Title of Invention

INTRAVENOUS CATHETER INTRODUCING DEVICE

Abstract An intravenous catheter introducing device includes a needle hub (2) received in a barrel (1) and holding a needle cannula (41). The barrel (1) has a slotted path (13) with starting and ending regions (131,130), and a docking port (132) communicated with the starting region (131) to form a docking shoulder (133). An engaging peg (23) is disposed on the needle hub (2) , and is anchored on the docking shoulder (133) in use. The peg (23) is slidable along the slotted path (13) to the ending region (130) for drawing the needle cannula (41) into the barrel (1) by means of a spring (5). A receptacle frame (17) is disposed on the barrel (1), and defines a guideway (172) for guiding movement of a guided body (31) of an actuating unit (3) such that a pushing body (33) shoves the peg (23) from the docking shoulder (133) to the starting region (131). A stabilizing unit (7) is disposed to keep the peg (23) moving with the guided body (31).
Full Text 1
INTRAVENOUS CATHETER INTRODUCING DEVICE
This invention relates to an intravenous catheter
introducing device, more particularly to an intravenous
catheter introducing device with a needle cannula which is
retractable into a barrel for safe disposal.
Conventional medical devices or syringes for medicine
injection, drawing blood samples, etc., have to be disposed
of safely after use to avoid accidental needle pricks or
undesirable contamination. Although a tip protector is
provided to be sleeved on the device after use to ensure
that the needle is covered, the user is exposed to the risk
of being pricked by the needle when sleeving the tip protector
on the used device. Therefore, there are available
medical devices or syringes with a retractable needle that
is retractable into a barrel or a plunger after the injection
operation is completed, such as those disclosed in Indian
Patent Application Nos. 368/KOL/04, 395/KOL/04, 692/KOL/06
and 693/KOL/06 filed by the applicants. However, further
improvements are desirable in order to ensure easy and safe
retraction of the needle and to simplify the construction
of medical devices or syringes.
The object of the present invention is to provide an
intravenous catheter introducing device which has a
simplified construction and which can be operated easily
and safely to retract a used needle cannula.
According to this invention, the intravenous catheter
introducing device includes a barrel, a needle cannula, a

2
needle hub, a biasing member, an engaging peg, a receptacle
frame, an actuating unit, and a stabilizing unit.
The barrel has front and rear open ends opposite to each
other in a longitudinal direction, and a surrounding barrel
wall which interconnects the front and rear open ends and
which includes front and rear wall portions. The rear wall
portion has an inner barrel wall surface which defines a
passage, and which has a slotted path that extends through
an outer barrel wall surface of the surrounding barrel wall,
and that extends along the longitudinal direction to have
starting and ending regions. The inner barrel wall surface
further has a docking port which extends through the outer
barrel wall surface, and which extends in a transverse
direction to be communicated with the starting region so
as to form a docking shoulder that faces towards the front
open end.
The needle cannula has a front segment terminating at
a tip end, and a rear connecting end opposite to the front
segment.
The needle hub includes a front holding portion which
is surrounded by the front wall portion and which holds the
rear connecting end of the needle cannula, and a rear shell
portion which is inserted into the passage such that the
needle hub is slidable relative to the surrounding barrel
wall along the axis between a position of use, where the
front segment of the needle cannula extends forwardly of
the front open end, and a disposal position, where the front

3
segment of the needle cannula retreats into the passage.
Preferably, the needle hub further includes an intermediate
viewing-window portion between the front holding portion
and the rear shell portion.
The biasing member is interposed between the rear shell
portion and the inner barrel wall surface to bias the needle
hub towards the disposal position.
The engaging peg is configured to be anchored on the
docking shoulder against the biasing action of the biasing
member in the position of use, and extends from the rear
shell portion radially so as to be externally manipulated
to move from the docking shoulder to the starting region.
The engaging peg is dimensioned to be slidable along the
slotted path to the ending region so as to move the needle
hub to the disposal position.
The receptacle frame is disposed on the outer barrel
wall surface, and includes front and rear guiding grooves
which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal
direction, and which cooperate with each other to define
a guideway that extends over the docking port and the starting
region in the transverse direction.
The actuating unit includes a guided body and a pushing
body. The guided body has first and second guided sides that
are guided respectively in the front and rear guiding grooves
when the actuating unit is moved along the guideway between
normal and actuating positions. The pushing body is
configured such that when the guided body is in the normal

