Intraurethral magnetic valve
First Claim
1. An intraurethral magnetic valve for insertion into the urethra of a person'"'"'s body to selectively provide fluid discharge therefrom, comprising:
- a housing having a valve seat, a spherical permanent magnet valve element, and means for magnetically attracting said valve element through said valve seat which is noncontact with said valve element; and
said valve element being disposed for universal movement in said housing, but normally in sealing engagement with said valve seat by magnetic attraction to said means, and being responsive to an external magnetic force to move from the valve seat thereby providing for fluid discharge via said housing, and said valve element returning to said valve seat upon removal of said external magnetic force.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An intraurethral magnetic valve for insertion in the human urethra of a person suffering from incontinence. The intraurethral magnetic valve includes a nonferromagnetic cylindrical housing, a valve seat assembly attached to one end of the housing, a spherical magnetic valve element disposed for universal movement in the housing, and a ring for retaining the valve element which is attached at the other end of the housing. The valve seat assembly has a nonferromagnetic valve seat sealing surface and ferromagnetic ring, each having concentric apertures for passage of fluid. The valve element is maintained in closed check position against the valve seat by attraction to the ferromagnetic ring, restricting the flow of fluid through the valve. An external magnet is used to impart magnetic torque and attraction to the valve element displacing it from the valve seat and opening the valve for fluid flow. On removal of the external magnet, the valve element returns to its closed check position on the valve seat. The intraurethral magnetic valve may further include a mechanism for relieving excessive fluid pressure at the end of the housing having the valve seat assembly, in which the valve seat assembly is axially slidable within the housing, rather than being attached to the housing. The mechanism has a spring disposed in the housing on the side of the valve seat assembly opposite the valve element, between another retaining ring and the valve seat assembly. The spring pushes the valve seat assembly against an annular flange attached to the housing. Under normal conditions, the valve seat assembly engages the annular flange. During excessive hydrostatic pressure, the pressure against the valve element and valve seat assembly compresses the spring to disengage the seat assembly from the annular flange and permit slow release of fluid through a passageway around the valve seat assembly until the excessive pressure is reduced.
145 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An intraurethral magnetic valve for insertion into the urethra of a person'"'"'s body to selectively provide fluid discharge therefrom, comprising:
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a housing having a valve seat, a spherical permanent magnet valve element, and means for magnetically attracting said valve element through said valve seat which is noncontact with said valve element; and said valve element being disposed for universal movement in said housing, but normally in sealing engagement with said valve seat by magnetic attraction to said means, and being responsive to an external magnetic force to move from the valve seat thereby providing for fluid discharge via said housing, and said valve element returning to said valve seat upon removal of said external magnetic force. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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- 21. An intraurethral magnetic valve for insertion into the urethra of a person'"'"'s body to provide fluid discharge therefrom selectively under normal conditions and to provide controlled fluid discharge therefrom under conditions when fluid pressure increases, comprising in combination a tubular and nonmagnetic housing having a continuous sidewall and disposed within the housing an axially slidable valve seat assembly comprised of a ferromagnetic ring bonded to a nonmagnetic valve seat having a face thereof axially spaced from the ferromagnetic ring, a spherical permanent magnet valve element normally held in sealing engagement with the face of the valve seat by magnetic attraction therethrough to the ferromagnetic ring, a nonmagnetic annular flange sealingly attached within the housing and having a planar sealing surface which normally sealingly engages a planar sealing surface of the valve seat assembly, a nonmagnetic retaining ring attached within the housing for retaining the valve element within the housing, and a nonmagnetic spring retaining ring attached within the housing, and a compression spring disposed between the spring retaining ring and the valve seat assembly, the spring biasing the valve seat assembly into sealing engagement with the planar sealing surface of the flange, means for selectively opening the valve comprising a source of magnetic attraction in spaced relation to the person'"'"'s body, the source of magnetic attraction selectively imposes a magnetic force on the valve element which moves the valve element away from the valve seat thereby providing the selective fluid discharge under normal conditions, and the valve element and the valve seat assembly being slidable together in an axial direction toward the spring so as to additionally provide controlled fluid discharge under conditions when fluid pressure increases.
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29. A magnetic valve comprising in combination a tubular and nonmagnetic housing having a continuous sidewall and disposed within the housing, in sequence from one end thereof, a valve seat assembly comprised of a ferromagnetic ring and a nonmagnetic valve seat having a face thereof axially spaced from the ferromagnetic ring, the valve seat assembly sealingly attached within the housing, a spherical permanent magnet valve element held in sealing engagement with the face of the valve seat by magnetic attraction therethrough to the ferromagnetic ring, and a nonmagnetic retaining ring attached within the housing for retaining the valve element within the housing, means for opening the valve by a source of magnetic attraction positioned in spaced relation thereto, the source of the magnetic attraction selectively imposes a magnetic force on the valve element which rotates the valve element away from the valve seat, thereby opening a passage through the magnetic valve.
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30. An intraurethral magnetic valve assembly for insertion into the urethra of a person'"'"'s body to selectively provide fluid discharge therefrom, comprising:
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a housing having a spherical permanent magnet valve element and a valve seat having means magnetically attractive to said valve element, in which said valve element is normally in sealing engagement with said valve seat, and is responsive to external magnetic force to move from the valve seat thereby providing for fluid discharge via said housing; and said housing further comprises non-magnetic means for restricting displacement of the valve element within said housing so that from all possible displacement positions sufficient magnetic attractive force exists between the valve element and the valve seat to return the valve element to sealing engagement with the valve seat when the external magnetic force is removed. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. An intraurethral magnetic valve assembly for insertion into the urethra of a person'"'"'s body to selectively provide fluid discharge therefrom, comprising:
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a housing having a spherical permanent magnet valve element and a valve seat having means magnetically attractive to said valve element, in which said valve element is normally in sealing engagement with said valve seat, and is responsive to hydrostatic pressure able to move the valve element from the valve seat thereby providing for fluid discharge via said housing; and said housing further comprises nonmagnetic means for restricting displacement of the valve element within said housing so that from all possible displacement positions sufficient magnetic attractive force exists between the valve element and the valve seat to return the valve element to sealing engagement with the valve seat when the hydrostatic pressure is removed.
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Specification