JPH0428389B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a disposable syringe, more particularly to a disposable syringe.
This invention relates to a disposable syringe that can be deformed after use so that it cannot be reused.

It is generally desirable for disposable, ie, single-use, plastic hypodermic syringes to be deformed after use so that they cannot be reused. For example, it is convenient and safe to break the syringe tip or Reuel-type needle connector adapted to receive the needle hub from the syringe barrel. This is accomplished by bending and breaking the connector using the needle hub and sheath. However, if the distal end of the syringe is provided with a Reuel-type locking arrangement, the threaded Reuel-type lock collar surrounding the needle connector prevents sufficient angular or lateral displacement of the connector. this is,
This is especially true if the syringe barrel is made of polypropylene. Plastic is commonly used because it is inert to syringe fluids and is a relatively strong material.

One of the problems in making a syringe that can be easily and effectively destroyed after use is that if the collar is given enough flexibility to facilitate breaking the connector, the hub can be rotated relative to the collar. Sometimes the collar is too weak to form a tight connection between the hub and the connector. For example, a hub ledge that engages the threads of a collar may break the collar and slip over the threads as the hub rotates before sufficient torque is applied to create the desired fluid-tight connection. There isn't.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to have a Reuel-type locking collar surrounding a Reuel-type tapered connector, the locking collar having sufficient rigidity to obtain the desired fluid-tight connection with the device to be connected to the connector. Another object of the present invention is to provide a syringe whose connector is easily destroyed after use so that it cannot be reused.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a relatively easy, effective and safe method of destroying a syringe connector surrounded by a Reuel type locking collar.

According to one aspect of the invention, the syringe includes a Leuel-type lock collar surrounding the connector, the lock collar having a thin-walled structurally weakened section that can bend the connector sufficiently to break it. It's summery. According to another aspect of the invention, a method of breaking a Lewell-type connector of a syringe surrounded by a Lewell-type locking collar includes bending and breaking the collar and connector using a needle sheath and a hub.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-3, a hypodermic syringe assembly 10 includes a syringe 12, a conventional needle assembly 14 attached to the distal end of the syringe, and a needle protector surrounding the needle assembly. , ie, the sheath 16.

Syringe 12 includes a barrel 18 that receives a conventional plunger 20. The plunger includes a rod 22 having a thumb rest flange 23 at its distal end and a rubber piston 24 attached to the distal end of the rod. The barrel 18 has an integral finger flange 26 at its distal end to facilitate manual movement of the plunger relative to the barrel during use of the syringe. Torso 18
has a cylindrical body 19, an integral Reuel-type tapered syringe tip in the form of a Reuel-type tapered needle adapter or connector 28, and an integral Reuel-type tapered syringe tip in the form of a connector 28, concentrically surrounding the connector 28 at the distal end of the barrel. It has a locking sleeve or retaining collar 30. Connector 28 is color 3
It protrudes beyond the 0 end.

Preferably, the shell 18 is molded from polypropylene. This is because it is inert to blood and many chemicals. Other known thermoplastic materials may be used in some cases. The shell 18 is an integral member, and the body 19, connector 28 and collar 30 are all integrally connected to each other.

The needle assembly 14 includes a hypodermic needle cannula 34.
The cannula is shown attached to the distal end of the hub by a suitable adhesive 36. The hub 32 has a Reuel-type tapered inner surface 38 which is brought into fluid-tight engagement with the Reuel-type tapered outer surface 40 of the connector 28 by rotationally moving the hub axially, and the interior of the barrel 18 is communicates with the injection needle cannula 34. Connector 28 may be fluid-tightly coupled to coupling elements other than needle hubs.
For example, a Reuel type coupling element of a catheter or tube connector may be coupled to connector 28.

A needle protective sheath 16 overlies the distal end of the needle 34 and boss 32. The sheath is provided with internal longitudinal grooves 42 which, when the sheath 16 is moved axially over the hub 32, displace longitudinal ribs or fins 44 on the outer surface of the hub 32. receive. When you turn the pod,
The grooves 42 and the side walls of the ribs 44 cooperate to cause the hub to rotate simultaneously. The sheath 16 includes longitudinal outer ribs 46 to facilitate manual rotation of the sheath and hub, as seen in FIG. The distal end of the hub 32 is provided with a pair of integral diametrically opposed radially projecting lugs 48,50. These protrusions are threadedly engaged with Reuel type lock threads 52 formed on the inner wall surface of the collar 30. Threads 52 are preferably a pair of threads starting 180 degrees apart near the distal end of the collar. Then, when the hub 32 is rotated clockwise relative to the barrel 18, that is, to the right, both the protrusions 48 and 50 simultaneously engage with the collar and move upward in the axial direction. I can do it.

