March 17, 1936.
G. N. HEIN 2,034,294
NEEDLE SYRINGE EQUIPMENT Filed April 27, 1934 Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.
'I'his invention relates to improvements in needle syringe equipment and particularly to that class of needle syringe equipment usually known as hypodermic syringe structures in which a tubular ejection needle is a separate element connected for operative purposes to the syringe structure by a separate ferrule or hub.
Broadly, the use of a separate needle with a lug intermediate its ends is known, but heretofore there have been objections to such separate needles for use in syringe equipment, due to the fact that a tight leak-proof seat could not be obtained between needle and syringe body without use of a wrench or tool for seating the needle, and not only was this inconvenient, but the nipple on the discharge end of the syringe body was frequently broken, especially in glass barrel syringes, (of what is commonly known as the Luer type) also the seating of the needle had to be of such force of contact with its seat that the material of the seat or of the lug became deformed, so that a needle would not form a perfect seat or joint in the next operation. Professional operators generally have been forced to the expense of utilizing the combined or integral needle and hub or ferrule, rather than be inconvenienced by these diiliculties. Another objection to the separate needle has been that its sharpened or incision end has been dulled by the act of inserting the incision end through a hub or ferrule. Another objection to needles of all types is that the fulcrum of the needle under lateral strain is against a rigid surface at the tip or discharge end of the ferrule or hub, and if the needle breaks at this point of fulcrum, it becomes embedded in the tissue of a patient, which requires a surgical operation for removal of the embedded portion of the needle. This danger arises duek to the tissue being compressed when making an injection and the consequent rebound of the tissue which obscures the embedded portion of a broken needle, especially in movable or moving tissue. It is the purpose of this invention to overcome these diiliculties with an efcient, economical syringe equipment structure.
Among the objects of this invention are to provide syringe equipment in which a leak-proof joint may be had between a separate needle and a syringe container body; to provide means for mounting a needle on a syringe body wherein a leak-proof joint may be made without the use of implements or tools; to provide means for mounting a needle in leak-proof relation to a frangible discharge nipple of a syringe; to provide in syringe equipment a ferrule for attaching a needle to a syringe body whereby the sharpened end of the needle may be guided through an opening in the ferrule; to provide a ferrule for mounting a needle to va syringe body in which the ferrule is 5 provided with a. resilient portion to receive lateral stress on the needle and in which the fulcrum of the needle when under lateral` stress is on a rigid portion of the ferrule which is inset axially from the extreme end of the ferrule; to provide a ferrule for needles of varying diameters; to provide an improved type of needle for syringe equipment separate from the attaching hub or ferrule and arranged for making a leakproof joint with a syringe body; to provide a mounting for needles of various diameters.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and size, number of parts and minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of the invention.
To more clearly comprehend the invention reference is directed to the accompanying drawing wherein:-
Fig. 1 is a horizontal side view of a syringe illustrating relative location of elements.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showing one form of the invention, with syringe body in fragment and needle in full.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the invention showing the adaptation to a syringe body known as the Leur type of syringe, with syringe body in fragment and needle in full.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of modi- 40 ed form of ferrule or hub and needle structure, with modied form of ferrule in section.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal view of ferrule or hub and needle structure in modified form, with modiled` form of ferrule in section.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal view of needle structure and modified form of ferrule or hub in section.
Fig. '7 is a longitudinal section of modified form of ferrule or hub, with needle in full.
Fig. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of modied form of needle seat.
Referring to the drawing, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts,
I0 represents a hollow syringe body generally 55 may be externally smooth as in Fig. 3, the former usually being characteristic of met-al syringe bodies, and the latter being usually characteristie of glass syringe bodies known as the Leur type. With the Leur type which has a smooth ,exterior surface to the nipple, as illustrated in Fig. 3, it is desirable to provide an adapter I3 having a recess I4 with a smooth internal wall I5 into which the smooth nipple I2 snugly tits 'and is frictionally held. A tubular ferrule or hub I6 is provided to receive therethrough a tubular needle or cannulay I1, the ferrule or hub having an end I8 by which the ferrule may be connected to the syringe structure, andan opening at the opposite end I9 through which the sharpened ejection end of the needle cannula may pass. The internal wall of the ferrule or hub adjacent its connecting end I8 is preferably internally threaded as at and said internal wall intermediate the ends I8 and I9 may be provided With a tapered portion as at 2l to guide the sharpened point of the needle to and through the opening I9. The needle cannula I1 is provided With alug 22 which is preferably fixedly mounted intermediate and spaced from both the ends of the needle so that it is more nearly spaced to the connection end than the incision end as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,.and 8, and said lug is provided with varying transverse diameters so as to provide a tapered wall thereon from a portion of greater diameter, as indicated 23, to portions of lesser diametenindicated 24 and 25, it being preferred that the taper of said lug shall be in both directions axially of the needle from the portion ofgreater diameter 23 toward the respective portions oflesser diameter 24 and 25 respectively, thus providing tapered wall sections 24EL and 25a. Regardless of Whether the syringe body be of the threaded nipple type shown in Fig. 2 or of the smooth-nipple type shown in Fig. 3, there is provided a mounting for the needle to the syringe structure of substantially similar character, in Fig. 2 said mounting being direct to the syringe body structure, and in Fig. 3 said mounting being to the adapter I3. For the purpose of mounting the needle to the syringe strueture, there is provided at the mounting portion asocket 26 preferably having anarcuate chamfer 21 at the outer edge of its interior wall and preferably having itsbottom wall 28 tapered inwardly to theconduit 29 which provides communication to the interior of the syringe body I0. The outer Wall of the connecting portion is threaded as at 30 to cooperate with thethreads 20 of the ferrule or hub |6 whereby the hub and connecting portion may be releasably connected, with thelug 22 and needle cannula I1 engaged therein, onetapered wall 21|a of thelug 22 seating on the chamferededge 21 and the opposite end portion of the lug seating on thetapered Wall 2| of the ferrule or hub I6. Such structure pro- -vides a double tapered seat between the needle and the syringe structure and permits a leakproof joint to be m-ade by manual manipulation With thumb and finger of the hand Without the use of tools. It will be noted that the needle is thus provided with a double seat which forms not only a. leak-proof joint, but also a bracing for the needle at spaced points so that even though the opening I9 should be larger than the exterior diameter of the needle, nevertheless the needle would be iirmly braced against-wobbling on its seat, thus permitting the use of a single hub or ferrule with needles of varying diameters. For most advantageous use of needles or cannulas of various diameters, the end portion of ferrule I6 may include a resilient member 3| which will firmly grip the needles of varying diameters, and will prevent dulling the sharpened end upon insertion of the needle.
