Connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10046157-B2
Application number	US-201113876747-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2011
Priority date	Sep 28, 2010
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A connector of the present invention includes a housing and a valve, wherein the housing has a flow path and a pipe connecting port, and the valve is formed of an elastic material and is adapted to block the pipe connecting port. The valve has a substantially columnar deformable portion. The deformable portion has a top surface exposed from the pipe connecting port, a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, and a slit that extends from the top surface to the bottom surface. When the top surface is pressed by the pipe, the deformable portion of the valve will be displaced toward the flow path while elastically deforming, so that inner surfaces that define the slit will face the flow path, and the top surface will form an opening that communicates with the flow path.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A connector configured to connect a pipe of a medical product to a flow path in a liquid-tight manner so that an interior of the pipe is in fluid communication with the flow path, the connector comprising:
a housing having the flow path through which a liquid passes, and a substantially circular pipe connecting port which communicates with the flow path; and
a valve formed of an elastic material and adapted to block the pipe connecting port of the housing,
wherein the valve comprises:
a columnar deformable portion having a top surface exposed from the pipe connecting port, a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, and a slit extending from the top surface to the bottom surface, the columnar deformable portion possessing a central axis; and
a ring-shaped fixing piece protruding from an outer peripheral surface of the deformable portion, in an intermediate portion between the top surface and the bottom surface, and fixed to the housing,

and
wherein when the top surface of the deformable portion is pressed by the pipe and the pipe is moved toward the flow path to fluidly communicate the pipe with the flow path, the deformable portion of the valve elastically deforms and is displaced toward the flow path in a manner causing inner surfaces which define the slit to rotate from a position facing one another to a position facing the flow path and causing parts of the top surface of the deformable portion on opposite sides of the slit to rotate and move away from one another to form an opening in the valve positioned below a tip end of the pipe that fluidly communicates the flow path with the pipe, the housing possessing an inner surface, the inner surface of the housing comprising an outwardly expanded inner surface portion that expands outwardly in a direction away from the central axis of the columnar deformable portion so that a distance between the outwardly expanded inner surface portion and the central axis of the columnar deformable portion increases at closer axial distances to the flow path, a part of the deformable portion being spaced from the outwardly expanded inner surface portion before the top surface of the deformable portion is pressed by the pipe, the part of the deformable portion moving into contact with the outwardly expanded inner surface portion of the housing as the deformable portion elastically deforms during movement of the pipe towards the flow path.

2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the deformable portion includes a recessed portion which curves so as to recess toward the side of the top surface defined by curved portions of the bottom surface that are curved toward the slit and that meet at the slit.

3. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the slit is a linearly extending slit.

4. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the slit is a cross-shaped slit.

5. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the slit is linearly shaped at the top surface and is cross-shaped at the bottom surface so that the slit possesses a shape at the top surface that is different from the shape of the slit at the bottom surface.

6. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the outwardly expanded inner surface portion of the housing comprises a curved surface which guides the elastic deformation of the valve so that at least a portion of the bottom surface of the deformable portion rolls back toward a lateral outer side.

7. The connector according to claim 6 , wherein the curved surface smoothly continues to reach the flow path.

8. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the pipe connecting port has a pipe fitting portion configured to receive the pipe when the pipe is pressed against the top surface of the deformable portion and is moved toward the flow path, the deformable portion including an upper portion between the fixing piece and the top surface, the upper portion of the deformable portion being in direct contact with the pipe fitting portion before the pipe is moved towards the flow path and being moved out of contact with the pipe fitting portion as the pipe is moved towards the flow path.

9. The connector according to claim 8 , wherein an outer peripheral surface of the pipe fitting portion is provided with a screw portion to be screwed with a lock portion formed around the pipe at a predetermined interval.

10. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein, when the pipe is liquid-tightly fitted to the pipe connecting port, a tip end face of the pipe contacts the elastically deformed deformable portion and an outer peripheral surface of the pipe immediately adjacent the tip end contacts the elastically deformed deformable portion.

11. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein, when the pipe is liquid-tightly fitted to the pipe connecting port, a tip end of the pipe does not enter the flow path.

12. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein, when the pipe is liquid-tightly fitted to the pipe connecting port, a lower end portion of the elastically deformed deformable portion is located closer to the flow path than a tip end face of the pipe.

13. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein when the top surface of the deformable portion is pressed by the pipe, the deformable portion elastically deforms so that the bottom surface of the deformable portion rolls back toward a lateral outer side, and at least a portion of the bottom surface contacts an inner face of the housing.

14. A connector configured to connect a pipe of a medical product to a flow path in a liquid-tight manner so that an interior of the pipe is in fluid communication with the flow path, the connector comprising:
a housing comprised of a housing main body in which the flow path exists and through which liquid passes, and a pipe connecting port having a through hole and possessing an inner surface, the housing main body including a through hole that opens into the through hole in the pipe connecting port;
a valve positioned in the through hole in the pipe connecting port to block the through hole in the pipe connecting port, the through hole in the pipe connecting port possessing a central axis, the valve being formed of elastic material allowing the valve to elastically deform when a tip end of the pipe is pressed against the valve;
the valve comprising:
a deformable portion possessing a flow path facing surface which faces the flow path before the tip end of the pipe is pressed against the valve and an oppositely facing surface that is exposed so as to be contacted by the tip end of the pipe;
a slit extending completely through the deformable portion so that the slit opens to both the flow path facing surface of the deformable portion and the oppositely facing surface of the deformable portion, with inner surfaces of the deformable portion on opposite sides of the slit facing one another;
a fixing portion protruding outwardly from an outer peripheral surface of the deformable portion, the fixing portion being held in place by a portion of the pipe connecting port located intermediate opposite ends of the pipe connecting port;

the deformable portion, the slit and the fixing portion being configured so that when the tip end of the pipe is pressed against the oppositely facing surface of the valve and is moved in a direction towards the flow path, the deformable portion deforms toward the flow path and the inner surfaces on opposite sides of the slit rotate from a position facing each other to a position in which the inner surfaces face the flow path while parts of the oppositely facing surface of the valve on opposite sides of the slit rotate and move away from one anoth

Assignees

• Ueda Yasuhiro
• Zushi Yasunobu
• Terumo Corp

Inventors

• Ueda Yasuhiro
• Zushi Yasunobu

Classifications

• A61M2039/1083

  having a plurality of female connectors, e.g. Luer connectors · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• A61M39/22 Primary

  Valves or arrangement of valves {(A61M39/02, A61M39/0247, A61M39/16 take precedence; regulating valves in infusion systems A61M5/16881; in devices worn by the patient for the reception of urine, faeces, catamenial or other discharge, or in colostomy devices A61F5/4405)} · CPC title

• A61M2039/2433

  Valve comprising a resilient or deformable element, e.g. flap valve, deformable disc · CPC title

• A61M39/045 Primary

  pre-slit to be pierced by blunt instrument · CPC title