4
position, the pushing body is distant from the engaging peg,
and when the guided body is in the actuating position, the
pushing body shoves the engaging peg to the starting region.
The stabilizing unit is disposed between the guided body
and the engaging peg, and is configured such that the engaging
peg is kept moving with the guided body until the engaging
peg reaches the starting region, thereby ensuring steady
movement of the engaging peg between the docking shoulder
and the starting region.
Other features and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent in the following detailed description
of the preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is an exploded sectional view of a first preferred
embodiment of an intravenous catheter introducing device
according to this invention;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of
a portion of the first preferred embodiment;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the first preferred
embodiment in a position of use;
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary partly sectioned view showing
an actuating unit of the first preferred embodiment in a
normal position;
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary partly sectioned view showing
the actuating unit in an actuating position of the first
preferred embodiment;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the first preferred

5
embodiment in a disposal position;
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary partly sectioned view showing
a safety guard mounted in the first preferred embodiment;
Fig. 8 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of
a portion of the second preferred embodiment of an
intravenous catheter introducing device according to this
invention;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the second preferred
embodiment in a position of use;
Fig. 10 is a fragmentary partly sectioned view of an
actuating unit in a normal position of the second preferred
embodiment;
Fig. 11 is a schematic partly sectioned view of the second
preferred embodiment in a disposal position;
Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the second preferred
embodiment in the disposal position viewed from another
angle;
Fig. 13 is a sectional view of a portion of the third
preferred embodiment of an intravenous catheter introducing
device according to this invention in a position of use;
Fig. 14 is a schematic partly sectioned view of the third
preferred embodiment in a disposal position;
Fig. 15 is a sectional view of the third preferred
embodiment in the disposal position;
Fig. 16 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of
the fourth preferred embodiment of an intravenous catheter
introducing device according to this invention;

6
Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the fourth preferred
embodiment in a position of use;
Fig. 18 is a fragmentary partly sectioned view of the
fourth preferred embodiment showing an actuating unit in
a normal position;
Fig. 19 is a schematic partly sectioned view of the fourth
preferred embodiment in a disposal position; and
Fig. 20 is a sectional view of the fourth preferred
embodiment in the disposal position.
Before the present invention is described in greater
detail, it should be noted that same reference numerals have
been used to denote like elements throughout the
specification.
Referring to Figs . 1 to 3, the first preferred embodiment
of an intravenous catheter introducing device according to
the present invention is shown to comprise a barrel 1, a
needle cannula 41, a needle hub 2, a catheter connection
assembly4, a tip protector 10, a biasingmember 5, anengaging
peg 23, a receptacle frame 17, an actuating unit 3, and
stabilizing unit 7.
The barrel 1 has front and rear open ends 122, 121 opposite
to each other in a longitudinal direction, and a surrounding
barrel wall 12 which interconnects the front and rear open
ends 122,121. The surrounding barrel wall 12 includes a
small-diameter front wall portion 124 and a large-diameter
rear wall portion 123 which are respectively disposed
proximate to the front and rear open ends 122,121 to form

7
a shoulder 125 therebetween. The rear wall portion 123 has
an inner barrel wall surface which surrounds an axis in the
longitudinal direction and which defines a passage 11, and
an outer barrel wall surface opposite to the inner barrel
wall surface in radial directions relative to the axis. The
inner barrel wall surface has a slotted path 13 which extends
through the outer barrel wall surface, and which extends
along the longitudinal direction to have starting and ending
regions 131,130 that are opposite to each other, and that
are respectively distal from and proximate to the rear open
end 121. The inner barrel wall surface further has a docking
port 132 which extends through the outer barrel wall surface,
and which extends in a first transverse direction to be
communicated with the starting region 131 so as to form a
docking shoulder 133 that faces towards the front open end
122. The inner barrel wall surface further has a plurality
of ribs 126 formed at the shoulder 125. An end cap 18 is
disposed to cover the rear open end 121. Preferably, the
ending region 130 of the slotted path 13 is in a constricted
form and extends into the end cap 18.
The needle cannula 41 has a front segment terminating
at a tip end 412, and a rear connecting end 411 opposite
to the front segment along the axis. The needle hub 2 includes
a front holding portion 21 which is surrounded by the front
wall portion 124 and which holds the rear connecting end
411 of the needle cannula 41, a rear shell portion 22 which
is disposed opposite to the front holding portion 21 along