Referring to Fig. 4 in which a modification is shown of ferrule and needle, a resilient member 3| such as rubber is inserted in and held by the end portion of the ferrule and may be extended beyond the opening I9. The tapered wall a of thelug 22 seats on thetapered wall 2| of the.
ferrule.
In the modification of Fig. 5 thetapered wall 25 of the lug seats on thetapered wall 2| of the ferrule, and the resilient member 3| is extended beyond the end of the ferrule and has abase portion 33 engaged therein by an inturnedbead 34 of the ferrule cooperating with anannular groove 35 in the base portion of the resilient member.
In Fig. 6 a modication is shown wherein the f-ernile I6 is substantially imbedded in the resilient member 3|, as by molding the resilient member overcorrugations 36 of the ferrule, and the resilient member may be further fixedly maintained on the ferrule by anannular band 31.
In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 thetapered wall 2| is continued into the resilient member 3| which has its opening 38 with resilient walls which serve the purposes of permitting the use of needles of various diameters, and also snugly grip the needle so that if the needle should break at its rigid fulcrum there would be sufiicient length extending from the tissue to permit withdrawal of the broken portion from the tissue; and in Figs. 5 and 6 theopening 38 is al slit which closes by its own resiliency upon withdrawal of the needle, and thereby seals the internal cavity Within the syringe structure, and serves as a packing gland around the needle when in use.
In each of the structures of Figs. 4, 5, and 6 the tapered wall 248L of the lug seats on achamfer edge 21 in like manner as in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7 shows a still 4further modiiication of needle and hub, -the hub having an extension or sleeve I6L which may be swaged to the needle. In Fig. 7 there is a fixed relationship between the hub or ferrule I6 and needle I1, and the resilient member 3| may be moulded to the ferrule or hub I6 and further secured by anannular band 31 in substantially the same manner as in Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 shows an adaptation of seating the base I1a of needle I1 directly on the conical taper of thebottom wall 28 ofsocket 26. This is particularly desirable in the use of needles `of large diameter. Thelug 22 seats at its maximum diameter on thetapered wall 2|, but may not seat on thechamifer edge 21. Nevertheless, a leak-proof joint will be formed by the continuous narrow line of contact on a tapered wall betweenlug 22 andwall 2|, andwall 28 and needle base |15. Such a structure adapts the same syringe to needles of varying diameters, for which purpose the ferrules of Figs. 4, 5, or 6 are especially eiective, since the resilient member is adapted to accommodate a range of needle diameters.
In the devices of the Figs. 4, 5, 6, and '7, it will be noted that the needle may bend when subjected to lateral stress in practical operation by deforming the resilient member, and that the fulcrum of the needle against a rigid portion of the ferrule is substantially spaced from the extreme end or opening I9, so that if the needle should break when inserted in tissue and ii.' the grip ofthevresilient material on the needle should fail' to be suiiicient to withdraw the broken portion oi' the needle, there will still remain a very appreciable length of needle which is free of the tissue, so that the broken shaft may be withdrawn by pincers or other implement, since the needle shaft cannot be inserted into tissue to a greater depth than the portion which is free and extends beyond the end I9.
Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent oi the United States is:-
1. In syringe equipment, a tubular syringe body having at its discharge end a portion provided with a socket for seating an ejection needle, a tubular ejection needle having mounted thereon a tapered lug adapted to seat on the outer open end of the socket portion, and a ferrule member adapted at one end for connection to the socket portion, said ferrule member having a flexible body at its opposite end with an opening through which the discharge end of the needle may pass.
2. In syringe equipment, an adapter provided with socket to receive a discharge nipple of a tubular syringe body and having a discharge end portion provided with a socket for seating an ejection needle, a tubular ejection needle having mounted thereon a tapered lug adapted to seat on the outer open end of the socket portion, and a ferrule member adapted at one end for connection to the socket portion, said i'errule member having a flexible body at its opposite end with an opening through which a discharge end oi.' the needle may pass.
3. In syringe equipment, a ferrule for attachment oi' a tubular ejection needle to the discharge end of a syringe body, comprising a hollow body portion at one end for connection to a discharge end of a tubular syringe and an elastic body portion of inherently resilient material at its opposite end, said elastic body portion being mounted with relation to the ferrule so that its resiliency is maintained when the ferrule is securely mounted to a syringe body and said elastic body portion having an opening through which the discharge end of a tubular needle may pass.
4. In syringe equipment, a ferrule for attachment of a tubular ejection needle to the discharge end of a syringe body, comprising a hollow body portion at one end for connection to a discharge end of a tubular syringe and an elastic body portion of inherently resilient material at its opposite end, said elastic body portion having an opening through which the discharge end of a tubular needle may pass, said ferrule having a tapered internal wall intermediate the extreme ends thereof for guiding a needle into the opening through the elastic body portion.
GEORGE N. HEIN.