High flow manifold

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11458241-B2
Application number	US-202016938171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2020
Priority date	Mar 23, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

Implementations described herein include a system for guiding medical waste fluid into a medical waste collection canister. The system includes a manifold and a filter. The manifold includes a top surface and a sidewall extending from the top surface in a first direction. The top surface and the sidewall define an interior chamber of the manifold. The top surface includes an inlet port and a vacuum port disposed therein. The inlet port connects to a source of medical waste fluid and the vacuum port connects to a vacuum source. The manifold can be formed from a first polymer. A filter is positioned within the interior chamber of the manifold and immediately upstream of the vacuum port so as to filter air flowing into the vacuum port. The filter extends away from the top surface of the manifold in the first direction and the filter is formed from a second polymer. The filter is fused to a surface of the interior chamber of the manifold or to a peripheral surface of the vacuum port so as to form a fused interface, and not merely a press fit connection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of replacing a filter in a medical waste fluid collection system, comprising:
accessing a manifold of the medical waste fluid collection system that houses a first filter, the manifold comprising:
a manifold housing comprising:
a top surface;
one or more tabs extending outward from a circumferential edge of the manifold to engage a canister of the medical waste fluid collection system;
a sidewall extending integrally from the top surface in a first direction, the manifold housing defining a manifold chamber; and
a cap releasable connected to the sidewall to form an enclosure bounded by the top surface, the sidewall and the cap, wherein:

the top surface comprises an inlet port and a vacuum port disposed therein for connecting to different sources of the medical fluid waste fluid collection system, the inlet port is configured to connect to a source of medical waste fluid, the vacuum port is configured to connect to a vacuum source, and the manifold is formed from a first polymer;
the first filter coupled to and in communication with the vacuum port away from the inlet port and extending away from the top surface in the first direction prior to removal;

removing the cap from the sidewall of the manifold to provide access to the first filter within the sidewall;
severing the first filter from the top surface of the manifold or breaking a fused interface between the first filter and the top surface of the manifold;
washing the manifold;
disinfecting the manifold; and
coupling a second filter to the top surface to cover the vacuum port to form a recycled manifold.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first filter and the second filter are hygroscopic.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first filter and the second filter are not different.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the second filter to the vacuum port comprises mechanically fastening the second filter to a surface of an interior chamber of the manifold defined by the enclosure or a peripheral surface of the vacuum port.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein mechanically fastening the second filter further comprises press-fitting the second filter.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the second filter to the vacuum port further comprises mechanically fastening, gluing, bonding, welding, or fusing the second filter to the vacuum port.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein bonding comprises adhesive bonding.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein welding can comprise spin welding, hot plate welding, laser welding, ultrasonic welding, radio frequency welding, microwave welding, solvent welding, induction welding, and vibration welding.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the second filter to the vacuum port comprises coupling the second filter to the vacuum port via a spin welding process that comprises:
attaching the second filter to a spinning tool;
placing the second filter into engagement with the manifold;
spinning the second filter with the spinning tool to cause frictional heating of the second filter; and
disengaging the spinning tool from the second filter.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising attaching the manifold to a stationary fixture.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein placing the second filter into engagement with the manifold comprises engaging filter material of the second filter with the top surface of the manifold where the first filter was removed.

12. A method of replacing a filter in a medical waste collection canister, the method comprising:
separating a first filter from an end wall of a manifold;
attaching the manifold to a stationary fixture;
attaching a second filter to a spinning tool;
extending the spinning tool and the second filter into a cylindrical sidewall of the manifold connected to the end wall;
positioning the second filter adjacent the end wall of the manifold to be in communication with a vacuum port within the cylindrical sidewall; and
friction welding the second filter to the manifold via rotation against the cylindrical sidewall and the end wall with the spinning tool.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein friction welding the second filter to the manifold comprises heating polymeric material of the manifold and the second filter to a viscous state.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein separating the first filter from the manifold comprises breaking material that bonds the first filter to the manifold.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising cleaning the manifold before friction welding the second filter to the manifold.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein separating the first filter from the manifold comprises unfastening a manifold cap from the manifold to access the first filter, wherein the manifold cap is removably secured to the manifold.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first filter comprises a used filter and the second filter comprises a new filter.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
removing the manifold from a medical waste collection system by circumferentially rotating the manifold housing to disengage the one or more tabs from the medical waste collection system before severing or breaking the first filter from the manifold; and
attaching the manifold to the medical waste collection system by circumferentially rotating the manifold housing to engage the one or more tabs with the medical waste collection system after coupling the second filter to the vacuum port.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first filter is positioned to:
cover the vacuum port such that flow through the vacuum port must flow through the first filter; and
leave the inlet port uncovered such that flow through the inlet port does not pass through the first filter.

20. The method of claim 12 ; wherein the spinning tool comprises:
a disk component for attaching to the second filter; and
an elongate insertion component connected to the disk component to move the disk component and the second filter into the cylindrical sidewall.

Assignees

• Zimmer Inc

Inventors

• Smith Larry C
• Boles David J

Classifications

• B29L2031/14

  Filters {(optical filters B29L2011/0066, sieves or screens B29L2031/737)} · CPC title

• B01D46/0097

  Special means for preventing bypass around the filter, i.e. in addition to usual seals · CPC title

• B29C65/36

  heated by induction · CPC title

• A61M1/784 Primary

  by filtering, sterilising or disinfecting the exhaust air, e.g. swellable filter valves · CPC title

• B29K2023/06

  PE, i.e. polyethylene · CPC title