Dual material Y-connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071234-B2
Application number	US-201414553337-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2014
Priority date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A dual material Y-connector for use in connection with medical tubing systems and the like includes an inner core made of a first material such as a rigid plastic material and an over-layer made of a second material such as a pliable thermoplastic elastomer. The Y-connector comprises a primary arm, a secondary arm and a convergence arm all in fluid communication with one another and may include a tubing segment bonded to the Y-connector convergence arm. The first material can be a transparent copolyester and the second material can be a translucent thermoplastic elastomer. Threaded caps having a multi-indentation configuration can be tethered to one or more arms and be configured to seal one or more Y-connector ports.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A Y-connector apparatus for use in connection with an enteral feeding system, the Y-connector apparatus comprising:
a tubing segment;
a Y-connector comprising an inner core made of a first material and an over-layer made of a second material, wherein the over-layer at least partially encloses the inner core;
wherein the Y-connector comprises a primary arm, a secondary arm and a convergence arm all in fluid communication with one another;
wherein the primary arm comprises a primary arm stem having a primary arm small-bore connector at an outer end of the primary arm stem, wherein the primary arm stem and primary arm small-bore connector are made of the first material;
wherein the secondary arm comprises a secondary arm stem having a secondary arm small-bore connector at an outer end of the secondary arm stem, wherein the secondary arm stem and secondary arm small-bore connector are made of the first material;
wherein the second material encloses at least a portion of the primary arm stem and at least a portion of the secondary arm stem;
wherein the convergence arm comprises a convergence arm stem having an outer end and an interior channel, wherein the convergence arm stem is made of the first material;
wherein the convergence arm stem is adapted to receive the tubing segment within the interior channel of the convergence arm stem;
wherein the second material encloses the entire convergence arm stem; and
wherein the over-layer is configured such that at least a portion of the tubing segment extends beyond the convergence arm and is not enclosed by the over-layer.

2. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tubing segment is bonded within the interior channel of the convergence arm stem using one of the following: adhesive, solvent bonding, radio-frequency (RF) welding.

3. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first material is a rigid plastic material.

4. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 3 wherein the second material is a pliable material.

5. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first material is a transparent copolyester and further wherein the second material is a translucent thermoplastic elastomer.

6. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a first cap configured to seal the primary arm and a second cap configured to seal the second arm.

7. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 6 wherein each cap comprises a top and a plurality of indentations in the top of the cap.

8. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 6 wherein each cap comprises gripping means.

9. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first cap is coupled to the primary arm with a first tether configured to circumferentially rotate the first cap about the primary arm;
further wherein the second cap is coupled to the secondary arm with a second tether configured to circumferentially rotate the second cap about the secondary arm.

10. The Y-connector apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first tether is coupled to the primary arm using a first circumferential gap between the inner core and the over-layer;
further wherein the second tether is coupled to the secondary arm using a second circumferential gap between the inner core and the over-layer.

11. A Y-connector assembly comprising:
a tubing segment;
a hard plastic inner core comprising:
a convergence arm comprising a convergence arm stem having an interior channel, wherein the convergence arm stem is adapted to receive the tubing segment within the interior channel of the convergence arm stem;
a primary arm comprising a primary arm stem in fluid communication with the convergence arm stem; and
a secondary arm comprising a secondary arm stem in fluid communication with the convergence arm stem and with the primary arm stem; and

a pliable material over-layer enclosing at least a portion of the primary arm stem, enclosing at least a portion of the secondary arm stem, and enclosing at least a portion of the convergence arm stem, wherein the over-layer is configured such that at least a portion of the tubing segment extends beyond the convergence arm and is not enclosed by the over-layer;
wherein the primary arm further comprises a primary arm small-bore connector at an outer end of the primary arm stem; and
further wherein the secondary arm further comprises a secondary arm small-bore connector at an outer end of the secondary arm stem.

12. The Y-connector assembly of claim 11 wherein the hard plastic inner core is made of a transparent plastic material.

13. The Y-connector assembly of claim 11 wherein the pliable material over-layer encloses the entire convergence arm stem.

14. The Y-connector assembly of claim 13 further comprising an over-layer stress relief extension that extends beyond an outer end of the convergence arm stem.

15. The Y-connector assembly of claim 11 further comprising:
a primary arm cap tethered to the primary arm and configured to seal the primary arm small-bore connector; and
a secondary arm cap tethered to the secondary arm and configured to seal the secondary arm small-bore connector.

16. The Y-connector assembly of claim 15 wherein the primary arm cap is configured to engage threading in the primary arm stem small-bore connector; and further wherein the secondary arm cap is configured to engage threading in the secondary arm stem small-bore connector.

17. A Y-connector assembly comprising:
a tubing segment;
an inner core comprising a hard material and further comprising:
a primary arm stem having a primary arm small-bore connector at one end of the primary arm stem;
a secondary arm stem having a secondary arm small-bore connector at one end of the secondary arm stem; and
a convergence arm stem having an interior channel;
wherein the convergence arm stem is adapted to receive the tubing segment within the interior channel of the convergence arm stem;
wherein the primary arm stem, secondary arm stem and convergence arm stem are all in fluid communication with one another; and

an over-layer enclosing at least a portion of the primary arm stem, at least a portion of the secondary arm stem, and at least a portion of the convergence arm stem, wherein the over-layer is comprised of a pliable material, and wherein the over-layer is configured such that at least a portion of the tubing segment extends beyond the convergence arm stem and is not enclosed by the over-layer.

18. The Y-connector assembly of claim 17 wherein the over-layer encloses the entire convergence arm stem and comprises a stress relief extension that extends beyond the convergence arm stem.

19. The Y-connector assembly of claim 17 wherein the primary arm further comprises a primary arm cap tethered to the primary arm and configured to seal the primary arm stem; and
further wherein the secondary arm further comprises a secondary arm cap tethered to the secondary arm and configured to seal the secondary arm stem.

Assignees

• Avent Inc

Inventors

• Koelper Crystal E
• Nordquist Jeffrey S
• Shaughnessy Michael C
• Morici John L

Classifications

• A61M2039/085

  external enteral feeding tubes · CPC title

• A61J15/0026

  Parts, details or accessories for feeding-tubes (external tubes from medical containers to a connector outside of the body A61M39/08) · CPC title

• A61M39/105

  Multi-channel connectors or couplings, e.g. for connecting multi-lumen tubes (multi-channel connectors in general F16L37/56) · CPC title

• A61M39/1011

  Locking means for securing connection; Additional tamper safeties (A61M39/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M39/10 Primary

  Tube connectors; Tube couplings {(A61M39/02 takes precedence; connecting needles to syringes or hubs A61M5/34; connecting catheter tubes to hubs A61M25/0014)} · CPC title