8
the axis to be inserted into the passage 11, and an
intermediate viewing-window portion 25 which is interposed
between the front holding portion 21 and the rear shell
portion 22 for permitting viewing of blood flowing therein.
Thus, the needle hub 2 is slidable relative to the surrounding
barrel wall 12 along the axis between a position of use,
where the front segment of the needle cannula 41 extends
forwardly of the front open end 122, as shown in Fig. 3,
and a disposal position, where the front segment of the needle
cannula 41 retreats into the passage 11, as shown in Fig.
6.
The catheter connection assembly 4 includes a catheter
hub 42 and a flexible tubular catheter 43.
The tip protector 10 is removably sleeved on the barrel
wall 12 for shielding the needle cannula 41.
The biasing member 5 is a coil spring which is disposed
in the rear wall portion 123, and which has a front biasing
end 51 that engages the ribs 126, and a rear biasing end
52 that engages the rears She11 portion 22 such that the biasing
member 5 is in a compressed state when the needle hub 2 is
in the position of use so as to bias the needle hub 2 towards
the disposal position. Hence, the biasing member 5 is
disposed to surround the rear shell portion 22, and will
not conceal the intermediate viewing-window portion 25 to
obstruct viewing of flashback blood flow.
The engaging peg 23 is integrally formed with and extends
radially from the rear shell portion 22. As shown in Fig.

10
peg 23 to pass through the opening 171 when the needle hub
2 is moved from the position of use to the disposal position.
The receptacle frame 17 includes a receiving groove 175
which is disposed leftwardly of the slotted path 13, and
which extends in the longitudinal direction to communicate
the front guiding groove 170 with the rear guiding groove
170 . The receiving groove 175 extends away from the slotted
path 13 in a second transverse direction transverse to both
the longitudinal direction and the first transverse
direction to terminate at a shielding wall 176. The
shielding wall 176 extends rightwards to terminate at a
lateral edge 177.
The receptacle frame 17 further includes front and rear
jamb walls 14, 15 which are disposed rightwardly of the front
and rear guiding grooves 170, respectively, and which are
spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction
to define a pushing path 140 . The receptacle frame 17 further
includes front and rear tiny projections 141,151 which are
disposed respectively on the front and rear jamb walls 14, 15.
A lateral holding member 16 is disposed on the outer barrel
wall surface of the barrel 1 and diametrically opposite to
the pushing path 140 in the second transverse direction.
The actuating unit 3 includes a guided body 31, a pushing
body 33, and a faceplate 32.
The guided body 31 has a major wall which extends in
the longitudinal direction to terminate at first and second
guided sides (31a, 31b) , and which has outer and inner major

11
surfaces 311,312 opposite to each other in the second
transverse direction. The first and second guided sides
(31a,31b) are guided respectively in the front and rear
guiding grooves 170 when the actuating unit 3 is moved along
the guideway 172. In this embodiment, the inner major
surface 312 has a cavity 330 which extends towards the outer
major surface 311 to terminate at a ceiling surface 313,
and which extends in the first transverse direction to
terminate at left and right wall surfaces 314,315 that
accommodate the engaging peg 23 therebetween when the guided
body 31 is guided along the guideway 172. The left and right
wall surfaces 314, 315 extend rearwardly toforminthe second
guided side 31b a port 332. As shown in Fig. 5, the port
332 is registered with the slotted path 13 in the actuating
position, thereby permitting the engaging peg 23 to be moved
to the ending region 130.
In this embodiment, the pushing body 33 is integrally
formed with and is disposed on the right wall surface 315.
Thus, when the actuating member 3 is in a normal position,
as shown in Fig. 4, the pushing body 33 is distant from the
engaging peg 23, and the engaging peg 23 is engaged with
the docking shoulder 133. When the actuating member 3 is
in an actuating position, as shown in Fig. 5, the pushing
body 33 shoves the engaging peg 23 to cause the latter to
disengage from the docking shoulder 133 and to reach the
starting region 131.
In this embodiment, the faceplate 32 is disposed on the

