Sealing assembly for a fluid reservoir of a fluid infusion device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9339639-B2
Application number	US-201213399857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2012
Priority date	Feb 22, 2011
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a fluid infusion device of the type that delivers medication fluid to the body of a patient. The device includes or cooperates with a fluid reservoir, and the device has a sealing assembly to receive and form a fluid seal with the fluid reservoir. A retractable sealing element surrounding a hollow fluid delivery needle may be used to seal a port of the fluid reservoir. The port may include a pressure vent that is sealed by the retractable sealing element. In one variation, the reservoir includes a moving valve sleeve that holds a septum. The septum moves to allow the reservoir to vent, and to form a seal with the port when the needle pierces the septum. In another variation, the device includes a needleless sealing assembly. In yet other variations, the device uses a needled fluid reservoir.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sealing assembly for a fluid infusion device, the sealing assembly comprising:
a durable housing that receives and mates with a removable fluid reservoir having a fluid delivery port extending from the fluid reservoir and having a funnel-shaped interior defined therein, wherein the durable housing houses the removable fluid reservoir and retains the removable fluid reservoir in a particular position and orientation;
a base plate having an adhesive layer of material to adhere the base plate to skin of a patient, and having a coupling structure to removably couple the base plate to the durable housing of the fluid infusion device;
a reservoir port receptacle integrally formed with the base plate to receive and engage the fluid delivery port of the fluid reservoir in the particular position and orientation when the durable housing is coupled to the base plate, wherein the fluid delivery port of the fluid reservoir resides within the reservoir port receptacle when the durable housing is coupled to the base plate;
a hollow fluid delivery needle coupled to the base plate and extending within the reservoir port receptacle to provide a fluid flow path from the fluid reservoir to a user of the fluid infusion device when the durable housing is coupled to the base plate; and
a sealing element coupled to the base plate and overlying at least a portion of the hollow fluid delivery needle, the sealing element comprising:
a base section;
a tip section extending from the base section, the tip section shaped to enter and seal with the funnel-shaped interior of the fluid delivery port when the durable housing is coupled to the base plate;
a retractable body section between the base section and the tip section;
a needle cavity formed in the retractable body section and continuing through the base section to define a needle opening in the base section, the needle cavity sized to receive the hollow fluid delivery needle; and
a self-sealing slit formed in the tip section to accommodate the hollow fluid delivery needle when the sealing element is in a retracted position caused by coupling of the durable housing with the base plate.

2. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sealing element further comprises a guide channel formed in the tip section and communicating with the needle cavity and the self-sealing slit, wherein the guide channel leads a tip of the hollow fluid delivery needle into the self-sealing slit during retraction of the sealing element caused by coupling of the durable housing with the base plate.

3. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the needle cavity defines internal relief features of the retractable body section;
the internal relief features facilitate refraction of the sealing element over the hollow fluid delivery needle in response to a longitudinal force applied to the tip section by the fluid delivery port of the fluid reservoir, the longitudinal force caused by coupling of the durable housing with the base plate; and
the internal relief features cause the sealing element to extend over and cover the hollow fluid delivery needle in response to removal of the longitudinal force.

4. The sealing assembly of claim 3 , wherein the internal relief features comprise an accordion structure within the needle cavity.

5. The sealing assembly of claim 3 , wherein the internal relief features comprise a plurality of internal annular channels within the needle cavity.

6. The sealing assembly of claim 3 , wherein the internal relief features comprise a plurality of internal annular ridges within the needle cavity.

7. The sealing assembly of claim 3 , wherein the internal relief features comprise a plurality of bottleneck structures within the needle cavity.

8. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the sealing element has a nominal state and a refracted state caused by coupling of the durable housing with the base plate;
when in the nominal state, a tip of the hollow fluid delivery needle resides within the needle cavity, and the self-sealing slit forms a fluid seal to inhibit fluid ingress into the needle cavity; and
when in the retracted state, an end section of the hollow fluid delivery needle resides in the self-sealing slit, and the tip of the hollow fluid delivery needle extends from the tip section of the sealing element.

9. The sealing assembly of claim 8 , wherein:
the retractable body section expands when the sealing element is retracting; and
the retractable body section forms a fluid seal with the funnel-shaped interior of the fluid delivery port when the sealing element is in the retracted state.

10. The sealing assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a circumferential compression element coupled around the tip section to impart an inward biasing force to the self-sealing slit.

11. The sealing assembly of claim 10 , wherein the circumferential compression element comprises a rigid ring.

12. The sealing assembly of claim 10 , wherein the circumferential compression element comprises a resilient band.

13. A sealing assembly for a fluid infusion device, the sealing assembly comprising:
a durable housing that receives and mates with a removable fluid reservoir having a fluid delivery port extending from the fluid reservoir and having a funnel-shaped interior defined therein, wherein the durable housing houses the removable fluid reservoir and retains the removable fluid reservoir in a particular position and orientation;
a base plate having an adhesive layer of material to adhere the base plate to skin of a patient, and having a coupling structure to removably couple the base plate to the durable housing of the fluid infusion device;
a reservoir port receptacle integrally formed with the base plate to receive and engage the fluid delivery port of the fluid reservoir in the particular position and orientation when the durable housing is coupled to the base plate, wherein the fluid delivery port of the fluid reservoir resides within the reservoir port receptacle when the durable housing is coupled to the base plate;
a hollow fluid delivery needle coupled to the base plate and extending within the reservoir port receptacle to provide a fluid flow path from the fluid reservoir to a user of the fluid infusion device when the durable housing is coupled to the base plate; and
a sealing element coupled to the base plate and overlying at least a portion of the hollow fluid delivery needle, the sealing element comprising:
a base section;
a tip section extending from the base section, the tip section shaped to enter and seal with the funnel-shaped interior of the fluid delivery port when the durable housing is coupled to the base plate;
a retractable body section between the base section and the tip section; and
a needle cavity formed in the retractable body section and continuing through the base section to define a needle opening in the base section, the needle cavity sized to receive the hollow fluid delivery needle, and the needle cavity defining internal relief features of the retractable body section; wherein:

the internal relief features promote deformation of the sealing element and retraction of the sealing element over the hollow fluid delivery needle in response to a longitudinal force applied to the tip section of the sealing element by the funnel-shaped interior of the fluid delivery port, the longitudinal force caused by coupling of the durable housing with the base plate; and
the internal relief features cause the sealing element to automatically extend over the hollow fluid delivery needle into a nominal state in response to removal of the longitudinal force.

Assignees

• Halili Edgardo C
• Lorenzen Eric M
• Yavorsky Matthew William
• Medtronic Minimed Inc

Inventors

• Halili Edgardo C
• Lorenzen Eric M
• Yavorsky Matthew William

Classifications

• A61M39/10 Primary

  Tube connectors; Tube couplings {(A61M39/02 takes precedence; connecting needles to syringes or hubs A61M5/34; connecting catheter tubes to hubs A61M25/0014)} · CPC title

• A61M5/31

  Details · CPC title

• A61M2039/0072

  Means for increasing tightness of the septum, e.g. compression rings, special materials, special constructions · CPC title

• A61M39/00 Primary

  Tubes, tube connectors, tube couplings, valves, access sites or the like, specially adapted for medical use (for respiratory devices, e.g. tracheal tubes A61M16/00; artificial heart valves A61F2/24) · CPC title

• A61M5/14248

  of the skin patch type · CPC title