Spontaneous inflation inhibitor for inflatable prosthesis
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An inflation inhibitor for an implantable prosthesis, comprising:
- a housing in communication with an attached pump bulb;
the housing having a fluid passageway, the fluid passageway having an inlet and an outlet;
a first flow valve controlling the inlet of the fluid passageway and located within the fluid passageway between the inlet and the outlet; and
an outlet sealing mechanism located within the housing that selectively and substantially seals the flow of fluid from the inlet to the outlet in response to a fluid pressure increase within at least a portion of the housing adjacent to the inlet of the fluid passageway that exceeds a predetermined level.
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Abstract
A pump assembly for a penile implant is provided having a mechanism which prevents spontaneous inflation of the cylinders implanted within the user. The preventative mechanism uses overpressure generated by the reservoir during unintentional compression to effectively seal the pump assembly from unintended fluid flow. The prevention mechanism itself creates all necessary forces to prevent the undesired fluid flow to the cylinders. This is accomplished by incorporating appropriate mechanisms within the pump itself.
105 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An inflation inhibitor for an implantable prosthesis, comprising:
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a housing in communication with an attached pump bulb;
the housing having a fluid passageway, the fluid passageway having an inlet and an outlet;
a first flow valve controlling the inlet of the fluid passageway and located within the fluid passageway between the inlet and the outlet; and
an outlet sealing mechanism located within the housing that selectively and substantially seals the flow of fluid from the inlet to the outlet in response to a fluid pressure increase within at least a portion of the housing adjacent to the inlet of the fluid passageway that exceeds a predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An inflation inhibitor for an implantable prosthesis, comprising:
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a housing having a fluid passageway, the fluid passageway having an inlet and an outlet;
a first flow valve located within the fluid passageway between the inlet and the outlet; and
an outlet sealing mechanism located within the housing that selectively and substantially seals the flow of fluid from the inlet to the outlet in response to a fluid pressure increase within at least a portion of the housing that exceeds a predetermined level, wherein the outlet sealing mechanism includes a bypass passageway having a first end which is in fluid communication with the inlet and a second end which is in fluid communication with a chamber, wherein the amount of fluid pressure within the chamber selectively prevents fluid flow through the outlet. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A pressure lock out arrangement for an inflatable prosthesis comprising:
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a housing having an inlet and an outlet;
a valve disposed between the inlet and the outlet;
the valve being biased toward substantially sealing the outlet; and
a supplemental biasing mechanism responsive to pressure increases from the inlet to increase the biasing of the valve toward substantially sealing the outlet, wherein the supplemental biasing mechanism includes a bypass passageway having a first end which is in fluid communication with the inlet and a second end which is in fluid communication with a chamber, wherein the amount of fluid pressure within the chamber selectively prevents fluid flow through the outlet. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. An inflation inhibitor for an inflatable prosthesis comprising:
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a housing having an inlet and an outlet;
a valve controlling fluid flow between the inlet and the outlet; and
an outlet sealing mechanism responsive to pressure increases from the inlet;
the valve and the outlet sealing mechanism being integrated and substantially enclosed in the housing, wherein the outlet sealing mechanism includes a bypass passageway having a first end which is in fluid communication with the inlet and a second end which is in fluid communication with a chamber, wherein the amount of fluid pressure within the chamber selectively prevents fluid flow through the outlet. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. An inflation inhibitor for an implantable prosthesis, comprising:
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a housing having a fluid passage way, the fluid passageway having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with a reservoir;
a first flow valve located within the fluid passageway between the inlet and the outlet;
a second flow valve located within the fluid passageway between the first flow valve and the inlet, wherein an intermediate chamber is defined between the first flow valve and the second flow valve within the fluid passageway;
an expansion chamber in fluid communication with the inlet; and
a flexible member located within the expansion chamber that selectively and substantially seals the outlet in response to a fluid pressure increase within the expansion chamber that exceeds a predetermined level, wherein the flexible member is an abutting wall disposed between the expansion chamber and the first flow valve so that the abutting wall is caused to contact the first flow valve and urge the first flow valve into a closed position when the fluid pressure within the chamber exceeds a predetermined amount.
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23. An inflation inhibitor for an implantable prosthesis, comprising:
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a housing having a fluid passageway, the fluid passageway having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with a reservoir;
a first flow valve located within the fluid passageway between the inlet and the outlet;
a second flow valve located within the fluid passageway between the first flow valve and the inlet, wherein an intermediate chamber is defined between the first flow valve and the second flow valve within the fluid passageway;
an expansion chamber within the housing in fluid communication with the inlet; and
a flexible member located within the expansion chamber that selectively and substantially seals the outlet in response to a fluid pressure increase within the expansion chamber that exceeds a predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification