Methods of assembling a manifold for a medical waste collection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11801108-B2
Application number	US-202318198929-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2023
Priority date	Dec 14, 2005
Publication date	Oct 31, 2023
Grant date	Oct 31, 2023

Abstract

Methods of assembling a manifold for a medical waste collection system. A flapper valve unit is secured to a head of a cap. A filter element is positioned within a shell. Basket hands of the filter element are fitted between first pairs of ribs of the cap skirt. Fingers of the shell are fitted between second pairs of ribs of the cap skirt. The cap is secured to the shell to cover an open distal end of the shell. A drip stop is secured to the proximal end base of the shell to seat within the outlet opening. Ears may be fitted through holes defined by the flapper valve unit and cap holes defined by the cap so as to snap lock to the head of the cap. The hub of the flapper valve unit may be compressed with the ears snap locked to the head of the cap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a manifold for filtering waste liquid being drawn under influence of suction of a medical waste collection system, the manifold including a shell including an open distal end and a proximal end base defining an outlet opening, a cap including a cap skirt and a head at an end of the cap skirt, and a filter element, the method comprising:
positioning the filter element within the shell;
fitting basket hands of the filter element between first pairs of ribs of the cap skirt, thereby facilitating rotational alignment of the cap and the filter element;
fitting fingers of the shell between second pairs of ribs of the cap skirt, thereby facilitating rotational alignment of the cap and the shell; and
securing the cap to the shell to cover the open distal end of the shell.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first pairs of ribs are spaced apart by a different distance corresponding to a respective one of the basket hands.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the second pairs of ribs are spaced apart by a different distance corresponding to a respective one of the fingers of the shell.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of securing the cap to the shell further comprises inserting the shell into the cap skirt.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of securing the cap to the shell further comprises compressing an O-ring between the shell and the cap to provide a seal.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising securing a drip stop to the proximal end base of the shell by resiliently deforming and positioning the drip stop such that upon resilient return a portion of the proximal end base is seated in a slot defined by the drip stop.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching on the manifold a data carrier storing data used to regulate operation of the medical waste collection system.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the filter element to include a basket lip having an outer diameter less than an inner diameter of the shell to define a gap sized as a flow through path through which liquid and small bits of matter are configured to pass to prevent clogging of downline components.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manifold further includes a flapper valve unit including a hub and flapper valves, wherein the method further comprises securing the flapper valve unit to the head of the cap by fitting ears through holes defined by a hub of the flapper valve unit and cap holes defined by the cap, wherein the ears are configured to snap lock to the head of the cap.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the hub of the flapper valve unit is compressed with the ears snap locked to the head of the cap.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising positioning flapper valves of the flapper valve unit to be seated over ports of the cap, wherein a square-in-square engagement between the ears and the cap holes of the cap prevents rotation of the filter element during assembly.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising securing the filter element to the cap.

13. A method of assembling a manifold for filtering waste liquid being drawn under influence of suction of a medical waste collection system, the manifold including a shell including an open distal end and a proximal end base defining an outlet opening, a cap including a cap skirt and a head at an end of the cap skirt, and a filter element, the method comprising:
positioning the filter element within the shell;
fitting basket hands of the filter element between first pairs of ribs of the cap skirt, thereby facilitating rotational alignment of the cap and the filter element;
fitting fingers of the shell between second pairs of ribs of the cap skirt, thereby facilitating rotational alignment of the cap and the shell; and
inserting the shell into the cap skirt so that a lip of the shell is seated on a step of the cap skirt to secure the cap to the shell and cover the open distal end of the shell.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the step of securing the cap to the shell further comprises compressing an O-ring between the shell and the cap to provide a seal.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein each of the first pairs of ribs are spaced apart by a different distance corresponding to a respective one of the fingers of the shell.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising attaching on the manifold a data carrier storing data used to regulate operation of the medical waste collection system.

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Murray Sean A
• Hershberger David
• Lalomia Brent S
• Reasoner Stephen

Classifications

• A61B50/10 Primary

  Furniture specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments · CPC title

• A61B50/13

  Trolleys{, e.g. carts} · CPC title

• A61B50/36

  for collecting or disposing of used articles · CPC title

• A61M1/60

  Containers for suction drainage, adapted to be used with an external suction source (containers not adapted for subjection to vacuum A61M1/69) · CPC title

• A61M1/63

  with means for emptying the suction container, e.g. by interrupting suction · CPC title