Needle tip protector

Abstract

A needle tip protector ( 80 ) includes a needle gripping U-shaped clip ( 81 ).

1 . A needle tip protector comprising: 
 a needle having a shaft and a sharp tip end;    a generally U-shaped clip having an aperture in each leg thereof for the needle shaft to pass easily therethrough in a first state of the clip and to grip the needle shaft in a second state of the clip, the needle shaft extending through the aperture in each leg.    
   
   
       2 . The needle tip protector of  claim 1  further comprising a housing telescoped over the needle shaft, the clip being contained within the housing.  
   
   
       3 . The needle tip protector of  claim 1  further comprising a trigger operatively associated with the needle and the clip such as to hold the clip in the first state when the needle shaft is engaged with the trigger.  
   
   
       4 . The needle tip protector of  claim 1 , the clip being resilient so as to naturally tend towards the second state.  
   
   
       5 . The needle tip protector of  claim 4  further comprising a trigger element operatively associated with the needle shaft such that the trigger member holds the clip member in the first state when engaged with the needle and releases the clip member when released from engagement with the needle.  
   
   
       6 . The needle tip protector of  claim 5  further comprising a housing telescoped over the needle shaft, the clip being contained within the housing.  
   
   
       7 . The needle tip protector of  claim 6 , the trigger being contained within the housing.  
   
   
       8 . The needle tip protector of  claim 1  wherein the legs of the clip are angularly offset in the second state relative to a portion of the legs in the first state, the needle tip protector further comprising a cam positioned to urge an adjacent clip leg to further angularly offset.  
   
   
       9 . The needle tip safety protector of  claim 8 , the cam presenting a surface extending at an angle from a plane perpendicular to the needle shaft.  
   
   
       10 . The needle tip protector of  claim 1  wherein the legs of the clip are angularly offset in the second state relative to a portion of the legs in the first state, the needle tip protector further comprising a pair of cams each positioned to urge an adjacent clip leg to further angularly offset.  
   
   
       11 . The needle tip safety protector of  claim 10 , each cam presenting a surface extending at a respective angle from a plane perpendicular to the needle shaft.