Passive safety needle shield

Abstract

A passive safety needle shield is provided. The needle shield comprises a base fixed to a proximal end of a needle, and an enclosure housing initially disposed at a distal end of the needle and enclosing the end of the needle. A hinged arm connects the base and the enclosure housing. The enclosure housing is slidable along the needle length, and the hinged arm flexes to permit the enclosure housing to move along the needle as the needle is inserted into a user, thereby hiding the needle end, and providing support to the needle to avoid bends or buckles in the needle. The hinged arm is biases in the initial position so that the enclosure housing returns to the end of the needle as the needle is withdrawn.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A safety shield for a needle, comprising,
 a base member fixed to a proximal end of a needle;   an enclosure housing movably connected at a distal end of the needle and slidable along the length of the needle, the enclosure housing adapted to contact the skin of a patient, and guide the needle into the patient during insertion of the needle into the patient; and   an arm hinged at a proximal end to the base member and extending axially from the needle, the arm configured to connect the base member to the enclosure housing at a distal end of the arm, the arm being configured to bias the enclosure housing towards the distal end of the needle.   
     
     
         12 . The safety shield of  claim 11 , wherein the hinged arm and enclosure housing are configured to displace a buckling load off of the needle to prevent it from bending during use. 
     
     
         13 . The safety shield of  claim 11 , wherein the hinged arm and enclosure housing are configured to guide the needle in a straight line through the enclosure housing. 
     
     
         14 . The safety shield of  claim 11 , wherein the enclosure housing is configured to slide down the needle towards the base member as the needle penetrates the skin. 
     
     
         15 . The safety shield of  claim 14 , wherein the hinged arm is configured to bend to accommodate the sliding motion of the enclosure housing along the needle. 
     
     
         16 . The safety shield of  claim 15 , wherein the hinged arm pushes the enclosure housing back to the end of the needle using an elastic force of the hinged arm as the patient pulls the needle out of the skin. 
     
     
         17 . The safety shield of  claim 11 , further comprising a locking mechanism to prevent the enclosure housing from sliding proximally from the distal end of the needle after a use. 
     
     
         18 . The safety shield of  claim 11 , wherein the safety shield is formed in a single shot molding process. 
     
     
         19 . The safety shield of  claim 11 , wherein the safety shield comprises plastic. 
     
     
         20 . A safety shield for a needle, comprising,
 a base member fixed to a proximal end of a needle;   an enclosure housing movably connected at a distal end of the needle and slidable along the length of the needle, the enclosure housing adapted to contact the skin of a patient, and guide the needle into the patient during insertion of the needle into the patient; and   an arm configured to hinge at approximately a midpoint thereof and extending axially from the needle, the arm configured to couple at a proximal end to the base member and at a distal end to the enclosure housing, the arm being configured to bias the enclosure housing towards the distal end of the needle.   
     
     
         21 . The safety shield of  claim 20 , wherein the enclosure housing is configured to slide down the needle towards the base member as the needle penetrates the skin. 
     
     
         22 . The safety shield of  claim 21 , wherein the hinged arm is configured to bend to accommodate the sliding motion of the enclosure housing along the needle. 
     
     
         23 . The safety shield of  claim 22 , wherein the hinged arm pushes the enclosure housing back to the end of the needle using an elastic force of the hinged arm as the patient pulls the needle out of the skin. 
     
     
         24 . The safety shield of  claim 20 , further comprising a locking mechanism to prevent the enclosure housing from sliding proximally from the distal end of the needle after a use. 
     
     
         25 . The safety shield of  claim 20 , wherein the safety shield is formed in a single shot molding process. 
     
     
         26 . The safety shield of  claim 20 , wherein the safety shield comprises plastic.