When it is desired to form a liquid-tight connection between the needle assembly 14 and the syringe barrel 18, the sheath 16 is rotated clockwise relative to the barrel to rotate the hub 32 and move it axially to connect the Leuel-type tapered outer surface of the connector 28. 40 into sealing engagement. Hub protrusion 48,5
0 and the collar threads 52 help maintain a fluid-tight connection between the hub and the connector. After the needle assembly 14 is tightly coupled to the connector 28, the sheath 16 can be removed and the syringe and needle assembly 14 used for its intended purpose, such as injecting a drug into a patient's vein. After the syringe has been used once, the needle and hub are covered with a sheath 16 before the syringe cannot be reused and the barrel is destroyed or deformed, as described below.

The syringe barrel 18 has a connector 28, as described above.
The Reuel-type locking collar 30 is sufficiently torqued to provide a good fluid-tight connection between the hubs 32.
It is shaped to make it stronger. At the same time, the collar 30 is shaped to be structurally weakened or flexible enough to bend the sheath and hub and break the connector 28 from the barrel 18, as shown in FIG. To achieve this desirable feature, the illustrated embodiment includes a plurality of circumferentially evenly spaced grooves 56 in the outer wall surface of the collar 30, which grooves extend from the distal end of the collar 30 to the body 19.
It extends substantially axially towards. These grooves 56 provide evenly spaced, relatively strong, rigid sections, ie, ribs 58, and relatively weak, flexible sections 60 that form the bottom walls of the grooves 56. rib 58
The weakened portions 60 are alternately located around the collar 30, are of substantially equal width, and extend axially or longitudinally to the bottom end wall of the barrel 18. Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment, the collar 30 is 360
It extends over many degrees and is continuous in the circumferential direction. That is, there are no interruptions.

Because the collars 30 are circumferentially continuous and each include continuous threads 52 and relatively stiff ribs 58, the collars are sufficiently strong to ensure that the connectors 28, Relatively high torques can be applied to the hub 32 in obtaining a tight fluid-tight connection. For example, when the sheath 16 is rotated clockwise, the hub lobes 48, 50 will follow the threads 52 and move the hub into sealing engagement with the connector 28. This is done without destroying the collar 30 and causing thread slippage.

After the syringe 10 has been used for its intended purpose, the sheath 16 is preferably placed over the hub 32 as in FIG. Then, grasping the barrel 18 with one hand and the sheath 16 with the other hand, the sheath is moved transversely to the longitudinal axis of the barrel, preferably sharply, i.e. in a snap action, as shown in FIG. Destroy the connector 28 as shown in
Break it off. Weak part 6 around collar 30
0, this collar is sufficiently deflected to allow the hub 32 to move laterally a sufficient distance to break the connector 28 without the need for additional force by the sheath 16. Because each of the weakened portions 60 is of relatively thin cross-section compared to the ribs 58 on either side of it, the collar 30 is susceptible to bending outward and/or breaking and/or tearing during the snapping action described above. . Preferably,
It is preferable to make the collar breakable so that the connector 28 can be easily destroyed. In FIG. 5, the Reuel-type lock collar 30 is shown splitting or splitting along one of its weakened areas 60. Whether the collar flexes and/or tears depends on the way the syringe is held and the force applied. For example, in some cases, the collar may split along two weakened portions 60, causing a portion of the collar to bend outward. thus,
By providing a relatively thin weakened portion (e.g., 60), collar 30 has sufficient flexibility and/or tearing capability upon rupture of connector 28 to allow for relatively easy rupture.

Generally, if the sheath 16 does not protrude into the Reuel-type collar as in the syringe 10, the sidewall of the hub 32 will first engage the distal end of the collar 30 upon barrel rupture. Thus, the collar 30 is torn from end to end. Make the end of the collar slightly thinner than where it joins the main body of the barrel, for example 0.001 or 0.002
It is best to make it in inches (0.025 or 0.051 mm).
As a result, tearing is more likely to occur.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is desirable to destroy the connector 28 so that no usable portion of the connector remains on the barrel. To facilitate breaking off the connector 28 from the shell 18 and to obtain the desired breaking position, the shell 18 has a breakable annular wall 6 that is thinner than the adjacent walls, as shown in FIGS.
It is shaped to have 4. The wall 64 is connected to the collar 30 at or near the junction of the hub and end wall 62.
so that the connector 28 is located within the
The connector is broken off from the main body 19 leaving almost no connector part suitable for reuse.

In the modified construction shown in FIG. 6, the syringe barrel 18' has an annular groove 66 formed in the end wall 62' at or near the junction of the Reuel connector 28' and the end wall 62'. Collar 30' has internal thread 5
2' and a longitudinal groove 26' such that the connector rips or splits at one or more of the grooves when the connector is severed from the barrel. Connector 28' separates from barrel 18' at groove 66, leaving little connector portion available for reuse of the syringe.

