Seal for rotating torque tube with seal valve

• US 5,062,648 A
• Filed: 03/21/1990
• Issued: 11/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Interventional Technologies Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Gomringer, Gary G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Application Number:
  US07/496,883
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 277/112, 277/110, 277/102, 277/187, 277/189, 277/32, 277/58, 277/64, 277/115, 277/181, 606/159, 137/844, 137/846, 251/214
• US Class Current: 277/346
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320758 with a rotating cutting instrument, e.g. motor driven A61B17/320725, A61B17/32075 and A61B17/320783 take precedence; for removing intra-ocular material A61F9/00763; endoscopic rotatable cutting instruments A61B17/32002
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/0613 with means for adjusting the seal opening or pressure A61M39/0693 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/3204 with at least one lip
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7882 Having exit lip

Abstract

A device for establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft has a housing which is formed with a straight bore through which the drive shaft is positioned. The bore has a narrow portion, a wide portion and a tapered portion between the narrow and wide portions. A beveled annular seal is positioned in the wide portion of the bore around the drive shaft with the bevel abutting the side of the tapered portion of the bore. An actuator is engaged to the housing and is movable to urge the seal against the tapered portion of the bore to constrict the seal around the drive shaft and establish a fluid-tight seal between the drive shaft and the annular seal. The housing further includes an expanded conforming portion. A flexible seal valve is positioned in the expanded portion to receive the drive shaft. A seal valve has a deformable wedge-shaped portion terminating in a normally closed slit when the shaft is removed. The seal valve prevents leakage when the shaft is inserted into or withdrawn from the housing.

Claims

1. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft which comprises:

resilient means for radially surrounding said drive shaft;

means for holding said resilient means on said drive shaft;

means for urging said resilient means against said holding means to constrict said resilient means around said drive shaft to establish a fluid-tight seal; and

resilient valve means having a reclosable slit and mounted within said holding means for receiving said drive shaft through said slit, said slit being closed when said drive shaft is removed from said valve means to establish said valve means as a fluid barrier.

2. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 1, wherein said valve means has a cylindrical base with an outer ring, and said slit is formed by a hollow wedge-shaped portion terminating in a reclosable aperture.

3. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 2 wherein said holding means is formed with a longitudinal bore having a relatively narrow portion, a relatively wide portion and a tapered portion intermediate said narrow portion and said wide portion.

4. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 3 wherein said resilient means is tube-shaped and has a beveled end defining an aperture and has a raised peripheral ring for abutting said wide portion to establish a fluid-tight seal between said resilient means and said holding means.

5. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 4 wherein said urging means is engageable with said holding means and movable with respect thereto to urge said beveled end of said resilient means against said tapered portion of said holding means.

6. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 5 wherein said urging means is threadably engaged to said holding means.

7. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 5 wherein said resilient means is attached to said urging means and said urging means is movable on said holding means between a first position wherein said aperture is enlarged to release said resilient means from said drive shaft and a second position wherein said aperture of said resilient means is constricted to establish a fluid-tight seal around said drive shaft.

8. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 5 wherein said resilient means is made of an elastomeric material.

9. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 5 wherein said holding means is made of a rigid material.

10. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 5 wherein said urging means is made of a rigid material.

11. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft which comprises:

an annular seal having an aperture for receiving said drive shaft therethrough;

a resilient seal valve having a pair of deformable flexible flaps resiliently biased against one another to form a reclosable aperture for receiving said drive shaft therethrough;

a housing for holding said annular seal and said seal valve on said drive shaft; and

an actuator engageable with said housing to squeeze said annular seal therebetween to constrict said aperture and establish a fluid-tight seal around said drive shaft.

12. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 11 wherein said housing is formed with a longitudinal bore having a relatively narrow portion, a relatively wide portion and a tapered portion intermediate said narrow portion and said wide portion;

and wherein said seal is tube-shaped and has a beveled end around said aperture for abutting said tapered portion of said housing and has a peripheral ring for abutting said wide portion to establish fluid-tight seal between said seal and said housing.

13. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 12 wherein said actuator is engageable with said housing and movable with respect thereto to urge said beveled end against said tapered portion.

14. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 13 wherein said actuator is threadably engaged to said housing.

15. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 13 wherein said seal is attached to said actuator and said actuator is movable on said housing between a first position wherein said aperture is enlarged to release said seal from said drive shaft and a second position wherein said aperture of said seal is constricted to establish a fluid-tight seal around said drive shaft.

16. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 13 wherein said seal is made of an elastomeric material.

17. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 13 wherein said housing is made of a rigid material.

18. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 13 wherein said actuator is made of a rigid material.

19. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft which comprises:

a housing formed with a longitudinal bore, said bore having a relatively narrow portion, a relatively wide portion and a tapered portion intermediate said narrow portion and said wide portion, said relatively narrow portion including a conforming portion;

a resilient seal valve having a flexible aperture for receiving said drive shaft and resiliently closing after said drive shaft is withdrawn from said aperture, said seal valve being seated in said conforming portion of said bore;

a tube-shaped seal member having a beveled end defining an aperture and having a peripheral ring, said seal member being positioned in said wide portion of said bore with said ring abutting said wide portion to establish a fluid-tight seal between said seal member and said housing and with said beveled end abutting said tapered portion and said aperture in alignment with said bore; and

an actuator having a passageway, said actuator being engageable with said housing to align said passageway with said aperture and with said bore to receive said drive shaft therethrough and, said actuator being movable on said housing to urge said beveled end of said seal member against said tapered portion of said bore to constrict said aperture and establish a fluid-tight seal around said drive shaft.

20. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 19, wherein said seal valve comprises a hollow cylindrical base, and a wedge-shaped portion formed by a pair of deformable flaps which taper from said base to terminate in a reclosable slit, said flaps being resiliently biased together.

21. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 20 wherein said actuator is attached to said seal member and said actuator is movable on said housing between a first position wherein said aperture is enlarged to release said seal member from said drive shaft and a second position wherein said aperture is constricted to establish a fluid-tight seal around said drive shaft.

22. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 20 wherein said seal is made of an elastomeric material.

23. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 20 wherein said housing is made of a rigid material.

24. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 20 wherein said actuator is made of a rigid material.

25. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft which comprises:

resilient means for radially surrounding said drive shaft;

means for holding said resilient means on said drive shaft;

means for selectively urging said resilient means against said holding means to constrict said resilient means around said drive shaft to establish a fluid-tight seal therewith, or distancing said resilient means from said holding means to release said resilient means from said holding means to release said resilient means from said drive shaft to break said fluid-tight seal; and

valve means having a recloseable slit and mounted within said holding means for receiving said drive shaft through said slit, said slit being closed when said drive shaft is removed from said valve means to establish said valve means as a fluid barrier.

26. A device for preventing leakage when establishing a fluid-tight seal around a rotatable drive shaft as recited in claim 25 wherein said resilient means is attached to said urging means and said urging means is movable on said holding means between a first position wherein said aperture is enlarged to release said resilient means from said drive shaft and a second position wherein said aperture of said resilient means is constricted to establish a fluid-tight seal around said drive shaft.