1 2
guided body 31 distal from the cavity 330 in the first
transverse direction, and extends in the longitudinal
direction to have front and rear fitted edges 321, 322 . The
pushing path 140 is of such a dimension as to be fittingly
engaged with the front and rear fitted edges 321,322 of the
faceplate 32.
In this embodiment, the stabilizing unit 7 is integrally
formed with and is disposed on the left wall surface 314,
and is formed with an auxiliary shoulder 71. Thus, referring
to Fig. 4, in the normal position, the left anchoring abutment
233 of the engaging peg 23 abuts against the auxiliary
shoulder 71.
In use, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the tip end 412 of
the needle cannula 41 is inserted into the patient's vein
so as to introduce the tubular catheter 43 into the vein.
Blood flowing into the intermediate viewing-window portion
25 of the needle hub 2 is visible so that the user can check
whether the needle cannula 41 has been inserted properly
into the vein to introduce the tubular catheter 43. The
user can then separate the catheter hub 42 from the barrel
1 with one finger of the hand holding the barrel 1.
Subsequently, the user can press the vein and the tubular
catheter 43 with the other hand to complete the IV catheter
introducing procedure.
As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the user pushes the faceplate
32 with the finger of the hand holding the barrel 1 along
the pushing path 140 to reach the actuating position such

13
that the front and rear fitted edges 321, 322 of the faceplate
32 are brought into a press-fit with the front and rear jamb
walls 14,15 by slipping over the front and rear tiny
projections 141,151. At this time, the auxiliary shoulder
71 is caused to displace along with the guided body 31 to
disengage from the left anchoring abutment 233 of the
engaging peg 23. In addition, the pushing body 33 shoves
the engaging peg 23 to the starting region 131. Consequently,
the engaging peg 23 is permitted to move along the slotted
path 13 by virtue of the biasing action of the biasing member
5 so as to be retained in the constricted ending region 130,
such that the needle hub 2 is displaced to the disposal
position and the used needle cannula 41 is retracted into
the passage 11.
As illustrated, since the used needle cannula 41 can
be disposed in the passage 11 immediately after completion
of the IV catheter introducing procedure in a convenient
and easy manner, accidental needlepricking can be prevented.
Moreover, once the faceplate 32 is pushed, the front and
rear fitted edges 321,322 are moved over the front and rear
tiny projections 141, 151 to be in a press-fit with the front
and rear jamb walls 14,15. Thus, the faceplate 32 is retained
in the actuated position to prevent removal of the actuating
unit 3 from the pushing path 140.
As shown in Figs. 2 and 7, the major wall of the guided
body 31 has a leading edge (31c) which joins the front and
rear guided sides (31a, 31b), and which is to be received

14
in the receiving groove 175. The outer major surface 311
of the guided body 31 has lower and elevated regions 316, 317
respectively proximate to and distal from the leading edge
(31c) . The elevated region 317 is raised to accommodate the
contour of the ceiling surface 313 so as to form a head-on
surface 318 which extends in the second transverse direction
between the lower and elevated regions 316,317, and which
is spaced apart from the lateral edge 177 by a clearance
19 when the actuating unit 3 is in the normal position. In
order to prevent undesired movement of the actuating unit
3 during operation and carrying of the intravenous catheter
introducing device, a safety guard 6 is provided, and has
an insert portion 61 which is configured to be fittingly
received in the clearance 19 so as to guard against
inadvertent movement of the guided body 31 away from the
normal position, and a head portion 62 which is disposed
outwardly of the barrel 1 so as to permit detachment of the
insert portion 61 from the clearance 19.
Referring to Figs. 8 to 10, the second preferred
embodiment of an intravenous catheter introducing device
according to this invention is shown to be similar to the
first embodiment in construction. The difference resides
in that the pushing body 33 is disposed adjacent to the right
wall surface 315, and extends from the inner major surface
312 towards the docking port 132. In this embodiment, the
faceplate 32 is disposed on the outer major surface 311 of
the guided body 31. The stabilizing unit 7 includes a

15
retaining groove 24 which is formed in the stud end of the
engaging peg 23 and which extends in the longitudinal
direction, and a retaining pin 34 which is disposed adjacent
to the left wall surface 314, and which extends from the
ceiling surface 313 to be releasably retained in the
retaining groove 24 . Thus, by the engagement of the retaining
pin 34 with the retaining groove 24, the engaging peg 23
is kept moving with the guided body 31 until the engaging
peg 23 reaches the starting region 131, thereby ensuring
steady movement of the engaging peg 23 between the docking
shoulder 133 and the starting region 131. In addition, the
retaining pin 34 is released from the retaining groove 24
once the engaging peg 23 reaches the starting region 131
so as tobe thrust towards the ending region 130 by the biasing
member 5, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12.
Referring to Figs. 13 to 15, the third preferred
embodiment of an intravenous catheter introducing device
according to this invention is shown to be similar to the
second embodiment in construction. In this embodiment, the
biasing member 5 is a coil spring which is disposed in the
rear wall portion 123, and which has a front biasing end
54 that engages the rear shell portion 22, and a rear biasing
end 53 that engages the inner barrel wall surface adjacent
to the rear open end 121 such that the biasing member 5 is
in a tensed state when the needle hub 2 is in the position
of use. In addition, the ending region 130 of the slotted
path 13 in this embodiment is more elongated than that of

16
the second embodiment, and a pair of retaining protrusions
134 are disposed in the ending region 130 such that the
engaging peg 23, by moving over the retaining protrusions
134, is retained in the ending region 130, thereby preventing
forward movement of the needle hub 2.
Referring to Figs. 16 to 20, the fourth preferred
embodiment of an intravenous catheter introducing device
according to this invention is shown to be similar to the
second embodiment in construction. In this embodiment, the
guided body 31 of the actuating unit 3 is a flat plate without
the cavity, and the stabilizing unit 7 includes a retaining
groove 24 which is formed in the stud end of the engaging
peg 23 and which extends in the longitudinal direction, and
a retaining pin 34 which is disposed on the inner ma j or surface
312 adjacent to the pushing body 33, and which is releasably
retained in the retaining groove 24. Moreover, the biasing
member 5, like that of the third embodiment, is a coil spring
which is disposed in a tensed state when the needle hub 2
is in the position of use. In this embodiment, as the engaging
peg 23 is slidable in the slotted path 13 and is disposed
under the outer barrel wall surface in the ending region
130, as shown in Fig. 20, forward movement thereof can be
prevented for inhibiting reuse.
To operate the engaging peg 23 for needle retraction,
the user can hold the barrel 1 with one hand and operate
the faceplate 32 with the same hand to cause the needle hub
2 to move to the disposal position for drawing the used needle

17
cannula 41 into the passage 11. Therefore, the actuating
operation is controllable by the user and is convenient and
easy to conduct, and inadvertent needle-stick accidents can
also be avoided. Moreover, the actuating unit 3 is compact
in size for easy attachment to the barrel 1 so as to enable
the device to have a compact and neat appearance.

18
CLAIMS:
1. An intravenous catheter introducing device comprising:
a barrel (1) having front and rear open ends (122,121)
opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction, and
a surrounding barrel wall (12) which interconnects said
front and rear open ends (122, 121) , said surrounding barrel
wall (12) including front and rear wall portions (124,123)
which are disposed proximate to said front and rear open
ends (122,121), respectively, said rear wall portion (123)
having an inner barrel wall surface which surrounds an
axis in the longitudinal direction and which defines a
passage (11), and an outer barrel wall surface opposite
to said inner barrel wall surface in radial directions
relative to the axis, said inner barrel wall surface having
a slotted path (13) which extends through said outer barrel
wall surface, which extends along the longitudinal
direction, and which has starting and ending regions
(131,130) that are opposite to each other, and that are
respectively distal from and proximate to said rear open
end (121), said inner barrel wall surface further having
a docking port (132) which extends through said outer barrel
wall surface, and which extends in a first transverse
direction to be communicated with said starting region
(131) so as to form a docking shoulder (133) that faces
towards said front open end (122);
aneedle cannula (41) having a front segment terminating
at a tip end (412), and a rear connecting end (411) opposite

19
to said front segment along the axis;
a needle hub (2) including a front holding portion (21)
which is surrounded by said front wall portion (124) and
which holds said rear connecting end (411) of said needle
cannula (41), and a rear shell portion (22) which is
disposed opposite to said front holding portion (21) along
the axis to be inserted into said passage (11) such that
saidneedle hub (2) is slidable relative to said surrounding
barrel wall (12) along the axis between a position of use,
where said front segment of saidneedle cannula (41) extends
forwardly of said front open end (122), and a disposal
position, where said front segment of said needle cannula
(41) is retracted into said passage (11) , said needle hub
(2) further including an intermediate viewing-window
portion (25) which is interposedbetween said front holding
portion (21) and said rear shell portion (22);
a biasing member (5) which is interposed between said
rear shell portion (22) and said inner barrel wall surface
to bias said needle hub (2) towards the disposal position;
an engaging peg (23) which is configured to be anchored
on said docking shoulder (133) against the biasing action
of said biasing member (5) in the position of use, and
which extends from said rear shell portion (22) radially
so as to be externally manipulated to move from said docking
shoulder (133) to said starting region (131), saidengaging
peg (23) being dimensioned tobe slidable along said slotted
path (13) to said ending region (130) so as to move said

20
needle hub (2) to the disposal position;
a receptacle frame (17) which is disposed on said outer
barrel wall surface, said receptacle frame (17) including
front and rear guiding grooves (170) which are spaced apart
from each other in the longitudinal direction, and which
cooperate with each other to define a guideway (172) that
extends over said docking port (132) and said starting
region (131) in the first transverse direction;
an actuating unit (3) including
a guided body (31) which has first and second guided
sides (31a,31b) that are guided respectively in said
front and rear guiding grooves (170) when saidactuating
unit (3) is moved along said guideway (172) between
normal and actuating positions, and
a pushing body (33) which is configured such that,
when said guided body (31) is in the normal position,
said pushing body (33) is distant from said engaging
peg (23), and when said guided body (31) is in the
actuating position, said pushing body (33) shoves said
engaging peg (23) to said starting region (131); and
a stabilizing unit (7) which is disposed between said
guided body (31) and said engaging peg (23), and which
is configured such that said engaging peg (23) is kept
moving with said guided body (31) until said engaging peg
(23) reaches said starting region (131), thereby ensuring
steady movement of said engaging peg (23) between said
docking shoulder (133) and said starting region (131).

21
2. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 1, further comprising an end cap (18) which is
disposed to cover said rear open end (121) , said ending
region (130) of said slotted path (13) being in a
constricted form and extending into said end cap (18)
such that said engaging peg (23) is retained in said
constricted ending region (130) in the disposal position.
3. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 1, wherein said engaging peg (23) extends to
terminate at a stud end which is disposed outwardly of
said docking port (132) so as to be shoved by said pushing
body (33) to said starting region (131).
4. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 1, wherein said receptacle frame (17) is
integrally formed with said surrounding barrel wall (12) ,
said front and rear guiding grooves (170) respectively
extending towards said front and rear open ends (122, 121)
to terminate at front and rear guiding walls (173,174) ,
respectively, said rear guiding wall (174) being
interrupted by said slotted path (13) so as to permit
said engaging peg (23) to pass therethrough when said
needle hub (2) is moved from the position of use to the
disposal position.
5. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 1, wherein said guided body (31) has a major
wall which extends longitudinally to terminate at said
first and second guided sides (31a,31b), and which has