In some cases, the polypropylene shell is approximately
a Reuel-type locking collar 30 having a maximum outer diameter of 0.357 inches (9.068 mm) and 20 grooves 56;
20 ribs 58. Collar length is approx.
0.291 inches (7.391 mm), the length of the connector 28 is approximately 0.343 inches (8.712 mm), and the connector has a wall thickness of approximately 0.038 inches (0.965 mm);
It protrudes from the collar by approximately 1/8 inch (3.175 mm). The threads are 10 pitches and approximately 0.0195 inches (0.4953 mm) high. The wall thickness (maximum thickness) of the collar at each rib 58 is approximately 0.0235 inches (0.597 mm) and the thickness (minimum thickness) at each bottom wall portion 60 between the ribs is approximately 0.0065 inches (0.165 mm).
It is. The wall thickness of the weakened portion 60 is considerably smaller than the wall thickness at the rib 58, ranging from 1/4 to 1/2 the wall thickness at the rib 58.
3, which is considerably smaller than 1/100 inch (0.254 mm). In this construction, the collar may bend outward in a portion thereof, allowing the hub 32 to bend to a relatively large extent, causing it to crack or tear, leading to failure of the connector.

As can be seen from the foregoing, the objects of the invention have been achieved and other advantages have been obtained. Various changes may be made to the structure described above without departing from the scope of the invention, and all matter contained in the structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings is meant to be illustrative in nature and in no way limiting. Please understand that there is no.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a syringe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the syringe of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. , FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the syringe connector broken, FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side view of the syringe in the same state as FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a modified example of the connector. FIG. 10... hypodermic syringe assembly, 12... syringe,
14... needle assembly, 16... sheath, 20...
Plunger, 24... Piston, 28... Connector, 30... Collar, 32... Hub, 34... Syringe needle, 42... Groove, 52... Thread, 56...
Groove, 58...rib, 60...weak part.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. Includes a syringe barrel adapted to receive a syringe piston, the syringe barrel being connected at its distal end to receive a coupling element of a device in fluid communication with the syringe barrel. a plastic connector connected to the connector and located at the base of the distal end of the connector; a plastic breakable portion connected to the syringe barrel and surrounding the connector; a plastic collar provided with screw means adapted to threadably engage a portion of the coupling element when the coupling element is received by the connector, said collar having a weakened portion; is adapted to be able to bend to a sufficient extent to cause movement of the coupling element so as to break the plastic destructible portion when the collar is mated with the plastic connector. disposable syringe. 2. The syringe of claim 1, wherein each of the weakened portions has a thickness of 0.01 inch.
A disposable syringe characterized by being less than 0.254 mm. 3. The syringe according to claim 1, wherein the collars are connected in the circumferential direction and the screw means is continuous from beginning to end. 4. A syringe according to claim 1, characterized in that said plastic material comprises polypropylene. 5. The syringe of claim 1, further comprising a generally semi-inwardly extending end wall connecting said connector to said body portion, said connector projecting beyond a distal end of said collar. A syringe characterized by: 6 comprising a syringe barrel adapted to receive a syringe piston, the syringe barrel being coupled at its distal end to a plastic connector adapted to accommodate and receive another device; , a plastic destructible portion connected to the connector and located at the base of the distal end of the connector; and a breakable plastic portion connected to the syringe barrel and surrounding the connector, and located in a corresponding connector of the other device. a plastic collar provided with internal threaded means adapted to be threadedly engaged with the external threaded means, said collar having a relatively weakened area that is thinner than an adjacent area, said weakened area and said the connector being sufficiently bent to allow the breakable portion to break, and the collar having a plurality of generally axially extending grooves in a circumferential arrangement having a bottom wall defining the weakened portion; A disposable syringe featuring: 7. The disposable syringe of claim 6, wherein each of the bottom walls has a thickness that is less than the depth of the groove. 8. The syringe of claim 6, wherein each of the grooves is defined by a pair of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending ribs, and each of the bottom walls is breakable and tearable. a disposable syringe, characterized in that the thickness of the bottom wall is less than half the thickness of the collar as measured through the ribs. 9. A disposable syringe according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the collar is circumferentially continuous. 10 a syringe barrel adapted to receive a syringe piston, the syringe barrel being coupled to a distal end thereof with a plastic connector compliant with and adapted to receive another device; , an internal thread coupled to said connector and adapted to be threaded into a breakable plastic portion at the base of said connector distal end and into external threaded means on a corresponding connector of said other device; a plastic collar provided with means, said collar having a relatively weaker portion that is thinner than an adjacent portion, and a hub acting as a connector for said another device to be in sealing engagement with said connector. and further including a needle sheath overlying the needle and engageable with the hub, the needle sheath being inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the needle when engaged with the hub. move like
A disposable syringe, wherein a portion of the collar and the connector can be bent to break the breakable portion.