vial for withdrawal of the medicament and the like from the vial and through the transfer needle assembly.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a hypodermic syringe barrel and piercing or transfer needle assembly for accurately holding and positioning a vial containing a medicament and the like and for piercing a sealing stopper in the vial for withdrawal of the medicament and the like from the vial and through the transfer needle assembly.

Many different types of syringe and needle adapter assemblies are known in the prior art for piercing a sealing stopper of a medicament containing vial to withdraw the contents of the vial through the piercing needle. However, such prior art syringe and needle adapter assemblies are either complex in construction and expensive to manufacture, or they are not reliable in operation, and it is difficult to obtain a properly centered relationship between the piercing needle and sealing stopper of the vial.

With the present invention, a unique syringe barrel and needle adapter assembly is provided having means for accurately positioning and centering a medicament containing vial with a sealing stopper in one end thereof, and for accurately positioning and centering a transfer or piercing needle assembly relative to the stopper so that the transfer needle pierces the stopper for withdrawal of the contents of the vial through the transfer needle assembly. The construction of the present invention is quite simple, and it is inexpensive to manufacture, and in addition, is exceptionally reliable and accurate in operation.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a hypodermic syringe and needle assembly having means for accurately positioning and holding a vial containing a medicament and the like, wherein the vial has a sealing stopper in one end thereof, and for accurately positioning and securely holding a transfer or piercing needle assembly so that the transfer needle is adapted to pierce the sealing stopper of the vial for withdrawal of the contents of the vial through the transfer needle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view in section of a syringe and needle assembly according to the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views taken along lines 2 and 3, respectively, in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in section of a portion of the syringe barrel and of the transfer needle assembly prior to attachment of the transfer needle assembly to the syringe barrel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, a hypodermic syringe and transfer needle assembly 10 comprises an elongate, hollow syringe barrel 11 having a radially outwardly extending finger gripping flange 12 on one end thereof and a diametrically reduced, axially projecting needle attaching hub 13 on the other end thereof. An enlarged bore 14 extends through the barrel 11 and the bore 14 is radially outwardly flared at 15 at said one end of the barrel to facilitate insertion of a vial or the like into the barrel.

The reduced diameter hub 13 is joined to the main body portion of the barrel 11 by a slightly tapering or conically shaped end wall 16, and a plurality of elongate, axially extending radially inwardly projecting guide or centering ribs 17 are formed on the inner surface of barrel 11. A circumferentially extending, radially inwardly projecting sealing rib 18 is also formed on the inner surface of the barrel 11 in the bore 14 adjacent said one end thereof. The guide ribs 17 accurately guide and position a vial 19 within the barrel 11 and the seal rib 18 effects a seal between the vial 19 and barrel 11.

The vial 19 includes a reduced diameter, axially extending hub or wall 20 on one end thereof and a sealing stopper 21 made of rubber or the like is fixed within the axially projecting wall 20. A suitable piston 22 is slidably positioned within the vial 19 and is connected with a plunger 23 so that the piston 22 may be forced through the vial toward the stopper 21 to pressurize the contents of the vial and disperse the contents therefrom.

In a preferred construction, the piston 22 is made of plastic and the plunger 23 is made of rubber, although the piston and plunger could be made of other materials or could be constructed differently, if desired. For example, the piston could comprise a plunger means threadably engaged in the vial for advancement of the plunger through the vial to pressurize the contents thereof.

The hub 13 has a stepped bore therethrough including a first, enlarged diameter portion 24 extending from the outer end of the hub and including a plurality of splines 25 therein, and a second portion 26 at the inner end of the hub and of reduced diameter relative to the first portion 24. The portions 24 and 26 define a shoulder S therebetween. A radially inwardly projecting annular flange 27 is formed at the inner end of the second portion 26 and defines a locking flange for a transfer needle assembly 28.

