Receptacle for hypodermic needles.

Application filed August 21, 1911. Serial No. 645,194.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gustav R. Schimmel, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Receptacles for Hypodermic Needles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to receptacles for hypodermic needles, and has for its object the provision of a device, in which the needle ipay be held “ suspended ” in an antiseptic liquid until it is to be used.

A further object of the invention resides in the peculiar manner of such suspension in connection with the stopper of the bottle or vial, the organization being such that when the needle is in its holder, the point cannot become blunted, and in fact the needle as a whole is practically held by the head and yet will be free to drop out of the holder as soon as the needle is free from the vial.

The invention has been clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar characters denote similar parts, and in which—

Figure 1 shows the needle in the position it occupies when the vial is vertical and ‘‘right-side-up ”; Fig. 2 illustrates the conditions, when, the vial is reversed, vertically, and Fig. 3 is a view of the stopper arid needle holder, illustrating the needle free to leave the holder.

Referring to the drawings, 10 denotes a glass tube or vial adapted to receive a stopper 11 of cork or rubber and provided with a needle holder 12 which is formed of wire and the lower end of which is coiled to constitute an eye or loop 12' of sufficient opening to receive loosely the shank 13 of the needle, without, however, permitting the needle-head 13' to slip through. The vial, contains alcohol or other antiseptic liquid, and the needle is suspended therein. Γη I· ig. 1 the head 13' rests on top of the loop 12', the. needle-point being therefore dear of the vial-bottom and not exposed to being blunted. In Fig. 2 the vial is shown upside-down, and the needle-head 13' rests upon a shoulder 14 formed by a bend 15 in the wire holder 12, so that the eye 12' will ‘ still remain in alinement with the main-por- 55 tion of the holder or more particularly with the shoulder 14. The needle can wabble around in the eyg or loop as far as the vialwall will permit it, but the greatest possible deflection is not sufficient to let the head 60 slip past the shoulder 14. On the other hand, when the stopper is pulled out of the vial, the deflection of the needle can become such as to let the head 13' slip past said shoulder as clearly shown in Fig. 3. 65

For the reasons above stated it is evident that the vial-size constitutes an important factor in the successful operation of the device to perform the desired results. Furthermore, it will be noted that this construe- 70 tion of the stopper and holder combined will permit a physician to cleanse the needle thoroughly without hand manipulation. In other words, after use the needle may be inserted in the holder, and by merely taking 75 hold of the stopper, the needle may be dipped or washed and then inserted in the vial containing antiseptic liquid without the hand touching the needle at all after it has been cleansed. ., so