Valve assembly for medical manifold
First Claim
1. A valve member for use in a medical manifold valve assembly, comprising:
- a. a cylindrical valve stem having a pathway therethrough, wherein said pathway has at least two openings along a peripheral surface of said valve stem, wherein each of said openings is flanked between annular seals circumscribing said valve stem, wherein said annular seals are raised above said peripheral surface of said valve stem; and
b. means for rotating said valve stem within the manifold.
3 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A valve member for use in a medical manifold valve assembly, wherein the valve member comprises a valve stem having a handle formed thereon for rotating the valve stem within the bore of a manifold. The valve stem has at least one pathway therethrough that can be aligned with channels through the manifold to allow fluid to flow through the valve stem pathway. The valve stem comprises at least two grooves circumscribing the valve stem, one groove above and one groove below each pathway opening. These grooves are preferably fitted or molded with a flexible material to form seals. The diameter of the valve stem above and below the area between the grooves is less than the diameter of the valve stem between the grooves such that the valve stem wall above and below the area between the grooves does not contact the bore wall. The frictional area between the valve stem wall and the bore wall is thereby reduced, making rotation of the valve stem much easier while still providing an adequate seal to prevent fluid leakage. The valve member preferably further comprises a detent feature to assist the operator in determining proper valve stem orientation.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A valve member for use in a medical manifold valve assembly, comprising:
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a. a cylindrical valve stem having a pathway therethrough, wherein said pathway has at least two openings along a peripheral surface of said valve stem, wherein each of said openings is flanked between annular seals circumscribing said valve stem, wherein said annular seals are raised above said peripheral surface of said valve stem; and
b. means for rotating said valve stem within the manifold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A valve member for use in a medical manifold valve assembly, comprising:
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a. a cylindrical valve stem having a pathway therethrough, wherein said pathway has at least two openings along a peripheral surface of said valve stem, wherein said valve stem comprises a first diameter encompassing said pathway openings and a second diameter adjacent each side of said first diameter, wherein said first diameter is greater than said second diameter; and
b. means for rotating said valve stem within the manifold.
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9. A medical apparatus, comprising:
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a. a manifold having first and second ends, a cylindrical bore extending between said first and second ends, and at least two channels extending through said manifold and intersecting said bore wherein each of said channels has an opening along a peripheral surface of said bore;
b. means for regulating fluid communication through said bore, said regulating means comprising a cylindrical member mounted within said bore for rotation therein, said cylindrical member having at least one pathway therethrough wherein said pathway has at least two openings along a peripheral surface of said cylindrical member, wherein said channels are in communication through said bore only when said pathway openings are suitably rotated for alignment with said channel openings; and
c. means for sealing the junctions between said pathway openings and said channel openings to prevent leakage of fluid into said bore about said cylindrical member, wherein said sealing means comprises a seal member circumscribing each of said junctions. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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18. A medical apparatus, comprising:
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a. a manifold having first and second ends, a cylindrical bore extending between said first and second ends, and at least two channels extending through said manifold and intersecting said bore, wherein each of said channels has an opening along a peripheral surface of said bore; and
b. means for regulating fluid communication through said bore, said regulating means comprising a cylindrical member mounted within said bore for rotation therein, said cylindrical member having at least one pathway therethrough wherein said pathway has at least two openings along a peripheral surface of said cylindrical member, wherein said channels are in communication through said bore only when said pathway openings are suitably rotated for alignment with said channel openings, wherein said cylindrical member comprises a first diameter encompassing said pathway openings and a second diameter adjacent each side of said first diameter, wherein said first diameter is greater than said second diameter such that said first diameter forcibly engages a peripheral surface of said bore to prevent leakage of fluid into said bore about said cylindrical member, and said second diameter does not contact said peripheral surface of said bore.
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Specification