Vacuum demand flow valve

• US 20050028870A1
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Baxter International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Baxter International Inc.
• Inventors: Danby, Hal C., Swan, Julian F.R., Williamson, Mark E.
• Application Number:
  US10/938,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20050028870A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/510
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/18 of rigid material
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/20 of flexible material; Collapsible or stackable cups
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2266 Means for facilitating drinking, e.g. for infants or invalids
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 15/00 Feeding-tubes for therapeutic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 15/0011 Feeding-tubes for delivery of nourishment to the mouth; Mouth pieces therefor breast-nipple shields A61J13/00; mouth pieces for drinking straws A47G21/185; straws to take medicine A61J7/0038, mouthpieces for tracheal tubes A61M16/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 15/0092 Valves on feeding tubes tube valves A61M39/22
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/00 Devices for administering medicines orally, e.g. spoons calibrated capacity measures for fluids or fluent solid material G01F19/00; weighing spoons G01G19/56; Pill counting devices; Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/00 Feeding-bottles in general
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/001 with inner liners
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/005 Non-rigid or collapsible feeding-bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/2068 in which the stem is lowered by the pressure of the contents and thereby opening the valve
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/248 the valve being opened or closed by imparting a motion to the valve stem B65D47/244, B65D47/245 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/14 with flexible valve members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/1825 for check valves with flexible valve members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/126 the fluid acting on a diaphragm, bellows, or the like F16K31/145, F16K31/165, F16K31/365, F16K31/385 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 137/907 Vacuum-actuated valves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/71 With seal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7781 With separate connected fluid reactor surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7836 Flexible diaphragm or bellows reactor

Abstract

A valve is disclosed for dispensing a flowable material. The valve has a first chamber (40) at a first pressure wherein said first chamber (40) defines an outlet (28) in communication with said first chamber (40). A second chamber (42) is at a second pressure. The valve has a stop (18) indexed against a third pressure, operating to selectively place the first chamber (40) into communication with the second chamber (42). The stop (18) is operative to connect the second chamber (42) to said first chamber (40) when the first pressure is less than the third pressure.

Claims

1. (Canceled)

2. (Canceled)

3. (Canceled)

4. (Canceled)

5. (Canceled)

6. (Canceled)

7. (Canceled)

8. (Canceled)

9. (Canceled)

10. (Canceled)

11. (Canceled)

12. (Canceled)

13. (Canceled)

14. (Canceled)

15. (Canceled)

16. (Canceled)

17. A valve comprising:

a housing defining a passageway having an outlet for a flowable material to pass therethrough and a member associated with said outlet independently providing a force to keep said passageway closed in any orientation,

the passageway having a first volume when in a first position wherein the flowable material is not allowed to pass through the passageway, and the passageway having a second volume less than the first volume when in a second position, said second position allowing the flowable material to pass through the passageway, wherein the passageway is moveable from the first position to the second position.

18. The valve of claim 17 and a volume transition in said passageway between said second position and said first position causing said flowable material to retreat into said passageway.

19. The valve of claim 18 wherein said volume transition causes said flowable material to retreat from said outlet.

20. The valve of claim 19 wherein said retreat from said outlet being operative to retain said fluid in said passageway.

21. The valve of claim 17 and the housing having a port member, said port member defining an external opening in communication with the passageway wherein the port member is adapted to actuate said valve from said first position to said second position.

22. The valve of claim 17 wherein the passageway is moved from the first position to the second position by a pressure applied to the passageway.

23. The valve of claim 22 and said pressure applied to said passageway being a partial vacuum.

24. The valve of claim 23 wherein, when said partial vacuum is applied, a force is applied to a member associated with said housing in a first direction in response to the partial vacuum thereby placing the passageway in the second position.

26. The valve of claim 23 wherein said partial vacuum is applied by the mouth of a user.

28. The valve of claim 21 wherein the port member has an orifice.

29. The valve of claim 28 wherein the orifice is sized such that surface tension associated with the flowable substance across the orifice prevents the flowable substance located within the passageway from passing through the orifice when the partial vacuum is removed from the passageway.

25. (Canceled)

27. (Canceled)

30. (Canceled)

31. A valve comprising:

a housing defining a passageway between an outlet opening and an inner opening, and a member associated with said outlet opening and being deflectable from a first position to a second position associated with said housing; and

a stop connected to the deflectable member, the stop having a plug extensive to seal said inner opening, said seal occurring at the inner opening from a side opposite of said outlet opening;

wherein when the deflectable member is in the first position, said member independently provides a force to place the stop in sealing contact with the inner opening to close the inner opening in any orientation, and when the deflectable member is in the second position, the stop is spaced from the inner opening to open the inner opening.

32. The valve of claim 31 and said stop passing through said inner opening and said plug radially extensive from said stop sized to close said inner opening.

33. The valve according to claim 31 and said valve having an upstream side and a downstream side wherein said plug is located toward said upstream side from said stop.

34. The valve of claim 31 wherein the housing comprises a port member defining the outlet opening.

35. The valve of claim 31 wherein the deflectable member comprises a diaphragm.

36. The valve of claim 35 wherein the stop is connected to the diaphragm and extends through the inner opening.

38. The valve of claim 31 wherein the stop member has a plunger having a plug at a distal end, the plug positioned at the inner opening to close the inner opening.

