Needleless luer access connector
First Claim
1. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
- a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, and a bottom portion defining an outlet opening extending from the channel;
a groove formed in the sidewall of the channel and extending into the channel;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the top portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion;
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through medial portion and into the distal portion; and
at least one rib formed on the external surface of the medial portion such that the rib is disposed in the groove when a male luer taper is inserted into the slit.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A needleless luer access connector is disclosed having a septum disposed in a housing. The septum has a proximal portion with a cross section, a medial portion with a cross section smaller than the cross section of the proximal portion, and a distal portion. A longitudinal slit extends through the septum from the proximal portion to the distal portion. The septum and housing are designed so that septum will not be rotated or removed from the housing when the connector is accessed by a male luer taper. In addition, the septum and housing are designed to bias the slit at the distal portion closed and so a male luer connector does not have to extend completely through the distal portion to open the slit at the distal portion. Finally, the septum and housing are designed to minimize the amount of dead space in the connector when accessed with a male luer taper.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, and a bottom portion defining an outlet opening extending from the channel;
a groove formed in the sidewall of the channel and extending into the channel;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the top portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion;
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through medial portion and into the distal portion; and
at least one rib formed on the external surface of the medial portion such that the rib is disposed in the groove when a male luer taper is inserted into the slit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, and a bottom portion defining an outlet opening extending from the channel;
a rib formed along the sidewall of the channel and extending into the channel;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the top portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion; and
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through the medial portion and into the distal portion wherein the septum engages the rib when a male luer taper is inserted into the slit. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, and a bottom portion defining an outlet opening extending from the channel, wherein the channel defines a slot extending into the sidewall about at least apportion of a circumference of the channel;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the top portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion;
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through medial portion and into the distal portion; and
a key extending from the septum and into the slot - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing have a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, a nd a bottom portion defining an outlet opening extending from the channel, wherein the sidewall defines a key adjacent to the top portion of the housing;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the top portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion;
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through medial portion and into the distal portion; and
a slot defined by the proximal portion engaged with the key. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, and a bottom portion defining an outlet opening extending from the channel wherein at least a portion of the cross section defines a pair of shoulders about 180 degrees apart;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the top portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion wherein the medial portion engages the shoulders; and
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through the medial portion and into the distal portion. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, and a bottom portion defining an outlet opening extending from the channel;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the top portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion defining a substantially circular cross section in its unstressed condition;
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through the medial portion and into the distal portion; and
wherein the channel has a substantially elliptical cross section having a major axis and a minor axis along at least a distal portion thereof and the distal portion of the septum is located in and restrained by the distal portion of the channel such that the distal portion of the septum is biased into a substantially elliptical shape by the distal portion of the channel. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, a nd a bottom portion defining an outlet opening extending from the channel;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the top portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion defining a substantially elliptical cross section with a major axis and a minor axis in its unstressed condition;
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through the medical portion and into the distal portion; and
wherein the channel has a substantially circular cross section along at least a distal portion thereof and the distal portion of the septum is located in and restrained by the distal portion of the channel such that the distal portion of the septum is biased into a substantially circular shape by the distal portion of the channel. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37)
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38. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, a nd a bottom portion having an upper surface;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the proximal portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion, wherein the distal portion of the septum is displaced from the upper surface of the bottom portion of the housing to define an upper cavity, and wherein the housing further includes an outlet opening extending from the upper cavity such that the inlet opening and the outlet opening are in fluid flow communication;
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through the medial portion and into the distal portion such that when a male luer taper is inserted into the slit, the distal portion is moved both laterally and distally into contact with the upper surface, substantially filling the upper cavity.
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39. A needleless luer access connector, comprising:
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a housing having a top portion defining an inlet opening, a channel defined by at least one sidewall extending from the inlet opening and having a cross section, a nd a bottom portion having an upper surface and an outlet opening extending from the channel such that the inlet opening and the outlet opening are in fluid flow communication;
a septum disposed in the housing, the septum having a proximal portion, a medial portion having an external surface and a cross section less than a cross section of the proximal portion and less than the cross section of the channel and a distal portion having a peripheral surface constrained against movement by the housing;
wherein an upper cavity is defined between the distal portion of the septum and the upper surface of the bottom portion of the housing;
a longitudinal slit extending through the septum from the proximal portion through the medial portion and into the distal portion such that when a male luer taper is inserted into the slit but does not extend completely through the slit, an interior portion of the distal portion of the septum adjacent to the slit is moved distally so as to open the slit adjacent to the distal portion of the septum and substantially filling the upper cavity.
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Specification