ADAPTERS FOR USE WITH AN ANESTHETIC VAPORIZER

Abstract

Adapters are provided for establishing fluid communication between an anesthetic agent container and an anesthetic vaporizer having a fluid port. The adapter may be mountable on the vaporizer to cooperate with the spout of an anesthetic agent container or may be mountable on an anesthetic agent container to cooperate with the fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer to provide a sealing and/or retaining relationship therebetween.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a sealing adapter mounted on an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an engaged adapter and vaporizer according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of an adapter with a sealing member mounted on an anesthetic agent container;

FIG. 4 is a split view of a cross-section of an adapter according to the embodiment of FIG. 3, received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an adapter having an alternative embodiment of the sealing member illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an adapter with a radially expandable member according to an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 6, received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 7B is a front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 7A, with the radially expandable member in a radially expanded condition;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of an adapter having a radially expandable member mounted on an anesthetic agent container;

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of an adapter with a spout upper end having a substantially continuous outer radius received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of an adapter with a tapered spout upper end having a substantially continuous outer radius;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an adapter with a retainer mounted on an anesthetic agent container;

FIG. 11A is a front perspective view of a retainer assembly suitable for use in an adapter;

FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the retainer assembly of FIG. 11A, received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the retainer assembly of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of an adapter valve assembly suitable for use in an adapter;

FIG. 13A is a schematic view of a cammed retainer suitable for use in an adapter;

FIG. 13B is a schematic view of the cammed retainer of FIG. 13A, rotated to a different orientation;

FIG. 14A is a front perspective view of an adapter with a non-continuous sealing member mounted on an anesthetic agent container;

FIG. 14B is a front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 14A received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer, with the non-continuous sealing member in sealing engagement with the fluid port;

FIG. 15A is a front perspective view of another embodiment of an adapter with a non-continuous sealing member;

FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 15A;

FIG. 15C is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 15A, received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 16A is a front perspective view of yet another embodiment of an adapter with a non-continuous sealing member;

FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 16A, received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 17A is a front perspective view of yet another embodiment of an adapter with a non-continuous sealing member;

FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 17A, received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 18A is a cross-sectional view of an adapter with a spout having a deformable collar portion;

FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 18B received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer, with the deformable collar portion of the spout in an expanded condition;

FIG. 18C is a front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 18A, with the deformable collar portion of the spout in an expanded condition;

FIG. 19A is a front perspective view of an adapter having a spout that is movable with respect to a base of the adapter to allow fluid flow through the spout;

FIG. 19B is a front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 19A, with selected components removed or broken away for illustrative purposes;

FIG. 19C is a detail view of the base and a handle half of the adapter of FIG. 19A;

FIG. 19D is a front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 19A received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 20 is a front perspective view of an adapter having a pivoting retainer in engagement with an anesthetic agent container;

FIG. 21 is a front perspective view of a container spout having a retaining post;

FIG. 22 is a front perspective view of an adapter suitable for receiving and retaining the container spout of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the container spout of FIG. 21 in engagement with the adapter of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24A is a front perspective view of an adapter having a splash guard;

FIG. 24B is a side elevational view of the adapter of FIG. 24A, with selected components removed, received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 25 is a front perspective view of an adapter having a rotatable valve disk;

FIG. 26 is an enlarged front perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 25, illustrated without the rotatable valve disk;

FIG. 27A is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 25, taken through the line 27A-27A of FIG. 25, with the rotatable valve disk in an open position;

FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 25, received in part by an anesthetic vaporizer fluid port;

FIG. 28 is a front perspective view of a vaporizer fluid port;

FIG. 29 is a front perspective view of an adapter having a threaded shaft;

FIG. 30 is an exploded view of an adapter having a collet;

FIG. 31 is a split view of a cross-section of an adapter according to the embodiment of FIG. 30, received in part by a fluid port of an anesthetic vaporizer;

FIG. 32 is an exploded view of a container retention system; and

FIG. 33 is an exploded view of a vaporizer filling system.

Claims

1. An adapter for establishing fluid communication between an anesthetic agent container and an anesthetic vaporizer having a fluid port with an upper lip defining a top opening and a substantially annular inner shoulder spaced below the upper lip and having a sealing surface generally facing the top opening, the adapter comprising: a base;a generally tubular spout extending away from the base;an adapter valve assembly for controlling fluid flow through the spout; anda sealing member adapted for sealing engagement with the sealing surface of the shoulder of the fluid port when at least a portion of the spout is inserted into the fluid port.

2. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the sealing member is adapted to engage the sealing surface of the shoulder before fluid communication between the container and the vaporizer is established.

3. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the sealing member is substantially comprised of a deformable material.

4. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the sealing member is substantially comprised of an elastomeric material.

5. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the sealing member substantially encircles the spout.

6. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the sealing member is secured to the spout.

7. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the sealing member is secured to the base.

8. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the sealing member is secured to the base by a ferrule.

9. The adapter of claim 1, further comprising an anesthetic agent container associated with the base and an amount of anesthetic agent housed within the container.

10. An adapter for establishing fluid communication between an anesthetic agent container and an anesthetic vaporizer having a fluid port and a vaporizer valve assembly with an internally threaded, generally tubular central pin, the adapter comprising: a base;a generally tubular spout extending away from the base;an adapter valve assembly for controlling fluid flow through the spout; andan externally threaded shaft centrally positioned within the spout and associated with one of the spout and the adapter valve assembly, wherein the shaft is adapted to be threadingly locked within the central pin when at least a portion of the spout is inserted into the fluid port and rotated.

11. The adapter of claim 10, wherein the shaft is adapted to lock within the central pin before fluid communication between the container and the vaporizer is established.

12. The adapter of claim 10, wherein the shaft is stationary with respect to the spout.

13. The adapter of claim 10, wherein the shaft is movable with respect to the spout.

14. The adapter of claim 10, further comprising an anesthetic agent container associated with the base and an amount of anesthetic agent housed within the container.

15. An adapter for establishing fluid communication between an anesthetic agent container and an anesthetic vaporizer having a fluid port, the adapter comprising: a base;a generally tubular spout extending away from the base and including a tapered portion;an adapter valve assembly for controlling fluid flow through the spout; anda collet including a flap member encircling the tapered portion of the spout, wherein the collet is movable with respect to the tapered portion and the flap member is adapted to bend radially outwardly when contacted by the tapered portion for sealing engagement with the fluid port when at least a portion of the spout is inserted into the fluid port.

16. The adapter of claim 15, wherein the flap member comprises a plurality of separate flaps.

17. The adapter of claim 15, wherein the flap member comprises a continuous tubular member.

18. The adapter of claim 15, wherein the fluid port includes a central pin, the central pin is adapted to engage the collet to prevent further movement of the collet into the fluid port, and the tapered portion of the spout is adapted to be further movable into the fluid port when the central pin engages the collet.

19. The adapter of claim 18, further comprising an internally threaded inner skirt of the collet received within the spout, wherein the central pin of the fluid port is externally threaded and adapted to be threadingly locked within the inner skirt when at least a portion of the spout is inserted into the fluid port and rotated.

20. The adapter of claim 15, further comprising an anesthetic agent container associated with the base and an amount of anesthetic agent housed within the container.

21. A container retention system for maintaining fluid flow between an anesthetic agent container and an anesthetic vaporizer, the container having a spout and a spout valve assembly, and the vaporizer having a fluid port and a vaporizer valve assembly, the container retention system comprising a weighted member adapted to rest on a portion of the container when at least a portion of the spout is received within the fluid port, and wherein the weighted member is sufficiently heavy to maintain the spout valve assembly and the vaporizer valve assembly in an open position.

22. The container retention system of claim 21, wherein said weighted member is substantially comprised of metal material.

23. The container retention system of claim 21, wherein said weighted member is substantially comprised of ferrous metal material.

24. The container retention system of claim 21, wherein said weighted member is adapted to rest on a closed end of the container when at least a portion of the spout is received within the fluid port.

25. The container retention system of claim 21, wherein said weighted member is removably associable with the container.

26. The container retention system of claim 21, wherein said weighted member is generally cup-shaped.

27. An anesthetic vaporizer filling system for establishing fluid communication between an anesthetic agent container and an anesthetic vaporizer having a fluid port with a vaporizer valve assembly, comprising the combination of: an adapter lockable to the fluid port and including a base;a generally tubular spout extending distally from the base, wherein the spout is adapted to be received by the fluid port and maintain the vaporizer valve assembly in an open condition when the adapter is locked to the fluid port; anda container valve actuator extending proximally from the base, wherein the spout and the container valve actuator define a fluid flow path through the adapter; anda container valve associable with an anesthetic agent container, wherein the container valve is adapted to be opened by engagement with the container valve actuator.

28. The anesthetic vaporizer filling system of claim 27, wherein said container valve is resealable.

29. The anesthetic vaporizer filling system of claim 28, wherein said container valve comprises a split septum.

30. The anesthetic vaporizer filling system of claim 27, further comprising a resealable valve or membrane associated with the container valve actuator.

31. The anesthetic vaporizer filling system of claim 30, wherein said resealable valve or membrane of the container valve actuator is opened by the container valve when the container valve engages the container valve actuator.

32. The anesthetic vaporizer filling system of claim 31, wherein the container valve actuator and the container valve comprise spring-biased valves adapted to engage and open each other.