The transfer needle assembly 28 includes an axially projecting boss 29 on one end thereof and a universal tip with a Luer lock 30 on the other end thereof. The boss 29 includes a first, enlarged diameter portion 30 having a plurality of axially extending splines 31 thereon and a second, reduced diameter portion 32 with a radially outwardly extending annular locking flange 33 on the outer end thereof for engagement behind the flange 27 of barrel 11 to lock the needle assembly to the barrel. The portions 30 and 32 define a shoulder S' therebetween, which engages with shoulder S in the bore of hub 13 to limit inward movement of the boss in the hub, as seen in FIG. 1. A bore 34 extends through the boss 29 and includes a diametrically enlarged portion 35 at the outer end of the boss. A transfer or piercing needle 36 is received in the bores 34 and 35 and a suitable means such as an epoxy cement or the like 37 is in the enlarged portion 35 in surrounding relation to a portion of the needle 36 to fixedly secure the needle in the boss 29. The needle 36 preferably has a non-coring piercing tip 38 thereon for piercing the stopper 21 in the vial 19.

The splines 31 on the boss 29 cooperate with the splines 25 in the hub 13 to prevent turning of the transfer needle assembly 28, and the locking flange 33 on the boss 29 includes a substantially vertical rear face 33a and a tapered forward face 33b so that the boss 29 may be inserted through the bore of the hub 13 and the locking flange 33 thereof snapped behind the locking flange 27 in the barrel 11 to rigidly lock the transfer needle assembly 28 to the barrel 11. A needle or the like 39 may then be attached to the transfer needle assembly 28 by means of the Luer lock 30 for conveying the contents of the vial 19 to a suitable point of use.

With the construction thus described, a much shorter needle can be used and there is no necessity of an inner barrel in the barrel 11 and accordingly, a much stronger and less expensive construction is achieved with greater reliability and accuracy of alignment between the needle and stopper 21.

In use, the vial 19 may first be positioned within the barrel 11 and the transfer needle assembly 28 then snapped into position in the hub 13 of barrel 11 with the boss 29 of the transfer needle assembly accurately centering the needle 36 relative to the stopper 21 and guiding the needle as it pierces the stopper 21, and the locking flange 33 on the boss 29 locks the transfer needle assembly 28 to the barrel in its fully inserted position. Alternatively, the transfer needle assembly 28 may first be snapped to the barrel 11 and the vial 19 then inserted in the barrel with the stopper 21 coming into contact with the needle 36 whereby the needle pierces the stopper for withdrawal of the contents of the vial. The guide ribs 17 accurately guide the vial 19 and center it with respect to the needle, and the seal rib 18 seals the vial relative to the barrel.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. Hypodermic syringe and transfer needle assembly, comprising a cylindrical hypodermic syringe barrel for receiving and holding a vial having a puncturable stopper sealing one end thereof and containing a medicament and the like therein, said barrel having an open end and a closed end, an annular, radially inwardly projecting sealing rib in the barrel adjacent the open end thereof, a plurality of axially extending, circumferentially spaced apart guide ribs on an inner surface portion of the barrel extending from the closed end thereof to the sealing rib, said barrel having a reduced diameter, axially outwardly extending hub on the closed end thereof, said hub having an axial bore therethrough with an enlarged diameter outer end portion, a plurality of axially extending splines in the enlarged diameter outer end portion, said transfer needle assembly having a reduced diameter, axially extending boss thereon adapted to be received in the bore through the hub, said boss having an inner end portion and an enlarged diameter outer end portion defining a shoulder with said inner end portion, a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending splines on the enlarged diameter portion of the boss cooperably engageable with the splines in the bore of the hub to prevent turning of the needle assembly, said shoulder on the boss cooperably engaged with a shoulder in the bore of the hub to limit inward movement of the boss in the hub bore, cooperating snap locking means on the boss and in the bore through the hub to lock the needle assembly to the barrel, said snap locking means including an annular, radially inwardly projecting locking flange in the inner end of the bore through the hub, an annular, radially outwardly projecting flange on the end of said boss adapted to be snapped behind the locking flange in the hub to lock the needle assembly to the barrel, said boss having an axial bore therethrough, a transfer needle fixed in the bore through the boss and including a sharpened end projecting beyond the end of the boss, and a Luer lock needle adapter on the other end of the needle assembly for attachment thereto of a piercing means, said transfer needle extending axially inwardly into the barrel and adapted to pierce the stopper in the vial for withdrawal of the medicament and the like from the vial and through the transfer needle assembly.

2. A hypodermic syringe transfer needle assembly as in claim 1, wherein said barrel comprises a single cylindrical side wall with the plurality of axially extending, circumferentially spaced guide ribs therein for engagement with the vial to properly position the vial in the barrel.