Union for medical instruments or pipes and a female half of such a union

• US 4,538,836 A
• Filed: 04/08/1982
• Issued: 09/03/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fresenius AG (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius AG (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Krutten, Viktor
• Primary Examiner(s): Arola, Dave W.
• Application Number:
  US06/366,686
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 285/331, 285/24, 285/330, 285/27, 285/332, 285/DIG. 22, 285/423
• US Class Current: 285/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/1033 Swivel nut connectors, e.g. threaded connectors, bayonet-connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/10 Tube connectors; Tube couplings A61M39/02 takes precedence; connecting needles to syringes or hubs A61M5/34; connecting catheter tubes to hubs A61M25/0014
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 285/921 Snap-fit

Abstract

A union or coupling for medical instruments or pipes, more specially for injection, transfusion or infusion has a male half with radial nosepieces for locking it in position and a female half with a guide structure and a keeper part, placed proximally of the guide structure, for fixedly locking the nosepieces on the male half proximally of the locking nosepieces of the female half with the nosepieces on the male half seated in radial pockets in said female half. Each nosepiece on the male half has stop ends running parallel to the axis of the male half and each pocket has opposite stop ends, parallel to the axis of the female part for acting against the stop ends on the spigot nosepieces and stopping turning of the male half in relation to the female half. The locking nosepieces on the female half have proximal stop faces, and each locking nosepiece on the male half may only be moved up against the stop faces on the female half with elastic deformation, and because of the elastic springing back of the structure it is quite impossible for the male half later to be pulled out of the female half, a proximal stop on each nosepiece on the male half being kept in position against the stop face. In this way it is possible to make certain that simply by pushing the two halves of the union into each other without any twisting thereof the locking nosepieces on the male half are guided in guide openings of the front or distal guide structure of the female half to proximally the locking nosepieces thereof and it is then quite impossible for the union to be undone and separated into two halves. If needed the union may be designed so that a sealing function is produced by sealing faces resting fluid-tightly against each other, or the union may be designed as a mechanical fastener only.

Claims

1. A union for medical apparatus, comprising:

a male first half with an axially extending spigot of generally round transverse cross-sectional figure;

said spigot having a front end and a base;

said spigot having at least one nosepiece of limited angular extent circumferentially of the spigot;

said nosepiece being provided on a radially outer face of the spigot so as to project radially outwardly therefrom;

a female second half with an axially extending socket which is constructed and arranged to telescopically coaxially receive said spigot;

said second half having a front end and a base;

said second half having at least one locking nosepiece of limted angular extent circumferentially of said socket;

said locking nosepiece being so located on said second half as to be initially disposed in obstructing relation to completion of telescopic reception of said spigot in said socket;

at least one of said spigot nosepiece and said locking nosepiece being so constructed, arranged and mounted on said second part as to be sufficiently elastically deformably temporarily moved by attempted further insertion of said spigot into said socket after being engaged by said first half, as to permit completion of telescopic reception of said spigot in said socket;

said locking nosepiece having provided on a back side thereof at least one stop face and said spigot nosepiece having provided on a back side thereof at least one stop face, these two stop faces being positioned to engage once telescopic reception of said spigot in said socket has been completed, in such a sense as to cause attempted axial withdrawl of said spigot from said socket while said two stop faces are engaged, to be subject to greater resistance than is said completion of telescopic reception during said further insertion;

said spigot nosepiece being located in the vicinity of the front end of said spigot and extending less than 180°

in the circumferential direction of the spigot;

said second half, between said front end thereof and said locking nosepiece, having a guide structure which at least partially encloses said socket;

said guide structure including means providing at least one axially extending, axially frontwardly and radially inwardly opening guide groove for receiving a respective said spigot nosepiece as said spigot is being telescopically received in said socket;

said guide groove having a front and a back located axially opposite one another;

said locking nosepiece being located axially towards the back of said guide groove;

said first half having means defining a duct extending longitudinally therethrough within said spigot;

said second half having an axially extending pin disposed coaxially within said socket;

said pin having a radially outer face which is radially spaced from said guide structure;

said socket being defined at least in part as an annular space of ring-shaped transverse cross-sectional figure radially between said radially outer face of said pin, and said guide structure;

said pin having means defining a duct extending longitudinally therethrough, this duct being constructed and arranged for communication with said duct of said first half upon completion of telescopic reception of said spigot in said socket;

said radially outer face of said pin being conically tapered toward said front end of said second half;

said duct of said spigot being conically flared toward said front end of said spigot, complementarily with said conical tapering of said pin at a cone angle of 1;

16.67 for compatability with Luer union parts;

said stop face on said spigot nosepiece being located in an imaginary plane extending at a helix angle of 12°

for comparability with a standard Luer union screw nut.

2. The union of claim 1, wherein:

said first half is provided with an even number plurality of said spigot nosepieces, each being located diametrically opposite another;

said guide structure of said second half being provided with a corresponding plurality of said guide grooves; and

said second half being provided angularly between said guide grooves with surface means defining lands constructed and arranged for guiding said spigot by engagement with a radially outwardly presented face of said spigot.

