Rotor for peristaltic pump

• US 4,832,584 A
• Filed: 01/15/1988
• Issued: 05/23/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Corpak LLC
• Original Assignee: Corpak LLC
• Inventors: Nassif, George
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Szczecina, Jr., Eugene L.
• Application Number:
  US07/144,484
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 417/474, 417/476, 417/477
• US Class Current: 417/477.3
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/1253 by using two or more rollers as squeezing elements, the rollers moving on an arc of a circle during squeezing

Abstract

The invention is an improvement on rotors in peristaltic pumps for advancing enteral feeding solutions through medical tubing. The improvement comprises the provision of a plurality of removable, one-piece rollers disposed between the front and rear plates of a rotor. Each of the rollers is contained between a pair of vertically aligned, open channels provided in the front and rear plates. To permit free rotation of each roller within its respective pair of channels, an inner portion of each channel has dimensions slightly larger than the outer ends of each roller. To ensure that the rollers are, during normal use, retained within their respective channels, an outer portion of each channel has dimensions slightly smaller than the dimensions of the end of each roller. Each roller may be inserted or removed into its respective pair of channels by force-fitting the ends of that roller through the outer portion of each channel. Alternatively, the roller ends may be captured within a circular, closed channel within the front and rear plates. In this alternate embodiment, the rollers are removed by separating the front and rear plates.

Claims

1. In a peristaltic pump for advancing enteral feeding solutions through medical tubing, the pump including a motor driven rotor, the rotor carrying a plurality of independently rotating rollers for intermittently compressing the tubing to advance the solutions therein contained, the rotor having a front plate and a rear plate with the rollers being disposed therebetween, an improved rotor comprising:

peripheral edges of the front and rear plates of the rotor being selectively configured to define a plurality of open channels, the channels on the top and bottom plates being vertically aligned to define pairs of channels, each pair of channels carrying a removable roller, said roller having a medical tubing contact surface which is fixed to the remaining, underlying portion of said roller, an inner portion of each channel having dimensions slightly larger than the dimensions of each end of the rollers to permit free rotation of the rollers within the channel, an outer portion of the channel having dimensions slightly smaller than each end of the rollers to normally retain the rollers within the inner portion of the channel, such that each roller is inserted into a pair of channels by force-fit through the outer portion of each channel.

2. The improved peristaltic pump rotor set forth in claim 1, wherein said roller is a one-piece roller and wherein said medical tubing contact surface is an integral part of said roller.

3. The improved peristaltic pump rotor set forth in claim 1, wherein said channels are of a generally keyhole shape.

4. The improved peristaltic pump rotor set forth in claim 2, wherein said channels are of a generally keyhole shape.

5. The improved peristaltic pump rotor set forth in claim 1, wherein the diameter of said inner portion of said channel exceeds the diameter of said end of said roller by from 15 to 25 percent.

6. The improved peristaltic pump rotor set forth in claim 2, wherein the diameter of said inner portion of said channel exceeds the diameter of said end of said roller by from 15 to 25 percent.