Patent Application
20080058770
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
The figures and in particular the exploded view in
The connector 2, made as a plastic, injection molded part, forms the sleeve-shaped connection cap 12 to connect the extraction device with one of the medical receptacles, which are not represented in the figures, for example an infusion bottle or a contrast medium receptacle.
In this context the connection cap 12 is designed for connection with receptacles having an extraction area similar to a narrowed bottle neck, on an extraction opening is closed by a membrane, which is fastened on the receptacle by a crimp. This fastening is carried out by an aluminum collar gripping around the outer wall of the receptacle in the extraction area.
The connection cap 12, having an inner contour corresponding essentially to the outer contour of the extraction area, is attached on this extraction area of the receptacle. Here, a projection 14, arranged in the region of the open end of the connection cap 12 on its inner wall and extends over the entire inner circumference of the connection cap 12 in the direction of its central axis), engages the aluminum collar of the medical receptacle and thus allows a form-fit fastening of the connection cap 12 and consequently the extraction device to the receptacle.
In order to guide the projection 14 past the aluminum collar of the receptacle, the wall of the connection cap 12 is slit several times in the direction of its longitudinal extension, distributed over the circumference, which in connection with a certain elasticity of the plastic material of the connection cap 12 leads to a flexibility of the wall in the radial direction, whereby the inner cross section of the connection cap 12 can be extended in the area of the open end. After having passed the aluminum collar, it can return to its original cross-sectional dimension.
In order to penetrate the membrane of the medical receptacle and to create a conduit connection there is a concave arbor 16 arranged concentrically to the connection cap 12. Its free and pointed end is oriented toward the open end of the connection cap 12. The other end of the concave arbor 16 empties into a planar base area 18 of a guide 20, in which the component 6 is introduced into the extraction device in an assembled condition.
Apart from the connection cap 12, the guide 20 also forms a part of the connector 2. It is arranged on the front side of this connection cap 12 facing away from the open end of the connection cap 12. The guide 20 is arranged eccentrically to the connection cap 12, so that the connection cap 12 and the guide 20 connected thereto only overlap in a partial segment.
The base area 18 of the guide 20 is constructed in a circular form and is limited by lateral walls on both its inner and outer circumference. These lateral walls extend vertically to the base area 18 in the direction facing away from the open end of the connection cap 12. Starting from the inner lateral wall of the base area 18, there is another circular surface 22 parallel to the base area 18 arranged in the direction of the central axis A of the guide 20. Starting from the inner circumference of the surface 22 there are detente elements 24 arranged on the entire circumference oriented vertically to the surface 22 in a direction facing away from the open end of the connection cap 12.
The guide 20 is designed for retaining and supporting the component 6, which is constructed as a plastic injection-molded part, like the connector 2. The component 6 also has a circular form and corresponds to the guide 20, wherein an outer wall of the component 6 extends in the direction of its central axis A and then has a turning point, so that it forms a connection area 26 extending radially in the direction of the central axis A of the component.
On the connection area 26, which is parallel to the base area 18, there are ten connections 28 distributed over its circumference, arranged with their longitudinal axes parallel to the central axis A of the component 6. These connections 28 are respectively equipped with a flow channel 30 parallel to the central axis A of the component 6. The flow channels 30 are led through the wall of the component 6 forming the connection area 26 and lengthened by tube-shaped connecting pieces 31 on the front side of the wall facing away from the connection area 26. The connections 28 form the liquid outlets of the extraction device and are each formed as Luer-lock connection, so that the connections 28 can be connected with a corresponding Luer-lock connection, for example with a syringe or a tube hose line.
Starting from the inner edge of the connection area 26, facing the central axis A of the component 6, there is a wall 32 extending vertically to this connection area 26 in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the connections 28. In the area of the inner circumference of this wall 32 there are detente elements 34, respectively distributed over the entire circumference in the area of the corner formed by the connection area 26 and the wall 32 and also in the area of the free ends of the wall 32 there are detente elements 36, wherein both the detente elements 34 and the detente elements 36 project in the direction of the central axis of the component 6.
In the assembled condition of the extraction device, the seal 4 is disposed between the guide 20 of the connector 2 and the component 6. The seal 4 is a sealing-ring made of rubber with a planar and circular base body 38, whose radial dimensions essentially correspond to the dimensions of the base area 18 of the guide 20. On one of the faces of the base body 38 there are ten elevations 40 having the shape of burls extending vertically to the face. The elevations 40 in general have a cylindrical shape. The diameter of the elevations 40 is complementary to the inner diameters of the flow channels 30 in the connections 28 of the component 6. Every elevation 40 is broken through by one of the flow channels 42 running in their longitudinal direction.
