Method of preventing air from becoming entrapped within a filtration device
First Claim
1. A method of preventing air from becoming entrapped within a filtration device of a biological liquid filtration system comprising:
- flowing biological liquid through said filtration system and through said filtration device;
utilizing gravity to create a negative pressure downstream of a filtration media within said filtration device; and
forcing air within said filtration device downstream of said filtration media to flow through an outlet at a flow rate sufficient to force air to flow into the outlet of said device and utilizing said negative pressure downstream of said filtration media to force air within said filtration device downstream of said filtration media to flow through said outlet after biological liquid flows through said outlet and at all times when biological liquid flows through said filtration media thereby preventing air from becoming trapped downstream of said filtration media within said filtration device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An in-line gravity filtration device for biological fluids such as blood or blood products is disclosed. The device includes a series of channels formed downstream of filtration elements. The channels are defined in cross sectional area by the distance between the filtration elements and their bottoms. The channels are configured to form flow paths to an outlet port so that air within the channels is forced downstream through the outlet port thereby minimizing air being trapped on the downstream side of the device. For optimum performance, the cross section area of a single continuous channel, or the sum of the cross sectional area of parallel channels, leading to a single outlet port, should not exceed the cross sectional area of the outlet port.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of preventing air from becoming entrapped within a filtration device of a biological liquid filtration system comprising:
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flowing biological liquid through said filtration system and through said filtration device; utilizing gravity to create a negative pressure downstream of a filtration media within said filtration device; and forcing air within said filtration device downstream of said filtration media to flow through an outlet at a flow rate sufficient to force air to flow into the outlet of said device and utilizing said negative pressure downstream of said filtration media to force air within said filtration device downstream of said filtration media to flow through said outlet after biological liquid flows through said outlet and at all times when biological liquid flows through said filtration media thereby preventing air from becoming trapped downstream of said filtration media within said filtration device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 25)
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16. A method of preventing air from becoming entrapped within a filtration device of a biological liquid filtration system comprising:
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flowing biological liquid through said filtration system and through said filtration device; forcing air within said filtration device downstream of a filtration media within said filtration device to flow into at least two non-periphery channels and into an outlet, wherein said non-periphery channels have distant opposite ends adjoining a common periphery channel of said filtration device; and forcing air within said filtration device downstream of said filtration media to flow through the outlet at a flow rate sufficient to force air to flow into the outlet of said device thereby preventing air from becoming trapped downstream of said filtration media within said filtration device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26)
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Specification