Shieldable needle device with leaf spring driven shield

摘要

A shieldable needle device (12) is provided. The shieldable needle device (12) includes a housing (30), a needle cannula (20), a tip guard (50) and a flexibly resilient drive mechanism (90). The housing (30) includes a first lateral extension (40) and a second lateral extension (42) which are interconnected at a rearward end to form a hub (36) portion from which the needle cannula (20) extends. The tip guard (50) telescopes over the needle cannula (20) from a retracted position to an extended position. The drive mechanism (90) is attached to the tip guard (50) and is bent or coiled within the housing (30) between the first and second lateral extension (40,42) and retained in the bent or coiled position. Upon release of the drive mechanism (90), the tip guard (50) is moved from a retracted position to an extended position, thereby protectively surrounding a tip (28) of the needle cannula (20).