39. The valve of claim 31 and said member serving to bias said stop to said first position.

40. The valve of claim 38 wherein the plunger has a resilient member engaging a surface of the housing to bias the plug against the inner opening.

37. (Canceled)

41. (Canceled)

42. (Canceled)

43. (Canceled)

44. (Canceled)

45. (Canceled)

46. (Canceled)

47. (Canceled)

48. (Canceled)

49. (Canceled)

50. (Canceled)

51. (Canceled)

52. (Canceled)

53. (Canceled)

54. (Canceled)

55. (Canceled)

56. (Canceled)

57. (Canceled)

58. (Canceled)

59. (Canceled)

60. A container capable of dispensing a flowable material, the container comprising:

a container wall defining a first chamber adapted to hold a flowable material, the container wall defining an opening;

a valve defining a second chamber, the valve having an outlet and a valve member;

the valve member being positioned in the opening and independently providing a force to keep said valve closed in any orientation, the valve being moveable from a closed position to an open position when the second chamber is subjected to a pressure less than ambient pressure wherein the flowable material flows from the first chamber, through the opening and through the outlet.

61. (Canceled)

62. (Canceled)

63. (Canceled)

64. (Canceled)

65. (Canceled)

66. A valve comprising:

a housing defining a passageway between an outlet opening and an inlet opening for a flowable material to pass therethrough, the housing having an internal wall dividing the passageway into a first chamber and a second chamber, the internal wall having an inner opening communicating the first chamber and the second chamber, the housing having an annular rim defining an aperture in communication with the first chamber;

a diaphragm connected to the annular rim;

a stop connected to the diaphragm, the stop passing through the internal opening and having a flange in the second chamber, the flange in sealing contact with the inner opening;

the diaphragm being deflectable from a first position to a second position, wherein when the deflectable member is in the first position, the diaphragm independently provides a biasing force to place the stop in sealing contact with the inner opening to close the inner opening, and when the diaphragm member is in the second position, the stop is spaced from the inner opening to open the inner opening wherein the flowable material is allowed to pass through the passageway.

67. (Canceled)

68. (Canceled)

69. (Canceled)

70. (Canceled)

71. (Canceled)

72. (Canceled)

73. (Canceled)

74. (Canceled)

75. (Canceled)

76. (Canceled)

77. (Canceled)

78. (Canceled)

79. (Canceled)

80. (Canceled)

81. (Canceled)

82. (Canceled)

83. A method of delivering a flowable material from a container through a valve positioned in an opening of the container and in fluid communication with an outlet, the method comprising:

wherein the valve has an upstream side, placing said flowable material in communication with said upstream side of said valve;

wherein said valve is indexed to a first pressure and said valve independently provides a bias to keep said valve closed in any orientation and said valve has an outlet distal from said upstream side, applying a pressure to said outlet less than said first pressure to open said valve.

84. (Canceled)

85. (Canceled)

86. (Canceled)

87. (Canceled)

88. (Canceled)

89. (Canceled)

90. (Canceled)

91. A method of delivering a flowable material, the method comprising:

providing a housing defining a passageway between a first opening and a second opening, a portion of the housing being flexible from a first position to a second position;

providing a stop member connected to the housing portion, wherein when the housing portion is in the first position, the housing portion independently provides a force to the stop member to close the second opening by sealing the second opening from a side opposite to the passageway in any orientation, and when the housing portion is in the second position, the stop member is spaced from the second opening to open the second opening; and

applying a vacuum through the passageway moving said housing portion from said first position to said second position under influence of said vacuum.

92. (Canceled)

93. (Canceled)

94. A valve comprising a member independently providing a first force operative to keep said valve closed, and a valve seat defined by an inner opening of said valve for sealing abutment with said member, and a first pressure associated with said valve, said member being sensitive to an index pressure;

and an outlet at a second pressure, wherein the inner opening is sealed by said member from a side opposite to the outlet when said valve is closed, said index pressure providing a second force in opposition to said first force when a differential between said second pressure and said index pressure is provided to said member; and

opening the valve when said second pressure is sufficiently less than the index pressure to overcome the first force.

95. A valve comprising:

a member independently providing a first force operative to keep said valve closed and a first pressure associated with said valve, said member being sensitive to an index pressure; and

an outlet at a second pressure, said index pressure providing a second force in opposition to said first force when a differential between said second pressure and said index pressure is provided to said member, and opening the valve when said second pressure is sufficiently less than the index pressure to overcome the first force, the valve being in communication with a fluid source wherein opening said valve displaces said member in a direction towards the fluid source.

96. A valve comprising:

a housing defining a passageway between an outlet opening and an inner opening, and a member associated with said outlet opening and being deflectable from a first position to a second position associated with said housing; and

,

a stop connected to the deflectable member, wherein when the deflectable member is in the first position, said member independently provides a force to place the stop in sealing contact with the inner opening to closed the inner opening, the stop being in fluid communication with a fluid source, wherein when the deflectable member is moved to the second position, the stop is spaced from the inner opening in a direction towards the fluid source.