22
outer and inner ma jor surf aces (311,312) opposite to each
other in a second transverse direction transverse to both
the longitudinal direction and the first transverse
direction, said stabilizing unit (7) being disposed
between said engaging peg (23) and said inner major
surface (312) , said pushing body (33) being disposed on
said inner major surface (312) and rightwardly of said
engaging peg (23) .
6. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 5, wherein said inner major surface (312) has
a cavity (330) which extends towards said outer major
surface (311) to terminate at a ceiling surface (313),
and which extends in the first transverse direction to
terminate at left and right wall surfaces (314,315) that
accommodate said engaging peg (23) therebetween when said
guided body (31) is guided along said guideway (172),
said left and right wall surf aces (314,315) being disposed
to extend rearwardly to form in said second guided side
(31b) a port (332) which is registered with said slotted
path (13) in the actuating position, thereby permitting
said engaging peg (23) to be moved to said ending region
(130) .
7. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 6, wherein said pushing body (33) is disposed
on said right wall surface (315) , said engaging peg (23)
having an enlarged head portion (231) and a tail portion
(2 32 ) opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction,

23
and left and right anchoring abutments (233,234) which
are interposed between said enlarged head portion (231)
and said tail portion (232), said right anchoring abutment
(234) being anchored on said docking shoulder (133) when
said needle hub (2) is in the position of use, said
stabilizing unit (7) being disposed on said left wall
surface (314) and being formed with an auxiliary shoulder
(71) such that, in the normal position, said left
anchoring abutment (233) abuts against said auxiliary
shoulder (71), and such that in the actuating position,
said left anchoring abutment (233) is disengaged from
said auxiliary shoulder (71) as a result of displacement
of said auxiliary shoulder (71) with said guided body
(31) to the actuating position.
8. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 7, wherein said actuating unit (3) further
includes a faceplate (32) which is disposed on said guided
body (31) distal from said cavity (330) in the first
transverse direction, which extends in the longitudinal
direction, and which has front and rear fitted edges
(321,322).
9. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 8, wherein said receptacle frame (17) includes
front and rear jamb walls (14,15) which are disposed
rightwardly of said front and rear guiding grooves (170 ),
respectively, and which are spaced apart from each other
in the longitudinal direction to define a pushing path

24
(140) that is of such a dimension as to be fittingly
engaged with said front and rear fitted edges (321,322)
of said faceplate (32) .
10. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 9, wherein said receptacle frame (17) includes
front and rear tiny projections (141,151) which are
disposed respectively on said front and rear jamb walls
(14,15), and which are configured such that, once said
faceplate (32) is forced along the pushing path (140)
to reach the actuating position, said front and rear
fitted edges (321,322) of said faceplate (32) are brought
into a press-fit with said front and rear jamb walls (14,15)
by slipping over said front and rear tiny projections
(141,151).
11. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 7, wherein said receptacle frame (17) includes
a receiving groove (175) which is disposed leftwardly
of said slotted path (13), and which extends in the
longitudinal direction to communicate said front guiding
groove (170) with said rear guiding groove (170), said
receiving groove (175) extending in the second transverse
direction away from said slotted path (13) to terminate
at a shielding wall (176), said shielding wall (176)
extending rightwards to terminate at a lateral edge (177) ,
said major wall of said guided body (31) having a
leading edge (31c) which joins said front and rear guided
sides (31a,31b), and which is to be received in said

25
receiving groove (175) , said outer major surface (311)
having lower and elevated regions (316,317) respectively
proximate to and distal from said leading edge (31c),
said elevated region (317) being raised to accommodate
contour of said ceiling surface (313) so as to form a
head-on surface (318) which extends in the second
transverse direction between said lower and elevated
regions (316,317), and which is spaced apart from said
lateral edge (177) byaclearance (19) when said actuating
unit (3) is in the normal position,
said intravenous catheter introducing device further
comprising a safety guard (6) which has an insert portion
(61) configured to be fittingly received in said
clearance (19) so as to guard against movement of said
guided body (31) away from the normal position.
12. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 6, wherein said pushing body (33) is disposed
adjacent to said right wall surface (315), and extends
from said inner major surface (312) towards said docking
port (132), said stabilizing unit (7) including a
retaining groove (24) which is formed in said engaging
peg (23) and which extends in the longitudinal direction,
and a retaining pin (34) which is disposed adjacent to
said left wall surface (314) , and which extends from said
ceiling surface (313) to be releasably retained in said
retaining groove (24) such that said retaining pin (34)
is released from said retaining groove (24) once said

