Convergent-divergent drip chamber integrated with floating valve member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12409266-B2
Application number	US-202017085803-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2020
Priority date	Oct 30, 2020
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A drip chamber device may include a housing including an inlet and an outlet disposed downstream of the inlet, and a chamber defined by an inner circumferential surface of the housing. The chamber may fluidly connect the inlet with the outlet. A valve member may be disposed in the chamber to move between (i) a closed state where fluid communication between the inlet and the chamber is blocked, and (ii) an open state where fluid communication between the inlet and the chamber is not blocked, based on a level of fluid within the chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drip chamber device, comprising:
a housing having a top end including an inlet, and a bottom end including an outlet disposed downstream of the inlet;
a chamber defined by an inner circumferential surface of the housing, and fluidly connecting the inlet with the outlet, the inner circumferential surface having a sealing ring, disposed distally to the inlet, a first sidewall extending radially outward and distally from the top end of the housing, and a second sidewall extending radially inward and distally from the first sidewall to the bottom end of the housing; and
a valve member disposed in the chamber to move between (i) a closed state where fluid communication between the inlet and the chamber is blocked by engagement of the valve member against the sealing ring, and (ii) an open state where the valve member is spaced apart from the sealing ring in a direction distal to the inlet, based on a level of fluid within the chamber, such that fluid communication between the inlet and the chamber is not blocked.

2. The drip chamber device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second sidewalls comprises a conical shape.

3. The drip chamber device of claim 1 , wherein the sealing ring is circumferentially disposed on the inner circumferential surface along the first sidewall.

4. The drip chamber device of claim 1 , wherein the valve member comprises a spherical ball.

5. The drip chamber device of claim 4 , wherein a distance between a top end of the housing and the sealing ring is greater than or equal to a radius of the spherical ball.

6. The drip chamber device of claim 4 , wherein an inner diameter of the sealing ring is less than or equal to a diameter of the spherical ball.

7. The drip chamber device of claim 1 , wherein the bottom end of the housing comprises a base plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of valve support members protruding proximally from the top surface of the base plate.

8. The drip chamber device of claim 7 , wherein the base plate comprises an aperture extending from the top surface through the bottom surface of the base plate, the aperture fluidly communicating the chamber with the outlet.

9. The drip chamber device of claim 8 , wherein the top surface of the base plate comprises a ramped surface which is angled and tapers radially inward from an outer periphery of the base plate to the aperture of the base plate.

10. The drip chamber device of claim 7 , wherein the valve support members are radially spaced apart about a central longitudinal axis of the drip chamber device.

11. A drip chamber device, comprising:
a housing having a top end including an inlet for receiving a primary fluid, an opposing bottom end including an outlet for dispensing fluid from the housing, an intermediate section between the top end and the bottom end, and a sidewall having (i) a first portion extending radially outward from the top end to the intermediate section of the housing, and (ii) a second portion extending radially inward from the intermediate section to the bottom end of the housing, wherein an inner circumferential surface of the sidewall defines a chamber;
a sealing ring circumferentially disposed along the first portion of the inner circumferential surface; and
a valve member moveably disposed in the chamber, the valve member being displaceable in a proximal direction into the sealing ring by a buoyant force when fluid level in the chamber exceeds a predetermined level.

12. The drip chamber device of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second portion of the sidewall comprises a conical shape.

13. The drip chamber device of claim 11 , wherein the sealing ring is disposed adjacent to and distally from the top end of the housing at a distance greater than or equal to a radius of the valve member.

14. The drip chamber device of claim 11 , wherein the valve member comprises a spherical ball.

15. The drip chamber device of claim 14 , wherein an inner diameter of the sealing ring is less than or equal to a diameter of the spherical ball.

16. The drip chamber device of claim 11 , wherein the bottom end of the housing comprises a base plate having an aperture extending axially therethrough, the aperture fluidly communicating the chamber with the outlet.

17. The drip chamber device of claim 16 , wherein the base plate further comprises a plurality of valve support members protruding longitudinally from a top surface of the base plate.

18. The drip chamber device of claim 17 , wherein the valve support members are radially spaced apart about the aperture, and each spacing between adjacent valve support members defines a flow guide portion through which fluid exiting the chamber flows into the outlet.

19. The drip chamber device of claim 17 , wherein the base plate comprises a ramped surface which is angled and tapers radially inward from an outer periphery of the base plate to the aperture of the base plate.

20. A drip chamber device, comprising:
a housing having a top end including an inlet, and a bottom end including an outlet disposed downstream of the inlet;
a chamber defined by an inner circumferential surface of the housing, and fluidly connecting the inlet with the outlet, and the inner circumferential surface having a first sidewall extending radially outward and distally from the top end of the housing, and a second sidewall extending radially inward and distally from the first sidewall to the bottom end of the housing; and
a valve member disposed in the chamber to move between a closed state, where fluid communication between the inlet and the chamber is blocked, and an open state, where fluid communication between the inlet and the chamber is not blocked, based on a level of fluid within the chamber.

Assignees

• Carefusion 303 Inc

Inventors

• Menon Kanjimpuredathil Muralikrishna
• Agarwal Aman
• Puthukkad Rahul
• Murali Arjun

Classifications

• A61M2205/3331

  Pressure; Flow · CPC title

• A61M2039/248

  Ball-valve · CPC title

• A61M39/24

  Check- or non-return valves · CPC title

• A61M5/16804

  Flow controllers · CPC title

• A61M5/40

  using low-level float-valve to cut off media flow from reservoir {(position detection of a floating member A61M5/1685)} · CPC title