Patent attributes
A pivotable shielding needle device for shielding used needle cannulas. The device generally includes a hub with a needle, and a shield pivotable between a first position exposing the needle and a second position encompassing the needle. A biasing element acts on the shield to pivotally bias it toward the second position, with the shield maintained in the first position through a latch mechanism extending between the shield and the hub. A release arrangement extends from the hub and is squeezable to cause movement of a movable member which releases the latch mechanism, thereby causing the shield to be pivotally biased to the shielding position. Accordingly, activation and shielding of the needle can be effectively accomplished during removal of the needle device from a patient, thereby providing for passive activation of the device during normal use.