Safety Syringe Needle Redirection via Transverse Slide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional safety syringes are difficult and expensive to manufacture, and many have reliability issues, with only a small percentage effectively reducing accidental needle sticks, due to challenges in preventing reuse and safe disposal of short, thin needles used for subcutaneous and intradermal injections.
Innovation Solution
A safety syringe with a needle redirection device that bends the needle shaft forwardly after use, using a transversely slidable slide member or a rotatable actuator to redirect the needle tip into a protected position, preventing reuse and accidental contact, without requiring compression springs or needle retraction cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional safety syringes use complex mechanisms like compression springs or needle retraction cavities to prevent accidental needle sticks, then the safety effectiveness is improved, but the manufacturing cost and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes complex mechanisms like compression springs and retraction cavities from the syringe design. Instead, it uses a simple transverse fracture mechanism where the needle breaks at a predetermined weak point, extracting the essential safety function while eliminating unnecessary complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention embraces the disposable nature of syringes by designing a single-use system where the needle is intentionally made to break after one use. This eliminates the need for complex reusable safety mechanisms, reducing both manufacturing cost and device complexity while maintaining safety effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional safety syringes use moveable shields or guards to cover the needle after use, then accidental needle stick protection is improved, but the manufacturing cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates moveable shields and guards entirely, replacing them with a static fracture mechanism. The needle is designed to break at a predetermined point, and the broken end is contained within the hub, providing protection without requiring any moveable components.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex moveable shielding mechanisms, the invention creates a simple fracture pattern that replicates the safety function. The predetermined break point and contained broken end provide the same protective effect as moveable shields but through a much simpler, easier-to-manufacture design.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If short and thin needles are used for subcutaneous and intradermal injections, then patient comfort is improved, but the risk of accidental needle sticks and reuse difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a predetermined weak point in the needle design before use. This preliminary structural feature ensures that the needle will break at a specific location after single use, making disposal safe and preventing reuse, while allowing the use of short, thin needles for patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different structural properties to different parts of the needle. The needle has a predetermined weak point with specific structural characteristics that make it prone to breaking at that location, while the rest of the needle maintains its integrity during use. This local structural differentiation enables both patient comfort and safe disposal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents reuse and accidental needle sticks, reducing the risk of infection while allowing for safe disposal, and is cost-effective and easy to manufacture, as it does not rely on complex mechanisms like compression springs or retraction cavities.
Implementation Method 1
The slide member is configured to be movable relative to the longitudinal axis through the needle in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the needle
Implementation Method 2
bending the needle shaft forwardly of the barrel and causing the needle tip to be hidden in a protected and contained or concealed position
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
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AI summary
A safety syringe comprising a needle redirection device that is desirably configured to bend the needle shaft forwardly of the barrel following an injection to thereby redirect the needle tip from a first position where it projects forwardly in coaxial alignment with the syringe barrel to a second position where the needle tip is covered or protected from incidental or accidental contact and associated needle sticks. Both sliding and pivoting embodiments are disclosed.