The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 04, 2005
Filed:
Oct. 07, 2002
Lawrence P. Hudon, Hinsdale, NH (US);
Lawrence P. Hudon, Hinsdale, NH (US);
Smiths Medical ASD, Inc., Keene, NH (US);
Abstract
A needle protection device for a vial, or capsule, has a housing hingedly or flexibly connected to a needle collar by a hinge. The collar has a main portion configured to fit about at least a portion of the body of the vial and an extension configured to fit about at least a portion of the neck of the vial. A needle hub, movable along the neck of the vial and to which a needle extends, is interposed between the body and neck of the vial. The hub has a skirt portion that could be moved along the neck of the vial for capping or overlapping the extension of the collar to thereby non-removably secure the collar to the vial. An improved syringe assembly is effected when a vial of the instant invention is placed within a vial holder applicator, such as for example a CARPUJET applicator. Once firmly positioned within the applicator, a mechanism integral to the applicator is actuated to move the skirt portion of the hub and the collar extension that fits about the neck of the vial relatively towards each other so that the collar extension is capped by the hub skirt portion, thereby securely coupling the collar to the vial. A rod movable along the length of the applicator is mated with a plunger movable along the body of the vial to effect the syringe assembly. The housing hingedly connected to the collar is pivotable relative to the vial to envelop the needle extending from the hub, thereby ensuring that the needle, once contaminated, is prevented from being further exposed.