Needle Safety Clip with Hinged Sheath and Dual Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety devices for needles, such as sheaths and clips, are unreliable and can obstruct the medical practitioner's line of sight, leading to potential needlestick injuries during use.
Innovation Solution
A safety clip with an attachment collar, elongate sheath, and hinge mechanism that allows the needle to be pivoted between exposed and sheathed positions, featuring retaining members and mushroom projections for secure locking, and a temporary locking mechanism to prevent accidental exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a protection arm is disengaged to allow needle use, then the needle can be accessed, but the protection arm interferes with the line of sight of the medical practitioner
Solution Approach 1:
The protective shield is completely removed from the needle assembly after use, rather than being retained as an interfering component. The shield is extracted from the system after serving its protective function, eliminating the line of sight obstruction problem while maintaining protection during the critical phases of injection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a safety clip is designed to permanently lock the sheath in the closed position, then needlestick injuries are prevented, but the device lacks reliability if the locking mechanism fails
Solution Approach 1:
The dual-locking mechanism provides a backup locking system that activates if the primary locking mechanism fails. The second locking member serves as a cushioning backup that prevents catastrophic failure, ensuring the sheath remains in the protective closed position even if one locking system malfunctions.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking members utilize friction-based engagement where the parameters of surface contact and normal force create a self-locking mechanism. The friction between the locking members and their engagement surfaces provides reliable holding without requiring complex mechanical interlocks, changing the approach from mechanical geometry to friction-based parameter control.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sheath is designed to fully enclose the needle, then protection is maximized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device is segmented into distinct functional components: the sheath that encloses the needle, the hinge that enables movement, and the dual locking mechanisms that secure positions. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall simplicity, with the sheath being a simple tubular structure rather than a complex enclosing mechanism.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a safety clip for needles. The present invention is adapted for Incorporation as a standalone item, or integrated with a needle, or with a needle and syringe. The standalone safety clip (10) is comprised of an attachment collar (20), elongate sheath (30) and hinge (40). The attachment collar (20) has a central aperture (60) for attaching the hub of a syringe or the collar of a needle base. Attachment collar (20) is further comprised of slots (60) which engage ramped tabs (70) of the elongate sheath, such that when inserted onto the hub of the syringe or collar of the base of the needle, the elongate sheath (30) is able to be pivoted from a first position In which the needle Is exposed and able to be used, and a second position in which at least, the needle tip is sheathed in a longitudinal channel (90) of the sheath (30) such that the user Is unable to be pricked by the needle, and wherein when placed into the second, sheathed position, the user is prevented from returning the elongate sheath to the firs!, exposed position by virtue of the ramped tabs (70) becoming locked into place by the slots (60).