US Patent 7632252 Medical needle assemblies

A shieldable unit dose needle assembly including a needle holding member, a unit dose needle, a shield in pivotal engagement with respect to the needle, and a collar providing pivotal engagement between the needle and the shield. The shield is pivotally movable between a retracted position and a shielded position in which a portion of the shield encompasses the unit dose needle for safety purposes. The needle holding member includes a distal end having a male tapering surface. The collar further includes a proximal end having a female tapering surface in engagement with the male tapering surface of the needle holding member.