3. The union as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

each said spigot nosepiece terminates circumferentially at surface means providing at least one circumferentially acting stop face, said second half having, for each said spigot nosepiece on said first half, surface means providing a pocket which is constructed and arranged to receive the respective said nosepiece in a locked condition of said union, each said pocket having circumferentially acting walls which are constructed and arranged to be acted upon by said stop face of the respective said spigot nosepiece on making any attempt at turning said first half in relation to said second half.

4. The union as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

each said spigot nosepiece is made somewhat undersized in an axial direction in relation to each of said pockets of said second half.

5. The union as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

each said spigot nosepiece is made somewhat undersized in the circumferential direction in relation to each of said pockets of said second half.

6. The union as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

each said locking nosepiece has said stop face thereof formed as part of an edge of a respective said pocket.

7. The union as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the pockets is provided in the form of a radially opening aperture.

8. A female second half, for use with a male first half with an axially extending spigot of generally round transverse cross-sectional figure, said spigot having a front end and a base, said spigot having at least one nosepiece of limited angular extent circumferentially of the spigot, said nosepiece being provided on a radially outer face of the spigot so as to project radially outwardly therefrom, said spigot nosepiece having provided on a back side thereof with at least one stop face, said spigot nosepiece being located in the vicinity of the front end of said spigot and extending less than 180°

in the circumferential direction of the spigot, said first half having means defining a duct extending longitudinally therethrough within said spigot, said duct of said spigot being conically flared toward said front end of said spigot, and said stop face on said spigot nosepiece being located in an imaginary plane extending at a helix angle of 12°

for compatability with a standard Luer union screwnut,

said female second half comprising;

means providing an axially extending socket which is constructed and arranged to telescopically coaxially receive said spigot;

said second half having a front end and a base;

said second half having at least one locking nosepiece of limited angular extent circumferentialy of said socket;

said locking nosepiece being so located on said second half as to be initially disposed in obstructing relation to completion of telescopic reception of said spigot in said socket;

said locking nosepiece being so constructed and arranged and mounted on said second part as to be sufficiently elastically deformably temporarily moved by attempted further insertion of said spigot into said socket after being engaged by said first half, as to permit completion of telescopic reception of said spigot in said socket;

said locking nosepiece having provided on a back side thereof at least one stop face, this stop face being positioned to engage said stop face on said spigot nosepiece once telescopic reception of said spigot in said socket has been completed, for resisting axial withdrawal of said spigot from said socket;

said second half, between said front end thereof and said locking nosepiece, having a guide structure which at least partially encloses said socket;

said guide structure including means providing at least one axially extending, axially frontwardly and radially inwardly opening guide groove for receiving a respective said spigot nosepiece as said spigot is being telescopically received in said socket;

said guide groove having a front and a back located axially opposite one another;

said locking nosepiece being located axially towards the back of said guide groove;

said second half having an axially extending pin disposed coaxially within said socket;

said pin having a radially outer face which is radially spaced from said guide structure;

said socket being defined at least in part as an annular space of ring-shaped transverse cross-sectional figure radially between said radially outer face of said pin, and said guide structure;

said pin having means defining a duct extending longitudinally therethrough, this duct being constructed and arranged for communication with said duct of said first half upon completion of telescopic reception of said spigot in said socket;

said radially outer face of said pin being conically tapered toward said front end of said second half complementarily with said conical flaring of said duct of said spigot at a cone angle of 1;

16.67 for compatability with Luer union parts.

9. A female union half for establishing a tubing connection for medical apparatus, said union half being integrally made of somewhat elastically deformable synthetic resin material and comprising:

a tubular base part constructed and arranged to be mounted to medical apparatus;

a tubular pin extending coaxially from said tubular base part;

the tubular base part and tubular pin together providing an internal longitudinally duct opening at opposite ends of said union half;

said tubular pin externally conically tapering to the respective end of said union half and providing a radially inner surface for a socket;

a guide structure in the form of a thin annular collar coaxially spacedly surrounding said tubular pin;

said annular collar being connectedly based on said base part so as to provide a radially inner surface for said socket;

means defining at least one radially opening guide groove in said radialy inner surface of said annular collar, said guide groove also opening towards said respective end of said union half;

means defining at least one slot radially opening through said annular collar near said base, said slot intersecting and extending laterally across a respective said guide groove;

said slot defining means including a wall surface bounding said slot, this wall surface being constructed and arranged to act as a stop means against rotation of such male union half spigot lateral protuberance as may telescopically enter said socket on such spigot through said respective end sliding along in said guide groove towards said base part until such lateral protuberance pops into said slot; and

means providing at least one radially inwardly projecting protuberance on said radially inner surface of said annular collar bordering an axially forward edge portion of said bounding wall surface of a respective said slot;

said radially inwardly projecting protuberance including a ramp-like forward face and an erect rear stop face, this protuberance being thereby constructed and arranged to facilitate and permit passage of said male union half spigot lateral protuberance therepast as such male union half spigot is telesopically non-rotatively inserted in said socket, but thereafter to resist telescopic non-rotative withdrawal of said spigot from said socket.