Patent attributes
A safety needle assembly includes a needle holder assembly, a cannula fixed to the needle holder assembly, a protector positioned over the cannula and removable to expose the cannula, and a sheath. The sheath is pivotally mounted on the needle holder assembly to permit the sheath to be pivoted relative to the needle holder assembly in a direction toward the cannula from a non-covering position in which the cannula is exposed after removal of the protector to a covering position in which the cannula is covered by the sheath. The sheath can also be provided with flat surfaces adapted to successively engage a portion of the needle holder assembly as the sheath is pivoted relative to the needle holder assembly. The needle holder assembly can include a tubular syringe barrel or a tubular needle holder adapted to receive an evacuated tube.
