Urinary control valve

• US 5,800,339 A
• Filed: 05/02/1997
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Opticon Medical Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Opticon Medical Incorporated
• Inventors: Salama, Fouad A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael Powell
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, KEVIN THAO
• Application Number:
  US08/850,203
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 600/29, 600/30, 600/31, 604/247, 604/96, 128/DIG. 25
• US Class Current: 600/29
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0009 placed in or outside the body opening close to the surface of the body plugging an opening in the wall of a hollow or tubular organ A61B17/0057
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2412 with soft flexible valve members, e.g. tissue valves shaped like natural valves check valves with flexible valve members in general F16K15/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/453 for collecting urine or other discharge from male member A61F6/04 takes precedence ; devices for taking sperm samples A61B10/0058
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/25 Artificial sphincters and devices for controlling urinary incontinence

Abstract

A disc-like valve element in a control valve includes an outer peripheral ring to which leaf elements are integrally connected having a thickness which increases uniformly from the entire outer peripheral ring to the axial center forming a conical shaped valve element when in a closed condition. The side of the valve element facing the inlet end of the chamber is preferably flat functioning as a funnel to discharge urine when the valve element is moved to an open condition. The increased thickness at the axial center of the valve element is preferably the result of the side of the valve element facing the outlet end of the valve chamber increasing in thickness from the ring laterally inwardly and longitudinally outwardly to maximize flexibility of the leaf elements adjacent the ring and sealing at the axial center.

Claims

1. A urinary control valve comprising,

a flexible valve body having inlet and outlet openings at opposite ends of a chamber,

a valve means extending laterally across said chamber between said inlet and outlet openings and having an axial center, said valve means having an outer peripheral edge and including a plurality of flexible leaf sections in a common plane and having contiguous inner edges defining a slit, said contiguous inner edges sealingly engaging each other when said valve means is in a closed position and spaced apart when in an open position, said leaf sections increase in thickness uniformly from the entire outer peripheral edge toward said axial center and said valve means adapted to move to said open position in response to pressure on opposite sides of said valve body and return to said closed position in response to memory of said flexible leaf sections.

2. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said plurality of flexible leaf sections are defined as two flexible leaf sections which have opposed contiguous inner edges which extend substantially across said chamber.

3. The urinary control valve of claim 2 wherein said valve body includes a urinary tube connected to said inlet opening, and an inflation tube is associated with said urinary tube and includes an inflatable balloon at one end and an inflation inlet opening means at its opposite end, said valve body having an outside wall surface and said opposite end having said inflation inlet opening means being positioned on the outside surface of said valve body at a point midway between the opposite ends of said slit in said valve element to provide a reference for locating said opposite ends of said slit for applying pressure to said valve body to open said valve means.

4. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said plurality of flexible leaf sections are defined as three flexible leaf sections of equal size and shape, said valve means is adapted to move to said open position in response to pressure on opposite sides of said valve means and return to said closed position in response to memory of said flexible leaf sections.

5. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said leaf sections have oppositely facing sides, and one of said sides is flat and the other side is tapered laterally inwardly and axially outwardly to provide said leaf means with increased thickness at its axial center.

6. The urinary control valve of claim 5 wherein said tapered other side faces said outlet end of said chamber.

7. The urinary control valve of claim 5 wherein the thickness of said leaf elements at said increased thickness axial center is between 0.031 inch and 0.095 inch.

8. The urinary control valve of claim 5 wherein a urinary tube is connected to said inlet opening of said valve body, and said urinary tube being adapted to be positioned in a urethra, said tapered one side of said leaf sections faces toward said outlet opening in said valve body whereby the direction of said taper and the urine pressure on said flat side will cause said leaf sections to open towards said outlet opening.

9. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said leaf elements have oppositely facing sides which taper laterally inwardly and axially outwardly to provide said leaf means with increased thickness at its axial center.

10. The urinary control valve of claim 9 wherein the thickness of said leaf sections at said increased thickness axial center is between 0.031 inch and 0.095 inch.

11. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said flexible leaf sections are positioned in and integral with a ring along its inner peripheral edge, said ring having an outer peripheral edge and opposite sides, and said chamber being defined by a chamber wall which is engaged by said ring outer peripheral edge.

12. The urinary control valve of claim 11 wherein said chamber is formed by a pair of half chamber sections and said valve means is positioned at the intersection of said half chamber sections.

13. The urinary control valve of claim 12 wherein an annular shoulder is provided in one of said half chamber sections and said valve means is positioned on said annular shoulder.

14. The urinary control valve of claim 13 wherein said half chamber sections include outer peripheral edges, said one half chamber section outer peripheral edge being reduced in thickness to form said annular shoulder, and said other outer peripheral edge having a thickness allowing it to engage the other side of said ring and said outer peripheral edge of said one chamber half section to limit movement of said valve means ring within said chamber.

15. The urinary control valve of claim 12 wherein an annular shoulder is provided in one of said half chamber sections and one side of said ring of said valve means is positioned on said annular shoulder.

16. The urinary control valve of claim 15 wherein said half chamber sections include outer peripheral edges, one of said outer peripheral edges includes an outwardly extending annular rib received in an annular groove in the outer peripheral edge of said other half chamber section.

17. The urinary control valve of claim 11 wherein said ring is thicker than the outer peripheral edge of said leaf sections whereby lateral outward propagation of said slit will be limited.

18. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said increase in thickness of said leaf sections at said axial center is approximately 0.016 inch.

19. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said outer periphery edge of said leaf sections is approximately 0.059 inches thick and said axial center is approximately 0.075 inches thick.

20. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein a urinary tube is connected to said inlet opening of said valve body, and said urinary tube being adapted to be positioned in a urethra.

21. The urinary control valve of claim 1 wherein said valve means is injection molded silicone material.