Needle protection device for use with a vial
View Patent ↗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.
1. Apparatus for preventing a needle from being exposed to the environment, comprising:
a vial having a body, a neck extending from said body and a needle extending from a hub having a base fitted to said neck; and
a housing for enveloping said needle, said housing having a collar that is configured to fit to said vial, said collar having a portion clampingly form fitting about a major circumference of said body of said vial and an extension tapered from said portion having a cross section less than said portion form fitting about a major circumference of the neck of said vial, said extension being securely held by the base of said hub.
2. Apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said collar comprises a non-fully closed ring configured to be snap fitted onto said vial.
3. Apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said housing is movably connected to said collar and pivotable to a position along the longitudinal axis of said vial for enveloping said needle.
4. Apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said housing further comprises:
locking means for preventing said needle from being moved relative to said housing once said needle is enveloped by said needle.
5. Apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said extension is adaptable of being capped by the base of said hub.
6. A syringe assembly comprising:
a vial having a body, a neck extending from said body and a needle extending from a hub having a base fitted to said neck;
a housing for enveloping said needle, said housing having a collar that is configured to fit to said vial, said collar having a portion clampingly form fitting about a major circumference of said body of said vial and an extension tapered from said portion having a cross section less than said portion form fitting about a major circumference of said neck of said vial; and
a holder whereinto said vial is placed, said holder having one end for biasing against said neck of said vial and a mechanism for applying a biasing force against an other end of the body of said vial away from said neck, said mechanism being actuable to apply a force to push the body of said vial towards said one end of said holder to thereby securely couple said extension of said collar to the base of said hub of said vial.
7. Syringe assembly of claim 6 , wherein said mechanism comprises a turnable base that, when rotated to one direction, comes into contact with said other end of the body of said vial for pushing said vial towards said one end of said holder.
8. Syringe assembly of claim 7 , wherein said vial comprises a container having a plunger movable longitudinally within said container; and
a rod freely coupled to said base and movable along the length of said holder, said rod being coupled to said plunger;
wherein said vial contains a medicament that is ejected from the needle extending from said vial when said rod coupled to said plunger is moved toward the neck of said needle.
9. Syringe assembly of claim 6 , wherein said hub is movably mounted over the neck of said vial, the base of said hub movable to overlap at least one portion of said extension; and
wherein when said mechanism applies said biasing force against said other end of the body of said vial, the base of said hub and said extension of said collar are moved relatively towards each other until the base of said hub overlaps said extension to thereby fixedly couple said collar to said vial.
10. Syringe assembly of claim 9 , further comprising:
locking means integrated to said housing for preventing said needle and said housing from moving away relative to each other once said housing is pivoted to envelop said needle.
11. Syringe assembly of claim 6 , wherein said housing is connected to said collar via a hinge, said housing pivotable via said hinge to a position in alignment with said needle to envelop said needle.
12. Syringe assembly of claim 6 , wherein said extension is capped by the base of said hub.
13. In combination, a vial having a body, a neck extending from said body and a needle extending from a hub, said hub having a base fitted to said neck, a collar having a main portion clampingly form fitting about a major circumference of the body of said vial and an extension tapered from said portion having a cross section less than said portion form fitting about a major circumference of the neck of said vial, said extension being securely coupled to the base of said hub, and a housing flexibly connected to said collar, wherein said housing is pivotable to cover said needle to prevent said needle from being exposed to the environment.
14. Combination of claim 13 , wherein said extension of said collar is capped by the base of said hub.
15. Combination of claim 13 , wherein said collar comprises a non-fully closed ring configured to be snap fitted onto said body of said vial.