Autonomous vacuum pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11623192-B2
Application number	US-201916538243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2019
Priority date	Aug 21, 2018
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus includes a pump body, two or more arms extending from the pump body configured to hold a cement mixing container, a vacuum port exposed on an exterior surface of the pump body and positioned to engage a port on the cement mixing container, a venturi positioned proximate the vacuum port; a perforator within the pump body, the perforator configured to puncture a gas container to release gas to the venturi to create a vacuum at the vacuum port; and an actuator configured to puncture the gas container with the perforator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a pump body;
two or more arms extending from the pump body configured to hold a cement mixing container;
a vacuum port exposed on an exterior surface of the pump body and positioned to engage a port on the cement mixing container;
a venturi positioned proximate the vacuum port;
a perforator within the pump body, the perforator configured to puncture a gas container to release gas to the venturi to create a vacuum at the vacuum port; and
an actuator configured to puncture the gas container with the perforator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the two or more arms are curved so as to grip the sides of the cement mixing container.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vacuum port directly engages the port on the cement mixing container without intervening hoses.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the perforator includes a body having a cavity on one end to receive a neck of the gas container.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the perforator includes a needle located with the cavity to puncture the gas container, the perforator further including an arm extending from the body and having a passage so as to release gas out of a hole proximate the top of the arm.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further including a regulator inserted with the cavity of the perforator.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator includes a lever rotatably coupled to the pump body.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the lever includes a cam positioned such that when the lever is rotated the cam engages a bottom of the gas container and pushes the gas container up to the perforator.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , including a seal member to receive a neck of the gas container, the seal member including an external O-ring to seal against an inner wall of a cavity of the perforator.

10. A system comprising:
a cement mixing container;
a pump body;
a gas container located within the pump body;
two or more arms extending from the pump body configured to hold the cement mixing container;
a vacuum port exposed on an exterior surface of the pump body and positioned to engage a port on the cement mixing container;
a venturi positioned proximate the vacuum port;
a perforator within the pump body, the perforator configured to puncture the gas container to release gas to the venturi to create a vacuum at the vacuum port; and
an actuator configured to puncture the gas container with the perforator.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the vacuum port directly engages the port on the cement mixing container without intervening hoses.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the perforator includes a body having a cavity on one end to receive a neck of the gas container.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the perforator includes a needle located with the cavity to puncture the gas container, the perforator further including an arm extending from the body and having a passage so as to release gas out of a hole proximate the top of the arm.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further including a regulator inserted with the cavity of the perforator.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the actuator includes a lever rotatably coupled to the pump body.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the lever includes a cam positioned such that when the lever is rotated the cam engages a bottom of the gas container and pushes the gas container up to the perforator.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , including a seal member to receive a neck of the gas container, the seal member including an external O-ring to seal against an inner wall of a cavity of the perforator.

18. A method comprising:
providing a vacuum pump including a pump body having two or more arms extending from the pump body configured to hold a cement mixing container;
attaching the vacuum pump directly to the cement mixing container such that a port on the cement mixing container directly engages a vacuum port exposed on an exterior surface of the pump body on the vacuum pump;
actuating the vacuum pump by using a perforator within the pump body, the perforator configured to puncture a gas container to release gas to a venturi positioned proximate the vacuum port to create a vacuum at the vacuum port; and
mixing a cement mixture with the cement mixing container.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the vacuum pump includes a gas container and a venturi.

20. The method of claim 19 , including a perforator within a pump body of the vacuum pump, the perforator configured to puncture the gas container to release gas to the venturi to create a vacuum at the vacuum port; and an actuator configured to puncture the gas container with the perforator.

Assignees

• Zimmer Gmbh

Inventors

• Chaligne Sebastien

Classifications

• A61B2017/8838

  for mixing bone cement or fluid fillers · CPC title

• B01F2101/20

  Mixing of ingredients for bone cement · CPC title

• F04F5/24 Primary

  displacing liquids, e.g. containing solids, or liquids and elastic fluids · CPC title

• F04D29/12

  using sealing-rings · CPC title

• B01F31/40

  with an axially oscillating rotary stirrer · CPC title