In the case of the connector 2 assembled with the seal 4 and the component 6, the elevations 40 of the seal 4 engage in the tube-shaped connecting piece 31 of the component 6. The planar and laminar face of the base body 38 of the seal 4 lies then on the base area 18 of the guide 20. The inner side of the outer wall of the component 6 lies against the outer side of the outer wall of the guide 20, limiting the base area 18. In this way, this wall limiting the base area 18 on the outer side engages behind the connecting piece 31 of the component 6, which is diametrically opposed to it. With its outer side it also comes to lie against the inner wall limiting the base area 18 of the guide 20. In the area between the connections 28 and the wall 32, the wall of the component 6 which forms the connection area 26, bears on the surface 22 of the guide 20 with its opposite side. The form-fit fastening of the component 6 to the guide 20 and to the connector 2 occurs by engaging the detente elements 24 of the guide 20 behind the detente elements 34 of the component 6. This form-fit closure guarantees the cohesion between connector 2 and component 6 and also allows a movement of the component 6 with the seal 4 arranged thereon inside the guide 20 of the connector 2.
The locking cap part 8 comprises an inner ring 44 on whose outer circumference there are ten locking caps 48 fixed respectively by a thin bar 46. The bars 46 form set break points, by which the individual locking caps 48 can be detached from the ring 44.
In the assembled condition the locking cap part 8 is arranged such that the locking caps 48 overlap the connections 28 of the component 6. In this way, one of the cylindrical pins 50 arranged in the interior spaces of the locking caps 48, the outer dimensions of the pin corresponding with the inner dimensions of a flow channel 30 in the connector 28, engages with a flow channel 30. In this way, the liquid outlets of the connections 28 are closed in a germ-impenetrable manner. In its assembled condition, the ring 44 of the locking cap part 8 bears on the free end of the wall 32 of the component 6.
The fastening of the locking cap part 8 on the component 6 is carried out with a fastening cap 10. The fastening cap 10 forms a circular top cover, wherein detente elements 52 are arranged on one front side of the top cover next to the outer circumference and extending normal the front side. The fastening cap 10 is pushed toward the opening formed by the wall 32 of the component 6, so that the detente elements 52 of the fastening cap 10 engage behind the detente elements 36 arranged on the inner side of the wall 32. In this way, the ring 44 of the locking cap part 8 lying on the free end of the wall 32 becomes fixed between the wall 32 of the component 6 and the top cover of the fastening cap 10.
In order to extract a liquid from a medical receptacle, the connection cap 12 of the connector 2 must be placed over the extraction area of the medical receptacle, so that the concave arbor 16 penetrates the membrane of the medical receptacle and the projection 14 of the connection cap 12 engages behind the aluminum collar to fasten the membrane on the receptacle, and so that the extraction device is fastened on the receptacle.
Before the extraction from the receptacle, the component 6 and the seal 4 connected thereto are turned in the guide 20 of the connector 2, such that the flow path of the concave arbor 16 is closed by the base body 38 of the seal 4. In this way, no liquid can escape the receptacle.
In this condition one of the locking caps 48 is pulled and broken off from one of the connections 28 of the component 6. On the dissembled Luer-lock of this connector 28, it is now possible to fasten a flexible tube with a corresponding Luer-lock connection.
After that the component 6 and the seal 4 are turned toward the connector 2, so that the flow path through the concave arbor 16, the flow channel 42 of the seal 4 and the flow channel 30 formed in the corresponding connector 28 form a fluid conduit from the medical receptacle to the connected flexible tube. Through this tube the liquid can be conducted to the patient. The turning position required here for the component 6 relative to the connector 2 is shown by the markings 54 on the component 6, which are assigned to each connector 28, whereby the corresponding marking 54 and the marking 56 must be brought to the cover in order to create a conduit connection in the radial direction of the connector 2.
In order to conclude the extraction of the liquid from the receptacle the component 6 is turned relative to the connector 2, so that the marking 56 and the marking 54 are set in a radial alignment to each other. In this position the seal 4 closes the flow path by the concave arbor 16, so that no liquid can escape the receptacle and no germs or impurities can enter the receptacle from outside through the component 6. The connector 28 of the component 6 currently in use can be recognized by the lack of the locking cap 48. In order to use the extraction device again, another locking cap 48 is detached from the connector 38 and the above-described procedure is repeated.
Not represented in the figures, there can be provided in a contact area between the connector 2 and the component 6 wedge-shaped detente elements, whose formation facilitates the movement of the component 6 inside the guide 20 only in one direction, that is in the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.
In connection with a strike pairing, consisting of one strike arranged on the component 6 and, for example, a second strike correspondingly arranged on the guide 20, a turning movement of the component 6 inside the guide 20 exceeding an angle of 360° can be excluded, whereby a multiple use of the connections 28 is prevented.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2006 040 670.2 | Aug 2006 | DE | national |
