Apparatus for monitoring, regulating, or controlling fluid flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11744935-B2
Application number	US-201715418096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2017
Priority date	Jan 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method for regulating fluid flow are disclosed. An apparatus for infusing fluid into a patient includes a housing, a tube-contact member, a rotating arm, and a tube-retention cover. The housing has an opening on a front side of the housing. The opening is sized to receive a drip chamber having an inlet tube and an outlet tube. The tube-contact member contacts one of the inlet tube and the output tube of the drip chamber when inserted into the opening. The rotating arm is coupled to the tube-contact member and is configured to rotate along an axis. The tube-retention cover is configured to close when the drip chamber is initially loaded into the opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drip chamber, comprising:
a drip-chamber housing defining a fluid chamber;
a top cap coupled to the drip-chamber housing;
a bottom cap coupled to the drip-chamber housing at an opposite end of the drip-chamber housing from the top cap;
an inlet port coupled to the top cap and in fluid communication with the fluid chamber;
an outlet port coupled to the bottom cap and in fluid communication with the fluid chamber;
a drip orifice coupled to the top cap and fluidly coupled to the inlet port;
a downstream tube coupled to the bottom cap and in fluid communication with the fluid chamber of the drip-chamber housing, the tube having a first length; and
an anti-pinch member disposed on a portion of the downstream tube in spaced relation to the drip-chamber housing, the anti-pinch member defining a second length, the anti-pinch member configured to collapse the tube along the second length of the anti-pinch member to thereby impede fluid flow therethrough, the first length being greater than the second length.

2. The drip chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the anti-pinch member is disposed on an inner periphery of the downstream tube.

3. The drip chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the anti-pinch member is a sleeve disposed adjacent to a section of the downstream tube including a plurality of parallel wires disposed within the sleeve.

4. The drip chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the anti-pinch member is a sleeve disposed on an inner periphery of the downstream tube.

5. The drip chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the anti-pinch member is a sleeve having a plurality of wires that are parallel to the downstream tube.

6. The drip chamber according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of wires are metallic.

7. The drip chamber according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of wires are non-metallic.

8. The drip chamber according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of wires are embedded within the sleeve.

9. The drip chamber according to claim 1 , wherein the tube is configured to collapse along substantially an entirety of the second length upon application of a force thereto.

Assignees

• Deka Products Lp

Inventors

• Dale James D
• Fichera Stephen L
• Gray Larry B
• Kamen Dean
• Lanigan Matthew J
• Morgan Frederick
• Van Der Merwe Dirk A
• Yoo Brian H

Classifications

• G06T2207/20104

  Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI] · CPC title

• G06Q50/22

  Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services · CPC title

• G01F1/666

  by detecting noise and sounds generated by the flowing fluid · CPC title

• G01F1/00

  Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow (measuring a proportion of the volume flow G01F5/00) · CPC title

• F04B2205/09

  Flow through the pump · CPC title