26
engaging peg (23) reaches said starting region (131) for
being thrust towards said ending region (130) by said
biasing member (5).
13. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 5, wherein said stabilizing unit (7) includes
a retaining groove (24) which is formed in said engaging
peg (23) and which extends in the longitudinal direction,
and a retaining pin (34) which is disposed on said inner
major surface (312) adjacent to said pushing body (33) ,
and which is releasably retained with said retaining
groove (24) such that said retaining pin (34) is set free
of said retaining groove (24) once said engaging peg (23)
reaches said starting region (131) so as to be thrust
towards said ending region (130) by said biasing member
(5) .
14. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 1, wherein said biasing member (5) is a coil
spring which is disposed in said rear wall portion (123) ,
which surrounds said rear shell portion (22) , and which
has a front biasing end (51) that engages said inner barrel
wall surface adjacent to said front wall portion (124),
and a rear biasing end (52) that engages said rear shell
portion (22) such that said biasing member (5) is in a
compressed state when said needle hub (2) is in the
position of use.
15. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 1, wherein said biasing member (5) is a coil

27
spring which is disposed in said rear wall portion (123) ,
and which has a front biasing end (54) that engages said
rear shell portion (22) , and a rear biasing end (53) that
engages said inner barrel wall surface adjacent to said
rear open end (121) such that said biasing member (5)
is in a tensed state when said needle hub (2) is in the
position of use.
16. The intravenous catheter introducing device according
to Claim 1, wherein said rear wall portion (123) further
has a retaining protrusion (134) which is disposed in
said ending region (130) of said slotted path (13) such
that said engaging peg (23) , by moving over said retaining
protrusion (134 ) , is retained in said ending region (130) ,
thereby preventing forward movement of said needle hub
(2) .

An intravenous catheter introducing device includes a
needle hub (2) received in a barrel (1) and holding a needle
cannula (41). The barrel (1) has a slotted path (13) with
starting and ending regions (131,130), and a docking port
(132) communicated with the starting region (131) to form
a docking shoulder (133). An engaging peg (23) is disposed
on the needle hub (2) , and is anchored on the docking shoulder
(133) in use. The peg (23) is slidable along the slotted
path (13) to the ending region (130) for drawing the needle
cannula (41) into the barrel (1) by means of a spring (5).
A receptacle frame (17) is disposed on the barrel (1), and
defines a guideway (172) for guiding movement of a guided
body (31) of an actuating unit (3) such that a pushing body
(33) shoves the peg (23) from the docking shoulder (133)
to the starting region (131). A stabilizing unit (7) is
disposed to keep the peg (23) moving with the guided body
(31).

Documents:

http://ipindiaonline.gov.in/patentsearch/GrantedSearch/viewdoc.aspx?id=WNEuzir3TVtHR+is+oIOlg==&loc=wDBSZCsAt7zoiVrqcFJsRw==


Patent Number 269049
Indian Patent Application Number 1257/KOL/2007
PG Journal Number 40/2015
Publication Date 02-Oct-2015
Grant Date 29-Sep-2015
Date of Filing 05-Sep-2007
Name of Patentee MING-JENG SHUE
Applicant Address NO.14, LANE 8, CHUNG-I ST., HSI DIST. TAICHUNG CITY
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 DEBORAH HUANG 7F, NO.5, SEC. 3, LIU-CHUN E.RD., CHUNG DIST., TAICHUNG CITY
2 MING-JENG SHUE NO. 14, LANE 8, CHUNG-I ST., HSI DIST. TAICHUNG CITY
3 PHILLIP SHUE NO.14, LANE 8, CHUNG-I ST. HSI DIST., TAICHUNG CITY
PCT International Classification Number A 61 M
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 NA