Systems and methods including procedural barrier-breaching connectors and connection-establishing devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12596232-B2
Application number	US-202117512501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2021
Priority date	Oct 28, 2020
Publication date	Apr 7, 2026
Grant date	Apr 7, 2026

Abstract

Procedural barrier-breaching connectors and connection-establishing devices, as well as systems and methods thereof, for establishing portals in procedural barriers are disclosed. For example, a connection-establishing device can include a cap and an extension arm. The cap is configured to sit over a protruding portion of a first medical device with a procedural barrier between the connection-establishing device and the first medical device. The extension arm is configured to push a male connector of a second medical device through the procedural barrier and into a female connector of the first medical device with the extension arm, which establishes one or more functional connections across the procedural barrier between the second medical device and the first medical device. An exemplary method for the connection-establishing device includes a cap-placing step, an articulating step, and a functional connection-establishing step for establishing the one-or-more functional connections.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A connection system, comprising:
a male connector including:
a base including a longitudinal through hole having a terminal opening configured for holding therein a ferrule including an optical fiber;
external threads around the base; and
opposing wings about a portion of the base opposite the terminal opening configured for turning the male connector by hand along a longitudinal axis thereof; and
a female connector including:
a receptacle including a longitudinal through hole having an internal opening configured for holding therein a second ferrule including a second optical fiber; and
internal threads around the receptacle complementary with the external threads of the male connector, the male connector and the female connector configured to establish an optical connection between the optical fiber of the male connector and the second optical fiber of the female connector when the optical fiber and the second optical fiber are respectively held in the male connector and the female connector.

2 . The connection system of claim 1 , wherein the external threads around the base of the male connector and the internal threads around the receptacle of the female connector are electrically conductive, the male connector and the female connector configured to establish an electrical connection between a conductive wire of the male connector and a second conductive wire of the female connector when the conductive wire and a second conductive wire are respectively held in the male connector and the female connector and connected to the internal threads and the external threads.

3 . The connection system of claim 1 , wherein the external threads around the base of the male connector include a cutting edge configured to cut through a procedural barrier when the male connector is placed against the procedural barrier and turned by hand along the longitudinal axis thereof.

4 . The connection system of claim 1 , wherein the base of the male connector and the receptacle of the female connector are complementarily tapered.

Assignees

• Bard Access Systems Inc

Inventors

• Sowards Steffan
• Misener Anthony K
• Mclaughlin William Robert

Classifications

• G02B6/3882

  using rods, pins or balls to align a pair of ferrule ends · CPC title

• A61B46/00

  Surgical drapes · CPC title

• A61B2562/228

  Sensors with optical connectors · CPC title

• G02B6/3898

  Tools, e.g. handheld; Tuning wrenches; Jigs used with connectors, e.g. for extracting, removing or inserting in a panel, for engaging or coupling connectors, for assembling or disassembling components within the connector, for applying clips to hold two connectors together or for crimping (tools for cleaning, G02B6/3866; tools in general B25B) · CPC title

• G02B6/3893

  Push-pull type, e.g. snap-in, push-on · CPC title